University Dormitory Research Articles

Microplastics in dust from different indoor environments

Microplastics (MPs) are present in global indoor dust, which is an important source of MPs for humans. However, few researchers have investigated differences in the abundance and characteristics of MPs in dust in different indoor environments. In this study, we found that residential apartments (mean: 1174 MPs/g; n = 47) had the highest abundance of MPs in indoor dust samples, followed by offices (896 MPs/g; n = 50), business hotels (843 MPs/g; n = 53), university dormitories (775 MPs/g; n = 48), and university classrooms (209 MPs/g; n = 44). The predominant shape of MPs was fiber in most indoor dust samples. The main size fraction of the MPs in the indoor dust samples from university classrooms and business hotels was 201–500 μm, and it was 501–1000 μm in those from offices, university dormitories, and residential apartments. The main MP polymer in indoor dust samples from business hotels, university dormitories, and residential apartments was polyester, whereas those from offices and university classrooms were mainly polyethylene and polypropylene. We calculated the estimated daily intake (EDI) of MPs through the inhalation of indoor dust, and found that infants (7.4 MPs/kg bw/day) had a higher mean EDI of MPs than toddlers (1.4 MPs/kg bw/day), children (0.49 MPs/kg bw/day), adults (0.23 MPs/kg bw/day), and university students (0.22 MPs/kg bw/day). To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to report differences in MP occurrence in dust samples from different indoor environments, and our findings provide a more accurate understanding of exposure risks of MPs to humans.

Transformation of The Education System in Islamic Educational Dormitory

: This study aims to explain the transformation of the education system in the Tegalrejo Islamic College Dormitory, Magelang, Central Java. Change of education in Islamic college dormitories requires various kinds of knowledge and skills that support the observation, recording, management, and description of the facts on the phenomena that occur in the field have scientific power. For this reason, this study uses two approaches, namely socio-anthropological and phenomenological. Observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation studies, data collection techniques were carried out. The collected data is then organized, interpreted, and critically analyzed through case analysis and cross-case analysis. Thus to compile the concept and abstraction of research findings. The results showed that there had been a transformation of the education system at the Tegalrejo Islamic College Dormitory in Magelang as evidenced by changes in the institutional management side; pesantren curriculum; educational methods; educational goals.

Seasonal variation of airborne phthalates in classroom and dormitory, and its exposure assessment in college students

Phthalates are widely used as plasticizers in various products. However, only few studies have focused on its pollution in university dormitories and classrooms. In this study, we measured the airborne concentrations of phthalates in the dormitories and classrooms of a university in Beijing, China. We analyzed the pollution characteristics and possible sources of phthalates, used Monte Carlo simulation to estimate phthalate intake via inhalation and dermal absorption through direct air-through-skin pathways, and explored the seasonal variations in airborne phthalate concentrations and exposure levels. Di (2-methoxyethyl) phthalate and di-n-butyl phthalate were predominantly observed in the classroom and dormitory. Three possible phthalate sources existed in the classroom and dormitory. The airborne concentrations of high-molecular-weight phthalates were significantly higher in winter than those during spring and autumn. The room’s orientation weakly affected the indoor airborne phthalate concentrations. More surface sinks in female dormitories significantly affected the concentration of airborne phthalates, which is worthy of a comprehensive study. Low-molecular-weight phthalates in the dormitory significantly differed between urban and suburban areas. The influences of orientation, dormitory type, and geographic location on indoor phthalate concentrations are related to the seasons. The total daily intake of phthalates in dormitories was greater than that in classrooms. The daily intake of phthalates via dermal absorption was greater than that via inhalation, and was the highest during winter.

545 “After The Fire: Legacy of A College Dormitory Fire Twenty Years Later"

