An Analysis of the User's Interpretation of the Product; Comparative Study of Experience Design and Reception Hermeneutic

The product resulting from the design process can be depicted as a text carrying the meaning whose readers are its users. Among the prominent theories dealing with the category of the meaning in the text, the reception hermeneutic in epistemology, and the experience approach in design, have been discussed in this research. This study aimed to find out whether it is possible to compare the author with the designer, after assuming the product as a text. It also addressed the type of interaction with the user from a reception hermeneutic perspective in the experience design approach. In this regard, subjects such as understanding, reception, and generally, interpretation of the product have also been studied using library sources and the descriptive-analytical method. The results indicate that the phenomenon of the text reading in the reception hermeneutic approach is comparable to the experience at the thinking level in the process of user-product interaction. In other words, text reading can be equated with product experience

Di-ANFIS: an integrated blockchain–IoT–big data-enabled framework for evaluating service supply chain performance

Service supply chain management is a complex process because of its intangibility, high diversity of services, trustless settings, and uncertain conditions. However, the traditional evaluating models mostly consider the historical performance data and fail to predict and diagnose the problems’ root. This paper proposes a distributed, trustworthy, tamper-proof, and learning framework for evaluating service supply chain performance based on Blockchain and Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS) techniques, named Di-ANFIS. The main objectives of this research are: 1) presenting hierarchical criteria of service supply chain performance to cope with the diagnosis of the problems’ root; 2) proposing a smart learning model to deal with the uncertainty conditions by a combination of neural network and fuzzy logic, 3) and introducing a distributed Blockchain-based framework due to the dependence of ANFIS on big data and the lack of trust and security in the supply chain. Furthermore, the proposed six-layer conceptual framework consists of the data layer, connection layer, Blockchain layer, smart layer, ANFIS layer, and application layer. This architecture creates a performance management system using the Internet of Things (IoT), smart contracts, and ANFIS based on the Blockchain platform. The Di-ANFIS model provides a performance evaluation system without needing a third party and a reliable intermediary that provides an agile and diagnostic model in a smart and learning process. It also saves computing time and speeds up information flow.Service supply chain management is a complex process because of its intangibility, high diversity of services, trustless settings, and uncertain conditions. However, the traditional evaluating models mostly consider the historical performance data and fail to predict and diagnose the problems’ root. This paper proposes a distributed, trustworthy, tamper-proof, and learning framework for evaluating service supply chain performance based on Blockchain and Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS) techniques, named Di-ANFIS. The main objectives of this research are: 1) presenting hierarchical criteria of service supply chain performance to cope with the diagnosis of the problems’ root; 2) proposing a smart learning model to deal with the uncertainty conditions by a combination of neural network and fuzzy logic, 3) and introducing a distributed Blockchain-based framework due to the dependence of ANFIS on big data and the lack of trust and security in the supply chain. Furthermore, the proposed six-layer conceptual framework consists of the data layer, connection layer, Blockchain layer, smart layer, ANFIS layer, and application layer. This architecture creates a performance management system using the Internet of Things (IoT), smart contracts, and ANFIS based on the Blockchain platform. The Di-ANFIS model provides a performance evaluation system without needing a third party and a reliable intermediary that provides an agile and diagnostic model in a smart and learning process. It also saves computing time and speeds up information flow

Tripartite symbiosis of Lentil (Lense culinaris L.), Mycorrhiza and Azospirillum brasilense under Rainfed Condition

A field experiment was conducted aiming to determine the possibility of improving the lentil performance when co-inoculated with Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) fungi and Azospirillum under natural rain-fed conditions, in Iran. Results showed the substantial impact of VAM fungi on grain protein, root colonization and shoot dry weight. Highest value for shoot dry weight recorded in plants which inoculated with G. intraradices and highest values for root colonization and grain protein content was observed in plants which inoculated with G. mosseae. Also, Azospirillum had a significant effect on shoot dry weight and root colonization. A significant differences on grain protein content observed when combination of both microorganisms have been used

The impact of interactive augmented reality based education on the learning and remembering of empirical science lesson

