The design profession and ageing in place

Design Associations and the media have a responsibility to the community to promote good aesthetic and innovative universal housing design solutions. This could be encouraged through awards and publications that focus on excellence in universal design. Housing designers have a responsibility to both the present and future users, and need to be encouraged to integrate universal design features into the design of the home

Share to Survive

Where competition is fierce and occurring on a global level, the designer must be armed with all the tools necessary to survive, this includes up to date information, skills and resources. Schon recommends collaboration between researchers and practitioners to publish their experiences and findings on design projects (Schon, 1988). Unless practitioners share information and build up on a resource of knowledge they will leave themselves open to further fragmentation of their profession. They will dissipate into a meaningless superficial body of designers that are not taken seriously. This paper discusses why professional interior designers are reluctant to share information and enter design discourse

How do we keep abreast of global changes whilst surviving within a competitive marketplace?

Interior Design education needs to evolve to keep up with continuous global change. The design world is going through a major transition, brought about by shifts in the world; electronic communication, deregulation, global economics, and environmental crisis. These changes affect the function and requirements of building interiors, highlighting the need for flexibility. Due to these continual changes, the need for developing lifelong learning skills in education are paramount in order to lead, or at least to survive, a demanding and continually changing marketplace. Response to these changes must occur within education and the profession. This paper discusses some possible changes

Housing future for ageing in place

This paper examines how the desire of people to age in their home is being met through the design of new and renovated homes in Western Australia. The question is asked whether new housing portrayed in the popular press in Western Australia considers the older and potentially frail home occupant. The publicity given to new homes over the recent past in the 'New Homes' weekly supplement of the West Australian Newspaper was reviewed and analysed to determine what emphasis has been given to ageing at home. The analysis shows that there is almost no consideration of the older, frail occupant in the design of new houses. This indicates that baby-boomer consumers are not yet recognizing their own future needs of the housing market. In addition housing designers are taking no initiatives in this area

To take risk in education requires time for exploration

Student/teacher time relationships are minimised in universities due to a range of fiscal directives. However, when analysing the success of design teaching, the time required for critical analysis through making and drawing, which is recognized as a crucial aspect of the development of the design project, is limited to the student. There is insufficient time for students to explore design ideas due to the reduced teaching time, condensed semesters, and high expectation of output. The thinking time the unmarked component becomes evident at the final stage of the project. It takes time to analyse, research and question a design approach.This paper presents a case study of the initiatives of an Experimental Design Studio in the Department of Interior Architecture, //// University of Technology, //// Australia. The studio addresses the perceived problems in our education system through an experimental project to encourage enquiry, inspire originality and set new standards for industry, avoiding the risk of mediocrity, one line statements and eclectic solutions. The risk here is giving the students the time to explore in a supportive learning environment

Ageing at home - are we prepared?

The design of the home is critical in allowing older people to continue to live independently. This can only occur if the home is barrier free and supports physical frailties. Most people who wish to live independently as they age in Australia will need to modify their existing homes in some way to suit their frailties. However the cost of home modifications can not always be met given the 'asset rich, income poor' ageing group and as one enters old age it becomes more difficult to maintain the home. Maintenance problems include affordability, not recognizing problems, not having the energy or expertise to do anything about them, a lack of knowledge about reputable builders and an inability to organize and supervise the work and check that it has been done properly.This paper addresses the issues of independent living for the baby boomer population within a well-established suburb of Perth, Western Australia. A survey was carried out in 2004 to identify the number of baby boomers wishing to age in place, whether their existing homes were suitable for ageing in place, the modifications required to make the homes suitable, at what stage of life such modifications should be made and whether the baby boomers were prepared to make these modifications. The findings show that, in Perth, typical housing will not support ageing in place without significant investment in building modifications. More significantly it appears that the baby boomer occupants are not aware of this looming barrier to ageing in place

Interior architecture in Australia and Canada, Part Two: A comparative study of the development of University Education for Interior Designers/Architects

