Feeling Of Comfort Research Articles

The feeling of comfort in residential settings I: a qualitative model

Building science commonly studies comfort—a subjective concept—through quantitative methods. These methods are often not the most appropriate to study subjective concepts because they struggle to consider non-quantifiable factors that are sometimes relevant in the determination of people’s comfort. Complementing the already used quantitative methods with qualitative ones can help illuminate some of the areas where the former struggle, but this is an uncommon practice in building science. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study that aimed at understanding comfort without the constraints of it being quantifiable. It introduces the feeling of comfort model, which summarises what was found. This model suggests that most building science comfort models ignore more than two out of the three factors that determine people’s comfort. Additionally, it shows that it is potentially possible to make sense of the psychology and subjectivity of comfort in an organised and structured manner. This example of how qualitative methods can be a powerful addition to building science’s comfort research. Practice relevance This paper reports a project that sought to understand an occupant-centred meaning of ‘comfort’ (constrained to what has conventionally been described as thermal, visual and acoustic domains). A qualitative model of the feeling of comfort was developed from the empirical data collated in the study. This model demonstrates that it was possible to make sense of the subjective nature of comfort in a coherent and ordered manner. This study argues that the qualitative and subjective nature of comfort should be embraced within building design and building science practice. Although this model was not meant to predict comfort quantitatively, it can serve as a theoretical basis for informing policymaking, building performance analysis and comfort research. For instance, it can help evaluate the assumptions behind building performance simulation (e.g. questioning whether people will truly open windows in certain scenarios).

The feeling of comfort in residential settings II: a quantitative model

The feeling of comfort in residential settings II: a quantitative model

Examining the Microclimate Pattern and Related Spatial Perception of the Urban Stormwater Management Landscape: The Case of Rain Gardens

This study examines the microclimate pattern and related spatial perception of urban green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and the stormwater management landscape, using rain gardens as a case study. It investigates the relationship between different rain garden design factors, such as scale, depth, and planting design, and their effects on microclimate patterns and human spatial perception. Taking an area in Blacksburg, Virginia, as the study site, twelve rain garden design scenarios are generated by combining different design factors. The potential air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed/direction are analyzed through computational simulation. Additionally, feelings of comfort, the visual beauty of the landscape, and the overall favorite are used as an evaluation index to investigate people’s perception of various rain garden design options. The study found that a multilayer and complex planting design can add more areas with moderate temperature and higher humidity. It also significantly improves people’s subjective perception of a rain garden. Furthermore, a larger scale rain garden can make people feel more comfortable and improve the visual beauty of the landscape, highlighting the importance of designing larger and recreational bioretention cells in GSI systems. Regarding depth, a relatively flatter rain garden with a complex planting design can bring stronger air flow and achieve better visual comfort and visual beauty. Overall, by examining the microclimate pattern and related perception of rain gardens, this study provides insight into better rain garden design strategies for the urban stormwater management landscape. It explores the potential of rain garden design in urban GSI and responds to climate change.

Impact of different personal protective clothing for firefighters in mountain areas.

Mountain hiking is an unpredictable activity for firefighters during the search, rescue, and firefighting. Could the quality of the uniform worn by firefighters affect psychophysiological variables? The objective of this study was to monitor the responses of perceived exertion (RPE), musculoskeletal pain (MP), and heart rate variability (HRV) responses in firefighters using different uniforms on a 5 km mountain walking activity. The feeling of comfort, safety, and ergonomic adjustment of the two types of uniforms also was verified. Sixteen firefighters were divided into two groups: 4thRUPM"B2" (33% polyester and 67% cotton) vs. GOLD (50% polyamide and 50% cotton). The GOLD group wore a prototype that had not yet been operationally tested. The independent t-test showed that the groups had similar results in RPE at post-march (Omni-Walk/Run = 3.5±0.9 vs. 2.9±0.6 AU). ANOVA Two-way (2x group and 2x time) was used to verify differences in body mass (BM), MP, and HRV. There was a main effect of time (pre- vs. post-march; p < 0.05) for BM, MP, heart rate (HR), mean RR, RMSSD, pNN50, and HF, regardless of group (4thRUPM"B2" vs. GOLD). Rainwater increased post-march BM (92.2±9.8 kg vs. 93.5±9.9 kg). MP (28.9±2.9 vs. 33.2±7.7 AU), HR (71.6±14.2 vs. 99.0±26.3 bpm), RMSSD (74.8±53.7 vs. 126.5±74.4 ms) and HF (48.5±20.2 vs. 60.0±16.7 nu) also increased post-march. The mean RR (875.2±153.3 vs. 673.9±155.3 ms) and pNN50 (33.1±18.6 vs. 46.3±23.9%) reduced post-march. There was a subjective preference for GOLD. Different uniforms do not compromise psychophysiological variables during the mountain hike but differentiate ergonomic subjectivity.

