Validation of the everyday technology use questionnaire in a Japanese context.

Background/Objective The Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (ETUQ), which evaluates the perceived relevance of and the perceived ability in everyday technology (ET) use, has demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties in Swedish studies of older adults. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the ETUQ in a Japanese context in older Japanese adults. Methods A sample of older Japanese adults (n = 164) including persons with (n = 32) and without (n = 132) cognitive impairment was interviewed with the ETUQ, including original items (ETs) and added Japanese context-specific items. Data were analyzed using a Rasch measurement model. Results The analysis demonstrated acceptable functioning of the rating scale, internal scale validity, person response validity, and person-separation reliability of the Japanese ETUQ according to the Rasch model. However, evidence supporting unidimensionality in the Japanese ETUQ was not consistent in this sample. The added Japanese items did not significantly change the estimated individual person measures of perceived ability to use ET. Conclusion The Japanese ETUQ seems to be a sensitive tool to evaluate perceived ability in ET use among elderly people in Japan with and without cognitive impairment. Therefore, it could be used in research and clinical practice. Keywords activities of daily living; everyday technology; Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale; older adults; Rasch measurement modelThe Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE)The Strategic Research Programme in Care Sciences at the Karolinska InstitutetSwedish Brain PowerThe regional agreement on medical training and clinical research (ALF) between the Stockholm County Council and the Karolinska InstitutetThe research was mainly funded by Health and Labour Sciences Research Grant (Japan)Publishe

PETREL: Platform for Extra and Terrestrial Remote Examination with LCTF

A small satellite ”PETREL” for UV astronomy and remote sensing with ”tunable” multi-spectral cameras conducted by an academia-industrial collaboration is presented. This project was originally proposed by an astronomer who desired a satellite for exploration of explosive objects in ultraviolet. To avoid the earthshine the astronomical observations are scheduled only in the nighttime. To utilize the daytime more electively we conceived a plan of ”satellite sharing” with the industrial collaborators, that can also reduce the developing cost drastically. The daytime mission is spectroscopy that is one of the potential fields in terms of data business, because that can provide chemical and biological information on the surface of the earth. We employ multi-spectral cameras making use of liquid crystal tunable filters (LCTFs) that enable adaptive observations at the optimized wave-bands for each targets. In 2020, this remote-sensing project and ultraviolet astronomy mission were accepted as a small satellite project of JAXA’s Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration program and as an ISAS/JAXA’s small-scale program, respectively. This satellit

Everyday technology use among older adults in Sweden and Japan : a comparative study

As context may impact everyday technology (ET) use it is relevant to study this within different contexts