Formation of dynamic duolayer systems at the air/water interface by using non-ionic hydrophilic polymers

The inclusion of a water-soluble polymer, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), into a surface active film composition before application to the water surface leads to the formation of a dynamic duolayer; a novel surface film system. This duolayer shows improved surface viscosity over the monolayer compound alone, while the addition of polymer maintains other film properties such as evaporation control and equilibrium spreading pressure. Brewster Angle Microscopy shows that the duolayer film undergoes a different formation mechanism upon film compression, and the resultant surface pressure/area isotherm is different at lower surface pressures indicating the PVP is present on the water surface at these pressures and squeezed out to the water subphase at higher pressures. The addition of water-soluble polymers to form a dynamic duolayer provides a unique way to produce defect-free and tightly packed films while polymer is associated with the film. This finding provides new knowledge for the design of surface films with improved properties with potential applications in many areas.

Diabetic Mario: designing and evaluating mobile games for diabetes education

Traditionally, diabetes education has relied on written materials, with limited resources available for children with diabetes. Mobile games can be effective and motivating tools for the promotion of children's health. In our earlier work, we proposed a novel approach for designing computer games aimed at educating children with diabetes. In this article, we apply our game design to a mobile Android game (Mario Brothers). We also introduce four heuristics that are specifically designed for evaluating the mobile game, by adapting traditional usability heuristics. Results of a pilot study (n = 12) to evaluate gameplay over 1-week showed that the children found the game engaging and improved their knowledge of healthy diet and lifestyle.

Space-crossing : community-based data forwarding in mobile social networks under the hybrid communication architecture

In this paper, we study two tightly coupled issues, space-crossing community detection and its influence on data forwarding in mobile social networks (MSNs). We propose a communication framework containing the hybrid underlying network with access point (AP) support for data forwarding and the base stations for managing most of control traffic. The concept of physical proximity community can be extended to be one across the geographical space, because APs can facilitate the communication among long-distance nodes. Space-crossing communities are obtained by merging some pairs of physical proximity communities. Based on the space-crossing community, we define two cases of node local activity and use them as the input of inner product similarity measurement. We design a novel data forwarding algorithm Social Attraction and Infrastructure Support (SAIS), which applies similarity attraction to route to neighbor more similar to destination, and infrastructure support phase to route the message to other APs within common connected components. We evaluate our SAIS algorithm on real-life datasets from MIT Reality Mining and University of Illinois Movement (UIM). Results show that space-crossing community plays a positive role in data forwarding in MSNs. Based on this new type of community, SAIS achieves a better performance than existing popular social community-based data forwarding algorithms in practice, including Simbet, Bubble Rap and Nguyen's Routing algorithms.

Perceptions of mobile plan unit pricing and terms and conditions

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test the efficacy of disclosing unit pricing and increasing the type size of complex terms and conditions in advertising. This is in line with recommendations made by global telecommunications regulators, including in Australia, to protect consumers in selecting mobile plans.

Design/methodology/approach: The authors employed a 2 (unit price disclosed: no, yes)×3 (type size: nine-, 12- and 15-point terms and conditions) full factorial, between-subjects experimental design using a scenario and fictional advertisements for 24-month mobile phone plans. This was complemented by 24 in-depth interviews with consumers who had recently purchased “real” plans and their assessment of these.

Findings: Extra information in the form of unit pricing has a positive influence on consumers’ value perceptions, but not on perceived confusion or risk. Presenting complex terms and conditions in larger type increases consumers’ perceived confusion and risk, but not perceived value, as consumers have difficulty understanding the complicated information presented.

Research limitations/implications: This study focused on a single country market for one product type of mobile phones, using a limited range of mobile plans. Practical implications: Public policymakers and providers are advised to pre-test planned changes to advertising’s informational content prior to implementation to identify the efficacy of proposed changes to protect consumers. Consumers may also need to be educated to accurately interpret complex plans.

Originality/value: The study contributes to the domain of informational content in advertising as a form of consumer protection. The effect of unit pricing and larger type for terms and conditions on consumer perceptions has not been examined previously in complex product settings.

