The roles of products in product emotions an explorative study

Although several theoretical frameworks that aim to explain the emotional impact of product design have been introduced in design research literature, none of these frameworks clearly specifies the role of the product in these emotions. This paper reports a study that was designed to explore the variety of roles that products can play in emotional experiences. In a three staged experience sampling study, 29 participants produced 170 records of emotions experienced while interacting with products. Each case was examined in order to identify the antecedent event (the event triggering the emotion) and the mental object (what the emotion is about). The results indicated that several types of events involved in the user-product interaction can elicit an emotional experience: noticing a product; an event occurring during product usage; an entire usage episode; an external agent mentioning the product; and a change in the relationship between a user and a product . It was also found that the resulting emotional responses can be about (can be attributed to) several types of mental objects: a physical object, such as the particular product involved; the user or some other person; the actions of the user or the designer; the antecedent event itself. The results are used to identify and discuss eight distinct roles that products can play in the experience of emotions. In addition, examples are provided to illustrate how these roles can facilitate a structured approach to design for emotion. Keywords: Design and emotion, user-product interaction</p

A hydrophobic platform as a mechanistically relevant transition state stabilising factor appears to be present in the active centre of all glycoside hydrolases

AbstractAn in silico survey of the −1 subsite of all known 3D-structures of O-glycoside hydrolases containing a suitably positioned ligand has led to the recognition – apparently without exceptions – of a transition state stabilising hydrophobic platform which is complementary to a crucial hydrophobic patch of the ligand. This platform is family-specific and highly conserved. A comprehensive list is given with examples of enzymes belonging to 33 different families. Several typical constellations of platform – protein residues are described

Pandemics and Animal Welfare: A Quantitative Inquiry into how the Covid-19 Pandemic has Affected the Companion Animal Industry in Northwest Arkansas

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, industries have been impacted globally. The companion animal care industry has not received much recognition in mainstream news, and as pandemic stressors increased individual facilities such as animal rescues, shelters, day care and boarding facilities felt the pressures associated with it. Little is known about the long-term effects of the pandemic on these facilities and how companion animal care may have changed. The purpose of this study was to explore the day-to-day impacts and long-term effects of COVID-19 on the companion animal industry in Northwest Arkansas from early 2020 to 2021. This study recruited participants from animal daycare and boarding facilities, shelters, and rescue organization facilities in Northwest Arkansas, and used a non-experimental survey research design. Twenty-eight facilities were contacted and six agreed to participate. Results showed an overall decrease in the number of clients and animals requiring services in 2020, but in 2021 these numbers increased. Open response analysis showed that non-profit organizations were not subject to the same mandated shutdowns as other businesses, which was an unexpected finding. The results also showed a brief increase in the number of pet surrenders and abandonments, followed by a notable increase in the number of pet adoptions and foster home applications at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and its related quarantine and restrictions

The role of affect regulation in the treatment of people who have committed sexual offences

Affect regulation problems have been found to play an important role in the onset of problematic behavior, such as sexual abuse. The role of emotion and maladaptive coping has become relevant in both research and treatment interventions. Forensic treatments have been strongly influenced by conceptualizations of affect regulation that emphasize the control of emotional experience and expression. For a long time, emotions were treated as less important than cognition. However, the view of emotion as an adaptive resource and meaning system is now emerging in the forensic literature. General psychotherapy research has shown that improved affect regulation and deeper experiencing is associated with better outcomes in psychotherapy. These findings, in combination with the role of emotions in behavioral and relational functioning, are leading to a shift in forensic treatment approaches. In this paper, we review the literature on affect regulation in treatment programs for individuals who have committed sexual offences. The implications of this work for forensic practice will be considered. Finally, Emotion-Focused Therapy will be presented as a promising therapeutic approach for forensic treatment programs to promote clients' emotional engagement and processing, and to improve treatment outcomes

Alignment and algebraically special tensors in Lorentzian geometry

We develop a dimension-independent theory of alignment in Lorentzian geometry, and apply it to the tensor classification problem for the Weyl and Ricci tensors. First, we show that the alignment condition is equivalent to the PND equation. In 4D, this recovers the usual Petrov types. For higher dimensions, we prove that, in general, a Weyl tensor does not possess aligned directions. We then go on to describe a number of additional algebraic types for the various alignment configurations. For the case of second-order symmetric (Ricci) tensors, we perform the classification by considering the geometric properties of the corresponding alignment variety.Comment: 19 pages. Revised presentatio

Periodic mass loss episodes due to an oscillation mode with variable amplitude in the hot supergiant HD50064

We aim to interpret the photometric and spectroscopic variability of the luminous blue variable supergiant HD\,50064 ($V=8.21$).CoRoT space photometry and follow-up high-resolution spectroscopy, with a time base of 137\,d and 169\,d, respectively, was gathered, analysed and interpreted using standard time series analysis and light curve modelling methods as well as spectral line diagnostics.The space photometry reveals one period of 37\,d, which undergoes a sudden amplitude change with a factor 1.6. The pulsation period is confirmed in the spectroscopy, which additionally reveals metal line radial velocity values differing by $\sim 30\,$km\,s$^{-1}$ depending on the spectral line and on the epoch. We estimate \teff$\sim$13\,500\,K, \logg$\sim$1.5 from the equivalent width of Si lines. The Balmer lines reveal that the star undergoes episodes of changing mass loss on a time scale similar to the changes in the photometric and spectroscopic variability, with an average value of $\log\dot{\rm M}\simeq-5$ (in M$_\odot$\,yr$^{-1}$). We tentatively interpret the 37\,d period as due to a strange mode oscillation.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letter

Preliminary Results of Magnetic Gradiometry and Photogrammetric Imagery from La Playa, Sonora, Mexico (SON F:10:3)

Covering an area of nearly ten square kilometers, La Playa (SON F:10:3) is one of the most important archaeological sites in northwest Mexico. While La Playa has been best known for its Early Agricultural occupation, this research, funded through National Geographic, targets the poorly understood origins of the Trincheras Tradition. This poster presents initial results of magnetic gradiometry and photogrammetric imagery collected from the site in April 2017 as part of the ongoing binational project Proyecto La Playa. Along with magnetic gradiometry data collection, several unmanned aerial vehicle flights with a Trimble UX5 captured photogrammetric images of the site. This data has yielded the possible presence of irrigation canals, pithouses, and thermal features. With erosion damaging much of La Playa, this research documents at-risk features for future excavation

Levels of the E2 interacting protein TopBP1 modulate papillomavirus maintenance stage replication

The evolutionarily conserved DNA topoisomerase II beta-binding protein 1 (TopBP1) functions in DNA replication, DNA damage response, and cell survival. We analyzed the role of TopBP1 in human and bovine papillomavirus genome replication. Consistent with prior reports, TopBP1 co-localized in discrete nuclear foci and was in complex with papillomavirus E2 protein. Similar to E2, TopBP1 is recruited to the region of the viral origin of replication during G1/S and early S phase. TopBP1 knockdown increased, while over-expression decreased transient virus replication, without affecting cell cycle. Similarly, using cell lines harboring HPV-16 or HPV-31 genome, TopBP1 knockdown increased while over-expression reduced viral copy number relative to genomic DNA. We propose a model in which TopBP1 serves dual roles in viral replication: it is essential for initiation of replication yet it restricts viral copy number