Towards a design for frugal: review of implications for product design

Since 2010 the concept of frugal innovation has increasingly attracted the attention of both researchers and industry. Frugal innovation holds much promise in the rapidly changing global economy. It has been suggested that this approach needs to be understood by product designers in order to integrate it into product development and bring frugal products into the market place. This research aims to review the current literature on frugal innovation and identify characteristics and methodologies for designing frugal products that has been proposed until now. Our review has analysed 28 journal articles. The results have found 10 design principles and 2 design methodologies that have been developed to achieve frugal products. More research has to be carried out to relate these methods with product development theories and understand the impact for product design practice

Transmission measurement at 10.6 microns of Te2As3Se5 rib-waveguides on As2S3 substrate

The feasibility of chalcogenide rib waveguides working at lambda = 10.6 microns has been demonstrated. The waveguides comprised a several microns thick Te2As3Se5 film deposited by thermal evaporation on a polished As2S3 glass substrate and further etched by physical etching in Ar or CF4/O2 atmosphere. Output images at 10.6 microns and some propagation losses roughly estimated at 10dB/cm proved that the obtained structures behaved as channel waveguides with a good lateral confinement of the light. The work opens the doors to the realisation of components able to work in the mid and thermal infrared up to 20 microns and even more.Comment: The following article appeared in Vigreux-Bercovici et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 011110 (2007) and may be found at http://link.aip.org/link/?apl/90/01111

Contribution of smartpens to design studies in capturing design process

The paper focuses on technical and methodological aspects of using smartpens to capture sketching activities in the idea generation stage. Aiming to consider a more effective way to capture designers’ decisions, moves, verbal and non-verbal cues; the paper attempts to provide a critical appraisal of how smartpen-based recording system are able to improve small-scale observational studies’ rigorousness and increases richness of data. Comparison of conventional pen-and-video and smartpen devices are illustrated, by conducting two think-aloud design sessions using both mechanisms. Advantages and disadvantages will be analysed to provide balance views of the two tools. In general, both are able to capture sequences of thoughts, including moving through one page to another. Preliminary findings show that smartpens are somewhat superior in terms of: obtaining unobstructed views of the sketching process as result of participants’ hand/shadow or glare, pencast (replayed video) aids exploration of design strategies investigation, auto-synchronised thinking aloud (verbal) and sketching (actions) foster the effectiveness of study, minimal use of a single recording device and also possibly promote exploration in shading, textual aids, contextual aids and other cues of sketches. However, pen-and-video tools are more efficient at capturing hand gestures. Some recommendations for future studies are also suggested

The Biology of Malaria Gametocytes

Gametocytes are sexual precursor cells of the malaria parasite that mediate the transmission of the parasite from its mammalian host to the Anopheles mosquito. Unlike the asexual blood stages, which are responsible for the clinical outcome of malaria, gametocytes cause no clinical manifestations. However, they are very crucial for the transmission of the disease thus represent key targets for transmission-blocking interventions. Despite their essential role in malaria transmission, only in the last decade gametocytes became a hot topic of research and their biology is not well understood. This chapter provides a detailed review on the biology of the human malaria gametocytes with emphasis on aspects such as gametocyte commitment, gametocyte maturation (gametocytogenesis), gametocyte metabolism and gametogenesis. Proper understanding of these processes will deepen our knowledge on the gametocyte biology and therefore open up more avenues for the development of malaria transmission-blocking intervention strategies

Structure of chalcogenide glasses by neutron diffraction

5 pages. Proceedings International Workshop Non-crystalline Solids, Gijon (Spain).International audienceThe purpose of this work is to study the change in the structure of the Ge-Se network upon doping with Ag. The total structure factor S(Q) for two samples has been measured by neutron diffraction using the two-axis diffractometer dedicated to structural studies of amorphous materials, D4, at the Institut Laue Langevin. We have derived the corresponding radial distribution functions for each sample and each temperature, which gives us an insight about the composition and temperature dependence of the correlation distances and coordination numbers in the short-range. Our results are compatible with the presence of both GeSe4/2 tetrahedra and Se-Se bonds. The Ag atoms are linked to Se in a triangular environment. Numerical simulations allowing the identification of the main peaks in the total pair correlation functions have complemented the neutron diffraction measurements

Rings and rigidity transitions in network glasses

Three elastic phases of covalent networks, (I) floppy, (II) isostatically rigid and (III) stressed-rigid have now been identified in glasses at specific degrees of cross-linking (or chemical composition) both in theory and experiments. Here we use size-increasing cluster combinatorics and constraint counting algorithms to study analytically possible consequences of self-organization. In the presence of small rings that can be locally I, II or III, we obtain two transitions instead of the previously reported single percolative transition at the mean coordination number $\bar r=2.4$, one from a floppy to an isostatic rigid phase, and a second one from an isostatic to a stressed rigid phase. The width of the intermediate phase $~ \bar r$ and the order of the phase transitions depend on the nature of medium range order (relative ring fractions). We compare the results to the Group IV chalcogenides, such as Ge-Se and Si-Se, for which evidence of an intermediate phase has been obtained, and for which estimates of ring fractions can be made from structures of high T crystalline phases.Comment: 29 pages, revtex, 7 eps figure

