Unfamiliar Technologies Research Articles

Engaging the Regulatory Community to Aid Environmental Consenting/Permitting Processes for Marine Renewable Energy

Regulators involved in consenting/permitting marine renewable energy (MRE) have faced multiple challenges due to relatively new, unfamiliar technologies and uncertainty surrounding potential environmental impacts. This has resulted in slow progress for the MRE industry, including long consenting timeframes and extensive and expensive monitoring requirements, which increase financial risk for investors. OES-Environmental has surveyed regulators internationally to understand their key knowledge gaps and perspectives to support the development of the MRE industry. From the results of these surveys a data transferability process and a risk retirement pathway have been developed to assess consenting and monitoring requirements in proportion to risk. A tool for discovering existing data sets by using an online matrix has been developed, along with training materials, regulatory guidance documents, and a strategic outreach plan to engage regulators and advisers. his engagement and the application of these products should lead to a better understanding of the environmental effects of marine energy, and more efficient consenting processes.

Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers

Agricultural technological development is a crucial strategy for agricultural commercialization and socio-economic transformation in Africa. However, a key challenge to technology use in agriculture remains the limited farmer acceptance of unfamiliar technologies. This paper uses a sample of 245 okra farmers drawn from northern Uganda to assess the drivers of the farmer acceptance of solar drying technology. On the basis of drying performance, farmers perceive the solar dryer to perform better than the open sun-drying method. Structural equation modelling results show that the drying rate and perceived product quality are the main determinants of farmer perceptions on product marketability. Further, product marketability drives acceptance of solar dryers among farmers. We conclude that acceptance of solar dryers is dependent on: i) the drying rate, ii) favorable perceptions towards product quality, and iii) perceived marketability of the solar-dried product. We call for policy action on intensification of efforts that promote solar drying technology, including supporting local artisans to fabricate dryers, to enable increased value addition and consumption of nutritious foods.

Thai village health volunteers’ employment of self-directed learning and collective power in time of pandemic

ABSTRACT The article examines how Thai village health volunteers employed self-directed learning and collective power to overcome working challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data was collected from 30 VHVs in ten communities across Thailand. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were employed as the data collection techniques. The findings indicate that the VHVs took initiatives to learn unfamiliar technologies which became important working tools in the context of the pandemic. While such initiatives highlight their independent learning attributes involving individuality or “self” learning concepts, the way they incorporated a collaborative learning method, reflects “selves” learning practices. The VHVs also utilized collective power both in-group and inter-group power to through different networking systems. This study illustrates the possible intertwinement of collectivistic and individualistic values found in the process of self and selves-directed learning practices, and the implication of collective power as a cultural force in the field of community health promotion.

Relational Ethics of Care in Pandemic Research: Vulnerabilities, Intimacies, and Becoming Together-Apart

In this article, we draw upon the ethico-onto-epistemology of feminist new materialisms to reflect on our experiences as feminists doing research on women’s embodied experiences of sport, fitness, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. For qualitative researchers around the world, COVID-19 presented a radically changed research environment. For many, the shift to doing digital interviews required the navigation of unfamiliar technologies and experimenting with different strategies for establishing connections through computer screens. As feminist scholars, working together and with the participants during times of increased stress and uncertainty prompted us to reimagine our ethical research practices. In this article, we engage and extend Rosi Braidotti’s writing on affirmative ethics and offer our personal experiences of grappling with the affective intensities of pandemic while doing ethical feminist research. Through this creative inquiry, we describe supporting one another through research and illustrate how the unique intersections of work, family, health, isolation, and exhaustion were influencing our own and participants’ lives differently. Engaging with Braidotti’s writings on affirmative ethics in the posthuman convergence, we illuminate the ways that our digital-material experiences and the human/nonhuman aspects of the research processes were re-turning our ethical considerations. Researching together, with a focus on creating space for the voices of women who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, we found moments of hope and joy as we creatively imagined expansive potentials for feminist research, fostered through caring collaborations.

