At the edge: An exploration of the boundary condition between architecture and nature

An interest in abandoned and derelict landscapes as environmentally appropriate spaces for architectural interventions led my dissertation research to the theoretical concept of terrain vague. The terrain vague sites found within the City of Cape Town revealed that it is the edge condition which differentiates these spaces as being outside the realm of the normative city. The unravelling of the edge from a state of order to disorder took my research to the historical fortifications of Table Bay and specifically, the Settlement's eastern boundary demarcated by the French Lines. A combination of redoubts and connecting rampant walls which marked the boundary between the order of the European settlement and the wilderness beyond. The Central Redoubt is the only remnant of these structures and is located on Trafalgar Park in the suburb of Woodstock. Trafalgar Park is surrounded and fragmented by a variety of boundary conditions and controlled access which results in the Park being severely underutilised. The dissertation design project looks at re-activating Trafalgar Park through the manipulation of its various edge conditions. The transformation of boundaries into pedestrian routes and public space around points of interest aims to improve accessibility and encourage connections between the Park and surrounding context. The Swimming Pool Precinct was chosen as the site for the architectural intervention as it is an impacted site that offers the opportunity to increase activity and improve the connection between the north and south of the Park. The interrogation of the boundary condition between architecture and nature through the design of edges and thresholds is the driving concept behind the architectural design. The dissertation design project aims to demonstrate that appropriate architectural interventions are able to increase activity in public areas within the City of Cape Town without the need for fences and controlled access

Regional data exchange to improve care for veterans after non-VA hospitalization: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Coordination of care, especially after a patient experiences an acute care event, is a challenge for many health systems. Event notification is a form of health information exchange (HIE) which has the potential to support care coordination by alerting primary care providers when a patient experiences an acute care event. While promising, there exists little evidence on the impact of event notification in support of reengagement into primary care. The objectives of this study are to 1) examine the effectiveness of event notification on health outcomes for older adults who experience acute care events, and 2) compare approaches to how providers respond to event notifications. METHODS: In a cluster randomized trial conducted across two medical centers within the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system, we plan to enroll older patients (≥ 65 years of age) who utilize both VHA and non-VHA providers. Patients will be enrolled into one of three arms: 1) usual care; 2) event notifications only; or 3) event notifications plus a care transitions intervention. In the event notification arms, following a non-VHA acute care encounter, an HIE-based intervention will send an event notification to VHA providers. Patients in the event notification plus care transitions arm will also receive 30 days of care transition support from a social worker. The primary outcome measure is 90-day readmission rate. Secondary outcomes will be high risk medication discrepancies as well as care transitions processes within the VHA health system. Qualitative assessments of the intervention will inform VHA system-wide implementation. DISCUSSION: While HIE has been evaluated in other contexts, little evidence exists on HIE-enabled event notification interventions. Furthermore, this trial offers the opportunity to examine the use of event notifications that trigger a care transitions intervention to further support coordination of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02689076. "Regional Data Exchange to Improve Care for Veterans After Non-VA Hospitalization." Registered 23 February 2016

A BIBLIOTECA UNIVERSITÁRIA E SEU PAPEL SOCIAL: INCLUSÃO DE PESSOAS IDOSAS INTEGRANTES DO NÚCLEO DA TERCEIRA IDADE - NETI/UFSC

O presente trabalho de pesquisa busca compreender a dinâmica do envelhecimento atual, todas as suas interfaces e também o processo da prática da participação que os idosos perpassam na atuação direta em grupos de convivência. A proposta é analisar a influência da leitura na inclusão de pessoas idosas integrantes do Núcleo de Estudos da Terceira Idade – NETI/UFSC, oportunizando aos idosos, momentos de alegria, descontração e lazer através da leitura visando uma inclusão mais humanizada que vai contribuir em muito, no processo terapêutico, além de mantê-lo informado a cerca dos acontecimentos do mundo. A referida pesquisa pode ser caracterizada como um estudo descritivo exploratório, localizado em um determinado contexto (Biblioteca). Como resultado, destaca-se a influência da leitura no desenvolvimento de pessoas idosas, visto que essa atividade estimula a criatividade e a imaginação, proporcionando momentos de desinibição em que os mais tímidos conseguem demonstrar o afeto que sentem, favorecendo a descontração, o lazer, estímulo, e a verbalização dos sentimentos, sendo esses alguns dos benefícios que as atividades apresentadas proporcionarão aos idosos, buscando sempre amenizar os efeitos causados pela rotina diária e o estresse

