The mechanics of trust: a framework for research and design

With an increasing number of technologies supporting transactions over distance and replacing traditional forms of interaction, designing for trust in mediated interactions has become a key concern for researchers in human computer interaction (HCI). While much of this research focuses on increasing users’ trust, we present a framework that shifts the perspective towards factors that support trustworthy behavior. In a second step, we analyze how the presence of these factors can be signalled. We argue that it is essential to take a systemic perspective for enabling well-placed trust and trustworthy behavior in the long term. For our analysis we draw on relevant research from sociology, economics, and psychology, as well as HCI. We identify contextual properties (motivation based on temporal, social, and institutional embeddedness) and the actor's intrinsic properties (ability, and motivation based on internalized norms and benevolence) that form the basis of trustworthy behavior. Our analysis provides a frame of reference for the design of studies on trust in technology-mediated interactions, as well as a guide for identifying trust requirements in design processes. We demonstrate the application of the framework in three scenarios: call centre interactions, B2C e-commerce, and voice-enabled on-line gaming

Sensing and interferometry, including design and characterisation of special optical fibres

This thesis presents my work in the area of optical fibre sensing, and optical fibre design and characterisation along with the interferometric and signal processing techniques that were developed along the way

Achieving Health Equity in Embedded Pragmatic Trials for People Living with Dementia and Their Family Caregivers

Embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) advance research on Alzheimer's disease/Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) in real-world contexts; however, health equity issues have not yet been fully considered, assessed, or integrated into ePCT designs. Health disparity populations may not be well represented in ePCTs without special efforts to identify and successfully recruit sites of care that serve larger numbers of these populations. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory's Health Equity Team will contribute to the overall mission of the collaboratory by developing and implementing strategies to address health equity in the conduct of ePCTs and ensure the collaboratory is a national resource for all Americans with dementia. As a first step toward meeting these goals, this article reviews what is currently known about the inclusion of health disparities populations of people living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers in ePCTs, highlights unique challenges related to health equity in the conduct of ePCTs, and suggests priority areas in the design and implementation of ePCTs to increase the awareness and avoidance of pitfalls that may perpetuate and magnify healthcare disparities

Stress and Coping Strategies; A Cross-Cultural Study

This research study aims at examining the cross-cultural differences or similarities in the stress coping process between countries, with a focus on the United States and Nigeria. More specifically, the study examines whether culture influences the relationship between situational control and coping strategies. Participation in this survey will be restricted to people with either Nigerian or United States nationality who have also lived in their country of nationality for a minimum of 18 years. Participants will be required to respond to items from the Locus of Control scale, brief-COPE scale, and the Values Survey Module. The outcome of this study could be useful for increasing the understanding of the impact of cultural environment on coping strategies. Organizations that have diverse employees can be enlightened on how to promote coping strategies that are actually useful for the different employee

Charge Form Factor and Cluster Structure of 6^6Li Nucleus

The charge form factor of ${}^6$Li nucleus is considered on the basis of its cluster structure. The charge density of ${}^6$Li is presented as a superposition of two terms. One of them is a folded density and the second one is a sum of ${}^4$He and the deuteron densities. Using the available experimental data for ${}^4$He and deuteron charge form factors, a good agreement of the calculations within the suggested scheme is obtained with the experimental data for the charge form factor of ${}^6$Li, including those in the region of large transferred momenta.Comment: 12 pages 5 figure

Prediction of pH Change in Processed Acidified Turnips

The acetic acid uptake by turnips was studied during an acidification process in containers. The process was successfully described by a Fickian diffusion, using a correlation for the buffer effect. Diffusion coefficients (0.629 to 3.99 × 10-9 m2/sec) and partition coefficients (0.8 to 1.1) were obtained by optimization of the fit between experimental and theoretical values, using the simplex method. The partition coefficient did not show an evident dependence on temperature, while diffusivity followed an Arrhenius type behavior. The relationship between acid concentration and pH was described using a cubic model with parameters independent of temperature. Results showed that the combination of these models describing the acid diffusion into the food and the buffering effects of the food allowed accurate prediction of pH evolution in the acidification process

Contributions of external nutrient loading and internal cycling to cyanobacterial bloom dynamics in Lake Taihu, China: Implications for nutrient management

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (CyanoHABs) are linked to increasing anthropogenic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs. However, CyanoHABs in many large lakes continue despite extensive abatement efforts, mostly focused on external P loading. Internal nutrient cycling can modify nutrient availability and limitation; thus, understanding the relative importance of external vs. internal nutrient loading is essential for developing effective mitigation strategies for CyanoHABs. We estimated long-term nutrient budgets for Lake Taihu, China, from mass balance models using extensive monitoring of input and output nutrient data from 2005 to 2018 to quantify contributions from internal nutrient loading. The nutrient mass balance showed that 9% and 63% of annual external N and P inputs, respectively, were retained in the lake. Denitrification removed 54% of external N loading and can thus help explain rapid decreases in lake N concentrations and summer N limitation. Water column (Formula presented.) regeneration can help sustain CyanoHABs over the short term and contributed 38–58% of potential (Formula presented.) demand for summer-fall, Microcystis-dominated blooms. Internal P release contributed 23–90% of CyanoHABs P demand, although Taihu was a net P sink on an annual scale. Our results show that internal nutrient cycling helps sustain CyanoHABs in Taihu, despite reductions in external nutrient inputs. Furthermore, N is leaving the lake faster than P, thereby creating persistent N limitation. Therefore, parallel reductions in external N loading, along with P, will be most effective in reducing CyanoHABs and accelerate the recovery process in this and other large, shallow lakes

Breaking into the conversation: cultural value and the role of the South African National Arts Festival from apartheid to democracy

The paper examines the value of the South African National Arts Festival (NAF) in the transition to democracy using theories of cultural capital. NAF history from 1974 to 2004 is used to argue that the Festival provided an important arena for the expression of political resistance in the 1980s and, to some degree, continues to do so today. It is concluded that an important part of the value of the arts is their ability to provide a forum for debating the goals and values of society and that individualistic utility theory is not always successful in measuring such social value