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The product development team has the task, amongst many others, to conceive the product's industrial design. Because it was proven and acknowledged that product's industrial design plays an important role in its success in the marketplace, the proposed design has to be evaluated based on an objective method. S.R. Ellis has proposed a method with seven criteria. The method was used by some researchers, but it has never been properly evaluated by an independent party. This paper presents the results of a scientific experiment aimed to test Ellis' method.

Plastic deformation of materials is accompanied by elastic deformation. After the bending process, the elastic deformation disappears and the part is changing its dimensions comparing with those of the tool. The change of bent part’s dimensions due to the elastic properties of material is called elastic springback. It influences the precision of bent parts, especially the bending angle, and this is why its value should be known in order to take the necessary measures in order to reduce or even annihilate its effects. Its value can be determined with analytical relations, from various nomograms or with experimental relations. Because the analytical relations offer results far from reality, this paper proposes a multivariable relation of springback (dependent variable) as a function of several independent variables obtained on the basis of experimental results, in real working conditions and using the method of regression functions. This method is based on simultaneous variation of considered variables, using a limited number of values in the experimentation domain. A split experimental program was used. The obtained relation is true for any combination of values for considered variables, but, from their variation domains, it can be obtained separately the effects of independent variables on dependent variables.

The product manager, as the leader of product-related activities, has the task of identification the product’s main features that will distinguish it on the market. Some of these will be related to the industrial design. This paper presents the results of an experiment designed to explore the relationship between consumer and industrial design. The experiment addressed issues like the consumer’s awareness of industrial design, its influence on product assessment, etc.

A century ago, Wassily Kandinsky postulated that there was a strong and biunivocal correlation between elementary geometric figures and primary colours, respectively the most suitable associations were blue circle, yellow triangle, and red square. Most researchers did not find evidence in support of Kandinsky's combination, but rather in support of another combination: red circle, yellow triangle, and blue square (later called the "dissident" combination). And it was also found that the correlation was not strong, but rather medium. Until now, research has not focused separately on the influence of hue (at maximum saturation) on the appropriateness perception of shape-colour association, nor on the influence of saturation on the same perception. In view of this, two experiments were organized on samples of 546 and 461 participants that were all unaware of Kandinsky's experiment. The first experiment confirmed that hue influences the appropriateness perception of coloured figures, but also that, surprisingly, the shape-colour association was not biunivocal. The participants appreciated that the most appropriate associations were the red circle, the red triangle, and the blue square. However, the means of the appropriateness marks were not high. The second experiment proved that the appropriateness perception of coloured figures was directly influenced by colour saturation, and the correlation was strong (the correlation coefficient being between 0.71 and 0.94). Obviously, the experiments did not validate Kandinsky's theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Technica Napocensis: Civil Engineering & Architecture is the property of Universitatea Tehnica din Cluj-Napoca, Facultatea de Constructii and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The concept of Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics (CVPA) and the associated construct were introduced to measure the level of significance that product design has for certain consumers. The aim was that, after identifying consumers with high CVPA, designers and manufacturers can successfully address to them products with a remarkable design. The initial construct proposed by other researchers was composed by three factors (Value, Acumen and Response). The author of this paper aimed to amplify the construct and tested a new construct containing four additional new factors: Brand Loyalty, Product Involvement, Personality Congruence and Price Indifference. After applying Exploratory Factor Analysis, it was found that practically the Value and Brand Loyalty items were part of the same factor. The same situation was encountered for Response and Personality Congruence. After removing the less significant items, a new construct resulted, validated by Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The new construct has been used successfully to test the hypothesis that people with high CVPA attach special importance to products with a high aesthetic content (in the case of loudspeakers). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently restored frescoes of the former Episcopal Church in Rădăuți display an ample iconographical program commissioned by Voivode Stephen III (r. 1457–1504) during the final decades of the 15th century. This study examines the selection and spatial distribution of iconic figures on the walls of the three-aisled narthex which, in addition to its liturgical function, was also a dynastic necropolis for several late-14th–century Moldavian princes. The lower tier of the lateral walls is occupied by a series of saintly monks depicted as standing, with open scrolls in their hands. The selection of holy hermits is set alongside a peculiar votive composition and the typological representation of Psalm 44, 10, known as the “Royal Deesis”. In the iconographical context of the Rădăuți narthex, the focus on Christ’s double authority as “King of Kings” and “Great High Priest” is the central element of an exceptionally complex system of pictorial analogies, emphasizing the divine origins of both secular and spiritual power. Furthermore, due to their proximity to the princely tombstones, the mural images acquired strong funerary connotations that might have played an important role in the articulation of the iconographic program. Examining the dates inscribed on each slab, one can notice some conspicuous correspondences with the feast days of the saints painted in the immediate vicinity. Thus, this article shows that the iconographic program at Rădăuți reflects a process of negotiating symbolic meanings between the ritual function of the sacred space and the plausible intentions of the political and ecclesiastical elites of late 15th–century Moldavia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essential step in the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) flow is the stage of image binarization. There are considerable algorithms used for the stage of binarization. The significant difference between them is the method that computes the pixel threshold value. These algorithms can categorize into two groups: those that require a single threshold value for the whole image (which can recognize larger areas or objects) and those that use a threshold obtained from the pixel's local space (pixels in the neighborhood of the given pixel and that can identify smaller clusters of pixels). The objective of this paper is to present a voting-based image binarization algorithm that makes use of results from both categories of algorithms previously mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to help designers conceive market successful products, researchers have launched the concept of product personality. The relevance of the product personality concept resides in the personality congruence theory -- people like products with a personality similar to theirs. Several product personality models have been developed, including one that divides the world of products into four categories: female, feminine, masculine and male. How effective is such a model? Can any product be considered gendered? Moreover, researchers and scholars have analysed the complex relationship between gendered objects and the persons to whom these objects are addressed, reaching a multitude of conclusions. What has not yet been studied is the relationship between the product's gender and the perceived quality and reliability of the product as viewed from the same gender consumer's perspective. This paper answers the above questions and analyses the unstudied relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper specifies the physical - mechanical properties that shall be guaranteed for the tubes and the other components (return bends & plug headers, elbows, junction boxes, tube supports, anchors, tube guides or tube sheets), named synthetically PRFT, of the coils of petrochemical plants and oil refineries furnaces - FC. It also presents the main processes that determine the modification / alteration of these properties during the use of FC, it analyses the modalities in which these properties intervene in the FC design calculations and it highlights the influences of these properties upon the reliability, maintainability, availability, durability and safety in exploitation of FC. The original contributions of our work, concerning the FC made of PRFT manufactured from various classes of materials, are the followings: a) definition of some pertinent analytical expressions for the dependences of operating temperature on the minimum guaranteed physical - mechanical properties of PRFT materials; b) formulation of a strategy for the increase of the FC reliability and durability, based on the assessment of the effective physical - mechanical properties of PRFT materials. Lucrarea precizeaza caracteristicile fizico - mecanice care trebuie garantate pentru tuburile - FT şi celelalte componente (returbenţi sau cutii de întoarcere, coturi din ţeavă, elemente fasonate de îmbinare şi/sau de racordare, plăci tubulare, suporturi, suspensii) - FP ale serpentinelor cuptoarelor din rafinariile de petrol şi instalaţiile petrochimice - FC, prezint š principalele procese care determinš modificarea / degradarea acestor caracteristici în cursul utilizšrii FC, analizeazš modalitššile în care aceste caracteristici intervin în calculele de proiectare ale FC şi evidenšiazš influenšele acestor caracteristici asupra fiabilitššii, mentenabilitššii, disponibilitššii, durabilitššii şi siguranšei în exploatare a FC. Contribušiile originale ale lucršrii, referitoare la FC cu FT şi FP realizate din diverse clase de materiale, sunt: a) stabilirea unor expresii analitice pertinente pentru dependenšele de temperatura de lucru ale caracteristicilor fizico - mecanice minime garantate ale materialelor FT şi FP; b) formularea unei strategii de creştere a fiabilităţii şi durabilităţii FC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Petroleum - Gas University of Ploiesti Bulletin, Technical Series is the property of Petroleum - Gas University of Ploiesti and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The attitude towards mental health brings many controversies both in the general population and in the medical field. The main reason for stigmatization seems to be a lack of information and wrong interpretation of mental illness, most of the information being disseminated by mass-media. Stigma in the medical field represents a huge obstacle in treating and rehabilitating mental health patients. Doctors' attitude towards mental health, regardless of their specialty, is defining for mental health patients' compliance with treatment. In the long run, the attitude of future doctors towards mental health patients (stigmatization and social distance) could reflect on the quality of medical treatment and services. The academic environment could influence medical students' attitude towards the concept of mental health. An important role is played by medical psychology and psychiatry courses which explain the scientific part of the mental health problems. These courses could lead either