Search results for: visual preferences

Authors: Chairussyuhur Arman, Totti Tjiptosumirat, Muhammad Gunawan, Mastur, Joko Priyono, Baiq Tri Ratna Erawati

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The present study was undertaken to synchronize oestrus of bali cattle and artificially inseminated with frozen-thawed sexed-semen. The experiment was carried out at District AI Station. Four pluriparous cows and four nulliparous heifers were used in this study and they were housed in free stall barns. The heifers fed with corn silage supplemented with UMMB, while the cows fed with green fodder. All animals were given 500 mg cloprostenolum i.m. injections PGF2α twice, 11 days apart, to synchronize the occurrence of estrus. Estrus was detected by visual observation twice a day and determined if all cattle accepted mount from other females. All animals were inseminated twice with Bali sexed-semen at 72 and 76 h after observed oestrus. Results suggested that the percentage of calving rate either for pluriparous cows or nulliparous heifers were recorded to be 75 percent. One cow and one heifer did not produce calves because of embryonic lost. Regardless the sex of calves, the mean of birth weight of calves in cows was higher than that of heifers (18.50 ± 2.60 kg vs 13.83 ± 5.20 kg). One female calf from heifer with lower birth weight (8.0 kg) was dead one day after born. In pluriparous group, two cows delivered male calves and the other delivered female calf. Conversely in nulliparous group, two heifers delivered female calves and the other male calf. It is concluded that under the conditions of this preliminary trials, the sex ratio between pluriparous and nulliparous groups was found to be 50:50 (male:female).

Keywords: artificial insemination, bali cattle, calves, sexed sperm

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Authors: Min Jindong, Wang Mingxia

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With the widespread use of artificial intelligence in life, computer vision, especially deep convolutional neural network models, has developed rapidly. With the increase of the complexity of the real visual target detection task and the improvement of the recognition accuracy, the target detection network model is also very large. The huge deep neural network model is not conducive to deployment on edge devices with limited resources, and the timeliness of network model inference is poor. In this paper, knowledge distillation is used to compress the huge and complex deep neural network model, and the knowledge contained in the complex network model is comprehensively transferred to another lightweight network model. Different from traditional knowledge distillation methods, we propose a novel knowledge distillation that incorporates multi-faceted features, called M-KD. In this paper, when training and optimizing the deep neural network model for target detection, the knowledge of the soft target output of the teacher network in knowledge distillation, the relationship between the layers of the teacher network and the feature attention map of the hidden layer of the teacher network are transferred to the student network as all knowledge. in the model. At the same time, we also introduce an intermediate transition layer, that is, an intermediate guidance layer, between the teacher network and the student network to make up for the huge difference between the teacher network and the student network. Finally, this paper adds an exploration module to the traditional knowledge distillation teacher-student network model. The student network model not only inherits the knowledge of the teacher network but also explores some new knowledge and characteristics. Comprehensive experiments in this paper using different distillation parameter configurations across multiple datasets and convolutional neural network models demonstrate that our proposed new network model achieves substantial improvements in speed and accuracy performance.

Keywords: object detection, knowledge distillation, convolutional network, model compression

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Authors: Parisa Mansour

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common autosomal recessive diseases among whites. It mostly affects the lungs, causing infections and inflammation that account for 90% of deaths in CF patients. Because of this high variability in clinical presentation and organ involvement, investigating treatment responses and evaluating lung changes over time is critical to preventing CF progression. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) greatly facilitates the assessment of lung disease progression in CF patients. Recently, artificial intelligence was used to analyze chest CT scans of CF patients. In this paper, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN) approach to classify CF lung patterns in HRCT images. The proposed network consists of two convolutional layers with 3 × 3 kernels and maximally connected in each layer, followed by two dense layers with 1024 and 10 neurons, respectively. The softmax layer prepares a predicted output probability distribution between classes. This layer has three exits corresponding to the categories of normal (healthy), bronchitis and inflammation. To train and evaluate the network, we constructed a patch-based dataset extracted from more than 1100 lung HRCT slices obtained from 45 CF patients. Comparative evaluation showed the effectiveness of the proposed CNN compared to its close peers. Classification accuracy, average sensitivity and specificity of 93.64%, 93.47% and 96.61% were achieved, indicating the potential of CNNs in analyzing lung CF patterns and monitoring lung health. In addition, the visual features extracted by our proposed method can be useful for automatic measurement and finally evaluation of the severity of CF patterns in lung HRCT images.

Keywords: HRCT, CF, cystic fibrosis, chest CT, artificial intelligence

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Authors: Tereza Hruskova

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200 million people globally experience serious mental health problems, and only one third seek professional help, and help-seeking is described as a last resort. Adolescents and young adults have a high prevalence of mental illness. Mental stigma is a key element in the decision to seek help and is divided into (i) self-stigma (self-stigmatization), including internal beliefs, low self-esteem, and lower quality of life, and (ii) public stigma (social stigma) containing stereotypes, beliefs and society's disapproval of help-seeking having a negative effect on help-seeking and our attitudes. Previous research has mainly focused on examining the construct of help seeking, avoidance, and delaying separately and trying to find out why people do not seek help in time and what obstacles stand in the way. Barriers are not static and may change over time and the stage of help-seeking. Attitudes are closely related to self-stigma and social stigma and predict whether a person will seek help. Barriers (stigmatization, a sense of humiliation, insufficient recognition of the problem, preferences, solving it alone, and distrust of a professional) and facilitators (previous experience with mental problems, social support, and help from others) are factors influencing help-seeking. The current research on the Czech population of young adults responds to the gap between a person with mental health problems and actually seeking professional help. The aim of the study is to describe in detail the individual constructs and factors, to understand the person seeking help, and to define possible obstacles on this path of seeking help. A sample of approximately 250 participants (age 18-35) would take part in the online questionnaire, conducted in May-June 2023, and would be administered a demographic questionnaire and four scales measuring attitudes (Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help – Short form), barriers (Barrier to Help Seeking Scale), self-stigma (Self Stigma of Seeking Help) and stigmatization (Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for seeking help). Firstly, all four scales would be translated into the Czech language. The aim is (I) to determine the validity and reliability of the Czech translation of the scales, (II) to examine the factors of the scales on the Czech population and compare them retrospectively with the results of reliability and validity from the original language of the scales and (III) to examine the connections between attitudes towards seeking, avoidance or delaying the search for professional psychological help due to the demographic and individual differences of the participants, barriers, self-stigmatization and social stigmatization. We expect to carry out the first study on the given topic in the Czech Republic, to identify and better understand the factors leading to the avoidance of seeking professional help and to reveal the relationships between stigmatization, attitudes and barriers leading to the avoidance or postponement of seeking professional help. The belief is to find out whether the Czech population of young adults differs from the data found on the foreign population in individual constructs, as cultural differences in individual countries were found.

