The primary aim of this research is to determine attitudes held towards autonomous vehicles (AVs) and understand their impact on intentions to use the service among ride-hailing users in the UK. Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour model, an online, self-administered survey was used to collect data from 151 consumers (18-24-year-olds). The relationship between variables was measured using a Spearman’s Rank test in SPSS. The results of this study found all categories (overall attitude, perceived ease-of-use, perceived value, perceived safety, perceived risk, technology, environmentalism, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control) received a positive mean score. From these results, it can be concluded that this sample holds positive attitudes towards AVs and intend to use the service when they are made available. A positive score for perceived risk, however, indicated that this group thought there may be safety concerns when using this technology. The main contribution of this study is providing data to a new, and rapidly evolving field of research and thus the findings of the present study contribute to ongoing research related to consumers attitudes of AVs. Managerially, companies that focus on developing and implementing AV taxis need to focus more on the safety benefits of such vehicles.

Recently audio and video material has been used significantly in various online platforms. The audio-video materials enhance the teaching and learning process by facilitating the transformation of the data and providing a richer interactive environment, hence gaining wide intention within the educational realm. However, empirical studies have not examined the acceptance of the audio and video material depending on a conceptual model where acceptance is the key factor. The present study attempts to overcome this gap in the literature review by investigating the effects of media richness, speed and vividness, perceived concentration, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness on the acceptance of audio-video material. What distinguishes the current study is the fact that content richness is considered as a mediator that affects all other factors in the conceptual model. The data is collected by distributing the online survey to college students. The results provide mostly insight and support for students’ intention to use audio-visual resources in a conceptual model. The technology characteristics of speed and vividness as well as TAM constructs were significant predictors of technology acceptance. However, it is concluded that the external factor of the perceived concentration has no impact on the students’ perception and intention to use audio-visual resources. In the recommendation, some theoretical and practical implications are stated along with the focus on technology designers, change managers, and users.

This study aims to establish Middle East users' perspectives on the major factors that impact their decision to adopt Augmented Reality AR smart glasses (ARSG). Thus, an online questionnaire was designed and sent directly to the respondents, and 584 valid data points were collected from individuals living in the Middle East. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlations and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) techniques using SPSS. Eleven hypotheses were tested using Multiple Regression analysis, where seven independent variables out of eleven were confirmed to have a significant impact on the perceived adoption of ARSG. The results indicate that four of the independent variables including Pre-Market Knowledge, Image, Own privacy and Technology innovativeness show the significant impact on ARSG adoption at the 1% significant level. In addition, the results indicate that three of the social and technological factors include Perceived Ease of use, Perceived usefulness and Other's privacy show the significant effect on ARSG adoption at the 5% significant level. Among the 7 social and technological factors, the results suggest that technology innovation expresses the strongest effect on ARSG adoption with the highest coefficient value of 0.413 (b = 0.413, t = 12.881, ρ < 0.01). Moreover, user intention is significantly impacted by gender and place of living but not by education or age. The research also provides pre-market insights on users' personal types that represent who will most likely adopt the new smart glasses and that differentiate them based on their priorities. To the best of our knowledge, this is among the first works to investigate technology acceptance drivers of AR smart glasses in the Middle East.

5G is a revolutionary development in network technologies which is gradually becoming very common among people contributing significantly in different fields such as education, industry, agriculture, health, tourism and military. Currently, 5G is an outbreak change as opposed to the traditional service of the Internet since it offers better quality, ultra-fast connection, low-cost, reduced latency, energy saving, which makes its great impact even greater in people’s life. The present study examines various factors that have a significant impact on the Use of 5G in the Gulf area. The study extended the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) to include factors such as Perceived Enjoyment, Perceived Resources and Perceived Skills Readiness. The present research has adopted a hybrid model that incorporates TAM determinants with other external factors which have a direct relation with 5G as internet service. Previous studies have focused on the importance of 5G in different environments and countries. However, this study focuses on the newly spread Use of 5G in the gulf area by adopting a hybrid conceptual model. The findings suggest that 5G may help in promoting the usage of internet service more effectively with its low-cost, faster data transfer and better quality. Moreover, the findings indicate a positive effect of the gender as a mediator between the variables: Perceived Skills Readiness, Perceived Ease of use, and Perceived Resources.

