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Makerspaces are gaining popularity in the educational activities of all age groups, from primary schools to higher education institutions, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Due to makerspaces' hands-on learning approach, it is generally believed that learning in makerspaces influences students' creative and thinking skills. Experiments have been performed to explore this relationship; however, they are limited to a particular type of makerspace and address only some aspects of creativity. Therefore, using a systematic literature review (SLR) approach, we attempted to understand the relationship between makerspaces and creativity in the context of STEM education. The SLR offers a holistic view of makerspaces fostering four aspects of creativity from primary to higher education. This SLR used three primary categories of terms in its search string: (i) makerspace and associated terms, (ii) creativity and innovation, and (iii) variants of the term "STEM." Using the Summon meta-database, we searched 103 digital databases (including Scopus, IEEE, and ASEE). The initial search considered peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles and conference proceedings focusing on STEM disciplines published from 2000 to August 2021. After following the PRISMA guidelines for reporting systematic reviews, 34 relevant papers remained eligible for inclusion. The selected papers were analyzed using thematic analysis. Various types of makerspaces show empirical evidence of fostering creativity. This review additionally identifies seven factors that foster creativity in a makerspace environment. These findings will be beneficial for applying makerspace tools and interventions to enhance creativity in the context of STEM disciplines.

Intonation is the variation in pitch used in speech, which forms the premise of tonal and non-tonal languages. Interrogative words are words that introduce questions. Previous research lacks clarity regarding the specific cues used in the processing of word intonation. To address this gap, this study used the eventrelated potential electroencephalogram (EEG) research method to explore the intonation processing of tone two (mid-rising) interrogative words in Mandarin. For this, the word “shui,” meaning “who,” was selected as the experimental material. To avoid the influence of the environment, gender, and semantics, the Hum version, corresponding to the stimulus material, was also adopted for the experiment. This study used a passive oddball paradigm to examine the clues of intonation information processing in automatic cognitive processing through amplitude, latency, time window, and evoked location potential mismatch negativity. The standard stimulus was the declarative intonation with a high probability of occurrence (90%), and the deviant stimulus was the interrogative intonation with a low probability of occurrence (10%). In the time window of 370– 450 ms, the mismatch negativity was found at the F3, F4, C3, Cz, and C4 channels. The findings show that, in the passive oddball paradigm, lexical semantics are essential for intonation processing at the pre-attentive level, which is dominated by the frontal and central areas of the brain. The results support the functional and comprehensive hypotheses that the processing of intonation is based on the function of language and that bilateral regions are involved in this processing. This study makes an important contribution by providing event-related potential evidence that lexical semantics plays a key role in the pre-attentive processing of intonation, as shown by the significant differences between semantic and non-semantic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing career expectations, determine the influence of college students' personal ability on personal evaluation in the process of gaining employment, and further explore the impact of personal evaluation and social support on career expectations. This study used a random sampling method to administer questionnaires to final-year undergraduates majoring in the liberal arts, science, art, and sports at two Chinese universities. Career expectations were positively correlated with satisfaction. The preferred employer for graduates is a school. In selecting a career, college students believed that exerting their talents was most important. Personal evaluations had a significant effect on self-development in career expectations. The level of social support had a significant effect on prestige and welfare stability in career expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design education utilising digital fabrication is characterised by a dynamic project-based learning environment in which ideas are embodied in prototypes. This environment affects the way design and fabrication activities are taught, including sustainability considerations in the process and the outcomes. With the objectives of refining the sustainability indicators in the context of digital fabrication design education and identifying educational interventions for improving sustainability, we analyse the processes and outcomes of a digital fabrication course. We further develop a conceptual framework for sustainable prototyping based on the prototyping and testing stages in the design thinking model. The sustainability considerations in the prototyping process and outcomes in the design education context in FabLab are exemplified. The findings will help enhance sustainability and develop interventions in the context of design education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the silicon photonics field matures and a data-hungry future looms ahead, new technologies are required to keep up pace with the increase in capacity demand. In this paper, we review current developments in the near-IR and mid-IR group IV photonic modulators that show promising performance. We analyse recent trends in optical and electrical co-integration of modulators and drivers enabling modulation data rates of 112 GBaud in the near infrared. We then describe new developments in short wave infrared spectrum modulators such as employing more spectrally efficient PAM-4 coding schemes for modulations up to 40 GBaud. Finally, we review recent results at the mid infrared spectrum and application of the thermo-optic effect for modulation as well as the emergence of new platforms based on germanium to tackle the challenges of modulating light in the long wave infrared spectrum up to 10.7 μ m with data rates of 225 MBaud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The narrative essence of human nature is that humans are storytellers, and this ability helps to constitute our identities. Challenges that disrupt this innate ability are adverse events that affect the human perception of the world and undermine the meaning one finds in reality. Such events might range from short-term stressors to long-term testing conditions such as pandemics. Tools for overcoming these negative effects and for achieving self-preservation might be sought in individual storytelling abilities in relation to self-constitution and identification. An example of an interactive digital narrative medium that provides a platform for such expression of complex issues is virtual reality (VR), which has been used as a visual narrative storytelling tool for decades. This study sets the notion of trauma in a new light, as a break in the individual story used to explain one’s life and as a story to be intertwined with and re-adapted to one’s overall lifetime. In the healthcare context, this experience can be most effectively presented in VR because it offers added meaning, potential choices, closure, and resolution as methods of utilization. Therefore, VR can be seen not only as a medium whereby traumatic events can be processed but also as an alternative viewpoint of the goal of self-(re)creation. This research discusses a theoretical proposal for ways of playing with self-construction mechanisms in the context of an immersive VR environment to create more opportunities to change one’s narrative and, hence, one’s real-life story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication laboratories (FabLabs) and makerspaces are used to transform ideas into tangible products. Used in a design–learning context, they can enhance cognitive and creative skills. Creativity is the pivotal ability to produce innovative outcomes in makerspaces, and several studies have attempted to understand the role of makerspaces and creativity in specific fields. However, a comprehensive study offering a holistic view of the contributions of the makerspaces as built environments that foster creativity is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review on FabLabs, makerspaces, and creativity to address this research gap. While the review was performed using five major databases, only peer reviewed journal articles were considered. The findings revealed that makerspaces help to develop person, product, physical, and social environments, as well as process aspects of creativity. Moreover, makerspaces induce problem solving, collaborative, and communication skills; they also offer appealing environments and technologies for developing creative solutions to real-life problems. We identified and analysed five major themes dealing with technical skills, technological and environmental elements, STEM learning, and skill development, and elaborated upon their importance for enhancing creativity in FabLab and makerspace environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores virtual reality (VR) as an emerging tool integrated into brainstorming activities to enhance creativity, and systematically reviews existing studies to provide an advanced literature review on this subject. Moreover, we propose a framework for enhancing creativity in virtual brainstorming (VB) based on the 4Ps (person, process, product, and press) of creativity, which provides guidance on leveraging VB to enhance creativity. Furthermore, eight affordances of VB are identified to enhance creativity: anonymity, appraisal, avatars, immersion, multiple communication, recording, simulated objects, and tracing. The potential perspectives of VB to enhance creativity based on this study's framework are also explored, which deserves further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Georgi V. Georgiev, Yukari Nagai, Toshiharu Taura In this paper, we discuss the relations between the viewpoints of users and designers. The main issue in design is that the user's and designer's viewpoints do not integrate well. In this study, we integrate the user's viewpoint into our new proposed design methodology by applying a meaning-based framework in conceptual design. This methodology introduces a user-derived evaluation of 'structure of meaning elements' (SoME) as part of the user's viewpoint into the particular design phase. Furthermore, we test the proposed design methodology in a case study. The results outline the feasibility of the framework. This study reveals details of how concepts are formed in design and how concept formation can be achieved using design methodology. The significance of this study for science and practical application lies in the proposed integration of the user-derived evaluation of SoME as a step in the design methodology.