Exploring Travel Mode Preference of External Trips for Smart City Transportation Planning: Sejong, Korea

In the face of growing concerns about urban problems, smart cities have emerged as a promising solution to address the challenges, for future sustainable societies in cities. Since the early 2000s, 67 local governments in Korea have been participating in smart city projects, as of 2019. The Sejong 5-1 Living Area smart city was selected as one of two pilot national demonstration smart cities. The main objectives of this study are to introduce the Sejong 5-1 Living Area smart city project that is currently in the planning stage, present travel and mode preferences focusing on external trips in a smart city context to be built, and analyze a mode choice model according to the socioeconomic characteristics of individual travelers. One of the distinguishing features of the Sejong smart city is its transportation design concept of designating a sharing car-only district within the city to limit private vehicle ownership to about one-third of residents, while bus rapid transit (BRT) plays a central role in mobility for external trips among four transport modes including private cars, BRT, carsharing, and ridesharing. This study was analyzed using the stated preference survey data under hypothetical conditions by reflecting the unique characteristics of the Sejong smart city transportation policy. Approximately two-thirds of respondents in the survey preferred to spend less than 1.25 USD, traveling less than 35 min on BRT trips. On the basis of the survey data, we developed a mixed logit mode choice model and found the overall model estimates to be statistically significant and reasonable. All people-specific variables examined in this study were associated with mode choices for external commuting trips, including age, income, household size, major mode, driving ability, and presence of preschoolers.

Housing as an Object of Consumption: Analysis of Functional, Symbolic and Investment Value

Analysis of housing as an object of consumption rests upon the concept of the value of consumer object. A set of certain features of an object constitute its value and housing is explored by analysing its functional, investment and symbolic value. The results of the empirical study allows us to reasonably state that housing as an object of consumption is recognizable in the population surveyed. The assessment of functional, investment and symbolic value aspects varies with respect to the basic characteristics of housing – location in the city, living area and type of housing. The analysis of housing as an object of consumption revealed growth trends in the relevance of investment value, changes in attitudes towards housing loans and the relevance of owner status in the housing tenure.

The Origins of Formation of Descriptive Geometry

The translation "Descriptive geometry" is not entirely accurate. In fact, the phrase should be translated as "Narrative geometry". Based on this translation, it can be confidently stated that the science under consideration serves not only as a theoretical basis for orthogonal projections, a special case of which are ordinary drawings, but also for any images – in this the author of the article fully agrees with such authorities as N.A. Rynin, N.F. Chetverukhin, V.O. Gordon, S.A. Frolov, N.A. Sobolev and many others. The paper considers the origins of one of the directions of geometry – descriptive geometry. The hypothesis is put forward that in reality descriptive geometry, or rather, its elements, was originally involved in ancient times, during the primitive communal system when making drawings on the walls of caves and rocks. Orthogonal projections were used in the ancient world and in the Middle Ages, and Gaspard Monge at the end of the XVIII century systematized all the existing disconnected developments on descriptive geometry, adding his own research. Most likely, geometry in general was the very first science that originated when our ancestors who lived in caves faced the problem of increasing the living area due to population growth. And descriptive geometry began to develop from the moment when the first artist depicted scenes from life on the cave wall: hunting, fishing, tribal wars, events that shocked people, etc. Ancient artists existed on all continents of the globe, except perhaps Antarctica, since rock carvings were found on all other continents. And the earliest was performed somewhere 25-30 thousand years ago. Thus, the hypothesis that the elements of descriptive geometry originated in the primitive communal system can be considered proven.

Sugar Content of Market Beverages and Children’s Sugar Intake from Beverages in Beijing, China

(1) Background: This study aims to find the sugar content of market beverages and estimate the sugar intake from beverages among students in Beijing. (2) Methods: Using snapshotting, we collected the sugar content of beverages through their packages or nutrition labels. Combined with the statistic of student beverage consumption, we estimated students’ sugar intake. (3) Results: The median sugar content of total beverages was 9.0 g/100 mL, among which the fruits/vegetable juices and beverages had the highest sugar content (10.0 g/100 mL). Sugar content in most beverages in Beijing was generally higher than the recommendations, and fruit/vegetable juices and beverages exceeded the most. The median of sugar intake from beverages among students was 5.3 g/d, and the main sources were fruit/vegetable juices and beverages, protein beverages and carbonated beverages. Sugar intake from beverages differed according to gender, age and living area. Higher sugar intake was found among boys, older students and rural students. (4) Conclusions: Sugar content in market beverages in Beijing were high. Gender, age and residence were the influencing factors of sugar intake. Targeted measures should be taken to decrease the sugar content in beverages, especially the fruit/vegetable juices and beverages and the sugar intake among students.

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric and adolescent patients of COVID-19, an experience of a Divisional Corona Center, Bahawalpur from South Punjab, Pakistan.

