An evaluation methodology for ergonomic design of electronic consumer products based on fuzzy axiomatic design

This article is posted with permission of OCP Science imprint. Copyright @ 2008 Old City Publishing Group.The development life cycle of software and electronic products has been shortened by the growth of rapid prototyping techniques. The evaluation of electronic consumer products should consider hardware and software as well as the ergonomic usability, emotional appeal and aesthetic integrity of the design. This research follows a systematic approach to develop an evaluation methodology for electronic mobile products on ergonomic design. The proposed methodology is based on fuzzy multi attribute decision making and fuzzy axiomatic design realized in three steps; determination of ergonomic attributes for electronic consumer products, determination of a representative set of alternatives, and selection of the best alternative in terms of ergonomic design by utilizing fuzzy axiomatic design. A case study is also provided to support the proposed methodology

Middle-Late Eocene marine record of the Biga Peninsula, NW Anatolia, Turkey

The Eocene shallow marine deposits marking the first marine incursion in the Biga Peninsula (NW Turkey) after the collision of the Sakarya and Anatolide-Tauride plates were investigated based on paleontological, litho- and chrono-stratigraphic data. Larger Benthic Foraminifera (LBF) from patchily distributed outcrops were studied in order to i) revise the stratigraphy of Eocene shallow marine units, and ii) establish a modern biostratigraphic setting and a correlation scheme. The Şevketiye Formation (Fm.) is herein defined as a predominantly shallow marine clastic deposit with subordinate carbonates overlying the Çamlıca metamorphic rocks, and passing laterally to the Soğucak Fm., a carbonate unit that is widely represented in the Thrace Basin. The record of alveolinids, primitive developmental stages of heterosteginids, and orthophragminids in the Şevketiye Fm. suggests that this formation is part of the Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZ) 16?/17 (Late Lutetian?/Early Bartonian), SBZ17?/18 and SBZ19A (Early Bartonian/earliest Priabonian). The Soğucak Fm., which overlies the Eocene volcanics, on the other hand, yielded advanced developmental stages of heterosteginids, Spiroclypeus sp. and Nummulites fabianii lineages, implying a younger marine incursion during the Late Eocene (earliest Priabonian; SBZ19A). A drastic shift in the depositional regime is marked amid Priabonian by the deposition of deep-marine clastics and volcanoclastics of the Ceylan Fm. In conclusion, the Eocene Sea transgressed first Gökçeada (in the Aegean Sea) during the Late Lutetian, then reached the Biga and Gelibolu peninsulas in the Bartonian, and finally led to the widespread deposition of carbonate and siliciclastic rocks in the Biga Peninsula and the Thrace Basin during the Late Bartonian and Priabonian

Middle-Late Eocene marine record of the Biga Peninsula, NW Anatolia, Turkey

The Eocene shallow marine deposits marking the first marine incursion in the Biga Peninsula (NW Turkey) after the collision of the Sakarya and Anatolide-Tauride plates were investigated based on paleontological, litho- and chrono-stratigraphic data. Larger Benthic Foraminifera (LBF) from patchily distributed outcrops were studied in order to i) revise the stratigraphy of Eocene shallow marine units, and ii) establish a modern biostratigraphic setting and a correlation scheme. The Şevketiye Formation (Fm.) is herein defined as a predominantly shallow marine clastic deposit with subordinate carbonates overlying the Çamlıca metamorphic rocks, and passing laterally to the Soğucak Fm., a carbonate unit that is widely represented in the Thrace Basin. The record of alveolinids, primitive developmental stages of heterosteginids, and orthophragminids in the Şevketiye Fm. suggests that this formation is part of the Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZ) 16?/17 (Late Lutetian?/Early Bartonian), SBZ17?/18 and SBZ19A (Early Bartonian/earliest Priabonian). The Soğucak Fm., which overlies the Eocene volcanics, on the other hand, yielded advanced developmental stages of heterosteginids, Spiroclypeus sp. and Nummulites fabianii lineages, implying a younger marine incursion during the Late Eocene (earliest Priabonian; SBZ19A). A drastic shift in the depositional regime is marked amid Priabonian by the deposition of deep-marine clastics and volcanoclastics of the Ceylan Fm. In conclusion, the Eocene Sea transgressed first Gökçeada (in the Aegean Sea) during the Late Lutetian, then reached the Biga and Gelibolu peninsulas in the Bartonian, and finally led to the widespread deposition of carbonate and siliciclastic rocks in the Biga Peninsula and the Thrace Basin during the Late Bartonian and Priabonian