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluoresces efficiently under blue excitation despite major electrostatic rearrangements resulting from photoionization of the chromophore and neutralization of Glu-222. A competing phototransformation process, which ionizes the chromophore and decarboxylates Glu-222, mimics the electrostatic and structural changes in the fluorescence photocycle. Structural and spectroscopic analysis of the cryogenically stabilized photoproduct at 100 K and a structurally annealed intermediate of the phototransformed protein at 170 K reveals distinct structural relaxations involving protein, chromophore, solvent, and photogenerated CO2. Strong structural changes of the 100 K photoproduct after decarboxylation appear exclusively within 15 Å of the chromophore and include the electrostatically driven perturbations of Gln-69, Cys-70, and water molecules in an H-bonding network connecting the chromophore. X-ray crystallography to 1.85 Å resolution and static and picosecond time-resolved IR spectroscopy identify structural mechanisms common to phototransformation and to the fluorescence photocycle. In particular, the appearance of a 1697 cm-1 (+) difference band in both photocycle and phototransformation intermediates is a spectroscopic signature for the structural perturbation of Gin-69. This is taken as evidence for an electrostatically driven dynamic response that is common to both photoreaction pathways. The interactions between the chromophore and the perturbed residues and solvent are decreased or removed in the T203H single and T203H/Q69L double mutants, resulting in a strong reduction of the fluorescence quantum yield. This suggests that the electrostatic response to the transient formation of a buried charge in the wild type is important for the bright fluorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prototyping physical artifacts is a fundamental activity for both product development in industrial and engineering design domains and the development of digital fabrication skills. Prototyping is also essential for human-centric problem-solving in design education. Digital fabrication assists in rapid prototype development through computer-aided design and manufacturing tools. Due to the spread of makerspaces like fabrication laboratories (FabLabs) around the world, the use of digital fabrication tools for prototyping in educational institutes is becoming increasingly common. Studies on the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of digital fabrication have been carried out. However, none of them focus on sustainability and prototyping-based digital fabrication tools or design education. To bridge this research gap, a conceptual framework for sustainable prototyping based on a five-stage design thinking model is proposed. The framework, which is based on a comprehensive literature review of social, economic, and environmental sustainability factors of digital fabrication, is applied to evaluate a prototyping process that took place in a FabLab in an education context aimed at enhancing sustainability. Three case studies are used to evaluate the proposed framework. Based on the findings, recommendations are presented for sustainable prototyping using digital fabrication tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our access to computer-generated worlds changes the way we feel, how we think, and how we solve problems. In this review, we explore the utility of different types of virtual reality, immersive or non-immersive, for providing controllable, safe environments that enable individual training, neurorehabilitation, or even replacement of lost functions. The neurobiological effects of virtual reality on neuronal plasticity have been shown to result in increased cortical gray matter volumes, higher concentration of electroencephalographic beta-waves, and enhanced cognitive performance. Clinical application of virtual reality is aided by innovative brain–computer interfaces, which allow direct tapping into the electric activity generated by different brain cortical areas for precise voluntary control of connected robotic devices. Virtual reality is also valuable to healthy individuals as a narrative medium for redesigning their individual stories in an integrative process of self-improvement and personal development. Future upgrades of virtual reality-based technologies promise to help humans transcend the limitations of their biological bodies and augment their capacity to mold physical reality to better meet the needs of a globalized world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual Reality is used in various ways for creating a storytelling experience. It gives us the opportunity to imagine one's life events as a story, and in settings that are intended to aid the self, such as treatment of trauma, anxiety, phobia, etc. This paper discusses the ways that challenging experiences change the way people perceive their life narratives and form their memories. This paper suggests that virtual reality (VR) can be used for the exploration of alternative scenarios in order to see one's overall line of life in a new and healthier way. Considering the theoretical background of the narrative self, this research proposes a novel view of VR immersion as a medium for constructing a new storyline and attitude to the past. The approach would also influence attitudes regarding the present and future, and thus better shape the narrative of the self, which can lead to healthier life experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we studied the human dimensions of experience and knowledge, confidence, motivation, and fun with regard to four technological