Agricultural production and post-harvest supply systems are major causes of resource and energy consumption throughout the world, with associated emissions contributing to global scale environmental burdens. Focusing on apple systems in Nova Scotia, Canada, this project used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental performance of conventional and organic orchards, as well as post-production systems of storage and transportation. Results indicate that on-orchard hotspots include fuel use, fertilizers, and inputs to pest and disease management on both conventional and organic orchards. Extending system boundaries to cradle-to-retail locations revealed that electricity required for storage caused substantial burdens, highlighting the problem of coal-based electricity generation in Nova Scotia. Findings also illustrate that the relative impact of transportation changes according to distance travelled and mode of delivery. Consuming locally produced apples when in season was found to be environmentally preferable than those requiring year round storage, while transport by freight ship is more favourable than long distance transport truck delivery.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / The Programa de AquisiÃÃo de Alimentos (PAA) (Food Acquisition Program) was created in 2003 with the aim to encourage family agriculture, involving actions that facilitate the distribution of food produced by family agriculturists to people, which are in a situation of food insecurity. Just like any other program, there is a need to assess whether public resources are invested effectively providing positive outcomes for their beneficiaries. Honey is configured as one of the main products received by the PAA because their nutritional importance. The technological level adopted by beekeepers can influence the aspects of productivity and production. In this sense, this work sought to analyze the main socioeconomic determinants of technological level of these beekeepers, as well as evaluating the impacts of PAA in Cearà on productivity, employment and income generation and social capital. The data used in this study were obtained with the application of questionnaires to beekeepers beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of PAA. Regarding the methodological procedures, the technique of factor analysis was adopted to measure the technological and social capital level. To analyze the main socioeconomic determinants of technological level of beekeepers, we opted for the logistic regression model. The procedure Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to assess the impacts of the program on its beneficiaries. Among the main results, we can highlight that the age reduces the chance of beekeepers achieve better technological levels. Also, schooling, have received training before starting the activity, after starting beekeeping, have beekeeping as main activity, amount of labor in the management, use skilled labor, increased rates of social capital increase the chances the beekeeper have better technological level in the activity. With regard to the impact of PAA, we observe positive impacts on productivity, income and level of social capital of beekeepers. Therefore, we can conclude that the technological level of beekeepers is primarily determined by characteristics of beekeepers in beekeeping and elderly beekeepers are more rigid in relation to technological change, while the more educated adopt more appropriate technological practices. Regarding the impact of the PAA, it can be concluded that the PAA is configured as an effective instrument for stimulating the production of honey and income generation, because it offers the best price. Moreover, the program operates as an important way to combat hunger, misery and also, as a relevant strategy for the process of accumulation of capital among its beneficiaries. / O Programa de AquisiÃÃo de Alimentos (PAA) foi criado, em 2003, com o objetivo de incentivar a agricultura familiar, envolvendo aÃÃes que possibilitem a distribuiÃÃo de alimentos produzidos pelos agricultores familiares para pessoas em situaÃÃo de inseguranÃa alimentar. Assim como qualquer outro programa, existe a necessidade de avaliar se os recursos pÃblicos investidos estÃo efetivamente proporcionando resultados positivos para seus beneficiÃrios. O mel se configura como um dos principais produtos recebidos pelo PAA, dado sua importÃncia nutritiva. O nÃvel tecnolÃgico adotado pelos apicultores pode influenciar nos aspectos de produtividade e produÃÃo. Nesse sentido, este trabalho buscou analisar os principais determinantes socioeconÃmicos do nÃvel tecnolÃgico desses apicultores, bem como avaliar os impactos do PAA no Estado do Cearà sobre a produtividade, geraÃÃo de emprego e renda e capital social. Os dados utilizados na pesquisa foram obtidos com a aplicaÃÃo de questionÃrios junto a apicultores beneficiÃrios e nÃo beneficiÃrios do PAA. No que concerne aos procedimentos metodolÃgicos, a tÃcnica de anÃlise fatorial foi adotada para mensurar o nÃvel tecnolÃgico e de capital social. Para analisar os principais determinantes socioeconÃmicos do nÃvel tecnolÃgico dos apicultores, optou-se pelo modelo de regressÃo logÃstica. O procedimento de Propensity Score Matching (PSM) foi