Search results for "Housing"
showing 10 items of 345 documents
Factors associated with maximal walking speed among older community-living adults.
2011
Background and aims: The relative contribution of different domains on walking speed is largely unknown. This study investigated the central factors associated with maximal walking speed among older people. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from the SCAMOB study (ISRCTN 07330512) involving 605 community-living ambulatory adults aged 75–81 years. Maximal walking speed, leg extensor power, standing balance and body mass index were measured at the research center. Physical activity, smoking, use of alcohol, chronic diseases and depressive symptoms were self-reported by standard questionnaires. Results: The mean maximal walking speed was 1.4 m/s (range 0.3–2.9). In linear regre…
Being mindful at work and at home
2020
Although previous research on mindfulness predominantly focused on benefits of mindfulness, this study investigates quantitative and emotional demands as contextual antecedents of mindful awareness and acceptance both in the work and home domains. In addition, we examine goal attainment and satisfaction in the work and home domains as consequences of mindful awareness and acceptance. Results of a diary study across 5 workdays with 2 daily measurement occasions among 233 employees revealed that both in the work and home domains, quantitative demands were positively associated with awareness, but not with acceptance, whereas emotional demands were positively associated with acceptance, but no…
Are Repeated Self-Reports of Psychological Variables Feasible for Patients Near the End of Life at a Palliative Care Unit?
2018
Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measurement is crucial to assess the benefit of psychotherapeutic interventions. Is repeated assessment of psychometric self-report data possible, as inpatient palliative care patients suffer from physical and psychological symptoms? What is the self-perceived strain caused by the assessment? Objective The main objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a repeated comprehensive psychometric self-assessment of inpatient palliative care patients. Secondary objectives were the PROs of the psychometric assessment.We conducted a prospective cohort study. Patients admitted to our palliative care unit (PCU) were reviewed for eligibility within 72 h…
ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS FOR THE ENERGY RETROFIT OF EXISTING BUILDINGS
2015
Today is widely recognized that the main cause of CO2 production and of non-renewable energy consumptions in Europe is due to the building field. For this reason, to improve the energy performance of existing houses through an energy retrofit action (adapting their performances to those required by regulations) is an important strategy to reduce energy consumptions since they are much more than new ones, also representing an economic opportunity. In particular, an important approach in the reducing energy needs consists in the thermal insulation of the envelope, through the application of innovative technologies and materials. The paper will present the result of a research about the possib…
Teacher's reflections on experimenting with technology-enriched inquiry-based mathematics teaching with a preplanned teaching unit
2013
Abstract According to previous studies, inquiry-based mathematics teaching enhances learning. However, teachers need support in implementing this type of teaching. In this study, a high school teacher was given a short preplanned inquiry-based mathematics teaching unit that included activities with GeoGebra. The teacher was interviewed after every lesson to explore her reflections after teaching. I analyzed how the teacher described the differences between her regular teaching style and the teaching unit and the pros and cons of the teaching unit. The teacher reflected on the roles of the teacher and students, depth of students’ knowledge, her stance toward the teaching unit, constraints fo…
Indoor air quality of everyday use spaces dedicated to specific purposes—a review
2017
According to literature data, some of the main factors which significantly affect the quality of the indoor environment in residential households or apartments are human activities such as cooking, smoking, cleaning, and indoor exercising. The paper presents a literature overview related to air quality in everyday use spaces dedicated to specific purposes which are integral parts of residential buildings, such as kitchens, basements, and individual garages. Some aspects of air quality in large-scale car parks, as a specific type of indoor environment, are also discussed. All those areas are characterized by relatively short time use. On the other hand, high and very high concentration level…
The effects of vegetation on indoor thermal comfort: the application of a multi-scale simulation methodology on a residential neighborhood renovation…
2017
Abstract Despite the acknowledged positive effects of vegetation at urban, neighborhood and building scales, there are still only limited comprehensive design tools for multi-scale evaluation of the microclimate and thermal benefits of plants and building-integrated vegetation (BIV) systems. The paper describes a case study in the city of Palermo (Italy) that applied simulation methodology to quantitatively assess the microclimate effects of different neighborhood and building retrofit scenarios where vegetation plays a main role. The simulation workflow moves from a micro-urban to a building scale assessment by linking the ENVI-met software to the building energy simulation program EnergyP…
Sui progetti di edilizia residenziale pubblica di Benedetto Colajanni
2010
Attraverso l’analisi dell’architettura residenziale pubblica, il saggio delinea criticamente la produzione architettonica di Benedetto Colajanni. Il tema offre lo spunto per affrontare alcune questioni riguardanti il progetto in un particolare periodo di modificazione e crescita della città, in modo particolare di Palermo. L’ampiezza della produzione di Colajanni consente, infatti, di accostarsi a importanti temi della cultura architettonica nazionale e internazionale del tempo (a partire dagli anni ’50), tra cui il dibattito sulla casa collettiva, sulla sperimentazione tecnologica, sugli innovativi sistemi di produzione e gestione dei lavori e del cantiere, sulla ricerca spaziale urbana e …
Teaching Green Analytical Chemistry on the Example of Bioindication and Biomonitoring (B & B) Technologies
2019
Teaching of Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) requires a not inconsiderable willingness on the part of the lecturer to familiarize himself with a relatively new field in analytical chemistry. Although there is much that can be derived from Green and Sustainable Chemistry, the GAC’s forward-looking perspectives in particular are independent approaches that must not be neglected. In the first chapter of this article, approaches are pursued “how (teachers) learn to learn,” ultimately based on a consensus on ethics, which allows dealing with people, society and the environment to become an interdisciplinary unit. The end of all this is a smart method of conflict management which provides solutio…
The World Bank’s Early Reflections on Development: A Development Institution or a Bank?
2009
Until the late 1960s, the World Bank presented itself as an institution devoted to making sound and directly productive project loans. Yet, during its very early years, some discussions developed inside the Bank regarding the possibility of issuing different types of loans, namely (i) loans aimed at tackling social issues ("social loans"), and (ii) loans aimed at providing foreigncurrency to address disequilibria in the balance of payments ("impact loans"). This paper brings together historical analysis and theories of organization development to study the housing issue as a case in point. The analysis reveals that the Bank was unwilling to lend for housing programs not because these were n…