Associations between driving status, frequency of transport use after driving cessation, and social frailty among middle-aged and older people aged 60 years and older.

Background: The use of transport other than cars is a modifiable factor in the association between driving cessation and social frailty. Clarifying this relationship may serve as a new preventive measure against social frailty among current non-drivers. This study examined the potential association of driving status and transport use with social frailty, as well as between the frequency of transport use and social frailty, among current non-drivers. Methods: This study included 977 middle-aged and older adults (average age 65.3 ± 4.8 years). The participants were classified as transport users (more than a few times a week) and transport non-users (less than a few times a month). Based on driving status and transport use, the groups were further classified into current driver, current non-driver/transport user, and current non-driver/transport non-user groups. We performed statistical analyses to examine the relationships between driving status, transport use, and social frailty. Results: The current non-driver/transport non-user group showed a significant association with a higher social frailty. The current non-driver/transport user group showed no association with social frailty compared with the current driver group. The current non-driver/transport non-user group showed a significant association with a higher social frailty rate (OR 2.14, 95%CI 1.25-3.73). Conclusions: Participants who did not drive or take transport showed significant associations with increased social frailty. Compared with current driver/transport use, current non-driver/transport non-use was associated with social frailty.

The Impact of Sensory Stimuli on Healthcare Workers and Outcomes in Trauma Rooms: A Focus Group Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated issues related to noise, lighting, and temperature in trauma rooms that impact patient care and staff performance. BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled sensory stimuli can hinder healthcare delivery quality in trauma rooms. High noise and temperature levels can increase staff stress and discomfort as well as patient discomfort. Conversely, proper lighting can decrease staff stress levels and reduce burnout. Sensory overload in trauma rooms is a crucial concern, but no studies have been conducted on this issue. METHOD: Using a convenience sampling method, 65 trauma team members (e.g., surgeons, physicians, nurses) from six Level I trauma centers in the United States were recruited to participate in 20 focus groups. Focus groups were semi-structured and 1 hr long. RESULTS: Staff covered issues related to communications and disruption from noise sources (e.g., equipment, conversations). Having control over lighting allows staff to change light intensity and facilitate their work during the resuscitation. A well-maintained temperature can provide patient comfort or reduce risk of hypothermia, given that patients can lose body heat rapidly due to loss of blood. CONCLUSION: Excessive sensory stimuli can result in disrupted communication, fatigue, and stress, making staff susceptible to errors. Staffs' control over environmental conditions may lead to a more efficient, comfortable, and safer environment. Technology should be reliable and flexible to facilitate this.

Implementing a new birthing room design: a qualitative study with a care provider perspective.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that interventions to protect the sensitive physiological process of birth by improving the birthing room design may positively affect perinatal outcomes. It is, however, crucial to understand the mechanisms and contextual elements that influence the outcomes of such complex interventions. Hence, we aimed to explore care providers' experiences of the implementation of a new hospital birthing room designed to be more supportive of women's birth physiology. METHODS: This qualitative study reports on the implementation of the new birthing room, which was evaluated in the Room4Birth randomised controlled trial in Sweden. Individual interviews were undertaken with care providers, including assistant nurses, midwives, obstetricians, and managers (n = 21). A content analysis of interview data was conducted and mapped into the three domains of the Normalisation Process Theory coding manual: implementation context, mechanism, and outcome. RESULTS: The implementation of the new room challenged the prevailing biomedical paradigm within the labour ward context and raised the care providers' awareness about the complex interplay between birth physiology and the environment. This awareness had the potential to encourage care providers to be more emotionally present, rather than to focus on monitoring practices. The new room also evoked a sense of insecurity due to its unfamiliar design, which acted as a barrier to integrating the room as a well-functioning part of everyday care practice. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the disparity that existed between what care providers considered valuable for women during childbirth and their own requirements from the built environment based on their professional responsibilities. This identified disparity emphasises the importance of hospital birthing rooms (i) supporting women's emotions and birth physiology and (ii) being standardised to meet care providers' requirements for a functional work environment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03948815, 14/05/2019.

Cultural and educational environment in the development of younger schoolchildren's creative potential.