M–SURGE: new software specifically designed for multistate capture–recapture models

M–SURGE, al igual que su compañero, el programa U–CARE, se ha escrito con el propósito específico de manejar modelos multiestado de captura–recaptura, lo que a su vez permite mitigar las dificultades inherentes a los mismos (especificación de los modelos, calidad de la convergencia, flexibilidad de parametrización, evaluación del ajuste). En su terreno, M–SURGE abarca una gama de modelos más extensa que un programa general, como el MARK (White & Burnham, 1999), al tiempo que resulta más accesible para el usuario que el MS–SURVIV (Hines, 1994). De entre las principales características del M–SURGE, cabe destacar una amplia gama de modelos y varias parametrizaciones: (1) M–SURGE abarca los modelos condicionales con probabilidad de recaptura según el estado actual (modelos tipo Arnason–Schwarz), y según el estado actual y previo (modelos tipo Jolly–movement). En ambos casos, es posible examinar los efectos dependientes de la edad y/o del tiempo, así como grupos múltiples. (2) Las probabilidades combinadas de supervivencia–transición pueden representarse como tales, o descomponerse en probabilidades de transición y supervivencia. (3) Por lo que respecta a las probabilidades de transición con el mismo estado de partida, el usuario puede elegir libremente la probabilidad que deberá calcularse por sustracción. Además de ser un programa muy accesible para el usuario, también debe subrayarse la facilidad con que permite construir modelos constreñidos utilizando un lenguaje interpretado denominado GEMACO. En este estudio desarrollamos y presentamos varios tipos de modelos multiestado.M–SURGE (along with its companion program U–CARE) has been written specifically to handle multistate capture–recapture models and to alleviate their inherent difficulties (model specification, quality of convergence, flexibility of parameterization, assessment of fit). In its domain, M–SURGE covers a broader range of models than a general program like MARK (White & Burnham, 1999), while being more user–friendly than MS–SURVIV (Hines, 1994). Among the main features of M–SURGE is a wide class of models and a variety of parameterizations: (1) M–SURGE covers conditional models with probability of recapture depending on the current state (Arnason–Schwarz type models) as well as on the current and previous state (Jolly–movement type models). In both cases, age and/or time–dependence and multiple groups can be considered. (2) Combined survival–transition probabilities can be represented as such or decomposed into transition and survival probabilities. (3) Among the transition probabilities with the same state of departure, the one to be computed by subtraction can be freely picked by the user. User–friendliness is enhanced by the easiness with which constrained models are built, using an interpreted language called GEMACO. Examples of various types of multistate models are developed and presented

Modeling Trap-Awareness and Related Phenomena in Capture-Recapture Studies

Trap-awareness and related phenomena whereby successive capture events are not independent is a feature of the majority of capture-recapture studies. This phenomenon was up to now difficult to incorporate in open population models and most authors have chosen to neglect it although this may have damaging consequences. Focusing on the situation where animals exhibit a trap response at the occasion immediately following one where they have been trapped but revert to their original naïve state if they are missed once, we show that trap-dependence is more naturally viewed as a state transition and is amenable to the current models of capture-recapture. This approach has the potential to accommodate lasting or progressively waning trap effects

Both Grass Development Stage and Grazing Management Influence Milk Terpene Content

Terpenes are a wide group of molecules originating from plants’ secondary metabolism. Forage terpenes vary according to the botanical composition and in particular to the proportion of plants such as Apiaceae, Lamiaceae or Asteraceae. These molecules are considered effective milk markers for the presence of diversified forages in dairy cow diets. The variation in terpene content in the milk of grazing cows would depend on the period of development of terpene-rich plants and on the grazing management, whereby cows do or do not have the opportunity to choose and to modify the botanical composition of the ingested grass. The aim of this trial was to quantify the respective effects of grass development stage and grazing management on milk terpene content

Is there a role for vitamin C in preventing osteoporosis and fractures?:A review of the potential underlying mechanisms and current epidemiological evidence

Osteoporosis and related fractures are a major global health issue, but there are few preventative strategies. Previously reported associations between higher intakes of fruits and vegetables and skeletal health have been suggested to be partly attributable to vitamin C. To date, there is some evidence for a potential role of vitamin C in osteoporosis and fracture prevention but an overall consensus of published studies has not yet been drawn. The present review aims to provide a summary of the proposed underlying mechanisms of vitamin C on bone and reviews the current evidence in the literature, examining a potential link between vitamin C intake and status with osteoporosis and fractures. The Bradford Hill criteria were used to assess reported associations. Recent animal studies have provided insights into the involvement of vitamin C in osteoclastogenesis and osteoblastogenesis, and its role as a mediator of bone matrix deposition, affecting both the quantity and quality of bone collagen. Observational studies have provided some evidence for this in the general population, showing positive associations between dietary vitamin C intake and supplements and higher bone mineral density or reduced fracture risk. However, previous intervention studies were not sufficiently well designed to evaluate these associations. Epidemiological data are particularly limited for vitamin C status and for fracture risk and good-quality randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm previous epidemiological findings. The present review also highlights that associations between vitamin C and bone health may be non-linear and further research is needed to ascertain optimal intakes for osteoporosis and fracture prevention