The last decade has seen a steady proliferation in the use of tissue-engineered cell culture systems（Deforest and Anseth,2012）,and these have been put to good use for studying neural axon growth and guidance（Li and...The last decade has seen a steady proliferation in the use of tissue-engineered cell culture systems（Deforest and Anseth,2012）,and these have been put to good use for studying neural axon growth and guidance（Li and Hoffman-Kim,2008;Roy et al.,2013）.These systems have been designed to more closely mimic the natural microenvironment of the developing or repairing nervous system and to enable spatiotemporal control over certain aspects of the microenvironment.展开更多
Banks have moved towards technology-based customer services such as mobile banking （m-banking）; as an alternative to traditional inter-personal services. However, M-banking still faces resistance that may hamper cus...Banks have moved towards technology-based customer services such as mobile banking （m-banking）; as an alternative to traditional inter-personal services. However, M-banking still faces resistance that may hamper customers＇ adoption in Egypt. Following a mixed method approach, this study involves two main phases. First, a quantitative Consumer survey is conducted in the form of 350 structured questionnaires to identify the main barriers towards m-banking. Then, decision makers in 5 different public and private banks are interviewed in order to find similarities and difference, and identify service providers＇ roles regarding these barricrs. Questionnaire data was statistically analysed using independent T-Test, Chi-squares, frequencies and cross tabulations, while interview data was interpretively analysed. Results enabled the researchers to identify the risk, usage, and tradition as the most m-banking barriers that discourage m-banking adoption in Egypt as seen by the two main players.展开更多
The adoption of digital advisory systems is transforming smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe, a country where agriculture remains the primary livelihood for most of the population. Despite significant investments in d...The adoption of digital advisory systems is transforming smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe, a country where agriculture remains the primary livelihood for most of the population. Despite significant investments in digital technologies, agricultural productivity continues to underperform. This study explores the barriers preventing the scaling of digital advisory services among smallholder farmers and identifies strategies to optimize their adoption. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 854 smallholder farmers, 40 extension staff, and 8 development workers across six districts in Zimbabwe. The study reveals a high mobile penetration rate of 91%, higher than the 85% reported in the literature. However, challenges such as limited digital literacy, poor network connectivity, and financial constraints hinder the effective use of mobile advisory services. The findings also highlight a strong reliance on basic communication tools like SMS (42.83%) and WhatsApp (25.14%) for receiving agricultural information, while more advanced tools like mobile apps have lower adoption. Key recommendations include investing in nationwide digital literacy programs, incentivizing mobile network operators to improve rural connectivity, and developing human-centered, scalable digital solutions tailored to farmers’ needs. Furthermore, integrating AI-driven advisory systems with popular platforms like WhatsApp could significantly enhance the delivery of site-specific, actionable farming advice. This research provides insights into how digital advisory systems can be leveraged to improve agricultural productivity in Zimbabwe and other similar contexts.展开更多
基金funded by the Oliver Fund of Tulane University,the Louisiana Board of Regents (LEQSF[2009-11]-RD-A-18)the NIH (NS065374)the NSF (CBET-1055990)
文摘The last decade has seen a steady proliferation in the use of tissue-engineered cell culture systems（Deforest and Anseth,2012）,and these have been put to good use for studying neural axon growth and guidance（Li and Hoffman-Kim,2008;Roy et al.,2013）.These systems have been designed to more closely mimic the natural microenvironment of the developing or repairing nervous system and to enable spatiotemporal control over certain aspects of the microenvironment.
文摘Banks have moved towards technology-based customer services such as mobile banking （m-banking）; as an alternative to traditional inter-personal services. However, M-banking still faces resistance that may hamper customers＇ adoption in Egypt. Following a mixed method approach, this study involves two main phases. First, a quantitative Consumer survey is conducted in the form of 350 structured questionnaires to identify the main barriers towards m-banking. Then, decision makers in 5 different public and private banks are interviewed in order to find similarities and difference, and identify service providers＇ roles regarding these barricrs. Questionnaire data was statistically analysed using independent T-Test, Chi-squares, frequencies and cross tabulations, while interview data was interpretively analysed. Results enabled the researchers to identify the risk, usage, and tradition as the most m-banking barriers that discourage m-banking adoption in Egypt as seen by the two main players.
文摘The adoption of digital advisory systems is transforming smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe, a country where agriculture remains the primary livelihood for most of the population. Despite significant investments in digital technologies, agricultural productivity continues to underperform. This study explores the barriers preventing the scaling of digital advisory services among smallholder farmers and identifies strategies to optimize their adoption. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 854 smallholder farmers, 40 extension staff, and 8 development workers across six districts in Zimbabwe. The study reveals a high mobile penetration rate of 91%, higher than the 85% reported in the literature. However, challenges such as limited digital literacy, poor network connectivity, and financial constraints hinder the effective use of mobile advisory services. The findings also highlight a strong reliance on basic communication tools like SMS (42.83%) and WhatsApp (25.14%) for receiving agricultural information, while more advanced tools like mobile apps have lower adoption. Key recommendations include investing in nationwide digital literacy programs, incentivizing mobile network operators to improve rural connectivity, and developing human-centered, scalable digital solutions tailored to farmers’ needs. Furthermore, integrating AI-driven advisory systems with popular platforms like WhatsApp could significantly enhance the delivery of site-specific, actionable farming advice. This research provides insights into how digital advisory systems can be leveraged to improve agricultural productivity in Zimbabwe and other similar contexts.