The purpose of our research is to study the creative potential as psychological capacities for younger schoolchildren's creative self-realization and self-development in various conditions of the educational environment. The methodological basis of this work is Vygotsky's conceptual provisions according to which the human psyche is culturally determined, and a sociocultural environment is considered to be the main source and condition for the child's mental development. The study involved younger schoolchildren (a total of 160 children from the 4th grade aged 9-10 years, n = 160, M = 9.5 years, SD = 2.6; 49% boys) from schools in Kazan (Russian Federation). We used a test of verbal creativity when studying the creative potential of younger schoolchildren, the proposed method is a Russian-language adapted version of the RAT test (remote association test) by Mednik. The Johnson Creativity Inventory was used as adapted by Tunick. To study the level of communicative control, the test "Diagnostics of communicative control" by Schneider was used. To assess the personal qualities of younger students, we used a modified version of the children's personality questionnaire intended for 8-12 year-old children and developed by Cattell and Koan. As a result of a comprehensive expert assessment, we identified four types of schools with different severity degrees of essential characteristics of educational environments: serene, dogmatic, career and creative. According to the analysis of variance (one-dimensional one-factor ANOVA), the younger schoolchildren's creative potential was revealed in the context of the educational environment variability and the contingency of the educational environment parameters with the personal characteristics of the children. We have empirically confirmed that in a creative educational environment with cultural content based on ethno-cultural values, patterns and norms, the development of the child is actively supported largely, with the disclosure of his creative potential. Younger schoolchildren are characterized by greater subjective agency and the capability to gain unique achievements in educational and cognitive activity.

Stroke Inpatient Rehabilitation Environments: Aligning Building Construction and Clinical Practice Guidelines Through Care Process Mapping.

BACKGROUND: Stroke inpatient rehabilitation is a complex process involving stroke survivors, staff, and family utilizing a common space for a shared purpose: to optimize recovery. This complex pathway is rarely fully described. Stroke care is ideally guided by Clinical Practice Guidelines, and the rehabilitation built environment should serve to optimize care delivery, patient and staff experience. We aimed to articulate the inpatient stroke rehabilitation process of care in a series of process maps, and to understand the degree to which current stroke clinical and building construction (ie, design) guidelines align to support inpatient stroke rehabilitation. METHODS: We used the Value-Focused Process Engineering methodology to create maps describing the events and activities that typically occur in the current stroke inpatient rehabilitation service model. These maps were completed through individual and group session consultations with stroke survivors, architects, policy makers, and clinical experts. We then determined which sections of the Australian Stroke Rehabilitation Guidelines and the Australasian Health Facility Design Guidelines could be aligned and applied to the process maps. RESULTS: We present a summary process map for stroke inpatient rehabilitation, alongside detailed process maps for 4 different phases of rehabilitation (admission, a normal weekday, a weekend day, and discharge) using Value-Focused Process Engineering notation. The integration of design and clinical guidelines with care pathway maps revealed where guidelines lack detail to be readily linked to current stroke inpatient care practice, providing an opportunity to design stroke inpatient rehabilitation spaces based on the activities occurring within them. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight gaps where clinical and design experts should work together to use guidelines to their full potential; and to improve the process of planning for future stroke rehabilitation units.

Research on the psychologically restorative effects of campus common spaces from the perspective of health.

Contemporary college students are suffering from increasingly serious psychological health problems, such as attention fatigue, psychological stress and negative emotions. A growing body of evidence has revealed that restorative environment design is conducive to psychological health. As the main choice of venue for students' daily activities, campus common spaces are supposed to be restorative to some extent. Given the above, the author studied 22 common spaces in the South China University of Technology (SCUT) Wushan Campus from the perspective of college students' behavioral patterns based on theories pertaining to restorative environments, then constructed a structural equation model (SEM) analyzing the psychologically restorative effects exerted by the characteristics of campus common spaces upon college students through a scale design and questionnaire survey. With the analysis of 478 valid questionnaires, the research found that the characteristics of campus common spaces with psychologically restorative effects mainly comprise the architectural environment, landscape environment, rest facilities and activity facilities. Among them, the characteristics of activity facilities and the landscape environment have the greatest impact on psychologically restorative effects, accounting for 33 and 30% of the total effects, respectively; they are followed by those of the architectural environment, which accounts for 21% of the total effects; those of the rest facilities have the least impact, accounting for 16% of the total effects. The research also found that the characteristics of campus common spaces can both directly influence college students' psychological recovery and produce psychologically restorative effects mediated by college students' behavioral patterns. The mediation effect of college students' behavioral patterns accounts for approximately 41% of the total effect of psychological restoration, in which the psychologically restorative effect of dynamic exercise behaviors is 2.5 times that of static leisure behaviors. The research reveals how the characteristics of campus common spaces promote the psychological restoration of college students, and it provides inspiration for healthy environment design in campus common spaces.

