The relationship between bicycle traffic and the development of bicycle infrastructure on the example of Warsaw

The article presents the relationship between the intensity of bicycle traffic volume and the development of bicycle infrastructure on the example of Warsaw. There has been a big increase in cycling over the last decade. At the same time, the linear and point bicycle infrastructure developed very strongly. Similar trends are also observed in other cities in Poland. The article presents the types of infrastructure available to cyclists. Then, the method of assessing the bicycle infrastructure is presented, taking into account the five features of good bicycle infrastructure: cohesion, directness, attractiveness, safety and comfort. In terms of coherence, the analysis covered the bicycle infrastructure network in the vicinity of the measurement site. The directness was tested by checking the accessibility of several dozen of the most important nodal points of the city's communication network. The attractiveness was examined by checking the availability of public bike stations, bicycle racks and bike-sharing stations. The infrastructure adjusted to the technical class of the road was adopted as a measure of safety. The comfort was checked by analyzing the quality of the road surface, which affects the driving comfort and energy expenditure. All the factors presented impact the cyclist's assessment of the infrastructure. To standardize the assessment rules, an aggregate index of the development of bicycle infrastructure was determined. The analysis was carried out for 10 sample points for four consecutive years. The points were characterized by different bicycle infrastructure, location in the city road network and different results of bicycle traffic measurements. The analysis showed a strong positive relationship between traffic and cycling infrastructure for most of the analyzed places. There was a negative dependence in the case of the construction of alternative routes in relation to the place of traffic measurements. The obtained results are the same as in the works of other authors. However, the effects of work do not allow to determine which of the examined factors is the cause and which is the effect but only show the existing relationship.

Combined Blood Indexes of Systemic Inflammation as a Mirror to Admission to Intensive Care Unit in COVID-19 Patients: A Multicentric Study

Background The Coronavirus 2019 is a pandemic that has spread worldwide, threatening human health. The main cause of death in patients with COVID-19 is a systemic pro-inflammatory mechanism that quickly progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Hematological ratios as affordable indicators of inflammatory response were studied in COVID-19 patients. The study aimed to study the importance of the blood cell indexes of the systemic inflammatory response, as the Aggregate Index of Systemic Inflammation (AISI), neutrophils lymphocyte to platelet ratio (NLPR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and, systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) admission of COVID-19 patients. Methods 495 COVID-19 patients managed in four tertiary centers; divided into non-ICU and ICU groups. Results Total leucocyte count (TLC), AISI, NLPR, SII, and SIRI were more elevated in the ICU group (P < 0.001 for all except AMC P = 0.006), while this group had less absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) (P = 0.047). We estimated the optimal cut-off values of the hematological ratio; AISI (729), NLPR (0.0195), SII (1346), and SIRI (2.5). SII had the highest specificity (95.6%), while NLPR had the highest sensitivity (61.3%). Age, AISI, CRP, D-dimer, and oxygen aid were the independent predictors for ICU admission in COVID-19 in multivariate logistic regression. Conclusion AISI is a predictor for severity and ICU admission in COVID-19 patients, SII is a predictor of survival, while NLPR and SIRI have an additive role that needs further evaluation.

455. Diagnostic Value of Hematological Parameters in Different Stages of the Disease in Covid-19 Patients

Background COVID-19 infection is associated in some individuals with a rapid onset of systemic proinflammatory state leading to cytokine storm followed by multisystem organ failure. We are interested in studying the prognostic value of complete blood count parameters in different stages of the diseases based on the serology. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to our hospital between 10/1/2020 to 2/28/2021. Study individuals had complete CBC profile and COVID-19 serology with well-defined clinical outcome (discharged alive or expired). They were divided in 3 groups based on serology results: group 1 (early disease) had no antibodies, group 2 (immune phase) had + IgM, and group 3 (late phase) had only + IgG. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were reviewed. Simple t-test was used for continuous variables and chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Anova test was used to compare the difference across multiple groups. GraphPad PRISM was used for all analysis. Results A total of 202 confirmed covid 19 cases were included in the study. There was no difference between the 3 groups in terms of age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). We did observe an increase in incidence in Latinx (group 1, 34%; group 2, 51%; group 3, 38%). Hypertension and diabetes were major co-morbidities in these patients. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and platelet count (PC) showed significant changes across the 3 groups: mean ANC for group 1, 4.868 (SD 3.117); group 2, mean 6.951 (SD 3.843); and group 3 mean 5.59 (SD 3.236). PC in group 1 mean 193.2 (SD 90.25); group 2 mean 271.1 (SD 143.4); and group 3 mean 228.6 (SD 75.33) p-value 0.0008. The difference can be seen in the derived monocyte platelet rationMPR, neutrophil lymphocyte ratio NLR, platelet lymphocyte ratio PLR and aggregate index of systemic inflammation AISI values and they tend to be higher in group 2 (MPR p-value 0.0067, NLR p-value 0.0123, PLR p-value 0.0294, AISI p-value of 0.0190). Baseline characteristic CBC parameters Conclusion The study demonstrates that MPR, NLR, PLR and AISI have a potential role in categorizing the disease stage based on only CBC profiling.Properly designed prospective studies with a larger sample size should be performed to confirm the disease stratification ability of derived CBC indices like MPR, NLR, PLR and AISI. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

The Aggregate Index of Systemic Inflammation (AISI): A Novel Prognostic Biomarker in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Variable patterns of disease progression are typically observed in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We sought to determine the prognostic capacity of blood cell count indexes, derived from routine complete blood cell (CBC) count, in a cohort of IPF patients. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) were calculated at baseline in a consecutive series of 82 IPF patients followed for four years. After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, and disease stage, only the AISI was significantly associated with mortality (HR 1.0013, 95% CI 1.0003–1.0023, p = 0.015). Patients with AISI <434 and ≥434 had a median survival from the diagnosis of 35.3 ± 15.2 and 26.6 ± 16.3 months (p = 0.015), and a four-year survival rate of 54% and 34%, respectively. The AISI, easily derivable from routine laboratory tests, is independently associated with mortality in patients with IPF. Prospective studies in larger cohorts are required to confirm this association.

Affinity between Bitumen and Aggregate in Hot Mix Asphalt by Hyperspectral Imaging and Digital Picture Analysis

This study investigated the viability of quantifying the affinity between aggregate and bitumen by means of different imaging techniques. Experiments were arranged in accordance with the rolling-bottle test, as indicated in UNI EN 12697-11, “Test methods for hot bituminous conglomerates—Part 11”. Digital image processing (DIP) techniques have only recently been used for such quantification. The data gathered with a multi-sensor optical platform equipped with VIS–NIR and SWIR spectrometers were compared with DIP outcomes. Data were processed using the unsupervised ISODATA and the supervised parallelepiped algorithms. The exposed aggregate index (EAI) and the bitumen index (BIT) were calculated to retrieve the bitumen percentage coverage of different mixtures. The comparison with the results obtained employing the traditional 6, 24, 48 and 72 testing hours reveals the possibility to implement a standardized analysis methodology combining digital and hyperspectral imagery to highlight potential inaccuracies deriving from the visual interpretation.

A Changing Landscape of Health Opportunity in the United States: Increases in the Strength of Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Adult Health Between the 1990s and the 2010s

Understanding the changing health consequences of childhood socioeconomic disadvantage (SED) is highly relevant to policy debates on inequality and national and state goals to improve population health. However, changes in the strength of association between childhood SED and adult health over historic time are largely unexamined in the United States. The current study begins to address this knowledge gap. Data were from two national samples of adults collected in 1995 (n = 7,108) and 2012 (n = 3,577) as part of the Midlife in the United States study. Three measures of childhood SED (parent occupational prestige, childhood poverty exposure, and parent education) were combined into an aggregate index and examined separately. The association between childhood SED (aggregate index) and five health outcomes (BMI, waist circumference, chronic conditions, functional limitations, and self-rated health) was stronger in the 2012 sample than the 1995 sample, with the magnitude of associations being approximately twice as large in the more recent sample. Results persisted after adjusting for age, sex, race, marital status, and number of children, and were similar across all three measures of childhood SED. The findings suggest that the socioeconomic circumstances of childhood may have become a stronger predictor of adult health in recent decades.

The methodology and indicators of the sector-specific analysis of the local export potential during the transition to the green economy

Subject. The article discusses export opportunities of the Russian regions, including green entrepreneurship, in terms of sustainable development goals. Objectives. We conduct the aggregate evaluation of the export potential of the Russian regions by indicator of export opportunities, including the description of the development of green business segments. Methods. Integral analysis is the baseline methodology accounting for multiple parameters of the local export potential and green business development. Results. We determined the highest export potential of green entrepreneurship in regions by commodity group. To perform the comprehensive analysis of the export potential for business segments of the green economy, we propose and assess the aggregated index, which provide for factual indicators of exported products and requirements for green business development. Conclusions and Relevance. If the export potential of the green economy is evaluated by simply examining exports of the above sectors, the findings will not be very informative, because they will not unveil business opportunities of the green segment. To comprehensively analyze the export potential for development business segments of the green economy, it is necessary to assess the aggregate index providing for factual indicators of exported products and requirements for the green business development.

Examining the Prevalence of Obesity in Croatia: The Story of the Mediterranean Diet

The objective of this study is to establish a causal relationship between the Mediterranean diet (MD) and various measures of overweightness using the Croatian Adult Health Survey 2003 data. Our results show that among three measures of obesity (body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and obesity (BMI = 30), we found statistically the most convincing relationship between the BMI and the MD. Our results show that an increase in the Mediterranean diet aggregate index by 10% reduces the BMI by about 0.9%. When the MD10 index is replaced with the set of its ten constituent food groups, as a group, these food variables are jointly statistically significant, most of them have expected (negative) signs, and some of them are also individually significant. For the other two overweight measurements (WHR and obesity) we found that the impact of MD aggregate index is insignificant but when the index is replaced by its ten constituent food elements, these are jointly statistically significant in explaining the variation in the obesity measures.

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE LEVEL OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

This article presents an analysis of the level of tourism development across the Russian Federation. The study explores Russian regions by considering the key characteristics of tourism: the number of accommodation facilities, international visitors staying in accommodation facilities, the number of people employed in tourism and hospitality, and the value added created by these sectors of economy. An aggregate index is used to assess levels of tourism and recreation development and compare administrative units on this measure. An original methodology is employed to track shifts in Russian tourism, identify regions specialising in tourism, and forecast tourism development at a regional level.

Construction and Empirical Verification of the Agri-Environmental Index (AEI) as a Tool for Assessing the Green Performance of Agriculture

In this paper, the aggregate index of green performance of agriculture (Agri-Environmental Index (AEI)) was proposed and empirically verified. For this purpose, a taxonomic method was used, i.e., the linear ordering method, which allows for the construction of a synthetic metric for the assessment of performance. Based on 16 agri-environmental indicators from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Eurostat database, green performance indexes were constructed for 20 European countries. The constructed indexes are based on the multi-line impact of agriculture on the environment, with a particular focus on energy issues. During the analyses, answers to the following research questions were sought: Is the AEI an appropriate tool for evaluating the green performance of agriculture? What is the overall situation in this matter in EU countries? Which areas in terms of the impact of agriculture on the environment require remedial actions? The results of surveys show that the level of green performance in countries is still low (an average of 0.3069). The article indicates the areas that require special attention in the context of continuation of greening processes in the agricultural sector.