A Qualitative Design Approach for Exploring the Use of Medication and Health Care Devices among Elderly Persons

An academia–industry collaborative research project regarding design for elderly persons was initiated to investigate their living needs and potential design opportunities for new technologies and products. In the first year, a qualitative design approach for exploring their use of medication and health care devices was proposed. First, a user study was conducted using self‐reporting, observation, and interview methods. Four personas representing different lifestyle patterns of elderly persons were then derived from the user study data. Finally, four designers were invited to present and synthesize their design ideas for those personas. Results showed that the user study could reveal considerable information and that the persona method was effective for designers to communicate their ideas and concentrate on user requirements. The study findings suggested that, for design for elderly persons, social and affective factors can be considered with decline in age‐related abilities. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Hydrogen adsorption on Pd-modified carbon nanofibres: Influence of CNF surface chemistry and impregnation procedure

Different carbon nanofibre (CNF) based materials (parent, oxidized, and impregnated with a palladium loading of 1 wt.% using different procedures) have been tested for hydrogen storage at ambient pressure. Parent CNF are completely free of oxygen surface groups, whereas treatment in nitric acid increases mainly the amount of surface anhydrides groups. Add to the surface functionalization, the solvent employed in the palladium impregnation was also varied, using both aqueous and organic precursor solutions. Thermogravimetric analyses of the hydrogen adsorption–desorption cycles suggest that the presence of theses functional groups hinders the adsorption. Concerning the presence of palladium, its influence strongly depends on the previous activation of the surface and on the solvent used for the palladium addition. The use of aqueous precursors and functionalized CNFs leads to increases in the adsorption capacity close to 100% compared to the parent CNF (12.6 vs. 6.7 cm³/g).     

Low-carbon communities as a context for individual behavioural change

Previous attempts to change energy-related behaviour were targeted at individuals as consumers of energy. Recent literature has suggested that more focus should be placed on the community level and that energy users should be engaged in the role of citizens, and not only that of consumers. This article analyses different types of emerging low-carbon communities as a context for individual behavioural change. The focus is on how these communities offer solutions to problems in previous attempts to change individual behaviour. These problems include social dilemmas, social conventions, socio-technical infrastructures and the helplessness of individuals. Different community types are examined, including geographical communities as well as sector-based, interest-based and smart mob communities. Through four case studies representing each of these community types, we examine how different communities reframe problems on the individual level to reduce carbon emissions. On the basis of an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of various community solutions, implications are drawn for further research and for the design and support of low-carbon communities.     

A multidisciplinary course based on social intelligence design and collaborative learning

This paper presents the experience of applying the Social Intelligence Design (SID) paradigm in a multidisciplinary course planned with Collaborative Learning (CL). Through the experience, three levels of SID were discovered; one was the social product/artifact, the other two were the student’s social process and the professor’s social process. Authors propose a framework for SID-based education and CL as a possible tool for supporting and assessing such experiences. The experience of this approach seems very promising for social product innovation, social entrepreneurship, and social awareness.     

Development and characterization of antimicrobial poly(l-lactic acid) containing trans-2-hexenal trapped in cyclodextrins

Trans-2-hexenal, a naturally occurring plant volatile with antimicrobial capacity, was encapsulated into β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs), enzymatically modified starch, and shown effective to control main microorganisms causing food spoilage (Alternaria solani, Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum acutatum, Penicillium sp). Loaded β-CDs were incorporated into a poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) matrix by extrusion and casting, and yielded antimicrobial polymers made from natural resources. A masterbatch was used prior to sheet casting to improve the dispersion of the antimicrobial agent in the PLA matrix. However, this increased the number of extrusion processes for the material. The concentration of the antimicrobial compound in the polymers and its antimicrobial capacity against one food spoilage microorganism (A. solani) were measured during the different processing operations. Although the concentration of trans-2-hexenal was reduced by processing by about 70 and 99% compared to the loaded β-CDs, for the masterbatch and sheet, respectively, the polymers were still effective in reducing microbial growth. The changes of the polymer properties due to the addition of the antimicrobial agent were investigated, too. It was found that the mechanical and barrier properties of the PLA were changed (decreased by about half the tensile strength and elongation at break and nine-fold increased permeability) while the physical properties remained the same. Based on these results, the developed polymer may be a viable antimicrobial material for applications in food packaging.