This paper is the second in a series of comparative studies between education and practice in Interior Design/Interior Architecture between Canada and Australia. This paper discusses the similarities in the educational structure at universities within Australia and between Australia and Canada causing concern as we find ourselves in a global competitive market place. It is paramount that interior design education directs industry, and not be dictated by short-term industry demands. For this to occur, national educational bodies need to examine their existing programs in respect to one another, develop a distinctive approach in what they teach, and develop better communications with industry in order to ensure the sharing of valuable knowledge gained through project work. This paper is written to provide an anecdotal overview of the professional education in these two countries over the past twenty years. It is acknowledged that this is by no means an exhaustive piece of research of this period, but rather an overview and starting point for more in-depth research.The first paper established the professions' history as a base, comparing parallels and differences for the purpose of gaining an insight into the development of the profession. It is hoped that from this series discussions will follow on the future directions in both areas as little documented research exists concerning recent developments in interior design/architecture education and practice in Australia and Canada

Graded inhibition of oncogenic Ras-signaling by multivalent Ras-binding domains

BACKGROUND: Ras is a membrane-associated small G-protein that funnels growth and differentiation signals into downstream signal transduction pathways by cycling between an inactive, GDP-bound and an active, GTP-bound state. Aberrant Ras activity as a result of oncogenic mutations causes de novo cell transformation and promotes tumor growth and progression. RESULTS: Here, we describe a novel strategy to block deregulated Ras activity by means of oligomerized cognate protein modules derived from the Ras-binding domain of c-Raf (RBD), which we named MSOR for multivalent scavengers of oncogenic Ras. The introduction of well-characterized mutations into RBD was used to adjust the affinity and hence the blocking potency of MSOR towards activated Ras. MSOR inhibited several oncogenic Ras-stimulated processes including downstream activation of Erk1/2, induction of matrix-degrading enzymes, cell motility and invasiveness in a graded fashion depending on the oligomerization grade and the nature of the individual RBD-modules. The amenability to accurate experimental regulation was further improved by engineering an inducible MSOR-expression system to render the reversal of oncogenic Ras effects controllable. CONCLUSION: MSOR represent a new tool for the experimental and possibly therapeutic selective blockade of oncogenic Ras signals

High expression of 5-lipoxygenase in normal and malignant mantle zone B lymphocytes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human B lymphocytes can produce leukotriene B₄but the biological function of the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway in B cells is unclear. In order to better understand and define the role of 5-LO in B cells, we investigated the expression of 5-LO mRNA and protein in subsets of B cells from human tonsils and different types of B cell lymphoma.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Based on RT-PCR and western blot/immunohistochemical staining, with a polyclonal antibody raised against 5-LO, high expression of 5-LO was found in mantle zone B cells from tonsils. By contrast, only a weak expression of 5-LO was detected in germinal centre cells and no expression in plasma cells from tonsils. This pattern of 5-LO expression was preserved in malignant lymphoma with high expression in mantle B cell lymphoma (MCL) and weak or no expression in follicular lymphoma. Primary leukemized MCL, so called B-prolymphocytic leukaemia cells, and MCL cell lines also expressed 5-LO and readily produced LTB₄after activation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present report demonstrates the expression of 5-LO mainly in normal and malignant mantle zone B cells while the expression is low or absent in germinal centre B cells and plasma cells, indicating a role of the 5-LO pathway in B cells before the cells finally differentiate to plasma cells.</p

Eicosanoids in skin inflammation.

NoEicosanoids play an integral part in homeostatic mechanisms related to skin health and structural integrity. They also mediate inflammatory events developed in response to environmental factors, such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and inflammatory and allergic disorders, including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. This review article discusses biochemical aspects related to cutaneous eicosanoid metabolism, the contribution of these potent autacoids to skin inflammation and related conditions, and considers the importance of nutritional supplementation with bioactives such as omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant-derived antioxidants as means of addressing skin health issues.The Wellcome Trust and BBSRC-DRIN