Modelling perceived pedestrian level of service of sidewalks: a structural equation approach

A disparity between developed and developing countries is not only in the terms of economy and geography, but also on the pedestrians’ perceptions and expectations about the level of service of sidewalks. Therefore, it is paramount to find the effect of various built environment measures, that impact perceived Pedestrian Level Of Service (PLOS) in the context of developing nations. This study investigates the most influential factors of the built environment that affect perceived PLOS of sidewalks in the Indian context. This is one of the first studies in India that utilize Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique to assess pedestrian satisfaction and thereby qualitative PLOS of sidewalks. A total of 502 personal interviews was conducted to extract the pedestrian perception about the quality of sidewalks of Thiruvananthapuram city, a typical Indian city. The results identified four latent exogenous constructs named “Safety”, “Security”, “Mobility and infrastructure” and “Comfort and convenience” that represent the main aspects of the PLOS of sidewalks among which factors of security has exhibited highest loading (λ = 0.60). The study identified that parameters like police patrolling, street lighting, cleaner sidewalks, sidewalk obstructions, sidewalk surface have an evident impact on the level of service of sidewalks. The results of the study provide a significant information for interpreting the aspects of the walking environment that mainly influences the PLOS. This information can help city planners to prepare new strategies, policy interventions that enhance the quality of sidewalks and thus making the city more walkable

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En 2010, le Cameroun a fêté le centenaire de l’éducation moderne et le cinquantenaire de son indépendance. Pour les générations adultes, le niveau scolaire a dangereusement baissé. Selon eux, les élèves étaient jadis plus consciencieux et plus performants. À ce titre, les établissements scolaires BONNEAU, SACRÉ-COEUR, SAINT-COEUR, VOGT, STOLL, évoquent tout ce qu’il y a de sérieux. Les personnalités de premier rangdu Cameroun à l’exemple du Chef de l’État actuel, y ont été formées par des missionnaires canadiens. Voulant savoir ce qui faisait la particularité de cette éducation, nous avons émis l’hypothèse générale qu’elle reposait sur une approche didactique particulière. Cette hypothèse nous a permis de consulter des archives pour examiner les aspects éthiques, socioprofessionnels, psychopédagogiques et technologiques des éducateurs canadiens. Il en ressort que les valeurs éthiques et morales étaient au coeur de leur approche éducative. Le profil des enseignants de ces établissements était moins important que les valeurs chrétiennes qu’ils incarnaient. Aussi avons-nous proposé que les éducateurs camerounais actuels s’inspirent de ce modèle pour améliorer leur pratique. En somme, il nous est apparu hautement souhaitable que les professeurs d’histoire, s’appuyant sur l’approche éthique canadienne, présentent des valeurs authentiquement africaines aux jeunes Camerounais.In 2010, Cameroon celebrated the centenary of modern education and the fiftieth anniversary of its independence. For adult generations, school level dropped alarmingly. According to this thesis, the students were once more conscientious and more efficient. As such, schools like BONNEAU, SACRED HEART, SAINT-HEART, VOGT, STOLL, evoke everything that is serious. Great personalities of Cameroon of the example of the current head of State were being trained by Canadian missionaries. Wanting to know what the peculiarity of this education was, we issued the general assumption that it was based on a particular educational approach. This assumption allowed us to develop a questionnaire to examine the ethical, socio-professional, pedagogical and technological aspects of Canadian educators. After counting the questionnaire, it appears that the ethical and moral values were at the heart of their educational approach. The profile of the teachers appeared less important than the Christian values they embodied. We therefore proposed that the current Cameroonian educators get inspired by this model to improve their practice. In short, it became highly desirable that history teachers, based on the Canadian ethical approach, have authentically African values to young Cameroonians

Does neighborhood design matter for walk access to metro stations? An integrated SEM-Hybrid discrete mode choice approach

This study explores effects of various subjective and objective built environment (BE) factors on access mode choice to Metro stations. Personal interview surveys were conducted among 600 Metro users from catchment area of Metro stations in Delhi, India to collect information regarding their socio-economic status, access travel characteristics, and degree of satisfaction on twenty microscale BE factors related to walking environment. Secondary data on mesoscale factors such as population- and employment-density and land-use diversity were also collected. Exploratory factor analysis on microscale factors yielded a four-factor solution, i.e., Comfort, Safety & Security, Traffic, and Mobility which is confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. These four factors were utilized to derive an endogenous variable “Neighborhood Design”. Four access mode choice models were developed subsequently using hybrid discrete choice models taking Neighborhood Design as walkability measure. The results indicated that Neighborhood Design, population, and land-use densities affect mode choice positively and significantly. The research indicates that improving microscale Neighborhood Design and certain mesoscale factors within catchment areas of stations could influence the peoples’ choice of walking to the stations. Sensitivity analysis also shows that improvement in the neighborhood design attributes will lead to a higher share of walk access to metro stations

Lipoyltransferase 1 Gene Defect Resulting in Fatal Lactic Acidosis in Two Siblings

A term male neonate developed severe intractable lactic acidosis on day of life 1 and died the same day at our institution. The family previously lost another term, female newborn on day of life 1 from suspected sepsis at an outside hospital. After performing an autopsy on the neonate who died at our institution, extensive and lengthy neonatal and parental genetic testing, as well as biochemical analyses, and whole exome sequencing analysis identified compound heterozygous mutations in the lipoyltransferase 1 (LIPT1) gene responsible for the lipoylation of the 2-keto dehydrogenase complexes in the proband. These mutations were also identified in the deceased sibling. The clinical manifestations of these two siblings are consistent with those recently described in two unrelated families with lactic acidosis due to LIPT1 mutations, an underrecognized and underreported cause of neonatal death. Conclusions. Our observations contribute to the delineation of a new autosomal recessive metabolic disorder, leading to neonatal death. Our case report also highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary team in solving challenging cases

Effects of a mutation in the HSPE1 gene encoding the mitochondrial co-chaperonin HSP10 and its potential association with a neurological and developmental disorder

We here report molecular investigations of a missense mutation in the HSPE1 gene encoding the HSP10 subunit of the HSP60/ HSP10 chaperonin complex that assists protein folding in the mitochondrial matrix. The mutation was identified in an infant who came to clinical attention due to infantile spasms at three months of age. Clinical exome sequencing revealed heterozygosity for a HSPE1 NM_002157.2:c.217C>T de novo mutation causing replacement of leucine with phenylalanine at position 73 of the HSP10 protein. This variation has never been observed in public exome sequencing databases or the literature.To evaluate whether the mutation may be disease-associated we investigated its effects by in vitro and ex vivo studies. Our in vitro studies indicated that the purified mutant protein was functional, yet its thermal stability, spontaneous refolding propensity, and resistance to proteolytic treatment were profoundly impaired. Mass spectrometric analysis of patient fibroblasts revealed barely detectable levels of HSP10-p.Leu73Phe protein resulting in an almost 2-fold decrease of the ratio of HSP10 to HSP60 subunits. Amounts of the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase SOD2, a protein whose folding is known to strongly depend on the HSP60/HSP10 complex, were decreased to approximately 20% in patient fibroblasts in spite of unchanged SOD2 transcript levels. As a likely consequence, mitochondrial superoxide levels were increased about 2-fold. Although we cannot exclude other causative or contributing factors, our experimental data support the notion that the HSP10-p.Leu73Phe mutation could be the cause or a strong contributing factor for the disorder in the described patient