Reframing the value of virtual prototyping: Intermediary virtual prototyping - the evolving approach of virtual environments based virtual prototyping in the context of new product development and low volume production

This thesis studies how the evolving approach of virtual environments-based virtual prototyping can be evaluated in the context of product design and development in the manufacturing industry. The entry point for this research is the relatively long experience in applied research in virtual prototyping with industry. As the virtual prototyping technology has become more mature, the focus of research and development has extended from technology demonstrations towards utilization in product design and development processes. However, lack of scientific and practical knowledge of real benefits and the value of virtual prototyping has seemed to be a deterrent to its wider adoption of industry. The aim of this thesis is by means of scientific research to increase the knowledge of the value contribution of virtual prototyping as well as its impacts in a practical industrial context.This problem was approached from the science base by formulating an expanded theory framework for value modelling, and from the problem base by an empirical case study in one manufacturing company. The research approach was constructive and exploratory.The research results consist of three types of knowledge. Firstly, the scientific theoretical foundation was elaborated for initiating value modelling of virtual prototyping and virtual environments. Secondly, new knowledge on the value of virtual prototyping within new product development was created in an industrial case study. Finally, knowledge on how virtual prototyping (VP) impacts the company was reported. The impact was discussed in the dimensions of process, social and technological implications.This research contributed to engineering design science by conceptualizing virtual prototyping in the context of product design and development expanding to the dimensions of human factors and management theory. Thus, the contribution is also manifested by constructing the expanded theory framework for virtual prototyping value modelling in four dimensions with causal justification from virtual reality technology to business value elements which led to the new concept of Intermediary Virtual Prototyping (IVP). The discussed concept of IVP underscores the many layers from technical advantages of virtual reality to the expanded mediating object of product development activity system.The discussion was carried on from the perspective of a partially configurable products and manual work-intensive variant production mode. This perspective is novel compared to the majority of virtual prototyping and virtual environments literature. It is proposed that IVP is particularly beneficial in this context, where human skills and knowledge contribute to the flexibility of production system.IVP should be considered as a strategic investment that will produce income in the long run. IVP contributes to the co-creation and variant production paradigms by involving human creativity at an early product design and development phase, thus increasing flexibility. IVP creates value in use, but in turn it impacts the company in all the four dimensions mentioned

PENGARUH NEGARA ASAL , PENGETAHUAN PRODUK DAN ETNOSENTRISME PADA NIAT BELI KONSUMEN

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mencari tahu ada atau tidak alasan seseorang berniat membeli produk sepatu lokal karena alasan negara asal produk (country of origin), pengetahuan produk, dan sikap etnosentrisme yang dimiliki konsumen. Penelitian ini membatasi studi hanya konsumen yang memiliki pengetahuan dan pengalaman menggunakan sepatu lokal buatan asli Indonesia. Data yang dikumpulkan pada penelitian ini melalui kuesioner yang diberikan kepada responden. Sampel terdiri dari 429 orang menggunakan metode nonprobability sampling dengan teknik purposive sampling. Penelitian ini menggunakan analisis SEM-PLS untuk menguji hubungan antar variabel. Berdasarkan dari hasil analisis SEM didapati bahwa etnosentrisme berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap country of origin, etnosentrisme berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap niat beli, pengetahuan produk berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap country of origin, pengetahuan produk berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap niat beli, enosentrisme berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap pengetahuan produk, country of origin berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap niat beli. Dalam penelitian ini peneliti harus mencari responden dari kalangan yang sudah memiliki banyak pengetahuan, dan memiliki rasa nasionalisme, cinta tanah air agar bisa memahami maksud dari penelitian ini

Common Inflammation-Related Candidate Gene Variants and Acute Kidney Injury in 2647 Critically Ill Finnish Patients

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome with high incidence among the critically ill. Because the clinical variables and currently used biomarkers have failed to predict the individual susceptibility to AKI, candidate gene variants for the trait have been studied. Studies about genetic predisposition to AKI have been mainly underpowered and of moderate quality. We report the association study of 27 genetic variants in a cohort of Finnish critically ill patients, focusing on the replication of associations detected with variants in genes related to inflammation, cell survival, or circulation. In this prospective, observational Finnish Acute Kidney Injury (FINNAKI) study, 2647 patients without chronic kidney disease were genotyped. We defined AKI according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. We compared severe AKI (Stages 2 and 3, n = 625) to controls (Stage 0, n = 1582). For genotyping we used iPLEX(TM) Assay (Agena Bioscience). We performed the association analyses with PLINK software, using an additive genetic model in logistic regression. Despite the numerous, although contradictory, studies about association between polymorphisms rs1800629 in TNFA and rs1800896 in IL10 and AKI, we found no association (odds ratios 1.06 (95% CI 0.89-1.28, p = 0.51) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.80-1.05, p = 0.20), respectively). Adjusting for confounders did not change the results. To conclude, we could not confirm the associations reported in previous studies in a cohort of critically ill patients.Peer reviewe

Heme oxygenase-1 repeat polymorphism in septic acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome that frequently affects the critically ill. Recently, an increased number of dinucleotide repeats in the HMOX1 gene were reported to associate with development of AKI in cardiac surgery. We aimed to test the replicability of this finding in a Finnish cohort of critically ill septic patients. This multicenter study was part of the national FINNAKI study. We genotyped 300 patients with severe AKI (KDIGO 2 or 3) and 353 controls without AKI (KDIGO 0) for the guanine-thymine (GTn) repeat in the promoter region of the HMOX1 gene. The allele calling was based on the number of repeats, the cut off being 27 repeats in the S-L (short to long) classification, and 27 and 34 repeats for the S-M-L2 (short to medium to very long) classification. The plasma concentrations of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) enzyme were measured on admission. The allele distribution in our patients was similar to that published previously, with peaks at 23 and 30 repeats. The S-allele increases AKI risk. An adjusted OR was 1.30 for each S-allele in an additive genetic model (95% CI 1.01-1.66; p = 0.041). Alleles with a repeat number greater than 34 were significantly associated with lower HO-1 concentration (p<0.001). In septic patients, we report an association between a short repeat in HMOX1 and AKI risk