Keywords: mental health, stigma, problems, seeking psychological help

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Authors: Fabiana Souza Orlandi, Juliana Gomes Duarte, Gabriela Dutra Gesualdo

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Chronic renal disease (CKD), accompanied by hemodialysis, causes chronic renal failure in a number of situations that compromises not only physical, personal and environmental aspects, but also psychological, social and family aspects. Objective: To verify the level of cognitive impairment of chronic renal patients on hemodialysis. Methodology: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The present study was performed in a Dialysis Center of a city in the interior of the State of São Paulo. The inclusion criteria were: being 18 years or older; have a medical diagnosis of CKD; being in hemodialysis treatment in this unit; and agree to participate in the research, with the signature of the Informed Consent (TCLE). A total of 115 participants were evaluated through the Participant Characterization Instrument and the Addenbrooke Cognitive Exam - Revised Version (ACE-R), being scored from 0 to 100, stipulating the cut-off note for the complete battery <78 and subdivided into five domains: attention and guidance; memory; fluency; language; (66.9%) and caucasian (54.7%), 53.7 (±14.8) years old. Most of the participants were retired (74.7%), with incomplete elementary schooling (36.5%) and the average time of treatment was 46 months. Most of the participants (61.3%) presented impairment in the area of attention and orientation, 80.4% in the spatial visual domain. Regarding the total ACE-R score, 75.7% of the participants presented scores below the established cut grade. Conclusion: There was a high percentage (75.7%) below the cut-off score established for ACE-R, suggesting that there may be some cognitive impairment among these participants, since the instrument only performs a screening on cognitive health. The results of the study are extremely important so that possible interventions can be traced in order to minimize impairment, thus improving the quality of life of chronic renal patients.

Keywords: cognition, chronic renal insufficiency, adult health, dialysis

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Authors: Ranojoy Dutta, Adam Barker

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Multifamily residential buildings are increasingly being built with large glazed areas to provide tenants with greater daylight and outdoor views. However, traditional double-glazed window assemblies can lead to significant thermal discomfort from high radiant temperatures as well as increased cooling energy use to address solar gains. Dynamic glazing provides an effective solution by actively controlling solar transmission to maintain indoor thermal comfort, without compromising the visual connection to outdoors. This study uses thermal simulations across three Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal) to verify if dynamic glazing along with operable windows and ceiling fans can maintain the indoor operative temperature of a prototype southwest facing high-rise apartment unit within the ASHRAE 55 adaptive comfort range for a majority of the year, without any mechanical cooling. Since this study proposes the use of natural ventilation for cooling and the typical building life cycle is 30-40 years, the typical weather files have been modified based on accepted global warming projections for increased air temperatures by 2050. Results for the prototype apartment confirm that thermal discomfort with dynamic glazing occurs only for less than 0.7% of the year. However, in the baseline scenario with low-E glass there are up to 7% annual hours of discomfort despite natural ventilation with operable windows and improved air movement with ceiling fans.

Keywords: electrochromic glazing, multi-family housing, passive cooling, thermal comfort, natural ventilation

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Authors: Maja Martinovic, Valentina Zarkovic, Hrvoje Maljak

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Europe is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, in which tourism occupies a significant place among the most relevant economic activities, and this applies to the Republic of Croatia as well. Based on this study, the authors intended to encourage and support the creation of an effective tourism policy in Croatia that would be based on the profiling of certain target groups. Another objective was to compare the results obtained from the customer analysis with the market analysis of the tourism industry in Croatia. The objective is to adapt the current tourist offer according to the identified needs and expectations of a particular tourist group in order to increase the attractiveness of Croatia as a tourist destination and motivate greater attendance of the targeted tourist groups. The current research was oriented towards the Russian market as the target group. Therefore, the authors wanted to encourage a discussion on how to attract more Russian guests. Consequently, the intention of the research was a detailed analysis of Russian tourists, in order to gain a better understanding of their travelling motives and tendencies. Furthermore, attention was paid to the expectations of Russian customers and to compare them with the Croatian tourist offer, and to determine whether there is a possibility for an overlap. The method used to obtain the information required was a survey conducted among Russian citizens about their travelling habits. The research was carried out on the basis of 166 participants of different age, gender, profession and income group. The sampling and distribution of the survey took place between May and July 2016. The results provided from the research indicate that Croatian tourism has certain unrealized potential considering the popularization of Croatia as a tourist destination, and there is a capacity for increasing the revenues within the group of Russian tourists. Such a conclusion is based on the fact that the Croatian tourist offer and the preferences of the Russian guests are compatible, i.e. they overlap in many aspects. The results demonstrate that beautiful nature, cultural and historical heritage as well as the sun and sea, play a leading role in attracting more Russian tourists. It is precisely these elements that form the three pillars of the Croatian tourist offer. On the other hand, the profiling revealed that the most desirable destinations for the Russian guests are Italy and Spain, both of which provide the same main tourist attractions as Croatia. Therefore, the focus of the strategic ideas given in the paper shifted to other tourism segments, such as type of accommodation, sales channels, travel motives, additional offer and seasonality etc., in order to gain advantage in the Russian market, the Mediterranean region and tourism in general. The purpose of the research is to serve as a foundation for analysing the attractiveness of the other tourist destinations in the Russian market, as well as to be a general basis for a more detailed profiling of the various specific target groups of the Russian and other tourist groups.

