Search Results (20)

Cat owners are involved in their cats’ healthcare, including the prevention of parasitic diseases. However, a comprehensive understanding of their preferences for feline antiparasitics is lacking. This study addresses this gap through a multifaceted methodology comprising three phases. In Phase 1, the physical properties and usability aspects of seven topical antiparasitic formulations were assessed. Within Phase 2, an ease-of-use study was conducted to evaluate the cat owners’ application experience with deidentified products representing three topical antiparasitics. Phase 3 included the identification and validation of product attributes most valued by pet owners through interviews with cat owners and veterinary experts. The product attributes identified informed the subsequent quantitative discrete choice experiment (DCE), which involved 1040 cat owners from different countries (Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Greece/Spain, and the UK) and aimed to analyze their preferences based on choices among product profiles mirroring four topical antiparasitics: selamectin–sarolaner, moxidectin–fluralaner, moxidectin–imidacloprid, and eprinomectin–esafoxolaner–praziquantel. Phase 1 showed that the selamectin–sarolaner formulation exhibits minimal odor, less stickiness, and less drying time. The ease-of-use study (Phase 2) showed that the blinded product representing the selamectin–sarolaner formulation was characterized by seamless application, rapid dispensing, and a sense of control during application. The quantitative DCE study (Phase 3) indicated a preference for the product profile mirroring the selamectin–sarolaner formulation among a global sample of cat owners. Demographic characteristics such as gender, age, and insurance status influenced their preferences. Key predictors for preferring the selamectin–sarolaner formulation over at least one comparator treatment included the ability to confirm successful administration, age restrictions, ease of application, and the time before the cat could sit on furniture following administration. These findings suggest that cat owners prioritize ease of use, safety, and overall user experience, providing valuable guidance for veterinary practitioners to make informed treatment recommendations. Full article

This study examines the design and utilization of shared streets in the Jiefangbei Business District of Chongqing through the lens of geographical semiotics. Employing photo content analysis, video observation, and questionnaire surveys, this research delves into visual semiotics, place semiotics, and users’ interaction order, including social interactions and traffic experiences within these shared spaces. The findings reveal that two distinct systems guide pedestrians and vehicles on Jiefangbei’s shared streets, ensuring safety and cultural expression. Paving is identified as the most important method for realizing the sharing of space between people and vehicles. Street furniture emphasizes multifunctional composite use and reflects Jiefangbei’s eclectic style since its era as a financial center of the Republic of China, responding to cultural resources and functional positioning. The study also indicates that social functions and public space attributes need enhancement, recommending more greenery and leisure facilities. Interaction order analysis shows that participants’ perception of street sharing does not affect their sense of safety and effectiveness. Thus, future practice should base decisions on specific traffic conditions and urban functions. A limitation of this study is the inability to accurately sample the population structure of the Jiefangbei commercial district, preventing more adaptable conclusions. The authors suggest viewing shared space as an evolving process and recommend future research on long-term effects and cross-cultural comparative studies to provide valuable insights into global shared-street design. Full article

Wood is one of the main materials used in buildings and furniture worldwide. After a disaster, indeed, a considerable amount of timber waste is produced. Wood waste is generally downcycled—i.e., recycled into low-quality products, incinerated for energy production—or, worse, landfilled, but in a post-disaster situation, it not only represents a quantitative issue and an environmental hazard but also acquires a cultural, social, economic and emotional value, thus requiring more effective ways to be managed. The Katrina Furniture Project, led by Sergio Palleroni in 2006 for the regions hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, provides a valuable precedent. Through pilot initiatives in New Orleans, furniture design emerged as a resilient practice within the reconstruction process. Affected people were involved for six weeks in a collaborative design workshop, enabling the generation of income, the acquisition of professional skills and, moreover, the rebuilding of a sense of community through collective work and the intrinsic gathering value of the crafted objects. The research develops a desk analysis and an on-field survey to reflect on the social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of this case study and on the role of furniture design for resilient wood waste upcycling. Finally, the paper discusses the “legacy” of such practices from a digital perspective, analyzing limitations and opportunities within current research in design and manufacturing. Full article