PTPN22 gene polymorphism in Takayasu's arteritis

Objective. Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a chronic, rare granulomatous panarteritis of unknown aetiology involving mainly the aorta and its major branches. In this study, genetic susceptibility to TA has been investigated by screening the functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of PTPN22 gene encoding the lymphoid-specific protein tyrosine phosphatase. Methods. Totally, 181 patients with TA and 177 healthy controls are genotyped by PCR-RFLP method for the SNP rs2476601 (A/G) of PTPN22 gene. Polymorphic region was amplified by PCR and digested with Xcm I enzyme. Results. Detected frequencies of heterozygous genotype (AG) were 5.1% (9/177) in control group and 3.8% (7/181) in TA group (P = 0.61, odds ratio: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.3, 2.0). No association with angiographic type, vascular involvement or prognosis of TA was observed either. Conclusion. The distribution of PTPN22 polymorphism did not reveal any association with TA in Turkey. © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved

Community succession in hydrothermal vent habitats of the Eastern Lau Spreading Center and Valu Fa Ridge, Tonga

Patterns of succession in Lau Basin hydrothermal vent communities determined with high-resolution imagery and in situ physico–chemical data collected over 4 yr and analyzed within a Geographic Information System show that Alviniconcha snails are a pioneering group, the snail Ifremeria nautilei is a mid-successional species, and the heat-intolerant mussel Bathymodiolus brevior dominates when venting declines. The associated fauna also changes as communities progress through the successional stages, and eventually non-vent–endemic deep-sea species appear when venting has mostly subsided. This is a unique example of primary succession in which the primary producers form symbiotic associations with mobile animals, resulting in successional patterns not observed in other systems. I. nautilei dominates newly formed substrates or venting sources where both I. nautilei and Alviniconcha spp. are already established (e.g., by migration), while Alviniconcha spp. seem to be better at colonizing newly active vents (e.g., by settlement) that are remote from colonized vents. Thus, on the scale of a 5–39 m2 diffuse flow area or a single edifice, the mid-successional species dominates new substrates instead of the pioneering group. These communities are remarkably stable over long time periods relative to other hydrothermal vent regions. In addition to the sequential replacements of species as sites age and overall conditions change, Lau vent animals track changes in vent fluids and relocate themselves when local hydrothermal plumbing changes over small spatial scales

