63,232 research outputs found
Building need-based systems for complex hostile situations
The concept of need-based systems is that they are not instantiated until they are brought to use. Such systems are either designed, assembled and instantiated for very concrete needs, alternatively built on speculation. They are used for evaluation, training or for real. In most cases they are not instantiated, though possibly brought into use as needed. How should needs be expressed? Needs are expressed in terms of results and effects. They may be simple or complex, where complex needs can be seen as structured compositions of more basic needs. When facing a hostile situation, it is critical to have predicted all needs necessary for resolving the given assignment. The complexity of needs, and of their interdependencies may appear to be overwhelming, and it is important to find optimal solutions to the problem at hand. What is needed is a knowledge-based conceptual model that describes the inter-relation of needs, predictions and effects. This paper proposes a number of viewpoints and tools to be applied to the construction of need-based systems -- viewing needs as a resource economy, as a non-linear dynamical system, making use of game theory, decision theory, and risk management. Models for needs and predictions, and the ways they are utilized, extends current systems engineering methods
Challenges in Developing Applications for Aging Populations
Elderly individuals can greatly benefit from the use of computer applications, which can assist in monitoring health conditions, staying in contact with friends and family, and even learning new things. However, developing accessible applications for an elderly user can be a daunting task for developers. Since the advent of the personal computer, the benefits and challenges of developing applications for older adults have been a hot topic of discussion. In this chapter, the authors discuss the various challenges developers who wish to create applications for the elderly computer user face, including age-related impairments, generational differences in computer use, and the hardware constraints mobile devices pose for application developers. Although these challenges are concerning, each can be overcome after being properly identified
Privacy Vulnerabilities in the Practices of Repairing Broken Digital Artifacts in Bangladesh
This paper presents a study on the privacy concerns associated with the practice of repairing broken digital objects in Bangladesh. Historically, repair of old or broken technologies has received less attention in ICTD scholarship than design, development, or use. As a result, the potential privacy risks associated with repair practices have remained mostly unaddressed. This paper describes our three-month long ethnographic study that took place at ten major repair sites in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We show a variety of ways in which the privacy of an individual’s personal data may be compromised during the repair process. We also examine people’s perceptions around privacy in repair, and its connections with their broader social and cultural values. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for future research to strengthen the repair ecosystem in developing countries. Taken together, our findings contribute to the growing discourse around post-use cycles of technology
User-driven design of decision support systems for polycentric environmental resources management
Open and decentralized technologies such as the Internet provide increasing opportunities to create knowledge and deliver computer-based decision support for multiple types of users across scales. However, environmental decision support systems/tools (henceforth EDSS) are often strongly science-driven and assuming single types of decision makers, and hence poorly suited for more decentralized and polycentric decision making contexts. In such contexts, EDSS need to be tailored to meet diverse user requirements to ensure that it provides useful (relevant), usable (intuitive), and exchangeable (institutionally unobstructed) information for decision support for different types of actors. To address these issues, we present a participatory framework for designing EDSS that emphasizes a more complete understanding of the decision making structures and iterative design of the user interface. We illustrate the application of the framework through a case study within the context of water-stressed upstream/downstream communities in Lima, Peru
Quality improvement of manuka honey through the application of high pressure processing
The quality of honey is known to be compromised when it goes through thermal
processing due to its negative impact on the unstable and thermolabile honey components
which originated from the nectar and bees themselves. This present work is undertaken to
access the use of an emerging food preservation technique known as “High Pressure
Processing” for treating honey, as an alternative to the conventional thermal processing. In
this thesis, honey quality has been addressed by measuring the effects of high pressure
processing parameters (pressure, time and temperature) on nutritional properties of honey,
namely total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Honey samples, contained in small
pouches, were subjected to different pressures (200-600 MPa) at close to ambient
temperatures (25-33°C) for different holding times (10 to 30 min). Thermal processing (49-
70°C) was also carried out for comparison purpose. Results demonstrated that high pressure
processing operated at 600 MPa for 10 min has capability to increase significantly the total
phenolic content and antioxidant activity by 47% and 30%, respectively. Besides, the result
showed that high pressure processing can maintain the natural colour of honey which relates
directly to consumer perception, while retaining its shear-thinning behaviour and viscosity
with no significant changes (p > 0.05). High pressure processing can also control
hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) concentration in honey during process within the standard
limit, 16.93 to 18.76 mg/kg (which is below than the maximum allowed limit of 40 mg/kg).
This work also reveals that high pressure processing can enhance antibacterial activity of
Manuka honey significantly. It shows an increase in the percentage inhibition of
Staphylococcus epidermidis from 64.15 ± 5.86% to 84.34 ± 7.62% when honey was
subjected to 600 MPa. Storage studies for one year at room temperature (25°C) demonstrated
that high pressure-treated samples have a good retention to the physicochemical, nutritional
and rheological properties of honey throughout storage, which confirms that the positive
effect of high pressure on honey is not a temporary effect. Whereas, an insight study on the
safety part showed that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell varied linearly with ° Brix,
indicating that food compressibility has a significant role in the microbial inactivation
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Digital inclusion - the vision, the challenges and the way forward
This paper considers the vision and aspiration of digital inclusion, and then examines the current reality. It looks beyond the rhetoric to provide an analysis of the status quo, a consideration of some facilitators and challenges to progress and some suggestions for moving forward with renewed energy and commitment. The far-reaching benefits of digital inclusion and the crucial role it plays in enabling full participation in our digital society are considered. At the heart of the vision of universal digital inclusion is the deceptively simple goal to ensure that everyone is able to access and experience the wide-ranging benefits and transformational opportunities and impacts it offers. The reality is a long way from the vision: inequality of access still exists despite many national campaigns and initiatives to reduce it. The benefits and beneficiaries of a digital society are not just the individual but all stakeholders in the wider society. Research evidence has shown that the critical success factors for successful digital participation are (i) appropriate design and (ii) readily available and on-going ICT (Information and Communication Technology) support in the community. Challenges and proven solutions are presented. The proposition of community hubs in local venues to provide user-centred ICT support and learning for older and disabled people is presented. While the challenges to achieve digital inclusion are very considerable, the knowledge of how to achieve it and the technologies which enable it already exist. Harnessing of political will is necessary to make digital inclusion a reality rather than a vision. With the cooperation and commitment of all stakeholders actualisation of the vision of a digitally inclusive society, while challenging, can be achieved and will yield opportunities and rewards that eclipse the cost of implementation
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