The prediction of sound and vibration transmission in built-up structures is important for human comfort, health and safety. For structural reasons, engineering structures often incorporate periodic ribbed plates to increase stiffness and stability whilst reducing the weight. However, vibration propagation on periodic ribbed plates is complex due to the existence of stop/pass bands. This thesis is concerned with predicting vibration transmission between isotropic, homogeneous plates and periodic ribbed plates. The objectives are to investigate the use of Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) and develop and validate advanced SEA (ASEA) using ray tracing to incorporate tunnelling mechanisms. Two approaches were considered for modelling the periodic ribbed plate: either representing it as a single subsystem or representing each bay as a single subsystem in the high-frequency range (above the fundamental local mode of the bay). In the low-frequency range (below the fundamental local mode of the bay) Finite Element Methods (FEM) and laboratory experiments show that the periodic ribbed plate can be adequately modelled in SEA using wave approaches from periodic structure and orthotropic plate theories. In the high-frequency range a significant decrease in energy along successive bays was identified using FEM leading to the conclusion that it is not appropriate to model a periodic plate as a single subsystem. SEA models were therefore investigated that treated each bay as an individual subsystem using wave theory. For different L-junctions formed from an isotropic, homogeneous plate and a periodic ribbed plate, SEA significantly underestimated the response in the bays. Experimental SEA (ESEA) was used to investigate these discrepancies which confirmed the existence of tunnelling mechanisms between physically unconnected subsystems. In contrast to SEA which gave errors up to 60 dB for the furthest bay from the junction, ASEA gave errors less than 6 dB when the mode count for the bay was greater than five. A range of two- and three- plate structures with different periodic ribbed plates or periodic folded plate have been modelled with ASEA. The results all lead to the conclusion that ASEA can successfully incorporate tunnelling mechanisms and provide a significantly more accurate approach to predicting high-frequency vibration transmission across periodic ribbed plates than SEA.

The full integration of End User Factors (EUFs) into the building design processes environment is still emergent. It has been suggested from other sectors that the integration of EUFs into design can improve work performance and promote the workforce’s physical and mental health. The need for EUFs in the passive design strategies (PDS) (i.e., ventilation, day lighting and thermal comfort) has become a prerequisite condition from clients to enhance the user experience and harmonise their activities with PD performances. MFE (2011) claimed that architects are not fully engaged in the integration of EUFs in design. “The design team should involve future users and facilities management staff in the design process, and develop a building user’s guide to inform occupants of the building’s design intent”. This research has carried out an intensive literature review into user centred design (UCD) methods and factors in the building, engineering and IT industries. The investigation spans from 1955 to date. The literature showed that there are no coherent models in the building industry that capture the total EUFs as portrayed in ISO standards. However, in the IT industry the theory of UCD is well advanced and developed. The methodology that is followed by this research is based on a critical analysis of the literature and prototype modelling. To ensure the appropriate EUFs are selected and integrated into design, the author needs to investigate what are the most relevant EUFs and how to integrate them into various PDs. To carry out this process effectively the author developed a systematic process that captures EUFs in the design processes. First, the research investigated PDs and clustered them under three dimensions, which are passive ventilation, passive lighting and passive heating (PLVT). Second, the investigation sought to understand the difference between users (Us) and end-users (EUs). This has resulted in creating classes of Us and EUs so that the extracted factors are mapped into these classes. Third, the research used ISO 13407 and ISO 9126 standards to develop a conceptual model. The first standard is used to organise the processes of UCD into coherent and dynamic steps. The second is used to systemise PD attributes (ATTs) and sub-attributes (S-ATTs) and map them into the processes that are developed in the previous stage, that is to say, according to ISO 13407. The output from this is the creation of a conceptual user centred passive building design model “UCPBD”. The model aims to assist designers to assess their design for the inclusion of EUFs. The model could be used for both PDs and non PDs. The research has considered 132 EUFs. A questionnaire was used to identify the most influential factors. The questionnaire was distributed among architects’ professionals. The results were analysed using several statistical methods. The analysis shows a disparity of the ranking of the degree of influence and usage among the surveyed groups. The most effective factors were 44 out of 132 EUFs. There was a statistical difference at the p<0.05 level significant for four factors out of 132 factors. These are BB1: Durable, high quality finishes, BG2: Utility PD cores uniformly designed and vertically stacked, DA8: Design passive space that responds to changes in spatial dimensions (volume) and EB2: Use high quality material with long service life to handle passive functions in terms of professional