IntroductionIn January 2000 fire erupted at a local college. Panicked students, many who failed to attend school-sponsored fire drills or simply ignored alarms, found themselves scrambling to escape. Seven students were admitted to a burn center (BC) for critical burns, with 54 initially staged in the Medical Center Emergency Department. While this dormitory fire took place more than twenty years ago, its legacy is still being felt today.MethodsHistory shows that, with any tragedy, there are lessons to be learned to lessen the impact on property destruction, injury or death. Looking at the legacy of this fire, four key areas of improvement emerged: disaster preparedness, media relations, legislation and fire prevention.ResultsChanges to disaster preparedness include an expanded, more comprehensive response plan, revised triage and transfer protocols, BC staffing protocols, creation of a regional group of BCs, which eventually morphed into a Disaster Consortium, and a medical command center for regional disaster response. A series of articles resulted in a Pulitzer Prize-finalist book, documenting the journey of two of the survivors, with award-winning photographs displayed at a national museum. Redesigned fire safety programs emphasizing escape plans and the dangers of false alarms now targets high school and college students, an often overlooked group, and clinical education programs have expanded to include nursing’s role in disasters, reinforced with a functional exercise. Two survivors are motivational speakers, continuing to share their personal story on campuses across the United States. New legislation mandated sprinkler installation in dormitories nationwide, and a non-profit foundation was formed to improve burn care. The anniversary of this fire is commemorated annually on campus to serve as a powerful reminder for new generations of students.ConclusionsDespite this dormitory fire being ranked as the deadliest in state history, all these years later the legacy of this landmark event remains one of triumph and resilience, as its impact is still evident today. These lessons serve as the foundation for improved disaster response, locally, regionally and nationally.

Higher Dietary Inflammatory Index Scores Are Associated With Stress and Anxiety in Dormitory-Residing Female University Students in the United Arab Emirates.

Dormitory-residing university students are at-risk of mental health problems related to unhealthy diets. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between dietary inflammatory potential and mental health of dormitory-residing female university students. This cross-sectional study was comprised of 260 undergraduate females residing in dormitories of the largest university in United Arab Emirates during Spring 2019. The Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DIITM) scores calculated from 37 food parameters were derived from two 24-h dietary recalls. The logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for the E-DII score in relation to depression, anxiety, and stress. The E-DII scores (mean = 2.98 ± 1.17) were categorized into: tertile 1 (−1.96–2.62), tertile 2 (2.63–3.52), and tertile 3 (3.53–5.60), representing less to more proinflammatory diets. Students in the E-DII tertile 3 had significantly higher depression, anxiety, and stress scores. The logistic regression analysis showed that each point increase in the E-DII score was associated with symptoms of stress (OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.12–1.77; p = 0.003) and anxiety (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.07–1.69; p = 0.01). Relative to students in the E-DII tertile 1, those students in the E-DII tertile 3 were more likely to be at higher risk of stress and anxiety ORE−DIItertile3vs1 = 2.89 (1.44–5.79) and 2.88 (1.49–5.56), respectively. Overall, stress and anxiety were associated with proinflammatory diets in dormitory-residing female university students, suggesting the need for targeted interventions to increase the anti-inflammatory capacity of diet and improve mental wellbeing in students on university campuses.

‘We Want Light!’ Prague Students and the Failing Scientific-Technological Revolution in the Post-Stalinist Era (1956–1968)

In the 1960s, the faith in scientific and technological progress pertained to both the Western and the Eastern power bloc. Czechoslovakia was no exception: the scientific-technological revolution was supposed to another step to reaching Communism. The pages of newspapers and magazines were full of articles on the newest scientific and technical discoveries, the automatization and chemization of the industry, and the rationalisation of managing the socialist companies. It was also the faith in expert governance of state and economy that grew in this period: these were supposed to change the position of the scientific specialists and also the students as the future experts. This article follows the way promises connected to the scientific-technological revolution created expectations on the modern student life only to deepen the contrasts between the official declarations and everyday reality. It focuses on several areas of the university environment where the discrepancies were most visible: the lacking equipment of the university building and classrooms, ineffectively managed internships, inflexible placement system, and inadequate material and technical conditions at the university dormitories. These contrasts have also roused the discontent of the students who did not feel recognized. In October 1967, the situation culminated in a demonstration of students from the Strahov dormitory who demanded the repeated blackouts to be solved. The violent suppression of the demonstration resulted in students leaving their patron organization – the Czechoslovak Youth Union – on a large scale and starting autonomous student units independent from both the Union and the Communist Party.

