O objetivo desse trabalho é a verificação da hipótese de que, ao se basear na hierarquia viária direcionada ao automóvel, as estratégias de planejamento urbano e de transportes vigentes produzem impactos negativos no nível de serviço de outros modos de transporte, sobretudo os modos não motorizados. O método proposto, aplicado em um estudo de caso realizado na cidade de São Carlos, no estado de São Paulo, envolveu três etapas: (1) caracterização dos níveis de serviço das redes urbanas em análise para os modos a pé, bicicleta e automóvel; (2) análise exploratória dos resultados obtidos na etapa inicial através de geração de mapas e gráficos; e (3) comparação detalhada dos valores obtidos. Foram selecionadas cinco áreas de diferentes níveis de renda para o estudo de caso. Em cada uma delas foram identifi-cados diferentes tipos de vias (local, coletora, radial, estrutural e perimetral), e sele-cionados segmentos para compor uma amostra de 30% da extensão total das vias. A primeira atividade exigiu o desenvolvimento e adaptação de metodologias para a avaliação do nível de serviço dos modos considerados no estudo. Mais de trezentos e cinqüenta segmentos de vias foram examinados. Os resultados obtidos na análise exploratória apontaram que inúmeros segmentos com altos valores de NS para o modo automóvel tinham baixos valores de NS para o modo a pé, o que em princípio confirma a hipótese inicial. As análises detalhadas deram suporte a essa avaliação. No entanto, elas se restringiram às vias locais, o que aponta para a necessidade de estudos complementares nos demais tipos de vias. / The objective of this work is to verify the hypothesis that the current urban and transportation planning strategies based on the auto-oriented street hierarchy produce negative impacts on the level of service of other transportation modes, particularly the non-motorized modes. The proposed method, which was applied in a case study in the city of São Carlos, in the state of São Paulo, involved three steps: (1) the characterization of the level of service for pedestrians, bicycles and automobiles in the urban networks under analyses; (2) an exploratory analysis of the results obtained in the first step through maps and graphs; (3) a detailed comparison of the values found. Five areas with different income levels were selected for the case study. In each one of them five types of streets were identified (local streets, collector streets, minor arterials or radial streets, principal arterials or structural streets, and perimetral streets) and a sample of street segments covering 30% of the total length of the streets was selected. The first activity required the development and adaptation of methodologies for the assessment of the level of service of the transportation modes considered in the study. Over three hundred and fifty street segments were examined. The results obtained in the exploratory analyses have shown that several street segments with high values of level of service for the automobile had low values of level service for the pedestrians, thus confirming the initial hypothesis. The detailed analyses conducted in the sequence supported that observation. However, they were conducted only for the local streets, what indicates the need of further studies in the other types of streets.

As cities worldwide plan for increasing urbanization levels, new challenges in mobility will arise. Any approach taken to address these new issues will need to consider how to move more people with declining resources, thus the need for a sustainable solution arises. This thesis examines the growing trend of cities creating public bicycle systems as a means to add sustainability to a transportation system and identifies what are the criteria and indicators of a sustainable public bicycle. The criteria and indicators are used to examine data collection techniques of three Public Bicycle Systems in the United States: Capital Bikeshare in Washington, D.C., Nice Ride in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Denver B-Cycle in Denver, Colorado.

Land use grain is a commonly-used measure of the mixture of land uses in the urban environment in transportation planning and public health, but there is no standard measurement practice in place. This thesis examines the meaning and common measurements of land use grain in these subfields. The entropy-based equation, the jobs-to-housing ratio, and the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) are among the most common measures of land use grain, but results from these metrics differ depending upon how researchers choose a sample area and upon how land use categories are defined. All three metrics are performed, in a single context with varying assumptions, using the neighborhoods of Roxbury and Dorchester in Boston, MA. The entropy-based equation was deemed the most appropriate measure in a general context, with the HHI and the jobs-to-housing ratio potentially appropriate in specific contexts.

