Attitudinal perception of cosmetic wear and damage of materials within the use phase of portable electronic products

During the use phase of products, a series of obsolescing factors contribute to why a product is disposed of. Currently the visual state of a product is considered primarily in terms of aesthetic obsolescence which is synonymous with influential factors such as changes in fashion or personal preferences in style. The physical condition of a product is not commonly understood within the context of product replacement and the physical changes due to use are not understood fully. The research contributes to and provides original empirical research findings for the current literature on product lifetime extension, material semantics, the circular economy, emotionally durable design and material culture. Through an initial exploratory study (Photographic Analysis (PA) Study) of previously unexplained types of wear and damage that occur on portable electronic devices a taxonomy of damage (TOD) was established which provided the nomenclature for further studies. The second study (Retrospective Assessment (RA) Study) established the attitudes to wear based on the wear type, location, material and the stage during ownership that the wear occurred at. The RA Study highlighted the differences in the attitudinal responses to differing types of wear and damage and identified the differences in the temporal assessments of wear and damage. A third study (Real Time Assessment (RTA) Study) aimed to confirm or repudiate the findings found in the RA Study. The focus during the study was attitudes to the wear and damage in relation to the differences in materials, the location of the wear and the type of wear and damage was also looked at and led to a fuller understanding of how products and materials are perceived during the use phase; a stage of the product lifetime that is not currently well understood in terms of users aesthetic or cosmetic sensibilities. The final study (Semantic Perception of Materials (SPM) Study) focused on the visual and tactile perceptions of materials. The study established attitudinal perceptions of wear and damage of materials with a quantitative research methodology which has produced a better understanding of material semantics within the context of electronic objects. Through the four studies, discussion topics arose and major findings of the doctoral study were drawn out and seen to be interesting enough for further research and study. These discussions include the importance of including cosmetic obsolescence into the lexicon of product obsolescence and product lifetime extension literature, the differences in the perceptions of materials when they are within the context of a product or being assessed as samples, how differing product contexts affect user perceptions of wear and damage on materials and the potential inclusion of a material wear index that could inform the material selection process that goes further than the technical aspects outlined in current material selection tools and literature

All quiet on the home front? : the impact of the Second World War on the township of Mosgiel

The Second World War proved a momentous time for those living in New Zealand. Life for civilians on the home front was affected to a much greater extent than it had been in 1914-18. This heightened 'total war' prompted many changes to the lifestyles and living conditions of New Zealanders. To manage the national demands of this conflict, Peter Fraser's Labour government took firm control of the society and economy. As the War situation required, it implemented various bureaucratic measures such as rationing, industrial manpower regulations, a blackout and other civil defence measures. As well as these rules and regulations, citizens faced the problem of shortages, the uncertainty of loved ones overseas and the alarming progress of the Japanese in the Pacific. The War, then, impacted on people and communities across the country. Even the isolated south of the South Island, far from most of the country's main war efforts, could not escape the effects wrought from this conflict. Little research, however, has been done on this exciting and vibrant period of New Zealand history. Thus, to test the extent of the impact, this thesis focuses on the southern township of Mosgiel. In 1939, Mosgie1 was a town of just over two thousand inhabitants, situated at the northern foothills of the Taieri Plains, a short drive from Dunedin. It felt the pressure of war in the same ways as other towns, yet perhaps because of its small size, close community and southern isolation, it appears to have fared better than many. The chapters follow a logical path, dealing with each of the main aspects of Mosgiel society and economy, assessing each to determine the War's effects. Although it had a nearby military presence, formed both a Home Guard and an Emergency Precautions Organization, endured rationing, shortages, a blackout, manpowering and disruption to its businesses and workforce the community was able to adapt to, or deflect, many of the negative effects of the conflict. In the end, the overall impact of the War proved limited

Cosmetic wear and affective responses in digital products: towards an understanding of what types of cosmetic wear cause what types of attitudinal responses from smartphone users

