Japanese gardens as inspiration for design of health promoting outdoor environments

Japanska trädgårdar skulle med sina lugna och harmoniska kvaliteter kunna vara ett element som förebygger och motverkar den stress som är vanligt förekommande i dagens urbana miljöer. Forskning tyder på att japanska trädgårdar är en trädgårdstyp som har särskilt positiva effekter avseende landskapspreferens, återhämtning och andra aspekter av hälsa och välmående. De grundläggande idéerna och designprinciperna i de japanska trädgårdarna är något som jag genom främst litteraturstudie har utforskat, och funnit att de till stor del baseras på ingående kunskap om människans uppfattande av och interaktion med sin omgivning. Designprinciperna tycks även i stor omfattning fungera oberoende av japansk kultur och geografi, vilket gör att de skulle kunna tillämpas i en svensk kontext och ge liknande välgörande effekter på hälsa och välmående. Genom ett gestaltningsförslag visas i detta arbete en sådan tillämpning av de universella designprinciperna, tillsammans med en anpassning av de kulturella aspekterna till ett svenskt sammanhang.Japanese gardens, with their calm and harmonious qualities, could be an element that prevent and counteract the stress that is common today in the urban environments. Research indicate that the Japanese garden is a garden type that has particularly positive effects concerning landscape preference, restoration, and other aspects of health and well-being. Through mainly literature studies, I have explored the essential ideas and design principles in the Japanese gardens, and have found that they are largely based on profound knowledge of human perception of and interaction with the environment. The design principles seem to a large extent to work independently of Japanese culture and geography, which means that they could be applied in a Swedish context, and provide similar beneficial effects on health and well-being. Through a design proposal in this thesis, such an application of the universal design principles together with an adjustment of the cultural aspects, are shown in a Swedish context

Forest garden for rehabilitation : aspects to consider for design or development

Stress är den vanligaste sjukskrivningsorsaken och den som ökat mest av alla diagnoser för sjukskrivning. Samtidigt har det visat sig att vistelse i rehabiliteringsträdgård framgångsrikt hjälpt människor tillbaka till hälsa. Syftet med det här arbetet är att undersöka vilka aspekter som är betydelsefulla för stressreducering i en skogsträdgård, specifikt gällande målgruppen med stressrelaterade sjukdomar. Genom litteraturstudie och intervju har det gått att finna några aspekter som har betydelse för målgruppen i sammanhanget. Genom platsbesök, intervju och skissning har det gått att förstå mer av skogsträdgården i Alnarps rehabiliteringsträdgård, som utvecklingsförslaget gäller. Resultaten har blivit kunskap om vilka aspekter som har betydelse för målgruppen, samt ett utvecklingsförslag baserat på den kunskapen. De aspekter som visat sig ha betydelse finns inom såväl kategorin karaktär som rumslighet, kvalitet, element, samt aktivitet. Några aspekter av särskild betydelse är att det finns en plats skyddad av vegetation bakom med fri sikt framåt, eller ett tydligt rum som är lagom omslutet av lummig vegetation, med tillgång till smitvägar. Möjligheter till avskildhet och vila är av betydelse för restoration. Andra aspekter är variation i sinnesstimulering, upplevelse av naturlighet och vildhet, samt möjlighet till kreativitet, till exempel att kunna skapa egna platser genom att kunna sätta sig var som helst. Avslutningsvis kan nämnas att genom aktiviteterna i skogsträdgården blir deltagarna en integrerad del av ekosystemet, vilket ger dem en känsla av mening samt känsla av att vara del av ett större sammanhang. Utvecklingsförslaget har gjorts med hänsyn till nämnda aspekterna, samt baseras till största delen på växter som är ätliga och som med sina övriga funktioner samarbetar i skogsträdgården. Resultatet visar att en skogsträdgård har goda möjligheter att innehålla aspekter som är betydelsefulla för stressreducering och därmed främja återhämtning. Skogsträdgårdar kan som stressreducerande miljö även ha en förebyggande funktion för människors hälsa. Resultatet visar också att skogsträdgårdar skulle kunna ses som en plats som reflekterar principen att allt är del av en större helhet, där människor kan finna återhämtning, återknyta sin kontakt med naturen, samt finna sig som en del i en helhet. I ett större perspektiv skulle ett hållbart samhälle kunna innebära en helhet med de ingående elementen i harmoni och balans, liksom i en skogsträdgård.Stress is the most common cause of sick leave and also the diagnose that has increased the most for sick leave. At the same time it has been shown that a stay in a rehabilitation garden has successfully helped people back to health. The purpose of this work is to investigate which aspects are significant for stress reduction in a forest garden, specifically regarding the target group of stress-related diseases. Through study of literature and through interview, it has been possible to find some aspects that are of importance to the target group in the context. Through visit at the site, interview and sketching, it has been possible to understand more of the forest garden in Alnarp's rehabilitation garden, for which the development proposal is made. The results are knowledge about aspects which are of importance to the target group, and a development proposal based on that knowledge. The aspects that has been shown to be of importance, are found within the fields of character, spatiality, quality, elements, as well as activity. Some aspects of special importance is a place sheltered by vegetation at the back with an open view ahead, and a definite space surrounded by lush vegetation, with access to escape-routes. Places for solitude and rest are also of importance for restoration. Other aspects are variation in sensory stimulation, variation in sensory stimulation, experience of naturality and wildness, and possibilities for creativity, for example to be able to create ones own places by being able to sit anywhere. In conclusion, it can be said that through the activities in the forest garden, participants become an integral part of the ecosystem, giving them a sense of meaning as well as sense of being part of a greater context. The development proposal has been made with consideration for the mentioned aspects, and is mostly based on plants that are edible and which through their other functions cooperate in the forest garden. The result shows that a forest garden has good possibilities to contain the most important aspects and thereby promote restoration. Forest gardens may as a stress reducing environment also have a preventive function by maintaining the health of people. The result also shows that forest gardens be seen as places reflecting the principle that everything is part of a larger whole, where people can find recovery, reconnect their contact with nature, and find themselves as part of a greater context, a part in a whole. In a larger perspective, a sustainable society could mean a whole with the included elements in harmony and balance, as in a forest garden

