Comparison of Sleep Attitudes and Beliefs among Older Adult Vietnamese Migrants and Australians with and without Insomnia

Sleep is an essential part of human life and is associated with both physical and mental health. When, where and how people sleep is known to vary across different cultures (Glaskin and Chenhall, 2013) but very little is documented about whether there are significant differences in attitudes and beliefs about sleep across different cultures or different ethnic groups. Previous research has found that both dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep and poor sleep hygiene knowledge can contribute to sleeping problems, especially for those with insomnia. As non-pharmacological treatments for insomnia often include addressing cognitive aspects related to sleep it is important that there is a good understanding of how sleep beliefs and attitudes may vary across groups and individuals, including possible ethnic differences. However, there has been no research, to the author’s knowledge, investigating the possible differences in sleep attitudes and beliefs between older adult Vietnamese migrants and Australians. This study aimed to examine the dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep, sleep hygiene knowledge and sleep perceptions between these two ethnic groups. Sex differences on the dependent variables were also of interest. Insomnia status was addressed as it is a possible confound. The participants consisted of 207 subjects (100 Vietnamese and 107 Australians). There were 36 males and 54 females for the Vietnamese sample with a mean age of 65.50 years (SD = 5.62). The Australian sample consisted of 50 males and 57 females with a mean age of 68.82 years (SD = 7.32)

A wavelet-based spectral analysis of long-term time series of optical properties of aerosols obtained by lidar and radiometer measurements over an urban station in Western India

International audienceOver 700 weekly-spaced vertical profiles of aerosol number density have been archived during 14-year period (October 1986-September 2000) using a bi-static Argon ion lidar system at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune (18°43'N, 73°51'E, 559. m above mean sea level), India. The monthly resolved time series of aerosol distributions within the atmospheric boundary layer as well as at different altitudes aloft have been subjected to the wavelet-based spectral analysis to investigate different characteristic periodicities present in the long-term dataset. The solar radiometric aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements over the same place during 1998-2003 have also been analyzed with the wavelet technique. Wavelet spectra of both the time series exhibited significant quasi-annual (around 12-14 months) and quasi-biennial (around 22-25 months) oscillations at statistically significant level. An overview on the lidar and radiometric data sets including the wavelet-based spectral analysis procedure is also presented. A brief statistical analysis concerning both annual and interannual variability of lidar and radiometer derived aerosol distributions has been performed to delineate the effect of different dominant seasons and associated meteorological conditions prevailing over the experimental site in Western India. Additionally, the impact of urbanization on the long-term trends in the lidar measurements of aerosol loadings over the experimental site is brought out. This was achieved by using the lidar observations and a preliminary data set built for inferring the urban aspects of the city of Pune, which included population, number of industries and vehicles etc. in the city. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd

Computer Method for Amplitude Spectrum Analysis

A computer programme based on Fortran IV language for doing Amplitude Spectrum Analysis (ASPEC) and the associated flow charts are explained. The importance of the programme in the ionosphere and space research is briefly discussed

Designing for Capabilities: A Phenomenological Approach to the Design of Enabling Technologies for Older Adults

