About the nature of Kansei information

Kansei studies refer to the more and more holistic consideration of the cognitive and affective processes which occur during user experience. In addition, few studies deal with the experience of the designers during the design process, and its influence on the final design outputs. Historically kansei engineering has been firstly focused on the semantic differential approach. Afterwards emotions were integrated into kansei approaches. The semantic differential approach enabled to evaluate products and then to generate automatically design solutions with semantic input data. Thereafter, evaluations have been completed by physiological measurements in order to reduce the subjectivity involved in those evaluations and also to capture some unconscious reactions. This implementation is still in process. Today kansei studies have been much enriched from the three disciplines of design science, psychology and artificial intelligence. The cross influence between these disciplines brought new dimensions into kansei approaches (multisensory design information, personality, values, and culture, new formalisms and algorithms) which lead progressively towards the consideration of a whole enriched kansei experience. We propose in this paper a description of the nature of kansei information. Then we present some major orientations for kansei evaluation. Finally we propose an overall table gathering information about kansei dimensions and formats.AN

The Experiences of Elementary School Cooperating Music Teachers: a Phenomenological Case Study

This study details how elementary school cooperating music teachers (CMTs) describe their mentoring experiences and the impact of these experiences on their teaching practices, as well as their personal and professional development. CMTs, as influential contributors to the development of student teachers (STs), have been documented to play significant roles in the student teaching process. However, there is little literature on how CMTs frame their own experiences, including the roles they play, strategies they have developed to mentor STs, and the identified challenges and rewards of their work. Therefore, I prioritized CMTs as the primary focus of this study to collect data specific to the details of their mentoring experiences. Ideally, other CMTs may relate their own experiences to CMTs highlighted in this study. I employed a phenomenological interview approach to solicit three elementary school CMTs’ descriptions of their CMT experiences. Two key categories emerged from participants’ reports: their professional competencies and personal competencies. Conveying professional competencies was an important practice for CMTs in order to offer STs the most effective learning-to-teaching experiences. Participants demonstrated their expertise to guide professional growth in STs adequately and collaborated with STs to find most educative practices for both themselves and STs, as well as students. Their professional demeanor and performances were also embedded in all aspects of teaching to perform their CMT roles ethically and professionally. Further, as long-term CMTs, their knowledge of the profession and their proficiency as reflective practitioners defined their professional competencies. Participants’ wide range of personal competencies encompassed their feelings of high pressure, disappointment with their STs, and enjoyment of the rewarding nature of the CMT role. Their personal competencies were also linked to their continued performances as CMTs. Participants experienced a transformation from model classroom teachers to teacher–educators in their CMT roles, which was integral in developing their professional identities. They combined memories from their past and the meaning of their present experiences to create expectations for their future experiences. Their emerging professional identities are likely to expand in positive ways as they contemplate their future CMT experience

Mathematical approaches to food nutrient content estimation with a focus on phenylalanine

Managing the intake of a certain nutrient can be an effective treatment for some inherited metabolic disorders. An example of such dietary treatments is for phenylketonuria (PKU), for which patients must follow a low-phenylalanine diet for life. Some food databases provide the phenylalanine (Phe) content for a large number of unprocessed foods, and a limited number of composite foods; however, they are not exhaustive. As an attempt to complete this list, we introduce three mathematical approaches to estimate a bound for the Phe content based on the available nutritional information. The first approach is based on the statistical distribution of the Phe to protein ratios. To be precise, we propose the multipliers 20 and 65 to obtain a minimum bound and a maximum bound for the Phe content from the protein content. The second approach is based on two simple lemmas which apply to sweets with gelatin. Specifically, we show that simple arithmetic operations can be used to determine an amount of sweets that is guaranteed to contain less than 20 mg Phe. The third approach is based on numerical optimization. We use the ingredient list and the Nutrition Facts Label to set up a set of inequalities which we solve numerically. The first step of our solution provides estimates for the ingredient amounts. This can be viewed as an approximate inverse recipe method. Although these mathematical methods are primarily motivated by the problem of estimating the Phe content, they can also be applied to estimating the content of other nutrient. In particular, they could be used to complete missing values in current food composition databases