Keywords: Croatia, Russian market, target groups, tourism, tourist destination

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Authors: Elhussaien Elshiekh

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A study was performed to management and compare radiation doses and image quality during Lumbar spine PA and Lumbar spine LAT, x- ray radiography using Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR). Standard exposure factors such as kV, mAs and FFD used for imaging the Lumbar spine anthropomorphic phantom obtained from average exposure factors that were used with CR in five radiology centres. Lumbar spine phantom was imaged using CR and DR systems. Entrance surface air kerma (ESAK) was calculated X-ray tube output and patient exposure factor. Images were evaluated using visual grading system based on the European Guidelines on Quality Criteria for diagnostic radiographic images. The ESAK corresponding to each image was measured at the surface of the phantom. Six experienced specialists evaluated hard copies of all the images, the image score (IS) was calculated for each image by finding the average score of the Six evaluators. The IS value also was used to determine whether an image was diagnostically acceptable. The optimum recommended exposure factors founded here for Lumbar spine PA and Lumbar spine LAT, with respectively (80 kVp,25 mAs at 100 cm FFD) and (75 kVp,15 mAs at 100 cm FFD) for CR system, and (80 kVp,15 mAs at100 cm FFD) and (75 kVp,10 mAs at 100 cm FFD) for DR system. For Lumbar spine PA, the lowest ESAK value required to obtain a diagnostically acceptable image were 0.80 mGy for DR and 1.20 mGy for CR systems. Similarly for Lumbar spine LAT projection, the lowest ESAK values to obtain a diagnostically acceptable image were 0.62 mGy for DR and 0.76 mGy for CR systems. At standard kVp and mAs values, the image quality did not vary significantly between the CR and the DR system, but at higher kVp and mAs values, the DR images were found to be of better quality than CR images. In addition, the lower limit of entrance skin dose consistent with diagnostically acceptable DR images was 40% lower than that for CR images.

Keywords: image quality, dosimetry, radiation protection, optimization, digital radiography, computed radiography

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Authors: Archil Undilashvili, Ketevan Stvilia, Dustin Gilbreath, Giorgi Dzneladze, Gordon Charchward

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Introduction: In recent years, diverse types of wheelchairs, both local production and imported, have been made available on the Georgian market for wheelchair users. Some types of wheelchairs are sold together with a service package, while the others, including the State Program, Supported locally-produced ones, don’t provide adjustment and maintenance service packages to users. Within the USAID Physical Rehabilitation Project in Georgia, a study was conducted to assess the impact of the wheelchair service provision in line with the WHO guidelines on the health and overall satisfaction of wheelchair users in Georgia. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in May 2021. A structured questionnaire was used for telephone interviews that, along with socio-demographic characteristics, included questions for assessment of accessibility, availability, timeliness, cost and quality of wheelchair services received. Out of 1060 individuals listed in the census of wheelchair users, 752 were available for interview, with an actual response rate of 73.4%. 552 wheelchair users (31%) or their caregivers (69%) agreed to participate in the survey. In addition to using descriptive statistics, the study used multivariate matching of wheelchair users who received wheelchair services and who did not (control group). In addition, to evaluate satisfaction with service provision, respondents were asked to assess services. Findings: The majority (67%) of wheelchair users included in the survey were male. The average age of participants was 43. The three most frequently named reasons for using a wheelchair were cerebral palsy (29%), followed by stroke (18%), and amputation (12%). Users have had their current chair for four years on average. Overall, 60% of respondents reported that they were assessed before providing a wheelchair, but only half of them reported that their preferences and needs were considered. Only 13% of respondents had services in line with WHO guidelines and only 22% of wheelchair users had training when they received their current chair. 16% of participants said they had follow-up services, and 41% received adjustment services after receiving the chair. A slight majority (56%) of participants were satisfied with the quality of service provision and the service provision overall. Similarly, 55% were satisfied with the accessibility of service provision. A slightly larger majority (61%) were satisfied with the timeliness of service provision. The matching analysis suggests that users that received services in line with WHO guidelines were more satisfied with their chairs (the difference 17 point/0-100 scale) and they were four percentage points less likely to have health problems attributed to the chair. The regression analysis provides a similar finding of a 21 point increase in satisfaction attributable to services. Conclusion: The provision of wheelchair services in line with WHO guidelines and with follow-up services is likely to have a positive impact on the daily lives of wheelchair users in Georgia. Wheelchair services should be institutionalized as a standard component of wheelchair provision in Georgia.

Keywords: physical rehabilitation, wheelchair users, persons with disabilities, wheelchair production

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Authors: Wissam Aljundi, Loay Daas, Yaser Abu Dail, Barbara Käsmann-Kellner, Berthold Seitz, Alaa Din Abdin

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Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory eye drops (NSAIDs) combined with oral acetazolamide for postoperative macular edema (PME) after uncomplicated phacoemulsification (PE) and to identify predictors of non-response. Methods: We analyzed data of uncomplicated PE and identified eyes with PME. First-line therapy included topical NSAIDs combined with oral acetazolamide. In case of non-response, triamcinolone was administered subtenonally. Outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT). Results: 94 eyes out of 9750 uncomplicated PE developed PME, of which 60 eyes were included. Follow-ups occurred 6.4±1.8, 12.5±3.7, and 18.6±6.0 weeks after diagnosis. BCVA and CMT improved significantly in all follow-ups. 40 eyes showed response to first-line therapy at first follow-up (G1). The remaining 20 eyes showed no response and required subtenon triamcinolone (G2), of which 11 eyes showed complete regression at the second follow-up and 4 eyes at the third follow-up. 5 eyes showed no response and required intravitreal injection. Multivariate linear regression model showed that diabetes mellitus (DM) and increased cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) are predictors of non-response. Conclusion: Topical NSAIDs with acetazolamide resulted in complete regression of PME in 67% of all cases. DM and increased CDE might be considered as predictors of nonresponse to this treatment.

Keywords: postoperative macular edema, intravitreal injection, cumulative energy, irvine gass syndrome, pseudophakie

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Authors: Bingqing Xu, Wenxing Shuai

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This study investigates the priming effects of different Chinese compound words by native Mandarin speakers. There are lots of homonym, polysemy, and synonym in Chinese. However, it is unclear which kind of words have the biggest priming effect. Native Mandarin speakers were tested in a visual-word lexical decision experiment. The stimuli, which are all two-character compound words, consisted of two parts: primes and targets. Five types of relationships were used in all stimuli: morphologically related condition, in which the prime and the target contain the same morpheme; orthographically related condition, in which the target and the prime contain the different morpheme with the same form; phonologically related condition, in which the target and the prime contain the different morpheme with the same phonology; semantically related condition, in which the target and the prime contain the different morpheme with similar meanings; totally unrelated condition. The time since participants saw the target to respond was recorded. Analyses on reaction time showed that the average reaction time of morphologically related targets was much shorter than others, suggesting the morphological priming effect is the biggest. However, the reaction time of the phonologically related conditions was the longest, even longer than unrelated conditions. According to scatter plots analyses, 86.7% of participants had priming effects in morphologically related conditions, only 20% of participants had priming effects in phonologically related conditions. These results suggested that morphologically related conditions had the biggest priming effect. The orthographically and semantically related conditions also had priming effects, whereas the phonologically related conditions had few priming effects.