Results from the United Arab Emirates 2022 report card on physical activity for children and adolescents.

Objective: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2022 Report Card provides a systematic evaluation of the physical activity (PA) levels of children and adolescents in the UAE. Methods: The 2022 Report Card utilized data from 2017 to 2021 to inform 10 core PA indicators that were common to the Global Matrix 4.0. Results: One in five (19%) UAE school children achieved the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous PA (i.e. ≥60 min/d; Total Physical Activity Grade F). Less than 1% of school children used active transport to and from school (Active Transportation Grade F). One in four (26%) secondary school children achieved the recreational screen time recommendations (i.e. ≤2 h/d; Sedentary Behaviours Grade D-). A quarter of adults reported achieving the recommended PA level (i.e. ≥150 min of moderate-intensity PA per week, or equivalent) (Family and Peers Grade D-). All school children are taught physical education (PE) by a specialist with at least a bachelor's degree in PE; however, the duration of weekly PE classes varied between schools (School Grade A-). The UAE Government has invested significant funds and resources into developing and implementing strategies and facilities that will increase PA across the entire population (Government Grade B+). Organised Sport and Physical Activity, Active Play, Physical Fitness, and Community and Environment indicators were graded 'Incomplete' (INC) due to a lack of available data. Conclusions: Overall, PA levels remain low and sedentary behaviours remain high amongst UAE children and adolescents. The UAE Government has sustained investment in further developing PA opportunities for all children and adults which should translate to increased PA and health improvements at a population level.

How can public open spaces contribute to physical activity promotion? / Como os espaços públicos abertos podem contribuir para a promoção da atividade física?

Public open spaces (POSs) are means to ensure one's right to recreation and health. The objective of this essay is to present reflections and evidence on how these spaces contribute to promoting physi-cal activity (PA). Understanding how to access (proximity/distance), quantity and diversity, and the surrounding and internal conditions of places (quality, structure, aesthetics, safety) can affect the use of POSs is imperative for public management actions. Thinking of POS use beyond PA by recog-nizing its social, economic, and cultural benefits can be fundamental to reduce inequalities regarding access to these places. POS-related actions and demands are intersectoral, multiprofessional, and interdisciplinary, thus requiring political, academic, and community involvement and commitment for PA promotion

Espaços públicos abertos (EPA) são equipamentos que promovem o direito à recreação e à saúde. O objetivo deste ensaio é apresentar reflexões e evidências sobre como esses espaços contribuem para a promoção da atividade física (AF). Compreender como o acesso (proximidade/distância), a quantidade e diversidade, as condições do entorno e internas dos locais (qualidade, estrutura, estética, segurança), podem afetar o uso dos EPA é fundamental para ações da gestão pública. Pensar o uso do EPA para além da prática de AF, reconhecendo seus benefícios sociais, econômicos e culturais pode ser fundamental para diminuir as iniquidades de acesso a esses locais. Ações e demandas relacionadas aos EPA são intersetoriais, multiprofissionais e interdisciplinares, necessitando com isso envolvimento e comprometimento político, acadêmico e comunitário, a fim de promover AF

Improving Ambulatory Surgery Environments: The Effects on Patient Preoperative Anxiety, Perception, and Noise.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to comparatively evaluate three types of preoperative care environment in terms of patient experience outcomes including patient preoperative anxiety, perceived environmental qualities, and noise level. BACKGROUND: Preoperative anxiety is a major healthcare problem causing delays, complications, dissatisfaction, and rising healthcare costs. The design of preoperative spaces may play an important role in reducing preoperative anxiety and improving outcomes. METHODS: Anonymous questionnaire surveys were conducted with 228 patients in the three types of preoperative bays that varied in terms of bay size and the amount of hard-wall partitions between bays to compare patient self-reported anxiety and perceived environmental qualities. Sound level measurements were conducted throughout the three preoperative care units. RESULTS: Female patients in the preoperative unit with largest bays and full hard-wall partitions between bays reported significantly lower levels of subjective anxiety (p's = .002, <.001) and higher levels of perceived environmental qualities on privacy, cleanliness, noise, and pleasantness (p's from <.001 to .017) than patients in the units with smaller bays and no or partial hard-wall partitions. Similar but less clear pattern was found among male patients. The lowest average noise levels were recorded in the unit with largest bays and full hard-wall partitions between bays (2.3-6.1 decibels lower than the other units). CONCLUSIONS: The design of preoperative care environment may contribute to the better management of preoperative anxiety. Further efforts in research and design are needed to maximize the benefits in clinical, experiential, and financial outcomes.

Effect of Handrail Height and Age on Trunk and Shoulder Kinematics Following Perturbation-Evoked Grasping Reactions During Gait.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the effect of handrail height and age on trunk and shoulder kinematics, and concomitant handrail forces, on balance recovery reactions during gait. BACKGROUND: Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury in adults in North America. Handrails can significantly enhance balance recovery and help individuals to avoid falls, provided that their design allows users across the lifespan to reach and grasp the rail after balance loss, and control their trunk by applying hand-contact forces to the rail. However, the effect of handrail height and age on trunk and shoulder kinematics when recovering from perturbations during gait is unknown. METHOD: Fourteen younger and 13 older adults experienced balance loss (sudden platform translations) while walking beside a height-adjustable handrail. Handrail height was varied from 30 to 44 inches (76 to 112 cm). Trunk and shoulder kinematics were measured via 3D motion capture; applied handrail forces were collected from load cells mounted to the rail. RESULTS: As handrail height increased (up to 42 inches/107 cm), peak trunk angular displacement and velocity generally decreased, while shoulder elevation angles during reaching and peak handrail forces did not differ significantly between 36 and 42 inches (91 and 107 cm). Age was associated with reduced peak trunk angular displacements, but did not affect applied handrail forces. CONCLUSION: Higher handrails (up to 42 inches) may be advantageous for trunk control when recovering from destabilizations during gait. APPLICATION: Our results can inform building codes, workplace safety standards, and accessibility standards, for safer handrail design.

Outcomes of a trial of an age-friendly dining initiative: Dining Co.

OBJECTIVES: With the rise of age-friendly cities and communities, increasing attention is being paid to coproducing age-friendly guidelines with older people and community stakeholders. Little is known however about age-friendly guidelines for dining establishments. METHODS: A three-stage study to develop general and contextualised requirements for an age-friendly dining experience was conducted in the City of Onkaparinga, South Australia. The first stage involved older people in co-designing aspects of an age-friendly dining experience. Subsequently, the second and third stage coproduced, trialed and evaluated age-friendly initiatives with two dining venues. RESULTS: Through co-design, seven domains of an age-friendly dining experience were identified (Menu, Affordability, Dementia Awareness, Venue, Feeling Welcome, Special Offerings and Assistance), alongside an overarching desire for a 'meaningful' dining experience. Differences in health and socioeconomic status of diners underpinned the differences needed to ensure an age-friendly dining experience and highlight the importance of contextualisation for the local population. The trial demonstrated positive outcomes for both older diners and venues. DISCUSSION: The environment, value and logistics of dining out are important to older people when making choices about dining in the community. The elements of an age-friendly dining experience presented in this study are a useful starting point for contextualisation to other local settings.

Birth environments for women with complex pregnancies: A mixed-methods systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Birth environments can help support women through labour and birth. Home-like rooms which encourage active birthing are embraced in midwifery-led settings. However, this is often not reflected in obstetric settings for women with more complex pregnancies. AIM: To investigate the impact of the birth environment for women with complex pregnancies. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods systematic review, incorporating qualitative and quantitative research. A literature search was implemented across three databases (Medline, CINAHL, Embase) from the year 2000 to June 2021. Studies were eligible if they were based in an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development country and reported on birth environments for women with complex pregnancies. Papers were screened and quality appraised by two researchers independently. FINDINGS: 30,345 records were returned, with 15 articles meeting inclusion criteria. Studies were based in Australia, the UK, and the USA. Participants included women and health professionals. Five main themes arose: Quality of care and experience; Supportive spaces for women; Supportive spaces for midwives; Control of the space; Design issues. DISCUSSION: Women and midwives found the birth environment important in supporting, or failing to support, a positive birth experience. Obstetric environments are complex spaces requiring balance between space for women to mobilise and access birthing aids, with the need for medical teams to have easy access to the woman and equipment in emergencies. CONCLUSION: Further research is needed investigating different users' needs from the environment and how safety features can be balanced with comfort to provide high-quality care and positive experiences for women.

Built Environment Design Interventions at the Exits of Secured Dementia Care Units: A Review of the Empirical Literature.

PURPOSE: To review evidence around design interventions that influence exiting attempts in dementia care units, informing architectural and clinical practice. BACKGROUND: Built environment design is recognized as important in the care and management of responsive behaviors for those living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in secured dementia care units (e.g., exiting attempts, agitation). The repetitious behavior of "walking with purpose" (previously termed wandering) in those with dementia has influenced safety-related architectural design components of dementia care units that decrease exiting attempts. Empirical literature addressing design interventions to prevent exiting for those with dementia is lacking and outdated. METHODS: We sought to describe known design techniques through a topical analysis of experimental studies. A thorough search for empirical studies that assessed interior design interventions at exit doors within dementia care units was undertaken. The review included an extensive search for existing literature and a screening of each study identified for its relevance, quality, and applicability. RESULTS: The experimental studies included in the review collectively assessed five interior design interventions at egress doorways: implementing horizontal and vertical floor grid patterns, mirrors, murals, conditioning responses to color cues, and camouflaging door hardware or vision panels. Why empirical studies have not continued more recently as built environment trends have shifted toward promoting meaningful and purposeful movement through design are considered. Advances in our understanding around the pathophysiology of dementia which might affect future design interventions related to egress are also identified. CONCLUSION: The built environment is an important part of dementia care, and further prospective research is needed on the role of design interventions in the context of exiting attempts within secured units and subsequent behavior outcomes.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey / Adaptação transcultural da versão brasileira do Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey

ABSTRACT Objective The objective of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for use in the Brazilian context. Methods Independent translations into Portuguese of the original version and respective back-translations into English were performed. The steps were evaluated by an expert committee and the translated version was applied in a group of both genders, of different ages and education. Results After suggested modifications in the translation processes, the expert committee considered that the translated and adapted version presented conceptual and semantic equivalence. The translated version was applied to a sample of twenty people and only one question related to the amount of fat in the food required a new round to obtain understanding and clarity. Conclusion We present an adapted version of Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for the Brazilian context, which has adequate conceptual, cultural, and semantic equivalence, being objective and comparable to the original version. Future studies should confirm clarity, reliability, and validity.

RESUMO Objetivo O objetivo deste estudo foi adaptar transculturalmente o Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey para uso no contexto brasileiro. Métodos Foram realizadas traduções independentes da versão original para o português e respectivas retrotraduções para o inglês. As etapas foram avaliadas por um comitê de especialistas e a versão traduzida foi aplicada em um grupo com pacientes de ambos os sexos, de diferentes idades e níveis de escolaridade. Resultados Após modificações sugeridas nos processos de tradução, o comitê de especialistas considerou que a versão traduzida e adaptada apresentou equivalência conceitual e semântica. A versão traduzida foi aplicada a uma amostra de 20 pessoas e apenas uma questão, relacionada à quantidade de gordura no alimento, requereu nova rodada para obter compreensão e clareza. Conclusão Uma versão do Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey adaptada ao contexto brasileiro, a qual possui equivalências conceitual, cultural e semântica adequadas, sendo objetiva e comparável à versão original, é apresentada. Futuros estudos devem confirmar a clareza, confiabilidade e validade.

