The Experience Software-based Design of Virtual Medical Intrascopy Systems for Simulation Study

The questions of software-based design of “virtual” technical systems are considered as facility of imitation experiment for educational purposes. These virtual systems are usable for analysis of medical intrascopy systems functioning. The virtual educational technical systems allow guarantee the goodness technical training of bioengineers.

A fogyasztói érték és az élmény kontextusa a turisztikai szakirodalomban (The context of consumer value an experience in tourism literature)

Tanulmányában a szerző a szakirodalomban fellelhető főbb fogyasztóiérték- és élménymegközelítéseket és kapcsolatokat mutatja be. A turizmus területére fókuszálva kitér az egyes érték és a hozzá szorosan kapcsolódó élménymegközelítéseken belül található nézetkülönbségekre és azonosságokra. A szerző célja, hogy bemutassa a turizmusszektorban tapasztalt fogyasztóiérték-megközelítések sokféleségét, alátámassza a fogalom tudományos szempontú tisztázatlanságát, valamint korábbi empirikus kutatások alapján összesítse a fogyasztói érték lehetséges dimenzióit a turizmusban. ____ In this paper, the author presents consumer value and experience approaches and connections found in literature. Focusing on the area of tourism she introduces value – experience connections, the differences and accordance among approaches of the experts, and the changes of the content of interpretations from time to time. The author set several targets with her work: introducing the diversity of consumer value approaches in tourism; proving the lack of the precisely and scientifically composed concept of consumer value; and based on former empirical researches summarizing the potential consumer value dimensions in tourism.

Design of information architecture of the web site of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Tourism of the Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas (Cuba)

The information architecture supports information retrieval by users in Web environment. The design should be center in the information user, favoring usability. The Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Tourism of the Universidad Central "Marta Abreu" de Las Villas, lacks a site that enhances the disclosure of information to its members. Are presented as objectives of the study: 1) conduct a user survey to identify information needs of users, 2) establish guidelines for information architecture for the institution focused on users, 3) designing the information architecture for the institution and 4) designed to evaluate the proposal. Are presented as objectives of the study: 1) to realize a user study to identify the information needs of users, 2) establish guidelines for information architecture for the institution focused on users, 3) to design the information architecture for the institution and 4) to evaluate the proposal designed. To obtain results are used methods in the theoretical and empirical levels. Besides, are use techniques that favored the design and evaluation. Is designed the intranet of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Tourism. Is evaluated the proposed design for the validation of the results.

Shipscape Influence on the Leisure Cruise Experience

Purpose - To examine the leisure cruise service environment—the shipscape—and its effects on cruisers’ emotions, meaning-making, and onboard behavior. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses qualitative data from 260 cruise customers that was mined from archived online discussion boards. Data were analyzed based on grounded theory and interpretive methods to derive an understanding of shipscape meanings and influences from the cruiser’s perspective. Research limitations/implications - Given the exploratory research objective and interpretive methodology, generalizability beyond the cruise context is limited. However, research findings suggest not only that ambient shipscape conditions influence cruisers’ pleasure, but also that ship layout, décor, size, facilities, and social factors influence the meanings cruisers attach to cruise brands and to the overall cruise experience. Originality/value - This paper explores atmospheric effects on consumer behavior in a context as yet examined by tourism and hospitality scholars. The findings extend Bitner’s (1992) servicescape framework and reveal novel atmospheric and social effects that influence cruise travelers’ experience.

Master in Innovative Tourism Development: a blended learning experience in the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo

This chapter analyses a Portuguese HEI’s first experience with blended learning. Focusing on the Master in Innovative Tourism Development currently being held at the Superior School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, it presents the institutional background and rationale behind the course’s implementation, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, as well as areas of potential development. Based on an evaluation research carried out throughout the course’s first three editions and that involved students, faculty and institutional leaders, it summarizes the main results of a long term-study, putting forth a set of recommendations for improvements and defining potential areas of intervention in future editions of the course.

Best after rain : waterfall discharges and the tourist experience

Waterfalls attract tourists because they are aesthetically appealing landscape features that are not part of everyday experience. It is generally understood that falls are usually seen at their best when there is a copious flow of water, especially after heavy rain. Guidebooks often contain this observation when referring to waterfalls, sometimes warning readers that the flow may be severely reduced during dry periods. Indeed, many visitors are disappointed when they see falls at such times. Some are saddened when the discharge of a waterfall has been depleted by the abstraction of water upstream for power generation or other purposes. While, for those in search of the Sublime or merely the superlative, size is often important, small waterfalls can give great pleasure to lovers of landscape beauty. According to guidebooks, however, even these falls are usually best seen after rain. Drawing on tourist and travel literature and personal journals from the eighteenth century to the present, and with reference to examples from different parts of the world, this paper discusses the importance of discharge in the tourist experience of waterfalls.

