Home Remaking: An architectural study of home in diaspora in contemporary Britain with particular reference to the lives of Iranian women

This research explores the ways in which Iranian women make their diasporic home in the context of the Great Britain. It sheds light on a rarely discussed area of Iranian diaspora in the UK and particularly of their home. At the meantime through the study of home in diaspora, it points out the lack of architectural discussions in the current home literature, urging for investigations that situate homemaking, memory, identity and gender within the spatial dimensions of home. Therefore, this thesis aims to fill the gap between the studies of home in architecture and humanities, emphasising on developing a framework for the study of home with an interdisciplinary approach to examine the ways in which Iranian women situate their identity by the way they make their diasporic homes. The everyday space of the Iranian home, as well as the Iranian diasporic home, is analysed with a particular focus on the ways that these spaces accommodate cultural/religious modalities. Additionally, the importance of this study is designated by highlighting the lack of studies on Iranian female interactions with their home spaces, specific to their homemaking approaches. The transient nature of these diasporic homes as an embodiment of female identity provides a unique situation to be examined in relation to the notions of gender, culture and homemaking. To address this complexity, with the help of the theoretical studies, home is described as a place that embodies dialectic notions of real/ideal, one/other and tangible and intangible. Therefore, to be able to study home within those contradictory notions a theoretical framework is developed that responds to the necessity of examining home within an interdisciplinary study in relation to gender and identity conceptions. Hence, a combination of feminist and phenomenological theories are applied to deconstruct the conventional dualistic conceptions employed in current home studies by defining home as a space of in-between. As a result, a framework of tangible, intangible and the in-between elements is proposed for the formulation of an architectural methodology to provide an understanding of the making of Iranian home in diaspora. It is within this framework that the atmosphere of home is discussed across different disciplines and is examined as a possible approach to homemaking in diaspora. The research is developed through a phenomenological study of Iranian home that introduces hierarchy, hospitality and cleanliness as spatial/cultural themes under the dialectical notions of Zaher and Baten in Iranian culture. The feminist and phenomenological theories were incorporated into mixed qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews, focus groups and visual analysis. Ultimately, the contribution of this thesis is a proposed architectural methodology for the study of home and homemaking that is incremental as well as holistic. The formulated framework is a combination of tangible, intangible and in-between elements that encompasses spatial/cultural elements of Iranian home. The contribution is two-fold one being, the substantive aspects: that contribute to the topic of inquiry by developing a theoretical framework, representing a deeper understanding of home, the concept of home in diaspora and particularly the experience of Iranian home. And other contribution is the methodological aspects proposing a framework of methodology for the study of home that can be replicable and scalable. It is concluded in this thesis that the study of home with an architectural evaluation is achieved, only if it is situated in a context that acknowledges subjective experience, memory of space, identity and gender while signifying its indispensable tangible aspects

Frequency of pes anserine bursitis in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Background: Knee pain is a very common disease in the elderly, which is often attributed to osteoarthritis but pes anserine bursitis also can cause knee pain, especially in OA patients. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of pes anserine bursitis in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 245 patients with definitive knee osteoarthritis referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil city from September 2020 to December 2021. All patients were sent to ultrasonography to diagnosis Pes Anserine Bursitis. Osteoarthritis was divided into 4 groups based on the radiographic classification of Kellgren-Lawrence. The severity of knee pain was also determined by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The necessary data were collected by a checklist and then analysed by statistical methods in SPSS version 22. Results: Total 175 out of 245 patients (71%) were diagnosed with pes anserin bursitis. There was a significant relationship between age, gender, BMI, OA and staging of OA with the risk of anserin bursitis. Conclusions: Results showed that the high prevalence of anserine bursitis in patients studied indicates the importance of this issue and the need for attention by physician as one of knee pain reasons. Since the clinical examination has a significant diagnostic power in the detection of anserin bursitis, it is recommended that special attention be paid to the clinical examination. Attention to the risk factors in the country such as obesity, the use of toilets and so on, which can be controlled and can be prevented

The Effect of Air Pollution on Respiratory Disease Visits to the Emergency Department in Kerman, Iran

