359 research outputs found
Integrating behavioural change and gamified incentive modelling for stimulating water saving
No full textBehaviour change and incentive modelling for water saving: first results from the SmartH2O project
No full textUnforeseen Impulses of Modernism: The Case of New Belgrade Blocks
No full textObsolescence and urban decay are usual attributes of the Modern Movement buildings and areas worldwide, especially of the post-war large-scale housing settlements. Therefore, the question of reuse and improvement guidelines for these settlements is becoming increasingly important. The paper addresses this issue, taking New Belgrade housing blocks as a case study. The current condition of the New Belgrade blocks that, indeed, can be characterised as obsolete and not adequately maintained, even degraded, is nevertheless a perfect platform for reading of the architecture and the space values, and how it was changing during the time. The study aim was reading the unforeseen impulses of modernism: identification and mapping of socio-spatial relations in environment (reactions on and interventions in space that were generated during the time), reading and interpreting them as impulses of the user behaviours and lifestyles, and further proposing future transformation tactics using the mapped elements and principles. The research framework was a workshop-seminar organized by the authors at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade. Using this research tactic, the particular elements and spaces within the blocks were mapped, identified, classified and systematized according to their flexibility to react and accept contemporary impulses of life. The study reveals common spaces of the New Belgrade blocks, or spaces between private and public, as the key elements in managing the urban decay and prompting adaptation, and hence investigates on the potential of their adaptive reuse initiating transformation of the whole area, and further achieving its attractiveness, openness and better accessibility.Heritage & Technolog
A survey on the design of gamified systems for energy and water sustainability
No full textAbstract
In a world affected by the constant growth and concentration of the population in urban areas, the problem of preserving natural resources has become a priority. A promising approach to resource conservation is demand management, i.e., the ability to positively influence the behaviour of the population towards more sustainable consumption. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools have shown a great potential in influencing consumers’ behaviour, which could be exploited for the common good. However, the design of so-called persuasive systems for environmental purposes is a challenging task, because it cannot be based solely on the utilitarian motivation of users, but must be able to trigger a broader range of engagement factors deeply rooted in the human psychology. In this paper, we review the main design principles and models at the base of a class of persuasive system that exploits gamification and Games with a Purpose (GWAPs) to engage users towards sustainability; we identify the most commonly used incentive mechanisms for inducing behavioural changes; and present a selection of gamified systems for energy and water conservation. From such a survey, we distill design guidelines to be applied in the design of demand management socio-technical systems
EnCOMPASS - An integrative approach to behavioural change for energy saving
No full textThis paper presents the research objectives of the enCOMPASS project, which aims at implementing and validating an integrated socio-technical approach to behavioural change for energy saving. To this end, innovative user-friendly digital tools will be developed to 1) make energy data consumption available and understandable for different types of users and stakeholders (household residents, office employees, school pupils, building managers, utilities, ICT providers) and to 2) empower them to collaborate in order to achieve energy savings and manage their energy needs in efficient, cost-effective and comfort-preserving ways. The project will demonstrate how this can be achieved with a novel approach that integrates user-centered visualisation of energy data from smart sensors and user-generated information with context-aware collaborative recommendations for energy saving, intelligent control and adaptive gamified incentives enabling effective and sustained behavioural change
100 Years Bauhaus. What Interest Do We Take In Modern Movement Today?: Selected Papers from 16th Docomomo Germamy 3rd RMB Conference 1st March 2019, Berlin
No full textThe Bauhaus had a pioneering influence on design worldwide which still endures today. Through education, experimentation and materialization, a revolution took place in the use of space, combining clarity, fluidity, functionality and beauty. The Weimar/Dessau school is remembered – from Gropius’ Weimar office to the Dessau masters’ houses, interiors and furniture – for its avant-garde approach to architecture, urbanism, and design for mass production and commercialization. While the objects it produced are its material legacy, the human body (or Oskar Schlemer’s “Human being”) was definitively at the centre of this experimental work. The unity between spirit and body spurred a quest into health, movement, hygiene, comfort, and rationality. The aim here is to demonstrate how this concept was achieved within a new use of space through innovative interior design. Materials and forms, as well as reinvigorated bodily awareness contributed to this transformation. The question is, how did Bauhaus’ “bodies” and “minds” challenge traditional ideas about daily life shaping the connection between physical and mental harmony. Using Gideon’s writings, namely “Mechanization takes command” and interior design case studies acquired in Japan, the goal of this paper is a threefold analysis: to explore the way the Bauhaus has inspired modern movement architecture up to the present day, to transform firstly space, and secondly, its use. Finally, the concept of the body: how Bauhaus ideas have migrated around the world to simultaneously promote a clear and hygienic aesthetic, connecting function and abstraction; to demonstrate, beyond das neue sachlichkeit, how one may realize the truth of Novalis’ metaphor: “the more poetic, the more truthful.”Heritage & Technolog
T-cell immune responses to Wilms tumor 1 protein in myelodysplasia responsive to immunosuppressive therapy
No full textClinical observations and laboratory evidence link bone marrow failure in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) to a T cell–mediated immune process that is responsive to immunosuppressive treatment (IST) in some patients. Previously, we showed that trisomy 8 MDS patients had clonally expanded CD8+ T-cell populations that recognized aneuploid hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). Furthermore, microarray analyses showed that Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene was overexpressed by trisomy 8 hematopoietic progenitor (CD34+) cells compared with CD34+ cells from healthy donors. Here, we show that WT1 mRNA expression is up-regulated in the bone marrow mononuclear cells of MDS patients with trisomy 8 relative to healthy controls and non–trisomy 8 MDS; WT1 protein levels were also significantly elevated. In addition, using a combination of physical and functional assays to detect the presence and reactivity of specific T cells, respectively, we demonstrate that IST-responsive MDS patients exhibit significant CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses directed against WT1. Finally, WT1-specific CD8+ T cells were present within expanded T-cell receptor Vβ subfamilies and inhibited hematopoiesis when added to autologous patient bone marrow cells in culture. Thus, our results suggest that WT1 is one of the antigens that triggers T cell–mediated myelosuppression in MDS.Elaine M. Sloand, J. Joseph Melenhorst, Zachary C. G. Tucker, Loretta Pfannes, Jason M. Brenchley, Agnes Yong, Valeria Visconte, Colin Wu, Emma Gostick, Phillip Scheinberg, Matthew J. Olnes, Daniel C. Douek, David A. Price, A. John Barrett, and Neal S. Youn
Put the concert attendee in the spotlight: A user-centered design and development approach for classical concert applications
No full textAs the importance of real-life use cases in the music information retrieval (MIR) field is increasing, so does the importance of understanding user needs. The development of innovative real-life applications that draw on MIR technology requires a user-centered design and development approach that assesses user needs and aligns them with technological and academic ambitions in the MIR domain. In this paper we present such an approach, and apply it to the development of technological applications to enrich classical symphonic concerts. A userdriven approach is particularly important in this area, as orchestras need to innovate the concert experience to meet the needs and expectations of younger generations without alienating the current audience. We illustrate this approach with the results of five focus groups for three audience segments, which allow us to formulate informed user requirements for classical concert applications.Intelligent SystemsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
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