Mémoire (M.E.S.R)--Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1985. / Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

La société de l’information déstabilise-t-elle l’Etat-Nation ? Analyse comparative du développement des nouvelles technologies de l’information et de la communication dans l’âge de la mondialisation Partant du constat que le concept “Société de l’Information” est souvent utilisé dans des contextes et des situations très différents, qui ne présentent guère de traits communs, ce travail abouti à une interprétation de ce concept, qui permette de la redimensionner au lieu d’en faire un mythe, comme cela arrive trop souvent. La “Société de l’Information”, malgré son rôle innovant et unificateur qui outrepasse même les barrières étatiques, est confrontée au poids de l’Etat-Nation dans sa conception la plus restrictive. Nous considérons cette analyse comme une réflexion nécessaire dans une période où le défi technologique est particulièrement chargé d’un rôle politique.

Context of this research: The construction industry has a history of client dissatisfaction in the UK. In response, framework agreements have been developed to create relationships between suppliers and clients in order to improve project performance. This research aims to assess whether use of framework agreements can result in significant improvement for performance outcomes without a significant increase in costs when compared with traditional discrete methods, and if so, develop a procurement performance model for realisation and continuous improvement in performance. Research methodology: A literal review of UK Government reports with economic and performance management theories precede a case study set within Hampshire County Council, a major public sector authority, allowing analysis of data from 164 highway maintenance projects by independent samples t-tests. Projects are divided into discrete and framework groups using critical success factors to measure performance differences. In addition to project outcomes, a review of economic performance was undertaken to advance a current ‘gap in professional knowledge’ concerning cost effectiveness of framework agreements. A performance management model is proposed representing impact of operational measures and sociological behaviour factors on suppliers’ performance, tested by qualitative views of experienced practitioners collected through a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews. Key findings: Independent-samples t-tests proved that there were significant improvements in performance with use of framework agreements, but that no significant additional costs were incurred. Factor analysis and central tendency statistics from questionnaires and node values from interview transcripts confirmed long-term relationships, financial and non–financial incentives and stronger communication were sociological behaviour factors driving performance for framework agreements. Conclusions from the evidence and findings: As framework agreements can achieve significant performance improvements without a significant increase in costs, this study supports use of framework agreements for Hampshire County Council and professional practice. Value of this research is recognised by both central government and case study organisation alike. In respect of the latter context, case study findings have been included within a regional framework for use by South East authorities until 2016. It is recommended further studies should be conducted on civil and building projects in wider public and private sectors so that construction clients can make informed decisions based upon generalised findings.

Only circumscribed aspects of highway aggression have been investigated. The upsurge of abuse and violence transpiring between motorists necessitated a more definitive depiction of the actual events, participants, and relevant contextual features. A questionnaire administered to 120 motorists, aged 18 to 68, solicited a recountal of incidents occurring within 12 months and a description of their most recent encounter. Based on severity of experience, subjects were relegated to distal threat, direct threat, and nonvictim groups. Although most events involved unreported distal threats lasting less than three minutes, men and non-college graduates were more often directly threatened, while non-victims were predominantly women and college graduates. Perpetrators were primarily unknown Caucasian males who generally aggressed in populated areas during afternoon hours.