Measure of Design M&As: Exploratory investigations of IP analysis in design

Despite active participation of design firms in M&A markets, there has been little research measuring the value of design M&As. It is partially due that design has been seen to be an intangible asset. This paper seeks to the understanding of the value of design M&As and provides a possible metric for measuring the value using patent analysis. The value of design M&A was investigated at two levels: Design as differentiator (i.e., new product development) and Design as coordinator or integrator (i.e., organizational growth). The evolution of patenting quantity (e.g., the number of design patent applications, Locarno classes) and quality (e.g., forward citation, coinventor networks) in pre- and post-acquisition deals was suggested. We conducted a case study using the design and utility patents of Adobe Systems Inc. The results show the dynamics of innovation area and the presence of the high values of inventors holding design-tech linkage, which could be a potential intangible source of company growth. This study further provides implications for companies which might consider design M&As as new ways of design investment

Towards a model of how designers mentally categorise design information

This study aims to explore how designers mentally categorise design information during the early sketching performed in the generative phase. An action research approach is particularly appropriate for identifying the various sorts of design information and the cognitive operations involved in this phase. Thus, we conducted a protocol study with eight product designers based on a descriptive model derived from cognitive psychological memory theories. Subsequent protocol analysis yielded a cognitive model depicting the mental categorisation of design information processing performed by designers. This cognitive model included a structure for design information (high, middle, and low levels) and linked cognitive operations (association and transformation). Finally, this paper concludes by discussing directions for future research on the development of new computational tools for designers

Generation of mice with a conditional allele for Trim33

Trim33 (Tif1Γ, ectodermin, moonshine), a member of the TIF1 family of transcriptional coactivators and corepressors, is a large nuclear protein that contains an N-terminal tripartite (Trim) domain composed of a RING domain, two B-box domains, and a coiled coil domain. It has been suggested that Trim33 (Ectodermin) mediates ectodermal induction in the Xenopus by functioning as a Smad4 ubiquitin ligase, while in the zebrafish Trim33 (moonshine) has been reported to act as a R-Smad binding protein in induction of erythroid differentiation. Since the developmental role of Trim33 in mammals is currently unknown, we generated mice carrying the conditional Trim33 ( Trim33 FX ) allele by flanking exons 2–4 encoding most of the functionally critical N-terminal tripartite domain by loxP sites. We confirmed the null genotype by using the EIIa-Cre transgenic approach to create mice that lack exons 2–4. Embryos deficient in Trim33 die during early somitogenesis, demonstrating that Trim33 plays an important nonredundant role in mammalian embryonic development. genesis 46:329–333, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60227/1/20401_ftp.pd

Everyday Workplace Learning for Immigrant Justice: Workers’ Collaboration in a Nonprofit Organization

The purpose of this case study is to examine learning in the daily workplace of workers (staff members) at a leading community-based Korean-American nonprofit organization (KANPO) in a major city in the US. The study focused on the relationship among workers as a critical dimension for encouraging informal learning in the workplace. Third generation culturalhistorical activity theory, including activity system analysis, was used as a theoretical framework. Based on a theory-driven and grounded theoretical approach to data analysis, an activity named “collaboration” and its inner contradictions were identified. While the contradictions have the potential to inhibit workers’ everyday workplace learning, the staff tried to resolve the contradictions and advance the collaboration activity. In this process, learning occurred as the activity’s unintended outcomes at both the social and individual levels. The findings show how everyday workplace learning is socioculturally and historically shaped around the KANPO’s contexts, as well as the way organizations use to create an informal workplace learning environment

Study on Morphology Control of Germanium-based Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