Background and Objectives: Education plays a key role in human life. While the teaching of experimental sciences is one of the most important topics that should be accompanied by student's direct experience, in many cases, due to spatial, temporal, or cost-related constraints, it is based solely on traditional books and their one-dimensional media. With the spread of new technologies, there are new opportunities for existing teaching and learning methods that can transform the educational structure. Augmented Reality (AR) technology, as a novel paradigm, potentially adds a new feature to the range of traditional student books that not only adds multimedia elements, but also allows interactive engagement with the content of them. Augmented reality, as one of the ways of distance learning, by simulating the real world in the form of animation, virtual objects, three-dimensional images, sound and similar elements makes it possible for the user to interact with the with the experiments of a lesson virtually. This study aims to evaluate the effect of interactive augmented reality based education on the learning and remembering of the content of textbooks. Methods: An experimental study in the pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental framework was performed on two groups of 18 sixth grade elementary school students. For this purpose, two scenarios have been selected from student science book and implemented in an interactive augmented reality application. The control group was trained through traditional teaching method. On the other hand, in addition to the traditional teaching method, the experiment group’s training was reinforced with the AR application. Students' learning and remembering evaluation was carried out through two tests. The validity of tests confirmed by the teachers of science in Education District 2 of Tabriz and their reliability has been calculated through Kuder – Richardson Formula. Findings: The results of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed a significant statistical difference between the control and experimental groups. Also, the learning and remembering in students who were trained in interactive augmented reality were more effective than the other group. Conclusion:  According to the results of the experiments, and the comparative review of the theoretical subjects, the use of augmented reality technology has been reported as a useful and effective supplemental tool for textbooks that can, beyond the spatial and temporal constraints, facilitate the training process. Also, the interaction in AR encourages learners to replace the active role with the passive one and to learn the topics with more mental participation. On the other hand, the possibility of repeating augmented reality scenarios in educational topics, regardless of spatial, temporal, and cost-realted constraints, allows users to fix bugs and ambiguities, which are other advantages of using this technology. Finally, by examining these capabilities and the ubiquity of mobile phones in today's world, we can predict the presence of virtual laboratories in mobile smartphones in the near future; which can be useful in deprived areas of the country as a replacement of the lack of minimum facilities.   ===================================================================================== COPYRIGHTS  ©2020 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.  ====================================================================================

Investigating the Philosophical Basis of "Design" as a Technological Activity, considering the implicit meanings in the intertextual concept of "Techne"

According to "Design" theorists, ambiguity in essence and meaning has posed various challenges to this scientific field, and since a lack of understanding of the functions and philosophical foundations of a scientific field makes it impossible to realize the appropriate or complete version of that field, design researchers have focused on expanding their understanding of the field mentioned above. This descriptive-analytical study focuses on the theoretical field of "design philosophy" and will be valuable for furthering the discussion on design's essence. Concerning this, this research will address the following questions: "What are the philosophical underpinnings of the act of design as a technological action?" and "How can the act of design be discussed in terms of the various implications of the notion of Techne?". To answer these questions, we will first examine the discussions over the concept of "design" in the sphere of "philosophy of technology" as well as the various implications of the multidimensional concept of Techne (the Greek root word for technology). The data and findings will next be analyzed, interpreted, and integrated. The study's achievements include addressing the philosophical foundations of design as a sub-field of technology, epistemology, and methodology, and focusing on the implications of design based on the related concepts of Techne, such as Aesthetic, Logos, Mythos, Metis, Episteme, and Poiesis, for use in future studies of the science and philosophy of design

Moderate to severe gambling problems and traumatic brain injury: A population-based study

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common injury characterized by a change in brain function after an external blow to the head and is associated with substance abuse, psychological distress, risk-taking, and impulsivity. Convenience and clinical samples have also linked TBI to problem gambling, but have not ruled out confounding variables such as hazardous drinking and psychological distress. This study examines the relationship between TBI and moderate to severe problem gambling in a general population probability sample controlling for hazardous drinking and psychological distress. The data were obtained from a 2015–2016 cross-sectional general population telephone survey of adults ages 18+from Ontario, Canada (N = 3809). Logistic regression was used to estimate the association as adjusted odds ratios (AOR). Moderate to severe problem gambling was independently associated with a history of TBI after adjusting for potential confounders (AOR: 2.80), and had a statistically significant relationship with psychological distress (AOR = 2.74), hazardous drinking (AOR = 2.69), and lower educational levels (AOR = 0.37). This study provides further data to suggest a link between TBI and moderate to severe problem gambling; however, more research is needed to determine if there is a causal relationship or the potential implications for prevention and treatment

