Browsing by Subject "technology"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
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    ARIA 2016: Care pathways implementing emerging technologies for predictive medicine in rhinitis and asthma across the life cycle
    (2016) Bousquet, J; Hellings, P W; Agache, I; Bedbrook, A; Bachert, C; Bergmann, K C; Bewick, M; Bindslev-Jensen, C; Bosnic-Anticevitch, S; Bucca, C; Caimmi, D P; Camargos, P A M; Canonica, G W; Casale, T; Chavannes, N H; Cruz, A A; De Carlo, G; Dahl, R; Demoly, P; Devillier, P; Fonseca, J; Fokkens, W J; Guldemond, N A; Haahtela, T; Illario, M; Just, J; Keil, T; Klimek, L; Kuna, P; Larenas-Linnemann, D; Morais-Almeida, M; Mullol, J
    Abstract The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) initiative commenced during a World Health Organization workshop in 1999. The initial goals were (1) to propose a new allergic rhinitis classification, (2) to promote the concept of multi-morbidity in asthma and rhinitis and (3) to develop guidelines with all stakeholders that could be used globally for all countries and populations. ARIA—disseminated and implemented in over 70 countries globally—is now focusing on the implementation of emerging technologies for individualized and predictive medicine. MASK [MACVIA (Contre les Maladies Chroniques pour un Vieillissement Actif)-ARIA Sentinel NetworK] uses mobile technology to develop care pathways for the management of rhinitis and asthma by a multi-disciplinary group and by patients themselves. An app (Android and iOS) is available in 20 countries and 15 languages. It uses a visual analogue scale to assess symptom control and work productivity as well as a clinical decision support system. It is associated with an inter-operable tablet for physicians and other health care professionals. The scaling up strategy uses the recommendations of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. The aim of the novel ARIA approach is to provide an active and healthy life to rhinitis sufferers, whatever their age, sex or socio-economic status, in order to reduce health and social inequalities incurred by the disease.
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    Automation investment appraisals
    (2022) Vorster, Rikus C; Singh-Sewpersadh, Navitha
    Intelligent automation software technology is key to remaining competitive in the current growing digital landscape. Appropriate techniques should be used to appraise such investments and make correct automation investment decisions. After a comprehensive literature review, three limitations on automation investment decisionmaking were found in the extant literature: (1) time value of money not considered, (2) interpretative and definitional issues related to the popular Return on Investment (ROI) technique, and (3) the widely recommended Net Present Value (NPV) technique appeared not to have been used. This study aims to identify which automation investment appraisal and valuation techniques are used in South Africa in practice and the relevant metrics applied, to assess these for potential gaps in their application and to ascertain the quality of automation investment decision-making. An online survey questionnaire was distributed to organisations that have invested in automation technology in South Africa to gather data from automation consumers and automation consultants. Payback period, ROI, and budget availability were the most common appraisal techniques used by respondents, followed by popular Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) capital budgeting techniques, NPV and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The results further point toward deficiencies in the application of appraisal techniques compared to finance literature, which indicates suboptimal quality automation investment decision-making. Important unquantified qualitative factors influencing the decision-making process were also identified. These qualitative factors were considered by respondents more often in their decision-making process than quantitative factors. Future research in this area should include quantifying qualitative factors to improve the quality of automation investment decision-making.
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    Cell phones in social transformation in Africa: insights from ongoing research in some African countries
    (2012) Nyamnjoh, Francis
    Cell phones have proved to be as accommodating as they are accommodated by those who embrace them. They shape their users as much as they are tamed by their users. For anyone interested in gaining a wider perspective on the situatedness of mobiles in African contexts, the social appropriation of technology and new configurations of marginality.
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    Concomitant Impediments to the Social Acceptance of Sandbag Technology for Sustainable and Affordable Housing Delivery: The Case of South Africa
    (2022-06-20) Adetooto, Johnson; Windapo, Abimbola
    There is a high level of homelessness in South Africa. Sandbag building technologies (SBTs) have been offered as economical and sustainable alternative building materials capable of speeding housing provision in South Africa. However, their degree of adoption in South Africa remains relatively low. Furthermore, limited research has examined the low adoption and social acceptance of SBTs, requiring thorough research. Therefore, this research investigates the key social barriers to accepting SBTs in housing provision. The study adopted a mixed method research approach that employs a comprehensive literature review in identifying 18 social barriers to using SBTs and a questionnaire survey of 228 building experts based in South Africa to obtain empirical data. The study findings indicated that the significant impediments were related to the lack of understanding of the benefits of sandbags, a lack of sandbag courses and training, and a lack of professional knowledge and skills, among others. A comparative analysis of the perceptions of the diverse categories of survey participants was conducted and discussed. This study’s evaluation of significant barriers offers government agencies and construction partners a framework to make realistic and well-informed decisions toward more sustainable and affordable housing delivery.