role. In terms of the architect experience only nine EUFs out of 132 EUFs were rejected. These are AA2: Orient the building for optimum lighting, ventilation and thermal comfort, AC11: Narrow floor width to optimise natural ventilation, AC12: Provide solar-oriented interior zone to store and maximise solar heat gain, AE9: Provide shading strategies for wall exposed to summer sun to mitigate unwanted solar gain for optimum ventilation and thermal comfort, BE3: The visual comfort of the lighting (e.g., glare, reflections, contrast), CA2: Consider the dimensions of passive spaces to suit human scale (avoiding undersize or oversize areas), DA10: Design passive layout based on future use scenarios, EB3: Consider the rate of expansion/contraction of material of PDs and FA7: Design for ease to adjust lighting, ventilation and thermal comfort physical element features. The post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test also indicated these differences between four EUFs in terms of professional role and nine EUFs in terms of experience but found no significant differences between 128 and 123 EUFs respectively. The results of the cluster analysis indicate that the most influential EUFs can be grouped into six clusters. These are: passive design functionality (PDF), passive design performance (PDP), passive design usability (PDU), passive design flexibility (PDFL), passive design reliability (PDR), and passive design maintainability (PDM). The clusters are grouped according to ISO standards. The result validity testing shows that selected clusters are characterised by strong relationships. Only the reliability of PDR cluster shows low conformity (.539, but it is still acceptable statistical limits. The clusters are used to develop an assessment tool to map EUFs into PD processes. The model is generic and can be used as a tool to evaluate PDS for the inclusion of EUFs. The model was validated on four projects, which are namely Houghton Street Project, Cherry Mill Project, Fitzroy Street Project and Tullis Russell Environmental Education (TREE) Centre, to demonstrate the use and capabilities of the proposed model. The results show Satisfactory, Significant, Significant and Highly Significant respectively. This study is a first attempt to organise EUFs by using conceptual models, statistical as well as decision support tools. Accordingly, this leads to extend the theory of PD by systemising and incorporating EUFs. Overall, this investigation builds knowledge by extending UCD theory to the PBD context and by proving a list of effective EU factors. The results from this research can demonstrate and advance our knowledge in the area of PBD by integrating EUFs into the design process in a systematic way. Then, this will certainly lead to the design of highly-performing and resilient buildings. A design paradigm will help architects to rethink the integration of EU needs during the design process and create a cultural shift in design practices. By using EU needs as a benchmark for design assessment, the potential for improving the indoor environment and EU well-being in buildings is enormous. Also, the implication of this work is that it may lead to the design of high performing buildings and increase the satisfaction of the Us and EUs.

Climate Change (CC) is recognised as having a significant impact on human decisions, subsequently affecting human-made networks and social systems. Accordingly, gaining insight into how and when CC-related data is established, distributed and utilised is essential in terms of the design of policies, approaches and systems governing everyday life. Uncovering the impacts and risks associated with CC on building sector assets has been highlighted in other research studies as an area necessitating further work. With this in mind, this study is directed towards considering the risks known to emerge from CC scenarios on UK buildings and real estate, and how buildings may be affected by CC. This study adopted a critical literature review with the goal of establishing the risks seen to emerge from CC. The study has adopted an online survey in order to explore the opinions and views of professionals and practitioners across several organisations, sectors and institutions in the UK in relation to the risks emerging from CCS. In addition, the research assessed the most likely risks emerging from CCS on buildings and real estate, along with the potential timescale of their emergence, as based on the experience of the respondents of the study. Moreover, the survey was designed empirically to identified—as based on the emerging risks—the possible and practical responses that will form the most effective Climate Change Risk Management (CCRM) strategies and tools to be adopted to cope with these emerging risks and accordingly avoid as much impact as is possible in direct consideration of property. The main findings from this study showed that, identifying and assessing the emerging risks from CC—specifically in terms of their damages, impacts and emergence timeframe—are crucial for all stages of the lifecycle of buildings and real estate. In this study, 112 risk factors have been identified and were grouped into seven main clusters; from which the operational emerging risks were the most important risks cluster. On the whole, this study provides a first attempt to uncover the potential emerging risks from CCS on the building sector from different perspectives, using conceptual study and simulation in relation to previous researches, and therefore helps to extend the understanding of the possible risks and impacts emerging from CC. In addition, this study builds knowledge in the building sector by providing the potential emerging risks that need to be integrated within a building’s lifecycle in a systematic manner for mitigating the impact of climate change.