To provide diverse in-home services like elderly care, versatile activity recognition technology is essential. Radio-based methods, including WiFi CSI, RFID, and backscatter communication, are preferred due to their minimal privacy intrusion, reduced physical burden, and low maintenance costs. However, these methods face challenges, including environmental dependence, proximity limitations between the device and the user, and untested accuracy amidst various radio obstacles such as furniture, appliances, walls, and other radio waves. In this paper, we propose a frequency-shift backscatter tag-based in-home activity recognition method and test its feasibility in a near-real residential setting. Consisting of simple components such as antennas and switches, these tags facilitate ultra-low power consumption and demonstrate robustness against environmental noise because a context corresponding to a tag can be obtained by only observing frequency shifts. We implemented a sensing system consisting of SD-WiFi, a software-defined WiFi AP, and physical switches on backscatter tags tailored for detecting the movements of daily objects. Our experiments demonstrate that frequency shifts by tags can be detected within a 2 m range with 72% accuracy under the line of sight (LoS) conditions and achieve a 96.0% accuracy (F-score) in recognizing seven typical daily living activities with an appropriate receiver/transmitter layout. Furthermore, in an additional experiment, we confirmed that increasing the number of overlaying packets enables frequency shift-detection even without LoS at distances of 3–5 m. Full article

Due to their low cost and portability, using entertainment devices for indoor mapping applications has become a hot research topic. However, the impact of user behavior on indoor mapping evaluation with entertainment devices is often overlooked in previous studies. This article aims to assess the indoor mapping performance of entertainment devices under different mapping strategies. We chose two entertainment devices, the HoloLens 2 and iPhone 14 Pro, for our evaluation work. Based on our previous mapping experience and user habits, we defined four simplified indoor mapping strategies: straight-forward mapping (SFM), left–right alternating mapping (LRAM), round-trip straight-forward mapping (RT-SFM), and round-trip left–right alternating mapping (RT-LRAM). First, we acquired triangle mesh data under each strategy with the HoloLens 2 and iPhone 14 Pro. Then, we compared the changes in data completeness and accuracy between the different devices and indoor mapping applications. Our findings show that compared to the iPhone 14 Pro, the triangle mesh accuracy acquired by the HoloLens 2 has more stable performance under different strategies. Notably, the triangle mesh data acquired by the HoloLens 2 under the RT-LRAM strategy can effectively compensate for missing wall and floor surfaces, mainly caused by furniture occlusion and the low frame rate of the depth-sensing camera. However, the iPhone 14 Pro is more efficient in terms of mapping completeness and can acquire a complete triangle mesh more quickly than the HoloLens 2. In summary, choosing an entertainment device for indoor mapping requires a combination of specific needs and scenes. If accuracy and stability are important, the HoloLens 2 is more suitable; if efficiency and completeness are important, the iPhone 14 Pro is better. Full article

In health monitoring systems for the elderly, a crucial aspect is unobtrusively and continuously monitoring their activities to detect potentially hazardous incidents such as sudden falls as soon as they occur. However, the effectiveness of current non-contact sensor-based activity detection systems is limited by obstacles present in the environment. To overcome this limitation, a straightforward yet highly efficient approach involves utilizing multiple sensors that collaborate seamlessly. This paper proposes a method that leverages 2D Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) technology for activity detection. Multiple 2D Lidars are positioned in an indoor environment with varying obstacles such as furniture, working cohesively to create a comprehensive representation of ongoing activities. The data from these Lidars is concatenated and transformed into a more interpretable format, resembling images. A convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Neural Network is then used to process these generated images to classify the activities. The proposed approach achieves high accuracy in three tasks: activity detection, fall detection, and unsteady gait detection. Specifically, it attains accuracies of 96.10%, 99.13%, and 93.13% for these tasks, respectively. This demonstrates the efficacy and promise of the method in effectively monitoring and identifying potentially hazardous events for the elderly through 2D Lidars, which are non-intrusive sensing technology. Full article

In the context of sustainability, the development of optical fiber sensing technology and 3D printing technology brings new sustainable manufacturing solutions for the furniture industry. Based on the current status and development situation of the application of optical fiber sensing technology and 3D-printed furniture, this paper proposes the concept of applying embedded optical fiber sensing technology to traditional furniture manufacturing as the intersection of traditional furniture design and 3D printing technology. This design method is applied in furniture design cases, the stability of the 3D-printed structure after the optical fiber is embedded in the structure is verified through experiments, and the integration of the embedded optical fiber light-inducing and monitoring technology is used to assess the intelligence of furniture. It is found that by applying optical fiber sensors to furniture intelligence, the real-time monitoring of the environment, temperature, humidity, and other parameters during the use of furniture can be achieved, thus improving the energy efficiency and comfort of furniture. This innovative design idea and method provides a new direction for the sustainable development of furniture products and encourages the furniture industry to move forward in a more environmentally friendly and intelligent direction. Full article

