Yes / The usage of AI-empowered Industrial Robots (InRos) is booming in the Auto Component Manufacturing Companies (ACMCs) across the globe. Based on a model leveraging the Technology, Organisation, and Environment (TOE) framework, this work examines the adoption of InRos in ACMCs in the context of an emerging economy. This research scrutinizes the adoption intention and potential use of InRos in ACMCs through a survey of 460 senior managers and owners of ACMCs in India. The findings indicate that perceived compatibility, external pressure, perceived benefits and support from vendors are critical predictors of InRos adoption intention. Interestingly, the study also reveals that IT infrastructure and government support do not influence InRos adoption intention. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that perceived cost issues negatively moderate the relationship between the adoption intention and potential use of InRos in ACMCs. This study offers a theoretical contribution as it deploys the traditional TOE framework and discovers counter-intuitively that IT resources are not a major driver of technology adoption: as such, it suggests that a more comprehensive framework than the traditional RBV should be adopted. The work provides managerial recommendations for managers, shedding light on the antecedents of adoption intention and potential use of InRos at ACMCs in a country where the adoption of InRos is in a nascent stage.

yes / Background Unilateral trans-tibial amputees have bilaterally reduced toe clearance, and an increased risk of foot contact, while crossing obstacles compared to the able-bodied. While the able-bodied tend to lead with a ‘preferred’ limb it is equivocal whether amputees prefer to lead with the intact or prosthetic limb. This study determined the effects of laterality, compared to side of amputation, on amputees' obstacle crossing performance. To help understand why laterality could affect performance we also assessed knee proprioception for both limbs. Methods Foot placement and toe clearance parameters were recorded while nine amputees crossed obstacles of varying heights leading with both their intact and prosthetic limbs. Joint-position sense was also assessed. Participants self-reported which limb was their preferred (dominant) limb. Findings There were no significant differences in foot placements or toe clearance variability across lead-limb conditions. There were no significant differences in toe clearance between intact and prosthetic lead-limbs (p = 0.28) but toe clearance was significantly higher when amputees led with their preferred compared to non-preferred limb (p = 0.025). There was no difference in joint-position sense between the intact and residual knees (p = 0.34) but joint-position sense tended to be more accurate for the preferred, compared to non-preferred limb (p = 0.08). Interpretation Findings suggest that, despite the mechanical constraints imposed by use of a prosthesis, laterality may be as important in lower-limb amputees as it is in the able bodied. This suggests that amputees should be encouraged to cross obstacles leading with their preferred limb. / Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Conventional methods for diagnosis of human disease are, at times, limited in different regards including time requirement, either experimental or data processing, sensitivity, and selectivity. It is then that a Point of Care Criteria, which considers the true utility and usefulness of the device, is employed to propose new diagnostic devices capable of overcoming the aforementioned shortcomings of conventional tools. Nucleic acid, characterized for its predictable base-pairing nature, is considered to be a highly-selective, yet greatly modifiable device. Its behavior is then described through Boolean Logic, where “true” or “false” outputs are mathematically described as “1” and “0”, respectively. This mathematical approach is then referred to as Logic Gates, where outputs can be predicted based on satisfied environmental conditions. The mechanisms, capable of exhibiting Logic Gate behavior, are described.

No description available.

No description available.

Yes / Trips over obstacles are one of the main causes of falling in older adults, with vision playing an important role in successful obstacle negotiation. We determined whether a horizontal-vertical illusion, superimposed onto low-height obstacles to create a perceived increase in obstacle height, increased foot clearances during obstacle negotiation thus reducing the likelihood of tripping. Eleven adults (mean ± 1 SD: age 27.3 ± 5.1 years) negotiated obstacles of varying heights (3, 5, 7 cm) with four different appearance conditions; two were obstacles with a horizontal-vertical illusion (vertical stripes of different thickness) superimposed on the front, one was a plain obstacle and the fourth a plain obstacle with a horizontal black line painted on the top edge. Foot clearance parameters were compared across conditions. Both illusions led to a significant increase in foot clearance when crossing the obstacle, compared to the plain condition, irrespective of obstacle height. Superimposing a horizontal-vertical illusion onto low-height obstacles can increase foot clearance, and its use on the floor section of a double-glazing door frame for example may reduce the incidence of tripping in the home.

