Body cleansing is an integral part of people's everyday life. Between five and seven percent of people over the age of 65 experience problems when using the bathroom. Some investigators have postulated that disability in older persons can further occur when there is a gap, mismatch, or poor fit between personal capabilities and environmental demands. Current bathing fixtures do not support people with limited ability, and so the current bathing environment perpetuates bathing disability. Furthermore, because assistive bathing technology is meant for one particular user, it can impede other users when they need to bathe. A consequence of this is that the assistive bathing technology could be abandoned. The purpose of this study is to design and evaluate a bathtub for body cleansing regardless of an individual's physical ability and allow for all stakeholders to use the tub within the same space.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-127). / The purpose of this study was to research the effects of sociological and technological changes on the development of swimwear. Bathing and swimming suit styles have reflected attitudes toward male-female relationships, the status of women, and public nudity. Technological developments in fibers and fabrics improved the appearance, wear, and practicality of swimming suits. Reductions in working hours and the development of labor-saving devices created leisure time. Swimming became a popular leisure time activity. Beauty pageants utilized the bathing suit as a means of exploiting the female form. The entrance of women as active participants in swimming necessitated a practical costume. Swimwear designers have contributed to the relative "undress" of the bathing suit. Laws relating to bathing, bathing suits, and swimming were enacted. Reductions in the amount of fabric used in bathing dresses were the result of innovations in women's undergarments, functional requirements of the sport of swimming, sunbathing, and an increasing degree of informality in social behavior. / M. A.

Considerable controversy exists in the world with respect to coastal quality. A multidisciplinary project was initiated to examine the health effects of bathing in sewage contaminated coastal waters, using a popular beach resort, Whitmore Bay, close to the cities of South Wales; and to explore ways of measuring public perception of coastal pollution at selected beaches in South Wales including Whitmore Bay, Langland Bay and Cefn Sidan. The research also investigated the regulatory framework responsible for the sustainability of coastal tourism and the effectiveness of beach award flags as marketing tools in the promotion of resorts. Current legislation addresses coastal pollution in terms of physical health criteria with little regard given to aesthetic quality of sea/landscape and psychological well-being of the beach user. It is necessary to overcome the dichotomised approach to beach management by crossing the boundaries between the physical and social sciences in order to take an holistic view of the coastal scene, accounting for environmental, political, economic and social aspects. An epidemiological/microbiological investigation was conducted at Whitmore Bay during the summer of 1995. Statistical modelling. using Linear Logisitic Regression, indicated swimmers to significantly increase their chance of contracting an illness in comparison to non-swimmers and also identifed non-water related factors to have a confounding effect; no interaction was observed. These findings were in congruence with other major studies. Beach questionnaires were distributed to elicit information on the activities, health and socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects during the day of the survey (n=1276). A telephone interview schedule was utilised 10 days post the beach survey to investigate the differential in illness rates between the cases and controls (n=585). Water sampling was carried out on the days of the health risk survey. Although, high counts of both Ecoli and faecal streptococci were recorded, reaching an average of 3400 and 440 per 100ml respectively, no dose response relationship was observed between morbidity rates and bacterial indicator density. A semi-structured questionnaire was employed to obtain data on beach user perception to coastal pollution and beach award schemes for both the 1995 and 1996 surveys. The 1995 questionnaire served a dual approach running simultaneously with the epidemiological-microbiological analysis (n=1276). The 1996 survey questionnaire was developed from the original 1995 questionnaire. and distributed at an additional two beaches in South Wales, Langland Bay and Cefn Sidan, (n=821). Results of both surveys showed that beach users were acutely aware of coastal pollution both land based and marine and suggested that public awareness of the different beach award schemes is low. Of the different types of award systems included on the questionnaire, the European Blue Flag Award gained highest recognition (26-30%), but even those that identified with it often had a misunderstanding of its true meaning. If consumers misinterpret the meaning of the flag which flies on a designated beach. then the designation of the beach will do little to offset consumers' concerns about health risks.

For ancient Romans, a trip to the public baths was one of the central events of daily life. The copious physical remains of these buildings have been studied in detail by archaeologists and art historians, but many facets of their history and functioning remain unclear or disputed. This dissertation attempts to fill some of the gaps in our knowledge of this core institution in Roman community life. Three aspects are selected for close study: the origins of the baths; the growth of their popularity; and some social aspects of their daily operation. To date these questions have been respectively not satisfactorily addressed, glossed over, or treated only in the most general terms. The approach taken in the first section, unlike previous studies, is to emphasize the human side of the baths' origins: what drove the Romans (or, more precisely, the Carnpanians) to create their distinctive bathing facilities? Previous theories, mostly based on archaeological evidence, are examined in detail and found to be unsatisfactory. The admittedly sparse literary and epigraphic evidence is subjected to close critical scrutiny. All three types of primary source are then combined to form a new hypothesis which better fits all the evidence than the often fanciful proposals which still carry currency among Roman balneologists. Section two is concerned with tracing and explaining the growth in the baths' popularity in the 1st centuries BC and AD. Again, archaeological and written evidence is combined to determine the main periods of growth. In searching for an explanation for the phenomenon, it is suggested that the medical teachings of the famous doctor Asclepiades of Bithynia may have played an important, if not precisely quantifiable, role in the spread of the bathing habit in the city. The main basis for section three is the tabulated epigraphic evidence, a largely untapped source for the study of the baths. Using these data (as well as material drawn from other sources) an investigation is conducted into the identities, motives, and social statuses of bathbuilders and rnaintainers. In addition, an attempt is made to reconstruct from available evidence the social environment to be found at the baths. In the course of the inquiry, some consequences for broader topics in Roman social history are highlighted. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Duke University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1935. / Bibliography: p. 42.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1935. / Bibliography: p. 42.

No description available.

No description available.