Empirical analysis of biometric technology adoption and acceptance in Botswana

There has been a slight surge in the study of technology adoption in developing countries. However, little attention has been paid to the adoption of biometric security systems. This paper reports a study that analyzed the adoption of biometric technology in a developing country from an institutional point of view. The results show that job positions (managerial and operational) could influence perceptions of innovation characteristics (especially ease of use and usefulness) in the decision to adopt biometrics. However, the unified organizational analyses indicate that ease of use, communication, size and type of organizations have significant impacts on the decision to adopt biometrics.     

Removal of organic contaminants from water using nanosponge cyclodextrin polyurethanes

Insoluble nanoporous cyclodextrin (CD) polymers were synthesized using bifunctional isocyanate linkers. The ability of these polymers to remove selected organic pollutants from water at varying concentrations was studied. The investigated pollutants were selected high‐priority chlorinated disinfection by‐products (DBPs) and a common odour‐causing compound in water, 2‐methylisoborneol (2‐MIB). The unpleasant musty odour imparted by 2‐MIB and geosmin in water can be detected by the human nose even at ng L^?1 (parts per trillion) levels. Pre‐concentration and extraction of water samples containing low levels of pollutants was performed using solid phase extraction (SPE) and subsequently quantified by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Here we show that the CD polymers demonstrate excellent absorption efficiency (>99%) with respect to the organic pollutants, considerably better than granular activated carbon (GAC). The recyclability efficiency of these CD polymers is also reported. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

β-Cyclodextrin-ionic liquid polyurethanes for the removal of organic pollutants and heavy metals from water: synthesis and characterization

The removal of toxic contaminants from water remains a huge challenge for water supplying companies and municipalities. Both organic and inorganic (especially heavy metals) pollutants are often present in water distribution networks. There is at present no water treatment intervention that simultaneously removes both organic and inorganic pollutants from water to desirable levels. In our laboratories, recent studies have shown that both functionalized and unfunctionalized cyclodextrin (CD) polymers are capable of removing organic pollutants from water, with the functionalized CD polymers showing enhanced absorption capabilities. Ionic liquids (ILs) on the other hand have been reported to absorb heavy metals from aqueous media. In this paper, we report on the synthesis and characterization of several cyclodextrin-ionic liquid (CD-IL) polymers, a dual system that is capable of removing both organic and inorganic pollutants from water.