Reimagining Disruptive Technologies: The User Experience of Netflix and Pokémon GO in Australia

The user experience of disruptive technologies is insufficiently understood by industry and academia as discourse is typically centered around the impact of new technologies on existing services, business models, and their respective industries. This thesis seeks to address this gap in knowledge and develops an original framework, the Disruption-Experience Model (D-E Model), for identifying and describing user experiences of technologies that have been perceived as disruptive. The D-E model involves three interlinking concepts: stabilisation, which is a sustaining experience whereby thoughts, feelings and practices are reinforced; destabilisation, which is a dysfunctional experience whereby thoughts, feelings and practices are undermined; and transformation, which is a novel experience whereby thoughts, feelings and practices are dramatically shifting. The methodology for the thesis draws on principles from ethnography, and 28 participants were recruited from the city of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia for the investigation of two case studies: the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service Netflix and the augmented reality (AR) mobile gaming application Pokémon GO (PoGO). By observing online discussions, talking to Netflix and PoGO users directly through interviews and participating in walk-alongs, I found that the user experience diverges from some of the established perceptions identified from the literature and public discourse. Netflix has been perceived as a dramatic disruption for the Australian television industry, but in terms of the user experience it was mostly a continuation of existing viewing practices, with internet piracy as the middle-man. PoGO was perceived as disruptive in different ways by different people, with game changing implications for the AR, marketing and mobile gaming industries. However, users were less interested in the innovative aspects of the game and more excited about experiencing Pokémon in a new way and being part of a historical, cultural moment. This thesis provides nuance to conversations of disruptive technologies by including the point of view of the user, and the D-E Model can be useful for understanding experiences of other technologies—or potential disruptions—in the future

Single port laparoscopic appendectomy: are we pursuing real advantages?

Single port appendectomy, due to its cosmetic appeal and to a technique similar to classic laparoscopic appendectomy, is provoking an increasing number of publications and case series to explore its feasibility and effective improvements for patients with acute appendicitis. The margins for improvement are not so large, as laparoscopic appendectomy is, after 20 years from its beginning, still debated. A literature search has been accomplished to investigate the outcomes of the operation. 23 case series or retrospective comparisons with classic laparoscopy have been found. The numbers and low quality of the published data do not permit to draw evidence based conclusions. Still, trends seem to evidence an increase in complications especially in complicated appendicitis, which suggests caution in its dissemination outside clinical trials

Is Italy still special? Conceptual and empirical remarks on urbanization in the era of globalization

Many scholars have argued, over time, about Italy’s social, economic, political and cultural peculiarities. Its urbanization too has always been studied as fairly distinctive: many historic cities with singular settings, often held up as models of an appealing way of life. How has globalization changed the Italian city and its image? Is Italian urbanization just a part of an overall global flattening? Do Italian cities, and their social and spatial settings and practices, show a radical break with the past? Do its greater metropolitan city-regions show patterns and transformations like those of post-metropolitan situations around the world? In this chapter, we will try to frame these issues through a discussion of some concepts which seem of basic importance for the understanding of Italian urbanization. Such concepts are mostly related to the influence of time (and space, place, territory, also as a legacy from the past) in the urban persistence and transformation (not only physical, but also social and economic), which appears much more powerful than in other realities, such as the US or Asia

La Citt\ue0 metropolitana in Italia, da fatto spaziale a strumento

Il saggio presenta una critica al modello italiano di costruzione della citt\ue0 metropolitana, attraverso un confronto internazionale. Dopo aver discusso la questione del governo metropolitano dai due tradizionali punti di vista, della frammentazione virtuosa o dannosa, il paper introduce la questione alla luce delle nuove questioni che interessano l'urbano, con particolare riferimento ai temi dei flussi e delle popolazioni

Realizzazione del controllo di temperatura in una sorgente LED a cromaticità variabile

Realizazzione del controllo di temperatura per ridurre al minimo il degrado prestazionale dei LED, al variare della potenza dissipata per calore dagli stessiope

Laparoscopic peritoneal lavage: A definitive treatment for diverticular peritonitis or a "bridge" to elective laparoscopic sigmoidectomy?

To this day, the treatment of generalized peritonitis secondary to diverticular perforation is still controversial. Recently, in patients with acute sigmoid diverticulitis, laparoscopic lavage and drainage has gained a wide interest as an alternative to resection. Based on this backdrop, we decided to perform a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of peritoneal lavage in perforated diverticular disease. A bibliographic search was performed in PubMed for case series and comparative studies published between January 1992 and February 2014 describing laparoscopic peritoneal lavage in patients with perforated diverticulitis. A total of 19 articles consisting of 10 cohort studies, 8 case series, and 1 controlled clinical trial met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. In total these studies analyzed data from 871 patients. The mean follow-up time ranged from 1.5 to 96 months when reported. In 11 studies, the success rate of laparoscopic peritoneal lavage, defined as patients alive without surgical treatment for a recurrent episode of diverticulitis, was 24.3%. In patients with Hinchey stage III diverticulitis, the incidence of laparotomy conversion was 1%, whereas in patients with stage IV it was 45%. The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was 2.9%. The 30-day postoperative reintervention rate was 4.9%, whereas 2% of patients required a percutaneous drainage. Readmission rate after the first hospitalization for recurrent diverticulitis was 6%. Most patients who were readmitted (69%) required redo surgery. A 2-stage laparoscopic intervention was performed in 18.3% of patients. Laparoscopic peritoneal lavage should be considered an effective and safe option for the treatment of patients with sigmoid diverticulitis with Hinchey stage III peritonitis; it can also be consider as a “bridge” surgical step combined with a delayed and elective laparoscopic sigmoidectomy in order to avoid a Hartmann procedure. This minimally invasive staged approach should be considered for patients without systemic toxicity and in centers experienced in minimally invasive surgery techniques. Further evidence is needed, and the ongoing RCTs will better define the role of the laparoscopic peritoneal lavage/drainage in the treatment of patients with complicated diverticulitis