Keywords: priming effect, morphology, phonology, semantics, orthography

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Authors: Berna Yaylalı, Isin Can Traunmüller

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This paper explores the emergent bottom-up practices in the fields of architecture and urban design within comparative perspectives of two cities. As a temporary, easily affordable intervention that gives the possibility of transforming neglected spaces into vibrant public spaces, tactical urbanism, together with creative place-making strategies, presents alternative ways of creating sustainable developments in derelict and underused areas. This study examines the potential of social and physical developments through a reading of case studies of two creative spatial practices: a pop-up garden transformed from an unused derelict space in Favoriten, Vienna, and an urban community garden in Kuzguncuk, Istanbul. Two cities are chosen according to their multicultural population and diversity. Istanbul was selected as a design city by UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2017, and Vienna was declared an open and livable city by its local government. This research will use media archives and reports, interviews with locals and local governments, site observations, and visual recordings as methods to provide a critical reading on creative public spaces from the view of local users in these neighborhoods. Reflecting on these emergent ways, this study aims at discussing the production process of tactile urbanism with the practices of locals and the decision-making process with cases from İstanbul and Vienna. The comparison between their place-making strategies in tactical urbanism will give important insights for future developments.

Keywords: creative city, tactical urbanism, neglected area, public space

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Authors: Shiau-Fang Chao, Yu-Chih Chen

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Owing to physical limitations and restrained lifestyle, older long-term care (LTC) residents are more likely to be affected by their environment than their community-dwelling counterparts. They also participate fewer activities and experience worse mental health than healthy older adults. This study adopts the ICF model to determine the extent to which the clustered patterns of LTC environment and activity participation are associated with older residents’ mental health. Method: Data were collected from a stratified equal probability sample of 634 older residents in 155 LTC institutions in Taiwan. Latent profile analysis (LPA) and latent class analysis (LCA) were conducted to explore the profiles for environment and activity participation. Multilevel modeling was performed to elucidate the relationships among environment profiles, activity profiles, and mental health. Results: LPA identified three mutually exclusive environment profiles (Low-, Moderate-, and High-Support Environment) based on the physical, social, and attitudinal environmental domains, consolidated from 12 environmental measures. LCA constructed two distinct activity profiles (Low- and High-Activity Participation) across seven activity domains (outdoor, volunteer-led leisure, spiritual, household chores, interpersonal exchange, social, and sedentary activity) that were factored from 20 activities. Compared to the Low-Support Environment class, older adults in the Moderate- and High-Support Environment classes had better mental health. Older residents in the Moderate- and High-Support Environment classes were more likely to be in the “High Activity” class, which in turn, exhibited better mental health. Conclusion: This study advances the current knowledge through rigorous methods and study design. The study findings lead to several conclusions. First, this study supports the use of ICF framework to institutionalized older individuals with functional limitations and demonstrates that both measures of environment and activity participation can be refined from multiple indicators. Second, environmental measures that encompass the physical, social, and attitudinal domains would provide a more comprehensive assessment on the place where an older individual embeds. Third, simply counting activities in which an older individual participates or considering a certain type of activity may not capture his or her way of life. Practitioners should not only focus on group or leisure activities within the institutions; rather, more efforts should be made to consider residents’ preferences for everyday life and support their remaining ability by encouraging continuous participation in activities they still willing and capable to perform. Fourth, environment and activity participation are modifiable factors which have greater potential to strengthen older LTC residents’ mental health, and activity participation should be considered in the link between environment and mental health. A combination of enhanced physical, social, and attitudinal environments, and continual engagement in various activities may optimize older LTC residents’ mental health.

Keywords: activity, environment, mental health, older LTC residents

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Authors: Abraham O. Olaniyi, Oluyemi Oke, Atilade Otunla

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The structural performance of bridges decreases progressively throughout their service life due to many contributing factors (fatigue, carbonation, fire incidents etc.). Around the world, numerous bridges have attained their estimated service life and many have approached this limit. The structural integrity assessment of the burnt composite bridge located at CH57+450, Koita village along Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road, Nigeria, is presented as a case study and shall be forthwith referred to as the 'Koita bridge' in this paper. From the technical evaluation, the residual compressive strength of the concrete piers was found to be below 16.0 N/mm2. This value is very low compared to the expected design value of 30.0 N/mm2. The pier capping beam at pier location 1 has a very low residual compressive strength. The cover to the reinforcement of certain capping beams has an outline of reinforcement which signifies poor concrete cover and the mean compressive strength is also less than 20.0 N/mm2. The steel girder indicated black colouration as a result of the fire incident without any significant structural defect like buckling or warping of the steel section. This paper reviews the structural integrity assessment and repair methodology of the Koita bridge; a composite bridge damaged by fire, highlighting the various challenges of limited obtainable guidance documents about the bridge. The objectives are to increase the understanding of processes and versatile equipment required to test and assess a fire-damaged bridge in order to improve the quality of structural appraisal and rehabilitation; thus, eliminating the prejudice associated with current visual inspection techniques.

Keywords: assessment, bridge, rehabilitation, sustainability

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Authors: Salman Amur Alhajri

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Purpose: This paper explores the art of contemporary Arabic calligraphy in Oman. It explains the aesthetic features of Arabic calligraphy as a unique icon of Islamic art. This paper also explores the profile of one Omani artist, Salman Alhajri, as an example of Omani artists who have developed unique styles in this art stream. Methodology and approach: The paper is based on a theoretical study using a descriptive and case-study approach. Omani artists are fascinated by the art forms of Arabic calligraphy, which combine both spiritual meaning and aesthetic beauty. Artist Salman Alhajri is an example of a contemporary Arabic artist who uses Arabic calligraphy as the main theme in his art. Dr. Alhajri is trying to introduce the beauty of Arabic letters from a new aesthetic point of view. He also aims to create unusual visual effects that viewers can easily interact with. Even though words and phrases appear in Alhajri’s artwork, they are not conveying direct meanings: viewers can create their own meaning or expressions from them by appreciating the compositions of the artwork. Results: Arabic writing is directly related to the identity of Omani artists and their cultural background. This paper shows how the beauty of Arabic letters comes from its indefinite possibilities in designing calligraphic expressions, even within a single word, because letters can be stretched and transformed in various ways to create different compositions. Omani artists are interested in employing new media applications in this kind of practice to find new techniques for creating artwork based on Arabic writing. It is really important for all Omani artists to practice this art style because Arabic calligraphy and its flexibility introduce infinite possibilities that involve further exploration and investigation.

