A realisation of ethical concerns with smartphone personal health monitoring apps

The pervasiveness of smartphones has facilitated a new way in which owners of devices can monitor their health using applications (apps) that are installed on their smartphones. Smartphone personal health monitoring (SPHM) collects and stores health related data of the user either locally or in a third party storing mechanism. They are also capable of giving feedback to the user of the app in response to conditions are provided to the app therefore empowering the user to actively make decisions to adjust their lifestyle. Regardless of the benefits that this new innovative technology offers to its users, there are some ethical concerns to the user of SPHM apps. These ethical concerns are in some way connected to the features of SPHM apps. From a literature survey, this paper attempts to recognize ethical issues with personal health monitoring apps on smartphones, viewed in light of general ethics of ubiquitous computing. The paper argues that there are ethical concerns with the use of SPHM apps regardless of the benefits that the technology offers to users due to SPHM apps’ ubiquity leaving them open to known and emerging ethical concerns. The paper then propose a need further empirical research to validate the claim

Ethical Reflections of Human Brain Research and Smart Information Systems

open access journalThis case study explores ethical issues that relate to the use of Smart Infor-mation Systems (SIS) in human brain research. The case study is based on the Human Brain Project (HBP), which is a European Union funded project. The project uses SIS to build a research infrastructure aimed at the advancement of neuroscience, medicine and computing. The case study was conducted to assess how the HBP recognises and deal with ethical concerns relating to the use of SIS in human brain research. To under-stand some of the ethical implications of using SIS in human brain research, data was collected through a document review and three semi-structured interviews with partic-ipants from the HBP. Results from the case study indicate that the main ethical concerns with the use of SIS in human brain research include privacy and confidentiality, the security of personal data, discrimination that arises from bias and access to the SIS and their outcomes. Furthermore, there is an issue with the transparency of the processes that are involved in human brain research. In response to these issues, the HBP has put in place different mechanisms to ensure responsible research and innovation through a dedicated pro-gram. The paper provides lessons for the responsible implementation of SIS in research, including human brain research and extends some of the mechanisms that could be employed by researchers and developers of SIS for research in addressing such issues

Ethical Implications of Predictive Risk Intelligence

open access articleThis paper presents a case study on the ethical issues that relate to the use of Smart Information Systems (SIS) in predictive risk intelligence. The case study is based on a company that is using SIS to provide predictive risk intelligence in supply chain management (SCM), insurance, finance and sustainability. The pa-per covers an assessment of how the company recognises ethical concerns related to SIS and the ways it deals with them. Data was collected through a document review and two in-depth semi-structured interviews. Results from the case study indicate that the main ethical concerns with the use of SIS in predictive risk intelli-gence include protection of the data being used in predicting risk, data privacy and consent from those whose data has been collected from data providers such as so-cial media sites. Also, there are issues relating to the transparency and accountabil-ity of processes used in predictive intelligence. The interviews highlighted the issue of bias in using the SIS for making predictions for specific target clients. The last ethical issue was related to trust and accuracy of the predictions of the SIS. In re-sponse to these issues, the company has put in place different mechanisms to ensure responsible innovation through what it calls Responsible Data Science. Under Re-sponsible Data Science, the identified ethical issues are addressed by following a code of ethics, engaging with stakeholders and ethics committees. This paper is important because it provides lessons for the responsible implementation of SIS in industry, particularly for start-ups. The paper acknowledges ethical issues with the use of SIS in predictive risk intelligence and suggests that ethics should be a central consideration for companies and individuals developing SIS to create meaningful positive change for society

Acute toxicity of atrazine to Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings

Acute toxicity of atrazine to Oreochromis niloticus was undertaken to find the lethal concentration (LC) 50 of atrazine using fingerlings. Different concentrations were prepared in mg/L. There were six different concentrations with a control and each treatment was replicated three times. A total number of twenty-one aquaria were used. The highest concentration was 30mg/L. Ten test organisms were used in each aquarium. At 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours there were LC 50 of 15.6mg/L, 14mg/L, 11mg/L and 9.4, respectively. At 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours there were mean survivals of 49.0%, 34.3%, 28.6% and 28.1%, respectivel

Yu Shan, Wuqiu Fan. 2018. Science and Technology Translation Research in the Big Data Era: Review and Prospect. Beijing: China Social Sciences Press, pp.236, RMB ￥66. ISBN: 978-7-5203-2273-9.

