Impact Of Physical Environment Research Articles

The Impact of Physical Environment on Residents’ Well-Being and Staff Care Practice in Dementia Care Homes in Canada and the Netherlands

This qualitative study examines how the physical environment affects residents’ well-being and staff’s practice in dementia care homes. Staff members in four care homes participated in focus groups in Canada and the Netherlands. Thematic analysis generated five themes: (i) promoting autonomy and social engagement, (ii) creating a home-like atmosphere, (iii) managing sensory stimulation, (iv) fostering a sense of connectedness, and (v) facilitating a stress-free work environment The study highlights the physical environment’s profound impact on residents’ well-being and staff care practice.

Home Through Their Eyes: A Qualitative Exploration of the Meaning of Home for Persons With Dementia and Impact of Physical Environment During Meaning-Making.

This study aimed to examine the meaning of home for persons with dementia and the role of the physical environment during their meaning-making process. In response to a growing number of persons with dementia, there has been a strong advocacy for prioritizing the development of dementia-friendly environments within design practice and research agendas, for which "home" has become one of the important loci. However, of the limited studies on the meaning of home from the perspective of those individuals who continue to live in their own homes after developing dementia, even fewer addressed this issue within the Chinese context. Five dyads, persons with dementia and their family caregivers, participated in the qualitative phenomenology study. Ten home visits-2 visits per dyad-were conducted, during which interview data, photographs, and field notes were collected. Phenomenological analysis was applied within and across the data sets. Three key themes emerged-"Three Dimensions of Home" revealed that "home" goes beyond physical residence and immediate family connections, including meaningful objects and places, enduring relationships, self-identity, and lived experiences.; "The Impact of Physical Environment" and "The Impact of Cognitive Impairment" showed the complex interactions between the environment, cognitive impairment, and meaning-making. An exploration of the essence of meaning of home within the Chinese context, in person-environment relationships with dementia progression, and implications for future research and practice on dementia-related environments and care were further discussed. This study contributes insights into enhancing the well-being of persons with dementia and benefiting their caregivers.

Impact of Working Environment on the Employees’ Performance in the Nigerian Manufacturing Industry

This study examined working environment and its impact on the performance of employees in Colman Technical Industries Limitd, Arepo, Nigeria. This was with the specific objectives to: analyze the impact of physical environment on the employees’ effectiveness; and find out the impact of job safety and security on the employees’ creativity in the study organization. The sample of the study was One Hundred and Thirty - Nine (239) respondents. While simple random sampling technique was used through structured questionnaire. Regression was employed to test the hypotheses of the study. The findings of the study confirmed a significant impact of physical environment on the employees’ effectiveness; and also a significant impact of job safety and security on the creativity of employees in the establishment. It was concluded that there was a significant and positive impact of working environment on the employees’ performance in the Colman Technical Industries Limitd, Arepo. The study therefore recommended the creation of a workplace where employees would feel welcome, saved, secured and willing to work well, rather than feeling that they are compelled to do anything, as they could be motivated to perform better or more effectively when being satisfied.

Mapping Physical Conditions in Neighboring Hot Cores: NOEMA Studies of W3(H2O) and W3(OH)

The complex chemistry that occurs in star-forming regions can provide insight into the formation of prebiotic molecules at various evolutionary stages of star formation. To study this process, we present millimeter-wave interferometric observations of the neighboring hot cores W3(H2O) and W3(OH) carried out using the NOEMA interferometer. We have analyzed distributions of six molecules that account for most observed lines across both cores and have constructed physical parameter maps for rotational temperature, column density, and velocity field with corresponding uncertainties. We discuss the derived spatial distributions of these parameters in the context of the physical structure of the source. We propose the use of HCOOCH3 as a new temperature tracer in W3(H2O) and W3(OH) in addition to the more commonly used . By analyzing the physically derived parameters for each molecule across both W3(H2O) and W3(OH), the work presented herein further demonstrates the impact of physical environment on hot cores at different evolutionary stages.