Keywords: Islamic art, contemporary Arabic calligraphy, new techniques, Omani artist

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Authors: Mulugeta K. Tefera, Xiaolong Yang, Jian Liu

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Detection and tracking of moving objects are very important in many application contexts such as detection and recognition of people, visual surveillance and automatic generation of video effect and so on. However, the task of detecting a real shape of an object in motion becomes tricky due to various challenges like dynamic scene changes, presence of shadow, and illumination variations due to light switch. For such systems, once the moving object is detected, tracking is also a crucial step for those applications that used in military defense, video surveillance, human computer interaction, and medical diagnostics as well as in commercial fields such as video games. In this paper, an object presents in dynamic background is detected using adaptive mixture of Gaussian based analysis of the video sequences. Then the detected moving object is tracked using the region based moving object tracking and inter-frame differential mechanisms to address the partial overlapping and occlusion problems. Firstly, the detection algorithm effectively detects and extracts the moving object target by enhancing and post processing morphological operations. Secondly, the extracted object uses region based moving object tracking and inter-frame difference to improve the tracking speed of real-time moving objects in different video frames. Finally, the plotting method was applied to detect the moving objects effectively and describes the object’s motion being tracked. The experiment has been performed on image sequences acquired both indoor and outdoor environments and one stationary and web camera has been used.

Keywords: background modeling, Gaussian mixture model, inter-frame difference, object detection and tracking, video surveillance

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Authors: Jean-Eric Pelet, Erhard Lick, Basma Taieb

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Purpose This research bridges the gap between sensory marketing and the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in luxury hotels. We investigated how stimulating guests’ senses through IoT devices influenced their emotions, affective experiences, eudaimonism (well-being), and, ultimately, guest behavior. We examined potential moderating effects of gender. Design/methodology/approach We adopted a mixed method approach, combining qualitative research (semi-structured interviews) to explore hotel managers’ perspectives on the potential use of IoT in luxury hotels and quantitative research (surveying hotel guests; n=357). Findings The results showed that while the senses of smell, hearing, and sight had an impact on guests’ emotions, the senses of touch, hearing, and sight impacted guests’ affective experiences. The senses of smell and taste influenced guests’ eudaimonism. The sense of smell had a greater effect on eudaimonism and behavioral intentions among women compared to men. Originality IoT can be applied in creating customized multi-sensory hotel experiences. For example, hotels may offer unique and diverse ambiences in their rooms and suites to improve guest experiences. Research limitations/implications This study concentrated on luxury hotels located in Europe. Further research may explore the generalizability of the findings (e.g., in other cultures, comparison between high-end and low-end hotels). Practical implications Context awareness and hyper-personalization, through intensive and continuous data collection (hyper-connectivity) and real time processing, are key trends in the service industry. Therefore, big data plays a crucial role in the collection of information since it allows hoteliers to retrieve, analyze, and visualize data to provide personalized services in real time. Together with their guests, hotels may co-create customized sensory experiences. For instance, if the hotel knows about the guest’s music preferences based on social media as well as their age and gender, etc. and considers the temperature and size (standard, suite, etc.) of the guest room, this may determine the playlist of the concierge-tablet made available in the guest room. Furthermore, one may record the guest’s voice to use it for voice command purposes once the guest arrives at the hotel. Based on our finding that the sense of smell has a greater impact on eudaimonism and behavioral intentions among women than men, hotels may deploy subtler scents with lower intensities, or even different scents, for female guests in comparison to male guests.

Keywords: affective experience, emotional value, eudaimonism, hospitality industry, Internet of Things, sensory marketing

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Authors: Marko Kolakovic

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Creative industries are an important sector of growth and development of knowledge economies. They have a positive impact on employment, economic growth, export and the quality of life in the areas where they are developed. Creative sectors include architecture, design, advertising, publishing, music, film, television and radio, video games, visual and performing arts and heritage. Following the positive trends of development of creative industries on the global and European level, this paper analyzes creative industries in general and specific characteristics of creative entrepreneurship. Special focus in this paper is put on the influence of the information communication technology on the development of new creative business models and protection of the intellectual property rights. One part of the paper is oriented on the analysis of the status of creative industries and creative entrepreneurship in Croatia. The main objective of the paper is by using the statistical analysis of creative industries in Croatia and information gained during the interviews with entrepreneurs, to make conclusions about potentials and development of creative industries in Croatia. Creative industries in Croatia are at the beginning of their development and growth strategy still does not exist at the national level. Statistical analysis pointed out that in 2015 creative enterprises made 9% of all enterprises in Croatia, employed 5,5% of employed people and their share in GDP was 4,01%. Croatian creative entrepreneurs are building competitive advantage using their creative resources and creating specific business models. The main obstacles they meet are lack of business experience and impossibility of focusing on the creative activities only. In their business, they use digital technologies and are focused on export. The conclusion is that creative industries in Croatia have development potential, but it is necessary to take adequate measures to use this potential in a right way.

Keywords: creative entrepreneurship, knowledge economy, business models, intellectual property

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Authors: Tünde Tifordiána Simonyi, Tímea Harmath-Tánczos

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The primary aim of the current research is to present the significance of a multicultural perspective in clinical neuropsychology and to present the test battery of the Multicultural Neuropsychological Scale (MUNS). The method includes the MUNS screening tool that involves stimuli common to most cultures in the world. The test battery measures general cognitive functioning focusing on five cognitive domains (memory, executive function, language, visual construction, and attention) tested with seven subtests that can be utilized within a wide age range (15-89), and lower and higher education participants. It is a scale that is sensitive to mild cognitive impairments. Our study presents the first results with the Hungarian translation of MUNS on a healthy sample. The education range was 4-25 years of schooling. The Hungarian sample was recruited by snowball sampling. Within the investigated population (N=151) the age curve follows an inverted U-shaped curve regarding cognitive performance with a high load on memory. Age, reading fluency, and years of education significantly influenced test scores. The sample was tested twice within a 14-49 days interval to determine test-retest reliability, which is satisfactory. Besides the findings of the study and the introduction of the test battery, the article also highlights its potential benefits for both research and clinical neuropsychological practice. The importance of adapting, validating and standardizing the test in other languages besides the Hungarian language context is also stressed. This test battery could serve as a helpful tool in mapping general cognitive functions in psychiatric and neurological disorders regardless of the cultural background of the patients.

