Digital Commons Network^™

Transforming Complex Environments: Applying Systems-Oriented Service Design In Complex Built And Digital Environments, Sari Kotaniemi, Mari Suoheimo, Satu Miettinen, Birger Sevaldson

Nordes Conference Series

The built environment includes all man-made spaces for activities like living and urban development, organised via zoning and land use planning. To enhance sustainability, Finland's environmental administration launched the Ryhti project to centralise data systems, optimising the accessibility and consistency of land use and construction information. This research investigates how systems-oriented service design, specifically gigamapping, supports the strategic implementation of complex digital built environments. Through literature review and a case study, it showcases gigamapping’s role in the strategic-tactical spectrum of organisational decision making, applying the four levels of design management and the iceberg model of design problems to contextualise decision …

Intentional Action At The Margins: Unpacking Agency In Public Service Ecosystem Design, Nicole Hußmann, Annukka Svanda, Martina Čaić

Nordes Conference Series

This paper examines how public service ecosystems shape the agency of marginalized residents, focusing on immigrant job seekers. While ecosystem perspectives in service design have highlighted marginalization and actor interconnectedness, the role and intricacies of agency remain underexplored. To address this gap, we draw on a service design project in the City of Espoo aimed at improving an employment service for immigrants. Our findings reveal that immigrant job seekers’ agency is affected by (i) limited psychological, financial, and temporal resources, (ii) distorted information flows, (iii) the dependence on community support, (iv) biased attitudes of service staff and managers, and (v) …

Poetic Engagements With Technology: An Alternative Design Space For Embracing Vulnerable Human Nature, Young Suk Lee

Nordes Conference Series

If sensitive and fraught aspects of human experience are to be brought into design, an alternative design space is needed to build human-technology relations beyond problem-solving approaches. This paper describes a series of research through design projects embracing vulnerable human nature, arriving at an articulation of what poetic engagements with technology can be like. Through unfolding a more than decade-long design experimentation, this work aims at reimagining our current technologies and how we engage with them. Each design exploration mediates poetic interaction possibilities through expressiveness, feltness, and mediativeness in designing technology. These poetic qualities encourage people to rediscover their humanity, …

Tangible Theory As Tool For Attuning To Non-Human Voices In Domestic Gardens, Mette Gislev Kjærsgaard, Tau Lenskjold, Mathilde Buskbjerg Madsen, Asbjørn Krüger Mønster, Giocchino Matteo Maniscalco

Nordes Conference Series

This paper introduces a design research tool that integrates anthropological perspectives on non-human agency to reimagine biodiversity in garden design. While gardens comprise a minor portion of global biomass, they are critical sites for urban biodiversity and multispecies interaction. A central challenge lies in learning to attune to non-human actors. Building on theories of ecological inter-dependence in the Anthropocene, we ask how such perspectives can be operationalised in design practice. Grounded in the "Patchy Anthropocene" framework (Tsing et al., 2019), the tool translates theoretical insights into an actionable prototype. Drawing on interviews with garden owners in six European countries, it …

Poetic Layers: Exploring The Aesthetics Of Bias, Young Suk Lee, Johan Redstöm

Nordes Conference Series

As new technologies enter everyday life, designs have to address new interactions between ethics and aesthetics as new possibilities also come with new consequences. A current example concerns Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the issues of bias that seem to come with its predictive and generative capacities. To explore bias further, we start with the question that if bias is present (and perhaps cannot be completely eliminated), what could it be like to instead work with its expressions? And could exploring an ‘aesthetics of bias’ allow us to come closer to where bias comes from in the first place, in how …

Designing Relational Space: Towards Adaptive And Interactive Learning Environments, Johannes Pointner, Albert Lang

Nordes Conference Series

This paper investigates relational and interactive principles in spatial design. Drawing from Relational Theory of Space, Actor-Network Theory, and embodied interactivity, it examines space as a dynamic and interactive system rather than a static framework. Using the New Practice Co-Lab as a case study, the paper examines modular architectural frameworks, technological integrations, and participatory design processes that create flexible, multifunctional environments for learning and collaboration. It further explores the ambiguities of relational spatial design, highlighting its challenges and opportunities. Rather than proposing a universal blueprint, this research presents scalable principles for designing situated spaces as emergent, user-driven systems.