This paper investigates the impact of post-purchase user generated content (UGC) and traditional reference groups on the purchase intentions for electronic products (e-products) among young consumers in Jordan. To achieve this, a descriptive methodology was adapted, with a quantitative approach and survey strategy utilizing a five-point Likert scale questionnaire distributed to 450 university and college students in Jordan. 400 filtered and screened copies underwent statistical analyses. SPSS version 21 was utilized to describe and analyze the data. The results revealed a strong impact of post-purchase UGC on purchase intentions of e-products among young consumers. The results also revealed that traditional reference groups have a lower significant impact on the purchase intentions of young consumers, indicating that young consumers rely on online communities more than they rely on family, friends, colleagues, and other social organizations. The findings are discussed with a view to their implications, with recommendations for future research.

The linear elastic analysis of homogeneous, isotropic cracked bodies started in the 1900s. The existence of three dimensional corner point effects in the vicinity of a corner point where a crack front intersects a free surface was investigated in the late 1970s. An approximate solution by Bažant and Estenssoro explained some features of corner point effects but there were various paradoxes and inconsistencies. Results derived from finite element models showed that the analysis is incomplete. The stress field in the vicinity of a corner point appears to be the sum of two different singularities (i.e. stress intensity factors and corner point singularities). In this paper some recent results for the corner point singularities under in and out of plane loadings is reviewed and discussed.

YouTube and TikTok have gained increasing recognition as social network sites to support online knowledge acquisition, sharing, and application via social media platforms in the medical field. This study examines which aspect of TikTok and YouTube stimulates doctors, nurses, and any other YouTube and TikTok in the medical setting, to rely on them as sources of knowledge acquisition and sharing to keep their medical repertoire updated. A hybrid model is designed to investigate users’ acceptance of YouTube and TikTok as social media platforms. The model focuses on four main external factors: content richness, innovativeness, satisfaction, and enjoyment. These factors are connected with two TAM constructs which are perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The results have shown that both YouTube and TikTok are affected by PEOU, PU, personal innovativeness, flow theory, and content richness. Both social media networks provide up-to-date sources described as useful, enjoyable, and relevant. Nevertheless, the comparative results have shown that YouTube has deeply influenced users’ medical perception and knowledge compared to TikTok. It is created for the very mere purpose of socialization and self-expression. In contrast, YouTube is used for educational and non-educational purposes due to the type of uploaded content and time management. Therefore, TikTok developers and influencers should initiate highly specialized videos and create content that raises awareness of medical field issues.

In future electricity industry transferring high quality of power is essential. In this case, using Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices is inevitable. FACTS devices are used for controlling the voltage, stability, power flow and security of transmission lines. Therefore, finding the optimal locations for these devices in power networks is necessary. There are several varieties of FACTS devices with different characteristics, deployed for different purposes. Imperialist Competitive (IC) algorithm is a recently developed optimization technique, applied in power systems. IC algorithm is a new heuristic approach for global optimization searches based on the concept of imperialistic competition. In this paper, an IEEE 4-bus system is deployed as a case study in order to demonstrate the results of this novel approach using MATLAB.

This paper presents an investigation on the theory of constructivism applicable for learners with learning difficulties, specifically learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The primary objective of this paper is to determine whether a constructivist technology enhanced learning pedagogy could be used to help ADHD learners cope with their educational needs within a social-media learning environment. Preliminary work is stated here, in which we are seeking evidence to determine the viability of a constructivist approach for learners with ADHD. The novelty of this research lies in the proposals to support ADHD learners to overcome their weaknesses with appropriate pedagogically sound interventions. As a result, a framework has been designed to illuminate areas in which constructivist pedagogies require to address the limitations of ADHD learners. An analytical framework addressing the suitability of a constructivist learning for ADHD is developed from a combination of literature and expert advice from those involved in the education of learners with ADHD. This analytical framework is married to a new model of pedagogy, which the authors have derived from literature analysis. Future work will expand this model to develop a constructivist social network-based learning and eventually test it in specialist schools with ADHD learners.