電子商務近年來快速發展，並徹底改變了商業環境。電子商務能為企業帶來諸多好處，例如：降低交易成本、增加營收、改善流程等等，這些好處使得透過電子商務進行商業活動已經成為不可避免的趨勢了。在眾多電子商務工具中，又以B2B電子商務平台的重要性為最高，因為B2B電子商務平台扮演著媒合全球買家與賣家的腳色，並且創造了非常龐大的交易量。 近年來，探究電子商務的文獻愈趨增加，然而多從科技角度切入探討，較少由策略管理面著手；此外，在主題選擇上，大多為影響採用電子商務與否、以及轉為進階使用兩方面原因和結果，對於採用速度的差異鮮少有文獻加以琢磨；在研究樣本選定上，又以單一國家、已開發國家為多，然而開發中國家近年來的興起、電子商務市場發展潛能卻是不可忽略的；最後則是在探討的變數部分，環境相關議題，尤以制度和文化兩方面為最重要，但卻少有文獻詳細談討。因此本文從策略管理角度著手，並以新興市場和B2B電子商務平台為主軸，探究企業採納B2B電子商務平台速度快慢之原因，以及不同採用速度對於績效是否有不同影響。 本文以216間有採用全球最大B2B電子商務平台阿里巴巴的中國大陸中小企業為研究對象，並以科技、組織、環境的架構來建設模型，最後以路徑分析的量化方法檢視所建構之模型適配度、以及變數間的因果關係。 研究結果顯示，在科技與組織兩個構面中，企業若擁有較少的科技能力、或管理經驗與能力相對較低，反而會更快採用B2B電子商務平台，因為這些企業將沒有多餘人力和技術自行架設網站，同時也缺乏現有行銷通路而轉向採用成本相對較低之B2B電子商務平台，反之，則相對會訴諸現有的行銷管道、或出現科技排擠效果。在環境構面中，企業若位處於國內制度發展較佳的省份，也會因為競爭加劇、提升溝通能力等原因，傾向快速採用B2B平台。最後也發現早期採用B2B電子商務平台，能在短期刺激銷售額提升、並透過內部流程改善降低成本，而使成長率提升。 / With e-commerce, the whole business environment has been fundamentally changed. It has become an inevitable trend that enterprises conduct businesses through e-commerce because it brings benefits as reducing transaction costs or generating new revenues. Among all e-commerce, the importance of B2B e-market is the most significant due to its role as the ”hub” for both buyers and sellers and the huge trade volume it has made. There is growing number of studies on e-commerce related issues. It is found that most literatures are conducted from the perspective of IT innovations, while rather few are discussed from strategic management domain. As for the topics, there are lots of literatures on the drives of pre- or post e-commerce adoption, while few on how rapidly enterprises may adopt e-commerce. Examining the countries of studies, most are conducted on one single developed country. Studies on developing markets call for more research. As for factors incorporated in studies, the environmental factors are often neglected. As a result, this study bridges these gaps and makes discussion on the drives and performance outcomes of the speed of B2B e-markets adoption. 216 samples of Chinese enterprises are selected from the biggest e-markets in the world, Alibaba.com. The TOE framework is used to construct the model and path analysis is adopted to examine the relationships. The results show that with less technology capability and managerial competence, firms tend to adopt e-commerce more rapidly due to lack of existing websites or marketing channel. It also shows that with higher development in domestic institutional environment, firms are likely to adopt B2B e-market earlier due to reasons of better communication or competition. Last, firms tend to benefit from early adoption of B2B e-markets in the short term due to improvement in internal processes, increasing sales or cost reduction.