Outdoor Thermal Comfort of Urban’s Pedestrian in Tropical City of Kuala Lumpur

In recent years, urbanization in the city have given impact to the climate change of the environment. The increase in urban air temperature have decrease the thermal comfort or ruin the experience of the pedestrian in outdoor spaces. This research explores the impact of air temperature on pedestrian outdoor thermal comfort in shaded spaces of tropical city of Kuala Lumpur. Findings are presented from field measurement based on the environmental parameters on case study area. Surveys are conducted which includes 199 randomly selected pedestrians to subjectively observe their feeling and preferences of the outdoor thermal comfort towards the climatic outdoor temperature. Hence, the result concluded that the urban pedestrian walkway has a significantly high temperature. However, the results show that presence of shading structure improve their comfort being in outdoor spaces. This conclude that thermal sensation of pedestrian can be improved with shading structure and it can increase the walkability of pedestrians. The space can also increase the pedestrian’s comfort with help of mechanical ventilation. Thus, it is recommended for outdoor pedestrian spaces to provide shading and have proper ventilation to reduce heat and make pedestrian feels comfortable outdoor.

Comparison and effect of plain and calcium fortified yogurt on glycemic responses, anthropometrics and metabolic biomarkers

Metabolic syndromes including obesity and diabetes are the most common health issues due to insulin resistance, disturbance in glucose homeostasis, lack of exercise, and improper diet. The current study was planned to evaluate the potential effects of regular diet with fortified yogurt on blood glycemia and anthropometric responses. Plain yogurt was procured from the local market, and then it was fortified with calcium. Furthermore, the subsequent effect of fortified yogurt on blood glucose, insulin, and anthropometric measurements was assessed at different time intervals. A total of 40 healthy females and males aged about 20 years with a normal BMI range (20–24.9 kg/m2) were recruited within the Government College University Faisalabad. Participants filled out the habits Performa, stress factors questionnaire, and activity questionnaire. Blood glucose (BG) and visual analogous scale (VAS) performs were also taken in the fasting stage and then assigned treatment was given. After 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min intervals VAS and BG estimation was carried out. The results shows that fortified yogurt contained a higher amount of calcium. Likewise, a similar trend was observed for the desire to eat, a feeling of fullness, palatability, physical comfort, and overall acceptability. The results obtained from various analyses were statistically evaluated.

SUMO Roundabout Simulation with Human in the Loop

Traffic simulators rely on calibrated driver models in order to reproduce human behavior in different traffic scenarios. Even if quite accurate results can be obtained, the actual interaction between human being and traffic cannot be completely reproduced. In particular, as automated vehicles are being developed, the human in the loop is required to understand whether drivers feel comfortable and safe in mixed traffic conditions. In recent years, dynamic driving simulators have been developed to test vehicles in complex or dangerous situations in safe and controlled environments. However, driving simulators are mostly devoted to the study of vehicle dynamics more than traffic situations.This paper presents an integration of SUMO with a high end dynamic driving simulator with the aim to study human reactions while negotiating a roundabout in mixed traffic conditions. SUMO is in charge of traffic simulation, while a full vehicle model is employed for the simulation of the dynamic of the human driven car. To allow a human to effectively drive the car, both simulation environments have to run in real time while exchanging the required information. Also, scenario graphics, sound and driving simulator feedback motion have to be accurately realized and synchronized with the simulations. A real-time server is employed for the synchronization of the different environments. As SUMO does not consider vehicle dynamics, particular attention is devoted to the a realistic reconstruction of trajectories and vehicle dynamics to be represented in the scenario. Some preliminary tests are shown where a panel of testers has been asked to negotiate the roundabout with different percentages of automated vehicles. The results of the tests show that drivers were able to perceive differences in the behavior of other vehicles and that the proposed approach is effective for understanding the feeling of comfort and safety of the human driver.

The influence of visitors’ specific motor actions on the perception and evaluation of museum exhibits

Background and Study Aim. An important element in the system of museum activities are approaches to attracting visitors. Among these approaches, one can single out the dialogue of the museum with visitors through specially organized active motor actions. Such actions have certain parameters (the nature of physical activity and its age-appropriateness, intensity, duration, etc.), which can influence the perception and evaluation of exhibits and the decision of visitors to return to the museum. The purpose of the study is an attempt to explain how specially organized active motor actions of visitors affect the perception and evaluation of museum exhibits and getting satisfaction from visiting.&#x0D; Material and Methods. Publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) were selected as the source of information. The search was carried out using keywords that characterize the interaction of visitors with the subject-spatial environment of the museum. The VOSviewer program was used to analyze the relationships between documents retrieved from WoS.&#x0D; Results. It is argued that the sedentary behavior of visitors, typical for many museums, does not contribute to their involvement in the museum space and the creation of meaning in museums. It is noted that an important aspect in the organization of special motor actions of visitors is the orientation to their motivation and interpretation of movements in the museum exhibits. The optimal level of physical activity has been identified. It creates a comfortable feeling and contributes to an adequate perception of the exhibits and corresponds to the main mission of the museum.&#x0D; Conclusions. Specially organized motor actions form the maximum motivation for visitors to study the museum exhibits. Such movements carry a certain semantic character of the theme of the museum.

Structural design of single functional jersey with moisture comfort based on yarn combination

Yarn property and structure design play a decisive role in the sweat, evaporation and heat dissipation comfort of single jersey. However, single jerseys also tend to exhibit limited moisture comfort properties, even with the use of high-performance fibers or specific structures. They also have some common phenomena such as backflow and the poor isolation of sweat, making the garment feel uncomfortable when worn. To enhance the moisture comfortable feeling of single jersey, the fabric is formed from a yarn combination of 75 dtex/288 f and 50 dtex/14 f polyesters, and the fabric structure with rapid moisture conduction is formed through the structural design. Through the research method of this paper, the single jersey ensures an excellent capillarity effect, and the outer surface of the fabric shows a large loop structure. In contrast, the inner surface is supported by yarn without contact with the skin. Furthermore, the fabric contains three pathways to transfer sweat outward, including a multistage bifurcated transmission system, which aids in the improvement of fabric moisture conduction, penetration and prevention. In the various tests, compared with plain structure, the single jersey of this design scheme exhibits a 1.98-fold larger loop size. It contains an effective sweat transmission pathway, which improves fabric air permeability and water permeability. In addition, the water repellent effect of the fabric is improved by 26.56%, with the inner surface of the fabric remaining dry within 3 s, even in the presence of heavy sweating. It is expected that the structural and material optimization designs of the single jersey can provide a promising method for functional textiles.

Use of modern geometric design of fish ponds to increase welfare and blood parameters

Fish currently suffer from a lack of well-being due to the large number of pollutants in the water and the lack of space given to them, which makes them afraid and uncomfortable, which leads to a lack of welfare and, thus, a lack of production and poor quality of meat. This study was designed using a modern geometric design (DGD) of basin design, which is an H-mark. Three hundred fishes were used and distributed in three treatments with four replications; each treatment consisted of 100 fishes, and each replicate included 25. The first treatment was a control treatment (C), represented by raising fish in regular ponds, and the second treatment was fish farming using novelty design ponds in the shape of the H sign (ND). The third treatment was the fish farming treatment in earthen ponds (EP). The statistical analysis findings demonstrated that the ND treatment significantly improved the condition. ( p≤0.05) in the number of red blood cells, over the rest of the treatments, and significantly ( p≤0.05) for HD hemoglobin, was superior to the rest. In PCV, the ND treatment was a significant improvement compared with the rest of the treatments if the highest value was recorded, the results demonstrated significant changes between the experimental treatments at the level (p 0.05). The outcomes revealed that the number of white blood cells significantly increased with ND therapy (p 0.05). Cells, over the rest of the treatments, and a significant improvement ( p≤0.05) for H/L compared with the rest of the treatments; there were no significant differences between the experimental treatments, but there was a significant improvement ( p≤0.05) in ND treatment in the Glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride HDL, LDL, GPT, and GOT, over the rest of the treatments. Using a novelty design in the ponds helped the fish increase their well-being due to their feeling of comfort and lack of fear, which improved their behavior, blood traits, and growth performance. Keywords: Modern Geometric Design, Fish Ponds, Blood Traits, Behavior Traits, and Growth Performance

Flexible Coated Conductive Textiles as Ohmic Heaters in Car Seats

Pleasant interior conditions within cars, as well as a comfortable feeling, are primary needs of car drivers to perform vital body functions during driving. In a cooler outer environment, a warming system within seats can quite feasibly maintain a realistic thermal balance in the body. An inbuilt heating system in car seats can not only provide adequate heat to the driver but is also relevant to minimizing the energy consumption within the vehicle interior. In order to evenly distribute the heat over the body contact area of the automotive seats, conductive textiles are proposed. In fact, these textiles behave as a semiconductor (as an electrical conductor and also creating resistance, which in turn creates heat). Flexible textile ohmic heaters present great advantages due to their ability to bend, stretch, and stitch. These properties make them valuable to ensure uniform heaters for irregular geometries. The present review highlights the use of different textile-based ohmic heaters, their fabrication methods, range of heating, and durability. Moreover, this review also focuses on the comparative mechanical performance and comfort properties of the presented fabrics (used in car seats). This study is beneficial for future trends of minimizing energy consumption and providing an effective way to reduce the carbon emissions and air pollution produced by vehicles.

Ethical leadership and individual ambidexterity: the mediating role of equity sensitivity and the moderating role of openness to experience

PurposeThe aim of this study is to determine the effect of ethical leadership (EL) on individual ambidexterity (IA). Equity sensitivity (ES) was proposed as an underlying mechanism between EL and ambidexterity. Openness to experience (OTE) was hypothesized to strengthen the effect of EL on IA.Design/methodology/approachData were collected, using a cross-sectional survey design, from employees working in Software Houses in Pakistan using multistage sampling. A usable sample of 255 was subjected to analysis in a two-step structural equation modelling.FindingsThe empirical findings revealed that EL has a positive effect on IA. ES partially mediated between EL and IA. OTE strengthens the impact of EL on IA.Practical implicationsThis study carries some implications for practitioners, and in particular it provides a clear direction to the management who exhibits EL characteristics. Ethical leaders encourage their followers to explore new things, to behave more innovatively at work and to take the risk in implementing and introducing new ideas.Social implicationsThis study highlights that EL should establish a positive work environment in which employees have a comfortable feeling when applying their explorative and exploitative activities to their work.Originality/valueThis study investigates critical linkages between EL and IA. Given the importance of IA, results provide novel guidance regarding EL style and the significance of equity in workplace. Recruitment decisions will also be guided by choosing those who have an open personality orientation in the workplace.

Characteristics of Bed and Breakfast (B&amp;B) and Guest Perceived Value

Bed and breakfasts (B&amp;Bs) have a unique set of attributes that impact guests' perceived value. Given the theoretical and practical significance of the B&amp;B industry, this study is designed to systematically identify a list of important B&amp;B characteristics in traditional Chinese villages and show their effects on guests' perceived value. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explore factors affecting guests' perceived value of B&amp;Bs by focusing on characteristics of B&amp;Bs, thus bridging the relevant research gaps and offering suggestions for future study. This research used exploratory methods to form the theoretical framework. A total of 300 valid questionnaires were attained, and robust regression methods were adopted. The results indicate that B&amp;B characteristics significantly affect guests' perceived value. The study reveals that local activities make the biggest contribution to guests' perceived value under constraint variables. This is followed by interaction, feeling like home, personalized service, architecture, local food, cleanliness, and comfortable feeling, respectively.

Exploring Cross-cultural Comfort Food Narratives in Beryl Shereshewsky’s YouTube Videos

This article explores how certain food and the stories linked to the same are capable of evoking feelings of comfort and security. Food binds people together. The rituals and practices surrounding food inspire and sustain the association of various memories, experiences and emotions. The area of food studies is especially interested in how these linkages translate into the practice of nourishment. The narratives surrounding comfort food take on a cross-cultural flavour in the videos from Beryl Shereshewsky’s YouTube channel. This article analyses these narratives through the lens of Symbolic Interactionism to explicate how these food narratives bring people together from across the world by evoking the universal needs of food and comfort. Consequently, it is seen that even though it is true that the experience of consuming comfort food is extremely personal, it is also rendered as a universal phenomenon through the narratives that are created and shared.

Analysis of Health Service Quality and Patient Satisfaction on Patient Loyalty in the Outpatient Installation of Aulia Blitar General Hospital

Quality of service is an important thing in services, especially health services in hospitals to provide satisfaction to patients and families. Satisfaction is the result of the good quality of the services provided so that there will be a feeling of comfort and safety for returning to the hospital or health service. The return of patients to the hospital for treatment is one proof of patient loyalty and patient loyalty to the hospital because they are satisfied with the quality of services provided. This study aims to determine the effect of quality of health services and patient satisfaction on patient loyalty in outpatient installations at Aulia Blitar General Hospital. This type of research uses observational analytic with cross sectional design.

"I feel good because I have saved their lives": Acceptability of assisted partner services among female index clients and male sexual partners in Kenya.

Assisted partner services (APS), or notification for sexual partners of people diagnosed with HIV, is an efficient, effective, and high yield strategy to identify people living with HIV and is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, there remains a need to further understand the acceptability of APS qualitatively from a client lens, particularly when APS is integrated into the national health system. We investigated acceptability of APS when integrated into HIV services in Kenya. Starting in May 2018, APS was implemented in 31 health facilities in Kisumu and Homa Bay counties in western Kenya. From January to December 2019, we conducted in-depth interviews (IDIs) with female index clients (n = 16) and male sexual partners (n = 17) in 10 facilities participating in an APS scale up study. Interviews assessed APS satisfaction, perceived benefits of the intervention, and challenges that may affect delivery or uptake. We applied the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability by Sekhon et al. (2017) as a guide to organize our findings. We find that views of APS are often guided by an individual's trust in the intervention's design and implementation, and an interest to preserve one's health and that of one's family and children. There were strong and consistent acceptable views of APS as "doing good" and "saving a life" and as a means of showing love towards one's partner(s). The initial acceptability framing of individuals engaging with APS was predicated either on a feeling of comfort with the intervention, or a wariness of divulging sex partner personal information. Health care workers (HCWs) were seen to play an important role in mitigating participant fears linked with the intervention, particularly around the sensitive nature of HIV disclosure and sexual partners. Clients noted considerable challenges that affected acceptability, including the risk to the relationship of disclosing one's HIV status, and the risk of intimate partner violence. We found that APS is acceptable as a strategy to reach male sexual partners of females diagnosed with HIV, and these findings provide opportunities to inform recommendations for further scale-up. Opportunities such as focusing on intervention confidentiality and appropriate counseling, excluding female clients at risk of IPV from this intervention, and highlighting the altruistic benefits of APS to potential clients. Understanding the perspectives of clients receiving APS in a real-world setting may be valuable to policy-makers and stakeholders interested in scaling up or enhancing APS within health systems.

Multimodal assessment of effects of urban environments on psychological wellbeing

The built environment is a ubiquitous factor of modern human life, which fundamentally affects human wellbeing. Most existing research on the psychological effects of urban environments is predominantly based on subjective self-report measures, which provide valuable insights into subjective experiences, but are also affected by conscious and subconscious bias. In the current study, we evaluate a multimodal approach to capturing wellbeing by employing objective mobile physiological and neurophysiological measurement technologies alongside self-reports to capture the impact of two different urban environments. Moreover, we endeavoured to comprehensively measure and, when possible, control the physical aspects of the environment. Our study specifically aimed to discover differences between psychological wellbeing indicators in adults across low-density vs. moderate-density urban environments. Data collection took place in two urban outdoor locations in Australia. Statistical comparison of the two locations indicated that low urban density led to comparatively higher levels of psychological wellbeing compared to moderate urban density. Self-reports indicated that the low-density environment led to higher levels of subjective feelings of comfort and safety and reduced levels of negative mood. In line with the subjective reports, in the low-density environment compared to the moderate-density environment, individuals showed higher levels of EEG theta activity, while EEG beta and heart rate measures were lower. The research outcome provides insights into how urban density affects people's wellbeing and showcases the benefits of employing ecologically-valid multimodal psychological-environmental measurement approaches to effectively evaluate the psychological impacts of built environments.

Determining the Permeability and Handle Properties of Wool, Yak and Cashmere Hand-knitted Fabrics

ABSTRACT Luxury fibers are used for their tactile properties, comfortable feeling for the users, and sometimes for status in society. These fibers are all protein-based and have always been compared to the properties of wool. Cashmere is known for its incredibly soft and warm yet lightweight and breathable qualities, making it a must-have fabric for any fall and winter closet. Besides labored and time-wasting cashmere production makes the fiber very expensive. Yak fiber is an alternative to expensive cashmere with similar properties, which costs only a quarter of cashmere. In this study, air and water vapor permeability properties, which are important for consumer comfort were investigated in addition to handle properties of the fabrics compared with the properties of the fabrics made of wool fibers. It was found that yarns made of wool fibers were easy to spin in fine yarn counts whereas yarns made of yak fibers were the coarsest. Hand-knitted fabrics made of cashmere fibers had the softest feeling even if the fabrics were produced with similar technical specifications. The permeability results of the fabrics were different, especially the porosity of the fabrics had a higher impact on the permeability of the fabrics.

Pemanfaatan Doula Labour Coach Application Untuk Membantu Relaksasi Ibu Pada Persalinan Kala 1

In the delivery process, family assistance through the active role of family members by bringing loved ones to the birth process can provide physical and psychological support to the mother which can create a feeling of security and comfort for the mother. Support from the husband is a form of family support that has the greatest impact on the mother's behavior in the delivery process. This community service activity is carried out by providing counseling to pregnant women who are in the Muzzle Bulu Village area, Maros Regency. The purpose of this activity is to educate pregnant women about the importance of assistance in the delivery process, support for childbirth assistance, the importance of assistance in the delivery process, the benefits of the importance of assistance in the delivery process. The knowledge of pregnant women related to the use of the Doula labor coach application to help relax the mother in the 1st stage of labor has increased significantly. Doulas are able to balance the patient's emotions and can provide positive support to face labor calmly and comfortably. Counseling Program Regarding the benefits of the importance of assistance during childbirth carried out well and running smoothly according to the activity plan that has been prepared, without significant obstacles accompanied by the enthusiasm of the participants in participating.

THE EFFECT OF OXYTOCINES MASSAGE ON BREAST MILK PRODUCTION IN POSTPARTUM MOTHERS

Introduction: Inadequate expenditure of breast milk on the first day after birth is an obstacle in early breastfeeding in infants. The mother's difficulty in breastfeeding because the milk does not come out causes the milk to dam up and the baby often cries. One of the efforts made to stimulate breast milk production is to massage the spine, which is called oxytocin massage. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of oxytocin massage on postpartum mothers by identifying milk production before, after, and the effect of oxytocin massage. Methods: The literature review design is a traditional review, the literature search method uses the PEOS framework which consists of P (Population): postpartum mothers, E (Exposure): oxytocin massage, O (Outcome): increase milk production in postpartum mothers, S (Study Design): Pre-experimental one group pretest posttest, Quasi experimental the static group comparison, Experimental posttest with control group, Quasi experiment posttest only design with control group. Study selection used the keywords “milk production, postpartum mothers, oxytocin massage” on the Google Scholar database as a whole found 2,780 articles then were selected based on the year of publication of the articles (2015-2021) to 2,500 articles, topic suitability and title to 71 articles, full text downloadable into 23 articles and finally based on the study design, 7 articles were obtained which carried out a literature review. Results: Based on the 7 articles that have been analyzed, it shows that there is a significant effect of oxytocin massage on milk production with a p-value &lt;0.05 because oxytocin massage can increase feelings of comfort and relaxation so that the body can easily release the hormone oxytocin which has an impact on expenditure and increased production of ASI. Conclusion: For this reason, it is necessary to have the role of health workers as educators to provide health education about the importance of doing oxytocin massage in postpartum mothers.