Keywords: general cognitive functioning, multicultural, MUNS, neuropsychological test battery

Procedia PDF Downloads 109

Authors: Rose Lastovicka, Bernard Guy, Diana Burton

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Greek myth and art acted as tools to think with, and a lens through which to explore complex topics as a form of social media. In particular, coins were a form of propaganda to communicate the wealth and power of the city-states they originated from as they circulated from person to person. From this, how can the application of 3D printing technologies explore the infusion of ancient forms with contemporary commentaries to promote discussion? The digital reconstruction of artifacts is a topic that has been researched by various groups all over the globe. Yet, the exploration of Greek myth through artifacts infused with contemporary issues is currently unexplored in this medium. Using the Stratasys J750 3D printer - a multi-material, full-colour 3D printer - a series of coins inspired by ancient Greek currency and myth was created to present commentaries on the adversities surrounding individuals in the LGBT+ community. Using the J750 as the medium for expression allows for complete control and precision of the models to create complex high-resolution iconography. The coins are printed with a hard, translucent material with coloured 3D visuals embedded into the coin to then be viewed in close contact by the audience. These coins as commentaries present an avenue for wider understanding by drawing perspectives not only from sources concerned with the contemporary LGBT+ community but also from sources exploring ancient homosexuality and the perception and regulation of it in antiquity. By displaying what are usually points of contention between anti- and pro-LGBT+ parties, this visual medium opens up a discussion to both parties, suggesting heritage can play a vital interpretative role in the contemporary world.

Keywords: 3D printing, design, Greek mythology, LGBT+ community

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Authors: Igna Brajevic-Gizdic, Magda Pletikosa Pavić

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Introduction: Research in opiate addiction is increasingly indicating the importance of substitution therapy in opiate addicts. Opiate addiction is a chronic relapsing disease that includes craving as a criterion. Craving has been considered a predictor of a relapse, which is defined as a strong desire with an excessive need to take a substance. The study aimed to measure the intensity of craving using the VAS (visual analog scale) in opioid addicts taking Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST). Method: The total sample compromised of 30 participants in outpatient treatment. Two groups of opiate addicts were considered: Methadone-maintenance and buprenorphine-maintenance addicts. The participants completed the survey questionnaire during the outpatient treatment. Results: The results indicated high levels of cravings in patients during the treatment of OST, which is considered an important destabilization factor in abstinence. Thus, the use of methadone/buprenorphine dose should be considered. Conclusion: These findings provided an objective measurement of methadone /buprenorphine dosage and therapy options. The underdoes of OST can put patients at high risk of relapse, resulting in high levels of craving. Thus, when determining the therapeutic dose of OST, it is crucial to consider patients' cravings. This would achieve stabilization more quickly and avoid relapse in abstinence. Subjective physician assessment and patients' statement are the main criteria to determine OST dosage. Future studies should use larger sample sizes and focus on the importance of intensity craving measurement on OST to objectify methadone /buprenorphine dosage.

Keywords: buprenorphine, craving, heroin addicts, methadone, OST

Procedia PDF Downloads 88

Authors: Siew Ming Thang, Wong Hoo Keat, Chee Hao Sue, Fung Lan Loo, Ahju Rosalind

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There are numerous studies that explored young learners’ literacy skills in Malaysia but none that uses the eye-tracking device to track their cognitive processes when reading picture storybooks. This study used this method to investigate two groups of prereaders’ cognitive processes in four conditions. (1) A congruent picture was presented, and a matching narration was read aloud by a recorder; (2) Children heard a narration telling about the same characters in the picture but involves a different scene; (3) Only a picture with matching text was present; (4) Students only heard the reading aloud of the text on the screen. The two main objectives of this project are to test which content of pictures helps the prereaders (i.e., young children who have not received any formal reading instruction) understand the narration and whether children try to create a coherent mental representation from the oral narration and the pictures. The study compares two groups of children from two different kindergartens. Group1: 15 Chinese children; Group2: 17 Malay children. The medium of instruction was English. An eye-tracker were used to identify Areas of Interest (AOI) of each picture and the five target elements and calculate number of fixations and total time spent on fixation of pictures and written texts. Two mixed factorial ANOVAs with the storytelling performance (good, average, or weak) and vocabulary level (low, medium, high) as between-subject variables, and the Areas of Interests (AOIs) and display conditions as the within-subject variables were performedon the variables.

Keywords: eye-tracking, cognitive processes, literacy skills, prereaders, visual attention

Procedia PDF Downloads 95

Authors: Ju Young Kim, Mohammad Zahirul Islam, Mahmuda Akter Mele, Su Jeong Han, Hyuk Sung Yoon, In-Lee Choi, Ho-Min Kang

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Strawberry and tomato fruits were harvested at the red ripens maturity stage in the Republic of Korea. The fruits were dipped in fungi solution and afterwards were sterilized with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas. Some fruits were dipped in 150μL/L NaOCl solution for 10 minutes, and others were treated with 5μL/L ClO2 gas for 12 hours and packed with 20,000 cc OTR (oxygen transmission rate) film, the rest were packed in 10,000 cc OTR film inserted with 5μL/L ClO2 gas. 5μL/L ClO2 gas insert treatment showed the lowest carbon dioxide and ethylene, and the highest oxygen concentration was on the final storage day (15th day) in both strawberry and tomato fruits. Tomato fruits showed the lowest fresh weight loss in 5μL/L ClO2 gas insert treatment. The visual quality as well as shelf life showed the highest in 5μL/L ClO2 gas insert treatment of both strawberry and tomato fruits. In addition, the fungal incidence of strawberry and tomato fruits were the most suppressed in 5μL/L ClO2 gas insert treatment. 5μL/L ClO2 gas insert treatment showed higher firmness and soluble solids in both strawberry and tomato fruits. So, 5μL/L ClO2 gas insert treatment may be useful to prevent the fungal incidence as well as retaining the postharvest quality, and increase the shelf life of strawberry and tomato fruits for long term storage. This study was supported by Export Promotion Technology Development Program (314027-03), IPET, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Republic of Korea.