Communicating leakage risk in the hydrogen economy: Lessons already learned from geoenergy industries

Hydrogen is set to play a part in delivering a net zero emissions future globally. However, previous research finds that risk perception issues are particularly challenging for emerging and potentially unfamiliar technologies. Hydrogen as a fuel falls into this category. Thus, while the hydrogen value chain could offer a range of potential environmental, economic and social benefits, it is imperative that the roll-out of hydrogen fits with societal expectations of how risk ought to be managed—and by whom. Communication and engagement are critical to ensure 1) communities and stakeholders are able to come to informed decisions on hydrogen and 2) developers, operators and regulators are able to respond to societal concerns and adapt practices appropriately.Within the hydrogen value chain, geological storage may be an important step, but could present challenges in terms of perceived safety. Lessons can be learned from international research and practice of CO2 and natural gas storage in geological formations [for carbon capture and storage (CCS) and power respectively] which may be relevant to hydrogen storage in salt caverns or porous sandstones. We draw on these analogues to present potential societal risk perception issues which may arise for geological storage of hydrogen. We argue that site-specific communication and engagement strategies, underpinned by broad-based principles covering the entire span of the project and a clear rationale for how hydrogen benefits the climate and the most vulnerable members of society under an energy crisis, will be critical to fostering societal support for geological hydrogen storage.

Learning technology acceptance and continuance intention among business students: The mediating effects of confirmation, flow, and engagement

The emergence of mobile applications has opened the door to a new kind of information and communication technology tool and educational support which is vital for students’ positive learning behaviours. The aims of this study were to examine the effects of three mediators (confirmation, flow, and student engagement) on students’ learning technology acceptance and information systems continuance intention, and to explore the functions of these variables in the mediating process between learning technology acceptance and continuance intention. Using PROCESS macro program where the bootstrap confidence interval was adopted, a parallel multiple mediation model and a serial multiple mediation model were tested. Two of the three proposed hypotheses were supported. Business students’ confirmation and flow, elicited by the m-learning app, were two mediating factors with high ratios (0.6655, 95% CI = 0.2635 to 0.6085) of the overall indirect effect to the total effect, which related to students’ decisions in continuous usages of the technology. We concluded that the continuous use of the m-learning app was driven not only by students’ flexible thinking skills in accepting new learning technology, but also by a set of cognitive attributes reflecting users’ positive experiences with the system. Implications for practice or policy: Business students who have positive mindsets for accepting new technology will try their best to overcome challenges of learning unfamiliar technologies. Business students’ confirmation and flow experience elicited by the m-learning app aids in understanding of their intention to continue using the system. Instructors must develop partnerships with instructional designers to enhance student confirmation, flow and engagement for better acceptance and continued use of mobile learning technologies.

Gillotage. Exploring a mid-nineteenth century relief printing technique


 
 
 Gillotage, a relief printing method used in nineteenth century commercial industry, consists of using a lithographic transfer of an image drawn and processed on stone to a metal plate, while avoiding undercutting the raised areas of the design needed to obtain a relief printing plate. Gillotage was a first option when it came to reproducing an illustration in a commercial sphere, being a cheaper alternative to relief printing methods such as wood engraving. This article wrestles with a fundamental problem: is it possible to recreate the material conditions, interpretations and successful printing outcomes as present in original gillotage? How to contend with the unfortunate demands of historical and unfamiliar technologies of reproduction and adapt them to a contemporary practice? Can a project based on an obsolete printing technique used with letterpress printing demonstrate how to engage researchers and students in new printing approaches?
 Our technological reconstruction helped us to better understand the materials and components of gillotage, the aesthetic and tactile qualities achieved by these methods which have not entered a printmaking studio. Nevertheless, such operational circumstances may thus be understood as an invitation to experiment, contradicting the original use of making a print as a means to reproduce. We aim to get closer to an alternative printing matrix compatible with letterpress printing while developing methods to involve print practitioners in printing history and experiment with materials in their creative practice.
 