Roads alter the ecological landscape and affect the function and composition of nearby soil chemistry and plant communities in an area of impact termed the “edge-effect zone”. While the 6.3 million kilometers of roads in the US cover only about 1% of the land, the edge effect zone around these roads has been estimated to occupy nearly 20% of the total land area in the US (Forman 2000). The objective of this study was to examine the spatial extent of transported materials and impacts on forest soil and vegetative communities immediately surrounding roadways based on road types classified as “Highway,” “Two-Lane Paved,” and “Gravel.” This research was located within two watersheds in the state of Vermont, in areas where a substantial area of forest existed adjacent the roadway. Using GIS mapping, transects were constructed at right angles to the road, and samples were gathered at the Shoulder, Ditch, Backslope, 10m from the edge of the forest, and 50m from road center during the summer of May 2009 to August 2009. Soil samples were analyzed for a suite of nutrients and physical characteristics, as well as heavy metals. The forest composition and percent area coverage by species of herbaceous flora and woody shrubs were also recorded. The main effects from roads were dependent on the extent of clearing and topography modification required for a roadway. The spatial extent of these modifications was correlated positively with road use intensity. Highways have the greatest ecological impact and gravel roads the least impact. The cleared area defines how much sunlight is available to plant communities and the distance that road pollutants will travel. Some heavy metals (such as Pb, Cd, Ni and Zn) were correlated positively with road use intensity. Gravel roads have higher calcium content in nearby soil when compared to other road types. This is most likely due to mobilized dust from the road base. Proximity to all road types had neutralizing effects on the soil pH relative to the acidic native forest soil. Changes in microtopography next to the road have marked effects on the composition of plant communities through maintenance and direction of water flow. Ditch areas support wetland plants, and have greater soil moisture and sulfur content, while plant communities closer to the road are characteristic of drier upland zones. The area past the edge of the forest does not appear to be affected chemically or physically by any of the road types, possibly due to the dense vegetation that develops outside of the right-of-way. To reduce the ecological footprint of future road development, road corridors should be narrowed, traffic consolidated to mass transit systems such as busses or railroad, and buffer zones of vegetation next to the right-ofway should be encouraged to contain the spread of pollutants.

English The thesis explores the topic of cost planning of Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) projects in the Czech Republic, especially with respect to institutional settings and road infrastructure. First, the PPP concept is introduced from a theoretical perspective and compared to traditional public procurement. Then the financing of PPP projects is discussed in the context of project finance and the European PPP market. The main part of the thesis focuses on public procurement of road infrastructure and the advantages of the PPP organizational structure. Initially, flaws of the procurement institutions are identified and a number of solutions suggested. The solutions cover four main areas: improvement of procurement laws, better qualifications of public officials, strategic planning of needed roads and asset management perspective on the existing infrastructure. The question whether Czech institutions are hindering the potential of PPP projects is answered positively. Follows a thorough empirical analysis of a World Bank PPP model for highways through a Monte Carlo simulation. A particular case of R35 motorway is evaluated as a PPP project and key drivers of public and private NPV are identified and compared across three different scenarios. Heavyweight traffic intensity, its toll revenue and...

With the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, the interstate system included an elevated segment of Interstate 10 constructed over Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. The I-10 Claiborne Expressway provided access to downtown by destroying a tree-lined boulevard and contributing to the decline of an African American neighborhood. In 2005, after hurricane Katrina, several community-based plans proposed that the elevated I-10 Claiborne Expressway be removed. This thesis compares the removal proposals to the decision making processes of five case cities that have removed expressways. Necessary conditions were applied to all expressway removal cases. Currently, the I-10 Claiborne Expressway decision making process lacks defined structural integrity and safety concerns, a reduction in the value of freeways by power brokers, documented support of the business community and “selling” of idea by a public agency. These conditions were necessary to the decision to remove expressways in all case cities.

