Navigating Airwaves and Waterways: An Ethnography of Mobile ICT Use on the Digital Ship

Commercial shipping is a vital part of Canadas economy, moving goods through an intricate network of waterways, lakes, rivers and ports. It is also an industry that is undergoing a remarkable transformation, as new (at least to the industry) digital technologies are taking hold in the wheelhouses and engine rooms of these freighters and tankers. Coupled with the emergence of the digital ship, sailors now have access to a broad array of mobile information and communication technologies, including cellphones, and satellite-based internet access. In light of this, this thesis considers the experiences of sailors who grapple with these changes, to explore how mobile ICTs challenge, complicate, enhance, and otherwise transform their lives. This thesis draws on ethnographic research conducted over a month-long, 4,000 nautical mile journey on an articulated tug and barge that transports liquid asphalt and other black oil products through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system. Drawing upon media studies, science and technology studies, and mobilities studies, I seek to understand the physical, representational, and virtual worlds of sailors as an assemblage of devices, people, movements, geographies and histories. To do so, three interconnected narratives emerge. The first is a story of connectivity, as sailors manage the home-work divide. The second story is about the sociotechnical power of mobile ICTs, as expertise and autonomy are being eroded by the use of digital devices. The third story is perhaps in response to mobile ICTs, a story about how, even with all of these digital and automation technologies now permeating the fabric of sailors everyday lives, they still, first and foremost, rely on their embodied knowledge to do their jobs. I argue that while the virtual and the representational worlds of the sailor are important, the physical world still holds sway

Managing Migration? The Politics of truth and Life Itself, a special issue

The abstract in included in the text

Managing Migration? The Politics of truth and Life Itself, a special issue

The abstract in included in the text

Optical enhancement strategies on centrifugal microfluidic water sensors for detection of phosphate

Phosphorous is one of the principle elements contributing to eutrophication[1] in coastal, marine and fresh water. This study aims to develop new technologies that can enabled near real-time, rapid, reliable and robust analysis of water nutrient levels, such as phosphate, in water systems. Herein, describes an enhancement study of a previously demonstrated lab-on-a-disc (LOAD) centrifugal microfluidic device for the detection of phosphate in freshwater. The LOAD device utilizes a microfluidic sample processing to enable high precision metering and reagent mixing, followed by colorimetric analysis (at 880 nm) of the resultant complex. A customisable and complementary, in-house analysis system was also developed to enhance user interaction and enable rapid analysis. This analysis system delivers both disc centrifugation and automated colourimetric detection of the LOAD device, with recording of data transmitted via PC interface. The aim of this study is to maintain the same level of sensitivity of the current[2] system with a reduced pathlength. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for this new revised system are as follows: The blackened chip obtained the best sensitivity with an LOD and LOQ of 6 and 19 μg L-1 respectively

Medium Mediated Effects Increase cell Killing in a Human Keratinocyte Cell Line Exposed to Solar Simulated Radiation

Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate whether cell culture medium is 40 a biologically relevant exposure medium that can be employed in non-ionising photobiological investigations. 42 Methods: The effect of solar simulated irradiation on cell culture medium and its ability to elicit cell death was studied. The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell 44 secreted factors, and the contribution of individual components of the medium were investigated. 46 Results: Cell death was found to be primarily mediated through the formation of ROS via riboflavin photosensitisation and degradation in the cell culture medium. Phenol 48 red was found to significantly reduce the cell killing ability of riboflavin. Exposures in riboflavin free medium resulted in significantly increased cell survival compared to 50 identical exposures in riboflavin containing medium. Conclusions: This study has shown that solar radiation toxicity is augmented by cell 52 culture medium due to the presence of riboflavin. Results suggest that exposures performed in phenol red free medium may serve to increase phototoxic effects if 54 riboflavin is present. Riboflavin free media is recommended for solar radiation investigations to eliminate concerns regarding riboflavin photosensitisation and nutrient 56 deprivation

