40 research outputs found
Affect, Architecture and Practice: Toward a Disruptive Temporality of Practice
No full textAffect, Architecture, and Practice builds on and contributes to work in theories of affect that have risen within diverse disciplines, including geography, cultural studies, and media studies, challenging the nature of textual and representational-based research. Although numerous studies have examined how affect emerges in architectural spaces, little attention has been paid to the creative process of architectural design and the role that affect plays in the many contingencies and uncertainties that arise in the process.
The book traces the critical, philosophic, and architectural theories to examine how affect, architecture, and practice are interlinked. Through a series of conversations and reflections, it examines three key contemporary architects, their practices and projects, all within a single coherent theme. Reiser + Umemoto (RUR Architecture DPC), USA, Kerstin Thompson Architects, Australia, and Shigeru Ban Architects, Japan, are critically studied through the lens of different aspects of practice, namely image-making, the design process, and the making of an everyday object/material.
Through this investigation, author Akari Nakai Kidd demonstrates how affect theory allows a critical interrogation of the in-betweens of practice, its liminality and limits. It questions the stability of objects, the smooth temporality of practice, and its often under-conceptualised non-human dimensions. More significantly, the book demonstrates architectural practice’s contribution to the reconceptualisation of theories of affect
Affect, architecture, and practice toward a disruptive temporality of practice
No full text"Affect, Architecture and Practice, builds on and contributes to work in theories of affect that has risen within diverse disciplines, including geography, cultural studies, and media studies, challenging the nature of textual and representational-based research. Although numerous studies have examined how affect emerges in architectural spaces, little attention has been paid to the creative process of architectural design and the role that affect plays in the many contingencies and uncertainties that arise in the process. The book traces the critical, philosophic and architectural theories to examine how affect, architecture, and practice are interlinked. Through a series of conversations and reflections, it examines three key contemporary architects, their practices and projects, all within a single coherent theme. Reiser + Umemoto (RUR Architecture DPC), USA, Kerstin Thompson Architects, Australia, and Shigeru Ban Architects, Japan, are critically studied through the lens of different aspects of practice, namely image-making, the design process, and the making of an everyday object/material. Through this investigation, author Akari Nakai Kidd demonstrates how affect theory allows a critical interrogation of the in-betweens of practice, its liminality and limits. It questions the stability of objects, the smooth temporality of practice, and its often under conceptualised nonhuman dimensions. More significantly, the book demonstrates architectural practice's contribution to the reconceptualization of theories of affect"--..
Transcriptome analysis of testes gene expression to explore genetic diversity of Mangalica and Camborough boars
No full textYamane K., Kim S., Koide A., et al. Transcriptome analysis of testes gene expression to explore genetic diversity of Mangalica and Camborough boars. Scientific Data 12, 888 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05196-1.The testis, an important reproductive organ, is involved in spermatogenesis and steroid hormone secretion and has been the subject of a wide variety of studies. Pigs are often used as model animals for studies on human physiology and disease, and studies on the testicular development of pigs could shed light on human reproduction. Mangalica, an indigenous Hungarian pig breed, has reproductive traits that are different from those of commercial pig breeds. This specificity could reveal important differences in the cascades and reproductive genes between humans and other animals. In this study, we conducted RNA-sequencing analysis of the testes of 14 days old Mangalica and Camborough boars. We also performed clustering and pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes. These datasets and analyses are expected to provide important gene sets for pig testis development that can be applied in future studies on human reproductive mechanisms
NavAware: Data-centric design of a user-aware navigation agent for blind mobility
No full textWith the rise of digital technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and sensor technologies, all the products we use every day are increasingly becoming ‘intelligent’. Machines, objects, and tools are slowly evolving into robots, objects-with-intent (Rozendaal et al., 2019), and agents. At the same time, their capabilities are also increasing. These capabilities come from their ability to process large amounts of data. In this digital era, how can designers create user-centric solutions by leveraging the strengths of these digitally-enabled products at an early stage in the design process?This thesis explores this topic in the context of pedestrian mobility. More specifically, outdoor mobility for people with vision impairments. When people with vision impairments travel, they must process an extensive amount of spatial information without relying on their vision. How can an agent partner with these users to make this process less demanding and thus, make it easier for people with vision impairments to travel independently?Combining these two visions, this thesis focuses on uncovering the problem areas, information needs, and desires of PVIs traveling outdoors by leveraging behavioral data. Two main user studies, both involving different types of behavioral data have been explored. Based on the exploratory research, in which physiological data was collected, two