Influencing factors and reduction of domestic solid waste at university dormitory in Shanghai, China

Increasing domestic solid waste (DSW) is becoming one of the most serious challenges for city and regional environment. As an epitome of the society, the investigation on the influencing factors and reduction of DSW of university students can not only provide policy suggestions for the waste management in the university campus, but also can achieve demonstration effect to other communities due to its high social status and wide impacts. This research combined direct weighing, questionnaire surveys, and regression analysis to quantify the influencing factors of DSW at East China Normal University’s dormitory in Shanghai. Direct weighting and questionnaire survey were conducted in 112 randomly selected dormitory rooms. Totally 523 valid questionnaires were collected. It is found that the average waste generation was 0.275 kg/day/cap, in which residual waste accounted for 64% of total, followed by household food waste (29%), and recyclable waste (7%). Regressions based on ordinary least square method suggested that students’ attitude towards waste played the most important role in affecting the waste reduction with its elasticity − 0.195. Lower educational level and better financial condition would lead to more waste generation, whose elasticity was 0.148 and 0.098 respectively. The influences of gender and major varied from waste types. Policies implications for university administration departments for sustainable waste and resource management include developing personalized and humanized waste management policies, enhancing environmental awareness through diverse educational activities, and expanding the publicity role of campus cultural activities on waste reduction.

Gender differences in the effects of perceived control on thermal response during summer

Perceived control is considered one of the influencing factors that affect the thermal satisfaction and comfort of indoor occupants. In order to explore the relationship between human gender in thermal response and perceived control and conduct in-depth research, field research was conducted on 1186 occupants in a college dormitory in Jiaozuo (the cold region of China). The perceived control vote was divided into four scales from “ no control ” to “ complete control ” . Through collation and analysis of the data obtained, we found that with improved perceived control, females ’ discomfort is significantly reduced, which is lower than males’. Therefore, there are significant gender differences in the impact of perceived control on the thermal response, which can be explained by individual differences in physiological regulation. Similarly, there are body type differences in perceived control. This research can provide support for the adaptive model and provide a new perspective for further research on individual differences in adaptive psychological adjustment.

Measured analysis of indoor pollutant concentration and air change rate in winter in the postgraduate dormitory of a university in Shenyang

In this paper, taking 17 graduate male dormitories of a university in Shenyang as the research object, the relationship between the characteristics of internal personnel and pollutants, the relationship between pollutant concentration and air change rate in the winter dormitory is analyzed by means of questionnaire survey and measurement. Through test analysis, it was found that the number of students in the dormitory whose actual weight exceeded 10% of the normal weight was greater than or equal to 2 people, which would cause the indoor CO2 concentration to be significantly higher than that of the normal weight dormitory, and the smoking of students in the dormitory would cause an increase in indoor PM2.5 concentration; For indoor CO2 concentrations of more than 2000ppm in dormitories that are sealed all night, reasonable window ventilation is required to effectively reduce the concentration of gas pollutants; According to the questionnaire survey, it is known that students do not use doors and windows for ventilation, so that indoor air does not circulate, causing students to have drowsiness, lack of concentration, chest tightness and other symptoms. The results of the study provide a reference for improving air quality and ventilation strategies in university dormitories.

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF STUDENTS’ AIR CONDITIONING ENERGY USE BEHAVIOR IN UNIVERSITY DORMITORIES—A CASE OF NANJING, CHINA

ABSTRACT People’s lifestyle and energy use behavior have been shown to influence the energy consumption of buildings. Since university dormitories consume a significant amount of energy, it is important to investigate the energy use behavior of students in such dormitories. The aim of this study was therefore to improve students’ energy use behavior in order to reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning in university dormitories. Based on a review of relevant literature, air conditioning energy use behavior was defined, and influencing factors were identified from demographic characteristics, indoor characteristics of personnel, as well as physiological and psychological factors. Students’ air conditioning energy use behavior during the summer and influencing factors of students’ energy use behavior was then revealed by an analysis of 332 respondents to a questionnaire survey. The results indicated that differences in energy use behavior are influenced by: age, major and monthly living expense of students; indoor characteristics such as the number of students in the dormitory, time spent in the dormitory, distance to an air conditioning unit; physiological factors including body comfort, clothing, and activity intensity; and psychological factors including cognition degree, values, living habits, attitude, perceived behavior control, and subjective norms. Based on these findings, suggestions for reducing energy consumed by air conditioning were proposed and intervention studies then conducted to confirm that energy use behavior had improved, with subsequent consumption savings after the intervention. This study adds to the body of knowledge in the field of energy use behavior and provides guidance for the sustainable development of green universities.