 

Raspberry Pi and Rubber Ducks: Digital Pedagogy and Computer Anxiety in the LIS Classroom

The information professions demand digitally literate practitioners who can navigate the increasingly complex technological environments of libraries and archives. While basic literacy is presumed among graduate students, many students express fear and anxiety when approaching new technologies. These psychological barriers have not been addressed in the digital literacy discourse, yet they must be overcome if LIS educators are tasked with teaching future professionals to critically engage and evaluate the myriad technologies available for library systems and services. This article describes the introduction to computing course at University of Iowa that uses the Raspberry Pi (RPi) computer as a means for teaching critical digital literacy skills in the LIS curriculum. Designed to afford students opportunities to peer into the black box of the computer and build the confidence and knowledge to engage with unfamiliar technologies, the course adopts active learning pedagogy using the RPi. This article discusses the design and development of the course and presents the self-reported data from students regarding their perceived gain in experience and comfort with computing over the course of the term. While further research is required to fully understand the relationship between anxiety and computing, the findings suggest that adopting a critical digital pedagogy that focuses on the process over the end product provides space within the learning environment for students to take risks and develop heuristics for overcoming anxiety and building literacy skills.

Multiparameter Continuous Physiological Monitoring Technologies in Neonates Among Health Care Providers and Caregivers at a Private Tertiary Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya: Feasibility, Usability, and Acceptability Study.

BackgroundContinuous physiological monitoring technologies are important for strengthening hospital care for neonates, particularly in resource-constrained settings, and understanding user perspectives is critical for informing medical technology design, development, and optimization.ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the feasibility, usability, and acceptability of 2 noninvasive, multiparameter, continuous physiological monitoring technologies for use in neonates in an African health care setting.MethodsWe assessed 2 investigational technologies from EarlySense and Sibel, compared with the reference Masimo Rad-97 technology through in-depth interviews and direct observations. A purposive sample of health care administrators, health care providers, and caregivers at Aga Khan University Hospital, a tertiary, private hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, were included. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach in NVivo 12 software.ResultsBetween July and August 2020, we interviewed 12 health care providers, 5 health care administrators, and 10 caregivers and observed the monitoring of 12 neonates. Staffing and maintenance of training in neonatal units are important feasibility considerations, and simple training requirements support the feasibility of the investigational technologies. Key usability characteristics included ease of use, wireless features, and reduced number of attachments connecting the neonate to the monitoring technology, which health care providers considered to increase the efficiency of care. The main factors supporting acceptability included caregiver-highlighted perceptions of neonate comfort and health care respondent technology familiarity. Concerns about the side effects of wireless connections, electromagnetic fields, and mistrust of unfamiliar technologies have emerged as possible acceptability barriers to investigational technologies.ConclusionsOverall, respondents considered the investigational technologies feasible, usable, and acceptable for the care of neonates at this health care facility. Our findings highlight the potential of different multiparameter continuous physiological monitoring technologies for use in different neonatal care settings. Simple and user-friendly technologies may help to bridge gaps in current care where there are many neonates; however, challenges in maintaining training and ensuring feasibility within resource-constrained health care settings warrant further research.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035184

International educators' attitudes, experiences, and recommendations after an abrupt transition to remote physiology laboratories.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered university lockdowns, forcing physiology educators to rapidly pivot laboratories into a remote delivery format. This study documents the experiences of an international group of 10 physiology educators surrounding this transition. They wrote reflective narratives, framed by guiding questions, to answer the research question: "What were the changes to physiology laboratories in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?" These narratives probed educators' attitudes toward virtual laboratories before, during, and after the transition to remote delivery. Thematic analysis of the reflections found that before COVID-19 only a few respondents had utilized virtual laboratories and most felt that virtual laboratories could not replace the in-person laboratory experience. In response to university lockdowns, most respondents transitioned from traditional labs to remote formats within a week or less. The most common remote delivery formats were commercially available online physiology laboratories, homemade videos, and sample experimental data. The main challenges associated with the rapid remote transition included workload and expertise constraints, disparities in online access and workspaces, issues with academic integrity, educator and student stress, changes in learning outcomes, and reduced engagement. However, the experience generated opportunities including exploration of unfamiliar technologies, new collaborations, and revisiting the physiology laboratory curriculum and structure. Most of the respondents reported planning on retaining some aspects of the remote laboratories postpandemic, particularly with a blended model of remote and on-campus laboratories. This study concludes with recommendations for physiology educators as to how they can successfully develop and deliver remote laboratories.

