Contemporary Measures Research Articles

Gait and Balance Assessment of Older Adults

This review will outline seminal and contemporary balance and gait measures most commonly used with geriatric clients, along with the administration procedures, clinical utility, and psychometric qualities that support their use. Ten balance and five gait performance tests were reviewed. Balance instruments range from the simple to the complex. These tools quantify older adults’ ability to maintain postural stability during tasks that manipulate sensory conditions and functional activities, and challenge their base of support. Gait assessment is common in geriatric rehabilitation. Frail clients who ambulate with an assistive device can benefit from a more basic locomotion test, whereas seniors at higher mobility levels should be challenged with tasks superimposed on the gait sequence. Recent adaptations of traditional tests include surface changes, technology application, and clinical utility with subsets of older adults such as those with lumbar surgery and postural tremor. Timed floor rise ability more thoroughly addresses the fall risk dimension. Balance and gait assessments quantify physical performance in older adults and are utilized to establish interventions to improve mobility, reduce fall risk, and increase balance confidence. A wide variety of outcome measures exists in geriatric rehabilitation, though tests should be tapered for the functional level of the client. Practitioners should consider test administration for older adults with atypical diagnoses, along with flooring changes, technology adaptation, and timed supine to stand ability. Future research should revisit commonly accepted threshold scores for fall risk.

Evolution in novel environments: Do restored prairie populations experience strong selection?

When populations colonize new habitats, they are likely to experience novel environmental conditions, and as a consequence may experience strong selection. While selection and the resulting evolutionary responses may have important implications for establishment success in colonizing populations, few studies have estimated selection in such scenarios. Here we examined evidence of selection in recently established plant populations in two prairie restorations in close proximity (<15km apart) using two approaches: (1) we tested for evidence of past selection on a suite of traits in two Chamaecrista fasciculata populations by comparing the restored populations to each other and their shared source population in common gardens to quantify evolutionary responses and (2) we measured selection in the field. We found evidence of past selection on flowering time, specific leaf area, and root nodule production in one of the populations, but detected contemporary selection on only one trait (plant height). Our findings demonstrate that while selection can occur in colonizing populations, resulting in significant trait differences between restored populations in fewer than six generations, evolutionary responses differ across even nearby populations sown with the same source population. Because contemporary measures of selection differed from evolutionary responses to past selection, our findings also suggest that selection likely differs over the early stages of succession that characterize young prairies.

Dimensional Evaluation of Cognitive Measures: Methodological Confounds and Theoretical Concerns

The current study provides a methodological review of studies supporting a general factor of intelligence as the primary model for contemporary measures of cognitive abilities. A further evaluation is provided by an empirical evaluation that compares statistical estimates using different approaches in a large sample of children (ages 9–13 years, N = 780) administered a comprehensive battery of cognitive measures. Results from this study demonstrate the ramifications of using the bifactor and Schmid–Leiman (BF/SL) technique and suggest that using BF/SL methods limit interpretation of cognitive abilities to only a general factor. The inadvertent use of BF/SL methods is demonstrated to impact both model dimensionality and variance estimates for specific measures. As demonstrated in this study, conclusions from both exploratory and confirmatory studies using BF/SL methods are significantly questioned, especially for studies with a questionable theoretical basis. Guidelines for the interpretation of cognitive test scores in applied practice are discussed.

Validation of an implicit measure of antagonistic narcissism

Narcissism has traditionally been assessed using explicit measures, yet contemporary measures are limited in their ability to capture people’s automatic (i.e., implicit) self-evaluations. Here, we propose the antagonistic narcissism Implicit Association Test (AN-IAT). Three studies (N = 1082) using self-, informant-reports, and other implicit measures tested the psychometric properties of the AN-IAT. The AN-IAT showed high internal consistency and good temporal stability. The measure was positively associated with (antagonistic) narcissism, aggression, and lack of empathy, but unrelated to communal, pathological, and agentic narcissism as well as self-esteem. The AN-IAT predicted self- and informant-ratings of aggression and empathy beyond self-reports of antagonistic and agentic narcissism, and agreeableness. Together, the antagonistic narcissism IAT is a promising addition to the assessment of narcissism.

