Human emotional response to energy visualisations

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Past research has found that frequent energy usage feedback is an important factor in reducing home energy consumption, and that the sensory appeal and cognitive relevance of the feedback are key components of user engagement with energy systems. The visual design of the information interface is important not just due to its role in communicating data of cognitive relevance, but also because the choice of information type and format is important towards achieving interactive Hebbian learning. The objective of the current research study was to investigate the possible effect of image format on the human emotional response to scenes of energy systems, and to evaluate whether any gender related differences in emotional response occurred. An automated PC-based test was developed which utilised five visual image formats (Optical Gray-Scale, Optical Coloured, Optical Augmented, Infrared Gray-Scale and Infrared Blue-Red) and nine home energy scenes (hot water boiler, radiator, water faucet, kitchen oven, tea kettle, toaster, electrical connector, laptop computer and tea mug). The emotional response of the participant was measured in the automated test by means of a Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) which provided symbolic graphical representations of the human body under various degrees of emotional response, and associated Likert format rating scales for the valence and activation level of the emotional response. Comparison of the results obtained for the different visual scenes suggests that the greatest level of human emotional activation was achieved by the Infrared Blue-Red (thermal image) format, and that, generally, coloured images provided higher levels of emotional activation than gray-scale images. The increased activation achieved by the infrared images suggests attention capturing potential due to novelty, or due to the direct link to heat and energy, or both. Significant differences in emotional response (both activation and valence) were found to occur as a function of gender. The current results provide first guidance which a designer can use when choosing image spectrum and colours to represent energy systems on the displays of thermostats, smart meters and the energy devices. Relevance to industry - The current results provide first guidance which a designer can use when choosing image spectrum and colours to represent energy systems on the displays of thermostats, smart meters and the energy devices. Such design guidance is currently lacking internationally but is of increasing importance due to the expansion of digital devices, internet services and the upcoming internet-of-things

Homogeneous ruthenium catalysts for the transformation of perfluorinated building blocks

none4Commercially available homogeneous ruthenium catalysts are useful tools for the transformation of enviromentally compatible perfluorinated building blocks. This paper presents examples of reactions that make use of three different ruthenium complexes: the ruthenium(II) tri-chelated complex carbonylchlorohydrido[bis(2-(diphenylphosphinoethyl)amino]ruthenium(II) (a commercial catalyst known as Ru-MACHO), [RuClH(CO)(PPh3)3] and 2nd generation Grubbs’ catalyst CatMETium_RF3mixedDario Lazzari; Maria Cristina Cassani; Maurizio Bertola; Roberto RossatoDario Lazzari; Maria Cristina Cassani; Maurizio Bertola; Roberto Rossat

Homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of perfluoro methyl esters

The first example of perfluoroalkyl methyl ester RfC(O)OMe (Rf = C3F7, C5F11) reduction by homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation with the ruthenium catalyst Ru-MACHOTM is herein reported. The hydrogenation process leads to the corresponding perfluorinated alcohols thus replacing sodium borohydride that has so far represented the state of art in perfluoro ester reduction

A myth debunked. The Porosphaera globularis beads and their relation to the onset of symbolic thinking in prehistory

International audienceAbstract Because of their inherent symbolic significance, personal ornaments gained a key role in the scientific debate regarding the emergence and evolution of symbolic behaviour; the presumed Acheulean beads discovered in the nineteenth century in northern Europe’s sites are considered crucial evidence of this. The fossils of the sponge Porosphaera globularis , because of their morphological characteristics, have been interpreted by some archaeologists as the starting point of this evolutionary path. In this work, the largest collection of Porosphaera globularis specimens is analysed, after remaining unpublished to this day. This was originally found in the French site of Saint-Acheul and preserved at the Civic Museums of Modena. An integrated analysis was carried out to understand whether these fossils were indeed used as beads; results revealed that they were actually not used as ornaments. This suggests the importance of finding strong arguments and evidence to support theories about the development of cognitive abilities in the genus Homo

Fluoroalkylsilanes with Embedded Functional Groups as Building Blocks for Environmentally Safer Self-Assembled Monolayers

The fabrication of silane-based fluorinated self-assembled monolayers (FSAMs) on indium tin oxide (ITO, a transparent electrode) was carried out making use of the following fluoroalkylsilanes (FAS): 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6-undecafluoro-N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]hexanamide (1; RF = C5F11) and 1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,4-nonafluoro-N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]butane-1-sulfonamide (2; RF = C4F9), containing an embedded amide and a sulfonamide group, respectively, between the short perfluoroalkyl chain (RF with C < 6) and the syloxanic moiety. The obtained FSAM-modified/ITO systems were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle (CA), surface energy measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and compared to ITO modified with a 3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-tridecafluorooctyltriethoxysilane (3; RF = C6F13), with the perfluoroalkyl group linked to the syloxanic moiety through a simple hydrocarbon chain. The results obtained show that the presence of the 12NHCO\u2013 and 12NHSO2\u2013 groups have a different mode of action and, with the former, despite the short perfluoroalkyl chain, the ITO\u20131 system presents a CA (\u398water = 113.5\ub0) and surface energy (\u3b3l = 14.0 mJ m\u20132) typical of amphiphobic materials. These properties can be exploited in a variety of applications, such as self-cleaning, anti-fouling, and anti-fingerprint coatings, and in advanced microelectronic components