How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program

Baseline assessment of the Department of the Army cost estimating and analysis (CE/A) and cost management (CM) capabilities

Economics' mission to provide DA with cost, performance and economic analysis in the form of expertise, models, data, estimates and analysis at all levels; and it identified opportunities for improvement in the way CE/A and CM communities can better serve the DA. The first step in this thesis was to identify which organizations in the DA employed CE/A and CM personnel. Next, questionnaires with which to elicit the information required for a complete baseline assessment were constructed, tested, and disseminated. Cost community employees filled out the questionnaires. The data collected was formed into useful categories, and displayed in informative ways. With data thus arranged, analysis was performed and recommendations made. This thesis provides understanding of practices, techniques, and standards within the DA CE/A and CM communities. It is the first phase of a larger effort to understanding the changes in human capital strategy necessitated by the advent of General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS), the Army's version of enterprise-wide financial management systems.http://archive.org/details/baselinessessmen109452161Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Thumb Culture

Mobile communication has an increasing impact on people's lives and society. Ubiquitous media influence the way users relate to their surroundings, and data services like text and pictures lead to a culture shaped by thumbs. Representing several years of research into the social and cultural effects of mobile phone use, this volume assembles the fascinating approaches and new insights of leading scientists and practitioners. The book contains the results of a first international survey on the social consequences of mobile phones. It provides a comprehensive inventory of today's issues and an outlook in mobile media, society and their future study

Protected Area Management

Until recently, values and benefits from protected areas have often been underestimated as well as taken for granted. Protected Area Management - Recent Advances demonstrates that there are deep necessities in how the wider scientific, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural values that these natural ecosystems provide should increasingly be recognized. The book highlights various approaches for managing and conserving protected areas to respond to some pressing global challenges such as climate change, demand for food and energy, overexploitation, and habitat change. It addresses these issues in five main sections that cover biodiversity and genetic resources; protected marine areas; community, ecotourism, and protected areas; and protected area conservation and monitoring

A strategy to make ICT accessible in rural Zambia: a case study of Macha

The problem discussed in this dissertation is to gather evidence of good practice and derive strategy for the development of ICT access in rural Zambia. Access to ICT services is important, also in rural areas of Africa. The challenges are many. There is a distinct void in tangible descriptions of the realities of ICT Access in rural areas or actionable guidelines for practitioners. This study involves a case study in the rural areas of Zambia. It does so through ethnography involving 10 years of observation of aspects of ICT access in rural Macha, Zambia. In this community, emerging from an articulated vision, ICT access in the form of the Internet arrived in 2004. Macha Works with its ICT unit LinkNet provides the basis for this interpretive approach from within the rural cultural setting. The purpose of the study is to benefit the local rural community, addressing the fundamentals of reality to add to the body of knowledge. The study involves cross cultural interaction and takes a trans-disciplinary view on science. It involves Participative Action Learning and Research aimed at recognising the complex adaptive systems while being aligned with the ethics of the rural African environment. Emphasis is on the needs of the community, rather than of the individual utilising empirical evidence. The good practices in Macha that inform strategy to make ICT accessible in rural areas are: engaging the community, building relationships; workforce development, unlocking productivity; thought leadership, establishing authority

The development of new systems of political communication in Nigeria with particular reference to the 1983 general elections.

This study deals with the development of political communication in Nigeria, from the colonial, independence and post-colonial periods. Also background information is given on the political communication systems in the precolonial period. It is argued that the patterns of pre-colonial systems still persist, particulary in the rural areas of Nigeria. Hence, the thesis undertakes to examine in detail, the political communication relationships between 'two separate but relatively autonomous environments in Nigeria with particular reference to the 1983 general elections. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first is a historical theoretical and methodological - analysis of politics and communication in Nigeria and the second a specific study of the 1983 general elections. The first chapter analyses the classical conceptions of political development and the development of political communication. The classical models are discussed and defined in three main stages: traditional, transitional, and modern nation-state. Chapter Two examines the pclitical communication trends that have led to the assumption that modern communication systems are all powerful politically. This leads to my analysis, criticisms and rejeciton of the linear model of communication development. Following my rejection, of the linear model, I suggested a theoretical and methodological framework for this study. Chapter Three looks at the structure of political and communication systems in the precolonial Nigeria. Kinship and religion are established as the mechanisms of sociopolitical and economic relationships in the pre-colonial period. Chapter Four centres on the impact of colonial administration on the precolonial institutions and the development of party politics, Christian religion and western education. Chapters Five and Six analyse the development of mass media and their relationship to different groups. Chapter Seven critically evaluates the political role of mass media as factors that influence electorates' political opinion. Part two presents an empirical analysis of the 1983 general elections with particular reference to Imo State. Under it, Chapter Eight sets out the method of the research. Major problems encountered in the fieldwork and how they were solved are stated. Chapters Nine, Ten,, Eleven and Twelve establish the characteristics and attributes of five groups of participants, their membership of voluntary organisations, their political participation and relationship to channels of communication respectively. In Chapter Thirteen political issues are discussed in relation to voters' views. Ln Chapter Fourteens the relationship between the mass media, political personalities and issues are examined. Finally Chapter Fifteen attempts to assess the role and direction of political communication development in Nigeria today - Some suggestions are made as regards to the most useful approach to political communication in Nigeria

Designing for behavioural change: reducing the social impacts of product use through design

This thesis investigates the feasibility of applying design-led approaches to influence user behaviour to reduce the negative social impacts of products during use. A review of the literature revealed a distinct lack of design-led research in this area. Three promising approaches from other disciplines, however, were found; ecofeedback, behaviour steering and intelligence. The majority of product examples identified did not use a singular approach, but combined two or more approaches. Most of the examples were concepts and focused on the end result. Few commented on the research and development processes undertaken to generate the final design. These limitations reinforced the need for case studies detailing these processes. To this end, two design studies were carried out; a preliminary study using a range of products and a further, more in-depth study on the use of mobile phones. The results of these studies led to the development of a framework of attributes for 'behaviour changing' devices. In response to these findings, two design resources were developed; a detailed design project to reduce the social impacts of mobile phone use in public and a short film on texting whilst on the move. Evaluation by design professionals provided analysis of the effectiveness of these resources and wider reflections on designer's perceived responsibilities for use and the ethics of designing for behavioural change. Collectively, the findings indicated that resources for designing behavioural change should; be explorative not prescriptive, focus on problem solving, be tailored to meet the needs of the intended recipient and ideally be applied in the early 'ideation' stages of the design process. Additionally, the findings indicated that designer's involvement in, and responsibility for, lifecycle impacts must be extended beyond point-of-purchase. Designers, however, are reportedly often unable to influence product development at a strategic level. Prior work, therefore, is needed to engage those at a senior level. Furthermore, the findings strongly indicate that 'behaviour changing' devices must be prototyped and subjected to rigorous consumer testing not only to establish their effectiveness but also to determine their acceptability