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    The development and validation of an instrument — the Technological Profile Inventory — to determine students’ levels of technological literacy in South Africa
    (International Association of Technology, Education and Development, 2014-09-23) Luckay, Melanie B; Collier-Reed, Brandon I
    In this article we describe the development and validation of an instrument – the technological profile inventory (TPI). The instrument can be used to determine students’ level of technological literacy. The items used in the TPI were drawn from a previous study (Collier-Reed, 2006) and were based on a rigorous qualitative analysis of interview data which was in turn informed by categories that emerged from a phenomenographic analysis. Data were collected from four groups of students, three groups of first year students at university Engineering (167), Commerce (65), Arts (218), and one group of high school students (179). The students’ responses to the TPI were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach alpha testing, as well as a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The result of the analysis was a modified version of the TPI where the data were found to be reliable and valid. The significant factors that defined the ‘nature of technology’ were found to be the view of technology as either an Artefact or related to a Process, while those constituting ‘interaction with technological artefacts’ were Direction/Instruction and Tinkering. A cohort analysis suggests Engineering students are statistically more likely to view technology as a process and interact with technological artefacts with less fear and more likely through self-initiation (Tinkering) – a more advanced technologically literate position. On the other hand the Arts students are more likely to expect direction or instruction from an authority figure (Direction/Instruction) when interacting with a technological artefact - a less technologically literate position. Further work involves determining how to meaningfully combine the scores achieved by an individual completing the TPI to ultimately determine a score indicative of their applicable level of technological literacy.
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    Die ES
    (2013) Sanya, Tom
    An interactive educational product exploring Fagan's understanding of combining design and technology into a single, non-linear, diverse and interesting problem-solving methodology.
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    Evaluation of building information modelling (BIM) adoption, capability and maturity within South African consulting and construction firms
    (2019) Mtya, Amanda; Windapo, Abimbola Olukemi
    The Construction Industry Indicators (CIIs) continue to reflect a steady growth in the level of client dissatisfaction with the performance of contractors and consultants on construction projects whilst firms in the industry battle for survival. In order to survive in the highly competitive construction market, firms within the industry, need a paradigm shift. To move from traditional project delivery methodologies which continue to yield unsatisfactory results to innovative project delivery methods and practices. With the advancements in computational technologies and processes, the industry needs to move towards integrated, collaborative and computable processes, to increase productivity, efficiency, infrastructure value, quality and sustainability, reduce lifecycle costs, lead times and duplications. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the innovative project delivery method that helps reduce fragmentation and provides opportunities for enhanced collaboration and distributed project development. BIM is slowly gaining momentum in the South African construction industry. Even though there is an abundance of industry discussions and academic literature professing the ability of BIM methodologies to increase productivity, scholars have found that it has not yet been coupled with the availability of useful metrics, knowledge and tools to reliably measure BIM benefits. Few organisations and individuals have been exposed to some BIM tools whilst many still lack thorough understanding of BIM as a project delivery method. To capture the full benefit of BIM methodologies, firms in project networks must coordinate and develop interoperable business practices and procedures. This study assessed the level of BIM adoption, capability and maturity in consulting and construction firms and evaluated if there were differences in the level of adoption, capability and maturity of BIM between consulting and construction firms. The study also evaluated the relationship between level of BIM maturity and project performance of consulting and construction firms. The study found that there is a statistically significant relationship between the level of BIM capability and project performance. Lastly, the study reports on the current perceived benefits of BIM in the South African construction industry.
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    The habitus of digital ""strangers"" in higher education
    (Wiley, 2013) Czerniewicz, Laura; Brown, Cheryl
    Research into South African students' digitally mediated learning and social practices revealed a subgroup termed ""digital strangers"", students lacking both experience and opportunities, who had barely used a computer and who did not have easy access to technology off campus. Using a Bourdieun framework, this group's technological habitus and access to capital were considered within the field of higher education. There was a focus on two forms of cultural capital: embodied cultural capital, specifically disposition and values; and objectified cultural capital especially computers and cell phones. Social capital—in terms of personal connections and the values of those close to the students—was also considered. The investigation showed a complex technological habitus, with a paucity of access and limited practices in relation to computers, while computers and their associated practices are highly valued within higher education Simultaneously, diverse practices and widespread indications of astute use of cell phones were described even though these remained under-acknowledged both by the students and the institutions in which they operated. Students recognised what the field of higher education valued, but they also used what they had available in order to best operate within the field. The findings point to a contradiction between students' practices and the field of higher education yet also show how student practices with an alternative form of objectified capital are pushing the boundaries of the field itself.
