Sensing the care:Advancing unobtrusive sensing solutions to support informal caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment

Older adults (65 years and above) make up a growing proportion of the world's population which is anticipated to increase further in the coming decades. As individuals age, they often become more vulnerable to cognitive impairments, necessitating a diverse array of care and support services from their caregivers to uphold their quality of life. However, the scarcity of professional caregivers and care facilities, compounded by the preference of many older adults to remain in their own homes, places a significant burden on informal caregivers, adversely affecting their physical, mental, and social well-being. To assist informal caregivers, numerous sensing solutions have been developed. However, many of these solutions are not optimally suited for older adult care, particularly in cases of cognitive impairments. In that regard, the overarching aim of this thesis was to develop and evaluate the Unobtrusive Sensing Solution (USS) for in-home monitoring of older adults with cognitive impairment (OwCI) who live alone in their own houses to ease the support of their informal caregivers. In the 'Explore and Scope' part, a scoping review was conducted to identify available unobtrusive sensing technology that can be implemented in older adult care. Subsequently, in the 'Develop and Test' part, Wi-Fi CSI technology was utilized to collect a dataset illustrating physical agitation activities (Wi-Gitation). However, upon evaluation of the Wi-Gitation dataset, a challenge of generalization across different domains (or environments) was identified. To address this, the Inter-data Selected Sequential Transfer Learning framework was proposed and implemented. Lastly, in the 'Design to Communicate' part, the thesis focused on identifying the needs and requirements of informal caregivers of OwCI towards USSs. These needs and requirements were gathered through interviews and surveys, informing the development of a Lo-Fi prototype for an interaction platform. Overall, the results obtained in this thesis not only enhance the development of Wi-Fi CSI (specifically for OwCI care) but also provide valuable insights into the informational and design requirements of informal caregivers, thereby promoting the context-aware development of USSs

A Unified Theory of Data

How does the proliferation of data in our modern economy affect our legal system? Scholars that have addressed the question have nearly universally agreed that the dramatic increases in the amount of data available to companies, as well as the new uses to which that data is being put, raise fundamental problems for our regulatory structures. But just what those problems might be remains an area of deep disagreement. Some argue that the problem with data is that current uses lead to discriminatory results that harm minority groups. Some argue that the problem with data is that it impinges on the privacy interests of citizens. Still others argue that the problem with data is that its remarkable efficacy as a tool will lead to disruptions in labor markets. This Article will argue that the disagreements about data and its harms in modern society are the result of overly compartmentalized analyses of the nature of data itself. Data, after all, is a strikingly broad concept, one that spans everything from where you ate breakfast today to the genetic markers in your DNA to the returns on your 401(k) last year. By focusing narrowly on specific segments of the data industry, both scholars and policymakers have crafted a set of conflicting rules and recommendations that fail to address the core problem of data it-self. This Article aims to correct this gap. First, it provides a taxonomy of the core features of the data economy today and the various behaviors, both positive and negative, that these features make possible. Second, the Article categorizes the types of arguments made about costs and benefits of wider data usage. Finally, the Article argues that the only way to reconcile the varied and overlapping approaches to da-ta in our current regulatory system is to create a more unified law of data. This unified law of data would set forth harmonized and consistent rules for the gathering, storage, and use of data, and it would establish rules to incentivize beneficial data practices and sanction harmful ones. Ultimately, the Article concludes, governing data will require a more comprehensive approach than the limited and piece-meal efforts that have ruled to dat

Undergraduate Research Journal, Volume 15

Table of Contents: The Effects of Snorkel-Based Tourism on the Behavior of Reef Fishes / by Savannah Clapp, Lauren Rowsey, and Jordan Grant (p.1-18) -- People Broken Into Pieces Trying to Join: Byzantine Erotica and the Provocative Paradox / by Kendall DeBoer (p.19-28) -- The Legacy of 1830 Land Cover on Present-Day Massachusetts Forest Composition / by Sofie McComb (p.29-58) -- The Role of Labels in Making Inferences about Group Categorization / by Subhashini Madhavan (p.59-76) -- Transcending Autobiography: Simultaneity and Meaning in Elisabet Ney’s Lady Macbeth / by Kendall DeBoer (p.77-92) -- Comparison of Microbial Diversity in Local Wasps and Plant Surfaces / by Dylan Fall and Jo-anne Holley (p.93-104) -- Ambiguity in Biotechnology Patent Policy: Lessons from Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. / by Chari Noddings (p.105-126) -- About the uncountability of the number of irrational powers of irrational numbers evaluated as rationals and solutions’ estimation for xx=y and xx =y / by Anca Andrei (p.127-133)Senate of College Council

Developing a Curriculum for the Trainable Student Enrolled in the Boy’s Apprentice Training Program at Rainier School

It is the purpose of this study (1) to develop a curriculum for the trainable mentally retarded student that will be developmental in nature and will help meet the needs of the students enrolled in the boy\u27s apprentice training program at Rainier School, and (2) to provide each student with personal and social skills that with work skills will enable him to establish a positive relationship with employees and residents with whom he will be working and living

