Urban nighttime leisure space mapping with nighttime light images and POI data

Urban nighttime leisure spaces (UNLSs), important urban sites of nighttime economic activity, have created enormous economic and social benefits. Both the physical features (e.g., location, shape, and area) and the social functions (e.g., commercial streets, office buildings, and entertainment venues) of UNLSs are important in UNLS mapping. However, most studies rely solely on census data or nighttime light (NTL) images to map the physical features of UNLSs, which limits UNLS mapping, and few studies perform UNLS mapping from a social function perspective. Point-of-interest (POI) data, which can reflect social activity functions, are needed. As a result, a novel methodological UNLS mapping framework, that integrates NTL images and POI data is required. Consequently, we first extracted high-NTL intensity and high-POI density areas from composite data as areas with high nightlife activity levels. Then, the POI data were analyzed to identify the social functions of leisure spaces revealing that nighttime leisure activities are not abundant in Beijing overall, the total UNLS area in Beijing is 31.08 km(2), which accounts for only 0.2% of the total area of Beijing. In addition, the nightlife activities in the central urban area are more abundant than those in the suburbs. The main urban area has the largest UNLS area. Compared with the nightlife landmarks in Beijing established by the government, our results provide more details on the spatial pattern of nighttime leisure activities throughout the city. Our study aims to provide new insights into how multisource data can be leveraged for UNLS mapping to enable researchers to broaden their study scope. This investigation can also help government departments better understand the local nightlife situation to rationally formulate planning and adjustment measures

Modernity of Chinese urban neighborhoods : toward new spatial forms

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-101).There is always a general dilemma about how to balance technology and humanity in urban neighborhood development. Modem technology creates many new spatial forms for Chinese urban neighborhoods, but it also destroys many traditional fundamental characteristics. Because of lacking systemic analysis tools, ignoring ecologically sustainable development and mechanically copying some models from the West, many Chinese urban neighborhoods completely have lost their traditional characteristics. This has been a common phenomenon in contemporary China from 1840. Through reviewing current social-economic environment in China, studying advanced foreign methods of modem urban neighborhood development, and searching solutions from native practices, this thesis attempts to identify the problems met by Chinese contemporary urban neighborhood development, explore research on new spatial forms which fit modem Chinese urban neighborhoods, and set up some possible design strategies.by Qian Yi.S.M

How to choose the agent construction mode in chinese government investment projects?

The complexity of managing government investment projects arrives, among others, from the fact it involves many stakeholders. Managerial problems in government investment projects resulting in inefficiencies, waste of resources, and delays often appear in China. Government departments used to control all the aspects of a project, including construction, investment, management, and use which result in waste and rent-seeking behaviors. On July 25, 2004, the state council published the document "Decision on Investment System Reform" which clearly put forward the requirements of using construction agents in non-profit government investment projects. Methods of selecting and managing construction agents are different in different regions in China. We adopted qualitative research methods. First, we analyzed the principal-agent relationships and the information asymmetry in construction agent models, and discussed the theory methods to abate information asymmetry and decrease the moral hazard problem. Then we investigated five construction agent modes in five regions of China, and analyzed the project process and management methods. We found that these modes could be split into two types of construction agent models: "market competitive agent" construction model and "administrative agent" construction model. Finally, we analyzed CIXI city’s construction agent model in non - profit government investment project, and found that CIXI also used an “administrative agent" construction model. Therefore, we thought that although market competitive construction agent model is better than administrative construction agent model in theory, the latter might be a contingent way to adapt to the environment in the transition economy period that China is living.A complexidade da gestão de projetos de investimento dos governosé inegável mormente tendo em conta os incontáveis “stakeholders” envolvidos. Na China sempre existiram problemas de gestãonos projetos de investimento do governo que motivaram ineficiências, desperdícios de recursos e demoras na concretização desses projectos. Dado que os departamentos do governo controlavam todos os aspectos relativos aos projetos, incluindo construção, investimento, agenciamento e gestão, o resultado consubstanciou-se em elevados desperdícios e na geração de comportamentos oportunísticos. Em 25 de julho de 2004, o Conselho do Estado da China publicou um documento acerca da gestão de investimentos governamentais - “Decisão sobre a reforma do sistema de gestão de investimentos”. Sob este novo sistema, claramente, o governo apresentou os requisitos de utilização de agentes de construção nos projectos sem fins lucrativos de investimento do governo. Contudo os métodos de seleção e gestão dos referidos agentes são diferentes nas várias regiões da China. Neste trabalho foi utilizado o método qualitativo de pesquisa. Primeiro, analisou-se as relações principal-agente e a assimetria de informação nos modelos de agênciaem construção civil. Além disso, discutiram-se os métodos teóricos para diminuir a assimetria de informação e o problema de risco moral. Segundo, investigou-se os cinco modos deagente naconstrução em cinco regiões da China, e analisou-se o processo de projeto e os métodos de gestão, tendo-se descoberto que estas formas podem ser divididas em dois tipos de modelos de agente na construção: o modelo de construção "market competitive agent" e o modelo de construção "administrative agent", conforme mencionado anteriormente. Finalmente, analisou-se o modelo de agente de construção da cidade de CIXI em projectos sem fins lucrativos de investimento do governo. Ficou evidenciado que o modelo de construção “administrative agent” também foi utilizado nesta cidade. Por isso, conclui-se que, embora em teoria o modelo de construção "market competitive agent" seja melhor do que o de construção "administrative agent ", o último pode ser uma solução contingente e intermédia que se adapta ao período da economia em transição da China