Nas últimas décadas, os avanços na agricultura se destacam principalmente por meio da mecanização e pela eletrônica embarcada, a qual otimizou os processos e viabilizou redução de custos. No entanto, a massa cada vez mais crescente e o intenso tráfego desses equipamentos promovem a compactação do solo, resultando em prejuízos ao setor agrícola. Neste sentido, os objetivos deste de trabalho foi desenvolver sensores que permitam avaliar, as pressões exercidas ao solo decorrentes do tráfego de máquinas e implementos agrícolas e empregá-lo em um estudo para verificar os efeitos da esteira metálica instalada sobre pneus de alta flutuação em ambiente agrícola, bem como a variação na força de tração de acordo com o rodado utilizado. Sendo a hipótese 1 do trabalho, de que esteiras conferem menor pressão sobre solo devido à maior área de contato, resultando em menor compactação e a hipótese 2 de que a utilização das esteiras leva a maior exigência tratória. O desenvolvimento dos sensores e a condução do ensaio foram realizados no campus da ESALQ/USP, as esteiras metálicas foram instaladas sobre os pneus de BPAF de um transbordo de cana-de-açúcar preenchido com solo, para simular uma carga 7500 kg. O ensaio foi dividido em 02 tratamentos (Pneu BPAF e Esteira Metálica), com 04 passadas sucessivas do transbordo carregado sobre os sensores dispostos no solo, na horizontal, vertical e diagonal. Foram determinadas as áreas de contato dos dois tipos de rodado, por meio de imagem digital e mensurada a força de tração exercida pelo transbordo carregado e vazio. Com base nos resultados de pressão exercida ao solo, observou-se uma diminuição de 50% da pressão superficial utilizando esteiras metálicas comparada com os pneus BPAF, em contrapartida a força de tração do transbordo utilizando esteira metálica foi 137% maior. Portando conclui-se que o sensor desenvolvido foi capaz de estimar os picos e as pressões residuais exercidas ao solo em diferentes profundidades e ficaram comprovadas as hipóteses do trabalho. / In recent decades, advances in agriculture are distinguished mainly by mechanization and onboard electronics, which enabled streamlined processes and reduced costs. However, the increasing mass and heavy traffic of these equipments promote soil compaction, resulting significant agricultural losses. This work aimed to develop sensors to assess the stress on soil, resulting from traffic and agricultural machinery and, use them in a study to verify the metal tracks effects installed on high flotation tires on agricultural environment, as well as the variation in traction force according to the used tires. This study considered the following hypothesis: 1. metal tracks give less stress on soil due to greater contact area, resulting in less compaction; 2. the use of metal tracks leads to a greater demand of tractors. The development of sensors and trial conduction were held on ESALQ / USP campus. The metal tracks were installed on the tires of the sugarcane transshipment filled with soil to simulate a load of 7500 kg. The test was divided into 02 treatments (High Floatation Tire and Metal Tracks), with 04 transshipment successive passes loaded on the sensors horizontally, vertically and diagonally placed on soil. The contact areas of the two types of tires were determined through digital imaging and the traction force exerted by loaded and empty transshipment. Considering the stress results on soil, there was a decrease of 50% of the surface stress using metal tracks compared to the tires. However the transshipment traction force using a metal tracks was 137% higher. Therefore, the developed sensor was able to estimate the peaks and the residual stress exerted on soil at different depths and the hypothesis were confirmed.