문화적 정체성을 가진 현대 세라믹 개발에서의 디자인-R&D 인터렉션

The importance of culture and cultural products, which can be said to exist so long as modern-traditional elements are together, was recognized at the end of the past century, when the impoverishment of the modern world had started to be noticed. The issues of tradition and cultural originality were neglected in Turkey in the process of industrialization in 20th century, and it was only towards the end of the century that the awareness that cultural richness is a value to be cherished arose. In the 21st century, various national and international projects are made in the name of revitalizing the cultural heritage. However, production in the form of reproduction cannot achieve cultural continuity. The originals survive but imitations and reproductions are stillborn. If tradition and culture involve, besides historicity, a yearning for improvement, then a project of revitalization of historical ceramics would be able to achieve cultural continuity only by keeping the good qualities and developing and improving others. Turkey has a rich and diverse heritage of ceramics culture, thanks to its geographical position as a natural bridge between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Research conducted in recent years in the ceramics centers of the country indicates that products of high design and technical quality are rare. This paper proposes that if Turkey is to revitalize its historical ceramics, which is an important cultural heritage, with a contemporary-original identity so that they can inspire new designs, the following are needed: • Creation of regional and periodical repertoires of all ceramics work produced in Turkey from the Neolithic ages to this day, and research into the products, production technologies, socio-cultural dimensions, and periodical transitions involved, • Imitation of these products to generate scientific knowledge, • Re-making of the products with tradition, • Contemporary production with some innovation, and • Innovative production so that new ceramics products are developed. These were identified as the steps of a method for designing ceramics with a cultural identity. Although the products to be created are design products, the process of their production involves design know-how and artistic and scientific sensitivity. R&D activities have a direct effect on design quality, and. 문화와 문화 상품의 중요성은 현대적-전통적 요소가 공존하는 한 존재할 것이라 말할 수 있으며, 지난 세기말 현대 세계의 빈곤이 주목받기 시작하면서 그 중요성이 인정되었 다. 20세기 산업화의 과정에서 전통과 문화적 독창성이라는 이슈는 터키에서 무시되어 왔다. 문화적 자산이 소중한 가치라는 자각이 생긴 것은 지난 세기 말부터였다. 21세기에 다양한 국내외 프로젝트가 문화유산의 부활이라는 이름으로 시작되었다. 그러나 복제 형태의 생산은 문화적 영속성을 얻을 수 없다. 원본은 살아남지만 이미테이션과 복제는 처음부터 실패작이다. 만약 전통과 문화가 역사성 이외의 향상을 열망한다면, 역사적 세 라믹의 부활 프로젝트는, 좋은 퀄리티는 유지하되 다른 퀄리티는 발전, 향상시켜야만 문 화적 영속성을 얻을 수 있을 것이다. 터키는 아시아, 유럽, 중동의 자연적 교량이라는 지리적 위치 덕분에 풍부하고 다양한 세 라믹 문화유산을 가지고 있다. 최근 터키의 세라믹 센터에서 진행된 연구는 디자인과 기 술적 퀄리티가 높은 제품이 드물다는 것을 보여준다. 이 논문이 제안하고자 하는 것은, 만약 터키가 중요한 문화유산인 역사적 세라믹을 현대적-오리지널 아이덴티티를 가지고 부활시켜 뉴디자인에 영감을 불어넣고자한다면 다음과 같은 것이 필요하다는 것이다. • 신석기시대부터 현재까지 터키에서 생산된 모든 세라믹 작품들의 지역적, 정기적 레 퍼토리 창조와 그에 관련된 제품, 제작 기술, 사회문화적 특징과 정기적인 변화에 대 한 연구 • 과학적 지식 창출을 위한 이들 제품의 이미테이션 • 전통적 제품들의 리메이킹 • 새로운 세라믹 개발을 위한 혁신적인 제작 이들은 문화적 정체성을 가진 세라믹을 디자인하는 방법의 단계들로 인식되었다. 만들어 질 제품이 디자인 제품이라 하더라도 제작 과정은 디자인 노하우와 예술적, 과학적 감수 성을 포함하다. R&D 활동은 디자인 퀄리티, 디자인 과정에 직접적 영향을 미치며 R&D 활동을 가이드한다

