Eugênio Moreira

1. Urban-scale heritage structures present distinctive documentation challenges when partial collapse and functional obsolescence leave discontinuous remnants dispersed throughout modern urban envi...

The increase of informal settlements in the fast-growing cities of the South has not been followed by data production about their built environment. Academic literature has interpreted these data-voids as products of a deliberate strategy of hegemonic groups, which further marginalizes residents. Under a new power dynamic of spatial data manipulation, with the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, we question: What are the possibilities of data-based design to challenge neoliberal spatial narratives on favela redevelopment or upgrading? Through our experience of developing master plans for informal settlements assigned as special zones for social housing (ZEIS) in Fortaleza, Brazil, we translated the outcomes of a data-intensive methodology into analogic infographics and models that helped residents build a shared urban development vision. The experience demonstrated that the mere existence of data is inadequate for transforming existing urban material realities. Residents’ appropriation of data about their urban condition might slowly allow them to fight the dominant narrative of violent and precarious places and become a seed for a transformative decision-making process.

Background: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) provides positive pressure through different interfaces. A multifunctional full-face mask prototype was developed to provide NIV from three sources: ICU ventilators, portable ventilators, and high-flow medical gas pipeline systems. This study aimed to evaluate the usability of this prototype mask. Methods: This was a quantitative experimental study, conducted in two phases: the development of a full-face mask prototype NIV interface, and the evaluation of its usability by health professionals (evaluators) using a heuristic approach. The Wolf Mask prototype is a multifunctional full-face mask that makes it possible to deliver positive pressure from three different sources: microprocessor-controlled ICU ventilators, portable ventilators with single-limb circuits, and high-flow medical gas. The evaluation was conducted in three stages: presentation of the prototype to the evaluators; skills testing via simulation in a clinical environment; and a review of skills. Results: The prototype was developed by a multidisciplinary team and patented in Brazil. The evaluators were 10 health professionals specializing in NIV. Seven skills related to handling the prototype were evaluated. Three of the ten evaluators called for (non-urgent) changes to improve recognition of the components of the prototype. Only one evaluator called for (non-urgent) changes to improve recognition of the pieces, assembly, and checking the mask. Conclusions: The newly developed multifunctional full-face mask prototype demonstrated excellent usability for providing noninvasive ventilation from multiple sources. Minor modifications may further improve the design.

One of the great challenges for the urban planner/designer is to establish strategies to deal with the increasing complexity of the contemporary city. Among the...

Documentation of built cultural heritage is an important safeguarding strategy. However, the use of traditional documentation techniques, based on the direct ac...