Book revie

An Ecological Alarm Bell: Liu Cixin’s Science Fiction The Wandering Earth

The Wandering Earth is another masterpiece of Liu Cixin after The Three, and later adapted into a film. After its release, the film has won high reputation at home and abroad. It can be regarded as a milestone of Chinese science fiction movies. From the perspective of Western eco-criticism, the future ecological environment described in the work is fragmented; the earth disaster which has been redeemed by human beings continues, and finally falls into ruins; human beings abandon religious ethics and humanistic arts, and their spirit falls into confusion and fear. The work provides us with the possibility of the future development of human living environment and spiritual thought, aiming at awakening human’s ecological consciousness and restoring human’s respect for natural ecology.

Non-Destructive Crack Detection Technique by Means of Microwave Imaging

Bangunan-bangunan dan struktur awam selalunya terbeban dengan beban melebihi had sehingga membawa kepada kemerosotan dan kelemahan struktur penahanan dan mengakibatkan keretakan. Keretakan dalam konkrit atau bahan berasaskan simen membawa ancaman besar kepada mana-mana struktur awam: ianya sangat berbahaya dan telah membawa kepada banyak kemusnahan dan kerosakan. Walaupun satu keretakan kecil yang kelihatan tidak penting boleh membesar sehingga akhirnya menyebabkan kegagalan struktur yang serius. Selain daripada pemeriksaan manual yang tidak efektif dan memakan masa, beberapa teknik ujian penilaian tanpa musnah pernah digunakan untuk mengesan keretakan. Contohnya, ultrasonik, getaran dan teknik regangan, namun ada di antara penderia yang digunakan samada terlalu besar ataupun beresolusi rendah. Objektif utama adalah untuk mengkaji kemungkinan pengesanan keretakan di dalam konkrit atau simen menggunakan gelombang mikro bersama dengan algoritma lengah-dan-campur. Pertama sekali model pelbagai jenis keretakan di dalam bata disimulasikan menggunakan teknik FDTD. Keputusan dari simulasi digunakan untuk menentukan parameter persediaan eksperimen. Bata dan struktur konkrit dengan keretakan telah digunakan sebagai bahan ujikaji. Daripada keputusan eksperimen, didapati isyarat dengan frekuensi 1 hingga 7 GHz menghasilkan resolusi dan penembusan yang optimum. Keretakan sekurang-kurangnya sebesar 5 mm telah berjaya dikesan dengan resolusi λ/4, yang membolehkan pengesanan keretakan tahap awal. Kesimpulannya teknik pengimejan gelombang mikro mempunyai potensi untuk mengesan keretakan di dalam konkrit atau bahan berasaskan simen dengan resolusi yang tinggi. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Building and civil structures are often overburdened with load above their threshold value that led to deterioration and weakening of the supporting members, and resulted in cracks. Cracks in concrete or cement based materials present a significant threat to any civil structures; they are very dangerous and have caused much destruction and damages. Even small cracks, which look insignificant grow and eventually lead to severe structural failure. Besides manual inspection that is ineffective and time-consuming, several non-destructive evaluation techniques have been used for crack detection. For instance, ultrasonic, vibration and strain-based techniques, however some of the sensors used are either too big or limited in resolution. The main objective is to study the possibility of crack detection in concrete or cement based materials using microwave imaging with Delay-and-Sum, (DAS) algorithm. First, models of various crack types in bricks were simulated using finite difference time domain method (FDTD) method. The simulation results were used to determine the design parameters for the experimental setup. Single brick and a constructed concrete structure with cracks were used as phantoms. From the experimental results, signal with frequency of 1 to 7 GHz gave an optimum resolution and signal penetration. Cracks of at least 5 mm in size were detected with a resolution of λ/4 that enabled crack detection at the early stage of development. In conclusion, microwave imaging technique showed the potential to detect cracks in concrete or cement-based materials with high-resolution image