As a volatile air pollutant, formaldehyde can enter people’s living environment through interior decoration, furniture and paint, causing serious harm to human health. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a sensor for the real-time detection of formaldehyde in low concentrations. According to the chemical interaction between amino groups and formaldehyde, a MIL-101(Cr) aminated-material-based formaldehyde cantilever sensor was prepared, of which ethylenediamine- functionalized MIL-101(Cr) named ED-MIL-101(Cr)) showed the best gas sensing performance. Using quasi-in situ infrared spectroscopy, ED-MIL-101(Cr) was found bound to formaldehyde through a Schiff base. The adsorption enthalpy of formaldehyde-bound ED-MIL-101(Cr) was −52.6 kJ/mol, which corresponds to weak chemical adsorption, so the material showed good selectivity. In addition, ED-MIL-101(Cr) has the most active sites, so its response value to formaldehyde is larger and it takes longer to reach saturation adsorption than bare MIL-101(Cr). Through the research on the gas sensing performance of functionalized MIL-101(Cr) material, we found that it has a strong application potential in the field of formaldehyde monitoring, and the material performance can be quantitatively and accurately evaluated through combining calculation and experimentation for understanding the gas sensing mechanism. Full article

This paper presents a feasibility study on monitoring earthquake-caused furniture vibrations using radiofrequency identification (RFID) sensor tags. Finding unstable objects by exploiting the vibrations caused by weaker earthquakes is effective as one of the potential countermeasures for large-scale earthquakes in earthquake-prone areas. For this purpose, a previously proposed ultrahigh-frequency (UHF)-band RFID-based batteryless vibration/physical shock sensing system enabled long-term monitoring. This RFID sensor system introduced standby and active modes for long-term monitoring. This system enabled lower-cost wireless vibration measurements without affecting the vibration of furniture because the RFID-based sensor tags provide lightweight, low-cost, and battery-free operations. This RFID sensor system observed earthquake-cased furniture vibrations in a room on the fourth floor of a building eight stories high at Ibaraki University, Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan. The observation results revealed that the RFID sensor tags identified the vibrations of furniture caused by earthquakes. The RFID sensor system also observed the vibration duration times of the objects in a room and specified the most unstable reference object. Hence, the proposed vibration sensing system helped achieve safe living in indoor environments. Full article

The public space environment of historical and cultural blocks is inseparable from human activities, which affects tourists’ behavior and perception activities. Through the evaluation of tourists’ environmental behavior perception, the relationship between spatial characteristics and tourists’ perception is fully considered, which plays an important role in the protection and development of public space in historical and cultural blocks. This paper takes the historical and cultural block of Sanhe Ancient Town in Hefei as the research area, focusing on the public space of the block. Through the analysis of the semantic differential method and eye movement legal quantitative analysis, from the angle of psychological perception and visual perception, we carried out an analysis of the historical and cultural block’s public space, and built the double sense of a comprehensive evaluation system of parsing the historical and cultural blocks with the whole situation of public space and the rule of the performance. The results show that: (1) the visual perception preference for spatial elements is in the order of architectural structure > green landscape > architectural decoration > commercial activities > participants > pavement > street furniture > others. (2) There is a significant correlation but not a complete convergence of psychological perception and visual perception. (3) Buildings, structures, and space formats play a key role in creating a sense of space scale, with the former playing a positive role and the latter a negative role. (4) The visual attraction of a green landscape is strong and can improve the visual quality of space. The research found that there are evaluation differences between the visual perception and psychological perception of spatial elements, which are significantly correlated but not fully convergent. Through quantitative analysis and the interpretation of tourists’ perception from different perspectives, we can take relevant improvement and optimization measures for many deficiencies of public space in historical and cultural districts. Full article

In this study, we investigate a millimeter wave (mmWave) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging scheme utilizing a low-cost frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar to take part in non-destructive testing which could be a useful tool for both civilian and military demands. The FMCW radar working in the frequency range from 76 GHz to 81 GHz is equipped with a 2-D moving platform aiming to reconstruct the 2-D image of the shape of the target object. Due to the lab environment containing several devices and furniture, various noise and interference signals from the floor are not avoidable. Therefore, the digital signal processing algorithms are joined to remove the undesired signals as well as improve the target recognition. This study adopts the range migration algorithms (RMAs) on the processed reflected signal data to form the image of the target because of its verified ability in this type of mission. On the other hand, the integration of compressed sensing (CS) algorithms into the SAR imaging system is also researched which helps to improve the performance of the system by reducing the measurement duration while still maintaining the image quality. Three minimization algorithms are used involving the imaging system as the CS solvers reconstruct the radar data before being processed by RMA to form the image. The proposed imaging scheme demonstrates its good ability with high azimuth resolution in the mission of detecting tiny cracks in the rebar of reinforced concrete. In addition, the participation of CS algorithms improves the performance of the scheme as the cracks on the rebar can be located on the images, which are reconstructed from only 30% of the dataset. The comparison of CS solvers shows that ADMM outperforms the other candidates in the reconstruction task. Full article