Domestic retrofit: understanding capabilities of micro-enterprise building practitioners

To deliver effective domestic retrofit at scale, it is essential to understand the current and required capabilities of building practitioners working in the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) of existing buildings. Capability research in the construction sector has previously focused on large projects, but small, and particularly, micro-firms that undertake RMI and form 77% of workers in construction, are under-researched. This gap is addressed by the present study on the capabilities of the practitioners and the contextual opportunities to deploy capabilities. The study analysed data from interviews (<em>n</em> = 27) with micro-enterprise building practitioners working in the UK’s RMI sector. Template analysis was conducted by applying an established model of behaviour change: Capability, Opportunity, Motivation—Behaviour (COM-B). Under Capability, three main themes were identified: knowledge, business management and individual characteristics. Under Opportunities, the main themes were state action, market and customer demand, technology diffusion, networks and business management. Under Motivation the themes were pride in work, good working relationships, maintaining a viable business and customer satisfaction. Practitioners are continually learning and problem-solving, developing trust and creating positive professional relationships. Working with these existing capabilities, experiential learning on-site and peer-to-peer training are recommended to scale up capability. For capabilities to be deployed, policy must enable opportunities across the multiple contexts micro-enterprise practitioners operate within, including training and incentives across the supply chain network and in stimulating demand. <em><strong>Policy and practice relevance</strong></em> Policy-driven retrofit programmes, such as those providing government funding for retrofit, must work from existing practitioner capability to accelerate capacity and allow delivery at scale. Practitioner knowledge, built over generations, is used to solve problems encountered with existing buildings. Practitioners minimise risk by avoiding unfamiliar technologies and practices. Practitioners develop capability on-site, experientially, so policy must enable practical experience for practitioners. One aspect of capability that needs enhancement to deliver effective retrofit at scale is understanding the building as an integrated system. While learning about individual technologies is important, integrated knowledge of multiple technologies and how they work together is required. To develop industry capability, policy needs to recognise the essential role micro-enterprise practitioners play in delivering retrofit and to harness their existing capabilities in knowledge, problem-solving and business management. Opportunities are needed to develop retrofit capability through peer-to-peer learning, knowledge-sharing between older and younger practitioners, and influential sector networks.

Physiology educators’ attitudes, experiences and recommendations after an abrupt transition to remote laboratories

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with university lockdowns, forcing physiology educators to pivot laboratories into a remote delivery format. This study documents the experiences of ten physiology educators from Australia, Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. as they rapidly transitioned to remote laboratories in March-July, 2020. They wrote reflective narratives that explored their experiences and attitudes about virtual laboratories before, during and after the transition to remote delivery. Thematic analysis of the reflections found that before COVID-19, few of the educators had utilized virtual laboratories, with most believing that virtual laboratories could not replace the in-person laboratory experience. In response to university lockdowns, the educators transitioned from traditional on-campus, in-person laboratories to off-campus, remote laboratories within a week or less. This transition was mainly achieved by using commercially available online laboratory software, home-made videos and sample experimental data (collected before COVID-19). Opportunities associated with the remote transition included new collaborations (local and international), the exploration of unfamiliar technologies and revisiting the laboratory course curriculum and structure. However, the experience also generated challenges including excessive workloads, lack of expertise, disparities in online and workspace access, academic integrity issues, educator/student stress, changes in learning outcomes and a perceived reduction in student engagement (particularly due to the loss of educator-student and student-student interactions). Despite these challenges, most of the educators planned on retaining successful aspects of the remote laboratories post-pandemic, particularly with a blended model of remote and in-person (on-campus) laboratories. This study concludes with recommendations and practical strategies for physiology educators as to how they can plan, develop, deliver and assess effective remote laboratories.

Creativity in Crisis: a Journey into YouTube

Crisis comes with dangers and opportunities. Necessity is the mother of invention. This article explores creativity in crisis in the academic context from my personal perspective. This pandemic and stay-at-home order necessitates academic activities, teaching, in particular, to transition to a remote format. The loss of physical space, in-person contact, and taken-for-granted everyday activities comes with major concerns and requires major adjustment. The stay-at-home order necessitates rethinking teaching and learning—not just the delivery of content but the content itself, the practice of academia in general. Much of it involves increased usage of familiar and unfamiliar technologies, experimenting with different formats, and brings relevance to the course content to these circumstances. In short, the current situation requires reexamining one’s relationship with technologies and some degree of creativity in a broad sense. This creativity can also lead one into new and unexpected realms—such as the increased reliance of YouTube, not as a user, but as a creator of videos. This article will involve a selection of diverse short video clips for educational purposes that emerged out of this crisis situation.

Application of Technology in Educating Nursing Students During COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Introduction: In the crisis of Corona virus epidemic, the education of undergraduate nursing students has faced many challenges. Face-to-face training is closed and academics are forced to adapt to distance learning. As a result, nursing students may encounter unfamiliar technologies. This article provides examples of technologies used to provide nursing education.Methods: This research is an applied study that was conducted in 2021 by systematic review method. Using the keywords of e-learning, nursing students, Corona virus and Covid-19 were found in various databases such as PubMed, Science Direct and Google scholar in the last two years (2019-2020) due to the prevalence of coronary heart disease. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study, which was the time period and English language of the articles, related articles were included in the study, their information was extracted and entered in the checklist, and finally the collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Incoming and outgoing articles are reported using the PRISMA flowchart.Results: In this study, 275 English articles were found. After reviewing the articles, 12 articles were included in the study. Studies conducted from 2019 to 2020 in the field of e-learning for nursing students. In these articles, eight educational methods for educating nursing students have been introduced, and the use of cloud space for loading course materials and the use of software that can be installed on smartphones were mentioned in 83% of the articles. The use of Zoom, SoundCloud, Microsoft Teams and Blackboard Collaborate software for loading webinars was suggested in 91% of the articles.Conclusion: According to the findings of this article, it was found that most studies have been conducted to introduce applied software to provide practical courses, which due to the practical nature of many nursing courses, the software have a high capability.

Insights into Older Adults’ Technology Acceptance through Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT This study aims to provide a synthetic examination of the determinants of the behavioral intention (BI) of older adults to use technology and to investigate the moderating variables that contribute to heterogeneity in prior literature. This study is developed through meta-analysis involving 35 primary studies over 15 years. Results indicate that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and social influence are substantially correlated with the BI of older adults to adopt technology. These determinants perform differently when regional disparity is considered, thereby suggesting a cross-cultural study in the future. Moreover, older adults’ willingness to use familiar technologies, such as smartphones, is strongest, whereas their acceptance of unfamiliar technologies, such as healthcare systems and devices, is likely affected by the three determinants. The synthesized results may benefit researchers in determining future research directions and decision makers in gerontechnology research and development and marketing.

Technologies for Teaching in an Online Environment

Aim/Purpose: The authors provide different technology applications useful in online instruction in addition to providing effective strategies for use in a virtual environment. Background: Last year, educators were forced to move their instruction online almost overnight. Many were not prepared to teach effectively in a virtual environment. Contribution: This paper serves as a resource to educators who are unfamiliar with teaching online as well as for those who would like to enhance their current practice. Recommendations for Practitioners: Be flexible when teaching in a virtual environment. Remain open to using new and unfamiliar technologies. Be consistent in providing feedback to students and communicate frequently with them. Impact on Society: The abrupt transition for educators, as well as for most workplaces, to an exclusively online environment in response to COVID has long-lasting effects in how business as usual will be conducted. Being proficient and comfortable in navigating a virtual environment is essential. Future Research: As we continue to work virtually, ongoing research that informs our practice is critical for remaining effective educators. Additionally, it is important to remain knowledgeable about current and new technologies available to us. Keywords online instruction, technology applications, strategies