Public transit is a key method for increasing sustainability in the transportation sector; transit can decrease emissions harmful to the environment and increase social equity by providing improved mobility. Given the limited resources available to build and operate public transit, it makes sense to meet multiple sustainability goals simultaneously. Transit that is accessible by non-motorized means and serves multiple trip types can potentially reduce vehicle usage and increase mobility for everyone. This research assesses whether transit systems with high non-motorized access rates and non-work trip usage are meeting social and environmental goals and what factors impact non-work and non-motorized access rates. Eight criteria were used to choose 17 metropolitan regions that represent a range of transit conditions in the US. Non-parametric correlations were calculated between non-work usage and non-motorized access and a dataset of 30 continuous and 11 categorical variables that measure regional characteristics, transit efficiency, land use, rider demographics, and transit operations and design. In-depth case studies, including site visits and interviews, were done for Denver, Colorado; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; and Sacramento, California. The correlations and case studies both confirm that transit system with high non-work usage and non-motorized access are not meeting social or environmental sustainability goals. These systems primarily serve low-income riders, are less well funded, and provide limited service. Only systems with higher per capita funding levels meet social goals and higher funding is correlated to higher income riders. However, having higher income riders does not imply that social goals are met. Regional policies regarding operations and design of transit can increase usage for non-work trips and non-motorized access and are necessary to ensure both social and environmental goals are met.

In the first part of this thesis, GPS data for a year's worth of travel by 255 Seattle households is used to illuminate how plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) can match household needs. Data from all vehicles in each of these households were analyzed at a disaggregate level primarily to determine whether each household would be able to adopt various types of PEVs without significant issues in meeting travel needs. The results suggest that a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) with 100 miles of all-electric range (AER) should meet the needs of 50% of Seattle's one-vehicle households and the needs of 80% of the multiple-vehicle households, when households charge just once a day and rely on another vehicle or mode just 4 days a year. Moreover, the average one-vehicle Seattle household uses each vehicle 23 miles per day and should be able to electrify close to 80% of its miles, while meeting all its travel needs, using a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with 40-mile all-electric-range (PHEV40). Households owning two or more vehicles can electrify 50 to 70% of their total household miles using a PHEV40, depending on how they assign the vehicle across drivers each day. Cost comparisons between the average single-vehicle household owning a Chevrolet Cruze versus a Volt PHEV suggest that, when gas prices are $3.50 per gallon and electricity rates are 11.2 ct per kWh, the Volt will save the household $535 per year in energy/fuel costs. Similarly, the Toyota Prius PHEV will provide an annual savings of $538 per year over the Corolla. The results developed in this research provide valuable insights into the role of AER on PEV adoption feasibility and operating cost differences. The second part of this thesis uses detailed travel data from the Seattle metropolitan area to evaluate the effects of built-environment variables on the use of non-motorized (bike + walk) modes of transport. Several model specifications are used to understand and explain non-motorized travel behavior in terms of household, person and built-environment variables. Land-use measures like land-use mix, density, and accessibility indices were also created and incorporated as covariates to appreciate their marginal effects. The models include a count model for household vehicle ownership levels, a binary choice model for the decision to stay within versus departing one's origin zone (i.e., intra- versus inter-zonal trip-making), discrete choice models for destination choices and mode choices, and a zero-inflated negative binomial model for non-motorized trip counts per household. The mode and destination choice models were estimated separately for interzonal and intrazonal trips and for each of three different trip types (home-based work, home-based non-work, and non-home-based), to recognize the distinct behaviors at play when making shorter versus longer trips and different types of trips. This comprehensive set of models highlights how built-environment variables -- like the number and type of intersections present