Attitudes Towards and Limitations to ICT Use in Assisted and Independent Living Communities: Findings from a Specially-Designed Technological Intervention

Much literature has been devoted to theoretical explanations of the learning processes of older adults and to the methods of teaching best utilized in older populations. However, there has been less focus on the education of older adults who reside in assisted and independent living communities (AICs), especially with regards to information and communication technology (ICT) education. The purpose of this study is to determine whether participants\u27 attitudes and views towards computers and the Internet are affected as a result of participating in an eight-week training program designed to enhance computer and Internet use among older adults in such communities. Specifically, we examine if ICT education specially designed for AIC residents results in more positive attitudes towards ICTs and a perceived decrease in factors that may limit or prevent computer and Internet use. We discuss the implications of these results for enhancing the quality of life for older adults in AICs and make recommendations for those seeking to decrease digital inequality among older adults in these communities through their own ICT classes

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Communication & Information Technologies Annual: Doing & Being Digital: Mediated Childhood, Volume 8.

Sponsored by the Communication and Information Technologies Section of the American Sociological Association, this volume brings together nine studies of mediated childhood and youth. The studies shed light on the emerging contours of young people’s web engagements and social practices. More specifically, the volume contains research speaking to scholarship dealing with four key topics: digital differentiation, media use, social problems, and cyberbullying. In the first section, authors address timely topics about social inequalities arising from unequal web use among children and teens. In the following section, the contributions reveal decision making processes about negotiating mediated communication by college students in Finland and the United States. Subsequently, in section three, the research offers solutions to social problems created by online threats and ever expanding advertising targeting children. Finally, the volume closes with research on cyberbullying as a moral panic and upstanders who stand up to cyberbullies. Taken together, the contributions raise far-reaching questions about how childhood and young adulthood is mediated and shaped by digital experiences.https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/faculty_books/1081/thumbnail.jp