Sidney Shapiro’s Translation Style: On the English Translation of the Wine Names in the Outlaws of the Marsh

Pearl Buck’s version All Men are Brothers has always been widely praised as the most faithful version, and Shapiro’s version has been called in line with the reading habits of Western readers. Based on the comparison of the translated wine names in Pearl S. Buck’s All Men are Brothers and American Jewish scholar Sidney Shapiro’s Outlaws of the Marsh, it is found that the syntactic form of the Sidney Shapiro’s version is flexible, meanwhile the cultural image and semantic processing of wine names are relatively accurate. It conveys the connotation of the original text. Then the author tries to explain the conclusion of the text research through the background and process of Shapiro’s translation of 水浒传. The acceptance of his version in the western world also proves that Shapiro has made an important contribution to the cultural communication between the East and the West.

Guidance and Counselling and the Quest for Effective Continuous Assessment as A Tool for Functional Universal Basic Education (Ube) in Nigeria

Continuous assessment is an aspect of educational assessment and at UBE level it is regarded as the key form of assessment. The concept, features and implementation strategies/operational modalities point to its efficacy in guaranteeing effective schooling if implemented with a good measure of professionalism. It was acknowledged that an appraisal of teacher education curriculum in Nigeria provides for appreciable understanding of the implementation of continuous assessment but that this has not been reflected in the quality of educational practice and that is partly why we have the problem of stay-ins. The role of Guidance and Counselling with emphasis on the counselling oriented attribute was examined and it was made clear that testing and non-testing techniques should be used with a view to promoting learning at all times. And that any tendency of use of test either at the level of item generation, test administration, measurement and interpretation to achieve any objective other than the development of the learner is antithetical to school practice

An Evaluation of Stakeholder Engagement in ICT Research Projects

Modern societies rely upon research to deal with social challenges through research and innovation (R&I) that is carried out in ICT research projects. ICT research projects are important in generating breakthrough technologies and translating these technologies into solutions for the wider society. In order to develop societally acceptable and desirable solutions, ICT research projects engage different stakeholders who play an important role in encouraging responsible outcomes. Despite the growing recognition of stakeholder engagement in ICT research projects, there is limited evidence in the literature to demonstrate its value. This gap is reflective of a general lack of discourse on qualitative evaluation of stakeholder engagement in ICT research projects. To adequately inform and support engagement activities in ICT research projects, particularly concerning the attainment of socially desirable outcomes, there is a need to understand the efficacy of stakeholder engagement. Therefore, to address this gap, the study synthesises the literature on stakeholder engagement, responsible research and innovation (RRI) and looks at the different approaches that are used to evaluate and understand the value of stakeholder engagement in a wider research context. The synthesis is done to inform a conceptual model which is then used to unfold and analyse the value of stakeholder engagement in attaining socially desirable outcomes in ICT research projects. The proposed conceptual evaluation model informs a qualitative investigation involving a case study of four ICT research projects. Findings suggest that the efficacy of stakeholder engagement in ICT research projects, particularly with regards to the attainment of socially desirable outcomes, is predominantly based on a focused identification of stakeholders, the relevance of the form of stakeholder engagement activities and the rationale behind the engagement. Therefore, to understand the value of stakeholder engagement in achieving socially desirable and acceptable outcomes in ICT research projects, a combination of three different approaches to evaluation, including theory-based, case-based and participatory approaches, is suggested. The study contributes to practice and theory by emphasising the vital interrelation between stakeholder engagement and the achievement of responsible outcomes in ICT R&I. The study guides better alignment of stakeholder engagement and R&I processes within ICT research projects in achieving positive outcomes for the society. It identifies specific elements of stakeholder engagement which researchers and practitioners should focus on to promote stakeholder engagement towards ensuring better R&I outcomes in ICT research. Furthermore, the research contributes to theory by looking at how evaluation theory can support understanding the value of stakeholder engagement in ICT research projects within the context of responsible research and innovation.The research was sponsored and benefited from the activities undertaken in the Stakeholders Acting Together on the Ethical Impact Assessment of Research and Innovation – SATORI project which received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 612231