utilizado para avaliar os impactos do programa sobre seus beneficiÃrios. Entre os principais resultados, pode-se destacar que a idade reduz a chance dos apicultores alcanÃarem melhores nÃveis tecnolÃgicos. TambÃm, a escolaridade; ter recebido capacitaÃÃo antes de iniciar a atividade; ter recebido capacitaÃÃo depois de iniciar a atividade apÃcola; ter a apicultura como atividade principal; a quantidade de mÃo de obra no manejo; utilizar mÃo de obra capacitada e o Ãndice de capital social aumentam as chances de o apicultor ter melhor nÃvel tecnolÃgico na atividade. Com relaÃÃo aos impactos do PAA, observam-se impactos positivos sobre a produtividade, a renda e o nÃvel de capital social dos apicultores. Portanto, pode-se concluir que o nÃvel tecnolÃgico dos apicultores à determinado principalmente por caracterÃsticas do apicultor na atividade apÃcola e que apicultores com maior idade sÃo mais rÃgidos em relaÃÃo Ãs mudanÃas tecnolÃgicas, ao passo que os mais escolarizados adotam prÃticas tecnolÃgicas mais adequadas. Quanto aos impactos do PAA, pode-se concluir que o PAA se configura como efetivo instrumento de estÃmulo à produÃÃo de mel e geraÃÃo de renda, pois oferece melhor preÃo. Ademais, o programa atua como importante meio de combate à fome e à misÃria e, tambÃm, como estratÃgia relevante para o processo de acumulaÃÃo de capital social entre seus beneficiÃrios.

Orientador: Maria Lucia Galves / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-07T09:07:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cruz_MargaridaMariaLourenco_M.pdf: 2153837 bytes, checksum: e101248b1c01afc4612181f603d9cf30 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: As medidas de restrição ao trânsito de veículos automotores são, em geral, aplicadas em áreas centrais de grandes cidades. Neste trabalho, são apresentadas e avaliadas as medidas de restrição ao estacionamento e à circulação, agrupadas em restrições física, regulamentar e fiscal. O objetivo deste trabalho é verificar quais impactos podem ser causados, aos diversos usuários da via, pela implementação de medidas de restrição ao trânsito de veículos. Para tanto, é desenvolvido procedimento para auxiliar técnicos, responsáveis pela decisão sobre a implementação destas medidas, a sistematizar as informações para análise. Primeiramente, são organizadas as informações disponíveis na literatura consultada sobre medidas de restrição, que aqui são divididas em restrição ao estacionamento e restrição à circulação. As medidas de restrição são classificadas e definidas, e são apresentados os objetivos que motivam sua implantação com exemplos de aplicação em diversas localidades, tanto do Brasil quanto do exterior. Após esta caracterização, é feita uma análise das tendências de alterações provocadas pela implementação de medidas de restrição considerando cada usuário da via, denominado ator neste trabalho. São escolhidas algumas variáveis por meio das quais é feita a análise, como acessibilidade, fluidez, segurança, custo e qualidade ambiental. As informações sobre as tendências de alteração destas variáveis são sistematizadas considerando cada ator. A avaliação dos impactos da aplicação de cada medida é feita para duas áreas hipotéticas, uma onde haveria a implementação das medidas de restrição e uma área adjacente, sem aplicação de restrição. Posteriormente, é feita uma síntese destas informações, por tipo de usuário do sistema viário, observando se houve melhora ou piora nas variáveis escolhidas para análise. Com este procedimento, é possível verificar quais impactos podem ser causados, a cada usuário da via, pela implementação de medidas de restrição ao trânsito de veículos. Os gestores de trânsito têm encontrado resistência à implementação das medidas de restrição ao trânsito, provavelmente pela falta de respaldo técnico para uma tomada de decisão fundamentada e porque seus impactos não são bem compreendidos pelos operadores do sistema viário. Procurou-se, neste trabalho, sistematizar informações que venham aprofundar o conhecimento e colaborar para a análise e tomada de decisões sobre a implementação de medidas de restrição ao trânsito de veículos / Abstract: This work aims at verifying the impacts caused to the various road user groups due to the introduction of restrictive measures towards vehicle traffic. Procedures will be developed in order to assist decision-maker traffic managers to systematize data collection and analysis. Initially, the available information from the literature on restrictive measures is organized into parking or traffic restraint measures. The measures are defined and classified, and the reasons that motivated their implementation are presented along with examples of application in different places, such as cities in Brazil and other countries. After this characterization, a tendency analysis on the resulting changes triggered by the implementation of the restrictive measures is presented, considering each road user group, hereby called 'actor¿. Variables such as accessibility, traffic flow, safety, cost and environmental quality have been chosen for the analysis. The information about the variable change tendencies are systematized taking into account each actor. The evaluation of the impacts of the application of each measure is made