Perspectives of practicing school psychologists during COVID-19: A multi-country, mixed methods investigation

COVID-19 presented a range of challenges to the delivery of school psychology services in countries around the world. The current study aimed to investigate the practices of school psychologists from the United States of America, Australia, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including changes to practice and exploration of the factors that supported the delivery of school psychology services during the pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 1,030 school psychologists and analyzed using a mixed methods, multiple case study design. Differing impacts of the pandemic on the working hours of school psychologists were reported across countries. Participants in all countries reported a shift to online working, with an increased focus on consultation and intervention and a reduction in psychoeducational assessments. School psychologists from all nations emphazised the importance of self-care strategies, social connections and physical activity and the role of support via supervision or professional networks. Access to appropriate technology and responsive workplace policies and procedures were also identified as important. Results have implications for the internationalization of the school psychology profession and can inform international school psychology planning in response to future crises

A framework for identifying and mitigating the equity harms of COVID-19 policy interventions.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic. Governments have implemented combinations of "lockdown" measures of various stringencies, including school and workplace closures, cancellations of public events, and restrictions on internal and external movements. These policy interventions are an attempt to shield high-risk individuals and to prevent overwhelming countries' healthcare systems, or, colloquially, "flatten the curve." However, these policy interventions may come with physical and psychological health harms, group and social harms, and opportunity costs. These policies may particularly affect vulnerable populations and not only exacerbate pre-existing inequities but also generate new ones. METHODS: We developed a conceptual framework to identify and categorize adverse effects of COVID-19 lockdown measures. We based our framework on Lorenc and Oliver's framework for the adverse effects of public health interventions and the PROGRESS-Plus equity framework. To test its application, we purposively sampled COVID-19 policy examples from around the world and evaluated them for the potential physical, psychological, and social harms, as well as opportunity costs, in each of the PROGRESS-Plus equity domains: Place of residence, Race/ethnicity, Occupation, Gender/sex, Religion, Education, Socioeconomic status, Social capital, Plus (age, and disability). RESULTS: We found examples of inequitably distributed adverse effects for each COVID-19 lockdown policy example, stratified by a low- or middle-income country and high-income country, in every PROGRESS-Plus equity domain. We identified the known policy interventions intended to mitigate some of these adverse effects. The same harms (anxiety, depression, food insecurity, loneliness, stigma, violence) appear to be repeated across many groups and are exacerbated by several COVID-19 policy interventions. CONCLUSION: Our conceptual framework highlights the fact that COVID-19 policy interventions can generate or exacerbate interactive and multiplicative equity harms. Applying this framework can help in three ways: (1) identifying the areas where a policy intervention may generate inequitable adverse effects; (2) mitigating the policy and practice interventions by facilitating the systematic examination of relevant evidence; and (3) planning for lifting COVID-19 lockdowns and policy interventions around the world

