Cognitive evaluation for conceptual design: cognitive role of a 3D sculpture tool in the design thinking process

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the decisive role played by the digital design environment in the cognitive design process and design thinking. To analyse the cognitive role of digital design tools, we carried out a protocol analysis of conventional design sketching and a 3D sculpture tool. Cognitive evaluation was a differentiating factor when considering the contextual role of the 3D sculpture tool in subsequent evaluations, non-sequential evaluations for conversion, and passive approaches within the design process. Cognitive evaluation played the following roles: validation, extension, navigation, exploration, and confirmation. The navigation, exploration, and extension roles played by non-sequential evaluation were mainly related to inductive design thinking. Finally, the types of cognitive evaluation and their roles when using the 3D sculpture tool were different, according to the design thinking type. This study explored the multidimensional roles of cognitive evaluation using a 3D sculpture tool and its relationship with design thinking types.     

Fabrication and Optical Properties of Periodic Ag Nano‐Pore and Nano‐Particle Arrays with Controlled Shape and Size over Macroscopic Length Scales

A facile and economical route to preparation of highly ordered sliver pore or particle arrays with controlled pore‐shape and size extended over cm² areas is described. The substrates are prepared at planar and curved surfaces via sphere‐imprinted polymer (PDMS) templating using polystyrene spheres with diameters of 820, 600, or 430 nm. Nano‐pore arrays are created by sputtering 80 nm of Ag directly onto the templates and nano‐particle arrays are prepared by electrode‐less deposition of Ag from Tollen's reagent. The shape of the nano‐pore or particles in the array conformed to that of the imprint of the sphere on the template. Stretching the flexible template enable creation of cuboid shaped nano‐voids and nano‐particles following Ag deposition. Diffuse reflectance from the spherical Ag nano‐cavity arrays showed absorbance maxima at wavelengths comparable similar to the diameter of the templating sphere, whereas reflectance from the cuboid arrays, showed little correlation with the sphere diameter. The cuboid nano‐particle arrays showed the most intense visible absorption which is red‐shifted compared to the spherical arrays. White light diffraction from the arrays, observed by rotating 1 cm² substrates relative to a fixed light source, reflected exactly the symmetry axes of the periodic nano‐features in the arrays demonstrating the remarkable macroscopic order of the periodic structures. Raman spectra of 1‐benzenethiol adsorbed at the arrays indicated SERS enhancements from the substrates are attributed mainly to surface nano‐roughness with only moderate contributions from the periodically corrugated structures. Despite excitation at the major resonance dip in the reflectance spectrum, a weak, localized rim dipole mode is found to elicit a small increase in the SERS enhancement factor for the 430 nm diameter spherical arrays. FDTD studies of nano‐void arrays provided insights into v arious factors affecting the SERS experiment and confirmed the array's plasmonic spectra are dominated by propagating plasmon modes under microscope excitation/collection angles.     

Preparation and performance of IPMC actuators with electrospun Nafion-MWNT composite electrodes

A new ionic polymer actuator was prepared with Nafion^®-117 membrane and electrodes made of an electrospun Nafion^®/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) web. The surfaces of composite electrodes were ion-beam coated with gold layers of 2-3 μm thickness to reduce the surface resistance. The composite electrodes offer several advantages over conventional platinum electrodes prepared via electroless plating process, i.e. flexibility, simple processability in large scales, and batch-to-batch reproducibility. The new ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators showed a rapid and large bending motion. Under an applied potential of 3 V dc, the maximum horizontal displacement (δ_max) measured at the tip of IPMC strip (cantilever length: 20 mm) was 16.7 mm, the tip velocity in the initial linear region was 10.5 mm/s, 88% of the δ_max was reached within initial 5 s, and the generated strain% was 0.79 (13.6 mm, 7.2 mm/s, 85%, and 0.88, respectively for a conventional Nafion^®-IPMC made via the electroless plating of platinum). It was noted that the energy efficiency of strain was over 10 times higher than that of the conventional Nafion^®-IPMC. And the crack formation of metal electrode after repeated bending deformation significantly reduced with the introduction of relatively flexible electrode assembly into the IPMC architecture. The remarkable improvements in its performance were considered to be due to the efficient quantum chemical and double-layer electrostatic effects in a charge injection model, induced by the good dispersion of MWNTs through a typical electrospinning technique.     