Lost In Generation: Illustrating Stable Diffusion Ai’S Colonial Bias In Representing South African Communication Design, Kyle Rath, Fatima Cassim, Adrie Haese

Nordes Conference Series

Generative AI (gAI) image models are increasingly being used as tools for conceptualisation and visualisation in design. These models are, however, not neutral owing to training datasets that prioritise Western aesthetics. Consequently, an emergent challenge is that AI-generated images tend to disregard nuanced representations. Li et al. (2024) echo this critique, acknowledging AI’s inability to comprehend cultural complexity, a critical issue in South Africa’s given its colonial and apartheid past. Accordingly, we use a relational design lens to critically examine how Stable Diffusion fails to engage with South Africa’s diverse cultural makeup; we present a qualitative content analysis of AI-generated …

Rethinking Self-Diagnosis: Bridging Doctor And Patient Perspectives, Melis Dursun Ugras, Guzin Sen, Asli Gunay

Nordes Conference Series

The rise of digital health technologies has reshaped the patient’s role in healthcare, enabling greater autonomy in managing health and making medical decisions. Self-diagnosis tools, including AI-driven applications, symptom checkers, and online health platforms, allow individuals to assess symptoms and explore potential conditions before consulting a healthcare professional. While these tools offer increased access to health information, they also raise concerns about misinformation, misinterpretation, and their impact on patient-provider relationships. This study examines how both patients and healthcare professionals perceive self-diagnosis, identifying tension points and shared concerns that shape its role in healthcare interactions. To explore these perspectives, we conducted …

Design Facilitation Skills: Discrepancies Between Research Focus And Industry Needs In Us Job Postings, Wenqi Zheng, Mauricio Mejia, Catalina Cortes

Nordes Conference Series

In design, designers often act as facilitators, helping cross-functional teams capture, evaluate, and integrate diverse ideas to create improved products. While the broader application of facilitation has been extensively explored, the specific demand for design facilitation in the industry remains understudied. This study bridges the gap by exploring the call for design facilitation in the U.S. job market. Through a content analysis of job postings and a novel approach for tracking skill trends over time, we identify key design facilitation-related skill employers seek, uncovering four patterns. We also discuss implications for design education, proposing curriculum changes to better prepare students …

An Adventure With Ai: A Relational Techno-Life Design Approach, Yue Zou, Shenhuan Lu, Yile Zhang

Nordes Conference Series

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into ecosystems necessitates a paradigm shift in design thinking, moving beyond anthropocentric models to embrace relational frameworks. This paper proposes relational techno-life design, an approach to reconceptualize AI as co-constitutive agents within socio material networks and broad ecological system. Through speculative case studies—LOVOT, LO, and AquaGuardian—we analyze how relational techno-life design can foster symbiotic relationships across human, nonhuman, and AI. An eco-cultural-techno framework reveals the potential for AI to mediate ecological resilience, cultural practices, and ethical co-evolution, while critiquing anthropocentric hierarchies and dualisms. The study contributes to relational design theory by advocating for nondualist …

Relational Design For More-Than-Human Narratives, Margaret Rynning, Lene Utigard, Annette Briest Kriszat

Nordes Conference Series

This workshop explores the intersection of relational design, storytelling, and more-than-human perspectives to challenge anthropocentric assumptions and foster deeper ecological awareness. Through speculative and sensory-based design interventions, participants will engage with local edible wild plants, highlighting their agency and cultural significance. By addressing the phenomenon of "plant blindness" and incorporating multimodal storytelling, the session aims to reframe human-nature relationships, cultivating empathy and care for non-human entities. Participants will co-create speculative narratives, experiment with sensory engagement, and develop ethical frameworks for more regenerative design practices. The workshop encourages designers and researchers to rethink their roles, embracing interdependence, sustainability, and justice in …

Machine Learning Driven Ranking To Control Degree Of Personalization In Search Results, Eric Lin, Devora Berlowitz, Olive Guo