around one's origin and destination, the number of bus stops available within a certain radius, household and jobs densities, parking prices, land use mixing, and walk-based accessibility -- can significantly shape the pattern of one's non-motorized movement. The results underscore the importance of street connectivity (quantified as the number of 3-way and 4-way intersections in a half-mile radius), higher bus stop density, and greater non-motorized access in promoting lower vehicle ownership levels (after controlling for household size, income, neighborhood density and so forth), higher rates of non-motorized trip generation (per day), and higher likelihoods of non-motorized mode choices. Destination choices are also important for mode choices, and local trips lend themselves to more non-motorized options than more distance trips. Intrazonal trip likelihoods rose with higher street connectivity, transit availability, and land use mixing. For example, the results suggest that an increase in the land-use mix index by 10% would increase the probability of choosing to travel within the zone by 12%. As expected destinations with greater population and job numbers (attraction), located closer (to a trip's origin), offering lower parking prices and greater transit availability, were more popular. Interestingly, those with more dead ends (or cul de sacs) attracted fewer trips. Among all built environment variables tested, street structure offered the greatest predictive benefits, alongside jobs and population (densities and counts). For example, a 1-percent increase in the average number of 4-way intersections within a quarter-mile radius of the sampled households is estimated to increase the average household's non-motorized trip generation by 0.36%. A one-standard-deviation increase in the (mean) number of 4-way intersections at the average trip origin is estimated to increase the probabilities of bike and walk modes for interzonal home-based-work trips by 57% and 30%, respectively. In contrast, increasing the number of dead-ends at the origin by one standard deviation is estimated to decrease the probability of biking for both home-based-work and non-work trips by ~30%. These results underscore the importance of network density and connectivity for promoting non-motorized activity. The regional non-motorized travel (NMT) accessibility index ( derived from the logsum of a destination choice model) also offers strong predictive value, with NMT counts rising by by 7% following a 1% increase in this variable -- if the drive alone accessibility index is held constant (along with all other variables, evaluated at their means). Similarly, household vehicle ownership is expected to fall by 0.36% with each percentage point increase in the NMT accessibility index, and walk probabilities rise by 26.9% following a one standard deviation increase in this index at the destination zone. A traveler's socio-economic attributes also have important impacts on NMT choices, with demographics typically serving as much stronger predictors of NMT choices than the built environment. For example, the elasticity of NMT trip generation with respect to a household's vehicle ownership count is estimated to be -0.52. Males and tose with drivers licenses are estimated to have 17% and 39% lower probabilities, respectively, of staying within their origin zone, relative to women and unlicensed adults (ceteris paribus). Non-motorized model choices also exhibit strong sensitivity to age and gender settings. Several of the regional variables developed in this work, and then used in the predictive models, are highly correlated. For example, bus stop and intersection densities are very high in job- and population-dense areas. For example, the correlation co-efficients between the bus stop density and 4-way intersection density is 0.805, between NMT and SOV AIs is 0.830 and between 4-way intersection density and NMT AI is 0.627. As a result, many variables are proxying for and/or competing with each other, as is common in models with many land use covariates, and it is difficult to quantify the exact impact of each of these variables. Nonetheless the models developed here provide valuable insight into the role of several new variables on non-motorized travel choices. Some final case study applications, moving all households to the downtown area (that has high accessibility indices and density), illustrate to what extent these revealed-data-based models will predict shifts toward and away from non-motorized trip-making. It appears that average household vehicle ownership level reduces to 0.57 from 1.89 (a 70% reduction) and average two-day NMT trip generation increases to 5.92 from 0.83 (an increase of more than 6 times). Such ranges are valuable to have in mind, when communities seek to reduce reliance on motorized travel by defining new built-environment contexts. / text