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in society's response to the emerging need of caretaking of the oldest citizens. This dissertation presents a design approach that focuses on capabilities rather than disabilities as the foundation for the design of enabling technologies for older adults. To answer the overarching research question of how we can design for capabilities, this dissertation addresses three research questions that concerns construction of a theoretical design framework, the operationalization of the framework by informing a tailored methodology, and reflection of design outcomes to generate knowledge that can inform back to theory. Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of the lived body has been used to construct a design framework with theoretical concepts, design considerations, and design opportunities that frame an understanding of capabilities as the basis for design. This framework has informed the adaptation of a phenomenological Participatory Design (PD) methodology which has then been continuously adjusted to support the practical limitations of engaging older adults in co-design activities. The methodology has guided the facilitation of 14 different research explorations involving 542 participants over four years. The design outcomes from these research explorations have been used as analytic tools to generate knowledge through reflection that has contributed to the revision of the theoretically informed design framework. The design outcomes have also been used to reflect on the phenomenological PD process. This dissertation answers the overarching research questions by making three contributions: a phenomenological design framework that emphasizes designing for capabilities revised by knowledge generated through design; a tailored phenomenological PD process with supportive analyses of preconditions, participation, and decision-making; and presentation of two sets of design artifacts and the knowledge they have generated. The design approach suggested has been followed from conception of theory to long-term use of design outcomes in realistic settings to fully utilize the reciprocal interplay between theory and design. Results from the testing of use after design in real environments suggest that this design approach can open up new opportunities to design long-lasting relationships between people and the digital artifacts they use in their everyday life by designing for capabilities rather than disabilities

Aerosol climate change connection (AC3) special issue: An overview

10.4209/aaqr.2018.11.0435Aerosol and Air Quality Research1911-Ap

Three-year black carbon aerosol synthesis over a pristine location surrounded by hillocks in Haryana state, India

The three-year Black Carbon (BC) aerosol measurements made during 2020, 2021, and 2022 over a rural location, namely, Panchgaon, surrounded by Aravali hillocks (elevation of about 400–600 m) have been analyzed with an aim to determine their optical and radiative characteristics, seasonal and long-term variations in mass concentration. The affinity between these parameters and associated pollutants and planetary boundary layer height (PBLH), affected by the orography, to delineate their role in mass concentration changes with time have been investigated. The coincident OPAC (Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds) Model-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD), and single scattering albedo (SSA) have been compared with the observed BC mass concentration, and also with synchronous satellite measurements. The year-to-year variability analysis of the data reveals that the rate of increase of BC concentration is high. The variability was low due to the reasons explained. It implies that the year-to-year variability in BC concentration at the study site depends on the source strength modulated by the valley-driven meteorology. Added, the percentage departures of BC concentration show positive values (higher concentration) during morning and evening hours, which could be due to more anthropogenic activities while it shows negative values during afternoon hours and lower boundary layer heights. The force exerted by the radiation due to BC aerosols at the bottom of the atmosphere (BOA), and in the atmosphere (ATM) are almost equal in magnitude and negative, while that at the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) is smaller and positive, indicating that BC aerosols in the study region cools the atmosphere at the BOA and warms the ATM and TOA, which indirectly reveals the dominant role of long-range transport phenomenon at higher levels as compared to the surface level

Identification of aerosol type over the Arabian Sea in the premonsoon season during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, Gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB)

A discrimination of the different aerosol types over the Arabian Sea (AS) during the Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, Gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB-06) is made using values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm (AOD500) and Ångström exponent (α) in the spectral band 340-1020 nm (α340-1020). For this purpose, appropriate thresholds for AOD500 and α340-1020 are applied. It is shown that a single aerosol type in a given location over the AS can exist only under specific conditions while the presence of mixed aerosols is the usual situation. Analysis indicates that the dominant aerosol types change significantly in the different regions (coastal, middle, and far) of AS. Thus the urban/industrial aerosols are mainly observed in coastal AS, the desert dust particles occur in the middle and northern AS, while clear maritime conditions mainly occur in far AS. Spectral AOD and Ångström exponent data were analyzed to obtain information about the adequacy of the simple use of the Ångström exponent and spectral variation of a for characterizing the aerosols. Using the least squares method, α is calculated in the spectral interval 340-1020 nm along with the coefficients a1 and a2 of the second-order polynomial fit to the plotted logarithm of AOD versus the logarithm of wavelength. The results show that the spectral curvature can effectively be used as a tool for their discrimination, since the fine mode aerosols exhibit negative curvature, while the coarse mode particles exhibit positive curvature. The correlation between the coefficients a1 and a2 with the Ångström exponent, and the atmospheric turbidity, is further investigated. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union