406 research outputs found
Customer perception of switch-feel in luxury sports utility vehicles
Successful new product introduction requires that product characteristics relate to the customer on functional, emotional, aesthetic and cultural levels. As a part of research into automotive human machine interfaces (HMI), this paper describes holistic customer research carried out to investigate how the haptics of switches in luxury sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are perceived by customers. The application of these techniques, including an initial proposal for objective specifications, is addressed within the broader new product introduction context, and benefits described.
One-hundred and one customers of SUVs assessed the feel of automotive push switches, completing the tasks both in, and out of vehicles to investigate the effect of context. Using the semantic differential technique, hedonic testing, and content analysis of customers’ verbatim comments, a holistic picture has been built up of what influences the haptic experience. It was found that customers were able to partially discriminate differences in switch-feel, alongside considerations of visual appearance, image, and usability. Three factors named ‘Affective’, ‘Robustness and Precision’, and ‘Silkiness’ explained 61% of the variance in a principle components analysis. Correlations of the factors with acceptance scores were 0.505, 0.371, and 0.168, respectively
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Plantations without Pillars: Archaeology, Wealth and Material Life at Bush Hill
Cross-cultural differences in automotive HMI design : a comparative study between UK and Indian users’ design preferences
This paper presents a research study examining the importance of understanding automotive users’ cultural values and their individual preferences for human machine interface (HMI) design features and functionalities. The goal of this research was to explore how a cultural model can be applied in the development of automotive HMI solutions and future design localization. To meet this goal, it was necessary to (a) identify the characteristics of the Hofstede cultural model, (b) identify the differences in cultural values using the model, and (c) identify regional differences in HMI design needs and preferences across drivers from India and the UK. The results highlighted differences in expectations for HMI systems between the groups, suggesting an influence of culture on the perception of vehicle user interface technology. This led to the conclusion that an understanding of cultural biases can influence design localization and support development strategies. In addition, two main categories of further research have arisen as a result of this project. The first category focuses on identifying methodologies to establish relationships between culture and regional drivers’ HMI design preferences. The second category comprises new research questions on tools and processes to deal with cultural influences
How data visualisation using historical medical journals can contribute to current debates around antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance in primary care
BackgroundThe early years of antibiotic use in primary care (c1950-1969) has received little attention. Medical journals provide a rich source for studying historic healthcare practitioners’ views and interests, with the potential to inform contemporary debate around issues of overuse and antimicrobial resistance. AimsPilot study to test the application of digital methods to interrogate historical medical journal data in relation to antibiotic use.Methods / ApproachMeta-data and scanned articles were extracted from the online British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) archive from inception (1953) to 1969. Searchable text was generated using an application called ABBYY optical character recognition, and Python used to generate data visualisations exploring (1) how BJGP changed during the period, (2) mentions of terms ‘antibiotic(s)’, ‘penicillin’, ‘resistance/resistant’ and mapping when and where they occurred.Results / EvaluationFrom 1953-1969, BJGP expanded in terms of number of annual issues (4 to 17) and annual pages (<25 to >1100). Heatmap visualisations were used to facilitate understanding of the frequency with which use of the term ‘antibiotic(s)’ occurred. By 1969 an article mentioning ‘antibiotic(s)’ was published monthly. Bigram searches found ‘treatment’ and ‘therapy’ to be the two most common terms that appeared with ‘antibiotic(s)’. The fourth and seventh most common terms were ‘resistant’ (first appearing in 1955) and ‘resistance’ (1962).ConclusionsThis pilot work shows that primary care publications increased considerably between 1953-1969. Articles on antibiotics featured frequently in relation to therapeutic intervention, and concerns around resistance occurred at an early stage. This approach provides new insights into how attitudes and behaviours around antibiotic use by primary care have evolved over time. It may also have the potential to inform study of the future use of antibiotics in primary care. <br/
OH yields from the CH3CO+O-2 reaction using an internal standard
