/pdf/research-design-qualitative-quantitative-and-mixed-methods-1m92m1x5gg.pdf

Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches

Small and medium-sized enterprises face the challenges that they do not have enough employees and related resources to produce high-quality products with limited budget and time. The emergence of c...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1687814018814395

Exploring product design quality control and assurance under both traditional and crowdsourcing-based design environments

Photoactivatable (alternatively, photoremovable, photoreleasable, or photocleavable) protecting groups (PPGs), also known as caged or photocaged compounds, are used to enable non-invasive spatiotemporal photochemical control over the release of species of interest. Recent years have seen the development of PPGs activatable by biologically and chemically benign visible and near-infrared (NIR) light. These long-wavelength-absorbing moieties expand the applicability of this powerful method and its accessibility to non-specialist users. This review comprehensively covers organic and transition metal-containing photoactivatable compounds (complexes) that absorb in the visible- and NIR-range to release various leaving groups and gasotransmitters (carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and hydrogen sulfide). The text also covers visible- and NIR-light-induced photosensitized release using molecular sensitizers, quantum dots, and upconversion and second-harmonic nanoparticles, as well as release via photodynamic (photooxygenation by singlet oxygen) and photothermal effects. Release from photoactivatable polymers, micelles, vesicles, and photoswitches, along with the related emerging field of photopharmacology, is discussed at the end of the review.

Visible-to-NIR-Light Activated Release: From Small Molecules to Nanomaterials.

How We Understand Art: A Cognitive Developmental Account of Aesthetic Experience

Therapeutic systems with site-specific pharmaceutical activation hold great promise to enhance therapeutic efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity in cancer therapy. With operational flexibility, noninvasiveness, and high spatiotemporal resolution, photoactivatable nanomedicines have drawn growing attention. Distinct from traditional controlled release systems relying on the difference of biomarker concentrations between disease and healthy tissues, photoactivatable nanomedicines capitalize on the interaction between nanotransducers and light to either trigger photochemical reactions or generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) or heat effect to remotely induce pharmaceutical actions in living subjects. Herein, the recent advances in the development of photoactivatable protherapeutic nanoagents for oncology are summarized. The design strategies and therapeutic applications of these nanoagents are described. Representative examples of each type are discussed in terms of structure, photoactivation mechanism, and preclinical models. Last, potential challenges and perspectives to further develop photoactivatable protherapeutic nanoagents in cancer nanomedicine are discussed.

Photoactivatable Protherapeutic Nanomedicine for Cancer

Novice designers' use of prototypes in engineering design

https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/146921730/manuscript_Wong_PT_et_al_Bioconjugate_Chem_2017.pdf

Photocontrolled Release of Doxorubicin Conjugated through a Thioacetal Photocage in Folate-Targeted Nanodelivery Systems

Engineering designers frequently use prototypes to gather input from stakeholders. Design guidelines recommend the use of quick and simple prototypes early and often in a design process. However, the type and quality of a prototype can influence how stakeholders perceive a new design concept and can, therefore, impact their responses. Additionally, different levels of experience, expertise, and preparedness for providing input to designers may lead stakeholders from different geographical or cultural settings to provide different responses, making the format of a prototype even more influential. Although design practitioners are known to intentionally align their prototyping approaches with the specific design question to be answered, it is unclear the extent to which prototyping approaches should vary based on the stakeholder, context, and setting of a design project. To investigate how the format and quality of prototypes influence stakeholders’ responses, we conducted a field study with various medical professionals in Ghana. We presented prototypes for a medical device in different formats to stakeholders and collected responses to the design through semi-structured interviews. Our findings indicate that professional expertise, prototype format, and question type influenced the types of responses that stakeholders provided. These findings suggest that designers seeking input from stakeholders on new concepts should consider context-specific prototyping strategies, especially when designing at distance and across cultures.

/pdf/prototyping-for-context-exploring-stakeholder-feedback-based-3j61eryq41.pdf

Prototyping for context: exploring stakeholder feedback based on prototype type, stakeholder group and question type.

Increasingly, products are designed for global markets, yet studies of design practices primarily investigate designers from high-income countries. Specifically, the use of prototypes during design is likely affected by the background of the designer and the environment in which they are designing. To broaden our understanding of the extent to which prototyping best practices are used beyond Western designers, in this study, we conducted interviews with novice designers from Ghana, a middle-income country (MIC), to examine how Ghanaian novice designers (upper-level undergraduate students) used prototypes throughout their design courses. We compared the reported use of prototypes to best practice behaviors and analyzed the types of prototypes used. We found evidence that these Ghanaian novice designers used some critical prototyping best practice behaviors, while other behaviors were underutilized, specifically during the front-end phases of design and for the purpose of engaging with stakeholders. Additionally, virtual models dominated their prototyping choices. We discuss likely reasons for these trends based on participants’ design experiences and design contexts.

/pdf/investigating-prototyping-approaches-of-ghanaian-novice-4dtr8zid8l.pdf

Investigating prototyping approaches of Ghanaian novice designers

This research investigates how prototype format, here defined as the physical nature of a prototype, influences feedback from stakeholders in the process of designing a medical device. We presented medical practitioners with a variety of prototypes, including a sketch, a cardboard mock-up, a CAD model and a 3D printed model, of the same idea for an assistive, contraceptive implant insertion device and asked for their feedback. We found that the prototype format influenced the distribution within the answer categories. We also found that the type of question influenced the distribution within the answer categories.

/pdf/does-prototype-format-influence-stakeholder-design-input-4l466w5bht.pdf

Jennifer C. Lee

Papers

Novice designers' use of prototypes in engineering design

Photocontrolled Release of Doxorubicin Conjugated through a Thioacetal Photocage in Folate-Targeted Nanodelivery Systems

Prototyping for context: exploring stakeholder feedback based on prototype type, stakeholder group and question type.

Investigating prototyping approaches of Ghanaian novice designers

Does prototype format influence stakeholder design input