to a decrease in stigmatization and social distance or in an increase in their levels. Social stigma, frequently associated with symptoms, mental disorders and irrational behaviors, could limit a patient's ability to recognize his problems and to seek medical help. This being said, we welcome a national program aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination against people with mental health problems and their families. This study set forth to analyze the attitude towards the concept of mental health in medical academic environment compared to non-psychiatry professional health providers and to demonstrate the need for correct and sufficient information regarding mental health patients for future medical providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy tends to become a pathology more and more frequently encountered in the practice of obstetricians. The early diagnosis by means of echography allows the elaboration of various therapeutic strategies, substantially improving the achieved results. The careful monitoring of these patients through a detailed plan represents one of the main objectives, having an impact on fertility by the conservation of the uterus, and of females' health. An early echography in the case of a woman with scar ectopic pregnancy in her history would clarify the localization of implantation of the new pregnancy and would allow the evaluation of the uterine scar. The aim of this study is to present a case of an ectopic pregnancy implanted in a previous uterine scar diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy and the efficiency of the therapeutic strategy required. Case. The 43-year-old patient, gravida 2, appeared within our service, suspecting the diagnosis of cervical ectopic pregnancy. Reduced genital bleeding and low abdominal pain were objectified upon admission. Endovaginal ultrasonography showed a 6-week ectopic pregnancy with viable fetus and intact gestational sac, implanted towards the former post-cesarean isthmic scar. The determined therapeutic protocol approached a medical and surgical management. Conclusions. The cesarean scar pregnancy does not have specific symptoms and may be easily misdiagnosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Psychology / Revista de Psihologie is the property of Romanian Academy Publishing House / Editura Academiei Romane and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyses and resolves the extremely complex problems of performing the technological operation of straightening of the steel plates and strips intended for the manufacture of static equipment, of the type pressure vessels and storage tanks, for petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants. The procedure and software product developed by the authors for the design of the technological operation of straightening of the steel plates and strips on straightening machines with multiple rollers highlights the parameters describing the regime for the straightening operation and the modalities for the adequate selection of their values, as well as the factors influencing the shape precision of the straightened semiproducts and the energy input needed to perform the straightening operation. The information from the present paper is extremely useful for the selection and rational exploitation of the straightening machines and, in this manner, for the appropriate quality assurance of the semi-products intended for the construction of static equipment, with special technical parameters (big overall dimensions and masses, high operating pressures, high or low operating temperatures, aggressive working fluids etc.), from the petroleum and gas processing plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Petroleum - Gas University of Ploiesti Bulletin, Technical Series is the property of Petroleum - Gas University of Ploiesti and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Products need graphic symbols on their interface to guide the user in operating the respective products. In order to guarantee a safe, efficient and comfortable operation, the graphic symbols should have the highest possible degree of recognisability. This paper presents the results of an experiment carried-out with the main purpose of checking out the recognisability of 41 graphic symbols that can be found on the product interfaces. Another purpose was the identification of the features that make a graphic symbol easy to recognise and to associate to a function or product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Products need graphic symbols on their interface to guide the user in operating the respective products. In order to guarantee a safe, efficient and comfortable operation, the graphic symbols should have the highest possible degree of recognisability. This paper presents the results of an experiment carried-out with the main purpose of checking out the recognisability of 41 graphic symbols that can be found on the product interfaces. Another purpose was the identification of the features that make a graphic symbol easy to recognise and to associate to a function or product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent guidelines issued jointly by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine for assessing labor differ substantially from those described initially by Friedman, who led obstetric practice for decades. The new recommendations are based on results achieved by the analysis of patterns of cervical dilation and fetal descent. They argue that labor models originally described by Friedman are no longer applicable to modern obstetrical practice. The main changes proposed to the Friedman curve are considered to be that the beginning of the active phase is from 6 cm opposed to 4 cm. The diagnosis of dystocia is established for a progression of dilatation under 0.5 cm/h opposed to 1.5-1.2 cm. Accepted duration of the expulsion is amended: over 3 hours for nulliparous and over 2 hours for mulliparous. The new ACOG guidelines revised birth periods favoring a more permissive in terms of time factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ginecologia.ro is the property of MEDICHUB MEDIA, S.R.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)