Laser flash photolysis of CH3C(O)OH at 248 nm was used to create equal zero time yields of CH3CO and OH. The absolute OH yield from the CH3CO + O2 (+M) reaction was determined by following the OH temporal profile using the zero time
OH concentration as an internal standard. The OH yield from CH3CO + O2 (+M) was observed to decrease with increasing pressure with an extrapolated zero pressure yield
close to unity (1.1 ± 0.2, quoted uncertainties correspond to 95% confidence limits). The results are in quantitative agreement with those obtained from 248 nm acetone
photolysis in the presence of O2
High-Density Targeting of a Viral Multifunctional Nanoplatform to a Pathogenic, Biofilm-Forming Bacterium
SummaryNanomedicine directed at diagnosis and treatment of infections can benefit from innovations that have substantially increased the variety of available multifunctional nanoplatforms. Here, we targeted a spherical, icosahedral viral nanoplatform to a pathogenic, biofilm-forming bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus. Density of binding mediated through specific protein-ligand interactions exceeded the density expected for a planar, hexagonally close-packed array. A multifunctionalized viral protein cage was used to load imaging agents (fluorophore and MRI contrast agent) onto cells. The fluorescence-imaging capability allowed for direct observation of penetration of the nanoplatform into an S. aureus biofilm. These results demonstrate that multifunctional nanoplatforms based on protein cage architectures have significant potential as tools for both diagnosis and targeted treatment of recalcitrant bacterial infections
A Widely-Separated, Highly-Occluded Companion to the Nearby Low-Mass T Tauri Star TWA 30
We report the discovery of TWA 30B, a wide (~3400 AU), co-moving M dwarf
companion to the nearby (~42 pc) young star TWA 30. Companionship is confirmed
from their statistically consistent proper motions and radial velocities, as
well as a chance alignment probability of only 0.08%. Like TWA 30A, the
spectrum of TWA 30B shows signatures of an actively accreting disk (H I and
alkali line emission) and forbidden emission lines tracing outflowing material
([O I], [O II], [O III], [S II], and [N II]). We have also detected [C I]
emission in the optical data, marking the first such detection of this line in
a pre-main sequence star. Negligible radial velocity shifts in the emission
lines relative to the stellar frame of rest (Delta V < 30 km/s) indicate that
the outflows are viewed in the plane of the sky and that the corresponding
circumstellar disk is viewed edge-on. Indeed, TWA 30B appears to be heavily
obscured by its disk, given that it is 5 magnitudes fainter than TWA 30A at
K-band despite having a slightly earlier spectral type (M4 versus M5). The
near-infrared spectrum of TWA 30B also evinces an excess that varies on day
timescales, with colors that follow classical T Tauri tracks as opposed to
variable reddening (as is the case for TWA 30A). Multi-epoch data show this
excess to be well-modeled by a blackbody component with temperatures ranging
from 630 to 880 K and emitting areas that scale inversely with the temperature.
The variable excess may arise from disk structure such as a rim or a warp at
the inner disk edge located at a radial distance of ~3-5 R_sun. As the second
and third closest actively accreting and outflowing stars to the Sun (after TWA
3), TWA 30AB presents an ideal system for detailed study of star and planetary
formation processes at the low-mass end of the hydrogen-burning spectrum.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures, AJ in press; Replaced Figure 4 with a better
color version, added 3 references and slightly amended Section 3.2.
The Enigmatic Young Low-Mass Variable TWA 30
TWA 30 is a remarkable young (7+/-3 Myr), low-mass (0.12+/-0.04 Msun),
late-type star (M5+/-1) residing 42+/-2 pc away from the sun in the TW Hydrae
Association. It shows strong outflow spectral signatures such as [S II], [O I],
[O II], [O III], and Mg I], while exhibiting weak Halpha emission (-6.8+/-1.2
Angstroms). Emission lines of [S II] and [O I] are common to T Tauri stars
still residing in their natal molecular clouds, while [O III] and Mg I]
emission lines are incredibly rare in this same population; in the case of TWA
30, these latter lines may arise from new outflow material colliding into older
outflow fronts. The weak Halpha emission and small radial velocity shifts of
line emission relative to the stellar frame of rest (generally <=10 km/s)
suggest that the disk is viewed close to edge-on and that the stellar axis may
be inclined to the disk, similar to the AA Tau system, based on its temporal
changes in emission/absorption line strengths/profiles and variable reddening
(A_V=1.5-9.0). The strong Li absorption (0.61+/-0.13 Angstroms) and common
kinematics with members of the TWA confirm its age and membership to the
association. Given the properties of this system such as its proximity, low
mass, remarkable outflow signatures, variability, and edge-on configuration,
this system is a unique case study at a critical time in disk evolution and
planet-building processes.Comment: ApJ in press, 51 pages, 8 tables, 12 figures; converted to preprint
style since emulateapj version cut off Tables 4-
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