Factors that prevent or assist the integration of assistive technology into the workplace for people with spinal cord injuries: Perspectives of the users and their employers and co-workers

Examined the barriers faced by people with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) when integrating their Assistive Technology (AT) into the workplace, as well as factors that contribute to successful integration. In-depth interviews were taken with 5 men (aged 37-50 yrs) with SCI, 3 of their employers and 2 co-workers. Results indicate that in addition to the barriers previously outlined in the literature related to funding the technology, time delays, information availability, training and maintenance, other issues were highlighted. Implications for service providers are considered in relation to these barriers and the factors that prompted successful integration. The author discusses limitations of the study and makes recommendations for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

Space: Irrealis objects in technology policy and their role in a new political economy

In this article, I show how new spaces are being prefigured for colonization in new economy policy discourses. Drawing on a corpus of 1.3 million words collected from legislatures throughout the world, I show the role of policy language in creating the foundations of an emergent form of political economy: The analysis is informed by principles from critical discourse analysis (CDA), classical political economy and critical media studies. It foregrounds a functional aspect of language called process metaphor to show how aspects of human activity are prefigured for mass commodification by the manipulation of realis and irrealis spaces. I also show how the fundamental element of any new political economy, the property element, is being largely ignored. Current moves to create a privately owned global space, which is as concrete as landed property - namely, the electromagnetic spectrum - has significant ramifications for the future of social relations in any global knowledge economy.

Critical cyber pedagogy: Doing multiliteracies in the Singapore classrooms

The Ministry of Education in Singapore has embarked on the ambitious project of introducing IT in schools. The IT Masterplan, budgeted at a cost of $2 billion, aims to wire up all schools by the year 2002. While the well-funded IT Masterplan is seeing the project in its final phase of implementation, this paper argues for a "critical cyber pedagogy" along with the acquisition of the functional and operational skills of technology. Drawing on theories of critical multiliteracies (Burbules & Callister, 2000; Luke, 2000b; New London Group, 1996), this paper explores and suggests how an instructional design of two classroom activities can be utilized as new forms of cyber and technoliteracies. Through the critical evaluation of websites and hypertext construction, students will be equipped with a new literacy that extends reading and writing by incorporating new blended forms of hybrid textualities. This technology-assisted pedagogy can achieve the desired outcome of self-directed learning, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving strategies necessary for a knowledge-based society.

Use of the web to provide learning support for a large metabolism and nutrition class

To support student learning in a large Metabolism and Nutrition class, we have introduced a web-based package, using a commercially available program, WebCT. The package was developed at a minimal cost and with limited resources. In addition to downloadable (PDF) versions of lecture Powerpoint presentations, tutorial outlines and a practical class exercise, web-based self-directed learning exercises were included to reinforce and extend lecture material in an active learning environment. The web-site also contained a variety of formative and summative assessment tasks that examined both factual recall and higher order thinking Detailed course information, timetables and a bulletin board were also readily accessible. Student usage of the site was generally high, but varied widely between individual students. Students who achieved a high overall score for the course completed on average three times as many formative assessment items and achieved a higher score for all tests than students who did poorly. Student feedback about the site was very positive with the majority of students reporting that the course material and assessment items that were available were useful to their learning. Administration of the course was also facilitated. (C) 2001 IUBMB. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Manual asymmetries in the preparation and control of goal-directed movements

The primary purpose of this experiment was to determine if left hand reaction time advantages in manual aiming result from a right hemisphere attentional advantage or an early right hemisphere role in movement preparation. Right-handed participants were required to either make rapid goal-directed movements to small targets or simply lift their hand upon target illumination. The amount of advance information about the target for a particular trial was manipulated by precuing a subset of potential targets prior to the reaction time interval. When participants were required to make aiming movements to targets in left space, the left hand enjoyed a reaction advantage that was not present for aiming in right space: or simple finger lifts. This advantage was independent of the amount or type of advance information provided by the precue. This finding supports the movement planning hypothesis. With respect to movement execution, participants completed their aiming movements more quickly when aiming with their right hand, particularly in right space. This right hand advantage in right space was due to the time required to decelerate the movement and to make feedback-based adjustments late in the movement trajectory. (C) 2001 Academic Press.

Quantitative affinity chromatography

The objective of this review is to summarize developments in the use of quantitative affinity chromatography to determine equilibrium constants for solute interactions of biological interest. Affinity chromatography is an extremely versatile method for characterizing interactions between dissimilar reactants because the biospecificity incorporated into the design of the affinity matrix ensures applicability of the method regardless of the relative sizes of the two reacting solutes. Adoption of different experimental strategies, such as column chromatography, simple partition equilibrium experiments, solid-phase immunoassay, and biosensor technology, has led to a situation whereby affinity chromatography affords a means of characterizing interactions governed by an extremely broad range of binding affinities-relatively weak interactions (binding constants below 10(3) M-1) through to interactions with binding constants in excess of 10(9) M-1. In addition to its important role in solute separation and purification, affinity chromatography thus also possesses considerable potential for investigating the functional roles of the reactants thereby purified. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.