considering two hypothetical areas: one where the restrictive measures should have been applied, and an adjacent area where no restrictions have been applied although side effects may be observed. Subsequently, a synthesis of the results achieved is presented showing improvement or worsening for the chosen variables according to the road user groups. This procedure allows the assessment of the impacts caused by the implementation of traffic restraint to each road user group. Traffic managers have encountered resistance in implementing traffic restrictive measures, probably due to the lack of technical support to a consistent decision making and to the poor understanding of the resulting impacts by the road system managers. This work aims at improving knowledge and collaborating to analysis and decision making on the implementation of traffic restraint measures by means of systematizing the information / Mestrado / Transportes / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

The doctoral research revolves around a comparative study of timber modern methods of construction for low-rise, residential buildings in Scotland. The building techniques studied involve both timber-frame panel construction (open-panel and closed-panel systems and structural insulated panels) and massive-timber construction (cross-laminated and nail-laminated timber panels). A non-timber technique is also included in the study: more traditional, load-bearing masonry (blockwork). These different building techniques have been analysed from two complementary aspects: environmental impacts and thermal performance. The environmental study is based on the life-cycle assessment methodology and embraces various aspects: environmental impacts (e.g., climate change, acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion, etc.), consumption of energy (renewable and non-renewable resources) and production of waste (from non-hazardous to radioactive). The assessment takes a cradle-to-gate approach and, in its structure and method, is informed by the current recommendations of the international standards in the field (i.e., ISO 14040 series). Various environmental trade-offs between construction methods have been identified. In terms of global-warming potential (excluding biogenic carbon sequestration), results suggest that timber-frame buildings show a better performance than masonry buildings; this is particularly true for the open-panel system, which emits about 10% less carbon than the masonry counterpart. Massive-timber buildings tend to cause more carbon emissions than masonry ones. In terms of consumption of non-renewable primary energy, timber buildings do not generally show significant advantages with respect to blockwork-based masonry. In particular, structural-insulated panel systems tend to show very high energy requirements. Timber-based buildings show a tendency to cause increased acidification, eutrophication and creation of low ozone than their masonry counterpart. The level of offsite fabrication that is employed for the erection of the buildings plays an important role in the magnitude of most environmental impacts, which show an average decrease between 5% and 10% when some of the operations are shifted from the construction site to the factory. v The thermal study investigates the performance of the building envelope, and, in particular, of external walls, by means of tests whereby the thermal behaviour of a sample of walls (of full-size section) has been observed and measured over time. On the outside, the walls were exposed to real, natural weather variations throughout the summer. The study especially focuses on the time-dependent response of three different walling systems (which results from their individual cross-sectional arrangements of building components and the associated combination of heat-storage capacity and thermal resistance): a timber-framed wall, a cross-laminated-timber wall and a masonry wall. Thus, the main goal of the study was to characterise the thermal-inertia parameters of these walls. This type of thermal behaviour is related to the repercussions of global climate change at UK level, especially in terms of increase in solar irradiance and temperature, which requires an adaptation of the building-envelope such that it can perform well both during wintertime and summertime, by providing maximum indoor comfort with minimum economic and environmental costs from the construction and operation of buildings. The timber-framed wall possesses the greatest capacity to slow down the propagation of temperature waves from the outer surface to the inner surface (time lag), whereas the masonry wall performs best with respect to reducing the amplitude of temperature oscillation on the inner surface (decrement factor). The cross-laminated-timber wall exhibits intermediate values of both time lag and decrement factor, relative to the other two walls. Both the thermal and life-cycle assessment of the construction alternatives aim at assisting the design and decision-making process in the residential field and at suggesting areas that need to be addressed and improved, towards a coherent evolution of the building techniques included in this study and a step forward in the realisation of sustainable, low-rise dwellings.