Comparing Complex Chemistry in Neighboring Hot Cores: NOEMA Studies of W3(H2O) and W3(OH)

Presented here are NOEMA interferometric observations of the neighboring hot cores W3(H2O) and W3(OH). The presence of two star-forming cores at different evolutionary stages within the same parent cloud presents a unique opportunity to study how the physics of the source and its evolutionary stage impact the chemistry. Through spectral analysis and imaging, we identify over 20 molecules in these cores. Most notably, we have detected HDO and CH3CH2CN in W3(OH), which were previously not detected in this core. We have imaged the molecular emission, revealing new structural features within these sources. W3(OH) shows absorption in a “dusty cocoon” surrounded by molecular emission. These observations also reveal extended emission that is potentially indicative of a low-velocity shock. From the information obtained herein, we have constructed column density and temperature maps for methanol and compared this information to the molecular images. By comparing the spatial distribution of molecules that may be destroyed at later stages of star formation, this work demonstrates the impact of physical environment on chemistry in star-forming regions at different evolutionary stages.

The impact of physical environments on outpatient mental health recovery: A design-oriented qualitative study of patient perspectives.

The physical environment has been shown to affect the emotional states of patients receiving mental health treatment, yet it remains unknown whether physical space design may play a role in optimizing the delivery of mental health care. Principles of architectural design and human-centered co-design have been applied to enhance the patient experience of facility environments; however, little is known about how patients view the impact of physical spaces on their recovery. In this qualitative study, we aimed to understand patient perspectives of how physical environments contribute to mental wellbeing and personal experiences of recovery, in the context of informing future design efforts. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 13 participants receiving outpatient mental health treatment at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Adult Psychiatry Clinic. Interviews were transcribed and themes were extracted that could inform future design concepts. The sample was comprised of nine female and three male participants, and one unidentified-gender participant, between the ages of 26-64, and across several self-reported racial/ethnic subgroups. We found four dimensions of physical environments that participants reported as impactful: 1) sensory design elements (colors, sounds, and textures), 2) engagement qualities (intensity of distracted activity such as crafting or commuting), 3) social relational aspects (privacy or connection), and 4) affective experiences evoked by being present in the space itself (feeling safe, calm, in control, self-aware, or creative was beneficial). Many of these elements were similarly noted across clinic and non-clinic environments. This study identifies key dimensions of physical environments that can serve as potential metrics of design success in supporting and facilitating mental health recovery. In the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic, where mental health treatment has increasingly shifted outside of traditional clinics, our findings can support patients and clinicians seeking to harness potential in situ therapeutic benefits of physical environments.

Supportive or Hindering Physical Environments in Hospital Units Dealing With COVID-19 Patients.

This project was designed to discover how hospital units with COVID-19 patients influenced staff's medical practices and health conditions. Although hospital environments have well-known associations with health outcomes, findings are limited in demonstrating the role of physical environments during a global pandemic. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted from three units in a university hospital and a total of 113 staff participated. They rated the impact of physical environments on staff members' medical practice and their health conditions before and mid-pandemic. They also specified physical changes, hindering and helpful features, and future improvements in open-ended questions. The perceived supportiveness of the physical environments on communication significantly dropped from before-pandemic to midpandemic, followed by mental health and feeling of connection and engagement. Separating COVID-19 patients helped staff workflow, but staff felt disconnected and had poor visibility. Based on painful lessons, interdisciplinary researchers, including healthcare professionals, designers, and administrators, should further collaborate to create supportive hospital environments.

