scholarly journals Understanding bikeability: a methodology to assess urban networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Reggiani ◽  
Tim van Oijen ◽  
Homayoun Hamedmoghadam ◽  
Winnie Daamen ◽  
Hai L. Vu ◽  
...  

AbstractA fully separated bicycle network from vehicular traffic is not realistic even for the most bicycle-friendly cities. Thus, all around the world urban cycling entails switching between streets of different safety, convenience, and comfort levels. As a consequence, the quality of bicycle networks should be evaluated not based on one but multiple factors and by considering the different user preferences regarding these factors. More comprehensive methodologies to assess urban bicycle networks are essential to the operation and planning of modern city transportation. This work proposes a multi-objective methodology to assess—what we refer to as—bikeability between origin–destination locations and over the entire network, useful for evaluation and planning of bicycle networks. We do so by introducing the concept of bikeability curves which allows us to assess the quality of cycling in a city network with respect to the heterogeneity of user preferences. The application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on two cities with different bike cultures: Amsterdam and Melbourne. Our results suggest the effectiveness of bikeability curves in describing the characteristic features and differences in the two networks.

Author(s):  
Leen Adeeb Fakhoury ◽  
Naif Adel Haddad

This paper attempts to present and discuss the outcome of the results of the key different studies and projects carried out at Salt and at Irbid historic cores.  It focuses on the executed urban heritage projects undertaken mainly by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) of Jordan in the last two decades. It discusses their different aspects through initial assessment of the loss and degradation of the cultural heritage assets of the two cities; the fragmentation and lack of connectivity between the modern and historic cores; issues of sustainability of architectural and urban heritage projects i.e. tourism planning and conservation; and reuse projects at the historic cores in relation to cultural, physical factors and development needs. It also addresses the behaviour and characteristics of the urban regeneration process in those two historic cities, starting from their documentation to examination of the different aspects of the currently adopted urban practices and policies, and their impact on the existing urban heritage, depending on the specific identity of the respective historic cores. Finally, it aims to define the main constraints and challenges for the reuse of the existing heritage fabric including the local community quality of life, while building on sustainable heritage activities accommodating tourism opportunities. This will give, at least, some indications from which we can identify a use or combination of uses, and practical steps needed for successful heritage conservation actions in Jordan, in order to retain the cultural significance of the place.


Akustika ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 58-66
Author(s):  
Stanislav Žiaran ◽  
Ondrej Chlebo ◽  
Ĺubomír Šooš

The quality of bearing production has an impact not only on their reliability and lifetime, but also on the dynamic load of the working and living environment by excessive vibration and thus also noise. The intensity of the noise emitted by a bearing which is perceived by man characterizes the quality of its production. Reducing the dynamic load of mechanical systems and their components is reflected in the working environment by reducing noise emissions and immissions. The article proposes an objective method of bearing quality assessment based on measuring vibro-acoustic parameters of dynamic load of a new bearing using FFT analysis and the magnitude of the amplitude of bearing vibration acceleration and compares it with a subjective method that also uses the human auditory organ to assess bearing quality. The results of vibro-acoustic measurements were analysed in terms of vibration intensity and the noise of the produced bearings. The proposed objective methodology was compared with the subjective evaluation of the quality of bearings and the results of this methodology matched. The proposed methodology is applicable to all types of bearings, and it is possible to automate this methodology in the production process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 6618
Author(s):  
Adrián Romero-Garcés ◽  
Jesús Martínez-Cruz ◽  
Juan F. Inglés-Romero ◽  
Cristina Vicente-Chicote ◽  
Rebeca Marfil ◽  
...  

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is an integrated clinical process to evaluate frail elderly people in order to create therapy plans that improve their quality and quantity of life. The whole process includes the completion of standardized questionnaires or specific movements, which are performed by the patient and do not necessarily require the presence of a medical expert. With the aim of automatizing these parts of the CGA, we have designed and developed CLARC (smart CLinic Assistant Robot for CGA), a mobile robot able to help the physician to capture and manage data during the CGA procedures, mainly by autonomously conducting a set of predefined evaluation tests. Using CLARC to conduct geriatric tests will reduce the time medical professionals have to spend on purely mechanical tasks, giving them more time to develop individualised care plans for their patients. In fact, ideally, CLARC will perform these tests on its own. In parallel with the effort to correctly address the functional aspects, i.e., the development of the robot tasks, the design of CLARC must also deal with non-functional properties such as the degree of interaction or the performance. We argue that satisfying user preferences can be a good way to improve the acceptance of the robot by the patients. This paper describes the integration into the software architecture of the CLARC robot of the modules that allow these properties to be monitored at run-time, providing information on the quality of its service. Experimental evaluation illustrates that the defined quality of service metrics correctly capture the evolution of the aspects of the robot’s activity and its interaction with the patient covered by the non-functional properties that have been considered.