behavioral states, ‘following’ and ‘reorienting’, were identified. These two states also reflected the PVI's mental state, moments of ease, and moments of uncertainty. This inspired the initial idea for a user-aware navigation agent, which could announce different types of data depending on whether the user was ‘following’ a route or ‘reorienting’ on the route.In the evaluative research, the agent’s capability to detect the two states was tested by training a machine learning algorithm. In addition, a second evaluative user study was conducted to test the hypothesis of the information needs in the ‘following’ and ‘reorienting‘ states. The study setup was designed to generate a new type of behavioral data, which consists of the location users requested additional information. Thus, the user needs were quantified. This kind of behavioral data; one that embeds rich information about the user needs, becomes the building block of future prototypes of the user-aware navigation agent. Those iterations will then produce more data that embed further insights. This positive feedback cycle will be key to keeping the PVIs constantly in the product development loop and hopefully, result in a navigation agent that allows PVIs to easily travel safely and independently. Integrated Product Desig
Night and day: Contributions of diurnal and nocturnal visitors to pollen dispersal, paternity diversity, and fruit set in an early-blooming shrub, Daphne jezoensis
No full textPremise: Under uncertain pollinator visit conditions, plants often exhibit long flowering periods and generalized pollination systems. Flowering of the gynodioecious shrub Daphne jezoensis occurs in early spring in cool temperate forests. Pollination by nocturnal moths is expected, given the species' tubular-shaped flowers with sweet fragrance and nectar. However, the effectiveness of nocturnal moths under cool conditions is unknown. We evaluated the relative importance of diurnal and nocturnal visitors as pollinators in early spring. Methods: We investigated flowering duration, flower visitors, and floral scents in a natural population. We experimentally exposed flowers to visitors only during daytime or nighttime using bagging treatments and evaluated the contributions of diurnal and nocturnal insects to fruit set, pollen dispersal distance, and paternity diversity using 16 microsatellite markers. Results: Female flowers lasted similar to 3 wk, which was similar to 8 d longer than the flowering period of hermaphrodites. Various insects, including Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera, visited the flowers during both daytime and nighttime. Flowers emitted volatiles, such as lilac aldehyde isomers and beta-ocimene, which are known to attract moths. Fruit-set rate in the night-open treatment was similar to or higher than that in the day-open treatment. However, pollen dispersal distance in the night-open treatment was shorter than that in the day-open treatment. Paternity diversity was similar in day-open and night-open treatments. Conclusions: Early-blooming plants ensure pollen receipt and dispersal by having a long flowering period and using both diurnal and nocturnal flower visitors, suggesting the importance of a generalized pollination system under uncertain pollinator visit conditions
Floral abundance and bee density affect species-specific foraging patterns of alpine bumble bees
No full textIn response to the qualitative and quantitative changes in floral resources, bumble bees flexibly forage multiple plant species throughout the growing season. During the short summer in an alpine ecosystem, the activity of worker bees is maximized in the middle of the season, when the competition for floral resources may be intense. We predicted that the foraging patterns of bumble bees are affected by both relative floral abundance and interactions between bumble bee species. We recorded the floral abundance of individual plant species and the foraging frequency of bumble bees in an alpine meadow during the major flowering period over 3 years. Two bumble bee species were common during the major flowering period. Although they tended to visit abundant floral species, the shorter-tongued species (Bombus hypocrita) showed a more diverse and flexible floral choice than the longer-tongued species (Bombus beaticola). The degree of floral use overlap between two bumble bee species tended to decrease when the foraging density of the longer-tongued species was high. These results indicated that multiple bumble bee species are able to coexist when certain bee species can flexibly change targeting flowers in response to the temporal variations in flowering species and the density of competing bee species. The extent of foraging flexibility is related to the morphological traits of bee species and availability of floral resources
ANALISIS PENGARUH APLIKASI TELEGRAM SEBAGAI MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN ALTERNATIF UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN KANJI DASAR
No full textThe use of mobile learning during the Covid-19 pandemic is increasing because it is very helpful in conveying material during learning. Supported by the current era which is a native digital age, humans tend to be inseparable from gadgets. So the author intends to conduct research on the use of technology-based learning media. This study aims to analyze the effect of the Telegram application as a learning medium on efforts to improve the ability of basic kanji at the N5 level. The data sources of this study were the 12 participants of the Akari Kanji Course consisting of students, employees, housewives, and teachers. The theory used in this research is Gagne's IT-based learning media theory (1992) and the theory of mobile learning by Quinn Clark (2000). This study uses quantitative and qualitative research methods with data collection techniques using questionnaires, observations, interviews with Akari Kanji Course participants, and documentation. The data analysis technique used quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques (mixed methods). The results of quantitative data analysis showed that the results of the pretest and posttest did not produce a significant difference to student achievement. This is evidenced by the value of sig 2 tailed 0.077 ˃ 0.025 as a result of hypothesis testing. However, the results of the qualitative data analysis showed that the use of the Telegram application in learning basic kanji at the Akari Kanji Course resulted in a positive response from the participants. So it can be concluded that the use of the Telegram application as an alternative learning medium has a positive effect on the basic kanji abilities of the Akari Kanji Course participants. Further research, it is hoped that they can develop media by conducting experiments on the Telegram application in virtual meetings