Impact of Physical Learning Environment on University Students’ Academic Engagement in an Online Learning Setting during Covid-19: Evidence from a Sri Lankan University

The restrictions imposed due to the outbreak of Coronavirus 2019 led to a paradigm shift in terms of the learning arrangements. In such a situation, since curfew was imposed in Sri Lanka, the universities commenced their all-academic activities using different virtual platforms such Zoom and MS Teams to continue teaching and learning process. Active student engagement is vital for the success of the process. However, evidence shows that the level of student engagement is low in academic activities in an online learning setting and the studies that explored the impact of the physical environment on this situation are rare. Therefore, this study aims to study the impact of ambient and spatial attributes in the physical environment on the level of students’ academic engagement in an online learning setting. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 238 undergraduates of University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka and were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS. The model fit assessment, path coefficient estimation and hypotheses testing were done at the data analysis. The study finding empirically validate the impact of ambient and spatial attributes of the physical environment on student engagement in an online learning setting. Out of ambient attributes, noise and lighting level were recorded as the most influencing factor while size and shape of the study area were recorded as highly influencing factors out of spatial attributes. The impact of air quality, layout and pattern on student engagement was found insignificant. The study finding broadens the components taken as physical resources considered in the Engagement Theory and provide insights for students, university officials, housing developers and policy makers on the importance of the physical learning environment for the student academic engagement in an online leaning setting

Climatic Impacts of Wind-Wave-Wake Interactions in Offshore Wind Farms

Accurate wind resource assessments are necessary for cost effective offshore wind energy developments. The wind field offshore depends on the sea state. In coastal areas, where wind farms are usually built today, wind and waves are often not in full balance. In addition, wind farms modify their surrounding wind and turbulence field, especially downwind. These wind farm wakes, in turn, interact with the wave field, creating a complex dynamical system. To fully capture the dynamics in such a system in a realistic way, a coupled atmosphere-wave modelling system equipped with a wind farm parameterization should be applied. However, most conventional resource assessment relies on standalone atmosphere model simulations. We compare the wind-wave-wake climate predicted from a coupled modelling system, to one predicted from a standalone atmosphere model. Using a measurement-driven statistical-dynamical downscaling method, we show that about 180 simulation days are enough to represent the wind- and wave-climate, as well as the relation between those two, for the German Bight. We simulate these representative days with the atmosphere-wave coupled and the uncoupled modelling system. We perform simulations both without wind farms as well as parameterizing the existing wind farms as of July 2020. On a climatic average, wind resources derived from the coupled modelling system are reduced by 1% in 100 m over the sea compared to the uncoupled modelling system. In the area surrounding the wind farm the resources are further reduced. While the climatic reduction is relatively small, wind speed differences between the coupled and uncoupled modelling systems differ by more than ±20% on a 10-min time-scale. The turbulent kinetic energy derived from the coupled system is higher, which contributes to a more efficient wake dissipation on average and thus slightly smaller wake-affected areas in the coupled system. Neighbouring wind farms reduce wind resources of surrounding farms by up to 10%. The wind farm wakes reduce significant wave height by up to 3.5%. The study shows the potential of statistical-dynamical downscaling and coupled atmosphere-wave-wake modelling for offshore wind resource assessment and physical environmental impact studies.

The Impact of Physical Environment on the Cognitive Function of the Elderly: A Scoping Review of Cohort Studies

This review examined whether the physical environment can change the cognitive function of the elderly and categorized the specific environmental types. Four databases, CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, and PsycINFO, were searched for relevant literature published as of December 2020. The framework used was proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, which includes a 5-stage review process. A total of 12 studies were examined. The physical environments with similar characteristics, among all the environmental elements, were grouped together into 4 categories: residential density and road connectivity, limited living space, urban/rural, and care facilities. Residential density and road connectivity, limited living space, and care facilities were found to have a significant effect on the cognitive function of the elderly. However, there was no significant effect on the cognitive function of the elderly when comparing the urban and rural environments. Although studies on environments that affect the cognitive function of the elderly are still ongoing, the ones analyzing specific environments in detail are insufficient. With the increasing importance of the role played by the environment in the cognitive impairment of the elderly, detailed studies on specific environments among the various environmental factors surrounding the elderly, such as this study, should be conducted more actively.

