About the nature of Kansei information

Kansei studies refer to the more and more holistic consideration of the cognitive and affective processes which occur during user experience. In addition, few studies deal with the experience of the designers during the design process, and its influence on the final design outputs. Historically kansei engineering has been firstly focused on the semantic differential approach. Afterwards emotions were integrated into kansei approaches. The semantic differential approach enabled to evaluate products and then to generate automatically design solutions with semantic input data. Thereafter, evaluations have been completed by physiological measurements in order to reduce the subjectivity involved in those evaluations and also to capture some unconscious reactions. This implementation is still in process. Today kansei studies have been much enriched from the three disciplines of design science, psychology and artificial intelligence. The cross influence between these disciplines brought new dimensions into kansei approaches (multisensory design information, personality, values, and culture, new formalisms and algorithms) which lead progressively towards the consideration of a whole enriched kansei experience. We propose in this paper a description of the nature of kansei information. Then we present some major orientations for kansei evaluation. Finally we propose an overall table gathering information about kansei dimensions and formats.AN

The Experiences of Elementary School Cooperating Music Teachers: a Phenomenological Case Study

This study details how elementary school cooperating music teachers (CMTs) describe their mentoring experiences and the impact of these experiences on their teaching practices, as well as their personal and professional development. CMTs, as influential contributors to the development of student teachers (STs), have been documented to play significant roles in the student teaching process. However, there is little literature on how CMTs frame their own experiences, including the roles they play, strategies they have developed to mentor STs, and the identified challenges and rewards of their work. Therefore, I prioritized CMTs as the primary focus of this study to collect data specific to the details of their mentoring experiences. Ideally, other CMTs may relate their own experiences to CMTs highlighted in this study. I employed a phenomenological interview approach to solicit three elementary school CMTs’ descriptions of their CMT experiences. Two key categories emerged from participants’ reports: their professional competencies and personal competencies. Conveying professional competencies was an important practice for CMTs in order to offer STs the most effective learning-to-teaching experiences. Participants demonstrated their expertise to guide professional growth in STs adequately and collaborated with STs to find most educative practices for both themselves and STs, as well as students. Their professional demeanor and performances were also embedded in all aspects of teaching to perform their CMT roles ethically and professionally. Further, as long-term CMTs, their knowledge of the profession and their proficiency as reflective practitioners defined their professional competencies. Participants’ wide range of personal competencies encompassed their feelings of high pressure, disappointment with their STs, and enjoyment of the rewarding nature of the CMT role. Their personal competencies were also linked to their continued performances as CMTs. Participants experienced a transformation from model classroom teachers to teacher–educators in their CMT roles, which was integral in developing their professional identities. They combined memories from their past and the meaning of their present experiences to create expectations for their future experiences. Their emerging professional identities are likely to expand in positive ways as they contemplate their future CMT experience

Mathematical approaches to food nutrient content estimation with a focus on phenylalanine

Managing the intake of a certain nutrient can be an effective treatment for some inherited metabolic disorders. An example of such dietary treatments is for phenylketonuria (PKU), for which patients must follow a low-phenylalanine diet for life. Some food databases provide the phenylalanine (Phe) content for a large number of unprocessed foods, and a limited number of composite foods; however, they are not exhaustive. As an attempt to complete this list, we introduce three mathematical approaches to estimate a bound for the Phe content based on the available nutritional information. The first approach is based on the statistical distribution of the Phe to protein ratios. To be precise, we propose the multipliers 20 and 65 to obtain a minimum bound and a maximum bound for the Phe content from the protein content. The second approach is based on two simple lemmas which apply to sweets with gelatin. Specifically, we show that simple arithmetic operations can be used to determine an amount of sweets that is guaranteed to contain less than 20 mg Phe. The third approach is based on numerical optimization. We use the ingredient list and the Nutrition Facts Label to set up a set of inequalities which we solve numerically. The first step of our solution provides estimates for the ingredient amounts. This can be viewed as an approximate inverse recipe method. Although these mathematical methods are primarily motivated by the problem of estimating the Phe content, they can also be applied to estimating the content of other nutrient. In particular, they could be used to complete missing values in current food composition databases