Marine inspired textured materials for reduction of biofouling on surfaces

Biofouling on deployed in-situ sensors without regular removal or cleaning can disrupt sensor data collected. The current replacement antifouling (AF) materials under development are largely unsuited to sensor technologies as they have been developed with large scale applications in mind, such as those required by the shipping industry. Therefore, a strategy for the development of novel, sustainable, antifouling materials for sensor applications is required. Bio-inspiration refers to adapting strategies already developed in the natural world to problems encountered in modern science and technology. Engineered surfaces capable of controlling cellular behaviour under natural conditions are challenging to design due to the diversity of attaching cell types in environments such as marine waters, where many variations in cell shape, size and adhesion strategy exist. Nevertheless, understanding interactions between a cell and a potential substrate for adhesion, including topographically driven settlement cues, offers a route to designing surfaces capable of controlling cell settlement. Biomimetic design of artificial surfaces, based upon microscale features from natural surfaces, can be utilized as model surfaces to understand cell-surface interactions. In this study it was hypothesized that an AF effect could be induced through the replication of a synthetic surface. Scophthalmus rhombus (Brill) is a small flatfish occurring in marine waters of the Mediterranean as well as in Norway and Iceland. It inhabits sandy and muddy coastal waters from 5 to 80 metres. Its skin changes colour depending on the environment but is generally brownish with light and dark freckles and a creamy underside. S. rhombus is oval in shape and its flesh is white[1], [2]. In this study, the micro topography of the brill scale is characterized for the first time which may serve as a trend for the design of a marine inspired biomimetic surface texture. Natural dermal scales of S. rhombus are artificially replicated using 3-D printing and mould casting technologies. The replication methods are then tested for initial colonization of fouling species using 3 h immersion testing using diatom species, CCAP 1052/1B, Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The aim of this study was to discover the potential of using textured surfaces inspired by nature in particular marine organisms to combat fouling. This work identifies simple textures that can reduce fouling in its early stages which can contribute to antifouling coatings on sensors for monitoring in the marine environment

Design features for enhancing optical detection on lab-on-a-disc platforms

Centrifugal microfluidics has undergone a massive growth surge over the past 15 years, evident by the number of comprehensive reviews currently available, with special regard towards Lab-On-A-Disc (LOAD) diagnostic solutions.1–3 The potential of a LOAD system is dependent on its ability to mimic the specific laboratory protocols with which are required to conduct sample-to-answer analysis. This would include sample handling and manipulation (such as mixing and separation), sample modification (including heating and redox reactions), as well as reaction detection (such as optical, electrochemical, or as required by user). Optical detection strategies on LOAD platforms has been largely successful in both the fields of biological and chemical sensing.4 Herein, will demonstrate the optical optimisations which were carried out on a biological fluorescent-based5 and a chemical absorbance-based6 LOAD detection platforms. This will include the identification and optimisation of LED-photodiode selection, the effects of detection orientation and pathway-length fluorophore selection. Also covered will be a comparison between the microfluidic architecture for incorporating either detection methods as well as their reported limits of detection

A novel optical sensing lab-on-a-disc platform for chromium speciation

The determination chromium speciation in the field is a significant analytical challenge. While chromium exists in oxidation states from 0 to VI, it is predominantly found in the (III) and (VI) states [1]. Industry effluent (e.g. textile/electroplating) is a common source of chromium pollution in the environment. Due to corrosion inhibitors used in pipes, and contamination leaching from sanitary landfills, drinking water supplies can become contaminated also [2]. The bioavailability and toxicity of chromium is largely dependent the oxidation state of the element [2]. Consumption of Cr (III) is an essential component in human diet, as it is responsible for maintaining glucose, lipid and protein metabolism [3]. In contrast, Cr (VI) is strongly oxidizing, exhibiting high toxicity, with carcinogenic and mutagenic properties [4]. It is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the maximum allowable concentration of chromium (VI) in drinking water is 0.05 mg L−1 [5]. Handheld colourimeters for on-site measurements are a convenient option for frequent water monitoring; however the limit of detection (LOD) of these devices is typically higher than the recommended limit. Microfluidic ‘lab-on-a-disc’ technologies were used in the development of an optical sensor for chromium speciation in water. The principal behind these devices is to minimize laboratory processes onto a microfluidic system that can be brought to the sampling site for rapid sample-to-answer analyses. The objective for this device was to design and fabricate a fully integrated optical sensor for on-site measurement of both trivalent and hexavalent chromium in freshwater. A strong focus was placed on maximizing sensitivity in order to achieve a low LOD

Supporting Computing Educators to Create a Cycle of Teaching and Computing Education Research

Despite a rich history of computing education in the United Kingdom and Ireland, computing educators often rely on the same procedures and teaching practices rather than embrace innovations. Similarly, while a growing collection of literature exists on educational theory and practice in computing education, much of this focuses on the same concepts and concerns. An aspiration is that both these problems can be simultaneously addressed by computing educators adopting a cycle of embracing existing literature when devising teaching practice and then feeding their experience and findings back to the community in a rigorous fashion. Consequently, this panel supports computing educators by acting as advisers on a one-on-one basis to support audience members in discovering or devising their own cycle of teaching practice and computing education research