An Investigation on the Impact of Physical Environment on the Formation and Continuity of Ancient settlements, Case Study the Merek River Catchment, Central Zagros, Iran

The geographical environment, especially its natural bed, is the area of all actions and reactions resulting from phenomena located on the surface of the earth. The natural environment is the most important factor in the formation of human settlements, especially in different periods. Factors such as altitude, slope, geological structure, faults, water resources, soil, vegetation and land use are natural substrates affecting the distribution of human settlements. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between the formation and continuity of ancient settlements and their environmental bed in the Merek River catchment. To achieve the objectives of the research, 6 natural criteria were considered environmental factors or independent variables, and the area of ancient sites was regarded as a dependent variable. To investigate these factors, Arc Gis and SPSS software programs and inferential statistics quantitative analysis with the Pearson correlation method were used. Additionally, multiple linear Regression was used to investigate the effect of several independent variables on the dependent variable. The results indicate that the areas of the Merek River catchment are directly related to natural factors such as altitude, distance from rivers, and distance from communication routes and type of land use, and a number of other environmental factors are slightly associated with ancient sites. They have caused the people of the past in this region to choose two types of livelihood for their lives.

Proximity to inland water and major roadway of residential address and ovarian reserve: a retrospective cohort study

Background: There are growing interests regarding the potential impact of physical environment on reproductive health. This study was to explore the association between neighborhood environment and women’s fertility.Method: This study is a retrospective cohort study using the data of 7,630 women who have undertaken anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) test which is a universal indicator for ovarian reserve at a single fertility center in 2016-2018. For indicators of age-adjusted ovarian reserve, we used AMH ratio (defined as AMHmeasured divided by AMHage-appropriate reference). We calculated a distance to nearest inland water (including lake, creek, stream and river) and nearest major roadway for each geocoded address. We used continuous scales for correlation tests and categorized (quartile) scales for multivariable regression analyses. We further analyzed the odds of decreased ovarian reserve (DOR, defined as AMH ratio <0.1) with adjustment for covariates. Body mass index, occupation, smoking and regional deprivation index were used as covariates. Results: Median age was 39.1 years and mean AMH was 3.5 ng/mL. Mean distance to inland water and major road was 443.7 and 3672.8 m, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficient for the association between AMH ratio and distance to inland water was -0.001 (P = 0.934). For the association with distance to major road, the coefficient was -0.023 (P = 0.058). In multivariable analyses using quartiles of distance, the associations between proximity to inland water or major road and AMH ratio were toward null. Odds ratios (OR) of DOR was 1.05 (95% confidence intervals (CI):0.72, 1.53) for the highest quartile of distance to inland water and 1.33 (95% CI: 0.89, 1.98) for the highest quartile of distance to major roadway compared to ORs for the lowest quartile. Conclusion: There was no evidence of association of proximity to inland water or major roadway with women’s ovarian reserve in our study.

LAND USE AND SEMEN QUALITY: A SINGLE FERTILITY CENTER COHORT STUDY

There are growing interests regarding the potential impact of physical environment of residential area on reproductive potential of human. This study was to explore the association between built environment and semen parameters in men who visited for fertility evaluation.

Sources and consequences of happiness among Alangan Mangyan women in the municipality of Baco, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines

ABSTRACTThis article describes the meanings and experiences of happiness among a few select married Alangan Mangyan indigenous women in the Municipality of Baco, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. A total of 10 informants were interviewed for the study. Narrative analysis through coding was employed to be able to explore themes and patterns. Overall, there are four ideas that point to the character of happiness in the context of indigenous women. First, while it is an emotional state that is experienced by the individual, happiness emanates from a social field be it the family or community and expression of it requires the existence of that social field. Thus, the Filipino notion of “pakikipagkapwa-tao” (relating to others) works well in understanding the concept of happiness. Second, being able to access basic rights such as food, employment, and education has become a source of happiness amongst this indigenous populations, thus making happiness a human development issue. Third, happiness is an emotional state that is ever ubiquitous if one argues that family and community are sources of happiness. However, such an emotional state is also highly capricious. Even if one chooses to be happy, there are negative external situations that affect the maintenance of one’s happiness. Fourth, happiness, while it is dependent on social space by and large, is also affected by the physical environment. The impact of physical environment on the Alangan Mangyan provides us insights regarding the nature of happiness that goes beyond one’s agency. Thus, happiness indeed is a relative emotional yet a social experience.

