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.     

Direct dopamine D2-receptor-mediated modulation of arachidonic acid release in transfected CHO cells without the concomitant administration of a Ca2+-mobilizing agent

In CHO cells transfected with the rat dopamine D2 receptor (long isoform), administration of dopamine per se elicited a concentration-dependent increase in arachidonic acid (AA) release. The maximal effect was 197% of controls (EC50=25 nM). The partial D2 receptor agonist, (-)-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-n-propylpiperidine [(-)-3-PPP], also induced AA release, but with somewhat lower efficacy (maximal effect: 165%; EC50=91 nM). The AA-releasing effect of dopamine was counteracted by pertussis toxin, by the inhibitor of intracellular Ca2+ release, 8-(N N-diethylamino)octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate (TMB-8), by excluding calcium from the medium, by the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitor, quinacrine, and by long-term pretreatment with the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). In addition, it was antagonized by the D2 antagonists, raclopride and (-)-sulpiride--but not by (+)-sulpiride--and absent in sham-transfected CHO cells devoid of D2 receptors. The results obtained contrast to the previous notion that dopamine and other D2 receptor agonists require the concomitant administration of calcium-mobilizing agents such as ATP, ionophore A-23187 (calcimycin), thrombin, and TRH, to influence AA release from various cell lines.     

Dietary squalene increases tissue sterols and fecal bile acids in the rat

Feeding 1% squalene increased markedly the concentrations of squalene and methyl sterols in each serum lipoprotein class, intestinal mucosa, liver and also in adipose tissue. It also increased cholesterol concentration of the liver and serum VLDL, and esterified cholesterol in serum LDL as well as fecal bile acids. The results suggest that absorbed dietary squalene contributes to some extent to the squalene content of adipose tissue, effectively increases the overall cholesterol synthesis and enhances cholesterol elimination preferentially as fecal bile acids.     

Implementation of a Modelica compiler using JastAdd attribute grammars

We have implemented a compiler for key parts of Modelica, an object-oriented language supporting equation-based modeling and simulation of complex physical systems. The compiler is extensible, to support experiments with emerging tools for physical models. To achieve extensibility, the implementation is done declaratively in JastAdd, a metacompilation system supporting modern attribute grammar mechanisms such as reference attributes and nonterminal attributes.This paper reports on experiences from this implementation. For name and type analyses, we illustrate how declarative design strategies, originally developed for a Java compiler, could be reused to support Modelica’s advanced features of multiple inheritance and structural subtyping. Furthermore, we present new general design strategies for declarative generation of target ASTs from source ASTs. We illustrate how these strategies are used to resolve a generics-like feature of Modelica called modifications, and to support flattening, a fundamental part of Modelica compilation. To validate that the approach is practical, we have compared the execution speed of our compiler to two existing Modelica compilers.     

Shielding Effectiveness Data on Commercial Thermoplastic Materials

Ten different commercially available conductive thermoplastic materials have been tested for near- and far-field shielding effectiveness (SE). Far-field SE was tested using a modified standard measurement technique to provide results comparable with the company-provided data. Further, housings of different thermoplastic materials were constructed and equipped with an electromagnetic interference (EMI) source to model a realistic near-field SE situation. The SE data up to 1 GHz is presented. Conductive thermoplastic materials with fillings of stainless steel fibers and nickel-coated carbon fibers were the two materials that offer the best far-field shielding performance. For the near-field shielding, two materials with filling of stainless steel fibers were the best performing ones. A thermoplastic with polycarbonate (PC) base and stainless steel content of 1.5 vol% showed the best combined far- and near-field shielding results     

Do Not Convert Emulsions into Dynamites

The emulsion explosives have many advantages compared to dynamites from the safety point of view. However, there is a tendency to develop cartridged emulsions to be more and more dynamite-like. According to our opinion this are steps in the wrong direction. It must be better to develop blasting methods, that are adjusted to the properties of the emulsions.     

Mild and severe udder cleft dermatitis—Prevalence and risk factors in Swedish dairy herds

Udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) is an inflammatory skin condition affecting the anterior parts of the udder of dairy cows. The lesions may present as mild or severe skin lesions and have been associated with mastitis and digital dermatitis. The full etiology and pathogenesis are not understood and no large-scale studies have investigated prevalence and risk factors. Therefore, the main objectives of the study were to investigate the prevalence of mild and severe UCD in Swedish dairy herds and to identify risk factors associated with such lesions. We also wanted to investigate risk factors for all cases of UCD and to determine whether UCD increases the risk for mastitis and culling. A random sample of 100 freestall dairy herds were included in the study, and each herd was visited once. Cows were registered as having no, mild, or severe UCD. Additional cow and herd data were obtained via observations, interviews, and the Swedish Official Milk Recording Scheme. The data were analyzed using logistic regression models to identify risk factors for mild and severe UCD. In total, data from 3,479 cows in 99 herds were analyzed. The prevalence of mild and severe UCD was 19 and 9%, respectively. Lesions were found in 98 of 99 herds but the within-herd prevalence of mild (0–43%) and severe (0–33%) UCD varied notably between herds. Breed (Swedish Red compared with Swedish Holstein), certain udder conformation traits, and higher parity were risk factors associated with increased risk of UCD. In addition, cows with hock lesions and cows in herds with high incidence of culling due to hoof and leg diseases had a higher risk for mild UCD. More days in milk and high milk yield were cow-related risk factors associated with severe UCD. Three housing-related factors (shorter cubicles, mattress as cubicle base, and cubicles installed before 2001 compared with 2001–2005), a high incidence of veterinary-treated clinical mastitis and culling due to udder diseases, and a low incidence of culling of first-parity cows in early lactation were herd-related risk factors associated with increased risk for severe UCD. In addition, cows in herds with a high proportion of heifers older than 17 mo that were not inseminated were associated with lower risk of all UCD. Finally, UCD was not associated with the outcomes milk somatic cell count, veterinary-treated clinical mastitis, or culling in the multivariable analyses. The etiology of UCD is most likely multifactorial, involving udder conformation traits and other cow-related risk factors as well as herd-related risk factors. The high prevalence of severe UCD lesions in Swedish dairy cows emphasizes the need for preventive measures and efficient treatments.