100 research outputs found
Internet and Biometric Web Based Business Management Decision Support
Internet and Biometric Web Based Business Management Decision Support
MICROBE
MOOC material prepared under
IO1/A5 Development of the MICROBE personalized MOOCs content and teaching materials
Prepared by:
A. Kaklauskas, A. Banaitis, I. Ubarte
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania
Project No: 2020-1-LT01-KA203-07810
PROCEEDINGS 5th PLATE Conference
The 5th international PLATE conference (Product Lifetimes and the Environment) addressed product lifetimes in the context of sustainability. The PLATE conference, which has been running since 2015, has successfully been able to establish a solid network of researchers around its core theme. The topic has come to the forefront of current (political, scientific & societal) debates due to its interconnectedness with a number of recent prominent movements, such as the circular economy, eco-design and collaborative consumption. For the 2023 edition of the conference, we encouraged researchers to propose how to extend, widen or critically re-construct thematic sessions for the PLATE conference, and the paper call was constructed based on these proposals. In this 5th PLATE conference, we had 171 paper presentations and 238 participants from 14 different countries. Beside of paper sessions we organized workshops and REPAIR exhibitions
A health-oriented emotion-centred origami-based PSS concept. A product-service system concept aimed to help users manage and reduce their stress more tangibly to improve their health and well-being.
Emotions have a fundamental role in the experience, perception, cognition, and development of people (Barrett et al., 2016; Plutchik, 2001). Negative emotions such as stress, if not managed appropriately, may be a risk factor in developing diseases such as dementia, cardiovascular problems, and depression, amongst others (Dum et al., 2016; Sandi et al., 2001). This interdisciplinary research presents OrigamEase, a health-oriented emotion-centred origami-based PSS concept to help adults manage their stress more tangibly, in response to its main research question: How can engineering design research contribute to improving people’s emotional health and wellbeing? OrigamEase was designed throughout this research, and its design and testing served to develop a health & well-being oriented, emotion-centred engineering design methodology (HWOEED). Therefore, the design of this methodology is the result of the structuring and ordering of the developmental process of exploring, conducting and streamlining the research, design and testing of OrigamEase.
The design of OrigamEase (both the product and the service part) is based on the cognitive research stream of emotions and stress. Therefore, this research also aims to broaden the knowledge about the implications and management of the emotional experience of stress from an engineering and design point of view, complementing the available solutions for stress management through a structured, measurable, and tangible tool. The HWOEED methodology is influenced by Kansei Engineering and Design Thinking methodologies and integrates various engineering design research methods. However, this methodology proposes a different application of the integration of emotional considerations into engineering design processes., it seeks to improve the emotional experience of users to preserve and promote their health and well-being through specifically designed products, services or PSS. Therefore, these designs become the means and not the end of the engineering design efforts. Also, this methodology can be transferrable to other engineering design solutions.
OrigamEase was tested with 114 adults between 18 and 70 years old through three pilot tests (n=43) and six trial tests (n=71) using a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design. Then the results from these tests were contrasted with two control tests (n=22). The results show that using OrigamEase reduced the measured stress levels of participants (self-reported, heart rate and electrodermal activity) significantly, supporting the experiment hypothesis. Stress levels were recorded before and after using OrigamEase; then, a repeated-measures t-test was applied to find if these differences were significant or not. After using OrigamEase, 73.2% of participants reported feeling less stressed (mean reduction=13.94%), 85.5% experienced a reduction in their heart rate (mean reduction=9.8 bpm), and 78.9% had a lower electrodermal activity (mean reduction= 10.8 points). The testing of OrigamEase served as an initial application validation of the HWOEED methodology.
This research demonstrates that engineering and design fields not only can but need to contribute to research on emotions through interdisciplinary research. Emotions are a fundamental part of all human experiences, impacting a person’s health and well-being profoundly
Z-Numbers-Based Approach to Hotel Service Quality Assessment
In this study, we are analyzing the possibility of using Z-numbers for
measuring the service quality and decision-making for quality improvement in the
hotel industry. Techniques used for these purposes are based on consumer evalu-
ations - expectations and perceptions. As a rule, these evaluations are expressed
in crisp numbers (Likert scale) or fuzzy estimates. However, descriptions of the
respondent opinions based on crisp or fuzzy numbers formalism not in all cases
are relevant. The existing methods do not take into account the degree of con-
fidence of respondents in their assessments. A fuzzy approach better describes
the uncertainties associated with human perceptions and expectations. Linguis-
tic values are more acceptable than crisp numbers. To consider the subjective
natures of both service quality estimates and confidence degree in them, the two-
component Z-numbers Z = (A, B) were used. Z-numbers express more adequately
the opinion of consumers. The proposed and computationally efficient approach
(Z-SERVQUAL, Z-IPA) allows to determine the quality of services and iden-
tify the factors that required improvement and the areas for further development.
