Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY): conceptualizing a transdisciplinary framework for citizen science addressing hydrological challenges

Widely available digital technologies are empowering citizens who are increasingly well informed and involved in numerous water, climate, and environmental challenges. Citizen science can serve many different purposes, from the "pleasure of doing science" to complementing observations, increasing scientific literacy, and supporting collaborative behaviour to solve specific water management problems. Still, procedures on how to incorporate citizens' knowledge effectively to inform policy and decision-making are lagging behind. Moreover, general conceptual frameworks are unavailable, preventing the widespread uptake of citizen science approaches for more participatory cross-sectorial water governance. In this work, we identify the shared constituents, interfaces, and interlinkages between hydrological sciences and other academic and non-academic disciplines in addressing water issues. Our goal is to conceptualize a transdisciplinary framework for valuing citizen science and advancing the hydrological sciences. Joint efforts between hydrological, computer, and social sciences are envisaged for integrating human sensing and behavioural mechanisms into the framework. Expanding opportunities of online communities complement the fundamental value of on-site surveying and indigenous knowledge. This work is promoted by the Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY) Working Group established by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS)

Reframing health care through social media

This teaching case presents the story of the Hospital Campus (HC) project and its effort to reframe health-care services for the elderly through the adoption of social media. In a world of global ageing, in which an increased number of elderly patients will be cared for by a shrinking number of workers, a primary challenge is how to use technology to provide better and more efficient services for the elderly. The HC campus project focuses on how to involve information technology-illiterate elderly patients and their social networks in the design and use of social media services to improve their quality of life. In describing the development of the project, we focus on the elderly patients\u2019 needs and the activation of their social circles through the engagement of peers in the purposeful use of social media. The HC project illustrates how innovative services occur as a result of the participation of users and their social networks in the management and design of health-care services, the importance of the intermediary role as the \u2018evangelist\u2019 and the need to tailor the adoption of social media to address individual needs

Introduction to Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) Minitrack: Contributing to Human Development and Social Justice

This minitrack explores opportunities to use Information and communication technologies to promote human development and social justice. In the early days this field began with radio and television as tools to help improve the lives of marginalized communities, but this has now become a global movement of people using computers, the internet, and mobile devices to help human development. Information technologies have become more accessible, more used, and more relevant than ever in the lives of people around the world. A growing body of scholars and researchers work to understand, design, evaluate and critique ICTD interventions, which can bring numerous benefits as well as unanticipated negative consequences to those affected

Introduction to the Minitrack on Information and Communication Technologies for Development: Contributing to Human Development and Social Justice

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Validation and Retrospective Clinical Evaluation of a Quantitative 16S rRNA Gene Metagenomic Sequencing Assay for Bacterial Pathogen Detection in Body Fluids.

Next-generation sequencing-based 16S rRNA gene metagenomic sequencing (16S MG) technology has tremendous potential for improving diagnosis of bacterial infections given its quantitative capability and culture-independent approach. We validated and used a quantitative 16S MG assay to identify and quantify bacterial species in clinical samples from a wide spectrum of infections, including meningitis, septic arthritis, brain abscess, intra-abdominal abscess, soft tissue abscess, and pneumonia. Twenty clinical samples were tested, and 16S MG identified a total of 34 species, compared with 22 species and three descriptive findings identified by culture. 16S MG results matched culture results in 75% (15/20) of the samples but detected at least one more species in five samples, including one culture-negative cerebrospinal fluid sample that was found to contain Streptococcus intermedius. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing verified the presence of all additional species. The 16S MG assay is highly sensitive, with a limit of detection of 10 to 100 colony-forming units/mL. Other performance characteristics, including linearity, precision, and specificity, all met the requirements for a clinical test. This assay showed the advantages of accurate identification and quantification of bacteria in culture-negative and polymicrobial infections for which conventional microbiology methods are limited. It also showed promises to serve unmet clinical needs for solving difficult infectious diseases cases