Author(s):  
Krzysztof Stachowiak ◽  
Piotr Zwierzykowski

The multicast quality of service-enabled routing is a computationally challenging task. Despite ongoing research efforts, the associated mathematical problems are still considered to be NP-hard. In certain applications, computational complexity of finding the optimal connection between a set of network devices may be a particularly difficult challenge. For example, connecting a small group of participants of a teleconference is not much more complex than setting up a set of mutual point-to-point connections. On the other hand, satisfying the demand for such services as IPTV, with their receivers constituting the majority of the network, requires applying appropriate optimization methods in order to ensure real system execution. In this paper, algorithms solving this class of problems are considered. The notion of multicast saturation is introduced to measure the amount of multicast participants relative to the entire network, and the efficiency of the analyzed algorithms is evaluated for different saturation degrees.


REGIONOLOGY ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 490-515
Author(s):  
Elena A. Kranzeeva ◽  
Anna V. Orlova ◽  
Natalia V. Nyatina ◽  
Nikita N. Grigorik

Introduction. Russia’s National Projects focus on integrated interagency interactions between state and public participants. They accumulate various areas of social and political development of the territory. Mainstreaming the participation of the population in achieving the goals set consolidates and adjusts the vectors of change set by the National Projects. The purpose of the paper is to present a comprehensive analysis of the participation of the population in the implementation of the National Projects in a region on the basis of the study conducted, taking into account the characteristic features of the territory and the relevant forms of participation of local communities in accomplishing the stated tasks. Materials and Methods. The results of the “Kuzbass-Politics” monitoring initiative studies conducted in 2006 and 2018 were used as the materials for the analysis of this topic as well as the data of sociological surveys and reports on the implementation of the National Projects in Russia in 2019. To substantiate the implementation of the National Projects in the region, the method of systemic, structural and functional analysis was used. Results. The participation of the population in the implementation of the National Projects in a region has been analyzed using the example of the Kemerovo Region. The authors have studied the existing experience of implementation of the National Projects in 2005–2007 and compared it with that of the current stage (2019–2024). The materials of the secondary analysis have shown that the content of the new National Projects is in line with the needs of the population in matters of improving their living arrangements; however, many people are distanced from the National Projects, which is expressed in the lack of awareness and limited participation. The authors point out that the implementation of the National Projects in a region can be carried out in a consolidated manner or have multidirectional vectors of application of the activity and resource potentials of the population. Discussion and Conclusion. The interaction between the authorities and the population is a dialogue in which the interests of the parties are reconciled in order to achieve a common goal. The lack of taking into account the active role of the population in the implementation of socially significant results affects the quality of the development and the conditions for the implementation of the National Projects. The results of the study can contribute to the development of regional programs and activities aimed at increasing people’s participation in the implementation of the National Projects.


Author(s):  
B. Meguenni ◽  
M. A. Hafid

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> OpenStreetMap (OSM) uses the Open Database License, it is a collaborative project that collects a rich set of vector data provided by volunteers. It is a global collection of mapping data that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. Many third-party online maps are based on OpenStreetMap data. Currently, more and more large organizations are choosing OSM for their maps.</p> <p>In addition, the analysis of the spatial quality of the OSM data shows that particular care must be taken. However, there are several methods for assessing the quality of the OSM data by comparing the OSM to an authoritative dataset. In this context, it is essential to develop an automatic procedure to improve its spatial quality.</p> <p>This work proposes a quantitative method for comparing the quality of the OSM and an authoritative data set on urban networks in the city of Oran (Algeria). The procedure is based on python modules in a GIS environment and provides measurements of the spatial accuracy and completeness of the OSM road network. The method is applied to assess the quality of the Oran OSM road network data set through a comparison with the official Algerian dataset. The results show that the OSM's Algerian road network is very complete, but with low spatial accuracy.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-53
Author(s):  
A. A. Klimenkova ◽  
L. N. Geller ◽  
A. A. Skripko ◽  
L. A. Gravchenko ◽  
E. A. Korzhavykh