Interwoven Waves:Enhancing the Scalability and Robustness of Wi-Fi Channel State Information for Human Activity Recognition

This PhD dissertation investigates the future of unobtrusive radio wave-based sensing, specifically focusing on Wi-Fi sensing in realistic healthcare scenarios. Wi-Fi sensing leverages the analysis of multi-path reflections of radio waves to monitor human activities and physiological states, providing a scalable solution without intruding on daily life.Wi-Fi-based sensing, particularly through channel state information, fits well in healthcare due to its ubiquitous presence and unobtrusiveness. As our society ages and populations grow, continuous health monitoring becomes increasingly critical. Existing solutions like wearable devices, audiovisual technologies, and expensive infrastructure modifications each have limitations, such as forgetting to wear devices, privacy invasions, and high costs. Channel state information-based sensing offers a promising alternative, enabling remote monitoring without the need for additional infrastructure changes.Nevertheless, implementing channel state information-based sensing in already congested Wi-Fi bands could present challenges in the future. Current solutions often exacerbate congestion by adding random noise, which can degrade network performance. These solutions also tend to address niche problems in idealistic settings, making it difficult to justify their use in everyday environments due to potential impacts on network latency and overall user experience.To realise the potential of Wi-Fi sensing, future solutions must integrate seamlessly with wireless communication networks, ensuring that sensing and communication processes coexist and collaborate effectively. This dissertation categorises the relationship between sensing and communication into three models: parasitic, opportunistic, and mutualistic. In the parasitic model, sensing operates independently of the wireless infrastructure, potentially adding noise and congestion. The opportunistic model leverages existing traffic flows, avoiding adverse effects on communication. The mutualistic model aims for a balance, enhancing both sensing and communication without compromising either function.The primary research objective is to enhance the robustness and scalability of channel state information-based sensing for human activity recognition, facilitating seamless integration into home environments with minimal impact on existing infrastructure. Overall, this dissertation provides an exploration of the challenges and solutions for unobtrusive Wi-Fi sensing in healthcare, paving the way for future advancements in the field

Beyond Survival: Embodied Rhetoric and Resistance to Campus Sexual Violence

Seeking to understand the culture of rape in the U.S., this project centers the stories of women of color on college campuses. In particular, I analyze Emma Sulkowicz’s Mattress Performance and the past, present, and future activist projects of Wagatwe Wanjuki. Positioning Sulkowicz and Wanjuki in the center of the conversation on sexual violence reminds us of the historical reality of rape for women of color. Collectively, Emma Sulkowicz and Wagatwe Wanjuki create discursive spaces for what Lisa Flores calls a “rhetoric of difference” and via Cherríe Moraga’s “theory in the flesh.” Throughout, I argue that we must analyze the rhetorical power of protestors of color, like Emma Sulkowicz and Wagatwe Wanjuki, who fight for a radically inclusive understanding of sexual violence and social change. Sulkowicz and Wanjuki present us with captivating stories about survival, struggle, and resistance in the aftermath of campus sexual assault (CSA). Both protestors have resisted the bureaucratic calcification of their university’s silence to enact, perform, and craft spaces for storytelling and social change. Sulkowicz and Wanjuki serve as a powerful rhetorical message and model for resistance in the context of campus culture

Role of Information Technology in Policy Implementation of Maternal Health Benefits in India

Fifty thousand women died during childbirth in India in 2013, the highest total in the world; that is, one maternal death every 10 minutes. India and Nigeria account for almost one-third of total global maternal deaths. In pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals, the government of India directed efforts to improve maternal health and was able to reduce maternal mortality rate from 437 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 140 per 100,000 in 2015, albeit missing the target of 109. Moreover, estimates for maternal morbidity are three to four times that of the mortality rates with even more pronounced regional disparities. Universal access to free public healthcare for maternal health has been a national goal since 2005, but its quality of service and utilization rate of maternal healthcare remains an elusive dream for many of the rural women even after a decade of substantial efforts. In a stark contrast, mobile technology has become more pervasive than the most basic infrastructure across the world. There are over 7 billion mobile phones subscriptions worldwide, but only 4.5 billion people have access to basic sanitation facilities, implying more people have access to mobile phones than toilets in the world, including India. The ubiquity of mobile phones can no longer be ignored. According to the 2011 census of India, 47 percent of the rural households owned mobile phones, and mobile phone network coverage spanned over 99 percent of the rural landscape, but only 31 percent of these rural households had a toilet. This exponential growth in mobile phone ownerships and adaptation has captured the imagination of academic scholars, public administration and the private sector to push for mobile based solutions and services in almost every aspect of public, social and personal life. M-governance has gained prominence too, aimed at improving service delivery, transparency, policy monitoring, public engagement, combatting corruption and poverty, especially in the developing world, leap-frogging poor-resource and low-income constraints. Today there is a mobile app for everything and the solution to any problem is a mobile app, including maternal health. However, amidst this optimism, it is surprising that the potential of mobile phones to improve social policy awareness is yet to be fully exploited. There are initiatives toward health literacy and mobile based cash transfers but few initiatives are geared toward improving awareness of social welfare policies, informing people about eligibility, enrollment and entitlements. Here lies the uniqueness of this research. Motivated to find solutions to actual policy implementation problems in practice, this research lies at the intersection of information communication technology, maternal health benefit policies and public management. In India, low maternal health benefits policy awareness imposes an administrative burden on rural women and leads to uptake of cash and public health service benefits. This research explores if mobile phones can be used as an effective medium to increase maternal health benefit awareness; thereby increasing the claiming of benefits. Using mixed methods of research, insights are drawn from a longitudinal case study in Melghat, a tribal belt of Amravati District in Maharashtra, India; a region that suffers from high maternal morbidity and high infant mortality rate. Forty-two percent of total childbirths take place in the home despite four different maternal benefit policies promoting institutional delivery and safe motherhood. In this dissertation, customized audio messages about maternal healthcare benefit policies were designed and broadcasted to 82 pregnant tribal women and followed up with qualitative interviews to examine any improvements in claiming of the policy benefits in 2013. The research provided an in-depth view of how information was disseminated through mobiles phones, and what factors and trade-offs, beyond information, were actually considered by the households in claiming the policy benefits. This research offers four contributions. First, it provides a deeper understanding of maternal health policies, how incentives work and the impact of conditions attached to these incentives, providing a plausible explanation for why the policies remain only partially effective. Second, in an era of m-governance, it illuminates the potential and limitations of the mobile phones in policy implementation and civic engagement, through a gendered lens. Third, it yields a caution to the technological optimistic use of mobile phones. By evaluating the causal mechanism of whether and how information awareness led to greater claiming of benefits, the findings revealed that information awareness alone was insufficient to improve claims when there were structural and systemic deficiencies in the policy design and management. Fourth, it advances the theory of administrative burden, by using mobile phones to reduce learning costs and by expanding the concepts of compliance costs and psychological costs, and highlights the relative interaction and trade-offs between components of administrative burden in an international context. The research concludes that although mobile phones have the potential to trigger demand for policy benefits and public engagement, and reduce learning cost, they are not the “silver bullet” because they cannot bypass the fundamental challenges of other administrative burdens, policy design deficiencies and bureaucratic processes

Annual Narrative Report of Virginia E. Twitty, Home Demonstration Agent for Graham and Greenlee Counties, Graham County Report, From December 1, 1953 to August 15, 1954

Bound typescripts of agents reports, including photographs, charts, clippings, and examples of publications, 1953 to 1954. Also includes statistical summaries for 1953-54.This material from the University of Arizona Agricultural Extension Service is made available by University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections. Contact us at [email protected], or (520) 621-6423

On curating, online: Buying time in the middle of nowhere

The invention of the Internet and its related accessories, as untrodden territory and as a medium, have ushered in a new era of artistic creation and curatorial practice, new frontiers for political censorship, and have drastically altered the paradigm of information transmission. The Web, although certainly a powerful social tool, has seeped so deeply into the foundations of everyday life that it has collapsed understandings of the present in exchange for a constantly refreshing sequence of now’s, and cultural institutions are struggling to ‘keep up with the times.’ Operating under the pressure of a capitalist system that privileges celebrity status, production, and modernity as progress, curators are ceaselessly inundated with an overwhelming amount of resources, struggling to dissect and interpret the present moment because the future has already been deemed impatient. What would it mean then if cultural workers were to slow down, and reimagine progress not as linear procession but as collective expansion? This dissertation looks at the ways in which alternative approaches to exhibition making and curating, specifically those taking place online, have long attempted to address the inadequacies and discriminatory practices traditionally upheld by major institutional models. While the speed and omnipresence of digital technologies has also cultivated a tendency for the creation of easily digestible content, slow curating, when used as a curatorial method rather than as a rate of dissemination, can serve as a strategy of resistance against the dueling binaries of past and future from a position that generously expands the middle of now by engaging in situated active thinking and critical reflection. Through an exploration of the evolution of the field of contemporary art alongside that of the Internet, this thesis presents examples of smaller scale institutions currently publishing and exhibiting artworks online that exemplify slow curating strategies. Through an analysis of the ways in which these platforms are designed, accessed, and address their audiences, a series of three case studies center around online publisher Triple Canopy, dis.art, a Netflix like viewing platform, and the digital library Monoskop, in order to illustrate the diverse range of possibilities as well as the inherent problematics of technology that cultural workers face when utilizing digital media to create spaces for the exhibition of artworks, literature, and ideas. Art and its associated movements such as conceptual art, feminist art, and modernism have already shown that while art is often thought to operate on the margins, it has the capacity to spark societal and political transformations—and despite the imposing restrictions of surveillance and control, surely art online makes for no exception. When subordination and emancipation can be achieved by the same tools, simply having the tools is not enough, and any reconfiguration of the conflict depends not only on how they are used, but by whom