Resilience and health in the Chinese people during the COVID-19 outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global trauma. To date, the pandemic has not only taken away the lives of four million people, but also created an unprecedented impact on the mental health in both infected patients and non-infected populations, both directly due to the medical complications associated with infection, and indirectly because of the implementation of public health measures such as social distancing, lockdowns and quarantines [reviewed by Kontoangelos et al. (1) and Vindegaard and Benros (2)]. The availability of effective vaccines to the general public once sparked the hope of impending emergence from the trauma. Unfortunately, this has been undermined recently by the emergence of new and more contagious variants of the virus. Amidst the progressive return to “normal” in some places, a number of countries are now facing the challenges of a new wave of epidemic caused by the latest variant of the COVID-19 virus. Despite the pandemic's widespread impact on mental health in different populations including the general public and healthcare workers [e.g., (2)], the focus of research since the beginning of the outbreak has been on medical complications of infection. This collection is expected to fill this gap by focusing on the indirect or mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to the Chinese people during the early stage of the outbreak

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Incidence of Injury in Professional Female Soccer

The epidemiology of injury in male professional football is well documented and has been used as a basis to monitor injury trends and implement injury prevention strategies. There are no systematic reviews that have investigated injury incidence in women’s professional football. Therefore, the extent of injury burden in women’s professional football remains unknown. PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to calculate an overall incidence rate of injury in senior female professional soccer. The secondary aims were to provide an incidence rate for training and match play. METHODS: PubMed, Discover, EBSCO, Embase and ScienceDirect electronic databases were searched from inception to September 2018. Two reviewers independently assessed study quality using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement using a 22-item STROBE checklist. Seven prospective studies (n=1137 professional players) were combined in a pooled analysis of injury incidence using a mixed effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the Cochrane Q statistic and I2. RESULTS: The epidemiological incidence proportion over one season was 0.62 (95% CI 0.59 - 0.64). Mean total incidence of injury was 3.15 (95% CI 1.54 - 4.75) injuries per 1000 hours. The mean incidence of injury during match play was 10.72 (95% CI 9.11 - 12.33) and during training was 2.21 (95% CI 0.96 - 3.45). Data analysis found a significant level of heterogeneity (total Incidence, X2 = 16.57 P < 0.05; I2 = 63.8%) and during subsequent sub group analyses in those studies reviewed (match incidence, X2 = 76.4 (d.f. = 7), P <0.05; I2 = 90.8%, training incidence, X2 = 16.97 (d.f. = 7), P < 0.05; I2 = 58.8%). Appraisal of the study methodologies revealed inconsistency in the use of injury terminology, data collection procedures and calculation of exposure by researchers. Such inconsistencies likely contribute to the large variance in the incidence and prevalence of injury reported. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated risk of sustaining at least one injury over one football season is 62%. Continued reporting of heterogeneous results in population samples limits meaningful comparison of studies. Standardising the criteria used to attribute injury and activity coupled with more accurate methods of calculating exposure will overcome such limitations

Improving somatic health for outpatients with severe mental illness: the development of an intervention

Objective: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) suffer from more somatic illness than the general population. Possible causes are side effects of neuropsychiatric medication, genetic vulnerability, insufficient health care and lifestyle. This co-morbidity is potentially reversible and augments the costs for health care and diminishes quality of life. Screening on symptoms and risks of somatic diseases and coordination of care are proposed to improve SMI-patients' somatic health status. Methods: A clinical facility was started to improve the somatic health status of patients in an outpatient centre in southern Netherlands. This outpatient centre was added to the specialized care for severe and enduring SMI. The intervention consisted of the inventarisation of side-effects and the detection of gaps in health care provision for 72 patients. This was based on interviewing the patients, laboratory screening, collecting information from their general practitioner and pharmacy. A list was compiled of possible diagnosis and health risks, and a plan of action was made for the treatment. Healthcare consumption, quality of life and general functioning were assessed to analyze cost-effectiveness. Evaluations were performed with the psychiatric care team on the process. Results: Mean annual cost of GP's and medical specialist's consultations were E492. There existed a negative relation between EQ5D VAS and the number of self reported chronic diseases. Conclusion: The authors conclude that the procedure is well feasible, but should be set up in close collaboration with all health care professionals of these patients to make tailor made solutions possible