Manifesto for a European research network into Problematic Usage of the Internet

Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The Internet is now all-pervasive across much of the globe. While it has positive uses (e.g. prompt access to information, rapid news dissemination), many individuals develop Problematic Use of the Internet (PUI), an umbrella term incorporating a range of repetitive impairing behaviours. The Internet can act as a conduit for, and may contribute to, functionally impairing behaviours including excessive and compulsive video gaming, compulsive sexual behaviour, buying, gambling, streaming or social networks use. There is growing public and National health authority concern about the health and societal costs of PUI across the lifespan. Gaming Disorder is being considered for inclusion as a mental disorder in diagnostic classification systems, and was listed in the ICD-11 version released for consideration by Member States (http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/revision/timeline/en/). More research is needed into disorder definitions, validation of clinical tools, prevalence, clinical parameters, brain-based biology, socio-health-economic impact, and empirically validated intervention and policy approaches. Potential cultural differences in the magnitudes and natures of types and patterns of PUI need to be better understood, to inform optimal health policy and service development. To this end, the EU under Horizon 2020 has launched a new four-year European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action Programme (CA 16207), bringing together scientists and clinicians from across the fields of impulsive, compulsive, and addictive disorders, to advance networked interdisciplinary research into PUI across Europe and beyond, ultimately seeking to inform regulatory policies and clinical practice. This paper describes nine critical and achievable research priorities identified by the Network, needed in order to advance understanding of PUI, with a view towards identifying vulnerable individuals for early intervention. The network shall enable collaborative research networks, shared multinational databases, multicentre studies and joint publications.Peer reviewe

Problematic use of the Internet is a unidimensional quasi-trait with impulsive and compulsive subtypes

Abstract: Background: Problematic use of the Internet has been highlighted as needing further study by international bodies, including the European Union and American Psychiatric Association. Knowledge regarding the optimal classification of problematic use of the Internet, subtypes, and associations with clinical disorders has been hindered by reliance on measurement instruments characterized by limited psychometric properties and external validation. Methods: Non-treatment seeking individuals were recruited from the community of Stellenbosch, South Africa (N = 1661), and Chicago, United States of America (N = 827). Participants completed an online version of the Internet Addiction Test, a widely used measure of problematic use of the Internet consisting of 20-items, measured on a 5-point Likert-scale. The online questions also included demographic measures, time spent engaging in different online activities, and clinical scales. The psychometric properties of the Internet Addiction Test, and potential problematic use of the Internet subtypes, were characterized using factor analysis and latent class analysis. Results: Internet Addiction Test data were optimally conceptualized as unidimensional. Latent class analysis identified two groups: those essentially free from Internet use problems, and those with problematic use of the Internet situated along a unidimensional spectrum. Internet Addiction Test scores clearly differentiated these groups, but with different optimal cut-offs at each site. In the larger Stellenbosch dataset, there was evidence for two subtypes of problematic use of the Internet that differed in severity: a lower severity “impulsive” subtype (linked with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), and a higher severity “compulsive” subtype (linked with obsessive-compulsive personality traits). Conclusions: Problematic use of the Internet as measured by the Internet Addiction Test reflects a quasi-trait - a unipolar dimension in which most variance is restricted to a subset of people with problems regulating Internet use. There was no evidence for subtypes based on the type of online activities engaged in, which increased similarly with overall severity of Internet use problems. Measures of comorbid psychiatric symptoms, along with impulsivity, and compulsivity, appear valuable for differentiating clinical subtypes and could be included in the development of new instruments for assessing the presence and severity of Internet use problems

Gli effetti squelch binaurale e ombra nei bambini con impianto cocleare monolaterale e protesi acustica controlaterale

Lo scopo di questo studio è stato quello di indagare il grado di effetto squelch binaurale (BSE) e di effetto ombra (HSE) nei bambini che fanno uso di impianto cocleare (CI) e protesi acustica controlaterale (HA). Sono stati arruolati 19 bambini con CI che indossavano regolarmente una HA. Per valutare la performance vocale in presenza di rumore è stato utilizzato un test di identificazione vocalica. Il test è stato eseguito in tre condizioni di ascolto: (1) ascolto bimodale con sorgente di rumore sul lato HA; (2) ascolto con CI con sorgente di rumore sul lato HA; (3) ascolto con CI con sorgente di rumore sul lato CI. I valori medi di BSE e di HSE osservati sono 11.8% e 17.1% rispettivamente. L’analisi statistica condotta ha evidenziato una differenza significativa sia nel confronto tra le tre condizioni di ascolto che per l’analisi post-hoc (p < 0.001). In conclusione, la maggioranza dei bambini con CI hanno mostrato BSE ed HSE con un miglioramento significativo nella percezione vocale in presenza di rumore