1 Abstract Current endeavors in the tech-industry to create the first true metaverse, alongside other things, sparked the emergence of interest around virtual avatars, namely in the NFT community. Given the complexity of design-challenges associated with creating an immersive metaverse, its avatars and the systems they evolve around, this paper aims to understand user desires and motivational patterns for avatar selection in VRChat, a game that resembles much of what a future metaverse could look like. Therefore, nine qualitative interviews with a random sample of VRChat users were conducted. The number of participants was limited due to time constraints, and the results hence might be skewed towards a certain perspective; also, with the risk of users not answering truthfully, et cetera. In a broad sense, the key results validated Lin & Wang’s (2014) four motivational patterns of avatar creation (Virtual Exploration, Social Navigation, Identity Representation and Contextual Adaptation), however with significant differences and nuances within those, indicating important subtypes for each category. Preceding research however did not take into account the effects that apply to users employing advanced VR equipment. Statements from such participants in fact suggest the existence of a fifth dimension (Physical Sensation - the “feeling” of an avatar), possibly caused by a heightened sense of presence (due to using said equipment). On this note, the widespread implementation of mirrors in VRChat worlds, along with the discovery of what players described as “mirror-dwelling”, might also have a serious impact on this phenomenon. Furthermore, the results matched concepts such as the Proteus Effect and Deindividuation theory.

Bostadsmarknaden i Sverige blir allt mer osäker. För studenter som söker bostad på sin studieort har det blivit vanligare att man måste hyra i andra hand. Vad innebär detta för studenterna? Hur kan de bo och skapa ett hem inom dessa villkor på en bostadsmarknad med tillfälliga boendeformer? Följande uppsats har att analyserat hur man kan skapa ett hem på denna typ av bostadsmarknad genom att tillämpa Tim Ingolds begrepp ”dwelling perspective”. Utifrån Rolands Paulsen bok ”En studie i oro” (2020) tar uppsatsen även upp en diskussion om hur vi hanterar att leva i en samtid där oro och en känsla av otrygghet är ständigt närvarande. Genom ett antropologiskt perspektiv på hemmet och att bo är denna uppsats en analys av hur studenter bor och skapar ett hem på en osäker bostadsmarknad.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間健康科学) / 甲第18201号 / 人健博第18号 / 新制||人健||2(附属図書館) / 31059 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科人間健康科学系専攻 / (主査)教授 二木 淑子, 教授 坪山 直生, 教授 桂 敏樹 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human Health Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

This thesis includes three manuscripts with an overarching objective to improve understanding of behavioural risk factors for falling in community-dwelling older adults. The first manuscript presented in Chapter two, presents a protocol for a scoping review. The objective of this scoping review was to highlight the current methods used to identify fall-related risk-taking behaviours in community-dwelling older adults, and to identify factors that might contribute to these behaviours. The second manuscript (Chapter three) presents the results of the scoping review written in the format for publication. The review identified older adults are generally aware of their own falls risk and engage in protective behaviours to reduce their risk of falling. Older adults engaged in risk-taking behaviours based on the potential benefits outweighing perceived risk of the behaviours. An individual’s abilities, self-perception, personal values, and the environment likely influence the perception of risk which contributes to risk-taking behaviours. The third manuscript (Chapter four) includes the analysis of clinical data from a community-based multi-component fall prevention program – the Building Balance Program. Individuals who participated in this six-week fall prevention program improved in balance ability, lower extremity muscle strength, mobility, and reduced fear of falling from baseline. Fear of falling (FoF) was the highest amongst the youngest participants despite having better physical function at the outset of the Program. This suggests that in addition to physical function, other factors, like psychological and social factors may be involved with FoF. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc) / Falling is very common for older adults. Falling can lead to injuries and long-term side effects like fear of falling. Community-based exercise programs are a cost-effective way to help large groups of older adults reduce their risk of falling. Exercise programs can reduce older adults’ risk of falling by improving their balance and muscle strength. But exercise might not be enough to prevent falling in older adults. Falls can happen for various reasons, such as the activities or behaviours in which the individual participates. This thesis includes two studies presented in three papers aimed to better understand behavioural components which may be associated with falls. The results of this research suggest there is a psychological and social component involved with falling. The findings from this thesis highlight the importance of a holistic approach to and may help to inform the development of comprehensive interventions for fall prevention.