Keywords: chlorine dioxide, ethylene, fungi, sodium hypochlorite

Procedia PDF Downloads 366

Authors: Glavan Claudiu

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My paper focuses on the cultural semiotic interpretation of the Romanian costume from Banat region, from the perspective of Lotman’s semiotic theory of culture. Using Lotman’s system we will analyse the level of language, text and semiosphere within the unity of Banat’s traditional costume. In order to establish a common language and to communicate, the forms and chromatic compositions were expressed through symbols, which carried semantic meanings with an obvious significant semantic load. The symbols, used in this region, receive a strong specific ethnical mark in its representation, in its compositional and chromatic complexity, in accordance with the values and conceptions of life for the people living here. Thus the signs become a unifying force of this ethnic community. Associated with the signs, were the fabrics used in manufacturing the costumes and the careful selections of colours. For example, softer fabrics like silk associated with red vivid colours were used for young woman sending the message they ready to be married. The unity of these elements created the important message that you were sending to your community. The unity of the symbol, fabrics and choice of colours used on the costume carried out an important message like: marital status, social position, or even the village you belonged to. Using Lotman’s perspective on cultural semiotics we will read and analyse the symbolism of the traditional Romanian art from Banat. We will discover meaning in the codified existence of ancient solar symbols, symbols regarding fertility, religious symbols and very few heraldic symbols. Visual communication makes obvious the importance of semiotic value that the traditional costume is carrying from our ancestors.

Keywords: traditional costume, semiotics, Lotman’s theory of culture, traditional culture, signs and symbols

Procedia PDF Downloads 145

Authors: Joyce Onoromhenre Agofure

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Research has shown how fictional work and films reflect the destruction of the environment due to the exploitation of oil, gas, gold, and forest products by multinational companies for profits but overlook discussions on conflict resolution and peacebuilding. However, this paper examines the manner art forms project peace and conflict resolution, thereby contributing to mediation and stability geared towards changing appalling situations in the resource extraction regions of Nigeria. This paper draws from selected Nigerian films- Blood and Oil (2019), directed by Curtis Graham, Black November (2012), directed by Jeta Amata, and a novel- Death of Eternity (2007), by Adamu Kyuka Usman. The study seeks to show that the disruptions caused in the natural resource regions of Nigeria have not only left adverse effects on the social well-being of the people but require resolutions through means of peacebuilding. By adopting the theoretical insights of Social Conflict, this paper focuses on artistic processes that enhance peacebuilding and conflict resolution in non-violent ways by using scenes, visual effects, themes, and images that can educate by shaping opinions, influencing attitudes, and changing ideas and behavioral patterns of individuals and communities. Put together; the research will open up critical perceptions brought about by the artists of study to shed light on the dire need to sustain peace and actively participate in conflict resolution in natural resource extraction spaces.

Keywords: natural resource, extraction, conflict resolution, peace building

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Ajibola Isola, Shattri Mansor, Ojogbane Sani, Olugbemi Tope

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The cadastral map is the rationale behind city management planning and development. For years, cadastral maps have been produced by ground and photogrammetry platforms. Recent evolution in photogrammetry and remote sensing sensors ignites the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems (UAVs) for cadastral mapping. Despite the time-saving and multi-dimensional cost-effectiveness of the UAV platform, issues related to cadastral map accuracy are a hindrance to the wide applicability of UAVs' cadastral mapping. This study aims to present an approach leading to the generation and assessing the credibility of UAV cadastral mapping. Different sets of Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) photos were obtained from the Tarot 680-hexacopter UAV platform flown over the Universiti Putra Malaysia campus sports complex at an altitude range of 70 m, 100 m, and 250. Before flying the UAV, twenty-eight ground control points were evenly established in the study area with a real-time kinematic differential global positioning system. The second phase of the study utilizes an image-matching algorithm for photos alignment wherein camera calibration parameters and ten of the established ground control points were used for estimating the inner, relative, and absolute orientations of the photos. The resulting orthoimages are exported to ArcGIS software for digitization. Visual, tabular, and graphical assessments of the resulting cadastral maps showed a different level of accuracy. The results of the study show a gradual approach for generating UAV cadastral mapping and that the cadastral map acquired at 70 m altitude produced better results.

Keywords: aerial mapping, orthomosaic, cadastral map, flying altitude, image processing

Procedia PDF Downloads 82

Authors: Jo Parsons, Cath Grimley, Debra Bick, Sarah Hillman, Louise Clarke, Helen Atherton

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The problem: Vaccinations are routinely offered to pregnant women in the UK for influenza (flu), pertussis (whooping cough), and COVID-19, yet the uptake of these vaccinations in pregnancy remains low. Pregnant women are at increased risk of hospitalisation, morbidity, and mortality from these preventable illnesses, which can also expose their unborn babies to an increased risk of serious complications, including in utero death. This research aims to explore how pregnant women feel about vaccinations offered during pregnancy (flu, whooping cough, and COVID-19), particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aims to examine factors influencing women’s decisions about vaccinations during pregnancy and how they feel about their health and vulnerabilities to illness arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach: This is a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with pregnant women and midwives in the UK. Interviews with pregnant women explored their views since the COVID-19 pandemic about vaccinations offered during pregnancy and whether the pandemic has influenced perceptions of vulnerability to illness in pregnant women. Interviews with midwives explored vaccination discussions they routinely have with pregnant women and identified some of the barriers to vaccination that pregnant women discuss with them. Pregnant women were recruited via participating hospitals and community groups. Midwives were recruited via participating hospitals and midwife-specific social media groups. All interviews were conducted remotely (using telephone or Microsoft Teams) and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: 43 pregnant women and 16 midwives were recruited and interviewed. The findings presented will focus on data from pregnant women. Pregnant women reported a wide range of views and vaccination behaviour, and identified several factors influencing their decision whether to accept vaccinations or not. These included internal factors (comprised of beliefs about susceptibility to illness, perceptions of immunity, fear, and feelings of responsibility), other influences (including visibility of illness and external influences such as healthcare professional recommendations), vaccination-related factors (comprised of beliefs about effectiveness and safety of vaccinations, availability and accessibility of vaccinations and preferences for alternative forms of protection to vaccination) and COVID-19 specific factors (including COVID-19 vaccinations and COVID-19 specific influences). Implications: Findings identified some of the factors that affect pregnant women’s decisions when deciding to have a vaccination or not and how these decisions have been influenced by COVID-19. Findings highlight areas where healthcare professional advice needs to focus, such as the provision of information about the increased vulnerability to illnesses during pregnancy and consideration of opportunistic vaccination at hospital appointments to maximise uptake of vaccinations during pregnancy. Findings of this study will inform the development of an intervention to increase vaccination uptake amongst pregnant women.

