The permeability of natural aggregate is close to cement mortar with relative lower w/c ratios, therefore when calculating the overall concrete water permeability, the effect of aggregate permeability cannot be neglected. This paper presents a sophisticated 3D three phase meso-scale model based on an efficient method of generating random ellipsoidal particles within confined cylindrical space. The meso-scale model considers concrete as the combination of mortar, aggregate and interfacial transition zone, and is used to characterize the permeability of concrete. Furthermore, a series of permeation experiments of concrete with different w/c ratios and aggregate volume fractions are conducted to exemplify the effects of aggregates on concrete water permeability and provide parameters and verification for numerical models. The effects of aggregate permeability on concrete water permeability is evaluated based on both experimental and numerical results. And the permeability coefficient of aggregate adopted in the experiment is estimated reasonably and incorporated into further numerical predictions of concrete water permeability. By comparing the experimental and numerical results, the applicability of meso-scale model proposed here is validated and the effects of aggregate on water permeability of concrete with different w/c ratios vary from each other, depending on the ratio of water permeability of aggregate and mortar.

There is a lack of consistency regarding the scales used to measure aesthetic pleasure within design. They are often chosen ad hoc or adopted from other research fields without being validated for designed artifacts. Moreover, many scales do not measure aesthetic pleasure in isolation, but instead include its determinants (e.g., novelty). Therefore, we developed a new scale to measure aesthetic pleasure and included scales to measure its known determinants for discriminant validity purposes, which automatically led to validating these determinants as well. In the exploratory phase, we identified highly reliable items representative of aesthetic pleasure and its determinants across product categories. In the validation phase, we confirmed these findings across different countries (Australia, the Netherlands, and Taiwan). The final scale consists of 5 items, "beautiful," "attractive," "pleasing to see," "nice to see," and "like to look at," that together reliably capture the construct of aesthetic pleasure. Several recommendations are formulated regarding the application of this scale in design studies and beyond.

In the city, mobility is calling for new forms of smartness. To understand what is needed to design thoughtful forms of smart mobility, this paper combines thing ethnography and animistic research approaches to reveal the interwoven networks of personal and social relationships that develop around scooters in Taiwanese everyday life. To this end, a three-day study with six different types of scooterists was conducted in Taipei. Cameras and sensors were directly attached to the scooters themselves, to collect data from a 'thing' perspective. The data collected were then organized and offered to professional actors, who were invited to 'speak' on behalf of the scooters. Through the performance of the actors interpreting and empathizing with the scooter's everyday life, intents, expectations and relationships between scooters and scooterists were revealed and captured. We further discussed how the socio-material networks among scooters could provoke various creative and meaningful arrangements in everyday life. Copyright is held by the owner/author(s).