How the Kano model contributes to Kansei engineering in services

Recent studies show that products and services hold great appeal if they are attractively designed to elicit emotional feelings from customers. Kansei engineering (KE) has good potential to provide a competitive advantage to those able to read and translate customer affect and emotion in actual product and services. This study introduces an integrative framework of the Kano model and KE, applied to services. The Kano model was used and inserted into KE to exhibit the relationship between service attribute performance and customer emotional response. Essentially, the Kano model categorises service attribute quality into three major groups (must-be [M], one-dimensional [O] and attractive [A]). The findings of a case study that involved 100 tourists who stayed in luxury 4- and 5-star hotels are presented. As a practical matter, this research provides insight on which service attributes deserve more attention with regard to their significant impact on customer emotional needs. Statement of Relevance: Apart from cognitive evaluation, emotions and hedonism play a big role in service encounters. Through a focus on delighting qualities of service attributes, this research enables service providers and managers to establish the extent to which they prioritise their improvement efforts and to always satisfy their customer emotions beyond expectation. Keywords: Kansei engineering, emotional feelings, Kano model, service

Resummation of mass terms in perturbative massless quantum field theory

The neutral massless scalar quantum field $\Phi$ in four-dimensional space-time is considered, which is subject to a simple bilinear self-interaction. Is is well-known from renormalization theory that adding a term of the form $-\frac{m^2}{2} \Phi^2$ to the Lagrangean has the formal effect of shifting the particle mass from the original zero value to m after resummation of all two-leg insertions in the Feynman graphs appearing in the perturbative expansion of the S-matrix. However, this resummation is accompanied by some subtleties if done in a proper mathematical manner. Although the model seems to be almost trivial, is shows many interesting features which are useful for the understanding of the convergence behavior of perturbation theory in general. Some important facts in connection with the basic principles of quantum field theory and distribution theory are highlighted, and a remark is made on possible generalizations of the distribution spaces used in local quantum field theory. A short discussion how one can view the spontaneous breakdown of gauge symmetry in massive gauge theories within a massless framework is presented.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX (style files included), one section adde

Extensive Karyotype Reorganization in the Fish Gymnotus arapaima (Gymnotiformes, Gymnotidae) Highlighted by Zoo-FISH Analysis.

The genus Gymnotus (Gymnotiformes) contains over 40 species of freshwater electric fishes exhibiting a wide distribution throughout Central and South America, and being particularly prevalent in the Amazon basin. Cytogenetics has been an important tool in the cytotaxonomy and elucidation of evolutionary processes in this genus, including the unraveling the variety of diploid chromosome number (2n = from 34 to 54), the high karyotype diversity among species with a shared diploid number, different sex chromosome systems, and variation in the distribution of several Repetitive DNAs and colocation and association between those sequences. Recently whole chromosome painting (WCP) has been used for tracking the chromosomal evolution of the genus, showing highly reorganized karyotypes and the conserved synteny of the NOR bearing par within the clade G. carapo. In this study, painting probes derived from the chromosomes of G. carapo (GCA, 2n = 42, 30 m/sm + 12 st/a) were hybridized to the mitotic metaphases of G. arapaima (GAR, 2n = 44, 24 m/sm + 20 st/a). Our results uncovered chromosomal rearrangements and a high number of repetitive DNA regions. From the 12 chromosome pairs of G. carapo that can be individually differentiated (GCA1-3, 6, 7, 9, 14, 16, and 18-21), six pairs (GCA 1, 9, 14, 18, 20, 21) show conserved homology with GAR, five pairs (GCA 1, 9, 14, 20, 21) are also shared with cryptic species G. carapo 2n = 40 (34 m/sm + 6 st/a) and only the NOR bearing pair (GCA 20) is shared with G. capanema (GCP 2n = 34, 20 m/sm + 14 st/a). The remaining chromosomes are reorganized in the karyotype of GAR. Despite the close phylogenetic relationships of these species, our chromosome painting studies demonstrate an extensive reorganization of their karyotypes

Multiple rearrangements in cryptic species of electric knifefish, Gymnotus carapo (Gymnotidae, Gymnotiformes) revealed by chromosome painting.

