ABSTRACT
The release of COVID-19 contact tracing apps was accompanied by a heated public debate with much focus on privacy concerns, e.g., possible government surveillance. Many papers studied people's intended behavior to research potential features and uptake of the apps. Studies in Germany conducted before the app's release, such as that by Häring et al., showed that privacy was an important factor in the intention to install the app. We conducted a follow-up study two months post-release to investigate the intention-behavior-gap, see how attitudes changed after the release, and capture reported behavior. Analyzing a quota sample (n=837) for Germany, we found that fewer participants mentioned privacy concerns post-release, whereas utility now plays a greater role. We provide further evidence that the results of intention-based studies should be handled with care when used for prediction purposes. © 2023 ACM.
ABSTRACT
With respect to the explosion of single-use plastic packaging consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, environmentally friendly substitutes are critically needful for sustainable development. Therefore, the present work focuses on the functional properties of bioplastic blends prepared through hot compressing molding of thermoplastic starch (TPS) and spent coffee grounds (SCG) in different ratios (0%–20% SCG) as the potential features of SCG were extensively employed in biocomposites for the first time. The insertion of dark brown SCG into TPS hindered UV transmission by 100% at 320 nm and 99.2% at 400 nm. Moreover, the samples with 15% and 20% SCG induced a surge in radical scavenging activity from 7.95% to over 92% at a concentration of 0.1 g/ml owing to the rich source of antioxidants in SCG. The lignin component and high carbon content also improved the thermal performance of TPS/SCG blends, enhancing thermal stability, delaying onset and maximum degradation temperatures, and achieving the HB rating in the UL-94 test. Compared to a pure TPS matrix, TPS blends incorporating up to 10% SCG exhibited improvement in elastic modulus without deterioration of tensile strength. © 2022 Society of Plastics Engineers.
ABSTRACT
In a very less time from its advent, blockchain technology has entered into mainstream research all over the world. The Bitcoin cryptocurrency is the first open-source implementation of blockchain technology. The application of blockchain technology is not restricted to financial services only;several other sectors especially healthcare is increasingly focusing their attention to grab potential and unique features of blockchain technology like immutability, security, and trust. This paper aims to review the exploration of blockchain technology in the healthcare domain in recent years and study how these emerging technologies help healthcare to speed up treatment procedures and mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2021 IEEE.