Defensive Publications Series

An important problem in introducing personalization to query-based search retrieval and ranking is how to balance the relevance of results to the query with the affinity of the results to the user as oftentimes there is a trade-off between the two. This disclosure describes techniques to train a machine learning model to personalize ranking of search results in a controllable manner. With user permission, training data is constructed by analyzing query logs to identify manual query refinements followed by "long clicks," forming triplets of {original query, manually refined query, click}. These reflect personalized search results that the user found of …

Generating Shared Experience Visual Indicators From Aggregated Physiological Data, Sayantan Paul

Defensive Publications Series

A system for generating shared experience visual indicators can operate by collecting consented, limited physiological data from a group of users in a co-viewing environment. Such data may include heart rate information from wearable devices or audio data from a computing device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet) processed for emotion detection. The system can anonymize this data, for instance, by associating it with a temporary session identifier and then aggregating the anonymized data. If a collective response is detected across a configured threshold of users, such as a synchronized change in heart rate, the system can generate a subtle, optional visual …

Llm-Driven Autonomous Agent For Comprehensive Automated User Experience Testing, Johannes Start, John Lunney

Defensive Publications Series

Current front-end testing methods are slow, expensive, brittle, and limited to specific predefined scenarios without considering high-level tasks and user intent. This disclosure describes a large language model (LLM) powered autonomous agent designed for comprehensively testing the User Experience (UX) of a software solution by taking into account high-level tasks and user intent. The LLM used to power the agent can be trained or fine-tuned on datasets of UI state representations paired with corresponding interaction steps, task instructions paired with successful interaction sequences, examples of efficient and inefficient interaction patterns, and descriptions of principles for good UI design. The agent …

Influence Of Water Hardness Used In Preparing Wheat Grain For Grinding On The Process Of "Stale" During Storage Of Bakery Products, Suvonqul S. Ravshanov, Ilkhom S. Nurmatov, Ulugbek N. Baltabaev

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The hot climatic conditions of Uzbekistan are favorable for the development of mesophilic bacteria in bread products. The quality of the water used in this process has a great influence. The purpose of the study is to study the effect of water of different hardness on the change in the shelf life of bread during hydrothermal treatment for grinding wheat grain. To determine the freshness (staleness) of bread by rheological properties, the AP-4/2 automatic penetrometer and other devices for analyzing the properties of bread products were used. The conducted analyzes allowed us to conclude from the results of the study …

The Importance Of Solvents In Obtaining Gossypol Free Cotton Meal In The Extraction Process, Dilshod A. Nasredinov, Aslbek B. Yulchiyev, Kamar P. Serkaev

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Comparative, analytical and experimental studies of methods for obtaining vegetable oils from oilseeds have been conducted, the purpose was to determine the advantages and disadvantages of technologies used in industry. As the experimental results have shown, among the existing methods of oil production, the method of direct extraction is promising, which provides 12% more water-soluble proteins while observing the technological regimes developed for each type of oil raw materials. Based on the fact that the current level of scientific and technological progress allows the use of targeted solvents and if necessary sequence of several extractants that provides isolation of a …

Improvement Of Flax Seeds Processing Technology For The Production Of Functional Oil Products, Manzura N. Hafizova, Ismoil B. Isabaev, Nафиса R. Djurayeva, Suvankul S. Ravshanov

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

One of the main problems of our time is the sharp increase in alimentary-dependent diseases or so-called "diseases of civilization" caused by unbalanced nutrition, namely a stable deficiency or excess of nutrients with food relative to the physiological human needs. Therefore, recently there has been an increased interest in the production of functional products with a relatively balanced composition of certain nutrients depending on their purpose and intended use. A promising object of modification is traditional fat products, the transformation of which into functional ones is carried out by combining various types of raw materials, i.e., by creating composite (model) …

Transformations Of Uzbekistan Quartz Raw Materials – Quartzites Of The Dzherdanak Deposit And Vein Quartz Of The Nurota Deposit Under Thermal Impact, Umar G. Nomazov, Mastura Kh. Aripova