Different Markov chains modulate visual stimuli processing in a Go-Go experiment in 2D, 3D, and augmented reality.

The introduction of Augmented Reality (AR) has attracted several developments, although the people's experience of AR has not been clearly studied or contrasted with the human experience in 2D and 3D environments. Here, the directional task was applied in 2D, 3D, and AR using simplified stimulus in video games to determine whether there is a difference in human answer reaction time prediction using context stimulus. Testing of the directional task adapted was also done. Research question: Are the main differences between 2D, 3D, and AR able to be predicted using Markov chains? Methods: A computer was fitted with a digital acquisition card in order to record, test and validate the reaction time (RT) of participants attached to the arranged RT for the theory of Markov chain probability. A Markov chain analysis was performed on the participants' data. Subsequently, the way certain factors influenced participants RT amongst the three tasks time on the accuracy of the participants was sought in the three tasks (environments) were statistically tested using ANOVA. Results: Markov chains of order 1 and 2 successfully reproduced the average reaction time by participants in 3D and AR tasks, having only 2D tasks with the variance predicted with the current state. Moreover, a clear explanation of delayed RT in every environment was done. Mood and coffee did not show significant differences in RTs on a simplified videogame. Gender differences were found in 3D, where endogenous directional goals are in 3D, but no gender differences appeared in AR where exogenous AR buttons can explain the larger RT that compensate for the gender difference. Our results suggest that unconscious preparation of selective choices is not restricted to current motor preparation. Instead, decisions in different environments and gender evolve from the dynamics of preceding cognitive activity can fit and improve neurocomputational models.

Inpatient suicide in psychiatric settings: Evaluation of current prevention measures.

The risk of suicide in psychiatric hospitals is 50 times higher than in the general population, despite patient safety being a priority for any hospital. However, to date, due to the complexity of assessing suicide risk, there has been no consensus on the suicide prevention measures that should be in place in hospitals. The aim of this work is: To provide an overview of the progress that has been made in the field of inpatient suicide prevention in recent years; discuss the problems that remain; and suggest potential future developments. As new clinical dimensions (notably anhedonia, psychological pain and hopelessness) develop, they should become new therapeutic targets. Team training (like the Gatekeeper Training Program) and the latest advances in suicide risk assessment (such as the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality) should be implemented in psychiatric wards. Suicide prevention plans (e.g., ASSIP, SAFE-T, etc.) represent easy-to-administer, low-cost interventions. The Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist has been proven effective to reduce suicide risk at hospitals. Furthermore, the types of psychotherapy recommended to reduce suicide risk are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). There are several pharmacological treatments for suicide risk, such as lithium and clozapine, which have been shown to be effective in the long term, as well as ketamine and esketamine, which are more effective in the short term. Following some encouraging recent results, buprenorphine may also be proposed to patients with a suicide risk. Triple chronotherapy rapidly improves depressive symptoms over 9 weeks. Regarding brain stimulation techniques, rTMS has proven to be effective in alleviating multiple dimensions of suicidality.

The interior environment design for entrepreneurship education under the virtual reality and artificial intelligence-based learning environment.

Nowadays, with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), entrepreneurship education has attracted more and more attention from society. To this end, it is necessary to gradually transform the traditional teaching mode into a new type of teaching that is more innovative, practical, and inclusive and in line with entrepreneurship education. The focus of the teaching mode change is on the optimization of the teaching environment. For this purpose, a method derived from distributed virtual reality (DVR) technology is specially designed. It refers to the fact that multiple users can join together through a computer network and participate in a virtual space at the same time to experience the virtual experience together. Based on this, the distributed 3D interior design is innovatively proposed. The innovation is mainly reflected in the application of VR technology, which is different from traditional software design. According to the functions and needs of the entrepreneurship teaching environment, first, the distributed feature information is collected, and second, the corresponding color image model is constructed by the fusion method, and edge contour detection and corresponding feature data extraction are carried out for the distributed image. Using a Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) color decomposition method, the pixel feature decomposition of spatially distributed image color is performed. And the feature reorganization of the 3D point cloud is combined to optimize the color space and color features of the combined design. On this basis, the distributed 3D interior design system is designed with VR and visual simulation technology. Finally, the Three-Dimensional Studio Max (3ds MAX) is used to establish 3D modeling, and the modeling software Multigen Creator is adopted to carry out the hierarchical structural design. The test results manifest that the Normalized Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and information saturation of the distributed 3D interior design are reduced by 0.2 compared with the traditional design, the time overhead is shortened to one-sixth of the original, and the effect is more in line with the design requirements. It is hoped that this design method can provide new ideas and new perspectives for the optimization of the entrepreneurship teaching environment.