Background: It is probable that with increase of air pollution, the rate of respiratory disease patient admissions in the emergency departments increases as well. In this study, the effect of air pollution on the rate of admission of patients with respiratory diseases in the emergency department of one of the referral educational hospitals in Kerman, Iran was investigated. Methods: Data of patients with respiratory diseases (asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, COPD) admitted in Afzalipour hospital during March 2006 until March 2011 were extracted based on gender and age from the archived files of the emergency department and were compared with air pollution measurements (including fine particles, NO, NO 2 , NO x , SO 2 , CO, O 3 ) inquired from the Kerman Environmental Protection Agency with lags up to 50 days by time series through MiniTab15 and STATA11 software packages. Results: None of the pollutants showed a significant or more than 0.2 correlation with respiratory disease visits to the emergency department, except ozone and SO2. In negative Binomial regression, only SO2 increase was associated with increased visits of female patients IRR= 1.436 (95% CI 1.004-2.051). Conclusion: It is probable that some air pollutants in their current concentrations in Kerman cause increase of respiratory disease patient's visits to emergency departments. However, more research is needed

Removal of Ortho- chlorophenol from Aqueous Solutions Using Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles Modified Clay (Case Clay Soils of ShahMorad Mountains in Rafsanjan)

Chlorophenols as priority pollutants are toxic. These acidic organic compounds cause digestive disorders, liver damage, and cancers. The aim of this study is Ortho- chlorophenol removal using zero-valent iron nanoparticles modified clay. In this experimental study, the clay soil was sampled from the mountains of Shah Murad, Rafsanjan, Iran. Then it was treated with hydrochloric acid. In the next step, the clay was modified with ferrous sulfate in the presence of the N2 gas to prepare magnetic clay. Then, the prepared adsorbent was used to remove o-chlorophenol as a function of pH, adsorbent dose and contact time. In addition, adsorption isotherms and kinetics were determined. The findings of the present study showed that the removal efficiency obtained by the iron nanoparticles carrying clay was higher than that of the raw clay. The highest removal efficiency (91.3 %.) was obtained for pH 4. The o-CP removal efficiency by the modified clay increased from 35.9 to 82.7 as the adsorbent dosage is increased from 0.05 to 1 g after 120min contact time. The Langmuir isotherm model and the second-order kinetic model provided the best fit to the experimental data compared to other studied models. The results showed that the modified adsorbent could be used an effective and readily available low-cost adsorbent for the removal of chlorophenols in industrial applications

Removal of Ortho- chlorophenol from Aqueous Solutions Using Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles Modified Clay (Case Clay Soils of ShahMorad Mountains in Rafsanjan)

Chlorophenols as priority pollutants are toxic. These acidic organic compounds cause digestive disorders, liver damage, and cancers. The aim of this study is Ortho- chlorophenol removal using zero-valent iron nanoparticles modified clay. In this experimental study, the clay soil was sampled from the mountains of Shah Murad, Rafsanjan, Iran. Then it was treated with hydrochloric acid. In the next step, the clay was modified with ferrous sulfate in the presence of the N2 gas to prepare magnetic clay. Then, the prepared adsorbent was used to remove o-chlorophenol as a function of pH, adsorbent dose and contact time. In addition, adsorption isotherms and kinetics were determined. The findings of the present study showed that the removal efficiency obtained by the iron nanoparticles carrying clay was higher than that of the raw clay. The highest removal efficiency (91.3 %.) was obtained for pH 4. The o-CP removal efficiency by the modified clay increased from 35.9 to 82.7 as the adsorbent dosage is increased from 0.05 to 1 g after 120min contact time. The Langmuir isotherm model and the second-order kinetic model provided the best fit to the experimental data compared to other studied models. The results showed that the modified adsorbent could be used an effective and readily available low-cost adsorbent for the removal of chlorophenols in industrial applications

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A NOVEL FOUR-ELECTRODE DEVICE SYSTEM FOR MONITORING SKIN IMPEDANCE

Qi, meridians, and acupoints are important issues in Chinese medicine. One of the theories claims that acupuncture points and meridians have unique electrical properties. The associations between acupuncture points or meridians and special electrical properties are still under debate. In the current study, we introduced and explained a device for this kind of research and evaluated the reliability of this device as well as effects of pressure, cleaning the skin by alcohol and exfoliation on electrical skin measurements. Fifteen subjects (10 female, 5 male) were recruited to participate in the study. An impedance meter based on the four-electrode technique was designed and fabricated specifically for this study. The effects of pressure, cleaning of the skin by alcohol, and exfoliation on electrical skin impedance were evaluated separately. The device repeatability was also evaluated 30 times in a 30 minutes period. Scale weight up to 200 grams, cleaning the skin with alcohol, and exfoliation didn't affect the performance of this device. The device performance didn’t change significantly during the 30 minutes measurement either. The new system we evaluated can be a reliable tool for researches on electrical skin impedance in acupuncture, as its performance is fairly stable even in the presence of various confounding factors such as various pressures on the probe, cleaning the skin with alcohol and exfoliation