DESIGN AND APPLICATION OF WIRELESS PASSIVE MAGNETOELASTIC RESONANCE AND MAGNETOHARMONIC FORCE SENSORS

The objective of the work described in this dissertation is the development of new wireless passive force monitoring platforms for applications in the medical field, specifically monitoring lower limb prosthetics. The developed sensors consist of stress sensitive, magnetically soft amorphous metallic glass materials. The first technology is based on magnetoelastic resonance. Specifically, when exposed to an AC excitation field along with a constant DC bias field, the magnetoelastic material mechanically vibrates, and may reaches resonance if the field frequency matches the mechanical resonant frequency of the material. The presented work illustrates that an applied loading pins portions of the strip, effectively decreasing the strip length, which results in an increase in the frequency of the resonance. The developed technology is deployed in a prototype lower limb prosthetic sleeve for monitoring forces experienced by the distal end of the residuum. This work also reports on the development of a magnetoharmonic force sensor comprised of the same material. According to the Villari effect, an applied loading to the material results in a change in the permeability of the magnetic sensor which is visualized as an increase in the higher-order harmonic fields of the material. Specifically, by applying a constant low frequency AC field and sweeping the applied DC biasing field, the higher-order harmonic components of the magnetic response can be visualized. This sensor technology was also instrumented onto a lower limb prosthetic for proof of deployment; however, the magnetoharmonic sensor illustrated complications with sensor positioning and a necessity to tailor the interface mechanics between the sensing material and the surface being monitored. The novelty of these two technologies is in their wireless passive nature which allows for long term monitoring over the life time of a given device. Additionally, the developed technologies are low cost. Recommendations for future works include improving the system for real-time monitoring, useful for data collection outside of a clinical setting.

The effect of mobile technology as an active student response system on the acquisition of U.S. history content of secondary students with specific learning disabilities

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) typically learn less history content than their peers without disabilities and show fewer learning gains. Even when they are provided with the same instructional strategies, many students with SLD struggle to grasp complex historical concepts and content area vocabulary. Many strategies involving technology have been used in the past to enhance learning for students with SLD in history classrooms. However, very few studies have explored the effectiveness of emerging mobile technology in K-12 history classrooms. ^ This study investigated the effects of mobile devices (iPads) as an active student response (ASR) system on the acquisition of U.S. history content of middle school students with SLD. An alternating treatments single subject design was used to compare the effects of two interventions. There were two conditions and a series of pretest probesin this study. The conditions were: (a) direct instruction and studying from handwritten notes using the interactive notebook strategy and (b) direct instruction and studying using the Quizlet App on the iPad. There were three dependent variables in this study: (a) percent correct on tests, (b) rate of correct responses per minute, and (c) rate of errors per minute. ^ A comparative analysis suggested that both interventions (studying from interactive notes and studying using Quizlet on the iPad) had varying degrees of effectiveness in increasing the learning gains of students with SLD. In most cases, both interventions were equally effective. During both interventions, all of the participants increased their percentage correct and increased their rate of correct responses. Most of the participants decreased their rate of errors. ^ The results of this study suggest that teachers of students with SLD should consider a post lesson review in the form of mobile devices as an ASR system or studying from handwritten notes paired with existing evidence-based practices to facilitate students’ knowledge in U.S. history. Future research should focus on the use of other interactive applications on various mobile operating platforms, on other social studies subjects, and should explore various testing formats such as oral question-answer and multiple choice. ^

MobiMed: Framework for Rapid Application Development of Medical Mobile Apps

In the medical field images obtained from high definition cameras and other medical imaging systems are an integral part of medical diagnosis. The analysis of these images are usually performed by the physicians who sometimes need to spend long hours reviewing the images before they are able to come up with a diagnosis and then decide on the course of action. In this dissertation we present a framework for a computer-aided analysis of medical imagery via the use of an expert system. While this problem has been discussed before, we will consider a system based on mobile devices. Since the release of the iPhone on April 2003, the popularity of mobile devices has increased rapidly and our lives have become more reliant on them. This popularity and the ease of development of mobile applications has now made it possible to perform on these devices many of the image analyses that previously required a personal computer. All of this has opened the door to a whole new set of possibilities and freed the physicians from their reliance on their desktop machines. The approach proposed in this dissertation aims to capitalize on these new found opportunities by providing a framework for analysis of medical images that physicians can utilize from their mobile devices thus remove their reliance on desktop computers. We also provide an expert system to aid in the analysis and advice on the selection of medical procedure. Finally, we also allow for other mobile applications to be developed by providing a generic mobile application development framework that allows for access of other applications into the mobile domain. In this dissertation we outline our work leading towards development of the proposed methodology and the remaining work needed to find a solution to the problem. In order to make this difficult problem tractable, we divide the problem into three parts: the development user interface modeling language and tooling, the creation of a game development modeling language and tooling, and the development of a generic mobile application framework. In order to make this problem more manageable, we will narrow down the initial scope to the hair transplant, and glaucoma domains.

