6 research outputs found
An Assessment of user preference in artificial pathway lighting in urban parks; Cases from Greater Colombo region
No full textUrban parks are critical in converting cities to liveable spaces, where artificial lighting directly affects the users’ night-time experience. This study explores the urban park users’ preferences in artificial pathway lighting, through their subjective responses towards Brightness, Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT), and luminaires of the existing lighting design, at four popular urban parks in Colombo. The reasons for the said preferences were investigated under three overarching themes: perceived safety, perceived quality of light, and restorative experience. A mixed methods approach was employed for data collection, where questionnaires were used together with measurements, in-situ observations, and photographic analysis for better understanding. The user preferences were found to be directly associated with their perception of the lit environment. The existing brightness levels are insufficient for majority of the users and has affected their perception of safety. The poor selection and placement of luminaires have negatively affected the lighting quality, while the positive effect on the users’ restorative experience has induced a higher preference towards the CCT of the light sources. The results revealed that the majority of the users opted for changes in the current lighting design, indicating that the user needs and requirements are not effectively addressed in this regard
An Assessment of User Preferences on Artificial Pathway Lighting in Urban Parks with Special Reference to the Greater Colombo Region
No full textBeing a globally immerging concept, urban parks play a critical role in converting cities to liveable spaces, where artificial lighting directly affects the users’ night-time experience. Therefore, addressing user needs and preferences helps achieve a successful lighting design. This study was conducted at four popular urban parks in Colombo: Viharamahadevi Park, Independence Square, Urban Wetland Park and Diyatha Uyana, where the urban park users’ subjective responses towards three lighting parameters: brightness, Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT), and luminaires of the existing pathway lighting design, selected based on the appropriateness in terms of pathway lighting, and the practicality of assessing them within the chosen urban parks, were evaluated. The reasons for the said preferences were investigated under three overarching themes: perceived safety, perceived quality of light, and restorative experience. Data collection was done through a mixed methods approach under two main steps, namely the literature review survey and the case study survey. A sample of 10 participants (5 males and 5 females) were selected at each location through convenience sampling. Questionnaires were given to the users to rate their preference towards the existing pathway lighting conditions on a scale from 1 (very unsatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). The user responses were analysed together with existing brightness levels measured using a digital lux meter, in-situ observations and photographic analysis of user behavioural patterns at case study locations, so as to further strengthen the outcomes. Aligned with literature, the user preferences were found to be directly associated with their perception of the lit environment. The results revealed that the majority of the users opted for change in the current lighting design, although they were both negatively and positively affected by it, indicating that the user needs and requirements are not effectively addressed in this regard.
Keywords: User preference, Artificial lighting, Pathway lighting, Urban park
Diversity in Neukölln: Maintaining or creating accessibility (for a diversity of social groups) in a gentrifying central neighbourhood in the case of Berlin
No full textThe project tries to anticipate on the gentrification issues in the case of Neukölln in Berlin. How to stimulate/maintain accessibility for a diversity of social groups in a central gentrifying area [in the case of Neukölln, Berlin] ? This is the main research question of the thesis. This resulted in a project that consists of a strategy for Neukölln (and a part of Alt-Treptow). The strategy proposes to use different interventions on different layers. The implementation of the strategy is illustrated with designs of these interventions.Urban FabricsUrbanismArchitecture and The Built Environmen
Mergers and acquisitions: On the ages and origins of Singapore English particles
No full textThis paper presents a comprehensive account of the discourse particles in colloquial Singapore English (SE), considering their etymology in the light of both structure and sociohistory. While the object of many studies, mostly focusing on their meaning and use, and generally recognised as coming from Southern Chinese languages, the establishment of the origins and evolution of SE particles has not before been attempted. The thrust of this paper is thus twofold: (i) it outlines the linguistic ecology of Singapore over the decades and proposes a framework involving three ages in which different languages are recognised as dominant, influencing the feature pool in the evolution of SE, and (ii) it identifies the most likely sources of SE particles, through (a) a systematic comparison of the forms and functions of SE particles with particles from the substrates, including, in particular, their original tone, and (b) recourse to sociohistorical facts to support the linguistic postulation. I suggest that in an early era Bazaar Malay and Hokkien contributed the particles lah, ah and what, and Cantonese in a later age provided lor, hor, leh, meh and ma, inclusive of tone. This argument highlights issues interesting for contact dynamics and new varieties of English. © 2007 The Author. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
Word order, information structure and agreement in Teke-Kukuya
No full textThis thesis first provides a grammar sketch of Teke-Kukuya which is a Bantu language spoken in the Republic of Congo, covering the topics on its segmental phonology and prosodic system, noun classes and noun phrases, verbal morphology and TAM conjugations, as well as some syntactic issues based on newly collected data. The second part of the thesis investigates the interaction between syntax and information structure in this language. The author discusses word order variation and expressions of information structure with particular interests in a dedicated immediate-before-verb (IBV) focus position in this language. Since the IBV focus construction shares many grammatical properties with clefts, both segmentally and tonally, the author makes the hypothesis that diachronically the IBV focus strategy originates from a basic cleft, and it has been grammaticalised towards a monoclausal focus construction. The thesis also gives a synchronic analysis on the structural representation of the IBV focus construction, discussing the subject agreement asymmetry in subject/non-subject relatives and the associated class 1 subject marking alternation in the IBV focus construction.Language Use in Past and Presen
Dietary protein considerations to support active aging
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Given our rapidly aging world-wide population, the loss of skeletal muscle mass with healthy aging (sarcopenia) represents an important societal and public health concern. Maintaining or adopting an active lifestyle alleviates age-related muscle loss to a certain extent. Over time, even small losses of muscle tissue can hinder the ability to maintain an active lifestyle and, as such, contribute to the development of frailty and metabolic disease. Considerable research focus has addressed the application of dietary protein supplementation to support exercise-induced gains in muscle mass in younger individuals. In contrast, the role of dietary protein in supporting the maintenance (or gain) of skeletal muscle mass in active older persons has received less attention. Older individuals display a blunted muscle protein synthetic response to dietary protein ingestion. However, this reduced anabolic response can largely be overcome when physical activity is performed in close temporal proximity to protein consumption. Moreover, recent evidence has helped elucidate the optimal type and amount of dietary protein that should be ingested by the older adult throughout the day in order to maximize the skeletal muscle adaptive response to physical activity. Evidence demonstrates that when these principles are adhered to, muscle maintenance or hypertrophy over prolonged periods can be further augmented in active older persons. The present review outlines the current understanding of the role that dietary protein occupies in the lifestyle of active older adults as a means to increase skeletal muscle mass, strength and function, and thus support healthier aging.This article was published in a supplement supported by Gatorade Sports Science Institute. The supplement was guest edited by Lawrence L. Spriet who attended a meeting of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) expert panel in February 2013 and received honoraria from the GSSI, a division of PepsiCo, Inc., for his meeting participation and the writing of his manuscript. He has not received any honoraria for guest editing the supplement. L.L.S. selected peer reviewers for each paper (except his own) and managed the process. Luc van Loon, PhD attended a meeting of the GSSI Expert Panel in February 2013 and received honoraria from the GSSI, a division of PepsiCo, Inc., for his meeting participation and the writing of this manuscript. The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of PepsiCo, Inc