BACKGROUND: Gymnotus (Gymnotidae, Gymnotiformes) is the Neotropical electric fish genus with the largest geographic distribution and the largest number of species, 33 of which have been validated. The diploid number varies from 2n = 39-40 to 2n = 54. Recently we studied the karyotype of morphologically indistinguishable samples from five populations of G. carapo sensu stricto from the Eastern Amazon of Brazil. We found two cytotypes, 2n = 42 (30 M/SM + 12 ST/A) and 2n = 40 (34 M/SM + 6 ST/A) and we concluded that the differences between the two cryptic species are due to pericentric inversions and one tandem fusion. RESULTS: In this study we use for the first time, whole chromosome probes prepared by FACS of the Gymnotus carapo sensu strictu species, cytotype with 2n = 42. Using two color hybridizations we were able to distinguish pairs 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20 and 21. It was not possible to separate by FACS and distinguish each of the following chromosome pairs even with dual color FISH: {4,8}; {10,11}; {5,6,17}; {12,13,15}. The FISH probes were then used in chromosome painting experiments on metaphases of the 2n = 40 cytotype. While some chromosomes show conserved synteny, others are rearranged in different chromosomes. Eight syntenic associations were found. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the karyotype differences between these cryptic species are greater than assumed by classical cytogenetics. These data reinforce the previous supposition that these two cytotypes are different species, despite the absence of morphological differences. Additionally, the homology of repetitive DNA between the two provides evidence of recent speciation.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Simulations of energetic beam deposition: from picoseconds to seconds

We present a new method for simulating crystal growth by energetic beam deposition. The method combines a Kinetic Monte-Carlo simulation for the thermal surface diffusion with a small scale molecular dynamics simulation of every single deposition event. We have implemented the method using the effective medium theory as a model potential for the atomic interactions, and present simulations for Ag/Ag(111) and Pt/Pt(111) for incoming energies up to 35 eV. The method is capable of following the growth of several monolayers at realistic growth rates of 1 monolayer per second, correctly accounting for both energy-induced atomic mobility and thermal surface diffusion. We find that the energy influences island and step densities and can induce layer-by-layer growth. We find an optimal energy for layer-by-layer growth (25 eV for Ag), which correlates with where the net impact-induced downward interlayer transport is at a maximum. A high step density is needed for energy induced layer-by-layer growth, hence the effect dies away at increased temperatures, where thermal surface diffusion reduces the step density. As part of the development of the method, we present molecular dynamics simulations of single atom-surface collisions on flat parts of the surface and near straight steps, we identify microscopic mechanisms by which the energy influences the growth, and we discuss the nature of the energy-induced atomic mobility

Kansei engineering as a tool for the design of in-vehicle rubber keypads

Manufacturers are currently adopting a consumer-centered philosophy which poses the challenge of developing differentiating products in a context of constant innovation and competitiveness. To merge both function and experience in a product, it is necessary to understand customers’ experience when interacting with interfaces. This paper describes the use of Kansei methodology as a tool to evaluate the subjective perception of rubber keypads. Participants evaluated eleven rubber keys with different values of force, stroke and snap ratio, according to seven Kansei words ranging from “pleasantness” to “click- iness”. Evaluation data was collected using the semantic differential technique and compared with data from the physical properties of the keys. Kansei proved to be a robust method to evaluate the qualitative traits of products, and a new physical parameter for the tactile feel of “clickiness” is suggested, having obtained better results than the commonly used Snap Ratio. It was possible to establish very strong relations between Kansei words and all physical properties. This approach will result in guidance to the industry for the design of in-vehicle rubber keypads with user-centered concerns.Projecto HMIExcel - I&D crítica em torno do ciclo de desenvolvimento e produção de soluções multimedia avançadas para automovel/Critical R&D no enquadramento do ciclo de desenvolvimento e produção de soluções multimédia avançadas para automóvel (AICEP-PIN-HMIEXCEL)

A Note on Superdistributions and Wavefront Set

We present a simple and new method of constructing superdistributions on superspace over a Grassmann-Banach algebra, which close to the de Rham's ``currents'' defined as dual objects to differential forms. The paper also contains the extension of the H\"ormander's description of the singularity structure (wavefront set) of a distribution to include the supersymmetric case.Comment: Version to appear in International Journal of Theoretical Physic

Supercoherent States, Super K\"ahler Geometry and Geometric Quantization

Generalized coherent states provide a means of connecting square integrable representations of a semi-simple Lie group with the symplectic geometry of some of its homogeneous spaces. In the first part of the present work this point of view is extended to the supersymmetric context, through the study of the OSp(2/2) coherent states. These are explicitly constructed starting from the known abstract typical and atypical representations of osp(2/2). Their underlying geometries turn out to be those of supersymplectic OSp(2/2) homogeneous spaces. Moment maps identifying the latter with coadjoint orbits of OSp(2/2) are exhibited via Berezin's symbols. When considered within Rothstein's general paradigm, these results lead to a natural general definition of a super K\"ahler supermanifold, the supergeometry of which is determined in terms of the usual geometry of holomorphic Hermitian vector bundles over K\"ahler manifolds. In particular, the supergeometry of the above orbits is interpreted in terms of the geometry of Einstein-Hermitian vector bundles. In the second part, an extension of the full geometric quantization procedure is applied to the same coadjoint orbits. Thanks to the super K\"ahler character of the latter, this procedure leads to explicit super unitary irreducible representations of OSp(2/2) in super Hilbert spaces of $L^2$ superholomorphic sections of prequantum bundles of the Kostant type. This work lays the foundations of a program aimed at classifying Lie supergroups' coadjoint orbits and their associated irreducible representations, ultimately leading to harmonic superanalysis. For this purpose a set of consistent conventions is exhibited.Comment: 53 pages, AMS-LaTeX (or LaTeX+AMSfonts