Bakgrund: Upplevelsen av ensamhet kan vara skadlig och kan leda till psykisk ohälsa och fysisk sjukdom. Som sjuksköterska är det viktigt att ha god kunskap om ensamhet och desskonsekvenser för att uppmärksamma äldre personer som är i risk för ohälsa och för attkunna ge adekvat stöd till dessa personer Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva hemmaboende äldres upplevelser av ensamhet. Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på åtta kvalitativa artiklar genomfördes.Databassökning gjordes i Cinahl, PubMed och PsycINFO. Analysen baserades på Fribergsfemstegsmodell. Resultat: Analysen gav fyra huvudkategorier och elva underkategorier,huvudkategorierna var: ”Orsaker till ensamhet”, ”Känslouttryck relaterade till ensamhet”,”Att hantera ensamhet” och ”Betydelsen av anhöriga och vänner”. Konklusion: Förlust av livskamrat och vänner samt förlust av funktioner är bidragandeorsaker till ensamhet. Hopplöshet, rädsla, obetydlighet och ledsamhet är framträdande vidensamhet. Aktiviteter samt att socialisera med andra kan göra det lättare att hanterasituationen. Ensamhet kan upplevas negativt men även som en frihet för vissa personer.Acceptans är en viktig hanteringsstrategi. Resultatet av denna studie kan bidra med enökad förståelse för ensamhet hos äldre personer som sjuksköterskor och annanvårdpersonal kan ha nytta av. / Background: The experience of loneliness can be harmful and can lead to mental andphysical illness. As a nurse it is important to have good knowledge of loneliness and itsconsequences in order to draw attention to older people who are at risk of illness and to beable to provide adequate support to these people. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the community-dwelling elderly's experiencesof loneliness. Methods: A literature study based on eight qualitative studies. Database search wasconducted in Cinahl, PubMed and PsycINFO. The analysis was based on Friberg's five-stepmodel. Results: The analysis yielded four main categories and eleven subcategories. The maincategories were: "Causes of loneliness", "Emotional expressions related to loneliness","Managing loneliness" and "The importance of relatives and friends”. Conclusion: Loss of life partner and friends as well as loss of functions are contributingcauses of loneliness. Hopelessness, fear, insignificance and sadness are prominent inloneliness. Activities and socializing with others can make it easier to cope with thesesituations. Loneliness can be a negative experience but can also be seen as a freedom forsome people. Acceptance is an important coping strategy. The results of this study cancontribute to an increased understanding of loneliness in older people that nurses andother health care personnel can benefit from.

A house is situated into a newly designed urban structure, witch we devised in our previous lessons in studio. The project aslo includes a new Mendel’s squar design nearby the house location. The house is a corner vacant in the Křížová Street. The house is thought to contain flats for young people and families due to its location. Most of the apartments are maisonettes. The house has become a tenement house with courtyard galleries because this is typical for this place. The concept of the house is based on the rotation of one wing of the house away from the noisy street with a lot of traffic and trams. There is created a place with many opposite courtyard galleries and apertures. The concept also devides a part of the house facing the street into two main distinct sections. There is a yard with a garden between the two wings of the house and the inhabitants will be able to relax there. The building is higher than an opposite gabled house and it also responds to a corner gabeld house in the Mendel’s squar. The house will be a new dominant in the crossroad among Vaclavcká street, Křížová street and Křídloviská street. There are coffe to go, fitness center and other commercial premises in the ground floor and the first floor. There are 30 flats (including 22 maisonettes) with an avarage area of 67 square meters and 70 parking places in underground garage.

The rehabilitation of the former Jaselská barracks aims to create a place with a clear identity within the city context. A green axis connects the urban-planning elements – the city house and dwellings in the park, and unites the newly built structure. The work elaborates on the park dwellings, which are characterised by a low-rise structure whilst keeping the density of a city block. Proportion suited to the human needs, simple spatial and architectural language and a gradient of public and private spaces are the key elements of this design.

Previous research has suggested that the type of residential dwelling and the tenure status of an individual affects response to noise. However, the effects of these variables has been assumed but not empirically demonstrated. Using questionnaire data collected at selected residential sites, in the Toronto region, this analysis tests the separate and joint effects of dwelling type and tenure, on response to road traffic noise. The results show that tenure status had no effect on a resident's response to traffic noise. There was only a weak dwelling type effect, with detached unit residents being slightly more disturbed than multi-unit residents by the equivalent noise level. The findings do not support a policy of varying noise standards for different types of residential area. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

This research project explores the Hosh house typology, a historic dwelling type in Baghdad facing rapid decline and extinction. The study critically examines historic documentation and employs a wide range of methods to expand knowledge and understanding of the Hosh house. By building an archive around selected architectural objects, the research provides insights in various fields, including architectural anthropology, heritage, craftmanship and sustainable construction. The study draws from scarce and dated documentation, providing new translations of German books on Iraqi architecture, while simultaneously questioning and challenging these findings. The study explores the reasons behind the disappearance of the Hosh house, including urbanization, preference for modern technology and social attitudes. The findings highlight the characteristics and layouts of the Hosh house, presenting the ideal and compromised versions of its design. It also incorporates contemporary sources, such as interviews with local enthusiasts, to fill knowledge gaps and provide a contemporary perspective on the vanishing architectural tradition. Overall, this project contributes to the understanding of the Hosh house's cultural significance within Iraqi architecture and cultural heritage, while emphasizing the need for updated sources and in situ inventories.

The architect’s main tool of representation, parallel projection drawing, can be described as the architect's way of "tracing the shadow of an imagined future". This shadow however, is bigger than the lines we put on paper. If we turn around and face the “behind” of the built, we find ourselves in front of a group of construction workers. “Parallel” and “shadow” are here no longer terms of architectural representation, but rather describes a shadow society existing in parallel to Swedish welfare. With the barracks conceived as infrastructure rather than homes, their inhabitants are being made invisible. Under the pretext "temporary", a lower standard of living is here excused. But workers tend to move from one temporary solution to the other, with the barrack and its shortcomings as a permanent backdrop to their lives.   This book is an effort to begin tracing the shadow of the architect's work, highlight the architecture indirectly produced, and begin a discussion on how to improve construction workers' living situation from an architectural  perspective.