Invisibly Entangled:When Children Meet a System of Connected Components

Today many children encounter Internet of Things (IoT) devices and systems of connected products in their daily contexts and activities such as learning, play, and helping in the household. When designing computational systems that children can understand and use, making sense of a child’s perspective of system behaviors is a challenge for HCI practitioners and researchers, particularly when targeting an informal, undirected learning experience. To build design knowledge on how children approach and make sense of novel interactive system concepts, we have designed and implemented a system of ten connected components, which was deployed at a local Maker Faire. This case study reports on design requirements, data design process, observations from and reflections on the deployment with respect to the young visitors’ interactions with the implemented system behaviors. We conclude with a discussion of insights and future possibilities.</p

A Heard Space:Ambling in Auditory Ambient Places

“A Heard Space” (AHS) is an interactive art installation designed to envelop visitors in an audio-centric, immersive experience that dynamically responds to their body movement and exploration of the exhibition space. This paper reports on the conceptualization and implementation of this installation, providing insights into the design of the spatial sound map, interactive components, and underlying technologies. Additionally, as this project has already been deployed twice in Japan and The Netherlands, we reflect on both the development process and exhibitions, while also envisioning possibilities for future exploration.</p

Designing Group Music Improvisation Systems:A Decade of Design Research in Education

In this article we discuss Designing Group Music Improvisation Systems (DGMIS), a design education activity that investigates the contemporary challenge design is facing when we go beyond single-user single-artefact interactions. DGMIS examines how to design for systems of interdependent artefacts and human actors, from the perspective of improvised music. We have explored this challenge in design research and education for over a decade in different Industrial Design education contexts, at various geographic locations, in several formats. In this article we describe our experiences and discuss our general observations, corrective measures, and lessons we learned for (teaching) the design of novel, interactive, systemic products

Environmental toxins trigger PD-like progression via increased alpha-synuclein release from enteric neurons in mice

Pathological studies on Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients suggest that PD pathology progresses from the enteric nervous system (ENS) and the olfactory bulb into the central nervous system. We have previously shown that environmental toxins acting locally on the ENS mimic this PD-like pathology progression pattern in mice. Here, we show for the first time that the resection of the autonomic nerves stops this progression. Moreover, our results show that an environmental toxin (i.e. rotenone) promotes the release of alpha-synuclein by enteric neurons and that released enteric alpha-synuclein is up-taken by presynaptic sympathetic neurites and retrogradely transported to the soma, where it accumulates. These results strongly suggest that pesticides can initiate the progression of PD pathology and that this progression is based on the transneuronal and retrograde axonal transport of alpha-synuclein. If confirmed in patients, this study would have crucial implications in the strategies used to prevent and treat PDThis work was supported by the Fritz-Thyssen Foundation, theGerman Parkinson’s disease Society and by Amelia Jimenez Gomez as private dono

Data-Enabled Design:Designing Intelligent Ecosystems through Design Plumbing and Futuring

During the tutorial, the attendees will learn about Data-enabled Design (DED), an approach which uses data as creative material to design for intelligent ecosystems. After a brief introduction to the method and (industrial) cases, the participants will collect data from the conference context using personalized design probes. This tutorial offers a careful balance between applied work and DED theory. The learning outcomes focus on (1) the use of data as creative material in DED, (2) how to set up a successful data-enabled infrastructure and (3) the role of data in guiding future design directions. In addition, tutorial participants will learn about two primary roles that aid the successful implementation of DED: data plumbers and data futures designers.</p

Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1976-2014: Figures and Data

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced the most outbreaks of Ebola virus disease since the virus' discovery in 1976. This dataset contains details on all outbreaks in this country, comprising 996 cases. The study found that, compared to patients over 15 years old, the odds of dying were significantly lower in patients aged 5 to 15 and higher in children under five (with 100% mortality in those under 2 years old). The odds of dying increased by 11% per day that a patient was not hospitalised. Outbreaks with an initially high reproduction number, R (>3), were rapidly brought under control, whilst outbreaks with a lower initial R caused longer and generally larger outbreaks. These findings can inform the choice of target age groups for interventions and highlight the importance of both reducing the delay between symptom onset and hospitalisation and rapid national and international response