The impact of built environment on mental health: A COVID-19 lockdown perspective.

Tackling mental health has become a priority for governments around the world because it influences not only individuals but also the whole society. As people spend a majority of their time (i.e., around 90%) in buildings, it is pivotal to understand the relationship between built environment and mental health, particularly during COVID-19 when people have experienced recurrent local and national lockdowns. Despite the demonstration by previous research that the design of the built environment can affect mental health, it is not clear if the same influence pattern remains when a 'black swan' event (e.g., COVID-19) occurs. To this end, we performed logistic regression and hierarchical regression analyses to examine the relationship between built environment and mental health utilising a data sample from the United Kingdom (UK) residents during the COVID-19 lockdown while considering their social demographics. Our results show that compared with depression and anxiety, people were more likely to feel stressed during the lockdown period. Furthermore, general house type, home workspace, and neighbourhood environment and amenity were identified to have significantly contributed to their mental health status. With the ensuing implications, this study represents one of the first to inform policymakers and built environment design professionals of how built environment should be designed to accommodate features that could mitigate mental health problems in any future crisis. As such, it contributes to the body of knowledge of built environment planning by considering mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Built environment color modulates autonomic and EEG indices of emotional response.

Understanding built environment exposure as a component of environmental enrichment has significant implications for mental health, but little is known about the effects design characteristics have on our emotions and associated neurophysiology. Using a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment while monitoring indoor environmental quality (IEQ), 18 participants were exposed to a resting state (black), and two room scenes, control (white) and condition (blue), to understand if the color of the virtual walls affected self-report, autonomic nervous system, and central nervous system correlates of emotion. Our findings showed that exposure to the chromatic color condition (blue) compared to the achromatic control (white) and resting-state (black, no built environment) significantly increased the range in respiration and skin conductance response. We also detected a significant increase in alpha frontal midline power and frontal hemispheric lateralization relative to blue condition, and increased power spectral density across all electrodes in the blue condition for theta, alpha, and beta bandwidths. The ability for built environment design to modulate emotional response has the potential to deliver significant public health, economic, and social benefits to the entire community. The findings show that blue coloring of the built environment increases autonomic range and is associated with modulations of brain activity linked to emotional processing.

Applying the sustainable system-of-systems framework: wastewater(s) in a rapidly urbanising South African settlement.

Addressing wastewater infrastructure needs in urban informal settlements must simultaneously address legacies of past failures, current aspirations and constraints, as well as increasingly changing needs related to global environmental change. This study applied the Sustainable System-of-Systems framework for ergonomics and human factors to gain a better understanding of how small in-situ constructed wetlands could be a form of greywater treatment infrastructure in an informal settlement. Using 24 months of interviews, surveys, workshops and photo-ethnographic observations, we identified that the rapidly changing nature of parent (e.g. residency transience and land ownership) and sibling (e.g. housing and drinking water) systems put pressure on the target wetland system to adapt, often decreasing its capacity to deliver the service of water cleaning. Greywater treatment was not a common goal among stakeholders involved in the nested hierarchy system which likely contributed to the constructed wetlands needing to adapt to remain relevant.Practitioner summary: The value of the Sustainable Systems-of-Systems framework for ergonomics/human factors professionals in determining the sustainability of an ergonomics/human factors intervention is demonstrated using a greywater treatment system case study for an urban informal settlement. Understanding the variety of stakeholder goals and the pace of change in related systems was key to a sustainable intervention.