The aim of the review is to provide an analysis and generalization of the main directions of research in the sphere of pharmaceutical services, and their characteristics associated with the determination of their main development trends.Materials and methods. For the analysis, the information store on the basis of scientific publications by Russian and foreign scientists, devoted to research in the field of pharmaceutical services (PSs), has been used. The search for publications was carried out in the open and accessible sources of the latest twenty years (the retrospective period of 2001-2021), located in scientific and technical libraries of institutions, as well as in electronic databases: Elibrary, Medline / PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Cyberleninka, Google-academy, J-stage. When forming the information array, the search for publications was carried out according to the following requests: pharmaceutical services (pharmaceutical care services), the provision of pharmaceutical services, the quality of pharmaceutical services. For the conceptualization of the study, 87 scientific publications obtained as a result of information retrieval, have been used.Results. In the course of the study, a logical and structural analysis of the main directions in which research in the field of providing PSs in our country is developing, has been carried out. The main trends in the study of the providing services’ activity in the sphere of drug circulation, are characterized. A comprehensive analysis of the category of "pharmaceutical service" has been carried out. The terminological content of this concept, the groups of features characterizing the economic and social essence of educational institutions have been generalized, and the most characteristic features that make up the structure and content of educational institutions, have been identified. The existing approaches to the development of the nomenclature and types of PSs have been analyzed and the systematization of pharmaceutical works and services using the process approach, have been proposed by the authors.Conclusion. The conducted study indicates the presence of several directions in the development of research in the field of providing PSs, aimed at improving the quality of services for the population in pharmaceutical organizations. However, the most important role in the research is assigned to the study and assessment of the quality of educational institutions, the development of approaches to its optimization. As evidenced by the results of the analysis and generalization, the most successful activity in the provision of services in the field of drug circulation requires the implementation of a process approach and the implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMSs).


2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarete Seidenspinner ◽  
Gabriele Theuner

This paper sums up the results of a survey conducted with four samples of website users, i.e. young urban academics from the PR of China, the United States, Egypt and Germany. The survey analyses the ways in which users from such distinctly dissimilar cultural environments view websites. The websites researched are those of global operators that either offer international services, high price utility items or technologically advanced products. The results gained in the course of this research project demonstrate how the targeted users’ cultural environments may impact on their preferred navigation tools, their perceived quality of web designs and on the perception and processing of the information provided online. A brief overview of the consequences which derive from this culture‐bound user behaviour for corporate communication policies conclude this paper.


Author(s):  
Umar Toseef ◽  
Manzoor Ahmed Khan

In its most generic sense, the user-centric view in telecommunications considers that the users are free from subscription to any one network operator and can instead dynamically choose the most suitable transport infrastructure from the available network providers for their terminal and application requirements. In this approach, the decision of interface selection is delegated to the mobile terminal enabling end users to exploit the best available characteristics of different network technologies and network providers, with the objective of increased satisfaction. In order to more accurately express the user satisfaction in telecommunications, a more subjective and application-specific measure, namely, the Quality-of-Experience (QoE) is introduced. QoE is the core requirement in future wireless networks and provisions. It is a framework that optimizes the global system of networks and users in terms of efficient resource utilization and meeting user preferences (guaranteeing certain Quality-of-Service [QoS] requirements). A number of solution frameworks to address the mentioned problems using different theoretical approaches are proposed in the research literature. Such scholarly approaches need to be evaluated using simulation platforms (e.g., OPNET, NS2, OMNET++, etc.). This chapter focuses on developing the simulation using a standard discrete event network simulator, OPNET. It outlines the general development procedures of different components in simulation and details the following important aspects: Long Term Evolution (LTE) network component development, impairment entity development, implementing IPv6 flow management, developing an integrated heterogeneous scenario with LTE and WLAN, implementing an example scenario, and generating and analyzing the results.


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