User Evaluation of Neonatology Ward Design: An Application of Focus Group and Semantic Differential

[EN] Objective: The object of this article is to identify the set of affective and emotional factors behind users assessments of a space in a neonatology unit and to propose design guidelines based on these. Background: The importance of the neonatology service and the variety of users place great demands on the space at all levels. Despite the repercussions, the emotional aspects of the environment have received less attention. Methods: To avoid incurring limitations in the user mental scheme, this study uses two complementary methodologies: focus group and semantic differential. The (qualitative) focus group methodology provides exploratory information and concepts. The (quantitative) semantic differential methodology then uses these concepts to extract the conceptual structures that users employ in their assessment of the space. Of the total 175 subjects, 31 took part in focus groups and 144 in semantic differential. Results: Five independent concepts were identified: privacy, functionality and professional nature, spaciousness, lighting, and cleanliness. In relation to the importance of the overall positive assessment of the space, the perception of privacy and sensations of dominance and pleasure are fundamental. Six relevant design aspects were also identified: provide spacious surroundings, facilitate sufficient separation between the different posts or cots, use different colors from those usually found in health-care centers, as some aversion was found to white and especially green, design areas with childhood themes, use warm artificial light, and choose user-friendly equipment. Conclusions: Results provide design recommendations of interest and show the possibilities offered by combining both systems to analyze user response.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Spain (Project TIN2013-45736-R).Higuera-Trujillo, JL.; Montañana I Aviñó, A.; Llinares Millán, MDC. (2017). User Evaluation of Neonatology Ward Design: An Application of Focus Group and Semantic Differential. HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal. 10(2):23-48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586716641275S234810

Chromosome evolution in lophyohylini (amphibia, anura, hylinae)

The hyline tribe Lophyohylini includes 87 species of treefrogs, of which cytogenetics aspects have been studied in less than 20% of them. In order to evaluate the evolution of some of its chromosome characters (NOR position, C-bands, and DAPI/CMA3 bands), we studied the karyotypes of 21 lophyohylines, 16 of them for the first time, and analyzed them in a phylogenetic context. Most species showed similar karyotypes regarding chromosome number (2n = 24) and morphology (FN = 48), excepting Phyllodytes edelmoi and Osteocephalus buckleyi with 2n = 22 (FN = 44) and 2n = 28 (FN = 50), respectively. The NOR location was variable among species and provided valuable phylogenetic information. This marker was located in pair 11 in all species of Trachycephalus, Itapotihyla langsdorffii, and Nyctimantis arapapa, representing the plesiomorphic condition of Lophyohylini. Besides, other apomorphic states were recovered for the clades comprising N. rugiceps and N. siemersi (NOR in pair 5), and Dryaderces pearsoni, Osteocephalus, and Osteopilus (NOR in pair 9). Phyllodytes presented variation for NORs position; they were in pair 2 in P. edelmoi, pair 7 in P. melanomystax, and pair 8 in P. gyrinaethes and P. praeceptor. Polymorphisms in size, number, and activity of this marker were observed for N. siemersi, Osteocephalus fuscifacies, and some species of Trachycephalus. Remarkably, in N. siemersi NORs were detected on a single chromosome in the two specimens studied by this technique, raising the question of how this complex polymorphism is maintained. Interstitial telomeric sequences were found in P. edelmoi,P. melanomystax, and Osteocephalus buckleyi, and their presence seems to be not related to the chromosome reorganization events. Finally, some species showed spontaneous rearrangements, possibly as a consequence of an uncommon phenomenon in anuran cytogenetics: the presence of fragile sites or secondary constrictions not associated with NORs. We propose that this rare feature would have played an important role in the evolution of this group of frogs. From the evidence obtained in this and previous studies, we conclude that Lophyohylini presents a complex chromosome evolution.Fil: Suarez, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Ferro, Juan Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Nagamachi, Cleusa Y.. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Cardozo, Dario Elbio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Blasco zuñiga, Ailin. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; EcuadorFil: Silva, Jéssica B.. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Marciano Jr, Euvaldo. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Costa, Marco A.. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Orrico, Victor G.D.. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Solé, Mirco. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Roberto, Igor J.. Universidad Federal del Amazonas.; BrasilFil: Rivera, Miryan. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; EcuadorFil: Wiley, John E.. University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Faivovich, Julián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Baldo, Juan Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Pieczarka, Julio. Universidade Federal do Pará; Brasi