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The aim of the work is to study the transformations of quartz raw materials as a result of high-temperature exposure. The objects of the study were quartzite from the Dzherdanak deposit in the Surkhandarya region and vein quartz from the Nurota deposit in the Samarkand region. The mineralogical composition of natural raw materials and phase and structural transformations during high-temperature exposure to 1430 ° C were studied using X-ray and differential thermal analysis. Based on the results of physicochemical analysis methods, it was found that vein quartz consists entirely of quartz and, therefore, it can be assumed that impurity elements …

Kinetics Of Adsorption Of Copper And Nickel Ions Using A Rice Husk-Based Sorbent, Aziza A. Maksudova, Shukhrat A. Mutalov, Klara M. Adilova

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The aim of this study is to investigate the adsorption kinetics of Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions using an adsorbent obtained by treating rice husk with a solution of monoethanolamine. The experiments evaluated the influence of contact time on the efficiency of metal ion removal and calculated the adsorption capacity. To analyze the adsorption process kinetics, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were applied. The results demonstrated that the adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thus, monoethanolamine-modified rice husk can be considered an effective, environmentally friendly, and economically viable sorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions from …

Quantum-Chemical Study Of Complex Compounds Of Lanthanides With 2-Aminobenzimidazole Derivatives, Bakhtigul Yu. Ruzieva, Feruza F. Fayzullayeva, Zuhra Ch. Kadirova, Shahlo Sh. Daminova

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The aim of this study is to perform quantum-chemical modeling of mixed-ligand complexes of trivalent lanthanoid ions (Ln³⁺) involving primary ligands — 2-amino-1-methylbenzimidazole (MAB) and 2-phenylmethyl-1H-benzimidazole (FAB), as well as additional ligands — diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTK), benzohydroxamic acid (BGK), and potassium diisopropyldithiophosphate (DiPDTP). Quantum-chemical calculations were carried out using semi-empirical methods within the PM3 and PM6 approaches, implemented in the BIOVIA Materials Studio (Accelrys Studio 2017) software package. The obtained data made it possible to determine the influence of the nature of the mixed ligands on the coordination behavior of lanthanoids and the stability of the corresponding complexes.

Synthesis And Ir Spectroscopic Study Of Complexes Of Selected 3d-Metals With 2-(Phenylmethyl)-1h-Benzimidazole, Gulnoza O. Babayeva, Gulbeka G. Mamatova, Daminbek A. Ziyatov, Lola Sh. Makhmudova, Shahlo Sh. Daminova

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The aim of this study was the synthesis and structural investigation of coordination compounds of selected 3d-metals with 2-(phenylmethyl)-1H-benzimidazole (FAB) using IR spectroscopy. Complexes of copper(II), nickel(II), cobalt(II), and zinc(II) with the general formula [M(FAB)₂Cl₂], as well as a complex [Co(FAB)₂(ac)₂], were synthesized. IR spectroscopic analysis revealed that FAB coordinates to metal ions through the nitrogen atom of the benzimidazole ring. Shifts in the ν(C=N), ν(C-N) bands and the appearance of new bands in the 580-430 cm⁻¹ region corresponding to ν(M-N) and ν(M-Cl) confirm the formation of metal complexes. It was established …

Technological And Mechanical Properties Of Polyethylene Filled With Nano-Sized Calcium Carbonate, Ilyos M. Makhmudov, Ravshan I. Adilov, Muzafar G. Alimukhamedov, Farangiz B. Izzatullayeva

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Currently, one of the most effective and cost-effective ways to modify the properties of polyethylene is to introduce various fillers of organic or inorganic origin. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of the concentration of nanosized calcium carbonate on the technological and physicomechanical properties of polyethylenes of various origins. In the work, we used two grades of polyethylene: HDPE (273-83) and LDPE (10803-020) produced by Kazanorgsintez OJSC. The following were used as nanofillers: nanosized calcium carbonate in the form of a compound of the Nano-cal NC-K0117 brand made in China. The dependence of the physicomechanical properties …