Praksisstudienes omfang og organisering i bioingeniørutdanningen

Siden 2005 har omfang og innhold i bioingeniørutdanningen vært definert av en nasjonal rammeplan for å sikre likeverdig sluttkompetanse for alle kandidater. Fra 2019 ble en ny forskrift om nasjonale retningslinjer fastsatt. Både tidligere rammeplan og nye retningslinjer har regulert læringsutbyttene og omfang av praksis i utdanningen. I denne studien kartlegges omfang og organisering av praksisstudiene ved de ulike studieprogrammene, dette for å undersøke forskjeller og likheter og tilrettelegge for at studiestedene kan lære av hverandre. Det er innhentet data fra hvert studieprogram for omfang og organisering av veiledet intern praksis, ekstern praksis samt bacheloroppgaven. Dette ble kartlagt for alle studiestedene før og etter innføring av nye retningslinjer. Resultatene viser ulikheter i omfang og organisering av praksisstudiene og bacheloroppgaven mellom studieprogrammene i Norge og da særlig i organisering av intern praksis. De nye retningslinjene åpner samtidig opp for en videre fortolkning av praksisbegrepet og av krav til omfang og organisering av praksis. For å sikre likeverdig sluttkompetanse for ferdigutdannede, uavhengig av studiested, er det behov for i større grad enes om hva som gir tilstrekkelig omfang og god kvalitet i praksis i bioingeniørutdanningen. Denne deskriptive studien viser behov for videre forskningssamarbeid mellom studiestedene, for å utvikle en bioingeniørutdanning av best mulig kvalitet for fremtiden.publishedVersio

Praksisstudienes omfang og organisering i bioingeniørutdanningen

Source at https://www.bioingenioren.no/arkiv/.Siden 2005 har omfang og innhold i bioingeniørutdanningen vært definert av en nasjonal rammeplan for å sikre likeverdig sluttkompetanse for alle kandidater. Fra 2019 ble en ny forskrift om nasjonale retningslinjer fastsatt. Både tidligere rammeplan og nye retningslinjer har regulert læringsutbyttene og omfang av praksis i utdanningen. I denne studien kartlegges omfang og organisering av praksisstudiene ved de ulike studieprogrammene, dette for å undersøke forskjeller og likheter og tilrettelegge for at studiestedene kan lære av hverandre. Det er innhentet data fra hvert studieprogram for omfang og organisering av veiledet intern praksis, ekstern praksis samt bacheloroppgaven. Dette ble kartlagt for alle studiestedene før og etter innføring av nye retningslinjer. Resultatene viser ulikheter i omfang og organisering av praksisstudiene og bacheloroppgaven mellom studieprogrammene i Norge og da særlig i organisering av intern praksis. De nye retningslinjene åpner samtidig opp for en videre fortolkning av praksisbegrepet og av krav til omfang og organisering av praksis. For å sikre likeverdig sluttkompetanse for ferdigutdannede, uavhengig av studiested, er det behov for i større grad enes om hva som gir tilstrekkelig omfang og god kvalitet i praksis i bioingeniørutdanningen. Denne deskriptive studien viser behov for videre forskningssamarbeid mellom studiestedene, for å utvikle en bioingeniørutdanning av best mulig kvalitet for fremtiden

Praksisstudienes omfang og organisering i bioingeniørutdanningen

Since 2005, scope and content of the biomedical laboratory scientist education have been defined by national guidelines to ensure equal final competence for all candidates. From 2019, a new regulation on national guidelines was approved. Both new and old guidelines have regulated the learning outcomes and scope of practice in education. In this study, the scope and organization of the practical studies at the various study programs are characterized, in order to investigate differences and similarities and to facilitate that the study programs can learn from each other. Data has been obtained from each study program for the scope and organization of supervised internal practice, external practice and the bachelor thesis are reported for all study programs before and after the introduction of new guidelines. This study shows differences in the scope and organization of the practice and the bachelor thesis between the study programs in Norway and especially in the organization of internal practice. At the same time, the new guidelines open up for a further interpretation of the concept of practice and of requirements for the scope and organization of practice. In order to ensure equal final competence for the graduates, regardless of place of study, there is a need to agree to a greater extent on what provides sufficient scope and good quality of clinical practice in the study programs of biomedical laboratory scientists. This descriptive study shows the need for further research collaboration between the educational institutions, in order to develop a biomedical laboratory scientist education of the best possible quality for the future.publishedVersio