A dinâmica territorial implementada pelo projeto trecho leste do Rodoanel Mario Covas (SP-021) no município de Ribeirão Pires - SP demonstra toda a problemática da construção e operação de rodovias em áreas de mananciais, além da manutenção do modelo rodoviário como orientador da política de transportes na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP). O Estudo (EIA) e o Relatório de Impacto Ambiental (RIMA) são produzidos e organizados como exigências para a obtenção das licenças de construção e operacionalização do empreendimento. Apesar de avançarem na caracterização de aspectos socioambientais e na previsão de impactos para propor ações mitigadoras ou compensatórias, percebe-se que tal medida ainda carece de detalhes e esclarecimentos, uma vez que a população local, afetada em seus bairros e convivendo com os impactos das obras, ainda reclamam e questionam sobre as normas e procedimentos adotados na implementação do empreendimento. Por meio da análise documental dos volumes I, II, III, IV, V e VI do EIA e do RIMA foram levantadas as características apontadas nesses documentos das alterações socioambientais da implementação do trecho leste do Rodoanel no município de Ribeirão Pires, visto que esse município possui como característica o território por completo regulamentado pela legislação de proteção às áreas de mananciais. Os moradores do bairro Pilar Velho por meio de reuniões locais participaram na composição de um Termo de Ajustamento de Conduta (TAC) na tentativa de exigir via ministério público, prefeitura municipal e concessionária responsável pela gestão do empreendimento a adoção de medidas para solução dos problemas apontados. Nesse sentido, a pesquisa apresenta como resultados as falhas dos conteúdos dos EIA RIMA do trecho leste do rodoanel em Ribeirão Pires e levanta a questão sobre os pontos importantes na elaboração de seu conteúdo que devem ser apontados em documentos ambientais futuros de grandes projetos urbanos implementados em áreas de mananciais / The territorial dynamics apllied by the project for the implementation of the eastern section of the Mario Covas Rodoanel (SP-021) in Ribeirão Pires municipality SP demonstrates the whole problem of the construction and operation of highways in water source areas, as well as maintenance of the road model as an guide of the transport policy in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region (RMSP). The Environmental Impact Studies (EIA) and the Environmental Impact Report (RIMA) are produced and organized as requirements for the construction and operationalization licenses of the enterprise. Despite the advances in the attempt to relate socio-environmental aspects and the attempt to predict impacts to propose mitigating or compensatory action, are still not enough to measure that the local population affected in the neighborhoods by an enterprise of this size complain and question the norms and procedures adopted, since they visualize and coexist directly with the impacts of the work. Through documentary analysis of volumes I, II, III, IV, V e VI of the EIA and RIMA, the characteristics indicated in these documents of the socioenvironmental changes of the implementation of the eastern section of the Rodoanel in the Ribeirão Pires city were raised, since this municipality has a characteristic the territory completely regulated by the protection legislation the areas of springs and the population of a neighborhood, the Pilar Velho, through local meetings elaborated a Conduct Adjust Term (TAC) in the attempt to demand via public ministry, municipal prefecture and concessionaire responsible for the project management the adoption of actions to solve the identified problems. In this sense, the research shows as a result the flaws from the contents of EIA - RIMA of the eastern section of the rodoanel in Ribeirão Pires and raises the question about the important points in the elaboration of its content that should be pointed out in future environmental documents of large urban projects implemented in water source areas

