1,629 research outputs found
Evaluating the outcomes of cancer patients receiving palliative care in Botswana
No full textBotswana is an upper middle-income country in Sub-Saharan Africa that is experiencing a growing incidence of cancer and other Non-Communicable Diseases and is at the early stages of implementing Palliative Care (PC). PC has been shown to enhance the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their families, consequently improving their health outcomes. This research will emphasise the importance of PC in the Botswana health care system and aims to determine the outcomes of patients under palliative care at Princess Marina Hospital (PMH). Methods: We prospectively enrolled 53 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of metastatic and/or progressive cancer who were referred to the PC team for the first time from March 2023 to November 2023. The primary end-point was a change in symptoms and QoL from baseline to four (4) weeks as per the APCA African POS questionnaire and the ECOG PS tool. Participants were assessed initially at entry to PC services and again after 4 weeks while under PC. Results: A total of 53 participants were included in the initial assessment while 42 were included in both the initial and subsequent assessments, indicating an attrition rate of 21%. The top 5 cancers were: breast (20.8%), cervical(15.1%), prostate(9.4%), anorectal(9.4%) and oesophageal(9.4%). Symptoms occurring in at least 50% of the participants were: pain (94.3%), weakness (75.5%), nausea (58.5%), loss of appetite (64.1%), constipation (50.9%), dry mouth (69.8%), drowsiness (56.6%), poor mobility (54.7%) and worry (90.6%). The results showed that the difference was statistically significant between the two -time points for pain (z=2.707, p = 0.0068), shortness of breath (z=2.261, p=0.0238), nausea (z=3.275, p=0.0011), loss of appetite (z=2.480, p=0.0131), constipation (z=2.832, p=0.0046), drowsiness( z=3.091, p=0.0020), ability to share feelings with family and friends(z=0.701, p=0.0069) and advice to plan for the future(z=2.586, p=0.0097).Vomiting(z=0.982, p=0.326), dry mouth(z=1.466, p=0.1426) , poor mobility(z=1.922, p=1.922), feelings of worry( z= 1.127, p=0.2596), feeling that life is worthwhile(z=1.330, p=0.1835) and feeling at peace(z=1.651, p=0.0987) did not show a statistically significant difference between the before and after measurements, however, in all these domains, the difference was such that the average score was less at the subsequent assessment. Total mean scores (composite scores) for the physical and psychological symptoms were analysed between the two time periods and the difference was statistically significant (z=3.828, p=0.0001). The difference between the before and after measurements for functional status was not statistically significant (z=-0.611, p=0.542). Conclusion: Patients with advanced cancer have a high symptom burden which affects their QoL. A PC approach appears to be effective in improving symptoms and QoL of patients with advanced cancer
Tiny House, Big Fix
No full textIn this short novel, a single mother and her teenage daughters have a hard time finding a home.Cover -- Title Page -- Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 6 -- Chapter 7 -- Chapter 8 -- Chapter 9 -- Chapter 10 -- Chapter 11 -- Chapter 12 -- Author's Note -- Acknowledgments -- Author BiographyIn this short novel, a single mother and her teenage daughters have a hard time finding a home.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
Tiny Houses: A History Thesis on the Tiny House Movement
No full textWith a shortage of over 300,000 homes, which will be even more in the coming years, the Netherlands has a social problem that needs to be solved (NOS, 2021; Bremmer & ten Teije, 2020). The Netherlands also needs to take more progressive measures in the field of sustainability in order to meet its goals. The relatively young concept of "tiny house" offers solutions for this (Obbink, 2020; Shearer & Burton, 2019; The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, 2013). However, because it does not yet have global recognition and the tiny house movement is still very young, there is a need to first understand what a tiny house entails, where this movement comes from, and what the reasons are for people to switch to this lifestyle. With the answers to these questions, a more concrete look at the Netherlands will be undertaken. Literature research will be conducted and existing research based on surveys with tiny house enthusiasts will be used to provide answers to the above. This thesis contributes to the interdisciplinary literature on this topic. With the outcome that tiny houses can offer solutions to the housing shortage in the Netherlands and in the field of environmental sustainability, it is recommended to conduct deeper research in the future to get an even better grasp on what ways tiny houses can contribute to this.AR2A011Architectural History ThesisArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Science
Tiny Robot Learning: Challenges and Directions for Machine Learning in Resource-Constrained Robots