Proteomic analysis of integral plasma membrane proteins

Efficient methods for profiling proteins integral to the plasma membrane are highly desirable for the identification of overexpressed proteins in disease cells. Such methods will aid in both understanding basic biological processes and discovering protein targets for the design of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Avoiding contamination by subcellular organelles and cytosolic proteins is crucial to the successful proteomic analysis of integral plasma membrane proteins. Here we report a biotin-directed affinity purification (BDAP) method for the preparation of integral plasma membrane proteins, which involves (1) biotinylation of cell surface membrane proteins in viable cells, (2) affinity enrichment using streptavidin beads, and (3) depletion of plasma membrane-associated cytosolic proteins by harsh washes with high-salt and high-pH buffers. The integral plasma membrane proteins are then extracted and subjected to SDS-PAGE separation and HPLC/MS/MS for protein identification. We used the BDAP method to prepare integral plasma membrane proteins from a human lung cancer cell line. Western blotting analysis showed that the preparation was almost completely devoid of actin, a major cytosolic protein. Nano-HPLC/MS/MS analysis of only 30 microg of protein extracted from the affinity-enriched integral plasma membrane preparation led to the identification of 898 unique proteins, of which 781 were annotated with regard to their plasma membrane localization. Among the annotated proteins, at least 526 (67.3%) were integral plasma membrane proteins. Notable among them were 62 prenylated proteins and 45 Ras family proteins. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive proteomic analysis of integral plasma membrane proteins in mammalian cells to date. Given the importance of integral membrane proteins for drug design, the described approach will expedite the characterization of plasma membrane subproteomes and the discovery of plasma membrane protein drug targets.     

Automatic heat-shrink sleeve applicator using the low-temperature catalytic combustor

Catalytic combustion for applying heat shrink sleeves (HSS) to a pipeline in KOGAS was investigated. We used a low temperature catalytic combustor in order to place HSS in the conduit. The surface temperature of the catalytic combustor maintained the conditions at which HSS can become well-adhesive at the conduit. Therefore, the automatic HSS construction provided the chance to establish gas pipeline safety by an automatic catalytic combustor device.     

Effects of Nafion impregnation on performances of PEMFC electrodes

The effect of Nafion loading on the electrode polarization characteristics of a conventional proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell electrode has been investigated in terms of both H₂/O₂ and H₂/air performance. Correlation of Nafion loading with the activation polarization characteristics shows an initial increase of activity upto a loading of 1.3 mg/cm² followed by a more gradual change with maxima at 1.9 mg/cm² for both oxygen and air. This trend correlated well with the decrease in charge transfer resistance and increase in the electrochemically active surface area. The contributions to the linear ohmic polarization region of both the H₂/O₂ and H₂/air performance are predominantly from ionic resistance as well as diffusional contributions in the catalyst layer. Among all the polarization losses those due to mass transport were the highest. Fits using a thin film agglomerate model showed a rapid increase in the film thickness with Nafion loading in the pores of the carbon of the catalyst layer followed by an equilibrium of 800 Å thickness at a Nafion loading of 1.9 mg/cm². Further additions caused deeper penetration of this Nafion film into the catalyst layer increasing the diffusional pathways for the reactant gases. These results correlate well with the mass transport characteristics in O₂ and air as well as morphological characterization of the electrode based on SEM and pore volume distributions.     

Surface photochemistry: efficient photocatalysis by CdS supported on a solid surface

The photocatalytic efficiency of a series of CdS samples: (i) a colloidal solution in aqueous CH₃CN; (ii) suspensions of (a) supported colloidal particles, (b) bulk CdS, and (c) commercial powders, was compared with respect to stilbenec-t isomerization. The samples of type (ii a), prepared from cadmium chloride and H₂S showed a high photocatalytic activity, attributable to the combined effects of the catalyst particle size and the presence of chloride ions. Increased activity over the commercial sample was also shown in the conversion of hexamethyl(dewar)benzene to hexamethylbenzene, and in the cleavage of anthracene dimer. It has been found that bulk CdS is activated by grinding with < 10% of certain metal chlorides and bromides.     

Variability of the circadian heart rate in diabetes mellitus-related autonomic neuropathy

For assessing the alterations of circadian heart rate variability 66 diabetic patients (age: 52.9 +/- 1.0 years; x +/- SEM) and 23 control subjects (age: 52.7 +/- 1.7 years) were investigated using 24 hours Holter monitoring. Autonomic neuropathy (AN) was evaluated by tests for cardiovascular reflexes and patients were classified as being without AN (n = 26), having mild (n = 25) or definitive (n = 15) signs of AN. Minimal heart rates were significantly higher while maximal heart rates were considerably lower in patients with than without AN (60 +/- 2 min-1 versus 54 +/- 1, min-1, p < 0.05 and 125 +/- 4 min-1 versus 146 +/- 4 min-1, p < 0.01). Diabetic groups were comparable regarding values of averaged heart rates. The difference between the mean waking and sleeping averaged heart rates was the smallest in diabetic patients with definitive signs of AN (9 +/- 2 min-1) differing from those of control subjects (17 +/- 1 min-1, p < 0.01) and diabetic patients without (17 +/- 1 min-1, p < 0.001) or with mild (15 +/- 1 min-1, p < 0.05) signs of AN. Characteristic alteration, i.e. a reduction in circadian heart rate variability could be found in diabetic patients with signs of AN. This phenomenon has primarily been a consequence of more frequent sleeping heart rates due to dominant impairment in cardiac parasympathetic innervation.