This research report explores two regions, Denver and Minneapolis, by describing and analyzing their regional and local coordination efforts with respect to non-motorized transportation. The report is comprised of a literature review on the MPO institutional framework and governance, description and analysis of each region including levels of relationships between the MPO, State DOT, local governments and advocacy groups, as well as a comparison of both regions leading to the findings, lessons learned, and research implications. Specifically, this research seeks to understand how different levels of government work together, how the regional relationships assist in creating and implementing plans, how relationships with advocacy groups affect planning, and how climate change goals are integrated into non-motorized transportation planning. / text

Mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are endangered in British Columbia and motorized backcountry recreation has been identified as a potential threat to their persistence. My objective was to test if fecal glucocorticoids (GCs), indicative of physiological effects of ecological stress in wildlife, could be used as a non-invasive tool to quantify stress response in free-ranging caribou exposed to motorized recreation. I validated an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure concentration of fecal GCs for R. tarandus using an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenge experiment on captive reindeer exposed to extreme variation in winter weather. Female reindeer expressed elevated fecal GCs 9-11 hrs after ACTH injection. Males showed no detectable increase, perhaps due to underdosing. Fecal GCs varied markedly in both sexes in response to natural variation in weather. Overall, my results indicated fecal assays can be used to track biologically meaningful changes in adrenal activity in R.tarandus. I investigated the effects of motorized recreation on stress hormone production by measuring GCs in feces of mountain caribou exposed to snowmobile and heli-ski activity. Concentrations of fecal GCs in snowmobile and heli-ski areas were higher than those measured from caribou in areas where motorized recreation was not allowed. Caribou sampled up to 4km. 8km and I0 km distant from snowmobile activity showed elevated fecal GCs when compared to those sampled further from snowmobile activity areas. Other variables with a significant effect on fecal GCs included reproductive state, snow, aspect. minimum ambient temperature, and daily temperature range. My study indicates that measurement of fecal GCs provides a useful, noninvasive approach in the evaluation of physiological effects of environment, reproductive state, and human-induced stressors on free-ranging mountain caribou. Although research on many species indicates that chronically elevated GCs carry a variety of physiological costs, more study is needed to know whether GCs can be used as an index of human impact on population health or trend.

Mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are endangered in British Columbia and motorized backcountry recreation has been identified as a potential threat to their persistence. My objective was to test if fecal glucocorticoids (GCs), indicative of physiological effects of ecological stress in wildlife, could be used as a non-invasive tool to quantify stress response in free-ranging caribou exposed to motorized recreation. I validated an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure concentration of fecal GCs for R. tarandus using an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenge experiment on captive reindeer exposed to extreme variation in winter weather. Female reindeer expressed elevated fecal GCs 9-11 hrs after ACTH injection. Males showed no detectable increase, perhaps due to underdosing. Fecal GCs varied markedly in both sexes in response to natural variation in weather. Overall, my results indicated fecal assays can be used to track biologically meaningful changes in adrenal activity in R.tarandus. I investigated the effects of motorized recreation on stress hormone production by measuring GCs in feces of mountain caribou exposed to snowmobile and heli-ski activity. Concentrations of fecal GCs in snowmobile and heli-ski areas were higher than those measured from caribou in areas where motorized recreation was not allowed. Caribou sampled up to 4km. 8km and I0 km distant from snowmobile activity showed elevated fecal GCs when compared to those sampled further from snowmobile activity areas. Other variables with a significant effect on fecal GCs included reproductive state, snow, aspect. minimum ambient temperature, and daily temperature range. My study indicates that measurement of fecal GCs provides a useful, noninvasive approach in the evaluation of physiological effects of environment, reproductive state, and human-induced stressors on free-ranging mountain caribou. Although research on many species indicates that chronically elevated GCs carry a variety of physiological costs, more study is needed to know whether GCs can be used as an index of human impact on population health or trend.