Motivating the use of public transit through a mobile glanceable display

With increasing concerns about the impact of global warming on human life, policy makers around the world and researchers have sought for technological solutions that have the potential to attenuate this process. This thesis describes the design and evaluation of an information appliance that aims to increase the use of public transportation. We developed a mobile glanceable display that, being aware of the user’s transportation routines, provides awareness cues about bus arrival time, grounded upon the vision of Ambient Intelligence. We present the design process we followed, from ideation to building a prototype and conducting a field study, and conclude with a set of guidelines for the design of relevant personal information systems. More specifically we seek to test the following hypotheses: 1) That the tangible prototype that provides ambient cues will be used more frequently than a similar purpose mobile app, 2) That the tangible prototype will reduce the waiting time at the bus stop, 3) That the tangible prototype will result to reduced anxiety on passengers, 4) That the tangible prototype will result to an increase in the perceived reliability of the transit service, 5) That the tangible prototype will enhance users’ efficiency in reading the bus schedules and 6) That the tangible prototype will make individuals more likely to use public transit. In a field study, we compare the tangible prototype against the mobile app and a control condition where participants were given no external support in obtaining bus arrival information, other than their existing routines. Using qualitative and quantitative data, we test the aforementioned hypotheses and explore users’ reactions to the prototype we developed.

A novel CE microchip with micro pillars column & double-L injection design for Capacitance Coupled Contactless Conductivity detection technology

This novel capillary electrophoresis microchip, or also known as μTAS (micro total analysis system) was designed to separate complex aqueous based compounds, similar to commercial CE & microchip (capillary electrophoresis) systems, but more compact. This system can be potentially used for mobile/portable chemical analysis equipment. Un-doped silicon wafer & ultra-thin borofloat glass (Pyrex) wafers have been used to fabricate the device. Double-L injection feature, micro pillars column, bypass separation channel & hybrid- referenced C4D electrodes were designed to achieve a high SNR (signal to noise ratio), easy- separation, for a durable and reusable μTAS for CE use.

Design principles for maximizing photovoltage in metal-oxide-protected water-splitting photoanodes

Metal oxide protection layers for photoanodes may enable the development of large-scale solar fuel and solar chemical synthesis, but the poor photovoltages often reported so far will severely limit their performance. Here we report a novel observation of photovoltage loss associated with a charge extraction barrier imposed by the protection layer, and, by eliminating it, achieve photovoltages as high as 630mV, the maximum reported so far for water-splitting silicon photoanodes. The loss mechanism is systematically probed in metal-insulator-semiconductor Schottky junction cells compared to buried junction p(+) n cells, revealing the need to maintain a characteristic hole density at the semiconductor/insulator interface. A leaky-capacitor model related to the dielectric properties of the protective oxide explains this loss, achieving excellent agreement with the data. From these findings, we formulate design principles for simultaneous optimization of built-in field, interface quality, and hole extraction to maximize the photovoltage of oxide-protected water-splitting anodes.

Secure and Privacy-aware Data Collection and Processing in Mobile Health Systems

Healthcare systems have assimilated information and communication technologies in order to improve the quality of healthcare and patient's experience at reduced costs. The increasing digitalization of people's health information raises however new threats regarding information security and privacy. Accidental or deliberate data breaches of health data may lead to societal pressures, embarrassment and discrimination. Information security and privacy are paramount to achieve high quality healthcare services, and further, to not harm individuals when providing care. With that in mind, we give special attention to the category of Mobile Health (mHealth) systems. That is, the use of mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones, sensors, PDAs) to support medical and public health. Such systems, have been particularly successful in developing countries, taking advantage of the flourishing mobile market and the need to expand the coverage of primary healthcare programs. Many mHealth initiatives, however, fail to address security and privacy issues. This, coupled with the lack of specific legislation for privacy and data protection in these countries, increases the risk of harm to individuals. The overall objective of this thesis is to enhance knowledge regarding the design of security and privacy technologies for mHealth systems. In particular, we deal with mHealth Data Collection Systems (MDCSs), which consists of mobile devices for collecting and reporting health-related data, replacing paper-based approaches for health surveys and surveillance. This thesis consists of publications contributing to mHealth security and privacy in various ways: with a comprehensive literature review about mHealth in Brazil; with the design of a security framework for MDCSs (SecourHealth); with the design of a MDCS (GeoHealth); with the design of Privacy Impact Assessment template for MDCSs; and with the study of ontology-based obfuscation and anonymisation functions for health data.