Measure of Design M&As: Exploratory investigations of IP analysis in design

Despite active participation of design firms in M&A markets, there has been little research measuring the value of design M&As. It is partially due that design has been seen to be an intangible asset. This paper seeks to the understanding of the value of design M&As and provides a possible metric for measuring the value using patent analysis. The value of design M&A was investigated at two levels: Design as differentiator (i.e., new product development) and Design as coordinator or integrator (i.e., organizational growth). The evolution of patenting quantity (e.g., the number of design patent applications, Locarno classes) and quality (e.g., forward citation, coinventor networks) in pre- and post-acquisition deals was suggested. We conducted a case study using the design and utility patents of Adobe Systems Inc. The results show the dynamics of innovation area and the presence of the high values of inventors holding design-tech linkage, which could be a potential intangible source of company growth. This study further provides implications for companies which might consider design M&As as new ways of design investment

Towards a model of how designers mentally categorise design information

This study aims to explore how designers mentally categorise design information during the early sketching performed in the generative phase. An action research approach is particularly appropriate for identifying the various sorts of design information and the cognitive operations involved in this phase. Thus, we conducted a protocol study with eight product designers based on a descriptive model derived from cognitive psychological memory theories. Subsequent protocol analysis yielded a cognitive model depicting the mental categorisation of design information processing performed by designers. This cognitive model included a structure for design information (high, middle, and low levels) and linked cognitive operations (association and transformation). Finally, this paper concludes by discussing directions for future research on the development of new computational tools for designers

Generation of mice with a conditional allele for Trim33

Trim33 (Tif1Γ, ectodermin, moonshine), a member of the TIF1 family of transcriptional coactivators and corepressors, is a large nuclear protein that contains an N-terminal tripartite (Trim) domain composed of a RING domain, two B-box domains, and a coiled coil domain. It has been suggested that Trim33 (Ectodermin) mediates ectodermal induction in the Xenopus by functioning as a Smad4 ubiquitin ligase, while in the zebrafish Trim33 (moonshine) has been reported to act as a R-Smad binding protein in induction of erythroid differentiation. Since the developmental role of Trim33 in mammals is currently unknown, we generated mice carrying the conditional Trim33 ( Trim33 FX ) allele by flanking exons 2–4 encoding most of the functionally critical N-terminal tripartite domain by loxP sites. We confirmed the null genotype by using the EIIa-Cre transgenic approach to create mice that lack exons 2–4. Embryos deficient in Trim33 die during early somitogenesis, demonstrating that Trim33 plays an important nonredundant role in mammalian embryonic development. genesis 46:329–333, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60227/1/20401_ftp.pd

Driver's intention to use smartphone-car connectivity

Car is now more than just a transportation method. Now a smartphone or a portable device can be easily connected to your car and this allows us to enjoy broader range of contents like music and navigation. This study aims to study investigate what leads drivers to use such car-connectivity services. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as theoretical framework, this study examines the relationship between four derived constructs (facilitating condition, technographics, mobile literacy, and prior similar experience) and behavioral intention to use car connectivity functionalities. The results show that two of them (facilitating condition and technographics) have significant impact on the intention to use car connectivity services but the other two (mobile literacy and prior similar experience) did not show statistically significant relationship with the behavioral intention

Why has a homegrown technology failed: A case study on WiBro in the Korean telecommunication market

This study identifies and analyzes the causes for WiBro's failure in the Korean telecommunications market within the context of the technological systems framework and the actor-network theory. The reverse salients of WiBro were identified according to the activities of the actors from three different domains: technology, government, and business. The findings and implication of this study were obtained through a review of the literature and in-depth interviews with eight key experts. The reverse salients found can be categorized into two types: 'apparent' and 'underlying.' The apparent reverse salients are the lack of investment and inadequate business model of the business actors. The underlying reverse salients are the policies enacted by government actors and are less obvious but heavily influence the creation of the apparent reverse salients and ultimately contribute to the failure of WiBro

Everyday Workplace Learning for Immigrant Justice: Workers’ Collaboration in a Nonprofit Organization

The purpose of this case study is to examine learning in the daily workplace of workers (staff members) at a leading community-based Korean-American nonprofit organization (KANPO) in a major city in the US. The study focused on the relationship among workers as a critical dimension for encouraging informal learning in the workplace. Third generation culturalhistorical activity theory, including activity system analysis, was used as a theoretical framework. Based on a theory-driven and grounded theoretical approach to data analysis, an activity named “collaboration” and its inner contradictions were identified. While the contradictions have the potential to inhibit workers’ everyday workplace learning, the staff tried to resolve the contradictions and advance the collaboration activity. In this process, learning occurred as the activity’s unintended outcomes at both the social and individual levels. The findings show how everyday workplace learning is socioculturally and historically shaped around the KANPO’s contexts, as well as the way organizations use to create an informal workplace learning environment