This thesis investigates the Co-operative Model Town Society Lahore; a town covering an area of around 2000 acres developed in the 1920’s in the (then) suburbs of Lahore, capital of Punjab province in British India. The Town is a remarkable interpretation of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City ideals and the co-operative principles. However, the real significance of the town is it being a unique example of a co-operative garden town built by the local Indian bourgeois, majority of whom were forced to migrate due to the disturbances that followed after the declaration of independence to India and Pakistan in 1947. Despite the admiration and significance of the Town in the realm of pre and post-Independence Lahore, very little has been documented about it. Its formal documented history is non-existent while its original built environment, an excellent example to illustrate late-colonial architecture in the region, is diminishing rapidly due to negligence and reconstructions. The aim of this research is the documentation of history, urban form, social character and architecture of the pre-independence Model Town. Consequently, through an analysis of its built environment this study intends to develop an insight into the colonizer-colonized cultural transfers, in particular, to the transformation of British town planning ideas in the colonies due to their interpretation by the local Indians under the influence of prevalent religious, cultural and social practices. The research was conducted by the process of historical construction, whereby evidences from the documents and the built environment have been used collectively to develop the historiography of the town. The selection of primary material has been based on its availability as the documentary evidences are scattered across Pakistan, India and the UK. The built environment has been documented using the official drawings as well as onsite surveys and measurements where the original drawings are unavailable. The Town has been analysed in a comparative setting with respect to contemporary urban, architectural and social trends and practices prevalent locally ( both by the colonial rulers and the colonized natives) as well as global movements, especially Western ideologies and perspectives and their retrospect local adaptations. The documentation and analysis were used as a ground for four interpretative conclusions. The first conclusion elaborates on the need of urban historiography in Pakistan. The second conclusion interprets the Model Town in the realm of twentieth century urban planning in the region. The third conclusion elaborates on the colonial architectural styles. The fourth conclusion gives an insight into the Model Town with reference to western styled ‘Indian’ nationalism.

A resilient building design assessment tool is developed and presented to assist architects in preparing designs to meet the challenges of climate change. The tool incorporates a set of resilience factors that have been selected as a result of information gathered from an extensive literature review (from 1980 on) and a detailed questionnaire sent out to a sample of architects working in the field, together with a statistical analysis of the collected data. Climate change poses the built environment with an increasing threat of more frequent and severe meteorological events, including heavy precipitation, flooding, powerful storms and winds, lengthy and intense heat waves, and globally rising temperatures. The literature review revealed that there have as yet been few attempts to develop systematically models that integrate climate change risks (CCRs) with corresponding resilience factors in order that CCR resilience can be included in all aspects of a building and its site from the outset. The methodology adopted in this research is based on a critical analysis of the literature and the development of a prototype assessment model. Central to the success of this model is the capture of a set of resilience factors (SFs). As a first step, the researcher clustered climate change risks (CCRs) into four categories: physical, social, economic and management. Next, six aspects of resilience as applied to buildings were identified: site, layout, structure, envelope, system and operation. To ensure that appropriate resilience factors were chosen and incorporated into the model, the author extracted the most relevant factors from the review and divided them among the six key building aspects. In total 85 SFs were incorporated into the model. A questionnaire was prepared and sent out to a large number of practicing and academic architects of differing levels of experience. A statistical analysis of the replies, which included a scoring by the respondents of the effectiveness of each resilience factor, was used to refine and reduce the number of resilience factors, to 28, for inclusion in the assessment tool. The tool was then trialled on three projects to demonstrate its capabilities and effectiveness in assessing the resilience of a building against CCRs. It is hoped that the tool described here will, with further refinements and improvements, become a practical aid to architects faced with designing buildings in a world of increasingly severe hydro-meteorological events.

