The recent large-scale land acquisition by mainly foreign investors in developing countries for the agricultural production of food or biofuels is known as “land grabbing”. This thesis examines the literature and looks at the local impacts of land grabbing in Ghana, with a special focus to the biofuel …

Next-generation sequencing technology allows culture- independent analysis of species and genes present in a complex microbial community. Such metagenomics may overcome the inability to culture microbes in isolation. Microbial communities of interest are for example responsible for making biogas. Many …

In the field of ‘renewable energy resources’ formation of biogas Biomass and biogas: potentials, efficiencies and flexibility is an important option. Biogas can be produced from biomass in a multistep process called anaerobic digestion (AD) and is usually performed in large digesters. Anaerobic digestion …

Research through design allows creating a dialogue with the material. It uses making andreflection on action as a generator of knowledge. Our aim is to explore the opportunities and challenges of smart textiles. The Fablab is our set up, a place that allows us to combine the hackingscientific-, and design …

Purpose Building services technologies such as home automation systems and remote monitoring are increasingly used to support people in their own homes. In order for these technologies to be fully appreciated by the endusers (mainly older care recipients, informal carers and care professionals), user …

Telehomecare is one of the technological solutions used by older persons to remain living at home in their own community. A selection of 85 Dutch telehomecare projects was examined in terms of the barriers to their implementation. Three categories of telehomecare technologies were distinguished: (i) …

The use of the word “social” in the context of information technology goes back to the very beginnings of cybernetics. It later pops up in the 1980s context of “groupware.” The recent materialist school of Friedrich Kittler and others dismissed the use of the word “social” as irrelevant fluff – what …

Technology can assist older adults to remain living in the community. Within the realm of information and communication technologies, smart homes are drifting toward the concept of ambient assisted living (AAL). AAL-systems are more responsive to user needs and patterns of living, fostering physical …

Introduction: Ambient intelligence technologies are a means to support ageing-in-place by monitoring clients in the home. In this study, monitoring is applied for the purpose of raising an alarm in an emergency situation, and thereby, providing an increased sense of safety and security. Apart from these …

Advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) as well as modern pedagogical perspectives have created new possibilities to facilitate and support learning in higher education (HE). Emerging technologies bring opportunities to reconsider teaching and learning. New ideas and concepts about …