Can the physical environment itself influence neurological patient activity?

Purpose: To evaluate if a changed physical environment following redesign of a hospital ward influenced neurological patient physical and social activity.Methods: A “before and after” observational design was used that included 17 acute neurological patients pre-move (median age 77 (IQR 69–85) years Ward A and 20 post-move (median age 70 (IQR 57–81) years Ward B. Observations occurred for 1 day from 08.00–17.00 using Behavioral Mapping of patient physical and social activity, and location of that activity. Staff and ward policies remained unchanged throughout. An Environmental Description Checklist of each ward was also completed.Results: Behavioral Mapping was conducted pre-/post-move with a total of 801 Ward A and 918 Ward B observations. Environmental Description Checklists showed similarities in design features in both neurological wards with similar numbers of de-centralized nursing stations, however there were more single rooms and varied locations to congregate in Ward B (30% more single-patient rooms and separate allied health therapy room). Patients were alone >60% of time in both wards, although there was more in bed social activity in Ward A and more out of bed social activity in Ward B. There were low amounts of physical activity outside of patient rooms in both wards. Significantly more physical activity occurred in Ward B patient rooms (median = 47%, IQR 14–74%) compared to Ward A (median = 2% IQR 0–14%), Wilcoxon Rank Sum test z = −3.28, p = 0.001.Conclusions: Overall, patient social and physical activity was low, with little to no use of communal spaces. However we found more physical activity in patient rooms in the Ward B environment. Given the potential for patient activity to drive brain reorganization and repair, the physical environment should be considered an active factor in neurological rehabilitation and recovery.Implications for RehabilitationClinicians should include consideration of the impact of physical environment on physical and social activity of neurological patients when designing therapeutic rehabilitation environments.Despite architectural design intentions patient and social activity opportunities can be limited.Optimal neurological patient neuroplasticity and recovery requires sufficient environmental challenge, however current hospital environments for rehabilitation do not provide this.

Analyzing the environmental impacts and potential health challenges resulting from artisanal gold mining in Shango area of Minna, North-Central, Nigeria

The environmental impact and potential health challenges resulting from artisanal mining in Shango area of Minna, North Central Nigeria was put into perspective. The methodology adopted for the research includes field work and laboratory analysis. Results of field observation reveal that mining activity resulted in physical environmental impact such as land degradation, destruction of vegetation, erosion of soils and degrading water quality. Results from the laboratory analyses show that soils are contaminated with elements such as Cu (27.7ppm), Cd (0.6 ppm), Hg (0.62 ppm) and Ag (0.35 ppm) and generally show high status when compared to published standard for upper continental crust. While, Zn (14.8ppm), Ni (7.17ppm), Mn (207ppm), Pb (0.58ppm), As (0.4ppm), Co (0.55ppm), Mo (0.16ppm), and Zr (129.8ppm) are rated low in line with the published standard; other determined elements such as Cr (37.8ppm), Fe (31.1ppm) and Au (0.2ppm) are high. These elements can easily be absorbed by plants and subsequently accumulate in their tissues. When such plants are eventually eaten by man, it may lead to different health problems such as slow growth rate, liver and kidney problem. High concentration of these elements in plant tissues may causes different problems.