The research investigates the thermal performance of residential buildings in Abuja, Nigeria during the dry and rainy seasons. A field study was conducted to understand the real and preferred conditions of thermal comfort in low-income residential buildings, which represent the largest single housing sector. Knowing the temperatures people are experiencing in their houses and the limits that residents can tolerate is a first step to proffer passive solutions to reduce discomfort and energy demand and then satisfy the energy demand passively. During the survey, 222 people responded to a post occupancy questionnaire and for the ten selected case study dwellings, a comfort survey questionnaire was used. Physical measurements were taken simultaneously during the comfort survey in both air-conditioned and naturally ventilated residential buildings. The ASHRAE and air flow sensation scales were chosen as voting scales. This survey further looked at possible barriers to the implementation of more sustainable approaches that would enhance passive solutions in Nigeria, since the conventional means of cooling in this hot-humid climate is becoming expensive and less satisfactory. The results from the study showed that during the dry season monitoring period, the average and maximum temperatures in the air-conditioned case studies were 32°C and 34°C; and 31°C and 36°C for the naturally ventilated buildings. This compares with the external average and maximum air temperatures of 31°C and more than 40°C. Dynamic simulation modelling was used to reveal the sensitivity of the cooling loads to various thermal interventions (e.g. insulation and shading) in the case study buildings. The optimum passive cooling intervention (involving roof and wall insulation and shading) proved to be effective in reducing the indoor maximum temperatures by more than 5°C for naturally ventilated cases and the cooling load. This translates to a monthly cost saving in the air-conditioned model of N8,110 (£16.97) which is significant compared to the Nigerian National Minimum Wage of N18,000 (£37.66). This study makes a significant contribution to understanding the real and ideal thermal conditions occupants experience in low and middle income residential buildings in Abuja and demonstrates the effectiveness of passive interventions in reducing indoor temperatures and cooling loads.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-03-30T00:09:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2014-02-26 / In Brazil, increasing rates of pregnancy among 10 to 16 year-old adolescents has caused increasing demand for Brazilian public policies to mobilize adolescent protection and health actions. The theoretical perspectives that framed this issue were the autobiographical narratives of Fritz Schütze and Jerome Bruner: the former defending the idea that social reality consists fundamentally of ever-changing processes, enriching their production methods; the latter basing narratives on human experiences, believing that someone's life narrative is the process of talking about oneself through which we contextualize life. This study aims to analyze what narratives reveal about the adolescent trajectory in her first pregnancy. Thirty adolescents, aged 12 to 16, were interviewed according to the narrative interview technique espoused by Schütze during their first medical visit after giving birth in a maternity clinic in Fortaleza from March to August 2013. The analysis followed Fritz Schütze's narrative process whose cross-culture application is frequently used in adolescent problem studies. This analysis also captured some peculiarities of individual and group trajectories and demonstrated the sense that the adolescents gave to their experiences throughout their first pregnancies. Four thematic narrative groups emerged: "I was seeing someone and I got pregnant," "Pregnancy is not a paradise: conflicts and dilemmas," "Pregnancy and changes," and "And now what?: realities and perspectives." Next, themes, sub-themes and elements of analysis were extracted, strengthening the emergence of the process. The first theme elucidated the basic reasons of early pregnancy in