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    How can emerging technology remedy the deficiency in robust enforcement mechanisms for digital copyright infringement within the South African music industry?
    (2025) Mushati, Julita; Ncube, Caroline
    This dissertation examines the deficiency in robust enforcement mechanisms for digital copyright infringement within the South African music industry, which constant technology developments have worsened. The emergence of technology has been a dual-edged sword for the music industry. While it empowers musicians to reach vast consumers, it simultaneously simplifies and accelerates unwarranted copying, access, and reproduction of copyrighted material. Consequently, protecting intellectual property rights has become strenuous due to the rapid increase of file-sharing systems, therefore, prompting a dire need for modernised solutions. The principal purpose of this research is to explore how emerging technologies can assist in reinforcing enforcement mechanisms and analyse the deficiencies in the South African music industry context. This study utilises a desk research method examining emerging technologies and their association with the enforcement of copyrights in the music industry. Technologies such as Digital audio watermarking, Blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, digital audio fingerprinting, and machine learning will be examined in this paper, and how these emerging technologies can potentially establish robust enforcement mechanisms. In particular, the findings of this research reveal the dual role of technology that enables digital copyright infringement, which presents a substantial threat to the protection of copyright, however, emerging technology can be tactically employed to address the enforcement challenges, and the need for Copyright laws to be at par with technological advancements. This dissertation provides informative and valuable awareness of the relationship between merging technology and enforcement mechanisms within the context of the South African music industry and how this relationship can foster an environment that upholds copyright works and affords musicians the recognition and financial incentive they deserve.
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    Radio monitoring of the hard state jets in the 2011 outburst of MAXI J1836−194
    (2015) Russell, T D; Miller-Jones, J C A; Curran, P A; Soria, R; Altamirano, D; Corbel, S; Coriat, M; Moin, A; Russell, D M; Sivakoff, G R; Slaven-Blair, T J; Belloni, T M; Fender, R P; Heinz, S; Jonker, P G; Krimm, H A; Körding, E G; Maitra, D; Markoff, S; Middleton, M; Migliari, S; Remillard, R A; Rupen, M P; Sarazin, C L; Tetarenko, A J; Torres, M A P; Tudose, V; Tzioumis, A K
    MAXI J1836-194 is a Galactic black hole candidate X-ray binary that was discovered in 2011 when it went into outburst. In this paper, we present the full radio monitoring of this system during its 'failed' outburst, in which the source did not complete a full set of state changes, only transitioning as far as the hard intermediate state. Observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) show that the jet properties changed significantly during the outburst. The VLA observations detected linearly polarised emission at a level of ~1% early in the outburst, increasing to ~3% as the outburst peaked. High-resolution images with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) show a ~15 mas jet along the position angle -21 ± 2o, in agreement with the electric vector position angle found from our polarisation results (-21 ± 4o), implying that the magnetic field is perpendicular to the jet. Astrometric observations suggest that the system required an asymmetric natal kick to explain its observed space velocity. Comparing quasi-simultaneous X-ray monitoring with the 5 GHz VLA observations from the 2011 outburst shows an unusually steep hard-state radio/X-ray correlation of LR ∝ LX1.8±0.2, where LR and LX denote the radio and X-ray luminosities, respectively. With ATCA and Swift monitoring of the source during a period of re-brightening in 2012, we show that the system lay on the same steep correlation. Due to the low inclination of this system, we then investigate the possibility that the observed correlation may have been steepened by variable Doppler boosting.
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    The habitus and technological practices of rural students: a case study
    (2014) Czerniewicz, Laura; Brown, Cheryl
    This paper describes the habitus and technological practices of a South African rural student in his first year at university. This student is one of five self-declared rural students, from a group of 23 first-years in four South African universities, whose access to, and use of, technologies in their learning and everyday lives was investigated in 2011 using a 'digital ethnography' approach. Their digital practices, in the form of their activities in context, were collected through multiple strategies in order to provide a nuanced description of the role of technologies in their lives. The student reported on here came from a school and a community with very little access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). While the adjustment to first year can be challenging for all students, the findings show that this can be especially acute for students from rural backgrounds. The study provides an analysis of one student's negotiation of a range of technologies six to nine months into his first year at university. Earlier theoretical concepts provide a lens for describing his practices through a consideration of his habitus, and access to and use of various forms of capitals in relation to the fields - especially that of higher education - in which he was situated.