Tensions, transisitions and triumphs : examining the transitional experience of fashion students between school and university

Joining any new community involves transition and adaptation. Just as we learn to adapt to different cultures when we choose to live abroad, so students learn the language and culture of an academic community in order to succeed within that environment. At the same time however, students bring with them individual learning styles and expectations, influenced by their prior experiences of learning and of life more generally. Some have excelled at school; others have come to fashion seeking something in which to excel for the first time. Commencing a degree in fashion design brings students into contact with peers and lecturers who share their passion, providing them with a community of practice which can be both supportive and at the same time intimidating.----- In Queensland where university level study in fashion is such a new phenomenon, few applicants have any depth of training in design when they apply to study fashion. Unlike disciplines such as Dance or Visual Art, where lecturers can expect a good level of skill upon entry to a degree program, we have to look for the potential evidenced in an applicant’s portfolio, much of which is untutored work that they have generated themselves in preparation for application. This means that many first year fashion students at QUT whilst very passionate about the idea of fashion design are often very naïve about the practice of fashion design, with limited knowledge of the history or cultural context of fashion and few of the technical skills needed to translate their ideas into three dimensional products.----- For teachers engaging with first year students in the design studios, it is critical to be cognizant of this mix of different experiences, expectations and emotions in order to design curricula and assessment that stretch and engage students without unduly increasing their sense of frustration and anxiety. This paper examines a first year project designed to provide an introduction to design process and to learning within a creative discipline. The lessons learnt provide a valuable and transferable resource for lecturers in a variety of art and design disciplines.

The way forward : report on the preparatory phase of prefabricated building design and construction methodology: identifying critical issues and recommending the way forward

This is an initial report of the PolyU SD part of the team to study Pre-fabricated Building Design and Construction Methodology and marks the completion of Phase 1. It follows our first notes prepared for the meeting on 2 February that identified some critical issues including future lifestyles, life expectancy of buildings, sustainability, size, flexibility and planning considerations. It is also an expansion of our presentation in Dongguan on 23 February. It is not a comprehensive survey of existing approaches or possible ways forward, but it has homed in on certain specific issues and does give specific examples to make the suggestions concrete. It is recommended that more comprehensive research be done to establish previous work and experience internationally. It is also recommended that more research be done on lifestyles as a preliminary to developing at least three concepts for evaluation before proceeding to the detailed design of one concept for full prototyping and market testing. The goal at this point is not to define a single direction but to suggest several future trajectories for further consideration. By the same token, this report is not intended as an exhaustive description of the considerable base of knowledge and ideas brought by the PolyU team to this exciting task. Before taking on an issue of this magnitude and importance in the definition of Hong Kong's future, one must carry out a thoughtful analysis of the issues at hand and an informed definition of paradigms, directions, goals and methods whereby our energies can be best used in the next steps. This report is the result of this analysis

The experience of waterfalls

Landscape beauty has long been a concern of geographers and other scholars, but relatively little work has been done on the aesthetic analysis of specific landscape features such as mountain peaks and waterfalls. In Australia, as in many other parts of the world, waterfalls are popular scenic attractions, and this paper attempts to explain the widespread appeal of these landforms by examining them in the light of theories of landscape aesthetics, from the Picturesque and Sublime to arousal and prospect-refuge. While no single theory offers a complete explanation of our experience of waterfalls, this paper suggests that by using several theoretical approaches to the subject we are more likely to gain a full understanding of the way we respond to these landscape features.

Farmscape online : participatory design of internet meetings with farmers

This paper presents aspects of a longitudinal study in the design and practice of Internet meetings between farmer their advisors and researchers in rural Australia. It reports on the use of Microsoft NetMeeting (NM) by a group of agricultural researchers from Australia's CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) for regular meetings, over nine years, with farmers and the commercial advisers. It describes lessons drawn from this experience about the conditions under which telecollaborative tools, such as NM and video conferencing, are likely to be both useful and used.

A collaborative digestion and design game for community and technology exploration

In this paper, we present interim results from the Communities and Place project, which is exploring methods for understanding communities in a variety of contexts, and how to inform the design of technology to support them. We report on our experience with adapting an existing game-based approach for working with video as a resource in participatory design processes. Our adaptations allow the approach to be used with diverse data arising out of the different communities we are engaged with, and different design traditions we approach the problem from, leading to the formation of common design themes to inform our future work on this project.

Ubiquitous infrastructure : urban infrastructure planning and management experience of Korea

Urban infrastructure development in Korea has recently shifted from an old paradigm of conventional infrastructure planning to a new paradigm of intelligent infrastructure provision. This new paradigm, so called ubiquitous infrastructure, is based on a combination of urban infrastructure, information and communication technologies and digital networks. Ubiquitous infrastructure basically refers to an urban infrastructure where any citizen could access any infrastructure and services via any electronic device regardless of time and location. This paper introduces this new paradigm of intellectual infrastructure planning and its design schemes. The paper also examines the ubiquitous infrastructure development in Korea and discusses the positive effects of ubiquitous infrastructure on sustainable urban development.