The internet, E-commerce and older people: an actor-network approach to researching reasons for adoption and use

Many older people are discovering the Internet, and some are also making good use of electronic commerce and all that goes with it. Others, however, are not adopting these technologies. This paper questions why some older people adopt Internet technologies while others do not, and offers a research framework, based on actor-network theory, for investigating adoption of Internet technologies by older people. In this paper, innovation translation is used to illustrate how specific cases of adoption have occurred. Innovation translation presents a different view of innovation than the better known theory of innovation diffusion, but one that the authors argue is better suited for research in socio-technical situations like this

Harnessing high altitude solar power

As an intermediate solution between Glaser's satellite solar power (SSP) and ground-based photovoltaic (PV) panels, this paper examines the collection of solar energy using a high-altitude aerostatic platform. A procedure to calculate the irradiance in the medium/high troposphere, based on experimental data, is described. The results show that here a PV system could collect about four to six times the energy collected by a typical U.K.-based ground installation, and between one-third and half of the total energy the same system would collect if supported by a geostationary satellite (SSP). The concept of the aerostat for solar power generation is then briefly described together with the equations that link its main engineering parameters/variables. A preliminary sizing of a facility stationed at 6 km altitude and its costing, based on realistic values of the input engineering parameters, is then presented

Ultranet as a Future Social Network: An Actor-Network Analysis

Community development is seen as an increasingly important role for government and the potential of Web 2.0 tools to aid in community development seems obvious. An experimental technology relating to e-government is being introduced by the State Government of Victoria, Australia. This involves a closed social network called the Ultranet which is intended to support communities of parents, teachers and students in State schools. As the Ultranet has only recently come into operation, this paper cannot present an analysis of its operation, only a theoretical investigation of its possibilities. In the paper the Ultranet is seen as an innovation, and handled accordingly. An ActorNetwork approach is proposed as a potential analytical lens for researching the Ultranet, its application and its social impact. The paper also proposed use of actornetwork theory to identify how the Ultranet might be shaped by future use, and how it could be used to identify problematisations of this new network and the actors that it seeks to involve and hence to identify potential translations of the innovation. Analysis of these potential translations allows the creation of a theoretical framework that permits a sensible review of the introduction of the Ultranet. The framework allows for the possible production of communities of practice amongst teachers, a „door‟ for parental involvement as opposed to the „windows‟ currently common in education, with an ideal that involves a Web 2.0 supported community where all parties (students, teachers, resources provided by the Departments of Education, parents and the local community) contribute. The paper suggests that perhaps this is the future of safe, secure social networking for schools

Needs Assessment for the Development of a Community Clinic: A Tool Kit for Untrained Community Workers in Renacimiento, Mexico

Background: Renacimiento, Mexico in the state of Nuevo Leon is home to approximately 1,000 families who currently experience a host of social, health, and community challenges that span both rural and urban Mexico. The state has committed to initiate the construction of a community health clinic. Methodology: In preparing for the clinic, a needs assessment instrument and associated materials were developed for community members and volunteers to administer to residents within Nuevo Leon. Results: A culturally sensitive survey instrument and associated documents were created with consideration for low-literacy participants and with a wide variety of topics in the areas of individual, women’s, children’s and community health. Conclusions: The creation of this needs assessment survey provide insight to stakeholders in Mexico and abroad who stand to benefit from learning what community residents’ perceive as their greatest needs. The results from the survey will provide the first ever documentation of this unique community’s health status and will demonstrate areas of need within which the community health clinic can focus their efforts

The Australian educational computer that never was

Computers are now commonly used in Australian schools, as in most developed countries. In the early 1980s, a multitude of incompatible microcomputers sought to enter the education market, presenting a significant problem in terms of technical support and teacher professional development. To address this, Australia investigated designing and building its own educational computer. This article tells the story of how Australia's educational computer was designed but never actually built

Antiseptic cytotoxicity and the cutaneous wound: an in vitro study

Concern has been expressed about the possible harmful effects of antiseptics on cutaneous wounds. There are few clinical data to support this view but animal studies suggest that certain agents are toxic. To simplify the investigation of antiseptic toxicity investigations have been conducted in vitro using cell culture. This study set out to establish an in vitro cytotoxicity assay which is simple, accurate and reliable, so that a number of cell types and agents could be easily studied. Basal keratinocytes and fibroblasts were studied as these cells are essential to the wound healing process. A transformed keratinocyte line (SVK 14 cells) was also compared. The cells were exposed to hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine, sodium hypochlorite and cetrimide for 15 minutes and cell viability was assessed with a colorimetric assay which utilizes the tetrazolium salt 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT). Comparison of 50% survival levels showed that the three cell types showed similar susceptibilities to the agents tested. These findings suggest that the transformed cell line, which has the advantage of ready availibility and immortality, can replace both fibroblasts and keratinocytes in an antiseptic cytotoxicity assay. Comparison of 50% survival concentrations to the standard therapeutic concentrations showed the following ranking order of toxicity: sodium hypochlorite> cetrimide> hydrogen peroxide>chlorhexidine. These findings are In line with in vivo studies on inhibition of wound healing by antiseptic agents. The assay devised appeared to be of value in predicting the relative toxicities of antiseptic agents In vivo. Reported experimental conditions for antiseptic cytotoxicity assays vary. The effect on toxicity of following conditions was studied; Increasing exposure time; the effect of medium or serum; Increasing cell number. Increasing cell number and diluting the agents in medium and serum reduced the toxicity of all agents but had the greatest effect on sodium hypochlorite. Increasing the exposure time increased the toxicity of all agents but had the greatest effect on hydrogen peroxide. Changes in experimental variables clearly alter the toxicity of individual agents. The results of in vitro testing should be interpreted in the context of experimental conditions

An Investigation of Candidate Sensor-Observable Wake Vortex Strength Parameters for the NASA Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS)

The counter-rotating pair of wake vortices shed by flying aircraft can pose a threat to ensuing aircraft, particularly on landing approach. To allow adequate time for the vortices to disperse/decay, landing aircraft are required to maintain certain fixed separation distances. The Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS), under development at NASA, is designed to prescribe safe aircraft landing approach separation distances appropriate to the ambient weather conditions. A key component of the AVOSS is a ground sensor, to ensure, safety by making wake observations to verify predicted behavior. This task requires knowledge of a flowfield strength metric which gauges the severity of disturbance an encountering aircraft could potentially experience. Several proposed strength metric concepts are defined and evaluated for various combinations of metric parameters and sensor line-of-sight elevation angles. Representative populations of generating and following aircraft types are selected, and their associated wake flowfields are modeled using various wake geometry definitions. Strength metric candidates are then rated and compared based on the correspondence of their computed values to associated aircraft response values, using basic statistical analyses