ABSTRACT
Mobile devices are ubiquitous in the lives of modern consumers, who use them for information-seeking and purchasing activities, fostering the emergence of m-commerce. This trend has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has boosted m-commerce growth in both developed and developing countries. Hence, there is a need for cross-cultural research concerning the factors affecting behavioural intentions. Drawing upon the hedonic information systems model, we measure the impact of utilitarian factors on satisfaction, repurchase intention, and eWOM through the mediation of enjoyment across two countries characterized by different stages of m-commerce readiness and culture: China and Italy. Findings suggest that the impact of utilitarian factors on satisfaction is stronger among Italian users than Chinese users. On the contrary, for Chinese users, who use their mobile phones as a primary device to shop online, the mediation effect of enjoyment on satisfaction and eWOM is stronger. With this study, we contribute to cross-cultural research in m-commerce and provide guidelines to mobile retailers operating in diverse international markets. © 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Consumer Studies published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ABSTRACT
Stroke is the world's second leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability. Robotic therapy is a well-established approach for the rehabilitation of the upper limb, as a way to increase the amount and intensity of the therapy and standardize the treatment [1]. The coronavirus pandemic has required a reorganization of rehabilitation services but also an enhancement of technology as a tool in the rehabilitation field that can allow treatment in compliance with social distancing [2]. Many scientific works have confirmed the usefulness of these approaches to overcome the limits imposed by the pandemic, in particular for the treatment of stroke patients [3]. The proposed study aimed to test the feasibility of rehabilitation treatment in a home setting using a system of teleconsultation, telemonitoring and robotic telerehabilitation with the use of the robot Icone and integrated sensors, to overcome the limits imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in a cohort of patients with stroke. For the study, 18 stroke patients were recruited. Patients underwent robotic telerehabilitation treatment, carried out at home, directly supervised by a caregiver and, remotely (using three webcams), by a multidisciplinary team. A total of 20 treatment sessions were provided. Patients underwent an initial (T0) and final (T1) evaluation through clinical scales (Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity, FMA-UE, and Numerical Rating Scale for pain, NRS) and instrumental evaluations (based on the sensors present in the robot and additional sensors for the evaluation of joint kinematics, the galvanic response of the skin and the ECG signal) during kinematic and kinetic tasks. The clinical and instrumental evaluation was also performed remotely, to assess its reliability. Finally, the subjective perception of the treatment by the patient and the therapist were evaluated in terms of usability, acceptability and satisfaction. The main results related to the instrumental evaluation through the sensors embedded in the robot are reported in Table 1. Six over ten robotic indices were responsive to the treatment, while eight indices showed excellent reliability in the remote assessment. Clinical scales confirmed the effectiveness and the safety of the treatment, and the FMA showed excellent reliability when performed online. (ICC>0.75). Finally, the subjective perception of the treatment in both patients and therapists was high. Our preliminary results suggest that the proposed treatment is feasible, effective and well tolerated by patients, and that remote clinical and instrumental evaluation is a reliable way to assess patients. Then, the proposed approach can represent an effective way to ensure the continuum of care for patients with disabilities, even in situations such as the current pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Gait & Posture is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
ABSTRACT
Social distancing and wearing of the face masks are mandatory in all the workplaces since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. To guarantee workers' safety, it could be useful to analyze the influence of the face mask use on physiological parameters during working activities. This paper aims at collecting and comparing both objective and subjective measurements during lifting and moving a light load (3 kg) in two working conditions: with and without a N95 face mask. The recorded physiological measures are the cardiac and respiratory activity, the skin temperature and the muscular activation. They are synchronously collected via an integrated wearable and unobtrusive sensory system. Moreover, the Borg scale is used to estimate the perceived exertion of the participants during the execution of the working activity. The analysis carried out in this work pointed out some statistically significant differences in the physiological measures due to an increased physical workload experimented by the volunteers when wearing the face mask. In addition, the correlation between the Borg scale and the monitored physiological measurements does not change significantly in the two experimented conditions. Moreover, the strong correlation between perceived exertion and physiological parameters demonstrates that the Borg scale remains an excellent method for estimating the level of perceived strain. Finally, even though some physiological differences can occur when wearing a face mask, its usefulness as personal protective equipment remains undisputed.