Global incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 371 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Detailed, comprehensive, and timely reporting on population health by underlying causes of disability and premature death is crucial to understanding and responding to complex patterns of disease and injury burden over time and across age groups, sexes, and locations. The availability of disease burden estimates can promote evidence-based interventions that enable public health researchers, policy makers, and other professionals to implement strategies that can mitigate diseases. It can also facilitate more rigorous monitoring of progress towards national and international health targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. For three decades, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) has filled that need. A global network of collaborators contributed to the production of GBD 2021 by providing, reviewing, and analysing all available data. GBD estimates are updated routinely with additional data and refined analytical methods. GBD 2021 presents, for the first time, estimates of health loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The GBD 2021 disease and injury burden analysis estimated years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 371 diseases and injuries using 100 983 data sources. Data were extracted from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, censuses, household surveys, disease-specific registries, health service contact data, and other sources. YLDs were calculated by multiplying cause-age-sex-location-year-specific prevalence of sequelae by their respective disability weights, for each disease and injury. YLLs were calculated by multiplying cause-age-sex-location-year-specific deaths by the standard life expectancy at the age that death occurred. DALYs were calculated by summing YLDs and YLLs. HALE estimates were produced using YLDs per capita and age-specific mortality rates by location, age, sex, year, and cause. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for all final estimates as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles values of 500 draws. Uncertainty was propagated at each step of the estimation process. Counts and age-standardised rates were calculated globally, for seven super-regions, 21 regions, 204 countries and territories (including 21 countries with subnational locations), and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Here we report data for 2010 to 2021 to highlight trends in disease burden over the past decade and through the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Global DALYs increased from 2·63 billion (95% UI 2·44–2·85) in 2010 to 2·88 billion (2·64–3·15) in 2021 for all causes combined. Much of this increase in the number of DALYs was due to population growth and ageing, as indicated by a decrease in global age-standardised all-cause DALY rates of 14·2% (95% UI 10·7–17·3) between 2010 and 2019. Notably, however, this decrease in rates reversed during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, with increases in global age-standardised all-cause DALY rates since 2019 of 4·1% (1·8–6·3) in 2020 and 7·2% (4·7–10·0) in 2021. In 2021, COVID-19 was the leading cause of DALYs globally (212·0 million [198·0–234·5] DALYs), followed by ischaemic heart disease (188·3 million [176·7–198·3]), neonatal disorders (186·3 million [162·3–214·9]), and stroke (160·4 million [148·0–171·7]). However, notable health gains were seen among other leading communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) diseases. Globally between 2010 and 2021, the age-standardised DALY rates for HIV/AIDS decreased by 47·8% (43·3–51·7) and for diarrhoeal diseases decreased by 47·0% (39·9–52·9). Non-communicable diseases contributed 1·73 billion (95% UI 1·54–1·94) DALYs in 2021, with a decrease in age-standardised DALY rates since 2010 of 6·4% (95% UI 3·5–9·5). Between 2010 and 2021, among the 25 leading Level 3 causes, age-standardised DALY rates increased most substantially for anxiety disorders (16·7% [14·0–19·8]), depressive disorders (16·4% [11·9–21·3]), and diabetes (14·0% [10·0–17·4]). Age-standardised DALY rates due to injuries decreased globally by 24·0% (20·7–27·2) between 2010 and 2021, although improvements were not uniform across locations, ages, and sexes. Globally, HALE at birth improved slightly, from 61·3 years (58·6–63·6) in 2010 to 62·2 years (59·4–64·7) in 2021. However, despite this overall increase, HALE decreased by 2·2% (1·6–2·9) between 2019 and 2021. Interpretation: Putting the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of causes of health loss is crucial to understanding its impact and ensuring that health funding and policy address needs at both local and global levels through cost-effective and evidence-based interventions. A global epidemiological transition remains underway. Our findings suggest that prioritising non-communicable disease prevention and treatment policies, as well as strengthening health systems, continues to be crucially important. The progress on reducing the burden of CMNN diseases must not stall; although global trends are improving, the burden of CMNN diseases remains unacceptably high. Evidence-based interventions will help save the lives of young children and mothers and improve the overall health and economic conditions of societies across the world. Governments and multilateral organisations should prioritise pandemic preparedness planning alongside efforts to reduce the burden of diseases and injuries that will strain resources in the coming decades. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation