Articulating User Needs in Collaborative Design: Towards an Activity-Theoretical Approach

This paper analyses the collaborative design ofa high-technology product, a neuromagnetometerused in the analysis of the activity of thehuman cortex. The producer, Neuromag Company istrying to transform the device from a basicresearch instrument into a means of clinicalpractice. This transition is analyzed as asimultaneous evolution of the product,producer-user network and user activities. Thenetwork is analyzed as a network of activitysystems. Each activity has a historicallyformed object and a motive of its own, as wellas a system of cultural means and expertise. Weuse these to explain and understand theinterests and points of view of the actors inrelation to the product and the contradictionsof the producer-user network. It is suggestedthat the emerging user needs of collectiveactors must be analyzed at three levels. At thefirst level, the use value of the product, itscapacity of solving the vital problems andchallenges of developing user activities, ischaracterized. The second-level analysisconcerns the creation and development of thenecessary complementary tools and services thatmake the implementation and use of the productpossible. This task presupposes collaborationbetween several communities of the innovationnetwork. The third level is the situatedpractical use of the product. In ourexperience, it is advantageous that researcherscontribute with their data to a dialogue inwhich the user needs are articulated.     

éditorial.

This issue begins with an invited paper by Ronald Melzack, continuing the "Distinguished Contribution Series" begun in 1990 by my predecessor, Gordon Winocur. Professor Melzack is known world-wide for his research on pain. In 1965, together with Patrick Wall, he proposed the gate control theory, an entirely new conception of pain. For the first time, there was an explicit physiological model emphasizing the role played by the brain as well as by the spinal cord, leading to a new integration of psychological and physiological contributions to pain, as well as to new avenues for the control of pain. This theory has been highly influential, as a quick look in virtually any textbook in biology or medicine will confirm. Professor Melzack's continuing development of his ideas is presented with remarkable clarity in his books and in his many journal articles. It is, therefore, especially exciting for CJEP to be the first to publish a sketch of his new neuromatrix theory. When the book developing this theory is published, it too will no doubt have an immediate and major impact. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

非AWGN环境下调制类型自动识别

在非AWGN环境下，针对CW，AM，FM，OOK，PSK，QPSK，16QAM，FSK，MSK，SSB十种混合调制信号，对调制类型特征提取方法和自动识别算法进行了分析、综合、设计和计算机仿真。提出了梯层电平分析方法、频率瞬时信号分析、剔除载波的归一化能量分析、平方后信号的频谱分析、四次方后的信号频谱分析等方法。当SNR=10dB时，计算机仿真结果是正确识别率不低于95％，自动识别的平均处理时间为不超过10s。     

Phase equilibria of quasi-binary systems consisting of multicomponent polymers 1 and 2. IV: Poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(propylene oxide) systems

To confirm the reliability of the theory of phase equibria of multicomponent polymer 1/multicomponent polymer 2 systems (i.e. quasi-binary systems) and the method of computer experiment based on this theory (Brit. Polym. J., 23 (1990)285; 23 (1990)299; Polym. Int., 29 (1992)219), could point curves (CPC), two-phase volume ratios ( R ) and critical solution points (CSP) have been determined experimentally for the quasi-binary mixtures of poly(ethylene oxide) (M¯_w = 647, M¯_w/M¯_n = 1.15; M¯_w and M¯_n, the weight-average and numberaverage molecular weights, respectively) and poly(propylene oxide) (M¯_w = 2028, M¯_w/M¯_n = 1.08; and M_w = 2987, M_w/M_n = 1.13). The hydroxyl end groups of both polymers were methoxylated in advance by the Cooper & Booth method (Polymer, 18 (1977)164). The thermodynamic interaction parameter between both polymers, χ₁₂, and the concentration dependence parameters for the above quasi-binary systems were determined by the method proposed in a previous paper (Brit. Polym. J., 23 (1990)299). CPC, R and CSP values calculated on the basis of the theory are in good agreement with the values determined experimentally.     

A note on calculating autocovariances of long-memory processes

In this paper, we consider a method (splitting) for calculating the auto- covariances of fractional integrated processes (ARFIMA) and generalized integrated processes (GARMA). The splitting method does not require any restriction on the autoregressive roots, and allows fast calculation of the autocovariances of these processes.     

Review of The concept of structure in psychoanalysis.

Reviews the book, The concept of structure in psychoanalysis by Theodore Shapiro (see record 1991-97355-000). The present volume is a hardcover edition of a previous supplement to the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association based on a series of panels presented at meetings of the American on the role of the concept of structure in current psychoanalytic theory and practice. The result can be taken as a more or less authoritative expression of current thinking about structure in orthodox analytic circles. As such, the volume is informative and in many regards thought provoking. But if readers are looking for a coherent, consistent, and consensually endorsed presentation of the idea of structure, or for a uniform conceptualization of the nature of psychic structure and its role in psychoanalytic praxis, they will have to look elsewhere. The volume is more remarkable for its diversity and often contradictory views on the nature of structure and the relevance of structure to clinical work in the analytic setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Forty-Five Years After Broadbent (1958): Still No Identification Without Attention.

According to D. E. Broadbent's (1958) selective filter theory, people do not process unattended stimuli beyond the analysis of basic physical properties. This theory was later rejected on the basis of numerous findings that people identify irrelevant (and supposedly unattended) stimuli. A careful review of this evidence, however, reveals strong reasons to doubt that these irrelevant stimuli were in fact unattended. This review exposed a clear need for new experiments with tight control over the locus of attention. The authors present 5 such experiments using a priming paradigm. When steps were taken to ensure that irrelevant stimuli were not attended, these stimuli produced no priming effects. Hence, the authors found no evidence that unattended stimuli can be identified. The results support a modern version of Broadbent's selective theory, updated to reflect recent research advances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

T-stress in orthotropic functionally graded materials: Lekhnitskii and Stroh formalisms

A new interaction integral formulation is developed for evaluating the elastic T-stress for mixed-mode crack problems with arbitrarily oriented straight or curved cracks in orthotropic nonhomogeneous materials. The development includes both the Lekhnitskii and Stroh formalisms. The former is physical and relatively simple, and the latter is mathematically elegant. The gradation of orthotropic material properties is integrated into the element stiffness matrix using a “generalized isoparametric formulation” and (special) graded elements. The specific types of material gradation considered include exponential and hyperbolic-tangent functions, but micromechanics models can also be considered within the scope of the present formulation. This paper investigates several fracture problems to validate the proposed method and also provides numerical solutions, which can be used as benchmark results (e.g. investigation of fracture specimens). The accuracy of results is verified by comparison with analytical solutions.