Technology that is widely discussed in the business community today is cloud computing and cloud-based systems, as a cloud-based CRM-system. Considering that large companies, such as Google, Netflix and Microsoft, use this type of technology, it is important to ask whether such systems add something to the business or whether it is just an IT trend. The purpose of this study is therefore to create a decision model that will determine whether the company will implement a cloud-based system or maintain it in on-premises. The decision model should shed light on various criteria for cloud-based solutions. The study will be designed with the help of the TOE framework (technology, organization and environment). The aim of the study is to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the consequences and benefits of cloud-based systems? (2) what are the differences between the criteria in the literature compare to what you  practice? (3) Are there differences in the views of the supplier and the customer around this area? The result is based on qualitative interviews with people from the supplier and the customer. The interviews also represent the TOE framework. In addition, an interview with an external expert has been carried out in order to evaluate and support the results of the conducted interviews. The survey has resulted in a decision model with three alternatives and eleven criterias. The analysis shows that there is a difference in what the literature emphasizes compared to what you actually are doing.  The views between the supplier and the customer are also different. Where the customer does not want to lose control and experience a lock-in effect. On the other hand, the supplier wants to deliver the latest technology and give new challenges to their employees. The study can be concluded as follows: the main reason for not implementing the cloud-based system for the customer is; deposit, cost and loss of control. The main reason for implementing the cloud-based system for the vendor is; consultant development, functionality and availability. / Teknologi er altomfattende og oppslukende. Teknologiutvikling aksele-rerer raskere hver eneste dag, og kan raskt bidra til å skape et skille mellom de aktører som følger utviklingen og de som uteblir fra utvik-lingen.  Tilfører cloudbaserte og cloud computing nytte til bedriften eller er det kun en IT-trend? Hensikten med dette studiet er derfor å skape en beslutningsmodell som skal avgjøre om bedriften skal implementere et cloudbasert system eller bevare de systemer de har i dag i et  on-premises miljø. Beslutningsmodellen skal belyse ulike kriterier innen cloudbaserte løsninger. Studien skal utformes med hjelp av TOE-rammeverket (teknologi, organisasjon og miljø). Målet med studien er å besvare følgende forskningsspørsmål: (1) hvilke konsekvenser og nytteverdier medfører cloudbaserte systemer? (2) hvilke forskjeller er det mellom kriteriene i litteraturen og det som utføres i praksis? (3) finns det forskjeller på synspunktene til leverandøren og kunden rundt dette fagområdet? Resultatet bygger på kvalitative intervjuer med personer fra leverandøren av tjenesten og kunden. I tillegg har det blitt gjennom-ført et intervju med en ekstern ekspert, for å evaluere og støtte opp under resultatet fra gjennomførte  intervjuer. Undersøkelsen har resul-tert i en beslutningsmodell med to alternativ og elleve kriterier. Analy-sen viser at det er forskjeller  på hvilke kriterier litteraturen vektlegger sammenlignet med de kriterier som benyttes i praksis. Det er også forskjeller mellom de synspunkter som mellom leverandøren utrykker sammenlignet med og kundens synspunkter. Kunden ønsker ikke  å miste kontrollen og opplever en innlåsingseffekt. Leverandøren derimot ønsker å levere den nyeste teknologien samt bidra til økt stimulering gjennom effektivisering av arbeidsprosesser og rutiner. Dette bidrar til å stimulere og utfordre den enkelte ansatte.  Studien kan konkluderes på følgende måte: hovedårsaken for å ikke implementere cloudbaserte system for kunden er; innlåsing, investering og driftskostnad og risiko for tap av kontroll. Hovedårsaken  for å implementere et cloudbaserte system for leverandøren er; organisasjonens mulighet til å jobbe med nyeste teknologi stimulerer til økt konsulent utvikling, funksjonalitet og tilgjengelighet.

A economia da informação é o termo utilizado para designar o período econômico atual, no qual a informação - especialmente por meio da produção de tecnologia e da geração de inovação - tem grande relevância para a condução dos negócios e também para a geração de valor agregado. Tecnologia e inovação seriam, portanto, o motor de uma nova economia, cujo centro não é mais a produção em escala, mas sim a produção com o emprego maciço de informação e conhecimento. Nesse ambiente, as empresas devem buscar criar e compartilhar informações, conhecimentos e inovações. O investimento nas tecnologias da informação e comunicação (TICs), permite o acesso à informação e ao conhecimento, bem como uma rápida integração inter e intra organizacional. Há, entretanto, pessoas, organizações e países desprovidos de acesso ou com baixos níveis de acesso às (TICs), ou aos benefícios dessas; são classificados como excluídos digitais. Os excluídos digitais estão à parte dessa nova realidade mundial. Diante desse cenário, o objetivo deste estudo é entender a exclusão digital de empresas no Brasil, fenômeno que atinge, especialmente, as pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) e que, no entanto, permanece um tema pouco debatido na literatura nacional. Para esse propósito, inicialmente foi proposto e construído um índice de uso das TICs, por meio do qual foi possível revelar padrões de exclusão digital em nível setorial, por porte de empresas e por regiões geográficas do país. Na sequência, tendo o índice construído, esta pesquisa buscou correlacionar fatores que contribuem para um maior índice de uso das TICs nas empresas, de forma que se possa reduzir a exclusão digital das PME, por meio de práticas gerenciais e/ou governamentais. Para atingir os objetivos desta pesquisa, foram utilizados os microdados de 2011 da pesquisa TIC Empresas, realizada anualmente pelo Comitê Gestor da Internet (CGI). Naquele ano, a pesquisa contou com mais de 5.000 empresas, que foram selecionadas aleatoriamente obedecendo a critérios de amostragem. Também foram utilizadas as técnicas estatísticas de análise fatorial, adaptada para dados binários; de modelagem de equações estruturais; e de regressão múltipla. / Information economy is the term used to describe the current economic period, in which the information - especially through the generation of technology and innovation - is material to the conduct of business and also to the generation of value. Technology and innovation are, therefore, the engine of a new economy which center is not the large-scale production, but the production with the massive use of information and knowledge. Hence companies should seek and share information, knowledge and innovations. Investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs), allows access to information and knowledge, as well as a fast inter and inner organizational integration. There are, however, people, organizations and countries without access or with low levels of access to ICT, or to its benefits; the so called digitally excluded. The digitally excluded are apart from this new global reality. In this scenario, the objective of this study is to understand the digital exclusion of companies in Brazil, a phenomenon that affects especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which, however, remains a somewhat less debated topic in the national literature. At first, it was proposed and built an index of the use of ICT, through which it was possible to reveal patterns of digital exclusion in the sectorial level, by size of business and by geographical areas of the country. The following step was to search to correlate factors that contribute to a higher rate of ICT use index in enterprises, so that we can reduce digital exclusion of SMEs through management and/or governmental practices. We used the micro-data of the 2011 wave of the\"ICT Companies Survey\" as the main source for this research. \"ICT Companies Survey\" is conducted annually by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI). In the 2011 wave, the survey covered more than 5,000 companies, which were randomly selected, according to criteria of sampling. Statistical techniques were also used as factor analysis, adapted for binary data; structural equation modeling; and multiple regression.

