A vision for the future at Keldur - A quiet neighborhood with environmentally friendly improvements in a car-free environment

Markmið verkefnis er að setja fram skipulagstillögu fyrir nýtt hverfi að Keldum sem leggur áherslu á umhverfið og fólkið. Keldur liggur austur af Elliðavogi, það tilheyrir Grafarvogi og er norð-austur af Húsahverfi í Reykjavík. Í Aðalskipulagi Reykjavíkur 2010 - 2030 er lögð áhersla á þétta, blandaða og vistvæna græna byggð. Tillagan að skipulaginu er lögð fram með áherslu á þéttingu byggðar, gildi grænnar borgar og vistvænar samgöngur og er því unnin í samræmi við markmið skipulagsstefnu Reykjavíkurborgar. Haft er í huga gildi lýðheilsu og gæði umhverfis. Skipulagstillagan felur í sér blandaða byggð með íbúðasvæði, en einnig atvinnuafþreyingar- og þjónustusvæði sem þjónar nýja hverfinu sjálfu og þeim sem tengjast því, Ártúnshöfða og Gufunesi þar sem er gott útivistarsvæði. Í útfærslu þessa nýja hverfis á Keldum er lögð áhersla á að þétta nærliggjandi hverfi með vistvænum almenningssamgöngum, Borgarlínu, hjóla- og göngustígum. Gert er ráð fyrir í tillögunni að Borgarlína muni liggja um hverfið. Aðaláhersla er á umhverfi og fólk, en bílinn verður ekki sýnilegur. Aðaltilgangur skipulagstillögunnar er að skapa vistvænt hverfi þar sem notuð er hugmyndafræðin um grænt byggingarumslag sem bætir græna innviði og loftgæði íbúanna. Forsenda hugmyndarinnar, sem sett er fram í þessu verkefni, er sú að undir rannsóknarsvæðinu komi einn stór niðurgrafinn bílakjallari á tveimur hæðum með lyftu uppá yfirborðið. Hann verður staðsettur á þremur stöðum neðanjarðar, undir kjarna svæðinu, undir skólasvæðinu og undir hluta af íbúðasvæðinu. Fyrir ofan bílakjallarann eru íbúðir, sameiginlegt útivistarsvæði, garðar, ýmis þjónusta og stoppustöð fyrir Borgarlínu. Niðurstaða verkefnisins gefur til kynna að hægt er með auðveldum hætti að skipuleggja þétta og vistvæna byggð þar sem einkabíllinn er ekki sjáanlegur og íbúar og aðrir nýta sér vistvænar samgöngur. Þar sem áhersla er á lýðheilsu og gæði umhverfis. Ætti niðurstaða verkefnisins því að nýtast við skipulagninu annarra hverfa á höfuðborgarsvæðinu.The aim of the project is to present a planning proposal for a new district at Keldur, which emphasizes the environment and the people. Keldur lies east of Elliðavogur, it is a part of Grafarvogur, north-east of Húsahverfi in Reykjavík. The Reykjavík Municipal Plan 2010-2030 emphasizes on dense, mixed and environmentally friendly green communities. The proposal for the plan is presented with an emphasis on urban sprawl, the value of a green city and environmentally friendly transport, and is therefore prepared in accordance with the goals of the City of Reykjavík’s planning policy. The value of public health and the quality of the environment are taken into account. The planning proposal includes a mixed-used community with a residential area, together with a commercial, recreational and service area that serves the new district itself and those connected to it, Ártúnshöfði and Gufunes, where there is a good outdoor recreation area. The implementation of this new district at Keldur makes it possible to consolidate the surrounding district with environmentally friendly public transport, Borgarlína, bicycle- and walking paths. The proposal assumes that Borgarlína will run through the neighborhood. The main focus is on the environment and people, the private car will not be visible. The main purpose of the planning proposal is to create an environmentally friendly neighborhood that uses the ideology of the Green Building Envelope that improves the green infrastructure and air quality for the residents. The prerequisite for the idea presented in this project is that under the research area one underground garage on two floors will be built, with a lift to the surface. It will be located in three places underground, under the core area, under the school area, and under a part of the residential area. Above the underground garage are apartments, a common outdoor recreation area, gardens, various services and a stop for Borgarlína

Factors associated with effects of COVID-19 vaccine among adults in Malaysia

Introduction: Globally, the needs for more focused research to understand the effects of COVID-19 vaccines among the population to verify the previous research and generate more reliable data. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was aimed to identify the factors associated with the effects of COVID-19 vaccination among adults in Malaysia. Methods: Malaysian people aged 18 and up were enrolled in a cross-sectional online survey. For data collection, a Google form was used to design an online questionnaire which was distributed through social media and in person by the author. Results: A total of 446 responses were analyzed. 58% participants received Pfizer BioNTech Covid 19 vaccine followed by Sinovac (21%) and AstraZeneca (16%). The most reported effect was local reaction pain, swelling and redness at the site of injection with 54.3% of participants. It was seen more in Pfizer BioNTech (56.8%) and AstraZeneca (57.1%) recipients in comparison to Sinovac recipients (42.9%), but this difference was not significant (x2=3.453; p-value=0.315). Tiredness/fatigue was the next most reported effect 51.3% by participants. The other more frequently reported effects were body pain (43.3%), muscle pain (41%), fever (41%) and headache (33%) respectively, which are significantly associated with the type of vaccine.&nbsp

Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital with and without respiratory symptoms

Background: COVID-19 is primarily known as a respiratory illness; however, many patients present to hospital without respiratory symptoms. The association between non-respiratory presentations of COVID-19 and outcomes remains unclear. We investigated risk factors and clinical outcomes in patients with no respiratory symptoms (NRS) and respiratory symptoms (RS) at hospital admission. Methods: This study describes clinical features, physiological parameters, and outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, stratified by the presence or absence of respiratory symptoms at hospital admission. RS patients had one or more of: cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose or wheezing; while NRS patients did not. Results: Of 178,640 patients in the study, 86.4 % presented with RS, while 13.6 % had NRS. NRS patients were older (median age: NRS: 74 vs RS: 65) and less likely to be admitted to the ICU (NRS: 36.7 % vs RS: 37.5 %). NRS patients had a higher crude in-hospital case-fatality ratio (NRS 41.1 % vs. RS 32.0 %), but a lower risk of death after adjusting for confounders (HR 0.88 [0.83-0.93]). Conclusion: Approximately one in seven COVID-19 patients presented at hospital admission without respiratory symptoms. These patients were older, had lower ICU admission rates, and had a lower risk of in-hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders