Personal Clothing Research Articles

Consumo de bens e serviços por idosos nos arranjos domiciliares unipessoal e residindo com o cônjuge

Este estudo consistiu em comparar o consumo de bens e serviços pelos idosos brasileiros que moravam sozinhos e por aqueles que residiam com o cônjuge, a partir de análises dos dados da Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF) (2008/2009), realizada pelo IBGE. A pesquisa teve caráter quantitativo, descritivo, com corte transversal. Os resultados permitiram constatar que a maioria dos idosos eram brancos, residiam na área urbana do país, possuíam o ensino fundamental, e a minoria estava na faixa AB de renda. O arranjo domiciliar residindo com o cônjuge gastava mais do que o unipessoal no que se refere aos itens de despesas com habitação, despesas diversas, lazer, transporte, alimentação dentro do domicílio, fumo, produtos de higiene e cuidados pessoais, assistência à saúde e vestuário. Portanto, entender as relações de consumo deste segmento é extremamente relevante, a fim de que os bens e serviços oferecidos proporcionem satisfação e melhoria na qualidade de vida dos idosos.

The Bedsheet: From Linen Cupboard to Art Gallery

The choice of material in the creation of artwork is vital to the communication of the meaning of the work. Bedsheets act as silent witnesses to many natural processes in life such as birth, puberty, pleasure, disease, decay, and death. At a time of day when we are wearing little clothing, or perhaps none at all, the bedsheet is in contact with the body for many hours every night, soaking up sweat and bodily fluids to create a very personal cloth impregnated with the identity of a person. The bedsheet can become a material on which to literally or metaphorically write our meanings and messages to the world. This article will discuss the materiality of the bedsheet, an everyday and humble cloth. It will reference the work of artists, including Ewa Kuryluk who used sheets in her work, and draw on my own research into the use of materials to carry metaphors of grief and loss. It will be illustrated by my recent works using bedsheets to make a connection with the emotions of the viewer.

Mobile Security Monitor: A Wearable Computing Platform to Detect and Notify Falls

The use of sensors to monitor the environments and people has become an active research topic. Sensors have become increasingly efficient and smaller, and can be found embedded in all kind of personal accessories and clothes. The medical industry has benefited from this technology for all kinds of treatments, monitoring and preventions measures. The combination of mobile and wearable computing has the potential to produce cheap and of the shelf solutions to monitor patients remotely and to notify doctors and caregivers about abnormal vital signs or the occurrence of undesired events, such as falls of elderly people. In this scenario, this paper presents a technology to monitor the movement of patients and to notify their caregivers if a fall of the patient occurs. The proposed technology uses cheap wearable hardware and an application for mobile devices. An experiment was conducted in a lab to validate the proposal. Initial results indicates a promising solution.

Bone tools for the deceased: Approaches to the worked osseous assemblage from the Bronze Age funerary cave of Biniadris (Menorca, Spain)

Around 3400 years ago, extraordinary funerary practices and rituals were practiced at Biniadris Cave, located on the side of a cliff face on the island of Menorca (Spain). Both women and men of different ages were buried inside this natural cavern measuring approximately 10m2. Thanks to the preliminary fieldwork carried out during 2014, a wide range of personal objects comprising personal objects and clothing came to light in addition to the human bones. At present, among them, there is an assemblage of fourteen V-perforated buttons, at least eleven of which are made from bone and at least three from wild boar tusk. All these items display a great uniformity in their morphology in terms of what could be seen when they were worn. There is, however, no standardization regarding the width and placement of the perforations. Following microscopic analysis, it is clear that these were personal objects used over the long-term and placed with the dead as dress accessories during the funeral ritual itself. Furthermore, the use of ochre as an additional decorative element was observed, covering most of the surface of these buttons.

Developing thermal comfort model through regional budget expenditure analysis towards low energy consumption in public building facility (case object: government building in north and south of Jakarta)

Building efficiency policy has implemented Indonesia. However, energy consumption in building sector remains significantly increased. Jakarta Government relied on AC in providing a comfortable condition for its service it consumed 57% of its total energy consumption. Current available energy monitoring method based on the expensive electrical device, so a new method using regional budget expenditure is developed in this research. This study established: Field study (6 buildings), regional budget expenditure analysis (313 buildings) on thermal comfort and building energy in 112 administrative office building equipped with Natural air ventilated (NV) and Air Conditioned (AC) and 224 building occupants/building manager were taking part in this research. Quantitative method used in this research with variables: thermal comfort (Air temperature, Relative humidity, radiant temperature, Air velocity, and personal clothing index) with Fanger’s Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) method calculation. Another variable used in this research is government standard for Building Energy Consumption Index (IKE) through regional government budget analysis. During an early stage, the budget analysis shows 6 out of 112 office buildings energy consumption (electricity) categorised as ‘extravagant.’ Field study higher IKE caused by too cold temperature setting, underperformed Air Conditioning System, building envelope and ventilation or ‘inappropriate’ building orientation (facing east-west).

Evaluation of Community Project Work in Kolhapur

The factual data presented in the foregoing pages regarding the villages in the community project area in Kolhapur speak for themselves. The community as a whole consisted largely of Marathas and Scheduled Castes, and could be said to be a homogeneous one. Information regarding income, housing, sanitary conditions, clothing and household things of persons and families in the project villages showed that the level of living in these villages was quite low, We have of course no comparative data from non-project villages, but the knowledge we have in regard to the rural conditions outside the community project area in Kolhapur, leads us to believe that the picture of conditions here was not different. The community project had not brought about any marked increase in the levels of living.

Exposure to UV filters during summer and winter in Danish kindergarten children

BackgroundUltra violet (UV) filters with known or suspected endocrine disrupting properties are widely used in sunscreens and other personal care products, clothing, food packaging and many other consumer products. Danish kindergarten children have sunscreens applied daily during summer to prevent skin burns. ObjectivesTo estimate the assumed contribution of sunscreens to the total exposure to UV filters, we measured the urinary excretion of UV filters during summer and winter in kindergarten children. MethodsSpot- and first morning urines were collected during a summer and a winter day in 2013. A total of 266 urine samples were collected from 55 children and were analysed for content of benzophenone (BP), benzophenone-1 (BP-1), benzophenone-2 (BP-2), benzophenone-3 (BP-3), 5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzophenone (BP-7), 4-methyl-benzophenone (4-MBP), 4-hydroxybenzophenone (4-HBP), 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)-camphor (4-MBC), and 3-benzylidene camphor (3-BC) by LC-MS/MS. ResultsOf the analysed UV filters, the children excreted predominantly BP-1, BP-3 and 4-HBP. The urine levels were significantly higher in summer samples compared to winter samples, however exposure during winter was still evident. Furthermore, children with the highest concentrations of UV filters in summer urines also tended to be among those with the highest winter levels. ConclusionExposures to UV filters during summertime can partly be explained by the intended use of UV filters in sunscreens, which is considered to be beneficial for children during outdoor activities. However, exposure to UV filters all year round together with large inter-individual variation indicate that children's exposure to UV filters also comes from other consumer items, presumably highly influenced by the general lifestyle of an individual child: this is completely unintended, without benefit, and potentially harmful.

Effects of silver adsorbed on fumed silica, silver phosphate glass, bentonite organomodified with silver and titanium dioxide in aquatic indicator organisms

In order to reduce the level of transmission of diseases caused by bacteria and fungi, the development of antimicrobial additives for use in personal care, hygiene products, clothing and others has increased. Many of these additives are based on metals such as silver and titanium. The disposal of these products in the environment has raised concerns pertaining to their potential harmfulness for beneficial organisms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the shape, surface chemistry, size and carrier of three additives containing silver and one with titanium dioxide (TiO2) on microcrustacean survival. Daphnia magna was used as a bioindicator for acute exposure test in suspensions from 0.0001 to 10,000ppm. Ceriodaphnia dubia was used for chronic test in TiO2 suspensions from 0.001 to 100ppm. D. magna populations presented high susceptibility to all silver based additives, with 100% mortality after 24hr of exposure. A different result was found in the acute experiments containing TiO2 suspensions, with mortality rates only after 48hr of incubation. Even on acute and chronic tests, TiO2 did not reach a linear concentration-response versus mortality, with 1ppm being more toxic than 10,000ppm on acute test and 0.001 more toxic than 0.01ppm on chronic assay. Silver based material toxicity was attributed to silver itself, and had no relation to either form (nano or ion) or carrier (silica, phosphate glass or bentonite). TiO2 demonstrated to have a low acute toxicity against D. magna.

Thermal comfort analyses of naturally ventilated university classrooms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse thermal comfort and the thermal environment in naturally ventilated classrooms. Specifically, the aims of the study were to identify the thermal environment and thermal comfort of respondents in naturally ventilated university classrooms and compare them with the ASHRAE and Indonesian National Standard (SNI); to check on whether the predicted mean vote (PMV) model is applicable or not for predicting the thermal comfort of occupants in naturally ventilated university classrooms; and to analyse the neutral temperature of occupants in the naturally ventilated university classrooms. Design/methodology/approach The study was carried out at the new campus of Faculty of Engineering, Hasanuddin University, Gowa campus. A number of field surveys, which measured thermal environments, namely, air temperature, mean radiant temperature (MRT), relative humidity, and air velocity, were carried out. The personal activity and clothing properties were also recorded. At the same time, respondents were asked to fill a questionnaire to obtain their thermal sensation votes (TSV) and thermal comfort votes (TCV), thermal preference, and thermal acceptance. A total of 118 respondents participated in the study. Before the survey was conducted, a brief explanation was provided to the participants to ensure that they understood the study objectives and also how to fill in the questionnaires. Findings The results indicated that the surveyed classrooms had higher thermal environments than those specified in the well-known ASHRAE standard and Indonesian National Standard (SNI). However, this condition did not make respondents feel uncomfortable because a large proportion of respondents voted within the comfort zone (+1, 0, and −1). The predictive mean vote using the PMV model was higher than the respondents’ votes either by TSV or by TCV. There was a huge difference between neutral temperature using operative temperature (To) and air temperature (Ta). This difference may have been because of the small value of MRT recorded in the measured classrooms. Originality/value The research shows that the use of the PMV model in predicting thermal comfort in the tropic region might be misleading. This is because PMV mostly overestimates the TSV and TCV of the respondents. People in the tropic region are more tolerant to a higher temperature. On the basis of this finding, there is a need to develop a new thermal comfort model for university classrooms that is particularly optimal for this tropical area.

PREFERENCES OF YOUTH IN RELATION TO THE ORIGIN OF BRANDS - ROMANIAN AND FOREIGN - AND ITS MAIN MOTIVATION

This paper is based on some results of a direct research conducted among youth 18-30, students of the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau. The research was conducted in the month of April 2016 on a sample of 100 students selected by group sampling scheme and has an exploratory character offering a guideline on youth preference for Romanian or foreign brands for product categories: food products, alcohol beverages, personal hygiene products, cosmetics, cleaning products, clothing, footwear, consumer electronics and cars. They are also shown and the main reasons underlying preferences in terms of brand origin. The results of study highlights that the youth prefer in a greater extent Romanian food products compared to foreign ones, but, for products encompassing high technology (cars, appliances and electronics) and for fashion products (clothing and footwear) over 50% of respondents prefer foreign brands.

ROMANIAN BRAND NOTORIETY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

Based on the results of a direct research conducted in April 2016 among students of the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau, this paper highlights the notoriety of Romanian brands in general, as well as for product categories: food products and alcoholic beverages, cosmetics and personal hygiene products, cleaning products, clothing, footwear, consumer electronics and cars. The research was conducted on a sample of 100 respondents aged between 18-30, having an exploratory character. We studied unaided brand awareness, respondents being asked to indicate the top three brands that come to their mind for each evaluated product. The results of the study revealed the most recognized Romanian brands on the investigated sample, both in terms of known brand enunciation among the top three, and as first nominations made (Top-of-mind awareness).

Thermal comfort and occupant adaptive behaviour in Japanese university buildings with free running and cooling mode offices during summer

Thermal comfort is one of the most important factors for satisfying occupants within indoor environments, especially in regions that experience warm summer seasons, and analyses of thermal comfort and occupant behaviour are critical for the effective implementation of energy saving programs. This paper presents the results of studies on the thermal comfort and adaptive behaviour of occupants in university buildings with free running (FR) and cooling (CL) mode offices in Fukuoka, Japan. Both thermal measurements and thermal comfort surveys were conducted during the summer season. The mean thermal sensation vote (TSV) in FR and CL modes was 0.7 and −0.1, respectively. These data show that occupants in FR mode offices felt slightly warmer than those in CL mode offices, where occupants typically reported feeling neutral. The mean comfort temperature for both cases, as estimated by using the Griffiths method, was 26.6 °C. For personal clothing, we found that the use of clothing insulation was inversely proportional to the outdoor temperature. The adaptive behaviours of occupants were found to be more active in FR mode offices compared to those in CL mode offices, which were more passive. This indicates that amenable thermal conditions were present in the air conditioning (A/C)-controlled indoor environments where occupants expressed no wish to make changes.

Alternative method for determining the original drop volume of bloodstains on knit fabrics

Bloodstains are often observed at violent crime scenes and on the skin and clothing of persons involved. The diameters of the blood drops that created these stains are related to the force or energy that caused these drops to become airborne. This has resulted in several attempts to determine the diameter of the original drops, beginning with the methods reported in the pioneering work of Henry Lee [6]. However, his methods destroyed the bloodstain during the measurement. Other methods described in the literature cannot be applied to bloodstains on textiles. A new, rapid, reliable, non-destructive method for determining the diameter of the original drop of blood that results in a stain has been developed for bloodstains on cotton single jersey knit (tee-shirt) fabrics, which is one of the most common fabrics analyzed for BPA both at crime scenes and in forensic laboratories. In this method, a drop of known volume of an appropriate artificial blood substitute is applied to a region similar to the stained region but in an area away from any stains/areas of interest. The areas of the original stain and the artificial blood substitute stain are determined, from which the original drop diameter can be calculated. Errors in the drop diameters, the Reynolds numbers and the Weber numbers resulting from this procedure are less than approximately 6%. This procedure has only been verified on cotton single jersey knit fabrics with 30μL≤drop volume≤80μL. It should not be applied to other materials.

Pine needles and pollen grains of Pinus mugo Turra – A biomonitoring tool in high mountain habitats identifying environmental contamination

Pinus mugo Turra is a typical pine tree from mountain habitats. It is ideal as a bioindicator for air quality monitoring, but, to the best of our knowledge, has never been implemented to determine organic compound concentrations. This study presents the initial methodology for the use of pine needles to measure contamination levels and evaluate genotoxicity potentials caused by long-range transport of pollutants at sites in the Slovak mountains in comparison to an industrial urban area. Pinus mugo needles have many positive attributes, particularly the five-year lifetime of needles compared with other species of pine. The presence of epicuticular wax on the surface of needles allows accumulation of lipophilic organic compounds. Pine needles were analyzed for POP compounds (PCBs, OCPs, PBDEs), PAHs, PFCs and lead. A pollen grain abortion assay with Pinus mugo species was also tested as a method to identify contamination of high mountain habitats. The concentration of organic compounds increased proportionally with needle age. Concentrations along the mountain transect were heavily influenced by atmospheric transport and proximity to potential sources of contamination from industry and residential areas from north and south of the mountain. The slope exposure direction had a large impact on concentrations of PBDEs (mainly for BDE 209). High concentrations of PFCs were discovered near a ski resort, where the use of these substances is high due to fluorinated ski waxes and personal outdoor clothing. A positive correlation between pollen grain abortivity and elevation was observed, with the strongest effect on pollutants at the top of the mountains. The results showed the highest genotoxicity at the site near a pulp mill (Zilina), where the frequency of abortive pollen grains was 3.1 times higher than at the control site. Lead content increased gradually with needle age, and a correlation was found between Pb levels in needles and pollen abortivity. It can be concluded that Pinus mugo is a suitable bioindicator species for assessment of long-term trends of atmospheric contamination in high mountain habitats.

A cross-sectional observational study about media and infection control practices: are photographic portrayals of healthcare workers setting a bad example?

BackgroundAttempts to increase compliance with infection control practices are complex and are - in part - based on attempts to change behaviour. In particular, the behaviour of significant peers (role models) has been shown to be a strong motivator. While role models within the working environment are obviously the most important, some experts suggest that media and public display cannot be ignored. The aim of this present study was to examine the display of technique recommended by current infection control guidelines including the “bare below the elbow” principle, which is considered a basic requirement for good infection control in many countries, in sets of professional stock photos.FindingsFrom 20 random photo-stock websites we selected pictures with search terms “doctor and patient” and “nurse and patient”. In all selected photos a doctor or nurse and a patient were presented, healthcare workers (HCWs) were wearing white coats or uniforms, and their arms were visible. Each photo was evaluated with regard to: closure of white coat, sleeve length, personal clothing covered, hairstyle and presence of a wristwatch, bracelet and/or ring. Overall, 1600 photos were evaluated.The most common mistakes were with regard to HCWs’ white coats/uniforms. Eighty-nine percent of the photos containing doctor’s images were considered incorrect while 28 % of nurse-containing photos were incorrect.ConclusionsThe results seem to reflect the real world with only 40 % displaying correct behaviour with doctors being worse than nurses. It seems that the stereotypical image of a doctor does not agree with the current infection control guidelines. If we aim for higher compliance rates of HCWs, we need to change the social image of doctors and improve production, selection and display of stock photo images.

Respiratory syncytial virus is present in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Nosocomial transmission of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) occurs in children within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). During peak community RSV transmission, three swabs were collected from the nose, hand and personal clothing of visitors and health care workers (HCW) in NICU once every week for eight weeks. Nasal swabs were collected from every third neonate and from any neonate clinically suspected of having a respiratory infection. Environmental sampling of high touch areas was done once during the study period. All swabs were tested for RSV using real time RT-PCR. There were 173 (519 total) and 109 (327 total) swabs, each of nose, hand and dress from 84 HCWs and 80 visitors respectively and 81 nasal swabs from 55 neonates collected. Thirty five environmental swabs from surfaces of the beds, side tables, counter tops, chairs, tables and computers were collected. Overall 1% of nasal swabs from each of HCWs, visitors and neonates, 4% of dress specimens from visitors and 9% of environmental swabs were positive for RSV-RNA. The results suggest that though the risk for RSV in the NICU remains low, personnel clothing are contaminated with RSV-RNA and may have a role in transmission.

Multidisciplinary Treatment of Severe Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Functional Outcomes at Skeletal Maturity

ObjectiveTo determine the functional outcomes associated with long-term multidisciplinary treatment, intravenous bisphosphonate treatment, orthopedic surgery, and rehabilitation in children with severe osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) (diagnosed clinically as OI types III or IV). DesignRetrospective study where outcomes were measured prospectively. SettingPediatric orthopedic hospital. ParticipantsAdolescents (N=41; age range, 15–21y) with severe OI (OI type III: n=17; OI type IV: n=24) who had started therapy before the age of 6 years, had received treatment for at least 10 years, and had achieved final height. InterventionsIntravenous bisphosphonate treatment, orthopedic surgery, and rehabilitation. Main Outcome MeasurePediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory. ResultsAt the time of the last available follow-up examination, none of the individuals diagnosed with OI type III (most severely affected group) was able to ambulate without ambulation aids, whereas 20 (83%) patients with OI type IV were able to ambulate without ambulation aids. Regarding self-care, we specifically assessed 8 skills that we deemed essential for living independently (grooming; dressing; toileting; bed, chair, toilet, tub, and car transfers). Only 6 (35%) of the youths with OI type III were able to complete all 8 items, whereas 23 (96%) individuals with OI type IV managed to perform all tasks. Teens with OI type III often needed assistance for the transfer to toilet, tub, and car and for personal hygiene and clothing management associated with toileting, usually because of limitations in upper-extremity function. ConclusionsThese observations suggest that further improvements in the functional status of the most severely affected children with OI are contingent on advances in the clinical management of upper-extremity issues.

Personal clothing as a potential vector of respiratory virus transmission in childcare settings.

Previous investigations of fomite transmission have focused on the presence of pathogens on inanimate objects in clinical settings. There has been limited investigation of fomite transmission in non-clinical pediatric settings where there is a high prevalence of respiratory virus infections. Over a 5 week period, this study investigated whether the personal clothing of teachers working in childcare centers was contaminated with viral RNA, and potentially could mediate virus transmission. Matched morning and evening clothing and nasal samples were collected for 313 teacher work days (TWDs). Human rhinoviruses (hRV) RNA were detected from samples using real-time PCR. Human rhinovirus RNA was detected in clothing samples on 16 TWDs and in nasal samples on 32 TWDs. There were no TWDs when teachers provided both positive nasal and clothing samples and only three TWDs when hRV persisted on clothing for the entire day. The detection of hRV RNA was significantly predicted by self-recognition of symptomatic illness by the teacher 2 days prior to detection. These findings suggest that teachers' personal clothing in childcare settings is unlikely to facilitate the transmission of hRV.

Textil, Leder und andere organische Reste

Recent excavations at Gobelsburg in Lower Austria revealed six graves dating to the 5th century AD (migration period). Mineralized structures adhering to some metal artefacts as well as tiny fragments of iron were found, giving precious insights into organic materials which were used within the burials. They are a valuable source for basic research about textiles, leather, fur and other materials. Among the textiles, various qualities and weave structures were found; they differ from contemporary textiles found south of the Danube in the collapsing Roman Empire. The organic artefactual finds in the graves comprise the clothing of the buried persons as well as pouches made of textile. Preserved leather fragments are the remains of scabbards and belts. One grave contained residues of wild grass or cereals, which points to hay- or straw-bedding on which the deceased may have been laid down. This burial custom is a well-known feature within early medieval graves in southern Germany. Entomological remains from the same grave may show use of fruit or vegetables as grave offerings.

Dressing and Addressing the Mental Patient: The Uses of Clothing in the Admission, Care and Employment of Residents in English Provincial Mental Hospitals, c. 1860–1960

Scholars of insanity and its historical antecedents have paid very little attention to personal and institutional clothing. Such dress, distributed to patients in mental institutions, has always been inscribed with the conflicting narratives of the period in which it was made and worn. The language of civil and medical authority is more evident than personal choice in the shape and address of the attire. This article examines clothing worn by patients in three Devon mental hospitals during the century before 1960. We consider the ways in which institutional clothing formed part of a hospital regimen of overt control, as well as suiting considerations of economy and employment that figured in these institutions.