Remotely delivered exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation: design and content development of a novel mHealth platform

BACKGROUND: Participation in traditional center-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs (exCR) is limited by accessibility barriers. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies can overcome these barriers while preserving critical attributes of center-based exCR monitoring and coaching, but these opportunities have not yet been capitalized on.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to design and develop an evidence- and theory-based mHealth platform for remote delivery of exCR to any geographical location.

METHODS: An iterative process was used to design and develop an evidence- and theory-based mHealth platform (REMOTE-CR) that provides real-time remote exercise monitoring and coaching, behavior change education, and social support.

RESULTS: The REMOTE-CR platform comprises a commercially available smartphone and wearable sensor, custom smartphone and Web-based applications (apps), and a custom middleware. The platform allows exCR specialists to monitor patients' exercise and provide individualized coaching in real-time, from almost any location, and provide behavior change education and social support. Intervention content incorporates Social Cognitive Theory, Self-determination Theory, and a taxonomy of behavior change techniques. Exercise components are based on guidelines for clinical exercise prescription.

CONCLUSIONS: The REMOTE-CR platform extends the capabilities of previous telehealth exCR platforms and narrows the gap between existing center- and home-based exCR services. REMOTE-CR can complement center-based exCR by providing an alternative option for patients whose needs are not being met. Remotely monitored exCR may be more cost-effective than establishing additional center-based programs. The effectiveness and acceptability of REMOTE-CR are now being evaluated in a noninferiority randomized controlled trial.

Persian gardens: meanings, symbolism, and design

Culture and identity in a society can be represented in the architecture and the meanings intertwined with it. In this sense, the architecture and design are the interface for transferring meaning and identity to the nation and future generations. Persian gardens have been evolved through the history of Persian Empire in regard to the culture and beliefs of the society. This paper aims to investigate the patterns of design and architecture in Persian gardens and the meanings intertwined with their patterns and significant elements such as water and trees. Persian gardens are not only about geometries and shapes; but also manifest different design elements, each representing a specific symbol and its significance among the society. This paper seeks to explore Persian gardens in terms of their geometric structure, irrigation system, network construction and pavilions alongside design qualities such as hierarchy, symmetry, centrality, rhythm and harmony. In the second stage, the paper investigates the fundamental symbols and their philosophy in the creation of Persian gardens and in relation to the architecture and design.

Motivating the use of public transit through a mobile glanceable display

With increasing concerns about the impact of global warming on human life, policy makers around the world and researchers have sought for technological solutions that have the potential to attenuate this process. This thesis describes the design and evaluation of an information appliance that aims to increase the use of public transportation. We developed a mobile glanceable display that, being aware of the user’s transportation routines, provides awareness cues about bus arrival time, grounded upon the vision of Ambient Intelligence. We present the design process we followed, from ideation to building a prototype and conducting a field study, and conclude with a set of guidelines for the design of relevant personal information systems. More specifically we seek to test the following hypotheses: 1) That the tangible prototype that provides ambient cues will be used more frequently than a similar purpose mobile app, 2) That the tangible prototype will reduce the waiting time at the bus stop, 3) That the tangible prototype will result to reduced anxiety on passengers, 4) That the tangible prototype will result to an increase in the perceived reliability of the transit service, 5) That the tangible prototype will enhance users’ efficiency in reading the bus schedules and 6) That the tangible prototype will make individuals more likely to use public transit. In a field study, we compare the tangible prototype against the mobile app and a control condition where participants were given no external support in obtaining bus arrival information, other than their existing routines. Using qualitative and quantitative data, we test the aforementioned hypotheses and explore users’ reactions to the prototype we developed.

