This study aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors that determine and shape consumers’ behavioral intention to adopt mobile commerce (m-commerce). By integrating the core constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), together with the trust-building mechanisms, this study explored the importance of the institutional mechanisms and their moderating effects between trust in the vendors and intention to adopt m-commerce. Traditionally, the effects of institutional mechanisms on trust and adoption intention have been considered separately in different study contexts. The purpose of this study was to extend the literature by simultaneously exploring two institutional mechanisms that are conceptually highly similar to each other, namely, structural assurance (SA) and perceived effectiveness of e-commerce institutional mechanisms (PEEIM). A self-administered survey was used to collect data, which were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that most of the constructs examined have significant relationships with the intention to adopt m-commerce. Additionally, PEEIM exhibits a significant moderating effect but SA does not. This study delineates how trust-building mechanisms play important roles in increasing consumers’ confidence in order to promote m-commerce adoption.

The revolution of World Wide Web has contributed to the growth of e-commerce and m-commerce throughout the world. The number of people adopting m-commerce is growing hotfoot and this research is to examine the several variables that affect the intention in adopting mobile commerce. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model is used in this research which includes the four variables: performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI) and facilitating conditions (FC). Besides, UTAUT model is extended by adding two independent variables which are perceived effectiveness of e-commerce institutional mechanisms (PEEIM) and trust in vendors (TIV). These two variables provide new sight for UTAUT and this extension of UTAUT is able to investigate the intention of adopting m-commerce in a deeper and wider perspective. Quantitative method is used for this research. 278 sets of questionnaires have been collected. SPSS software was applied and the result showed that all of the hypotheses are supported. This indicates PE, EE, SI, FC, PEEIM, and TIV have significant relationship with the intention in adopting m-commerce. In a nutshell, this study is believed to have contribution for both academics and managerial context.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used extensively in nanoscience research since its invention. Recently, many teaching laboratories in colleges, undergraduate institutions, and even high schools incorporate AFM as an effective teaching tool for nanoscience education. This paper presents an optical beam deflection (OBD) based atomic force microscope, designed specifically for the undergraduate engineering laboratory as a teaching instrument. An electronic module for signal conditioning was built with components that are commonly available in an undergraduate electronic laboratory. In addition to off-the-shelf mechanical parts and optics, the design of custom-built mechanical parts waskept as simple as possible. Hence, the overall cost for the setup is greatly reduced. The AFM controller was developed using National Instruments Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite (NI ELVIS), an integrated hardware and software platform which can be programmed in LabVIEW. A simple yet effective control algorithm for scanning and feedback control was developed. Despite the use of an educational platform and low-cost components from the undergraduate laboratory, the developed AFM is capable of performing imaging in constant-force mode with submicron resolution and at reasonable scanning speed (approximately 18 min per image). Therefore, the AFM is suitable to be used as an educational tool for nanoscience. Moreover, the construction of the system can be a valuable educational experience for electronic and mechanical engineering students.