Interference Management in 5G and Beyond Network: Requirements, Challenges and Future Directions

In the modern technological world, wireless communication has taken a massive leap from the conventional communication system to a new radio communication network. The novel concept of Fifth Generation (5G) cellular networks brings a combination of a diversified set of devices and machines with great improvement in a unique way compared to previous technologies. To broaden the user’s experience, 5G technology provides the opportunity to meet the people’s potential necessities for efficient communication. Specifically, researchers have designed a network of small cells with unfamiliar technologies that have never been introduced before. The new network design is an amalgamation of various schemes such as Heterogeneous Network (HetNet), Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, Internet of Things (IoT), Relay Node (RN), Beamforming, Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (M-MIMO), millimeter-wave (mm-wave), and so on. Also, enhancement in predecessor’s techniques is required so that new radio is compatible with a traditional network. However, the disparate technological models’ design and concurrent practice have created an unacceptable intervention in each other’s signals. These vulnerable interferences have significantly degraded the overall network performance. This review article scrutinizes the issues of interferences observed and studied in different structures and techniques of the 5G and beyond network. The study focuses on the various interference effect in HetNet, RN, D2D, and IoT. Furthermore, as an in-depth literature review, we discuss various types of interferences related to each method by studying the state-of-the-art relevant research in the literature. To provide new insight into interference issue management for the next-generation network, we address and explore various relevant topics in each section that help make the system more robust. Overall, this review article’s goal is to guide all the stakeholders, including students, operators, engineers, and researchers, aiming to explore this promising research theme, comprehend interferences and their types, and related techniques to mitigate them. We also state methodologies proposed by the $3^{\mathrm {rd}}$ Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and present the promising and feasible research directions toward this challenging topic for the realization of 5G and beyond network.

Report From a Virtual Care Task Force

While telehealth has been available for decades, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented demand arose for the remote delivery of safe and reliable assessments and treatment recommendations via computers, smart phones, and tablets. Institutions and individual providers needed to accelerate their adoption of virtual care. This ability to provide remote evaluations has helped to protect patients and providers at this time when physical distancing is a priority. This rapid shift to telemedicine has also meant that many providers, with limited experience or training in the virtual delivery of care, were required to adapt to new and unfamiliar technologies as part of their daily practice of medicine. Institutions and individuals have recognized that this sudden and unexpected expansion of virtual care had the potential to increase patient safety risks. Given that telemedicine will remain a mainstay after the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be important to focus on quality and safety issues that are likely to arise but as yet remain to be appreciated. This chapter explores patient safety guidance.

How to … support staff with online conferencing and training

Remote working has become an integral part of the professional landscape in the last few months, but it has been accompanied by many unfamiliar tools, software and technologies. Adrian Ashurst provides useful tips for supporting staff and maintaining good teamwork through these new challenges

Human-Automation Trust to Technologies for Naïve Users Amidst and Following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Trust is a critical factor that influences the success or failure of human-automation interaction in a variety of professional domains such as transportation, military, and healthcare. The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis will likely accelerate the implementation of automation and create unique problems involving human-automation trust for naïve users of automated technologies in the future. We briefly review factors that can influence the development of human-automation trust amidst and following the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on two theories on human-automation trust and how naïve users develop and maintain their trust in unfamiliar technologies. The current review identifies user workload and perceived risk as critical factors that will impact human-automation trust during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both theories predict that it is important for naïve users to accumulate and analyze behavioral evidence of automated technologies to maintain appropriate trust levels as the pandemic progresses. Theories of human-automation trust inform trajectories of trust development toward unfamiliar technologies for naïve users. In application, manufacturers and distributers should focus on communicating system information effectively to retain users who may be "forced" to use unfamiliar technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic.