Understanding Thai Urban Pedestrian Culture During Noon Break: How Sidewalk Users Experience the Walking Infrastructure in Bangkok, Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Shusak Janpathompong ◽  
Akinobu Murakami
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Central Business District ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Surface Conditions

The noon break or lunch hour in Bangkok’s central business district (CBD) is when pedestrians wander around for various activities and purposes, in addition to having a meal, within a limited time frame. It is the only break from their daily working routines for energy recovery or socializing, which, in turn, increases readiness to continue working in the afternoon. Commercial activities preferred by pedestrians during this break contribute to increased economic activity. Since pedestrian behavior depends on the cultural context, this research aims to understand Thai urban pedestrian culture that benefits the public, both socially and economically, and to investigate pedestrians’ experience of the physical quality of their walking infrastructure, reflecting their preferences.  According to the information gained from observation, a field survey of four hundred thirty observations, and descriptive statistics, the urban pedestrian culture in the CBD of Bangkok is a combination of various activities related to a way of life; 69.4% and 44.9% of observed pedestrians have secondary and tertiary purposes. These multi-purpose trips during lunch hours include having meals, shopping, recovery from work, socializing, and taking care of business or running errands. The routine of lunch outings declined only slightly after the start of the pandemic in early 2020 compared to the pre-pandemic level (81.8% compared to 94.9%). Socializing has strong presence in the culture; 90.5% of group outings occur at least once or twice a week.  On the physical side, the walking infrastructure, mainly comprising sidewalks, is used for circulation and as a place for social and economic settings. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, pedestrians’ concerns about the physical environment were divided into five groups, as follows: Cluster 1, people concerned about thermal comfort, surface conditions, and sidewalk obstructions. Cluster 2, people concerned about thermal comfort and walking distance. Cluster 3, people concerned about level changes and walking distance. Cluster 4, people concerned about surface conditions and sidewalk obstructions. Lastly, cluster 5, people concerned about sidewalk obstructions, traffic safety, and level changes.   In conclusion. significant problems experienced or causing concern to pedestrians include sidewalk obstructions of flow due to insufficient width of the walking space as well as blockages caused by utility infrastructure, or social or economic activities, walking distance, surface conditions of sidewalks, level changes, thermal comfort, and traffic safety, respectively. These experiences and concerns reflect pedestrians’ preference for better quality of walking infrastructure. Therefore, inducing walkability is a promising physical strategy for promoting and sustaining Thai urban pedestrian culture. 

ANALYSIS OF REGULATIONS REGARDING THE SETTLEMENT OF ISSUES ON THE REMOVAL AND RECOVERY OF PLANTATIONS IN THE RIGHT-OF-WAY OF PUBLIC ROADS

2020 ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
Nataliia Kharytonova ◽  
Olha Mykolaienko ◽  
Tetyana Lozova
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Visual Orientation ◽  
Right Of Way ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Overhead Power Lines ◽  
The Right ◽  
Neck Diameter ◽  
Proper Operation

Greening of roads contributes to the protection of roads and their elements from influence of adverse weather and climatic factors; it includes the measures for improvement and landscaping of roads, ensures the protection of roadside areas from transport pollution, provides visual orientation of drivers. The solution of these issues will ensure creation and maintenance of safe and comfortable conditions for travelers. Green plantings in the right-of-way road area include woody, bushy, flower and grass vegetation of natural and artificial origin. For proper operation of public roads and satisfaction of other needs of the industry, there may be the need in removing the greenery. The reason for the removal of greenery in the right-of-way road area may be due to the following factors: construction of the architectural object, widening of the motor road, repair works in the security zone of overhead power lines, water supply, drainage, heating, telecommunications facilities, cutting of hazardous, dry and fautal trees, as well as self-grown and brushwood trees with a root neck diameter not exceeding 5 cm, elimination of the consequences of natural disasters and emergencies. The removal of plantations in the right-of-way area is executed in order to ensure traffic safety conditions and to improve the quality of plantations composition and their protective properties. Nowadays, in Ukraine there is no clear procedure for issuing permits for removing of such plantations. In order to resolve this issue, there is a need in determining the list of regulations in the area of forest resources of Ukraine and, if needed, the list of regulatory acts that have to be improved; to prepare a draft of the regulatory legal act that would establish the procedure of plantations cutting, the methodology of their condition determination, recovery costs determination, the features of cutting. Keywords: plantations, cutting, right-of-way, woodcutting permit, order.

Bioethics In Neurospinal Patient Care

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Andi Asadul Islam
Keyword(s):  
Time Frame ◽  
Hippocratic Oath ◽  
Moral Vision ◽  
Human Identity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Harvey Cushing ◽  
Sharp Focus ◽  
Realistic Approach ◽  
Cord Injury

Neurosurgery is among the newest of surgical disciplines, appearing in its modern incarnation at the dawn of twentieth century with the work of Harvey Cushing and contemporaries. Neurosurgical ethics involves challenges of manipulating anatomical locus of human identity and concerns of surgeons and patients who find themselves bound together in that venture.In recent years, neurosurgery ethics has taken on greater relevance as changes in society and technology have brought novel questions into sharp focus. Change of expanded armamentarium of techniques for interfacing with the human brain and spine— demand that we use philosophical reasoning to assess merits of technical innovations.Bioethics can be defined as systematic study of moral challenges in medicine, including moral vision, decisions, conduct, and policies related to medicine. Every surgeon should still take the Hippocratic Oath seriously and consider it a basic guide to follow good medical ethics in medical practice. It is simple and embodies three of the four modern bioethics principles – Respecting autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition often affecting young and healthy individuals around the world. Currently, scientists are pressured on many fronts to develop an all-encompassing “cure” for paralysis. While scientific understanding of central nervous system (CNS) regeneration has advanced greatly in the past years, there are still many unknowns with regard to inducing successful regeneration. A more realistic approach is required if we are interested in improving the quality of life of a large proportion of the paralyzed population in a more expedient time frame.

CREATING WALKING LED TRANSIT STATIONS FOR WOMEN IN MALAYSIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Yong Adilah Shamsul Harumain ◽  
Nur Farhana Azmi ◽  
Suhaini Yusoff
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
The Other ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
The Road ◽  
On The Road ◽  
Female User

Transit stations are generally well known as nodes of spaces where percentage of people walking are relatively high. The issue is do more planning is actually given to create walkability. Creating walking led transit stations involves planning of walking distance, providing facilities like pathways, toilets, seating and lighting. On the other hand, creating walking led transit station for women uncover a new epitome. Walking becomes one of the most important forms of mobility for women in developing countries nowadays. Encouraging women to use public transportation is not just about another effort to promote the use of public transportation but also another great endeavour to reduce numbers of traffic on the road. This also means, creating an effort to control accidents rate, reducing carbon emission, improving health and eventually, developing the quality of life. Hence, in this paper, we sought first to find out the factors that motivate women to walk at transit stations in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey with 562 female user of Light Railway Transit (LRT) was conducted at LRT stations along Kelana Jaya Line. Both built and non-built environment characteristics, particularly distance, safety and facilities were found as factors that are consistently associated with women walkability. With these findings, the paper highlights the criteria  which are needed to create and make betterment of transit stations not just for women but also for walkability in general.

ANAAC AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN, INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (26) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seema Singh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Individual Autonomy ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Education In India

Quality, as we know so far, was originally developed in the manufacturing industry. In the area of higher education, the adoption of quality control has been superficial and diluted by the exercise of academic . Further, the prevailing culture of universities is often based on individual autonomy, which is zealously guarded. Thus, it is usually difficult to apply the features of quality to higher education considering the fact that quality requires. However, the quality of higher education is very important for its stakeholders. Notably, providers (funding bodies and the community at large), students, staff and employers of graduates are. The most commonly grouped dimensions of quality are product, software and service. In the changing context marked by expansion of higher education and globalization of economic activities, education has become a national concern with an international dimension. To cope with this changing context, countries have been pressurized to ensure and assure quality of higher education at a nationally comparable and internationally acceptable standard. Consequently, many countries initiated “national quality assurance mechanisms” and many more are in the process of evolving a suitable strategy. Most of the quality assurance bodies were established in the nineties and after a few years of practical experience, they are rethinking many issues of quality assurance. At this juncture where countries look for experiences and practices elsewhere, the experience of India has many valuable lessons and this report is an attempt to share those developments..

scholarly journals Prediction of walking ability following posterior decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne McIlroy ◽  
Feroz Jadhakhan ◽  
David Bell ◽  
Alison Rushton
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Spinal Stenosis ◽  
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Poor Outcome ◽  
Lumbar Spinal ◽  
Reduced Risk

Abstract Purpose Following surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) up to 40% of people report persistent walking disability. This study aimed to identify pre-operative factors that are predictive of walking ability post-surgery for LSS. Methods An observational cohort study was conducted using data from the British Spine Registry (2017–2018) of adults (≥ 50 years) with LSS, who underwent ≤ 2 level posterior lumbar decompression. Patients receiving fixation or who had previous lumbar surgery were excluded. Walking ability was assessed by a single item on the Oswestry Disability Index and dichotomised into poor/good outcome. Multivariable regression models were performed. Results 14,485 patients were identified. Pre-operatively 30% patients reported poor walking ability, this decreased to 8% at 12 months follow-up. Predictors associated with poor walking ability at 12 months were: increasing age (≥ 75 years OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.07, 2.18), BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.00, 2.30), severity of leg pain (OR 1.10, CI 95% 1.01, 1.21), disability (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01, 1.02) and quality of life (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56, 0.89). Pre-operative maximum walking distance (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.05, 1.25) and higher education (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.80, 0.96) were associated with reduced risk of poor walking ability at 12 months; p < 0.05. Depression, fear of movement and symptom duration were not associated with risk of poor outcome. Conclusion Older age, obesity, greater pre-operative pain and disability and lower quality of life are associated with risk of poor walking ability post-operatively. Greater pre-operative walking and higher education are associated with reduced risk of poor walking ability post-operatively. Patients should be counselled on their risk of poor outcome and considered for rehabilitation so that walking and surgical outcomes may be optimised.

scholarly journals A Methodology Based on FT-IR Data Combined with Random Forest Model to Generate Spectralprints for the Characterization of High-Quality Vinegars

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1411
Author(s):  
José Luis P. Calle ◽  
Marta Ferreiro-González ◽  
Ana Ruiz-Rodríguez ◽  
Gerardo F. Barbero ◽  
José Á. Álvarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Protected Designation Of Origin ◽  
Ft Ir

Sherry wine vinegar is a Spanish gourmet product under Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Before a vinegar can be labeled as Sherry vinegar, the product must meet certain requirements as established by its PDO, which, in this case, means that it has been produced following the traditional solera and criadera ageing system. The quality of the vinegar is determined by many factors such as the raw material, the acetification process or the aging system. For this reason, mainly producers, but also consumers, would benefit from the employment of effective analytical tools that allow precisely determining the origin and quality of vinegar. In the present study, a total of 48 Sherry vinegar samples manufactured from three different starting wines (Palomino Fino, Moscatel, and Pedro Ximénez wine) were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data were combined with unsupervised exploratory techniques such as hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), as well as other nonparametric supervised techniques, namely, support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF), for the characterization of the samples. The HCA and PCA results present a clear grouping trend of the vinegar samples according to their raw materials. SVM in combination with leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) successfully classified 100% of the samples, according to the type of wine used for their production. The RF method allowed selecting the most important variables to develop the characteristic fingerprint (“spectralprint”) of the vinegar samples according to their starting wine. Furthermore, the RF model reached 100% accuracy for both LOOCV and out-of-bag (OOB) sets.

scholarly journals Thermal Comfort and Sleep Quality of Indonesian Students Living in Japan during Summer and Winter

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 326
Author(s):  
Wiwik Budiawan ◽  
Kazuyo Tsuzuki
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Sensation ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Subjective Sleepiness ◽  
Adaptive Action ◽  
Quality Sleep ◽  
Sleep Parameters

Thermal comfort is crucial in satisfaction and maintaining quality sleep for occupants. In this study, we investigated the comfort temperature in the bedroom at night and sleep quality for Indonesian students during summer and winter. Eighteen male Indonesian students aged 29 ± 4 years participated in this study. The participants had stayed in Japan for about six months. We evaluated the sleep parameters using actigraphy performed during summer and winter. All participants completed the survey regarding thermal sensation, physical conditions, and subjective sleepiness before sleep. The temperature and relative humidity of participants’ bedrooms were also measured. We found that the duration on the bed during winter was significantly longer than that during summer. However, sleeping efficiency during winter was significantly worse than that during summer. The bedroom temperature of the participants was in the range of comfort temperature in Indonesia. With the average bedroom air temperature of 22.2 °C, most of the participants still preferred “warm” and felt “slightly comfortable” during winter. The average comfort temperature each season calculated using the Griffiths method was 28.1 °C during summer and 23.5 °C during winter. In conclusion, differences in adaptive action affect bedroom thermal conditions. Furthermore, habits encourage the sleep performance of Indonesian students.

scholarly journals Anxiety- and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients With Breast Cancer: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of China and the United States

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jin You ◽  
Qian Lu ◽  
Michael J. Zvolensky ◽  
Zhiqiang Meng ◽  
Kay Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
United States ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Chinese Patients

Purpose Literature has documented the prevalence of anxiety and its adverse effect on quality of life among patients with breast cancer from Western countries, yet cross-cultural examinations with non-Western patients are rare. This cross-cultural study investigated differences in anxiety and its association with quality of life between US and Chinese patients with breast cancer. Methods Patients with breast cancer from the United States and China completed measures for anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast). Results After controlling for demographic and medical characteristics, Chinese patients reported higher levels of trait and state anxiety than US patients. Although there was an association between anxiety and quality of life in both groups of patients, the association between state anxiety and quality of life was stronger among Chinese patients than among US patients, with the association between trait anxiety and quality of life the same between the two cultural samples. Conclusion These findings suggest that anxiety and its association with quality of life among patients with breast cancer varies depending on cultural context, which reveals greater anxiety and poorer quality of life among Chinese patients compared with US patients. This suggests greater unmet psychosocial needs among Chinese patients and highlights the need to build comprehensive cancer care systems for a better quality of life in Chinese populations.

scholarly journals Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries in the Midst of Adaptation and Diversification: Insights from Southern Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7393
Author(s):  
Agata Nicolosi ◽  
Donatella Di Gregorio ◽  
Giuseppe Arena ◽  
Valentina Rosa Laganà ◽  
Donatella Privitera
Keyword(s):  
Southern Italy ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Artisanal Fishing ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Coastal Fisheries ◽  
Cluster Identification ◽  
The Eu

The study looks at the problems facing coastal fishing communities. It highlights the impacts that, in the complex framework of the EU reforms, have manifested themselves on economic activities and on society. The aim of the paper is twofold: to examine small-scale artisanal fishing in an area of Southern Italy in order to develop resilience and diversification and at the same time to outline the profiles of local bluefish buyers to highlight development strategies for the sector. The research carried out through a direct survey by administering a questionnaire to fishermen operating in areas of Southern Italy and the data cross-referenced with the opinions of local consumers. A conjoint experiment, followed by a multiple correspondence analysis and cluster identification, was used to outline the profiles of local bluefish buyers. The results of the analysis reveal that the fish market and the restaurant sector are the main distribution channels preferred by fishermen. Furthermore, fishermen are very sensitive to environmental issues and are willing to collaborate and actively participate in the environmental protection of the sea. Consumers recognise the quality of local bluefish, and they implicitly perceive the sustainability of the method of capture. The results show the need to undertake synergistic actions for the fishing industry, capable of activating marketing strategies adequately to support, promote and develop the sector. The results of the study provide helpful information for food companies in order to better segment their market and target their consumers, as well as to effectively promote their product using brands, certifications and traceability.

scholarly journals Conceptual framework for increasing legitimacy and trust of sustainability governance

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Stupak ◽  
Maha Mansoor ◽  
C. Tattersall Smith
Keyword(s):  
Good Governance ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Governance Model ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Sustainability Governance ◽  
Sustainable Societies ◽  
Key Terms

AbstractWhile the quantity of sustainability governance initiatives and systems has increased dramatically, crises persist over whether specific governance systems can be trusted as legitimate regulators of the sustainability of economic activities. This paper focuses on conceptual tools to improve our understanding of these crises as well as the facilitating factors and barriers for sustainability governance to play a role in transitioning to profoundly more sustainable societies than those that currently exist. Bioenergy is used throughout the paper as an example to aid contextually in understanding the theoretical and abstract arguments. We first define eight premises upon which our argumentation is developed. We then define sustainability, sustainability transition, legitimacy, and trust as a premise for obtaining effectiveness in communication and minimising risks associated with misunderstanding key terms. We proceed to examine the literature on “good governance” in order to reflect upon what defines "good sustainability governance" and what makes governance systems successful in achieving their goals. We propose input, output, and throughput legitimacy as three principles constituting “good” sustainability governance and propose associated open-ended criteria as a basis for developing operational standards for assessing the quality of a sustainability governance system or complex. As sustainability governance systems must develop to remain relevant, we also suggest an adaptive governance model, where continuous re-evaluation of the sustainability governance system design supports the system in remaining “good” in conditions that are complex and dynamic. Finally, we pull from the literature in a broad range of sciences to propose a conceptual “governance research framework” that aims to facilitate an integrated understanding of how the design of sustainability governance systems influences the legitimacy and trust granted to them by relevant actors. The framework is intended to enhance the adaptive features of sustainability governance systems so as to allow the identification of the causes of existing and emerging sustainability governance crises and finding solutions to them. Knowledge generated from its use may form a basis for providing policy recommendations on how to practically solve complex legitimacy and trust crises related to sustainability governance.

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