An Historical Epistemology of Perception in the Use of Mobile Computers

Recently, the interaction between humans and mobile computers, as a part of the broader problem of technology use in Human-Computer studies, has received some research attention. Researchers have explained mobile technology use in terms rhythms, negotiation, contextual influences and boundary control. However, these explanations do not exude sufficient cognitive accounts of mobile technology use. To supplement existing explanations, the use of mobile computers is explained in terms of the historical epistemology of perception. In this epistemology, perception is deemed as a mode of human action that is endowed with goal-orientation and teleological consciousness. A cognitive-based explanation of mobile technology use will enhance our understanding of the mediating role of technology representations and of how human mobility and mobile work filter these representations in mobile computing. The explanations provide guidelines for research, design and integration of mobile technologies in mobile activities

Prostate cancer disparities in Black men of African descent: a comparative literature review of prostate cancer burden among Black men in the United States, Caribbean, United Kingdom, and West Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>African American men have the highest prostate cancer morbidity and mortality rates than any other racial or ethnic group in the US. Although the overall incidence of and mortality from prostate cancer has been declining in White men since 1991, the decline in African American men lags behind White men. Of particular concern is the growing literature on the disproportionate burden of prostate cancer among other Black men of West African ancestry in the Caribbean Islands, United Kingdom and West Africa. This higher incidence of prostate cancer observed in populations of African descent may be attributed to the fact that these populations share ancestral genetic factors. To better understand the burden of prostate cancer among men of West African Ancestry, we conducted a review of the literature on prostate cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality in the countries connected by the Transatlantic Slave Trade.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Several published studies indicate high prostate cancer burden in Nigeria and Ghana. There was no published literature for the countries Benin, Gambia and Senegal that met our review criteria. Prostate cancer morbidity and/or mortality data from the Caribbean Islands and the United Kingdom also provided comparable or worse prostate cancer burden to that of US Blacks.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The growing literature on the disproportionate burden of prostate cancer among other Black men of West African ancestry follows the path of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. To better understand and address the global prostate cancer disparities seen in Black men of West African ancestry, future studies should explore the genetic and environmental risk factors for prostate cancer among this group.</p

Tweeting politicians: An analysis of the usage of a micro blogging system

Political communication via social media is getting more and more important. Besides social websites like Facebook and the video platforms like Youtube, microblogging systems have been increasingly used by politicians as communication tools. Since its introduction in 2007, Twitter has become the leading microblogging system. Today it is used by common people and any kind of celebrity whether they are in the show business, in sports or in any other domain. Twitter is also used by politicians to communicate with their voters. Hence, the objective of our paper is to analyze how elected politicians, i. e. members of parliaments, exploit Twitter in three different countries - namely Australia, Germany and the U.S. For our study, we collected data from more than 1,400 politicians of these countries, in particular their almost one million tweets. Our research gives an insight into the usage of Twitter in politics and discloses areas where the usage of Twitter by parliamentarians, differs between Australia, Germany and the U.S

Data Makes the Public Sector Go Round

Part 2: Open Data, Linked Data, and Semantic WebInternational audienceThis article summarizes the results of a systematic literature review on how the new data technologies affect the public sector and what their impact on governments are. The opportunities and the challenges that public administrations face nowadays in a data-driven world are important. Our research retrieved opportunities related to transparency, innovation, public participation and efficiency, while challenges regarding privacy issues, technical difficulties, data management, cultural and political obstacles were found. By overcoming the challenges and empowering the opportunities for data usability in public sector, exploitation of data could become the foundation for innovation and public sector transformation

Assessment of professionals’ continuous learning in practice

Within contemporary policy contexts of urgent demands for professional accountability, more regulatory agencies, and increased measurement of outputs, this chapter outlines issues in the assessment of learning in practice. A key focus here is conflicting purposes of assessment and views about learning. Assessment dilemmas in practice contexts include pluralist expectations, unclear evaluative authority, and contested criteria given the different epistemic cultures at stake. Competing ideologies shape the demands and measures of what comprises &lsquo;good' professional performance ensue from a range of stakeholders and knowledge sources. Struggles also unfold over the practicalities of assessing professional learning in situ. Finally, a key dilemma is reconciling the nature of practice itself with assessment of learning. Practice is largely recognized now to be a participational confluence of multiple actors and interactions, while the conventional focus for assessing professional learning still tends to be individual performance. The central difficulty is to conduct useful assessments with effective, explicit purposes that do not reduce complex practices to simplistic outcomes. Drawing from research case examples in diverse occupations such as medicine, teaching, pharmacy, accounting and nursing, this chapter critically examines current approaches to assess professional learning in practice. The discussion then turns to consider new conceptions of learning in practice from sociomaterial theories, conceptions that may help inspire new assessment approaches for the future