Services Cape:, The Impact Of Physical Environment On Customer’s Loyalty In Hotel Services

Services Cape:, The Impact Of Physical Environment On Customer’s Loyalty In Hotel Services

면세점 물리적 환경이 고객감정반응, 한국 관광 쇼핑이미지 및 쇼핑관여도에 미치는 영향 : 방한 중국 관광객을 대상으로

쇼핑이란 관광객들이 관광지를 방문할 때 발생하는 가장 보편적인 활동이다. 특히, 한국 방문 기간 중 면세점에서 발생하는 중국 관광객의 구매행동이 높아지고 있는 현 시점에서 면세점의 물리적 환경요인은 면세점의 발전과 생존, 경쟁력 확보에 중요한 역할을 하고 있기 때문에 매우 중요하다고 할 수 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 한국 면세점의 지속적인 매출성장을 위해 면세점을 방문한 중국 관광객들의 특성을 파악하고 면세점의 물리적 환경과 관광객의 감정반응이 한국 쇼핑이미지와 쇼핑관여도에 미치는 영향관계를 밝히고자 한다. 본 연구에서는 물리적 환경을 주변요인, 디자인요인 그리고 사회요인으로 구분하였고, 조사대상은 한국 면세점에 방문한 경험이 있는 중국 관광객으로 선정하였고, 인터넷 설문조사 방법으로 실시하였으며, AMOS와 SPSS20.0을 이용하여 확인적 요인분석과 상관분석 그리고 구조방정식을 실시하였다. 설문지는 회수된 235부 중, 분석이 가능한 230부를 최종 분석에 사용하였다. 연구결과, 면세점의 물리적 환경요인에서 주변요인과 사회요인은 관광객의 감정반응에 영향은 미치지 않는 것으로 나타났고, 디자인요인은 부분적으로 중국 관광객의 즐거움에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 관광객의 즐거움과 환기는 한국 쇼핑관광이미지와 쇼핑관여도에 영향을 부분적으로 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구 결과는 중국 관광객이 인지하는 면세점의 물리적 환경에 대한 전반적인 특징을 확인했다는 점에서 매우 중요하다고 할 수 있다. 따라서 본 연구의 결과를 바탕으로 제안된 이론적·실무적 시사점은 결론에서 세부적으로 논의하였다.

Managing Waiting Time: Impact of Physical Environment and Interaction Quality

This Research Paper presents the key role of waiting time. This report will explore the issue associated with prolonged waiting time. Research on waiting is used to determine not only why these issues are problematic but what factors may lead them to rise. Finally research unapplied to uncover ways in which the issues can be dealt with physical environment and interaction quality. The Exploratory factor analysis and Structural Equational Modeling was used to analyse the patients of private Clinic. The study brings various waiting time filler to deal with perception management of waiting time. The study provides valuable Operational management techniques to the policy- makers on the management of waiting time in Private health care sector. Both patients and staff can get benefit from reduced crowding, less complaint, positive word of mouth and satisfied patients. It also benefit the society by better health services.

A modelling study of the tidal stream resource of the Pentland Firth, Scotland

A high spatial resolution three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic ocean model of the Orkney Islands is used to investigate the tidal stream resource and physical environmental impact in the Pentland Firth, a high-resource area where the first arrays of tidal stream turbines are likely to be deployed in Scotland. Tidal stream turbines are represented in the model using a momentum sink in order to (1) find an upper bound estimate of the available resource, (2) explore alternative, more realistic scenarios, and (3) estimate their effect on the physical environment. The maximum extractable power scenario (M2 + S2 cycle mean of 5.3 GW) requires a high density of turbines deployed through the channels cross section and has a major impact on the physical environment. More realistic scenarios, with the placement of the turbines constrained by practical factors, resulted in considerably less extractable power but the physical environmental impact was disproportionately reduced. It was also found that a variable thrust coefficient can be used to optimise the performance of tidal arrays. Our work highlights the usefulness of 3D hydrodynamic models for tidal stream resource assessment and impact studies, and illustrates how the design of tidal stream arrays can affect the levels of sustainably harnessed tidal power.