Objective: To assess various clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric and adolescent patients of COVID-19 of Bahawalpur division, to improve their outcome and management. Study design: Descriptive Cohort study. Setting: Department of Pediatrics, Civil Hospital Bahawalpur. Period: 1st March to 30th July 2020. Material & Methods: Data of patients was recovered from hospital record. Data of variables like age, gender, rural or urban living area, symptomatology and need for hospitalization was collected from hospital record. Results: Out of total 516 diagnosed COVID-19 patients, 5.4% patients were of age less than 20 years, 32% from birth to 5 years, 20% from 6 to 10 years of age, 21.4% were 11 to 15 years of age, 28.5% were 16 to 20 years age group. 57.1% were male and 42.8% were female. 42.8% were asymptomatic, 32% patient had respiratory symptoms, 25% had Gastro-intestinal symptoms. 64.2% belonged to urban territory of living, 35.7% belonged to rural. 81.2% patients fall in mild category and 18.7% in moderate. Mortality was Null. Hospitalization was needed in 53.5%, while 46.5% were home quarantined. Mean duration of hospital stay was 14+1 days. Conclusion: Pediatric and adolescent patients have mild to moderate disease severity leading to better outcome of the disease.

Research on Supply and Demand in the Primary Housing Market by Structurizing on the Basis of the Number of Apartments and Bedrooms

All the household sector throughout the Russian Federation needs to improve housing facilities. The objective of an optimally organized economic system of a state is to provide a state or market possibility for all the categories of citizens to meet their demand for housing. The aim of the research is to identify the necessary structure of market housing supply in terms of number of bedrooms. The supply and demand in the first housing market are analyzed in order to substantiate the developers’ shaping of the housing supply strategy. Structurizing on the basis of the number of apartments and bedrooms is emphasized. As a part of the research, the problem of finding the optimal living area allocated for apartments with different number of bedrooms was formalized and solved. Due to the solution, developers will be able to create a housing proposal, taking into account the number of bedrooms, аnd state government bodies will be able to plan construction orders for citizens supported by the government more accurately. It was recommended to include the calculation of the indicator «number of bedrooms per each member of the family» into the methods of calculating target indicators of the state program for the Irkutsk region «Available Housing» for 2019–2024 (into Part 3 «Target Indicators of the Subprogram «Housing Construction Support in the Irkutsk Region» for 2019–2024»).

Serum Levels of Vitamin D, Retinol, Zinc and CRP in Relation To Obesity Among Children and Adolescents

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the possible association between serum micronutrients (vitamin D, retinol, Zinc ), C-reactive protein (CRP) and obesity among children and adolescents. Methods: Weight and height were measured and serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D, serum retinol, serum Zinc and CRP were measured in 2818 children and adolescents(6-17 years of age), using the data of 10 investigation sites in Zhejiang Province. The difference of micronutrients (vitamin D, retinol, zinc), CRP among different BMI status were explored by ANOVA and chi-square test. The associated factors of micronutrients and CRP of overweight and obesity were explored by multifactor analysis.Results: There were significant differences between male students and female students on BMI, 25(OH)D3, CRP, and there were significant differences between children and adolescents and between students living in urban area and rural area on BMI, 25(OH)D3, retinol, zinc(p < 0.05). There were significant differences on 25(OH)D3 and CRP level, and on retinol level among children and adolescents with different nutritional conditions (p < 0.05). In multifactor analysis, we found that gender(OR=0.626, 95%CI:0.486-0.806), living area (OR=0.666, 95%CI:0.515-0.860), age group(OR=0.894, 95%CI:0.856-0.934), high CRP concentration (OR=1.084,95%CI:1.046-1.122) and appropriate retinol level (OR=1.536, 95%CI:1.185-1.991) were associated with students with obesity. Conclusion: Gender, living area, age group, CRP concentration and vitamin A status were associated with children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. More attention in the intervention of overweight and obesity should be paid to boys living in urban areas, and high serum CRP and retinol level should also be concerned.

Risk factors of leptospirosis incidence in agricultural area

The rate of leptospirosis incidence in Boyolali regency, Indonesia, during 2017 was high and showing an increasing trend. According to Boyolali District Health Office the number of leptospirosis cases in 2017 was 34 cases. Factors related to leptospirosis in the agriculture area should be understood well to take the right measurements for leptospirosis control in a typical agricultural area. Several risk factors, such as personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, wound presence, occupation, are the factors of leptospirosis infection. This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with the leptospirosis incidence in Boyolali regency, Indonesia. This research used an observational method with a case-control design. The total number of case sample was 33 people, and the control sample were 99 people (ratio 1:3) with matched by a living area. Data collection were carried out with interviews using a questionnaire to respondents related to personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, wound presence and work as a farmer. The data were tested using logistic regression. Most of the case respondents work as a farmer and worker. The results showed that the risk factors associated with leptospirosis incidence were a wound presence (OR:17.014;95% CI:5.487-52.761) and worked as a farmer (OR:5,186; 95%CI:1.682-15.989). Unrelated variables were bad personal hygiene (95%CI:0.647-7.885) and environmental sanitation (95%CI:0.793-8.773). The dominant risk factor that causes Leptospirosis was wound presences and occupation as a farmer. Therefore people who work mostly touch the water like farmers must cover any wound on feet and keep personal and environmental sanitation to prevent infection.