Common spaces in assisted living for older persons. Aspects of usability from the residential and workplace perspectives.

This thesis is about space. It assumes that space forms a necessary part of the structure of existence. The architectural space becomes an existential space in the encounter with the user. Common unit spaces in assisted living (AL) for older persons are the principal venue for social interaction and have no parallel in ordinary housing. The usability of these spaces is discussed here from the residential and workplace perspectives. These perspectives are explored in relation to the concept of AL and involve residents, staff and other stakeholders in buildings in use. Special housing for older people is currently in focus worldwide due to demographic develop-ments, entailing an increasing proportion of older people. Residents in AL are increasingly old and multi-diseased, which changes the conditions for residential care in its present form.Four methods were used, involving 14 AL facilities (ALFs) in Sweden: observations, group interviews, individual interviews and self-completion questionnaires. An explorative strategy was adopted, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to enhance the validity of the results. The results were analysed using statistical analyses, Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) and triangulation.The results show functional demarcations between apartments, dining rooms, sitting rooms and kitchens in a private-public continu\uacum, with varying adherence to the respective residential and workplace perspectives. It also shows that these perspectives entail diverging objectives for use of the common spaces. The dining rooms were utilized most by the residents, but the kitchens were not used at all. The daily activities promote a focus on collective aspects above individual needs. The increasing use of assistive technology causes space shortages and suggests a mismatch between the actual users and the users conceptualised at the planning stage, which entails a focus on care aspects at the expense of the residential perspective. It shows that the common spaces are not perceived as a part of the home environment; rather an addition. The dementia and somatic units presented diverging objectives for use, but the physical environ-ments did not differ significantly. The functions of the common spaces were perceived differently among users, planners and architects. This suggests that these spaces have ambiguous meanings in a social context and may lead to ineffective use of the spaces. Along with a complicated body of regulations, this calls for a redefinition of AL. Design strategies are suggested that are more up-to-date with the users’ needs in relation to the usability of the common spaces. The residential and workplace perspectives have to be considered concomitantly when planning ALFs, otherwise inherent conflicts will become manifest as a result of the physical design, which affects usability

Cosmological Time in (2+1) - Gravity

We consider maximal globally hyperbolic flat (2+1) spacetimes with compact space S of genus g>1. For any spacetime M of this type, the length of time that the events have been in existence is M defines a global time, called the cosmological time CT of M, which reveals deep intrinsic properties of spacetime. In particular, the past/future asymptotic states of the cosmological time recover and decouple the linear and the translational parts of the ISO(2,1)-valued holonomy of the flat spacetime. The initial singularity can be interpreted as an isometric action of the fundamental group of S on a suitable real tree. The initial singularity faithfully manifests itself as a lack of smoothness of the embedding of the CT level surfaces into the spacetime M. The cosmological time determines a real analytic curve in the Teichmuller space of Riemann surfaces of genus g, which connects an interior point (associated to the linear part of the holonomy) with a point on Thurston's natural boundary (associated to the initial singularity).Comment: Totally new version with strongly improved exposition. Clarifying examples and figures have been included. 21 pages, Latex, 9 figure

Systems Analysis in Forestry and Forest Industries

The purpose of this book is to present a variety of articles revealing the state of the art of applications of systems analysis techniques to problems of the forest sector. Such applications cover a vast range of issues in forestry and the forest industry. They include the dynamics of the forest ecosystem, optimal forest management, the roundwood market, forest industrial strategy, regional and national forest sector policy as well as international trade in forest products. Forest industrial applications at mill level, such as optimal paper trimming, cutting, and production scheduling, are however, excluded

Approaches and Methods in Architectural Research

This anthology is the proceedings publication from the 2019 NAF Symposium “Approaches and Methods in Architectural Research”.Addressing what methods and approaches architects, landscape architects,and urban designers use in their work, why and how, this publication initiatescritical reflection on their relevance, qualities, pitfalls, representations, anddiscursive positionings. \ua0Editors: Anne Elisabeth Toft, Magnus R\uf6nn and Morgan AnderssonContributing authors:Abdulaziz Alshabib, Morgan Andersson, Isabelle Doucet, Susanne Fredholm, Freja Fr\uf6lander, Kiran Maini Gerhardsson, Ellen Kathrine Hansen, Mette Hvass, Thomas H. Kampmann, Karl Kropf, Ann Legeby, Nils Olsson, Jarre Parkatti, Sam Ridgway, Magnus R\uf6nn, Mari Oline Giske Stendebakken, Tony Svensson, Anne Elisabeth Tof

Loss of size-selectivity at histamine-induced exudation of plasma proteins in atopic nasal airways.

Plasma proteins occur in the airway lumen in inflammatory airway diseases. This study tests the hypothesis that airway microvascular-epithelial exudation of plasma proteins, as induced by a non-injurious inflammatory mediator, is characterized by loss of size-selectivity. Using a nasal pool-device, the nasal mucosa of 10 allergic individuals, without current disease, was sequentially exposed to saline and histamine (40 and 400 microg ml(-1)). Nasal lavage fluid and blood-levels of albumin (69 kD) and alpha2-macroglobulin (720 kD) were determined. Histamine produced concentration-dependent exudation of albumin and alpha2-macroglobulin. The albumin/alpha2-macroglobulin concentration ratio of the saline lavage fluid (baseline) was 40+/-19. However, at the histamine challenges the ratios were 25+/-3 and 22+/-2, respectively, which did not differ from that of circulating plasma (22+/-2). We conclude that there is minor and size-selective luminal entry of plasma proteins at baseline. However, at concentration-dependent exudative responses to histamine, plasma proteins enter the airway lumen without being sieved. These data indicate that inflammatory stimulus-induced extravasation, lamina propria distribution and paracellular epithelial passage of plasma occur with minimal size-selectivity. Inferentially, the full immunological capacity of plasma proteins may readily be made available at the surface of human intact airway mucosa

The impact of the physical environment for caregiving in ordinary housing: Experiences of staff in home- and health-care services

The strong driving forces for ageing in place demand sustainable solutions for the housing and care of older people and the health and safety of home- and health-care staff. The aim of the study was to elucidate staff experiences of providing home- and health-care to older people living in ordinary housing. This study was part of a larger project investigating the relation between home design and conditions for care in ordinary housing. The data were gathered through focus group interviews with staff in home- and health-care. Three main themes were found according to staff experiences of particular rooms’ sizes and proportions, spatial configurations, and aspects to consider when designing new housing. This study contributes important knowledge about essential features of the physical environment for staff providing home- and health-care for older people in their own homes and to aid the development of functionally sustainable housing to minimise injuries to staff

Nasal neutrophil activity and mucinous secretory responsiveness in COPD.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently report nasal symptoms. In the present study, we have examined whether or not COPD is associated with any nasal inflammation. Plasma exudation evoked by histamine challenges has been employed to improve the recovery of inflammatory indices in nasal lavage fluids. In 23 COPD-patients and 26 healthy subjects, all without history or signs of allergic rhinitis, nasal polyposis, or chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal saline-lavages were performed with and without histamine. alpha2-Macroglobulin, fucose, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were determined as indices of plasma exudation, mucinous secretion, eosinophil activity and neutrophil activity, respectively. The difference in MPO-levels between the histamine and the saline lavage was greater in COPD patients compared with healthy subjects (P<0·05). Also, COPD patients reporting nasal symptoms presented an increase in MPO at histamine challenge (P<0·05, cf. saline) and greater differences in MPO and fucose, respectively, between the histamine and the saline lavage (P<0·05, cf. patients without symptoms). We conclude that COPD is not associated with any marked nasal inflammation. However, our observation on increased MPO-levels at histamine challenge suggests some degree of increased neutrophil activity in this condition. Furthermore, when associated with nasal symptoms, COPD may be associated with an increased nasal secretory responsiveness

The 1999 ESPAD report: alcohol and other drug use among students in 30 European countries.

The purpose of the ESPAD project is to collect comparable data on alcohol, tobacco and durg use among 15-16 year old students in as many European countries as possible. The longterm aim is toto study trends in alcohol and drug habits among students in Europe and to compare trends between countries. Every four years repeat studies are conducted. The report details study design and procedures, methodological considerations, and changes in the use of alcohol and other drugs from 1995 to 1999. The report then presents results relating to: tobacco use, alcohol use, illicit drugs, lifetime drug use and abstinence, attitudes, perceived cigarettes, and alcohol and drug use among friends. Key results are given for each country: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine and United Kingdom. Appendices include an overview of the sampling and data collection in participating countries, tables of available data, and the student questionnaire used