Plan de negocios Bicigo app

La gran cantidad de personas interesadas actualmente en cuidar de su salud por medio de la Bicicleta, es una tendencia que cada vez toma más fuerza y por esto, se tomara como ventaja que la ciudad de Bogotá con sus últimos alcaldes han decidió apoyar el uso de esta. Aplicación para realizar grupos de ciclistas y poder salir cualquier día de la semana acompañado de más personas por un tema de transporte pero también de ocio. El objetivo es que las personas que no utilizan la bicicleta por miedo a salir solos, puedan unirse a diferentes grupos y hacer bici paseos por la ciudad, también contemplamos el hecho de que existen personas que quieren montar bicicleta como aficionados, es decir que salen por la carreteras aledañas a la capital pero muchas veces no tienen grupo con quien rodar. Queremos para el año 2020, lograr ser una de las aplicaciones de Bicicletas más exitosa de la ciudadanía de Bogotá, siendo una de las aplicaciones que mas apoya el uso diario y deportivo de la bicicleta. Nuestra aplicación ofrece el servicio principalmente de reunir gente y hacer paseos con diferentes personas haciendo uso de las bicicletas, dentro de la ciudad como ocio y transporte se realizarían en la mañana y noches, pero así mismo realizar grupos para hacer uso de la bicicleta por carreteras, es decir más como modo profesional o aficionado. Nuestra aplicación cuenta con una interface para seleccionar el tipo de bici usuario y segundo por donde o a donde quiere dirigirse para así mismo mostrarle las rutas cercanas a él. Nuestra característica principal es la unión de diferentes grupos, personas y entidades para hacer uso de la Bicicleta, tenemos una plataforma interactiva y fácil de usar, tan fácil que cualquier persona que no esté inmersa en el mundo de los Smartphone o aplicaciones pueda aprender a usarla. Unas de las ventajas con las que cuento es que desde muy joven me ha gustado montar en bicicletas y es así como decido crear una aplicación ya que compañeros, familiares y conocidos no salían a montar bicicleta solo conmigo, preferían que fuese un grupo más grande. Así mismo cuento con 3 compañeros de la universidad Javeriana que son programadores y ellos me van a brindar apoyo con la programación de la aplicación, y una compañera cercana a mí que estudio diseño industrial y me brindara apoyo con el diseño e imagen corporativa de la aplicación. Cuento con planta física para ubicar la oficina de nuestra empresa. Esta aplicación va dirigida principalmente a los habitantes de la ciudad de Bogotá, interesados en el cuidado de su salud combinado con medio de transporte, y personas correspondientes al estrato 2 en adelante, ya que son las personas que normalmente hacen uso de la bicicleta o que son personas potenciales para empezar hacer uso de la bicicleta. . La ciudad de Bogotá cuenta con 8’037.732 habitantes y este proyecto va ser desarrollado en toda la ciudad, toca tener en cuenta que la ciudad esta mesclada entre la diferente estratificación, no dirigimos a los estratos 2 y 3 que tenga la posibilidad de tener su Bicicleta y un celular tipo Smartphone, para los estratos 4, 5 y 6 sabemos que tiene la facilidad de obtener una bicicleta y ellos son nuestro usuario potencial el cual generaríamos un cambio y tomarían su bicicleta para hacer ejercicio como ocio y como medio de transporte. En cuanto a la proyección financiera para la aplicación, como se mencionó anteriormente, contamos con una gran ventaja, ya que la inversión requerida será menor debido a la propiedad con la que cuento para llevar a cabo el proyecto. Una propiedad de 60 metros cuadrados para empezar, la cual cuenta con salas de reunión y auditorio, un parqueaderos exteriores. Al hacer la calculación se va tener en cuenta el pago de un arriendo sin importan que sea de nuestra propiedad y así poder evidenciar realmente como es el estado financiero y no subsidiarla. Por otro lado, la inversión en efectivo que se necesitara será aproximadamente de $100.000.000 que serán $50.000.000 de mis padres y el restante saldrán de mis ahorros, Javier Amortegui Babativa, los cuales serán distribuidos para adecuación de planta, equipos y sistemas $17.616.880, para publicidad y mercadeo: $30.000.000, creación de la aplicación $34.000.000, sistemas IOS + Android $421.600, Gastos de composición empresarial y bancarios $11.000.000 y por último se va tener un provisión para imprevistos por el restante $6.961.520. Nuestras proyecciones de ventas han sido basadas en aplicaciones similares con un mismo formato de lucro con el tema de bicicletas pero no con la misma idea de negocio, nuestras proyecciones de ventas estimadas serán de $20.000.000 a $25.000.000 los primeros 3 meses, mientras tomamos fuerza en el mercado.