The issue of inadequate shelter has been addressed throughout history, but the relationship of shelter and health brings it to our attention now. The Federal Housing Act of 1948 was instrumental in creating an awareness that shelter quality and the surrounding environment influence physical/mental health and well-being of each individual.…

Presents results from a field study of individuals with disabilities who used voice recognition technology (VRT). Results indicated that task-technology fit, training, the environment, and disability limitations were the differentiating items, and that using VRT for a trial period may be the major factor in successful adoption of the technology.…

Natural disasters come in all shapes and sizes and affect all areas of the earth, and studying natural disasters may make children more aware of their physical environment and their place in it. This column provides a list of websites on different types of natural disasters, including earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, floods,…

This paper describes a wilderness weekend retreat for abused women facilitated by the authors. An overview of wilderness therapy, addressing its historical roots, key theoretical perspectives, as well as issues of emotional and physical safety, is presented. Special emphasis is placed on how to create a wilderness experience that is empowering to…

Senior-center learning opportunities must adapt, as new retirees are better educated than their predecessors. We examined 3 multipurpose senior centers using 120 hours of observations and 30 participant interviews. Variation existed in the ability to maximize synomorphic relationships, where the physical environment supported educational…

The main focus of fluorous chemistry targets resource and time-consuming separation, in order to improve the material economy and thus represents potentially environmentally friendly technology. Fluorous chemistry offers the advantage of easy separation based on different affirmatives of organics and fluorous molecules, where the process called…

Over the past three decades, environmental issues have been on the global forefront and continue to affect people's daily lives. Although the need for environmental attention is at an all-time high, outdoor and environmental education (OEE) plays an insufficient role in school systems. As technology continues to contribute to advancements in every…

The report was commissioned by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) to provide quantitative and qualitative information on the perspectives of teachers, headteachers and governors, from the three pilot regions (London, the South East and Yorkshire and the Humber), towards using local buildings, places and spaces to support learning…

In this paper we present the "grounded adaptive agent" computational framework for studying the emergence of communication and language. This modeling framework is based on simulations of population of cognitive agents that evolve linguistic capabilities by interacting with their social and physical environment (internal and external symbol…

The aim of this article is to understand how architectural aspects of student housing influence students' residential satisfaction and a feeling of home. In this context, the significance of an institutional character of accommodation is reflected on. Architectural aspects and aesthetics of the physical environment are as important for defining…

The authors investigated the idea that memory systems might have evolved to help us remember fitness-relevant information--specifically, information relevant to survival. In 4 incidental learning experiments, people were asked to rate common nouns for their survival relevance (e.g., in securing food, water, or protection from predators); in…

The problem of urban decay in Hong Kong is getting worse recently; therefore, the importance of urban renewal in improving the physical environment conditions and the living standards of the citizens is widely recognized in the territory. However, it is not an easy task for the Hong Kong Government to prepare welcome urban renewal proposals…

Many individuals with developmental disabilities show delays in the development of sophisticated communication skills. Listeners often misunderstand their unconventional means of communication, and breakdowns occur. A "communication repair" is a second attempt to communicate a message when a breakdown is encountered. Qualitative methods were…