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF STUDENTS’ AIR CONDITIONING ENERGY USE BEHAVIOR IN UNIVERSITY DORMITORIES—A CASE OF NANJING, CHINA

ABSTRACT People’s lifestyle and energy use behavior have been shown to influence the energy consumption of buildings. Since university dormitories consume a significant amount of energy, it is important to investigate the energy use behavior of students in such dormitories. The aim of this study was therefore to improve students’ energy use behavior in order to reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning in university dormitories. Based on a review of relevant literature, air conditioning energy use behavior was defined, and influencing factors were identified from demographic characteristics, indoor characteristics of personnel, as well as physiological and psychological factors. Students’ air conditioning energy use behavior during the summer and influencing factors of students’ energy use behavior was then revealed by an analysis of 332 respondents to a questionnaire survey. The results indicated that differences in energy use behavior are influenced by: age, major and monthly living expense of students; indoor characteristics such as the number of students in the dormitory, time spent in the dormitory, distance to an air conditioning unit; physiological factors including body comfort, clothing, and activity intensity; and psychological factors including cognition degree, values, living habits, attitude, perceived behavior control, and subjective norms. Based on these findings, suggestions for reducing energy consumed by air conditioning were proposed and intervention studies then conducted to confirm that energy use behavior had improved, with subsequent consumption savings after the intervention. This study adds to the body of knowledge in the field of energy use behavior and provides guidance for the sustainable development of green universities.

The quality of services provided to female students in Princess Nourah bint Abdul Rahman University dormitory An applied study on a sample of female students residing in the dormitory of Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University in Riyadh

The quality of services provided to female students in Princess Nourah bint Abdul Rahman University dormitory An applied study on a sample of female students residing in the dormitory of Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University in Riyadh

Bioavailability of Nutrients of Public Health Concern and their Association with the Animal/Plant Ratio in Diets of Female Residential Students of Bangladesh

Students, particularly female students, living in university dormitories are susceptible to various nutritional deficiencies due to their improper dietary practice and poor diet quality. Whether food originates from animal or plant sources contributes greatly to the quality of their diets in terms of nutritional adequacy. This study made a bioavailability assessment of four nutrients (vitamin A, iron, protein, and zinc) from students’ diets followed by examining whether bioavailability relates to the animal/plant ratio (A/P) in the diets of female residential students (FRS) of Bangladesh. Previously published dietary algorithms or conversion factors specific to different food groups were used to assess nutrient bioavailability in the diets of 180 (60 for iron) FRS of the University of Dhaka. Nutrient inadequacy was evaluated using i) an individual diet approach (estimating bioavailability from individual diets), and ii) a dietary pattern approach (presuming average bioavailability for mixed diets). The mean absorptions of iron and zinc, quality of protein, and conversion factor for β-carotene were 15.5%, 35.1%, 66.1%, and 17:1, respectively. Among the individual diets, a large range in bioavailability was observed, which was explained inadequately by their A/P. There was a significant difference in inadequacy prevalence when iron and protein bioavailability from individual diets were compared with bioavailability estimates calculated applying average conversion factors for mixed diets. The A/P could not necessarily predict the nutrient bioavailability in FRS diets. Hence, it is important to consider the diet composition when evaluating nutrient adequacy in the diets of FRS and other students. Bangladesh J. Nutr. Vol. 34, December 2020, P: 55-64

Building performance optimization for university dormitory through integration of digital gene map into multi-objective genetic algorithm

College students spent most of their time in dormitory buildings, which account for a large proportion of the overall electricity use in university. Building performance is determined by its genes (i.e., building component characters), which can be optimized in the design stage. However, a building is comprised of many components, of which some are contradictory to each other in the building performance optimization process. In doing so, a digital gene map was proposed for the university dormitory, characterized by the binary code strings. Based on the digital gene map, the building elements can be parameterized to create some dynamic variables, to facilitate the multi-objective genetic algorithm. Via the multi-objective genetic algorithm and the data statistics tool of Design Explorer in this work, the “Pareto front” solutions can be obtained to optimize the decision-makings in the dormitory building design. For evaluations of the building performance improvement potentials for various types of study rooms with optimized solutions, we conducted the comparison studies in this work. Through comparison studies, we found that the optimized solutions from the multi-objective genetic algorithm, for the nine types of study rooms, have better compromised building performances. The methodology proposed in this work can be applicable for different types of university dormitories under various climate conditions, due to the dormitory buildings have a similar gene pool and chromosomal structure.

