"Stuff goes into the computer and doesn't come out": a cross-tool study of personal information management

This paper reports a study of Personal Information Management (PIM), which advances research in two ways: (1) rather than focusing on one tool, we collected cross-tool data relating to file, email and web bookmark usage for each participant, and (2) we collected longitudinal data for a subset of the participants. We found that individuals employ a rich variety of strategies both within and across PIM tools, and we present new strategy classifications that reflect this behaviour. We discuss synergies and differences between tools that may be useful in guiding the design of tool integration. Our longitudinal data provides insight into how PIM behaviour evolves over time, and suggests how the supporting nature of PIM discourages reflection by users on their strategies. We discuss how the promotion of some reflection by tools and organizations may benefit users

Life Beyond the Mailbox: A Cross-Tool Perspective on Personal Information Management

Email interfaces provide poor support for the personal information management (PIM) activities that users have adopted them for. This paper reports a user study that highlights how two aspects of PIM, information management and task management, cut across a range of tools, including email. We argue that effective support for such cross-tool activities cannot be provided through a focus on one interface such as email alone. Instead, a cross-tool approach is needed in PIM-related research and design. We present a prototype aimed at improving cross-tool support for information management, and report the results from an initial evaluation

Inclusive or exclusive? Investigating how retail technology can reduce old consumers’ barriers to shopping

This paper investigates older consumers in-store shopping experiences and the barriers that they face. The aim is to understand how new retail technologies (e.g., interactive in-store displays, self-service tills, robots etc.) can help seniors access satisfying, autonomous retail experiences, helping them to achieve a sense of inclusion in physical retail settings. Drawing upon the social inclusion/exclusion theory and information overload theory, the research employs a qualitative approach based on an inductive design, including face-to-face semi structured interviews with 36 consumers aged 75+. The findings highlight (i) old consumers have scarce interactions with in-store technologies (adding knowledge to motivations literature), (ii) the need to develop new technologies to support these consumers, and (iii) the extent to which these technologies are excluding rather than including old consumers (adding knowledge to the drivers of the field of exclusion). Results provide guidelines for retailers to enhance the sense of inclusion for old consumers through a better usage of new technologies

Gyrotropic impact upon negatively refracting surfaces

Surface wave propagation at the interface between different types of gyrotropic materials and an isotropic negatively refracting medium, in which the relative permittivity and relative permeability are, simultaneously, negative is investigated. A general approach is taken that embraces both gyroelectric and gyromagnetic materials, permitting the possibility of operating in either the low GHz, THz or the optical frequency regimes. The classical transverse Voigt configuration is adopted and a complete analysis of non-reciprocal surface wave dispersion is presented. The impact of the surface polariton modes upon the reflection of both plane waves and beams is discussed in terms of resonances and an example of the influence upon the Goos–Hänchen shift is given

A Review and Assessment of Privatization in Canada

Most privatizations in Canada occurred in the 10-year period from the mid-1980s to the mid1990s, and while many of the remaining candidates are both politically and economically problematic, the Harper government has signalled its renewed interest in more privatizations. This paper, written by two of Canada’s leading experts on the subject, comprehensively assesses hard data from the earlier privatizations in Canada, including sectors such as energy, transport and telecommunications. They find that the overall impacts have been largely positive, in many cases impressively so. Key economic indicators such as capital expenditures, dividends, tax revenues and sales per employee tended to increase, while others such as employment initially fell, only to rise again over the long term. Ultimately, most of the privatized firms continue to operate efficiently, making them positive contributors to Canadians’ social welfare through the provision of increased economic opportunities, higher profits and taxes. Drawing on lessons learned, the authors propose a common-sense framework to guide future privatizations and ensure all Canadians derive the maximum possible benefits from them. No Canadian government has ever formulated such a plan for a privatization regime, making this paper a must-read for anyone with a stake in the future of Canadian business

Bacillary dysentery in African children on the Witwatersrand

'It has .... been shown in the United States and elsewhere that when cases of "diarrhoea, enteritis and dysentery" are carefully studied, the majority appear to be bacillary dysentery.'The investigation to be described was carried out to ascertain the importance of bacillary dysentery in the causation of diarrhoeal disorders among African children in the Johannesburg area. It was found that dysentery organisms were present in less than 20% of these patients

Geometrical multilayers: coercivity in magnetic 3-D nanostructures

Electrodeposition of magnetic metals through self-assembly templates from polystyrene spheres is used for fabrication of magnetic nanostructures with 3-D architectures. These arrays demonstrate unusual properties including an oscillatory dependence of the coercive field on film thickness. Numerical simulations reveal that the ratio between the array period and the hole diameter in anti-dot array is a crucial parameter giving rise to qualitatively distinct magnetization reversal regimes