Department of Energy Engineering (Battery Science and Technology)Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been used to power portable electronic devices and electric vehicles. However, current LIBs consisting of graphite anode and LiCoO2 cathode do not meet increasing requirements of more advanced applications with higher energy density and higher power density. Thus, it is important to develop new promising alternative electrode materials with higher gravimetric and volumetric capacity than conventional ones. Silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) have attracted great attention as promising anode materials due to their high capacity (>1000 mAh g-1) and relative low reaction potential (vs. Li/Li+). Even though Ge has attracted less attention than Si owing to its higher cost, the increased interest in Ge-based materials might bring about a decrease in its cost as a result of the abundance of Ge as much as tin in the Earth’s crust. Compared to Si, Ge has several advantages including high electrical conductivity (104 times higher than in Si) and exceptional lithium ion diffusivity (400 times greater than in Si at room temperature) allowing high rate capability. Similar to Si, however, one critical issue of Ge anode is its drastic volume change of >230% which may lead to the cracking and pulverization of particles, resulting in a poor cycle life. To solve this problem, synthesis of nanostructured Ge is important. Yet, synthetic routes that can satisfy cost-effective large-scale production remain significant challenges. One of the most effective methods producing macro- and/or nano-porous materials and pure materials is metallothermic reduction process, and is simple, cost-effective and scalable approach. Herein, we report a facile, cost-effective and large-scale zincothermic reduction route for the synthesis of mesoporous germanium from cost-effective germanium oxide particles ranging from 420 to 600 oC. This zincothermic reactions have several advantages including (i) a successful synthesis of germanium particles at low temperature (~450 oC), (ii) accommodation of a large volume change due to a mesoporous structure, and (iii) a cost-effective scalable synthesis (staring from inexpensive metal oxides). An optimized mesoporous germanium anode exhibits a reversible capacity of ~1400 mAh g-1 after 300 cycles at 0.5 C rate and stable cycling in full-cell consisting LiCoO2 cathode having high energy density.ope

Inter-tangled network of polymers for ultrafast rechargeable batteries

Energy EngineeringMetal oxides such as LiCoO2 and LiMn2O4 have been widely used as cathode materials of lithium ion batteries. The inorganic compounds provide practically high capacity based on the redox activity of d orbital transition metals with structural stability leading to cycle retention. As a logical alternative to the conventional cathode materials, also, organic cathode materials have attracted academic attentions from the viewpoint of (1) unlimited elemental resources and (2) elastic properties guaranteeing flexibility in case of polymeric materials. In this work, poly (vinyl carbazole) (PVK) was studied as an electro-active material for cathode materials of lithium ion batteries. PVK showed binder and conductive agent-dependent performances probably because of its volumetric change during oxidation. More elastic polymer binder and use of carbon nanotubes as a conductive agent guaranteed higher capacity (~120 mAh g-1 at 0.1C) and enhanced rate capability (up to several hundreds of C-rate). Optimized condition for making electrode composites would allow practical application of PVK to cathode materials for rechargeable batteries. Moreover, A 1D organic redox-active material is composited with another 1D conductive material for rechargeable batteries. Poly (vinyl carbazole) (or PVK) and Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (or PEDOT:PSS) are used as the redoxactive and conductive 1D materials, respectively. Due to their extreme anisotropic geometry, the two polymers are expected to be inter-tangled with each other, showing an kinetically ideal model system in which each redox-active moiety of PVK is supposed to be directly connected with the conducting pathways of PEDOT:PSS. In addition to the role of conductive agents providing kinetic benefits, PEDOT:PSS works as an efficient binder that guarantees enhanced electrochemical performances with only a tenth of the amount of a conventional binder (polyvinylidene fluoride or PVdF). The benefit of gravimetric energy density gain obtained with the conductive binder comes mainly from efficient spatial coverage of binding volume due to the low density of PEDOT:PSS. Towards realizing flexible allpolymer batteries, a quasi-all-polymer battery half-cell is designed with the PVK/ PEDOT:PSS composite with a polymer gel electrolyte.ope