As travessias urbanas de rodovias constituem-se um local crítico para a ocorrência de acidentes de trânsito. Dessa forma, diversas ações de engenharia são empregadas para a redução do número e da gravidade dos acidentes. Contudo, existem poucos estudos sobre a eficácia dessas ações. No presente trabalho foram utilizadas duas metodologias para a avaliação da eficácia, através de estudos observacionais, são elas: \"antes - depois\" ingênuo e o método do grupo de comparação, aplicadas em vários segmentos rodoviários caracterizados como travessias urbanas que receberam ações de engenharia para a redução de acidentes. O primeiro método foi aplicado a todas as ações e o segundo apenas para duas ações. As informações utilizadas neste trabalho foram solicitadas às concessionárias das rodovias do Estado de São Paulo. Foram analisadas sete ações de engenharia: 1) redução de velocidade em conjunto com outras medidas; 2) implantação de defesa de New Jersey elevada; 3) implantação de dispositivo em desnível; 4) cruzamento de pedestres em nível em área demarcada; 5) implantação de passarela; 6) implantação de ciclovia; 7) passagem superior e tela para impedir a passagem de pedestres em nível. Os resultados encontrados demonstram que ação 1 reduz em média em 27% o número total de acidentes tanto para o método ingênuo como para o método de grupo de comparação. A ação 2 foi a única ação com resultado negativo, com aumento de 19% no número de acidentes totais e de 42% no número de acidentes com feridos e mortos. A ação 3 teve uma redução no número total de acidentes em torno de 27%. A ação 4 teve uma redução de 35% no número total de acidentes. A ação 5 teve uma redução no número total de acidentes em torno de 40%, através do método ingênuo, contra 30% pelo método de grupo de comparação. A ação 6 teve uma redução no número de acidentes totais de 30%. A ação 7 não teve uma redução expressiva no número total de acidentes, contudo teve uma redução de 32% no número de feridos e mortos. / The urban highway crossings are a critical place for occurrence of traffic accidents. Thus, several engineering measures are employed to reduce the number and severity of accidents. However, there are few studies about the effectiveness of these actions. In this study two methods were used to evaluate the effectiveness, through observational studies, they are: \"before - after\" naive method and the comparison group, applied in various segments characterized as urban highway crossings in which they had been implemented measures to reduce accidents. The first method was applied to all measures and the second only for two measures. The data used in this study were obtained from the concessionaire of highways of the State of Sao Paulo. It was analyzed seven engineering measures: 1) reduction of speed in conjunction with other measures; 2) implementation of New Jersey defense with higher height; 3) implementation of grade separation structure; 4) level pedestrian crossings in areas demarcated, 5) implementation runway; 6) implementation of bike path; 7) footbridge and barriers to prevent the passage of pedestrians. The results show that the first measure reduces on average by 27% the total number of accidents for both the naive method and to the method of comparison group. The second measure was the only action with negative results, with 19% increase in the number of total accidents and 42% in the number of accidents with injuries and deaths. The third measure had a reduction in the total number of accidents around 27%. The fourth measure had a 35% reduction in the total number of accidents. The fifth measure had a reduction in the total number of accidents by 40%, through the naive method, compared to 30% by the method of comparison group. The sixth action had a reduction in total accidents by 30%. The seventh action had not a significant reduction in the total number of accidents, yet had a 32% reduction in the number of injuries and deaths.

As características de estado de componentes de drenagem de setenta e dois quilômetros de rodovias vicinais próximas a Araraquara, estado de São Paulo, que foram submetidos à reconstrução e manutenção durante os anos 2001 e 2003 puderam ser medidas em campo e as características do movimento de água puderam ser simuladas usando estimativa de vazões. Ainda, a qualidade de viagem por estes segmentos pode ser levantada por opiniões de avaliadores treinados para observação de pavimentos. O trabalho relata e discute resultados obtidos ao mostrar que a análise de regressão é eficiente para identificar processos que definam a ordem de prioridade de manutenção de dispositivos de drenagem de segmentos de vias e orientar a escolha de ações coerentes com a melhoria de qualidade de viagens por rodovias, que coincide com a proteção dos pavimentos. Os dados utilizados foram avaliações por avaliadores treinados, levantamentos de estado de seções das vias, e estimativa de condições de escoamento de água por simulação em computadores. Espera-se que a informação sobre o comportamento de relações entre notas e propriedades de dispositivos de drenagem contribua para orientar critérios e métodos que definam prioridades de ações para reconstruir, manter e melhorar a qualidade de viagens em rodovias e proteger pavimentos e faixa de domínio / The characteristics of state of components of drainage of seventy two kilometers of local highways close to Araraquara, state of São Paulo, Brazil, submitted to reconstruction and maintenance during the years 2001 and 2003 could be measured in field and the characteristics of water movement could be simulated using estimated flows. Still, the trip quality for these segments can be lifted up from user’s opinions trained to observe pavements. The work discusses results obtained when showing that the regression analysis is efficient to identify processes to define the order of priority of maintenance of equipments of drainage on segments of roads and to guide the choice of coherent actions to improve the quality of trips for highways, because it coincides with the protection of the pavements. The used data were evaluations for trained appraisers, risings of state of sections of the roads, and estimate of conditions of drainage simulated in computers. It is waited that the information about the behavior of relationships between notes and properties of drainage equipments contributes to guide criteria and methods that define priorities of actions to rebuild, to maintain and to improve the quality of trips in highways and to protect pavements and the domain strip