relation to sexuality, birth control and pregnancy prevention, as well as lack of knowledge about pregnancy. The second theme explored the appearance of emotional experiences during pregnancy such as regret, recognizing the importance of parents, prejudice, and abandonment. The third theme focuses on the participant's changes in relation to herself, her family, her partner, her friends, her school and leisure. The final theme, "And now what?: realities and perspectives," includes several sub-themes: abandoning school, taking care of the child, the necessity of work, and social vulnerability as well as "I don't want my child to suffer as I have," future uncertainty, and perspectives about the child's future. In light of this study and analysis, we determined that the first pregnancy of an adolescent is perceived as an immature experience with socially relevant impacts. We conclude that health promotion among adolescents with family, school, and health service participation in addition to patient navigation of these youth to promote their security and strengthen their sexual understanding in this phase of growth remain paramount. / No Brasil, índices crescentes de gravidez, entre adolescentes de 10 a 16 anos de idade, constitui-se em demanda expressiva para Políticas Públicas no Brasil, em mobilizar ações de proteção e promoção de saúde do adolescente. Estudo qualitativo com perspectivas teóricas que emolduraram a abordagem nesta problemática foi narrativista autobiográfica de Fritz Schütze e de Jerome Bruner. O primeiro expoente defende que realidade social consiste fundamentalmente de processos em constante modificação, valorizando o modo de sua produção; o segundo fundamenta a natureza narrativa da experiência humana, amparando que narrar a própria vida é processo de narrar a si mesmo, pela textualização é que conhecemos a vida de alguém. O estudo objetivou compreender a trajetória da adolescente em sua primeira gravidez. Entrevistou-se 30 adolescentes entre 12 e 16 anos de vida, pela técnica de entrevista narrativa autobiográfica de schütze, durante a primeira revisão de parto, em maternidade de Fortaleza, entre março e agosto de 2013. A análise seguiu a fundamentação de análise narrativa de Fritz Schütze, cuja aplicação é multidisciplinar e muito utilizada em estudos de problemas juvenis. Esta análise abstraiu peculiaridades de trajetórias de adolescentes em sua primeira gravidez, e demonstrou o sentido que a adolescente atribuiu às experiências da sua primeira gravidez. Emergiram quatro núcleos narrativos temáticos como a seguir: "Fui ficando, fui deixando e aconteceu a gravidez"; "A gravidez não é um paraíso: conflitos e dilemas"; "Mudanças com a gravidez"; "E agora: realidades e perspectivas". Em seguida foram extraídas temáticas, subtemáticas e elementos de análise, fortalecendo o surgimento do modelo processual. O primeiro núcleo temático demonstrou as razões desta gravidez com as temáticas da "sexualidade", "planejamento e prevenção da gravidez", "desconhecimento do engravidar"; O segundo núcleo demonstrou as experiências com surgimento das temáticas de "arrependimento", "reconhecimento aos pais", "preconceito", abandono", do terceiro núcleo temático emergiram às "mudanças relacionadas consigo mesmo", "com a família", o "companheiro", "amigos", "escola" e "lazer", do quarto núcleo temático surgiram as temáticas das "realidades e perspectivas". Da temática das "realidades" emergiram as subtemátcas de "abandono ao estudo", o "cuidar do filho", "necessidade de trabalho" e "vulnerabilidade social" destas adolescentes. Na temática das "perspectivas" abstraímos as subtemáticas "não quero que meu filho sofra como sofri", "incerteza do futuro", "perspectivas de futuro para o filho". Diante de toda análise e discussão podemos compreender que a primeira gravidez da adolescente foi percebida como experiência imatura com impacto social de relevância. Concluímos que é de elevada importância ações de promoção de saúde nas adolescentes com participação da família, escola e dos serviços de saúde, no acompanhamento destas jovens promovendo sua segurança para fortalecimento da sexualidade e a reprodução humana nesta fase do adolescer.