A economia da informação é o termo utilizado para designar o período econômico atual, no qual a informação - especialmente por meio da produção de tecnologia e da geração de inovação - tem grande relevância para a condução dos negócios e também para a geração de valor agregado. Tecnologia e inovação seriam, portanto, o motor de uma nova economia, cujo centro não é mais a produção em escala, mas sim a produção com o emprego maciço de informação e conhecimento. Nesse ambiente, as empresas devem buscar criar e compartilhar informações, conhecimentos e inovações. O investimento nas tecnologias da informação e comunicação (TICs), permite o acesso à informação e ao conhecimento, bem como uma rápida integração inter e intra organizacional. Há, entretanto, pessoas, organizações e países desprovidos de acesso ou com baixos níveis de acesso às (TICs), ou aos benefícios dessas; são classificados como excluídos digitais. Os excluídos digitais estão à parte dessa nova realidade mundial. Diante desse cenário, o objetivo deste estudo é entender a exclusão digital de empresas no Brasil, fenômeno que atinge, especialmente, as pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) e que, no entanto, permanece um tema pouco debatido na literatura nacional. Para esse propósito, inicialmente foi proposto e construído um índice de uso das TICs, por meio do qual foi possível revelar padrões de exclusão digital em nível setorial, por porte de empresas e por regiões geográficas do país. Na sequência, tendo o índice construído, esta pesquisa buscou correlacionar fatores que contribuem para um maior índice de uso das TICs nas empresas, de forma que se possa reduzir a exclusão digital das PME, por meio de práticas gerenciais e/ou governamentais. Para atingir os objetivos desta pesquisa, foram utilizados os microdados de 2011 da pesquisa TIC Empresas, realizada anualmente pelo Comitê Gestor da Internet (CGI). Naquele ano, a pesquisa contou com mais de 5.000 empresas, que foram selecionadas aleatoriamente obedecendo a critérios de amostragem. Também foram utilizadas as técnicas estatísticas de análise fatorial, adaptada para dados binários; de modelagem de equações estruturais; e de regressão múltipla. / Information economy is the term used to describe the current economic period, in which the information - especially through the generation of technology and innovation - is material to the conduct of business and also to the generation of value. Technology and innovation are, therefore, the engine of a new economy which center is not the large-scale production, but the production with the massive use of information and knowledge. Hence companies should seek and share information, knowledge and innovations. Investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs), allows access to information and knowledge, as well as a fast inter and inner organizational integration. There are, however, people, organizations and countries without access or with low levels of access to ICT, or to its benefits; the so called digitally excluded. The digitally excluded are apart from this new global reality. In this scenario, the objective of this study is to understand the digital exclusion of companies in Brazil, a phenomenon that affects especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which, however, remains a somewhat less debated topic in the national literature. At first, it was proposed and built an index of the use of ICT, through which it was possible to reveal patterns of digital exclusion in the sectorial level, by size of business and by geographical areas of the country. The following step was to search to correlate factors that contribute to a higher rate of ICT use index in enterprises, so that we can reduce digital exclusion of SMEs through management and/or governmental practices. We used the micro-data of the 2011 wave of the\"ICT Companies Survey\" as the main source for this research. \"ICT Companies Survey\" is conducted annually by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI). In the 2011 wave, the survey covered more than 5,000 companies, which were randomly selected, according to criteria of sampling. Statistical techniques were also used as factor analysis, adapted for binary data; structural equation modeling; and multiple regression.