Different flattened bamboo boards will produce different visual effects, which directly determine consumers’ preferences. However, their visual characteristics were unknown. To clarify the visual effects of flattened bamboo boards in different bamboo culms, the visual, physical, and psychological quantities were firstly studied using their quantitative color and glossiness measurements, combined with quantitative semantic differential and statistical methods. Key results revealed that the values of lightness L* and blue–yellow index b* from the base to the top of the bamboo culms tended to decrease gradually, while green–red index a* values exhibited an increasing trend, and glossiness G_ZL (G_ZT) showed no significant difference. The L* value of bamboo outer layer (30.18) was smaller than that of the outer (61.90) and the inner (68.68), which had an increasing trend from the outside to the inside of the bamboo culm, while the G_ZL (G_ZT) values corresponded to 6.07 (4.66), 4.51 (3.12), and 2.77 (2.55), showing an opposite trend. The a* and b* values present a rise-fall tendency. According to visual psychological assessment, the outer was reflected as an “artificial–decorative”, “smooth–warm”, and “comfort–sophisticated” feeling; the inner had an “artificial–practical”, “smooth–warm”, and “comfort–sophisticated” sense; the bamboo outer layer had an “nature–practical”, “rough–cold”, and “sick–primitive” sense. Furthermore, predictive models for visual psychological quantities were constructed. This work provides a theoretical data basis for furniture design and standard materials application of flattened bamboo boards. Full article

This research aims at contributing to a seamless, integrated technology intelligent living system for solitary older adults at home. The capacitive intimate sensing module, that can be easily pasted to the existing home space element surfaces, daily objects, or home furniture, such as a wall, door, stairs, a chair, cabinet, table, sofa, etc, is developed in this research. This 30 × 30 cm sensing module can actively sense people’s physical behaviors and body movements in spaces. The signals acquired from the sensing modules in indoor spaces will then integrate into the controller system through the IoT application and logically define the behavior classification. From the preliminary analysis of observing the 80-year-old elderly subject’s daily activities, the movement trajectory of the ‘Move–Stop’ pattern is found. There will be a touch (T) and a touchless (TL) relationship between the body and the space elements or objects. The touchless or non-contact intimate relationship also can be divided into two types: 1. the body ‘Passes by’ (P) the spatial elements or objects, and 2. the body ‘Stays’ (S) in front of the object and performs activities. This research pasted eight sensing modules on nine objects in six spaces. Finally, the specific actions and life pattern can be recognized and analyzed through the developed IoT spatial behavior smart system and provide the customized intelligent application function for the elderly. Full article

Scientific literature on indoor air quality is categorised mainly into environmental sciences, construction building technology and environmental and civil engineering. Indoor air is a complex and dynamic mixture of a variety of volatile and particulate matter. Some of the constituents are odorous and originate from various sources, such as construction materials, furniture, cleaning products, goods in stores, humans and many more. The first part of the article summarises the knowledge about the substances that are found in the air inside buildings, especially stores, and have a negative impact on our health. This issue has been monitored for a long time, and so, using a better methodology, it is possible to identify even low concentrations of monitored substances. The second part summarises the possibility of using various aromatic substances to improve people’s sense of the air in stores. In recent times, air modification has come to the forefront of researchers’ interest in order to create a more pleasant environment and possibly increase sales. Full article

Withdrawal resistance of the mortise-and-tenon (M&T) joint is an important indicator to evaluate the strength of the M&T joint. Generally, the T-shaped specimen is usually used to measure withdrawal resistance using tensile methods, but there has not been testing standard until now. In this study, the methods of measuring withdrawal resistance of the M&T joint were investigated systematically. A new method used to determine the withdrawal resistance of M&T joint was proposed to be named as the compressive method. In addition, withdrawal resistances of M&T joint determined using tensile and compressive methods were compared based on experiments and the finite element method (FEM). The experimental results showed that the effects of the testing method and glue on withdrawal resistance of M&T joint were statistically significant, specifically, the withdrawal resistance measured using tensile method was higher than the one determined by the compressive method. Meanwhile, the results of FEM also confirmed the experimental results in a visible way. The results of FEM indicated that the withdrawal resistance of the M&T joint was influenced by tenon member length; specifically, the withdrawal resistance of the M&T determined by tensile method increased with the increasing of tenon member length. In summary, the results of the study make sense in the measurement of withdrawal resistance of the M&T joint in practice, and in f theory, the study will contribute to instructing the design of furniture structures. Full article