The political use of victimhood: Spanish collective memory of ETA through the war on terror paradigm

AbstractVictims have become a topic of scholarly debate in conflict studies, especially regarding the impact of their activism on the evolution and termination of violence. Victims of terrorism are now enlisted within counter-terrorism, given their moral authority as spokespeople for counter-narratives and de-escalation. Our research explores how Spanish terrorism victims’ associations have evolved across eras of political violence and how they mediate the translation of international War on Terror discourses into Spanish counter-terrorism. We offer a topography of how the War on Terror has opened a ‘social front’ in Spanish counter-terrorism, with Spanish political elites prominently employing the victims’ associations to this end. Contemporary terrorism discourses are read back onto the memory of ETA, with victims’ associations assisting the equation of ETA with al-Qaeda and ISIS. Collective memory of the defeat of ETA has also contributed the veneer of ‘lessons learned’ to contemporary counter-terrorism measures. Our research explores the fluidity of terrorism-memory and the importation of global terrorism discourses into Spanish politics, relying upon interviews with key stakeholders in victims’ associations, local politics, and the research director of the new Victims of Terrorism Memorial Centre in Vitoria.

A Sensitive Matter: Performance of Contemporary Outcomes Measures in Detecting Complications in Complex Endovascular Aortic Repair

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicators are quality improvement indicators used to determine hospital performance and, increasingly, to rank surgical programs. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) and the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS-VQI) databases are also frequently used to compare outcomes, but definitions of complications vary between the systems, and the optimal system for tracking complications in complex endovascular repair remains unclear. Herein we assess the three outcomes tracking systems and their ability to capture complications in fenestrated endovascular (FEVAR) and open aortic aneurysm (OAR) repair at a large complex aortic program. Demographic and operative data for patients undergoing repair of juxta- or pararenal aortic aneurysms between 2004 and 2018 via both open and fenestrated endovascular (FEVAR) approaches at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions were compiled in a prospectively maintained retrospective database. Postoperative complications were defined according to the SVS-VQI, ACS-NSQIP and data dictionaries and were compared between surgical approaches as well as eras before and after the introduction of FEVAR. Complication rates between the classification systems were compared using proportion testing and strength of correlation between the systems was evaluated with Spearman’s rank test. Statistical analysis was performed with Stata version 15.1 (StataCorp, Cary, NC). Introduction of fenestrated technology was associated with a decrease in the overall number of complications (37.2% to 20.6%; P = .036). By classification systems, VQI identified the most complications (39.9% of the entire cohort and 25% of FEVAR cases), followed by NSQIP (29.0% and 33.3%, respectively) and PSI (4.1% and 5%, respectively). The two clinically focused databases were found to correlate well with a surgeon-designed classification system as well as each other (Spearman ρ ≥ 0.735) but not with PSI (ρ < 0.23). Proportion testing demonstrated the rate of complications identified by PSI to be significantly less than either VQI or NSQIP (P < .001). Specifically, PSI did not effectively identify renal complications (1.4% vs 9% by NSQIP and 27.3% by VQI definitions; P < .001). The introduction of FEVAR is associated with an overall reduction in complications in this study, mostly owing to a reduction in respiratory complications. The clinically relevant VQI and NSQIP databases show good concordance in capturing complications; however, PSI did not correlate with either and captured significantly fewer complications. This highlights the value of high scrutiny classification systems to track endovascular complications and suggests that PSI are insufficient to rank complex aortic programs with high levels of FEVAR use.

The Role of Choyta Kaashsha Sacred Forest for Biodiversity Conservation in Ethiopia

This study was conducted in Choyta Kaashsha Sacred Forest in Kucha Woreda, Gamo Zone, Ethiopia to determine floristic composition, plant community types and to identify traditional conservation practices that have maintained the area. Thirty-two (20m X 20m) quadrates were used to collect data. Height and diameter at breast height (DBH ≥2.5cm) of woody species were recorded including altitude, aspect, slop and UTM. In-depth interviews and group discussion were conducted with local people to identify conservation status and threats. Vegetation structure was analyzed using descriptive statistical tools. Vegetation classification was performed using PC-ORD version 5.0. Species diversity and evenness were computedusing Shannon diversity indices. Forty eight woody species belonging to 44 genera and 32 families were recorded. Four community types Euphorbia ampliphylla-Celtis Africana, Podocarpus falcatus-Millettia ferruginea, Ficus thonningiiPodocarpus falcatus and Syzygium guineense- Bersama abyssinica were identified. The total density and basal area of sacred forest are 1314.84 stems/ha and 102.63 m2/ha, respectively. The density of woody species was decreasing with increasing height and DBH classes. The findings revealed the sacred forest has exclusively been conserved for socioreligious purpose in relation with Eeqa - Gaca ritual ceremony. Nevertheless, the long maintained sacred forest is exposed to threat due to anthropogenic pressure. Disrespecting social taboos, Gome, and religious prohibitions, argument on ownership issues are worth mentioning threats. Proper recognition of customary rule of ritual leader and local resource use norm confined with social taboo, Gome, reinforced by contemporary conservation measures were recommended to maintain the sustainability of the sacred forest.

Early investments in state capacity promote persistently higher levels of social capital

Social capital has been shown to positively influence a multitude of economic, political, and social outcomes. Yet the factors that affect long-run social capital formation remain poorly understood. Recent evidence suggests that early state formation, especially investments in state capacity, are positively associated with higher levels of contemporary social capital and other prosocial attitudes. The channels by which early state capacity leads to greater social capital over time are even less understood. We contribute to both questions using the spatial and temporal expansion of the US postal network during the 19th century. We first show that county-level variation in post office density is highly correlated with a bevy of historical and contemporary indicators of social capital (e.g., associational memberships, civic participation, health, and crime). This finding holds even when controlling for historical measures of development and contemporary measures of income, inequality, poverty, education, and race. Second, we provide evidence of an informational mechanism by which this early investment in infrastructural capacity affected long-run social capital formation. Namely, we demonstrate that the expansion of the postal network in the 19th century strongly predicts the historical and contemporary location of local newspapers, which were the primary mode of impersonal information transmission during this period. Our evidence sheds light on the role of the state in both the origins of social capital and the channels by which it persists. Our findings also suggest that the consequences of the ongoing decline in local newspapers will negatively affect social capital.

Current Scenario of Coronavirus Pandemic

World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed great concern about the pandemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and said that there is a need to control it at the high end. To strengthen this fight against COVID-19, International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) intends to provide a forum for high-tech healthcare. Foreseeing the current crisis, IAAM called a multi-lateral consortium to discuss the possibilities of developing a medical technology to control the spreading of coronavirus with the help of interdisciplinary experts from multiple countries. This innovation is perpetuated to create multi-lateral cooperation in the area of ‘healthcare innovation and technology’. Adaptation of advanced technologies and their logical integration according to contemporary healthcare measures could be a smart strategy for epidemic management activities. Establishing an advanced phenotype model for prognosis is an important step in the prevention of infectious disease management such as COVID-19. This article has overviewed the global situation, efforts, and prospective of coronavirus pandemic.

Can we measure practical wisdom?

ABSTRACTWisdom, long a topic of interest to moral philosophers, is increasingly the focus of social science research. Philosophers have historically been concerned to develop a rationally defensible account of the nature of wisdom and its role in the moral life, often inspired in various ways by virtue theoretical accounts of practical wisdom (phronesis). Wisdom scientists seek to, among other things, define wisdom and its components so that we can measure them. Are the measures used by wisdom scientists actually measuring what philosophers have in mind when they discuss practical wisdom? I argue that they are not. Contemporary measures of wisdom and its components may pick out some necessary prerequisites of practical wisdom, but they do not measure a philosophically plausible practical wisdom or its components. After explaining the argument and defending it against objections, I consider its implications. Should wisdom scientists ignore the philosophical conception of practical wisdom in favor of other conceptions, revise their methods to try to measure it, or continue the interdisciplinary study of practical wisdom without expecting to measure it? I make a preliminary argument for the third option.

Pandemic Management Systems and Migration

Fast development and transmission of disease poses a health threat for a larger population and affects the functioning of almost all social systems, both within and outside nation-state borders, thus also affecting the possibilities of free migration and movement. The main aim of this article is to discuss the principal mechanisms of disease control in relation to migration in various socio-historical contexts. It identifies and compares historical patterns and contemporary measures of preventive control systems while considering the wider social context and migrants’ specific position. This paper combines the historical insights into various administrative and political systems in Europe and Croatia that have sought adequate measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases with the current state of the affair in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the regulation and management of the contemporary COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions have been introduced on cross-border movement and travel. Those restrictions and quarantine measures have abruptly halted not only international but also migration within the borders of nation-states, especially during the first wave of the pandemic in spring 2020. Emphasis has been placed on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on labour and forced migration, as well as on the trends in public attitudes on immigrants affected by pandemic management mechanisms.

