Technology Epiphany and an Integrated Product and Service

This study aims at exploring how an integrated product and service contributes to achieving Innovation of Meaning (IoM) or technology epiphany. Existing IoM studies have focused on intended meaning (as defined in new product development) and ignored the received meaning that users reconstruct. The process by which a user assigns meaning to things can not only be static but also dynamic. This study focuses on integrated products and contexts offered by services and analyses the case of Japan’s largest manufacturer of ankle-foot orthoses. The results show that the service guides the users to reconstruct the meaning in dynamic cognitive processes and use the metaphors that contribute to the consistency between products and services

Development of Simulated Remote Monitoring and Operation System under Unstable Electric Power Supply

In this study, a simulated remote monitoring and operation system was developed for an assumed remote area energy plant in a developing country with few skilled operators and unstable electric power supply. It is useful for skilled operators to be able to monitor and operate the energy system from a remote site. Moreover, low-power equipment is required for the Web server in order to reduce the electric power consumption of the remote monitoring system. The system has the function of remote monitoring of data obtained from sensors through a programmable logic controller (PLC), while the monitoring function is realized by a Web application. The PLC can be operated from a remote monitoring site. The simulated remote monitoring and operation system was constructed using an Internet connection and a virtual private network (VPN) connection. The Internet connection was used for open monitoring of acquired data by the public. The VPN was used for secure remote operation of the device on the plant side from a monitoring PC. The effectiveness of the developed system was conï¬rmed though experiments with a simple simulated plant

Perceived Function: An Investigation into a Product Advantage between Aesthetics and Function

This study involved an empirical comparison of product competitiveness driven by aesthetic and technological innovations in a mature market. This study began with a theoretical idea that users may perceive and evaluate technology development through the visible form of a product. Statistical analyses of user reviews of digital cameras showed that the impact of technology development on competitiveness was greater than that of aesthetic changes. The results demonstrated that users did not leverage product appearance for the recognition of technology development. Moreover, the findings show that specification information had a greater influence on product advantage when users did not visually perceive technological improvement. These results may indicate that manufacturers have not yet fully exploited product design for maximising product advantage in the mature market

Effect of Tetramethylammonium on the Adrenal Medullary Secretion in the Dog

In dogs anesthetized with Evipan-sodium, the adrenal venous blood was collected by the lumbar route method and was estimated chemically for adrenaline. Tetramethylammonium (TMA) injected in a dose of 1.0 mg per kg induced invariably the augmentation of adrenaline secretion of the adrenal gland with intact innervation as well as of the acutely denervated one. From the former the maximal secretion rate was measured on the average as 1.6 μg per kg per min. and from the latter as 1.1 μg. It is concluded that TMA induces an augmentation of adrenaline secretion chiefly by acting directly on the adrenal medulla. Adrenaline-secretory action of TMA was found to be about three times as strong as that of acetylcholine (ACh). Repeated TMA injections at five-minute intervals were made. The adrenaline secretion rate increased after each injection. Continuous infusion of TMA produced at first an increase in adrenaline secretion. During infusion the secretion rate decreased gradually

AutoRhythmGuitar: Computer-aided Composition for Rhythm Guitar in the Tab Space

(Abstract to follow

Similarity in Sequential Bilateral Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip

CASE: Three middle-aged men with habitual drinking developed unilateral hip pain and were referred for osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Radiographs showed osteopenia, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse bone marrow edema (BME). After several months, the patients' symptoms resolved and radiographic images normalized. More than 6 months later, the contralateral side showed the same clinical course. CONCLUSION: Transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH) resembles ONFH but heals spontaneously. We report 3 rare cases of sequential TOH, similar in that they occurred in middle-aged male habitual drinkers at risk for ONFH, characterized by diffuse BME on MRI and radiographic resolution