Submitted by Victor Manieri Schutzer null (victor_schutzer@hotmail.com) on 2018-04-05T01:19:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação completa - victor manieri schutzer.pdf: 2057859 bytes, checksum: 965ab65ab6bb0942e2639d8fdfbafe05 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Lucilene Cordeiro da Silva Messias null (lubiblio@bauru.unesp.br) on 2018-04-05T12:41:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 schutzer_vm_me_bauru.pdf: 2057859 bytes, checksum: 965ab65ab6bb0942e2639d8fdfbafe05 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-05T12:41:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 schutzer_vm_me_bauru.pdf: 2057859 bytes, checksum: 965ab65ab6bb0942e2639d8fdfbafe05 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A crescente mecanização na agricultura mundial foi acompanhada do aumento do número de acidentes e fez com que elevasse a preocupação com a saúde de seus operadores, já que tais trabalhadores estão expostos aos riscos que esse tipo de atividade proporciona. Alguns dos graves problemas que são gerados pelos equipamentos agrícolas é a alta vibração e ruído a que os operadores ficam expostos na sua jornada de trabalho. A vibração que atinge os trabalhadores pode ser considerada como um distúrbio, já que é responsável por grandes prejuízos à saúde do ser humano, estando diretamente relacionada com a fadiga do trabalhador. O ruído, considerado como um som indesejável, é outro problema gerado por máquinas motoras e responsável por lesão no aparelho auditivo e, até mesmo, por estresse psicofisiológico. Para o presente trabalho, analisou-se os riscos físicos que a vibração e o ruído causam em operadores de roçadoras motorizadas. Foram feitas análises de situações reais que os usuários deste tipo de máquina enfrentam no seu dia a dia de trabalho, para que se possa tirar conclusões da possibilidade de efeitos danosos. Para a pesquisa utilizou-se um acelerômetro de três eixos - HVM 100, marca Larson Davis, para mensurar a vibração captada pela mão do operador e um medidor de pressão sonora, marca Instrutherm, modelo DEC-460 para mensurar o ruído causado pela roçadora. Para a análise da vibração captada pela mão dos operadores foi utilizada a norma internacional ISO 5349 (2001) – Vibração Mecânica – Medição, Avaliação da Exposição Humana da Vibração Transmitida à Mão e Diretiva Europeia 2002/44/EC que estabelece os limites de exposição à vibração. As análises do ruído foram feitas a partir da Norma Regulamentadora – NR-15 – Atividades e Operações Insalubres. Os resultados de vibração e ruído apresentados em alguns testes ficaram acima do que estabelece a norma para que não haja prejuízo à saúde dos operadores deste tipo de equipamento durante uma exposição equivalente a uma jornada de trabalho de 8 horas. Além disso, mostra a importância do estudo, escolha e, principalmente, da correta utilização de EPI (Equipamento de Proteção Individual) para que minimize a vibração e o ruído que chegam ao organismo humano. É importante, ainda, a manutenção periódica dos equipamentos mecânicos para que os mesmos funcionem corretamente, evitando quebras das máquinas e danos aos operadores de tais equipamentos. / The increasing mechanization in world agriculture was accompanied by an increase in the number of accidents has caused concern about the health of its operators, as these workers are exposed to risks that this type of activity provides. Some of the serious problems that are generated by agricultural equipment are the high vibration and noise to which operators are exposed in their work. The vibration that affects the workers can be considered as a disorder, since it is responsible for major damages to the health of human beings, being directly related to worker fatigue. Noise, regarded as an unwanted sound, is another problem caused by motorized machines and responsible to hearing damage and even to psychophysiological stress. For this study, a physical risks analysis was made. So it is possible to determine the damage that vibration and noise can cause in motorized brushcutter’s operators. Real situations of the daily work that these users go through were analyzed, so that conclusions can be made of the possibility of harmful effects. For the research, an accelerometer of three axes - HVM 100, Larson Davis brand, was used to measure the vibration captured by the hand of the operator and a sound pressure meter, Instrutherm brand model DEC-460, was used to measure the noise caused by brushcutters. For the vibration analysis captured by the hand of the operators, the international standard ISO 5349 (2001) - Mechanical Vibration - Measurement and Evaluation of Human Exposure to Hand-Transmitted Vibration and the European Directive 2002/44/EC establishing the exposure limits for vibrations were used. Noise analysis was made based on the Regulatory Standard - NR-15 - Unhealthy Activities and Operations. The noise and vibration results in some tests were above the standard so that there is no damage to the health of the operators of such equipment during an exposure equivalent to an 8 hours working day. This also shows the importance of the study, choice and especially the proper use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to minimize vibration and noise coming to the human body. The regular maintenance of mechanical equipment is also important so that they function properly, avoiding machinery breakages and damage to operators of such equipment.