“After The Fire”; The Legacy of College Dormitory Fire Twenty Years Later

In January of 2000 the team at The Burn Center at Saint Barnabas was confronted with what is to date, the single largest burn mass casualty incident since its doors opened in 1977. Looking back through history at other catastrophes shows that, even in the wake of these “landmark events”, the lessons learned remain, so that perhaps all was not in vain. 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 19 While this fire took place more than twenty years ago, its legacy is still being felt today. The following discussion examines some of the key lessons learned, and underscores the fact that positive change does come from tragedy.

Quantifying Avoidable Food Waste and Identifying Its Underlying Causes: A Case Study of a University Dormitory in Thailand

To develop well-planned and effective policies and programs for reducing avoidable food waste, it is important to quantify the actual food waste level in particular settings and assess relationships among consumers’ awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. Recognizing these considerations, this paper measured avoidable food waste generated by university students living in dormitory buildings and identified its underlying causes in the case of Kanchanaburi campus, Mahidol University, Thailand. The study applied a food waste composition survey 18 times between January and May 2019 while administering questionnaires in October 2019 to the dormitory students. Based on these measures, the study identified 1,417 instances of avoidable food waste. Approximately half of the avoidable food waste had not even been eaten. Most of this waste was generated by female students. Some factors in terms of motivation, opportunity, and ability using a Motivation, Opportunity, Ability framework were found to have induced more food waste among female students. Due attention to the effect of avoidable food waste reduction includes educating dormitory students about food waste as well as more space and increased visibility of stored food in shared refrigerators. Targeting university students for reducing avoidable food waste in the setting of everyday life in dormitories is needed rather than simply focusing on the food service sector on campus.

Evaluation and Optimization of Elevator Transportation System in a University Dormitory Building

Based on the actual situation of a university dormitory building, this paper uses CIBSE GUIDE D to evaluate its elevator system, conducts a quantitative analysis of the elevator selection and configuration of the building, and optimizes the elevator selection and configuration plan of the building to improve the level of building automation and intelligence.

Knowledge-Based Stable Roommates Problem: A Real-World Application

AbstractThe Stable Roommates problem with Ties and Incomplete lists (SRTI) is a matching problem characterized by the preferences of agents over other agents as roommates, where the preferences may have ties or be incomplete. SRTI asks for a matching that is stable and, sometimes, optimizes a domain-independent fairness criterion (e.g. Egalitarian). However, in real-world applications (e.g. assigning students as roommates at a dormitory), we usually consider a variety of domain-specific criteria depending on preferences over the habits and desires of the agents. With this motivation, we introduce a knowledge-based method to SRTI considering domain-specific knowledge and investigate its real-world application for assigning students as roommates at a university dormitory.

SARS-CoV-2 variant detection at a university dormitory using wastewater genomic tools

In the Fall of 2020, university campuses in the United States resumed on-campus instruction and implemented wastewater monitoring for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests were deployed successfully to detect viral RNA in wastewater across campuses, the feasibility of detecting viral variants from a residential building like a dormitory was unclear. Here, we demonstrate that wastewater surveillance from a dormitory with at least three infected students could lead to the identification of viral genomes with more than 95% coverage. Our results indicate that viral variant detection from wastewater is achievable at a dormitory and that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wastewater surveillance programs will benefit from the implementation of viral whole genome sequencing at universities.

Psychometric Properties of Attachment Behaviors Scale in Iranian Married People

The current study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the attachment behaviors scale in Iranian married people. The research method was correlational, and the statistical population is all married people in Iran. According to the research problem, the researchers have determined their target population as married people among the university centers of Tehran, which among whom (from staff and students) 271 individuals (156 women and 115 men) were selected through convenience sampling from Imam Hussein University Center of Strategic Studies and Alzahra University dormitory. The research instruments were the Attachment Behaviors Scale by Sandberg, Novak, Davis, & Busby (2012) and the Four ENRICH Couple Scales by Fowers and Olson (1989). Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. Results showed that Attachment Behaviors-Self and Attachment Behaviors-Partner were two distinct factors. The confirmatory factor fitness indicators except for RMSEA of Self subscale were in the accepted range. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for Attachment Behaviors-Self and Attachment Behaviors-Partner were respectively.71 and .82. Considering the psychometric properties of the attachment behavior scale and its focus on objective behaviors in married relationships, using this scale in research work and planning more accurate and efficient interventions to strengthen secure attachment bonds in married people is recommended to family counselors and psychologists.