No full textMachine learning (ML) has become a pervasive tool across computing systems. An emerging application that stress-tests the challenges of ML system design is tiny robot learning, the deployment of ML on resource-constrained low-cost autonomous robots. Tiny robot learning lies at the intersection of embedded systems, robotics, and ML, compounding the challenges of these domains. Tiny robot learning is subject to challenges from size, weight, area, and power (SWAP) constraints; sensor, actuator, and compute hardware limitations; end-to-end system tradeoffs; and a large diversity of possible deployment scenarios. Tiny robot learning requires ML models to be designed with these challenges in mind, providing a crucible that reveals the necessity of holistic ML system design and automated end-to-end design tools for agile development. This paper gives a brief survey of the tiny robot learning space, elaborates on key challenges, and proposes promising opportunities for future work in ML system design.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Control & Simulatio
tunus - tiny house project: an interdisciplinary approach to architecture
No full textA tiny house is a building for permanent human habitation that is specifically designed to have a limited ground surface. The tiny house design discussed in this report has a strong focus on circularity, sustainable material usage, smart systems, and affordability. To achieve an overall self-regulating and ecological concept, the aim is to combine and optimise the different flows that go through the tiny house - i.e. electricity, waste, and water. These flows are also smartly integrated and made more efficient on a network scale. Several tunus tiny houses are combined in a village because sustainable living environments can be created more effectively when collaborating in communities. Eventually, the goal is to obtain a network with such flexibility that its principles can be implemented on any collection of tiny houses or even terraced houses and flats.tiny house projectArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Science
A system to evaluate the presence of a diarrheal epidemic caused by Shigella and Salmonella
No full textImproving self-management for Type 2 diabetes and hypertension patients in Peri-urban townships in the Western Cape, South Africa
No full textPhilosophiae Doctor - PhDThe rising burden of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and hypertension (HTN) and the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in general on weak public health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) require innovative approaches for disease prevention and management. T2D and HTN are major preventable NCDs through early risk factor detection. Once diagnosed with these conditions, patients’ monitoring and control is done to reduce the occurrence of disease complications. We hypothesized that optimized contextual patient self-management plays a critical role in risk factor control, disease management and prevention of complications
Tiny Housing and State Policy
No full textabstract: The nation is currently facing an affordable housing crisis. One of many potential solutions is the creation of tiny homes. The following thesis is an essay from a student who worked as a tiny home champion for three years, culminating with an analysis of how a state bill encouraging tiny home development could be passed at the state level
Designing for Compact Living Spaces: An Exploration Tool for the Ultimate Tiny House Experience
No full textIn recent years, the popularity of compact living spaces like Tiny Houses is rising in the Netherlands. With Tiny Houses still gaining in popularity, there is a demand for information and knowledge about this new form of living. Through multiple sources, interested people are learning about tiny living and how to realize living in a Tiny House. However, these sources only cover the 'what' and 'how' about a Tiny House and forget about the most important 'why' part: why does a Tiny House fit you and which aspects of living in a Tiny House are important to you?This project focuses on this 'why-gap' by designing an exploration tool that helps people to find their ultimate Tiny House experience and this way create a strong base for designing their own Tiny House.To gain knowledge about the context, target group, and existing Tiny Houses, multiple types of research are conducted. In a contextual research, Tiny House residents are asked to share their experiences to find out which different values can be distinguished per resident. In the user research, the target groups are defined to see how the tool could contribute to each of the different groups. The reference analysis is used to map out the different characteristic elements that determine the design and character of a Tiny House.From these researches, a design model arose, where the 'why' forms the base of the design, with the user and its values central. The 'how' builds on to this base, where the choices of the user as the determinants are central. Finally, these two layers serve as the foundation for the design of the Tiny House. The final design: Tiny Roots is a toolkit that can be used in a series of sessions, for users to explore their ultimate Tiny House experience by answering this 'why' and 'how' first before designing the 'what': the Tiny House itself. It serves as the roots for designing a Tiny House that meets all values and wishes, matches the personality of the resident and this way create the ultimate Tiny House experience.Design for Interactio
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