Keywords: vaccination, pregnancy, qualitative, interviews, COVID-19

Procedia PDF Downloads 96

Authors: Paria Baharvand, Mohammad Reza Abbasi, Soha Namazi

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Introduction: Uremic pruritus (UP) is one of the major complaints in hemodialysis patients. The aim of this randomized clinical trial study was the evaluation of the anti-pruritus effect of Melatonin on hemodialysis patients with UP. Methods: This multi-centered double, blinded randomized clinical trial study was conducted on hemodialysis patients with UP that referred to the dialysis department of Imam Khomeini Hospital, Labbafinezhad Hospital and Ghiasi Hospital in Tehran, Iran, in 2018. Forty participants were enrolled and block randomization was performed by using a randomized list and divided into 2 groups of twenty patients. Evaluation of the 12-Item Pruritus Severity Scale (12-PSS), Visual analog scale (VAS), and Calculation of the affected body surface area for pruritus extent (BSA %) was performed every week. The Melatonin group received a 10 mg soft gel capsule, and the placebo group received a soft gel capsule placebo after dinner. For statistical analysis used by SPSS version 21(IRCT20180714040462N1). Results: 38 hemodialysis patients enrolled in this study. The mean age in the placebo group and in the Melatonin group was 55.88 ± 11.70 and 54.52 ± 13.00 years (p> 0.05). Also, 46% of all participants were female. Aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and C-reactive protein have significant differences between the two groups (p< 0.05). VAS score reduction in the two groups had a statistically significant (CI 95% = -1.71, P= 0.015(.The results of BSA% showed Melatonin had a significant effect on the decrease of the pruritus extent compared to placebo (CI 95% = -22.82, P= 0.001(. Conclusion: According to the results of this study and the preliminary effects of Melatonin on uremic pruritus, we suggest performing advanced clinical trials studies.

Keywords: Melatonin, Uremic Pruritus, hemodialysis, anti-pruritus

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Authors: Swati Bajpai, S. P. K Jena

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Background: There is dramatic increase in the prevalence and severity of overweight in adolescents, raising concerns about their psychosocial and cognitive consequences, thereby indicating the immediate need to understand the effects of increased weight on scholastic performance. Although the body of research is currently limited, available results have identified an inverse relationship between obesity and cognition in adolescents. Aim: to examine the association between increased Body Mass Index in adolescents and their neurocognitive functioning. Methods: A case –control study of 28 subjects in the age group of 11-17 years (14 Males and 14 females) was taken on the basis of main inclusion criteria (Body Mass Index). All of them were randomized to (experimental group: overweight) and (control group: normal weighted). A complete neurocognitive assessment was carried out using validated psychological scales namely, Color Progressive Matrices (to assess intelligence); Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (Perceptual motor functioning); PGI-Memory Scale for Children (memory functioning) and Malin’s Intelligence Scale Indian Children (verbal and performance ability). Results: statistical analysis of the results depicted that 57% of the experimental group lack in cognitive abilities, especially in general knowledge (99.1±12.0 vs. 102.8±6.7), working memory (91.5±8.4 vs. 93.1±8.7), concrete ability (82.3±11.5 vs. 92.6±1.7) and perceptual motor functioning (1.5±1.0 vs. 0.3±0.9) as compared to control group. Conclusion: Our investigations suggest that weight gain results, at least in part, from a neurological predisposition characterized by reduced executive function, and in turn obesity itself has a compounding negative impact on the brain. Though, larger sample is needed to make more affirmative claims.

Keywords: adolescents, body mass index, neurocognition, obesity

Procedia PDF Downloads 487

Authors: Nasser Koleini Mamaghani, Sara Mostowfi

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The complexity of public space design makes it difficult for designers to simultaneously consider all issues for thorough decision-making. Among public spaces, the public space around people’s house is the most prominent space that affects and impacts people’s daily life. Considering recreational public spaces in cities, their main purpose would be to design for experiences that enable a deep feeling of peace and a moment of being away from the hectic daily life. Respecting human emotions and restoring natural environments, although difficult and to some extent out of reach, are key issues for designing such spaces. In this paper we propose to analyse the structure of recreational public spaces and the related emotional impressions. Furthermore, we suggest investigating how these structures influence people’s choice for public spaces by using differential semantics. According to Kansei methodology, in order to evaluate a situation appropriately, the assessment variables must be adapted to the user’s mental scheme. This means that the first step would have to be the identification of a space’s conceptual scheme. In our case study, 32 Kansei words and 4 different locations, each with a different sensual experience, were selected. The 4 locations were all parks in the city of Tehran (Iran), each with a unique structure and artifacts such as a fountain, lighting, sculptures, and music. It should be noted that each of these parks has different combination and structure of environmental and artificial elements like: fountain, lightning, sculpture, music (sound) and so forth. The first one was park No.1, a park with natural environment, the selected space was a fountain with motion light and sculpture. The second park was park No.2, in which there are different styles of park construction: ways from different countries, the selected space was traditional Iranian architecture with a fountain and trees. The third one was park No.3, the park with modern environment and spaces, and included a fountain that moved according to music and lighting. The fourth park was park No.4, the park with combination of four elements: water, fire, earth, wind, the selected space was fountains squirting water from the ground up. 80 participant (55 males and 25 females) aged from 20-60 years participated in this experiment. Each person filled the questionnaire in the park he/she was in. Five-point semantic differential scale was considered to determine the relation between space details and adjectives (kansei words). Received data were analyzed by multivariate statistical technique (factor analysis using SPSS statics). Finally the results of this analysis are criteria as inspiration which can be used in future space designing for creating pleasant feeling in users.

Keywords: environmental design, differential semantics, Kansei engineering, subjective preferences, space

Procedia PDF Downloads 407