The suggested method was applied to evaluate the service quality in small and
medium-sized hotels in Turkey and Azerbaijan, illustrated by the example
Human-centred design of clinical auditory alarms
Auditory alarms are commonly badly designed, providing little to no information or
guidance. In the healthcare context, the poor acoustics of alarms is one contributor for the
noise problem. The goal of this thesis is to propose a human-centred methodology for the
design of clinical auditory alarms, by making them less disruptive and more informative,
thus improving the healthcare soundscape. It implements this methodology from concept
to evaluation and validation, combining psychoacoustics with usability and user
experience methods. Another aim of this research consisted in understanding the
limitations and possibilities offered by online tools for scientific studies. Thus, different
processes and methodologies were implemented, and corresponding results were
discussed.
To understand the acoustic healthcare environment, field visits, interviews, and surveys
were performed with healthcare professionals. Additionally, sound pressure levels and
frequency analysis of several surgeries in different hospitals provided specific sound design
requirements, which were added to an existent body of knowledge on clinical alarm
design. A second stage consisted in prototyping very simple sounds to comprehend which
temporal and spectral parameters of sound could be manipulated to communicate clinical
information. Parameters such as frequency, speed, onset, and rhythm were studied, and
relations between subjective perception and physical parameters were established. In
parallel, and heavily influenced by the new IEC 60601-1-8 - General requirements, tests and
guidance for alarm systems in medical electrical equipment and medical electrical systems,
a design strategy with auditory icons was created. This strategy intended to provide as
much information as possible in an auditory alarm. To do so, it involved two main
components: a priority pointer indicating the priority of the alarm; an auditory icon
indicating the cause of the alarm. A third component indicating increasing or decreasing
tendency of the vital sign was designed, but not validated with users. After online
validation of the priority pointer and auditory icon for eight categories (cardiac, drug
administration, ventilation, blood pressure, perfusion, oxygen, temperature, and power
down), a new library of clinical auditory alarms is proposed.Os alarmes auditivos são habitualmente mal concebidos, dando poucas informações ou
orientações perante a situação que despoletou o aviso. No contexto da saúde, a má acústica
dos alarmes é um dos contribuidores para o problema do ruído. O objetivo desta tese é o
de melhorar a paisagem sonora em ambientes clínicos, propondo uma metodologia
centrada no Humano para o design de alarmes auditivos clínicos, tornando-os menos
disruptivos e mais informativos. Essa metodologia é implementada desde o conceito até a
avaliação e validação, combinando métodos da psicoacústica com métodos de usabilidade
e experiência do utilizador. Outro objetivo desta investigação é o de compreender as
limitações e possibilidades oferecidas pelas ferramentas online para estudos científicos.
Assim, diversos processos e metodologias foram implementados, e os respetivos resultados
são discutidos.
Para compreender o ambiente acústico clínico, foram realizadas visitas de campo,
entrevistas e inquéritos com profissionais de saúde. Além disso, avaliou-se o nível de
pressão sonora e frequências de várias cirurgias em diferentes hospitais. Esta atividade
forneceu requisitos específicos de design de som que foram adicionados a um corpo
existente de conhecimento sobre design de alarmes clínicos. Uma segunda etapa consistiu
na prototipagem de sons simples para compreender que parâmetros temporais e espectrais
do som poderiam ser manipulados para comunicar informações clínicas. Parâmetros como
frequência, velocidade, envelope e ritmo foram estudados, e as relações entre a perceção
subjetiva e os parâmetros físicos foram estabelecidas. Paralelamente, e fortemente
influenciado pela nova norma IEC 60601-1-8 - Requisitos gerais, testes e orientações para
sistemas de alarme em equipamentos médicos elétricos e sistemas médicos elétricos, foi
criada uma estratégia de design com ícones auditivos. Essa estratégia pretendia incorporar
o máximo de informações num alarme auditivo. Para isso, envolveu dois componentes
principais: um ponteiro de prioridade que indica a prioridade do alarme; e um ícone
auditivo que indica a causa do alarme. Um terceiro componente de tendência (aumento
ou diminuição do valor do sinal vital) foi criado, mas não validado com utilizadores. Após
a validação do ponteiro de prioridade e ícone auditivo para oito categorias (cardíaco,
administração de medicamentos, ventilação, pressão arterial, perfusão, oxigénio,
temperatura e falha de equipamento), propõe-se uma nova biblioteca de alarmes auditivos
clínicos
KEER2022
Avanttítol: KEER2022. DiversitiesDescripció del recurs: 25 juliol 202
Proceedings of the 19th Sound and Music Computing Conference
Proceedings of the 19th Sound and Music Computing Conference - June 5-12, 2022 - Saint-Étienne (France).
https://smc22.grame.f
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