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One impediment of e-government implementation is the lack of e-(government) competences among public officials, especially because foundational education programs fail to teach them. Therefore, this study suggests massive open online course (MOOC)-based continuous education. This study aims to design and evaluate a MOOC and MOOC platform for acquiring e-competence in the public sector and principles for such platforms to capture their inherent design knowledge.

This study uses design science research incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods and draws on established patterns of formulating design principles (DPs).

The core results are a physically instantiated MOOC platform and six DPs: DP of 1) easy access and easy use, 2) professional exchange, 3) protected space, 4) domain focus, 5) cooperation with higher education institutions and 6) promotion from higher government level.

This study contributes to e-government research by extending the design knowledge for the construction of domain-specific MOOC platforms. Moreover, the study contributes to platform economics by discussing existing theses and outlining new opportunities. The research also entails limitations, as the authors have solely considered MOOCs and neglected complimentary offers to sustain learning success.

This study provides practitioners with design principles they can use in their efforts to construct education platforms for the public sector. Moreover, the study presents a working MOOC platform instantiating these DPs, and thus provides an exemplary reference.

Not fulfilling expectations regarding digital public services comes with a risk of decreasing trust in public organizations and the overall government. The results of this study contribute to enabling public officials fulfilling stakeholders’ expectations and generating public value.

By linking e-government competence education with MOOC platform design, this research approximates an important research gap. Scholars previously investigated e-competences and focused on alone-standing MOOCs to convey those. The results of this study offer the potential to construct platforms to centralize such fragmented solutions, maximizing their impact among public officials.

This article aims to develop and validate a theoretical model via survey data to identify the affordances and challenges influencing metaverse adoption. We specifically examine the impact of immersion on users' adoption decisions and identify which affordances predict this immersion. Additionally, this paper assesses the importance of perceived risks in users' decision-making processes regarding future metaverse engagement.

Using regression models applied to 198 survey responses, we tested our proposed model. To deepen our insights, we also conducted a qualitative analysis.

The findings confirm that users' perceptions of immersion and perceived risks are critical determinants in adoption decisions. Social presence, influenced by factors such as ubiquity and interoperability, emerges as a key component of immersion. From the qualitative data, we identified two potential strategies to enhance metaverse immersion: technical improvements and offline device-assisted strategies.

Our study contributes to the literature on information systems (IS) adoption and provides practical insights for practitioners on crucial considerations in metaverse design.

This study aims to introduce the results of a research carried out to develop a prototype of a highly energy-efficient modular detached house, called CASA+ CASA means HOUSE in spanish, adapted to the climatic features of central-southern Chile. The project enables a sustainable alternative to facilitate the reconstruction of the residential areas after the impact of the 2010 earthquake.

The methodology is based on an “integrated design process” of a case study that proposes a constructive response that quantitatively and qualitatively improves the initial data of traditional dwellings. The characteristics of the new system have been simulated with specific software to validate the final decisions, considering the cost–benefit ratio.

Simulation tools were used to assess and improve the system’s energy performance with respect to present options and to analyse its economic and construction viability. We obtained several economically competitive housing prototypes that substantially reduced energy consumption and the CO₂ footprint by between 20% and 80%.

The prototype has not been developed, as we are waiting for funding, but all its energy features have been simulated.

Furthermore, this experience also identified similar modifications made to the design of the houses, which revealed general possibilities for improving energy performance.

The origin of this research is a public call for international researchers to improve the quality of the new homes to be built in Chile after the strong earthquake of 2010. The result of the research has been put at the direct service of Chilean society and in other international projects for the construction of low-energy social housing.

These are the result of a long research aimed at establishing a new architectural model that, in addition to improving the architectural quality of the product, obtains significant improvements in energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. The most particular aspect is the practical vocation and its implementation with real construction with the support of construction companies.

Material extrusion (ME) is a low-cost additive manufacturing (AM) technique that is capable of producing metallic components using desktop 3D printers through a three-step printing, debinding and sintering process to obtain fully dense metallic parts. However, research on ME AM, specifically fused filament fabrication (FFF) of 316L SS, has mainly focused on improving densification and mechanical properties during the post-printing stage; sintering parameters. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of varying processing parameters during the initial printing stage, specifically nozzle temperatures, T_n (190°C–300°C) on the relative density, porosity, microstructures and microhardness of FFF 3D printed 316L SS.

Cube samples (25 x 25 x 25 mm) are printed via a low-cost Artillery Sidewinder X1 3D printer using a 316L SS filament comprising of metal-polymer binder mix by varying nozzle temperatures from 190 to 300°C. All samples are subjected to thermal debinding and sintering processes. The relative density of the sintered parts is determined based on the Archimedes Principle. Microscopy and analytical methods are conducted to evaluate the microstructures and phase compositions. Vickers microhardness (HV) measurements are used to assess the mechanical property. Finally, the correlation between relative density, microstructures and hardness is also reported.

The results from this study suggest a suitable temperature range of 195°C–205°C for the successful printing of 316L SS green parts with high dimensional accuracy. On the other hand, T_n = 200°C yields the highest relative density (97.6%) and highest hardness (292HV) in the sintered part, owing to the lowest porosity content (<3%) and the combination of the finest average grain size (∼47 µm) and the presence of Cr23C6 precipitates. However, increasing T_n = 205°C results in increased porosity percentage and grain coarsening, thereby reducing the HV values. Overall, these outcomes suggest that the microstructures and properties of sintered 316L SS parts fabricated by FFF AM could be significantly influenced even by adjusting the processing parameters during the initial printing stage only.

This paper addresses the gap by investigating the impact of initial FFF 3D printing parameters, particularly nozzle temperature, on the microstructures and physical characteristics of sintered FFF 316L SS parts. This study provides an understanding of the correlation between nozzle temperature and various factors such as dimensional integrity, densification level, microstructure and hardness of the fabricated parts.

The main objective of this research is to exploratorily analyse different factors that influence the decision of the senior population (+50 years) to engage in entrepreneurship activities in a group of Latin American countries. This study considers the motivations for entrepreneurship (opportunity and necessity) and the level of development of the countries.

The authors used data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) with a sample of 22,139 observations of senior individuals in seven Latin American countries surveyed between 2013 and 2017. The authors also used the Human Development Index to capture the relevance of the level of development. The authors employed a multilevel logistic regression model to test the study hypotheses.

The study results show that individual factors such as personal income, education and occupation have a significant influence on the probability of entrepreneurship of senior individuals. Related to contextual factors, the level of human development of a country has a negative influence mainly on opportunity-based entrepreneurs.

Because of the rapidly ageing population in Latin America, understanding senior entrepreneurs and their motivations is very relevant not only in terms of theoretical development but also for policy and practical implications, primarily those related to labour markets and social protection.