Moderate to severe gambling problems and traumatic brain injury: A population-based study

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common injury characterized by a change in brain function after an external blow to the head and is associated with substance abuse, psychological distress, risk-taking, and impulsivity. Convenience and clinical samples have also linked TBI to problem gambling, but have not ruled out confounding variables such as hazardous drinking and psychological distress. This study examines the relationship between TBI and moderate to severe problem gambling in a general population probability sample controlling for hazardous drinking and psychological distress. The data were obtained from a 2015–2016 cross-sectional general population telephone survey of adults ages 18+from Ontario, Canada (N = 3809). Logistic regression was used to estimate the association as adjusted odds ratios (AOR). Moderate to severe problem gambling was independently associated with a history of TBI after adjusting for potential confounders (AOR: 2.80), and had a statistically significant relationship with psychological distress (AOR = 2.74), hazardous drinking (AOR = 2.69), and lower educational levels (AOR = 0.37). This study provides further data to suggest a link between TBI and moderate to severe problem gambling; however, more research is needed to determine if there is a causal relationship or the potential implications for prevention and treatment

The intergenerational association between parents' problem gambling and impulsivity-hyperactivity/inattention behaviors in children

Despite the well-established association between problem gambling and ADHD core categories of impulsivity-hyperactivity and inattention, the link between parents’ problem gambling and impulsivity-hyperactivity/inattention (IH/I) behaviors in children has not been investigated. This study investigated the association between parents’ problem gambling and children’s IH/I behaviors while controlling for potential confounding variables. A population-based prospective cohort followed-up from kindergarten to age 30, the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children (QLSKC), provided data over three generations. Among 1358 participants at age 30, parents with a child aged 1 year or older (N=468; Mean age=4.65 years; SD=2.70) were selected. Generalized Linear Models included measures of grandparents’ and parents’ problem gambling, parents’ IH/I behaviors in childhood, and a host of risk factors and comorbidities to predict IH/I in children. Intergenerational bivariate associations were observed between grandparents’ problem gambling, parents’ IH/I in childhood and problem gambling at age 30, and between parents’ IH/I, problem gambling, and children’s IH/I behaviors. Parents’ problem gambling predicted children’s IH/I behaviors above and beyond the effects of covariates such as family and socioeconomic characteristics, alcohol and drug use, depression symptoms and parents’ gambling involvement. Parents’ IH/I behaviors in childhood also predicted children’s IH/I and had a moderating, enhancing effect on parents’ problem gambling association with their offspring’s IH/I behaviors. Problem gambling is a characteristic of parents’ mental health that is distinctively associated with children’s IH/I behaviors, above and beyond parents’ own history of IH/I and of typically related addictive, psychopathological or socioeconomic risk factors and comorbidities

Psychosocial Risk Factors in Disordered Gambling: A Descriptive Systematic Overview of Vulnerable Populations

Background: Gambling is a behaviour engaged in by millions of people worldwide; for some, gambling can become a severely maladaptive behaviour, and previous research has identified a wide range of psychosocial risk factors that can be considered important for the development and maintenance of disordered gambling. Although risk factors have been identified, the homogeneity of risk factors across specific groups thought to be vulnerable to disordered gambling is to date, unexplored. Methods: To address this, the current review sought to conduct a systematic overview of literature relating to seven vulnerable groups: young people and adolescents, older adults, women, veterans, indigenous peoples, prisoners, and low socio-economic/income groups. Results: Multiple risk factors associated with disordered gambling were identified; some appeared consistently across most groups, including being male, co-morbid mental and physical health conditions, substance use disorders, accessibility and availability of gambling, form and mode of gambling, and experience of trauma. Further risk factors were identified that were specific to each vulnerable group. Conclusion: Within the general population, certain groups are more vulnerable to disordered gambling. Although some risk factors are consistent across groups, some risk factors appear to be group specific. It is clear that there is no homogenous pathway in to disordered gambling, and that social, developmental, environmental and demographic characteristics can all interact to influence an individual’s relationship with gambling