Effect of Vanadium Addition On Structure And Soft Magnetic Properties of Nanocrystalline FeCoZrBCu Melt Spun Alloys

In this report, glass forming ability, structure and soft magnetic properties of melt spun ribbons of (Fe1-xCox) 88-yVyZr7B4Cu1alloys with compositions x0.1y2, x0.1y4 and x0.1y6 & x0.35y2, x0.35y4 and x0.35y6 have been investigated. All alloys were found to be fully amorphous after melt spinning. Annealing of amorphous ribbons of x0.1 series alloys leads to the formation of bcc α-Fe(Co) phase and Fe2Zr phase in the amorphous matrix, while annealing of amorphous ribbons of x0.35 series alloys, leads to the formation of only bcc α-Fe(Co) phase in the amorphous matrix. High precision lattice parameter calculation revealed that V addition influences the phase formation in low Co containing x0.1 alloys. It leads to low volume fraction of bcc α-Fe(Co) phase and promotes Fe2Zr phase. A higher Co content increases the Curie temperature of amorphous phase, while V addition decreases the TC of amorphous phase in both x0.1 and x0.35 series of alloys. Saturation magnetization (Ms) of x0.35 alloys are higher than of x0.1 alloy due to higher Co content and the Ms decreases with increasing V content due to its non-magnetic nature. Coercivity was found to be increased with annealing in x0.35 alloys due to the low volume fraction formation of bcc α-Fe(Co) phase and Fe2Zr phase. The coercivity decreases with increasing V addition in x0.35 alloys as spun ribbons and a lowest coercivity of 0.13 Oe has been obtained in x0.35y6 alloy which is one of the lowest among FeCoZrBCu alloys reported

Lacrimal Proline Rich 4 (LPRR4) Protein in the Tear Fluid Is a Potential Biomarker of Dry Eye Syndrome

<div><p>Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a complex, multifactorial, immune-associated disorder of the tear and ocular surface. DES with a high prevalence world over needs identification of potential biomarkers so as to understand not only the disease mechanism but also to identify drug targets. In this study we looked for differentially expressed proteins in tear samples of DES to arrive at characteristic biomarkers. As part of a prospective case-control study, tear specimen were collected using Schirmer strips from 129 dry eye cases and 73 age matched controls. 2D electrophoresis (2DE) and Differential gel electrophoresis (DIGE) was done to identify differentially expressed proteins. One of the differentially expressed protein in DES is lacrimal proline rich 4 protein (LPRR4). LPRR4 protein expression was quantified by enzyme immune sorbent assay (ELISA). LPRR4 was down regulated significantly in all types of dry eye cases, correlating with the disease severity as measured by clinical investigations. Further characterization of the protein is required to assess its therapeutic potential in DES.</p> </div

mRNA expression of LPRR4 in human lacrimal gland tissue as 144 bp product using RT-PCR showing tissue specificity for LPRR4.

<p>Lane 1∶100 and 200 bp ladder, Lane 2: Negative control (except cDNA), Lane 3–6: human lacrimal gland tissue (2 µg), Lane 7–8: human corneal epithelial tissue ((2 µg).</p

Down regulation of LPRR 4 protein in various types of DES cases as determined by 2D electrophoresis and PDQuest analysis.

<p>Down regulation of LPRR 4 protein in various types of DES cases as determined by 2D electrophoresis and PDQuest analysis.</p