dimensions referring to a FabLab environment: 2D and 3D design, tools and machines, prototyping with electronics, and programming. An intensive, two-week training period for high school students in digital fabrication and design was utilized as a testbed to evaluate how the participants modified their perception of the four human dimensions during the training. We identified that prototyping with electronics and programming were the most significant obstacles. In addition, the perception of acquired knowledge and confidence had increased considerably after training except for the programming domain. FabLab trainers can utilize the trainees’ perceptions on different dimensions to emphasize the specific design aspects of the activity in order to achieve the training goals. We also expect that a detailed description of the experiment setup can be useful to other researchers and practitioners while organizing activities at FabLab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital fabrication laboratories (FabLabs) influence how we think, ideate, do, make, and create. To enable the full capacity of materialization of the most creative ideas in the FabLab, a fundamental understanding of the processes in the FabLab is required. To accomplish this, we propose a framework for dynamically and ubiquitously capturing human-human (team) interactions, human-tool/machine interactions, and human-design-object interactions in the complex scenarios that occur in the paradigm of making in FabLabs. The framework elaborates three methods. The first method produces categories of creative spaces about activities and users in the FabLab. The second method identifies interactions between users and tools, and between users. Last, the third method identifies in-depth cognitive and thinking types of makers in the FabLab. The proposed framework can improve creative results and experiences of all stakeholders in the making process in the FabLab, and provide easy customization of the FabLab training for different audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have clearly established the impact of culture on design creativity. For example, the presence of cultural values with low uncertainty avoidance (UA, the degree of anxiety and risk aversion that people feel during ambiguous situations) is linked to low workability of creative ideas. Currently, there is limited research on potential remedies to alleviate the impact of culture, specifically with respect to UA. Therefore, this study investigates the use of technology to prime UA cultural values and mitigate their potential negative impacts on design creativity. This was achieved using stimuli that had been generated by virtual reality (VR) technology and presented in an immersive environment. Participants in an experimental study were exposed to VR stimuli designed to either decrease or increase their UA. The results showed that the VR stimuli had successfully increased and decreased low and high UA values, respectively, which mitigated the influence of UA on design creativity. Furthermore, the VR stimuli influenced the emphasis of the participants on ideation, with lowered and enhanced UA values leading to them prioritizing novelty and usefulness, respectively. Overall, the findings provided evidence that VR could be leveraged from a psychological standpoint to reduce cultural influences on creativity through targeted priming. These findings indicated the essential implications of the study in terms of understanding the effect of immersive technologies in shaping human behaviors and mindsets. • Virtual reality stimuli can successfully prime the UA values of participants. • Primed high UA leads to a prioritization of the usefulness of ideas. • Primed low UA leads to a prioritization of the novelty of ideas. • VR stimuli is a promising tool for mitigating cultural influences on creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rebinding kinetics of CO to protoheme (FePPIX) in the presence and absence of a proximal imidazole ligand reveals the magnitude of the rebinding barrier associated with proximal histidine ligation. The ligation states of the heme under different solvent conditions are also investigated using both equilibrium and transient spectroscopy. In the absence of imidazole, a weak ligand (probably water) is bound on the proximal side of the FePPIX-CO adduct. When the heme is encapsulated in micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), photolysis of FePPIX-CO induces a complicated set of proximal ligation changes. In contrast, the use of glycerol-water solutions leads to a simple two-state geminate kinetic response with rapid (10-100 ps) CO recombination and a geminate amplitude that can be controlled by adjusting the solvent viscosity. By comparing the rate of CO rebinding to protoheme in glycerol solution with and without a bound proximal imidazole ligand, we find the enthalpic contribution to the proximal rebinding barrier, Hp, to be 11 ± 2 kJ/mol. Further comparison of the CO rebinding rate of the imidazole bound protoheme with the analogous rate in myoglobin (Mb) leads to a determination of the difference in their distal free energy barriers: ΔGD 12± 1 kJ/mol. Estimates of the entropic contributions, due to the ligand accessible volumes in the distal pocket and the xenon-4 cavity of myoglobin (∼3 kJ/mol), then lead to a distal pocket enthalpic barrier of HD ≈ 9 ± 2 kJ/mol. These results agree well with the predictions of a simple model and with previous independent room-temperature measurements (Tian et al. Phys. Rev. Left. 1992, 68, 408) of the enthalpic MbCO rebinding barrier (18 ± 2 kJ/mol). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]