Embroidering “Hir Word”: The Assembly of Ladies, Christine de Pizan, and the Medieval Écriture Féminine
No full textThe authorship of the anonymous Middle English poem, The Assembly of Ladies, has been a locus of long-standing critical contestation, and amidst this debate, medieval feminist scholars have continuously and cogently advocated for the poem’s female authorship. Building on these feminist scholarships and simultaneously aiming to move beyond the scope of existing studies, whose discussion has often been limited to whether the poem was written by a woman, this article makes a deliberate and experimental decision in assuming The Assembly’s female authorship and provides a particular feminist reading of the poem enabled by this assumption. This article places the Assembly author alongside her foremother, Christine de Pizan, in their shared struggle to conceptualize and claim for themselves the authorship by and for women, or in other words, to establish a fifteenth-century equivalent of what twentieth-century feminists termed the écriture féminine. In particular, this article focuses on the Assembly author’s employment of clothes-related imagery as a signifier of women’s sexual difference and argues that within her metonymic use of embroidering (the crafting of the textile) to signify literary endeavor (the crafting of the textual), we can find an emulative inheritance of Christine de Pizan’s pro-feminist literary undertakings, whereby Christine utilized the idea of clothmaking as a specifically feminine mode of storytelling to reframe the male-dominated literary culture of the Middle Ages in feminine terms
Two new species in Leptocheliidae (Crustacea: Peracarida: Tanaidacea) from Japan, with notes on their phylogenetic position and aspects of morphology
No full textWe describe two new species of leptocheliid tanaidaceans, Chondrochelia sublitoralis sp. nov. and Neoleptochelia japonica sp. nov., from Japan. Chondrochelia individuals were collected from 113 to 185 m depth in the Kumano Sea. Chondrochelia sublitoralis sp. nov. resembles Chondrochelia africana, Chondrochelia corsica, Chondrochelia taitungensis, and Chondrochelia tanykeraia in having females with slender chelipeds but differs from them in the length ratio of antennular articles and the setal pattern on maxillipeds, cheliped, pereopods 4–6, and pleopods. Males differ from Chondrochelia durbanensis, for which information on females is lacking, in having pereopod-1 propodus lacking ventrodistal spiniform setae and a uniarticulate uropodal exopod. Chondrochelia sublitoralis sp. nov. varies intraspecifically in the number of female antennular articles, five in larger and four in smaller fe-males. Neoleptochelia japonica sp. nov., collected from the coast of Okinawa Island, differ from Neoleptochelia javaensis (previously the sole species in Neoleptochelia) in the setal pattern on antennae, maxillipeds, cheliped, and pleopods in females; and that on the cheliped in males. Male pereopods 1–3 show a unique subchelate condition that we speculate may function for clasping during copulation. Several females in both species had the second thoracomere demarcated on the carapace, whereas others did not. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences determined for C. sublitoralis sp. nov. and N. japonica sp. nov. showed intraspecific K2P distances of 0–0.4% and 0–0.5%, respectively. We inferred the phylogenetic positions of the two species in Leptocheliidae based on COI data
Water Elites’ Perceptions of Water Security in the Middle East and North Africa Region
No full textThe Middle East and North African region continues to face significant water security challenges. The purpose of this dissertation is to gain a deeper understanding of water elites’ perceptions of water security in the MENA region. It is not meant to generalize the findings. Instead, the intention for the research is to identify, explain, and analyze by national elites\u27 contrasting perceptions in Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Tunisia.
The study examines water elites’ perceptions in four areas: current knowledge level of water security, water resource management, water service delivery, and water-related risk mitigation. These elites’ perceptions of water security will help to better align this discipline with other areas of MENA security studies such as cooperation between states; ethnic conflicts; hydro-hegemony; stabilization and nation-building; conflict, armament and regional security; and the nexus of diplomacy, development and defence; terrorism and none-state actors.
The study seeks to find out to what extent, if any, are there significant similarities and differences between water elites\u27 perceptions of the most critical factors affecting water security in the MENA region overall and in the countries within which they live therein specifically. The author concludes that demographics and national factors drive water elites\u27 perceptions of water security, as measured by perceptions of water resource management, water service delivery, and water-related risk mitigation, in the MENA region overall and in the countries where they live therein. This study adopted cross-country mixed-method research approach using the triangulation system