Most projects fail to deliver the required product, on time, or within the budget; and complex projects have additional challenges due to the impact of complexity factors, henceforth called dimensions. Cost overruns are common occurrences with projects, especially on complex ones, which points to a better understanding of the cost-estimation process. Accordingly, it is important to identify the factors affecting the project complexities and their impact on costestimation process. Although project complexities and cost-estimation practices have been discussed in literature, there is a clear gap in the existing body of knowledge regarding how complexity dimensions are linked with cost estimation of project-based industries and how to give due consideration to such complexity dimensions in cost estimation practices. The dynamic nature of complexity calls for a model that considers these dimensions and supports practitioners in the cost estimation process, including guidelines to deal with such complexities. This research aims to develop a model that incorporates complexity dimensions into the costestimation process for complex projects. For that to happen, there is a need to explore the concept of complexity, the dimensions of complexity, and in what context these should be considered in the cost-estimation process. An investigation of how these complexity dimensions impact the cost-estimation process precedes the development of the proposed model. Philosophically this research is positioned in the middle of the ontological, epistemological, and axiological spectra leaning towards idealism, interpretivism, and subjectivism respectively. Considering the use of survey and case studies as research strategies, the research mode is better positioned as inductive with the research choice based on a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Empirical data has been collected from a database of complex projects through documentary analysis, and from a survey and interviews that have been used to develop and enhance the proposed model. An analysis of the existing literature on project complexity, along with a documentary analysis of 27 complex projects in a database, provided a list of 23 dimensions that are relevant to project complexity. Based on this list, a survey of 54 practitioners was conducted to gather expert views about the complexity dimensions and their impact on project cost estimation. The 23 dimensions were then prioritized using the Relative Importance Index, which revealed that different industries have distinct views on some dimensions and aligned on others. The survey was followed by a series of 10 in-depth interviews with subject experts. A final analysis of the survey and interviews results helped to eliminate dimensions, reducing the list of complexity dimensions to 15. Once the list of 15 dimensions was established, the model was drafted and divided into an assessment table where practitioners would assess each dimension on a scale of 1 to 4, the mapping of these results on a radar graph for better visualization, and a list of guidelines for cost estimators on how to deal with these complexities. The contribution to knowledge and society will be that such model could support practitioners on creating awareness for complexity dimensions, which would generate more accurate and reliable cost estimates for complex projects.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-03-29T23:31:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-12-08 / The toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma Gondii, is one of the most prevalent parasitary infections in the world. When acquired in the pregnancy it can attack the fetus, causing severe injuries. However, there is little information in the literature about preventive behavior towards toxoplasmosis, as well as information about the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant adolescents. The objectives of this dissertation were: to investigate the main factors associated to the preventive behavior towards toxoplasmosis in pregnancy among pregnant adolescents assisted in the prenatal program of the health services of the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) in Fortaleza, Ceará, as well as to conduct a systematic review about the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant adolescents. The sectional study about preventive behaviors towards toxoplasmosis was conducted in seven family health centers and in one hospital specialized in obstetrics in the period from March, 2009 to December, 2010, with sample of 320 pregnant adolescents. Data were collected through a pre-codified and tested formulary. The statistical packages Epi-Info® 3.5.1 and STATA® 11.0 were used for data storing and analysis, respectively. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Fortaleza, under Opinion No.052/2008. The systematic review study described the result of eleven cross sectional studies, three conducted in Brazil and eight in European countries, published in the last 21 years, the data being collected in the period from March to June, 2010. Regarding the behaviors, it was evidenced an elevated percentage of lack of preventive behavior towards toxoplasmosis (80.3%). The factors associated to bigger chance of occurrence of preventive behavior with statistical significance: age from 10 to 14 (OR=0,22; IC95% 0,08-0,64), married (OR=0,50;IC95% 0,20-1,24); family income 1 salary (OR=2,12; IC95% 0,91-4,96); pregnant card without request of IgM (OR=1,62 IC95% 0,72-3,65); didn t receive professional guidance about toxoplasmosis (OR=0,46 IC95% 0,20-1,04) and non-reagent IgG serology (OR=6,31 IC95%1,19-33,33), while the results of the systematic review evidenced prevalence of toxoplasmosis up to 67.2% in pregnant adolescents. Thus, it is indispensable a serologic follow-up having priority in the prenatal of the susceptible pregnant adolescents, along with the preventive information supply, reinforced every appointment, in order to avoid serum conversion. / A toxoplasmose, causada pelo protozoário Toxoplasma Gondii, é uma das infecções parasitárias mais prevalentes no mundo. Quando adquirida durante a gravidez, pode acometer o feto, causando graves danos. Entretanto, há pouca informação na literatura sobre comportamento preventivo à toxoplasmose, assim como de informações sobre a prevalência da toxoplasmose em gestantes adolescentes. Os objetivos desta dissertação foram: investigar os principais fatores associados ao comportamento preventivo à toxoplasmose na gravidez entre gestantes adolescentes atendidas no programa de pré-natal nos serviços de saúde do SUS em Fortaleza-CE, assim como realizar uma revisão sistemática sobre a prevalência da toxoplasmose em gestantes adolescentes. O estudo seccional sobre comportamentos preventivos à toxoplasmose foi realizado em sete centros de saúde da família e em um hospital especializado em obstetrícia, no período de março de 2009 a novembro de 2010, com amostra de 320 gestantes adolescentes. Os dados foram coletados usando um formulário précodificado e testado. Os pacotes estatísticos Epi-Info® 3.5.1 e STATA® 11.0 foram utilizados para armazenamento e análise dos dados, respectivamente. A pesquisa foi aprovada pelo Comitê de Ética da Universidade de Fortaleza, sobre o Parecer nº 052/2008. O estudo de revisão sistemática descreveu o resultado de onze estudos transversais, três realizados no Brasil e oito em países europeus, publicados nos últimos 21 anos, sendo a coleta de dados ocorrida no período de março a junho de 2010. Quanto aos comportamentos, evidenciou-se um elevado percentual de ausência de comportamento preventivo à toxoplasmose (80,3%). Os fatores associados à maior chance de ocorrência de comportamento preventivo com significância estatística: idade de 10 a 14 anos (OR=0,22; IC95% 0,08-0,64), casada (OR=0,50; IC95% 0,20-1,24); renda familiar 1 salário (OR=2,12; IC95% 0,91-4,96); cartão de gestante sem solicitação de IgM (OR=1,62 IC95% 0,72-3,65); não recebeu orientação profissional sobre toxoplasmose (OR=0,46 IC95% 0,20-1,04) e sorologia IgG não reagente (OR=6,31 IC95%1,19-33,33), enquanto que os resultados da revisão sistemática evidenciaram prevalências da toxoplasmose de até 67,2% em gestantes adolescentes. Deste modo, é imprescindível um acompanhamento sorológico prioritário no pré-natal das gestantes adolescentes suscetíveis, aliado ao fornecimento de informações preventivas mais globais, reforçadas a cada consulta, considerando questões sociais, econômicas e culturais, a fim de evitar a soroconversão.

Jane Jacobs wrote (1989, p. 92), of four similar squares near City Hall in Philadelphia, that only Rittenhouse Square was ‘beloved and successful’. Her explanation was its diversity of pedestrian generators. Other theorists, including Hillier (1999) and Gehl (2010), have given equally confident explanations of why some spaces are more popular than others. Small urban public open spaces (POS) are a problem in China as well as in the west. But POS in China tend to have different origins and to be used in different ways. This was an aspect of the research. In China there were few POS before the 20th century and a great many have been made since 1978. My research set out to develop and test a systematic assessment method which could be used (1) to test theories about POS use and use intensity (2) to assess the character and quality of individual POS in urban areas. In addition to published data, the assessment method uses criteria drawn from theorists and includes assessments of use intensity made by the researcher. The assessment method was tested on 100 small urban POS in London and Tianjin. It was found that the best theories for predicting use intensity were those which grew from empirical research, rather than from armchair theorizing. Further investigation revealed that although no one criterion has universal validity, but that particular criteria can be used to explain the popularity of particular POS. The assessment method could therefore be used to help with the problems that: (1) in China, most POS are surprisingly unpopular (2) in Europe, some POS are less popular than expected. Use intensity is the main criterion used to indicate popularity but it is recognized that other indicators (e.g. questionnaires) could be used.