Additional Loss On Ignition Of Cement Raw Mixes At High Temperatures, Geun-Seong Lee, Farrukh B. Erkinov, Mastura Kh. Aripova

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Loss on ignition (LOI) of cement, raw materials and raw mixes in cement industry is specified as the weight loss at 900~1000 ^oC and 15~30 minutes in the standards of each region (GOST, ISO, ASTM, JIS, KS) in the world, and the clinker yield produced from the raw mixes feeding to the kiln process is generally derived from the LOI. The kiln conditions are significantly different from those specified in the standards, because the material temperature is up to 1450 ^oC and the residence time is about 15 minutes above 1000 ^oC in the kiln burning process. …

Composition Of Porcelain Mass Based On Clay Shale From The Dzherdanak Deposit, Ripsime V. Mkrtchyan

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Known sources of high-quality raw materials are depleted. To meet the growing demand for porcelain products, natural raw materials from new deposits are being studied. The aim of the study is to develop a composition of porcelain mass for household porcelain based on unconventional raw materials - clay shales of the Dzherdanak deposit. Compositions of hard porcelain based on clay shales and other components of local natural raw materials with and without magnesium oxide have been developed. As a result of X-ray and electron microscopic studies of the porcelain structure, it was determined that the crystalline phases in the porcelain …

Full Issue, Kritika Kultura

Kritika Kultura

Brina (2016), Chhorii (2021), and Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022).

Double-Edged Sword: Opec Production Catalyzing Alternative Energy Development, Daniel P. Sloan

Venture: The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper explores how cartel operations may create a longterm paradox of selfharm because research and development into substitutes becomes incentivized. OPEC is used as the case study, and I hypothesize that the intensity of quotas is directly proportional to research and development spending in alternative energy sources, over time diminishing global dependence on oil. To test this, I gathered data from 1965 until 2023 on the global energy market. In conclusion, the data suggested alternative explanations: oil boasts a tenacious price inelasticity of demand, OPEC has foreseen the paradox and counters with moderate quotas, or a combination of the …

Microbiome–Immune Interaction And Harnessing For Next-Generation Vaccines Against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza In Poultry, Yongming Sang, Samuel N. Nahashon, Richard J. Webby

Food and Animal Sciences Faculty Research

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) remains a persistent threat to global poultry production and public health. Current vaccine platforms show limited cross-clade efficacy and often fail to induce mucosal immunity. Recent advances in microbiome research reveal critical roles for gut commensals in modulating vaccine-induced immunity, including enhancement of mucosal IgA production, CD8+ T-cell activation, and modulation of systemic immune responses. Engineered commensal bacteria such as Lactococcus lactis, Bacteroides ovatus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis have emerged as promising live vectors for antigen delivery. Postbiotic and synbiotic strategies further enhance protective efficacy through targeted modulation of the gut microbiota. Additionally, artificial …

Red Room Redesign: Improving Operating Room Workflow For Urgent And Emergency Procedures, Hipolito Jamilan

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Limited operating room (OR) availability is a significant challenge in many healthcare facilities. Overbooked or understaffed ORs can lead to delays in surgical procedures, which are particularly detrimental in urgent and emergency situations (Cholewa et al., 2024). The OR is among the costliest areas in a hospital; it is essential to improve efficiency in surgical throughput to deliver timely care for urgent and emergent cases, enhance patient outcomes, and manage healthcare costs effectively.

Context: The microsystem for this project is a Northern California OR that handles a high volume of surgical procedures. There is a dedicated red room for …

Don't Say You Love Me, Breanna Dunwell

Masters Theses

Teen dating violence is a silent epidemic that is not talked about enough or taken seriously. This shows that age does not matter when it comes to any type of abuse or harassment – physical, emotional, sexual, stalking, etc. The household that the victim lives in, race, parents marital status, and financial situation do not play a role into who is a victim versus someone who is not. The perpetrator does not care about those kinds of details. They only care about needing to be in control of the other person. Even though this is a snippet, the story shows …

Activation Or Deactivation? Rethinking Ferrate(Vi) Reactivity Within A Broader Modulation Framework, Zepei Tang, Yang Deng

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.