The manufacture of electronic consumer goods involves the consumption of a variety of materials. The outer skins of electronic goods are commonly manufactured using materials such as metal, plastic and glass. These types of materials, however, are being disposed of in landfill and are not being recycled, despite the introduction of the WEEE directive in 2012 (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (DIRECTIVE 2012/19/EU, 2012)). Calculations by the Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling (ICER), estimate that the amount of electronic products that are making their way into landfill is around 1 million tonnes a year in England alone (ICER, 2005). These skin materials and the attitudinal responses that users have when they reflect on cosmetic change, is the focus for the study that is detailed within this paper. The study is part of wider doctoral research where the aim is to identify if cosmetic changes in digital products alter replacement behaviours and product attachment. This is the first study to look at the affective material changes that occur on electronic devices and it is the first to elucidate a taxonomy of damage (TOD) which describes the variety of damage that occurs during the use phase of an electronic device. The second part of the study is an analysis of how these material changes affect the attitudinal responses of users and as such is retrospective

Wear and affect: cosmetic obsolescence of plastics in digital products

The relationship we have with materials is built up over time and includes a complex array of variables that contribute to a material having preconceived functional and aesthetic qualities that are specific to certain products and within certain materials (Demirbilek & Sener, 2003, Dunne, 2005; Chapman, 2015). The relationship we have with plastic is a short one and has not yet been fully understood in terms of our material culture. The use of plastics for the manufacture of digital goods is interesting, as the brevity of our relationship with plastics as a material is mirrored by our short lived contact with rapidly obsolescing digital products. As a result the opportunities to engage with the material and to understand how it ages over time are limited. If we are to encourage the extension of digital product lifetimes, it is imperative that we understand the way plastics age within this context. The disposal of digital products (of which significant proportions are manufactured using a variety of plastics) contributes to a substantial problem of e-waste. The most recent estimation is that around £200m of digital products per year are sent to landfill (WRAP, 2015). The physical condition of these devices is an important factor in product replacement, which leads to significant product turnover (van Nes, 2004; Cooper, 2010). To understand the reasons for disposal of these digital devices, cosmetic obsolescence is the area that this paper is concerned with and through empirical studies, the paper establishes how smartphones [in this instance] wear over time and what the attitudinal reactions to those instances of wear are. By conducting these studies, a taxonomy of wear is established that occurs within plastics used in digital products and begins to understand the attitudinal reactions which give an indication of the affect that these types of wear have on the perceptions of plastics in terms of newness and tolerance of wear

Carbon footprinting for design education

The use of Carbon Footprinting as a metric for gauging the sustainability of products has gained momentum in the past five to ten years. As such it needs to be introduced to design students studying sustainable design modules, despite the recognised limitations of the approach. Following the completion of the literature review, a teaching package comprising an introductory lecture, the new carbon footprinting tool – ‘Dirty Carbon’ and a practical workshop were developed. The new tool was assessed with design students against an industry leader called ‘Sustainable Minds’. Students (n=42) were provided with contextual information on what a carbon footprinting is by attending the lecture, then taught how to use the two tools and asked to perform a full carbon footprint analysis of a product using both tools within a workshop setting. The outputs from the project showed that Dirty Carbon outperformed the market leader in a teaching context. Further testing through end of semester exams demonstrated that the new teaching package had contributed to a high level of knowledge attainment regarding carbon footprinting

Specific inhibition of binding of antistasin and [A103,106,108] antistasin 93–119 to sulfatide (Gal(3-SO4)β1-1Cer) by glycosaminoglycans

AbstractLeech-derived antistasin is a potent anticoagulant and antimetastatic protein that binds sulfatide (Gal(3-SO4)β1-1Cer)and sulfated polysaccharides. In this study, the synthetic fragment [A103,106,108] antistasin 93–119, which corresponds to the carboxyl terminus, showed specific and saturable binding to sulfatide. Binding was competitively blocked by glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the order: dextran sulfate 5000 ≅ dextran sulfate 500 0OO > heparin > dermatan sulfate ⪢ chondroitin sulfates A and C. This rank order of inhibitory potency was identical to that observed with whole antistasin. We suggest that residues 93–119 of antistasin represent a critical domain for binding GAGs and sulfated glycolipids

Updated position and ice velocity for the AIDJEX manned camps. volume 1. 11 April 1975 to 17 October 1975

Re-processed data from camps in Beaufort Sea. Higher co-variance factor allows data of inertial period and longer to pass through filter with <1% attenuation