Transformational leadership and gravitas: 2000 years of no development?

Modern leadership theory has focused extensively on individual differences of transformational leadership without considering potential roots in, and convergent validity to, Ancient Rome's concept of gravitas. In the current study, I conduct an historical analysis of the origins of the gravitas personality trait of leadership and how British Imperialism provides a likely conduit of leadership ideas from the ancient world to the modern. Next, I regress gravitas and two contemporary leadership measures against the Big Five, and show correlations between all the leadership measures. Finally, I conduct EFA of the items in the leadership measures. Results suggest a high level of convergent validity between gravitas and transformational leadership. Although the study has limitations, I conclude that gravitas is worth measuring in the modern world, that modern leadership research should acknowledge roots from Ancient Rome, and potentially that our knowledge of leadership is not so very different from how it was 2000 years ago.

MitoRACE: evaluating mitochondrial function in vivo and in single cells with subcellular resolution using multiphoton NADH autofluorescence

We developed a novel metabolic imaging approach that provides direct measures of the rate of mitochondrial energy conversion with single-cell and subcellular resolution by evaluating NADH autofluorescence kinetics during the mitochondrial redox after cyanide experiment (mitoRACE). Measures of mitochondrial NADH flux by mitoRACE are sensitive to physiological and pharmacological perturbations in vivo. Metabolic imaging with mitoRACE provides a highly adaptable platform for evaluating mitochondrial function in vivo and in single cells with potential for broad applications in the study of energy metabolism. Mitochondria play a critical role in numerous cell types and diseases, and structure and function of mitochondria can vary greatly among cells or within different regions of the same cell. However, there are currently limited methodologies that provide direct assessments of mitochondrial function in vivo, and contemporary measures of mitochondrial energy conversion lack the spatial resolution necessary to address cellular and subcellular heterogeneity. Here, we describe a novel metabolic imaging approach that provides direct measures of mitochondrial energy conversion with single-cell and subcellular resolution by evaluating NADH autofluorescence kinetics during the mitochondrial redox after cyanide experiment (mitoRACE). MitoRACE measures the rate of NADH flux through the steady-state mitochondrial NADH pool by rapidly inhibiting mitochondrial energetic flux, resulting in an immediate, linear increase in NADH fluorescence proportional to the steady-state NADH flux rate, thereby providing a direct measure of mitochondrial NADH flux. The experiments presented here demonstrate the sensitivity of this technique to detect physiological and pharmacological changes in mitochondrial flux within tissues of living animals and reveal the unique capability of this technique to evaluate mitochondrial function with single-cell and subcellular resolution in different cell types in vivo and in cell culture. Furthermore, we highlight the potential applications of mitoRACE by showing that within single neurons, mitochondria in neurites have higher energetic flux rates than mitochondria in the cell body. Metabolic imaging with mitoRACE provides a highly adaptable platform for evaluating mitochondrial function in vivo and in single cells, with potential for broad applications in the study of energy metabolism.

Pertinent clinical outcomes in pediatric survivors of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS): a narrative review.

The objectives of this review are to describe the limitations of commonly used clinical outcomes [e.g., mortality, ventilation parameters, need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS)] in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) studies; and to explore other pertinent clinical outcomes that pediatric critical care practitioners should consider in future clinical practice and research studies. These include long-term pulmonary function, risk of pulmonary hypertension (PHT), nutrition status and growth, PICU-acquired weakness, neurological outcomes and neurocognitive development, functional status, health-related quality of life (HRQOL)], health-care costs, caregiver and family stress. PubMed was searched using the following keywords or medical subject headings (MESH): "acute lung injury (ALI)", "acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)", "pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS)", "acute hypoxemia respiratory failure", "outcomes", "pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)", "lung function", "pulmonary hypertension", "growth", "nutrition', "steroid", "PICU-acquired weakness", "functional status scale", "neurocognitive", "psychology", "health-care expenditure", and "HRQOL". The concept of contemporary measure outcomes was adapted from adult ARDS long-term outcome studies. Articles were initially searched from existing PARDS articles pool. If the relevant measure outcomes were not found, where appropriate, we considered studies from non-ARDS patients within the PICU in whom these outcomes were studied. Long-term outcomes in survivors of PARDS were not follow-up in majority of pediatric studies regardless of whether the new or old definitions of ARDS in children were used. Relevant studies were scarce, and the number of participants was small. As such, available studies were not able to provide conclusive answers to most of our clinical queries. There remains a paucity of data on contemporary clinical outcomes in PARDS studies. In addition to the current commonly used outcomes, clinical researchers and investigators should consider examining these contemporary outcome measures in PARDS studies in the future.

Alleviation of ‘Generation Gap’ Through Socio-Economic Issues Involvement

The generation gap has been an issue that is rising in many communities. This paper investigates the challenges of &amp;lsquo;generation gap&amp;rsquo; and propose a model for closing it. The synthesis of the literature review defines the types of generation gaps and the factors that increase this gap. The contemporary practices and measures used to close this intergeneration gap are identified. Two main approaches are retrieved as a reflection from the literature reviewed: mindset approach and socio-economic engagement approach.&#x0D; &#x0D; The researcher presents a case study that proposes a theoretical framework about connecting the different generations and engaging them through solving socio-economic issues of common interest. The paper recommends further studies in this line where different generations would be engaged more to share knowledge and values and mitigate risks of further gap widening, while solving their socio-economic problems.

Distinct Dimensions of Kidney Health and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Heart Failure, and Mortality.

Chronic kidney disease is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but clinical kidney measures (estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria) do not fully reflect the multiple aspects of kidney tubules influencing cardiovascular health. Applied methods are needed to integrate numerous tubule biomarkers into useful prognostic scores. In SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) participants with chronic kidney disease at baseline (estimated glomerular filtration ratecr&cys <60 mL/minute per 1.73 m2), we measured 8 biomarkers from urine (α1M [α1M microglobulin], β2M [β2M microglobulin], umod [uromodulin], KIM-1 [kidney injury molecule-1], MCP-1 [monocyte chemoattractant protein-1], YKL-40 [chitinase-3-like protein-1], NGAL [neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin], and IL-18 [interleukin 18]) and 2 biomarkers from serum (intact parathyroid hormone, iFGF-23 [intact fibroblast growth factor-23]). We used an unsupervised method, exploratory factor analysis, to create summary scores of tubule health dimensions. Adjusted Cox models evaluated each tubule score with CVD events, heart failure, and all-cause mortality. We examined CVD discrimination using Harrell C-statistic. Factor analysis of 10 biomarkers from 2376 SPRINT-chronic kidney disease participants identified 4 unique dimensions of tubular health: tubule injury/repair (NGAL, IL-18, YKL-40), tubule injury/fibrosis (KIM-1, MCP-1), tubule reabsorption (α1M, β2M), and tubular reserve/mineral metabolism (umod, intact parathyroid hormone, iFGF-23). After adjustment for CVD risk factors, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and albumin-to-creatinine ratio, 2 of the 4 tubule scores were associated with CVD (hazard ratio per SD; reabsorption, 1.21 [1.06-1.38]; reserve, 1.24 (1.08-1.38]), 1 with heart failure (reserve, 1.41 [1.13-1.74]), and none with mortality. Compared with a base model (C-statistic=0.674), adding estimated glomerular filtration rate and albumin-to-creatinine ratio improved the C-statistic (C=0.704; P=0.001); further adding tubule scores additionally improved the C-statistic (C=0.719; P=0.009). In the setting of chronic kidney disease, dimensions of tubule health quantified using factor analysis improved CVD discrimination beyond contemporary kidney measures. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01206062.

The ‘exotic’ phenomenon of the American Bar in interwar Berlin and Prague: Re-reading the concept of place

This paper deals with the socio-spatial relations of changes in the concept of place. Since the 1970s, place has been one of the key terms of humanistic geography. Therefore, this paper reflects how the concept of place, its functions and meanings could be applied in the changing space-time and social contexts. The ‘exotic’ phenomenon of the American Bar which had penetrated into Europe in the first half of the 20th century can be regarded as a representative of place when it had emerged during Americanisation as a new cultural element. This article compares the interwar development of this phenomenon in two European capitals (Berlin, Prague) and analyses both differences and the common attributes of the process of forming place. Emphasis is placed not only on the localisation of the American Bar, but also on more complex historical and geographical analysis of its development and perception that were characteristic exclusively for the Central European region. Using the archive materials, the contemporary press, legislative measures and professional and memoir literature, the study confirms that the American Bar phenomenon had acquired different meanings within different contexts which had changed over time and which can be documented through the “spreading” of this phenomenon in space.

Are measures of life satisfaction linked to admiration for celebrities?

A pattern of research findings indicates that excessive devotion to a favorite celebrity is linked to attitudes and behaviors that are psychologically unhealthy and may predict low life satisfaction. This study examines whether four common measures of life satisfaction (i.e., curiosity, meaning in life, gratitude, and flexibility) predict admiration for celebrities in two university samples and one community sample of young adults. Our results showed significant correlations between celebrity admiration and two measures of life satisfaction (curiosity and gratitude). We also found that the predictors of life satisfaction correlate with each other in ways that are consistent with previous research in positive psychology. Our research suggests an inverse relationship between celebrity admiration and life satisfaction. In addition, the results contribute to establishing the validity of four contemporary life satisfaction measures.

The Rise in Support for Gender Egalitarianism in the Netherlands, 1979-2006: The Roles of Educational Expansion, Secularization, and Female Labor Force Participation

Since the 1960s, public support for gender egalitarianism has risen substantially in many western countries. Although earlier research proposed that structural and cultural developments, such as educational expansion, declining religiosity, and the rise of women’s employment may explain this upward trend, these theoretical speculations have not yet been thoroughly tested. In the present research, we aim to contribute to the existing literature by empirically analyzing the influence of educational expansion, secularization, and the rise of women’s labor force participation on support for gender egalitarianism in the Netherlands and to explore to what extent these influences differ for men and women. We use repeated cross-sectional survey data from the Netherlands involving 12,146 men and 13,858 women. To capture cohort and period effects, we include historical and contemporary contextual measures of educational expansion, secularization, and female labor force participation obtained from population censuses and labor force surveys, covering about 100 birth cohorts and 25 survey years. Of these three indicators, educational expansion contributed most to the rise in men’s, and particularly women’s, support for gender egalitarianism by changing the normative societal climate in which men and women have grown up and live. Promoting educational levels may therefore have far-reaching benefits for gender equality.

Purification of the Air in the Historic Cities of Towns

Air pollution observed from the beginning of the industrial age has had a negative impact on the health, quality and life expectancy of the inhabitants of urban agglomerations. The problem of particulate and gaseous pollutants in PM 10 fine particulate matter and PM 2.5 suspended in air is a particular threat. The emission of harmful substances is spatially and temporally differentiated in the urban area and depends on the degree of urbanization and the level of vehicular traffic as well as the season of the year. City centres filled with compact buildings of historic character are a special issue in the planned and implemented urban regeneration strategy. The multidimensional issues of the protection of the historic structure of the city centre are more and more important in the aspects of revitalization processes in line with the sustainable development of cities. The surface of the facades of the tenement houses currently undergoing renovation works can be used as planes used with the help of the latest technological developments for air cleaning processes. The first part of the article presents technical and technological possibilities applicable to the development of facades of architectural objects. In addition to vertical garden technologies, which are increasingly successfully used in architectural realizations, the latest developments in technology and material engineering, including the importance of titanium dioxide (TiO2) - TiO2 nanoparticles, as a component of building and finishing materials, such as cement and facade paints. Titanium dioxide from the 20s of the 20th century was used as an effective component of paints with excellent properties of opacity and bleaching pigments. Building materials containing TiO2 nanoparticles have revolutionized the building materials market at the beginning of the 21st century thanks to their special selfcleaning, bactericidal, anti-static and air-cleaning properties. These materials have also been used in conservation work. The second part presents examples of implementation of conservation measures using the latest material technologies and examples of green wall projects and the effects of these works. To sum up, the article focuses on the issue of facades in architectural objects of inner-city buildings and adaptation possibilities of these areas for the purpose of air purification and improving the quality of life of urban residents. The revitalization activities implemented in the spirit of sustainable development are currently correlated with the challenges for contemporary measures to protect cultural heritage.