Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Motor vehicles Transportation Aerosols'

The number concentration and size distribution of particles in Brisbane have been studied extensively by the researchers at The International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology (Morawska et al., 1998, 1999a, 1999b). However, the comprehensive studies of chemical compositions of atmospheric particles, especially with regard to the two main classes of pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace elements), that are usually of environmental and health interest, have not been fully undertaken. Therefore, this thesis presents detailed information on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and elemental compositions of vehicle exhausts and of urban air in Brisbane. The levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and elements in three of Brisbane's urban sites (Queensland University of Technology, Woolloongabba and ANZ stadium sites) were measured. The most common PAHs found in all sites were naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene and chrysene while Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Si, Sn, Sr and Zn were the most common elements detected in the total suspended particles and fine particle (PM2.5). With the aid of multivariate analysis techniques, several outcomes were obtained. For example: -- Major human activities such as vehicular and industrial sources were the most contributing pollution sources in Brisbane. However, these two sources have different influential strength on the compositions of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace inorganic elements found in the urban air. -- Woolloongabba bus platform was the most polluted site on the basis of the elemental and PAH compositions in its air samples while QUT site was the worst polluted site in terms of PM2.5 elemental contents. These results demonstrated that the impact of traffic related pollutants on Brisbane's urban air is significant. This led to the investigations of the direct emissions of pollutants from exhaust vehicular source in the second part of this research work. The exhaust studies included the investigations of PAHs, trace inorganic elements and particles. At the time of the study, the majority of vehicles in Brisbane used low sulfur diesel (LSD) fuel or unleaded petrol (ULP). However, the importance of vehicles using ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is constantly growing. Therefore, the exhaust emission studies on chassis dynamometer from heavy duty non-catalyst-equipped buses powered by LSD and ULSD with 500 ppm and 50 ppm sulfur contents respectively as well as passenger cars powered by ULP and LPG were explored. The outcomes of such studies are summarized as follows: -- Naphthalene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluorene, fluoranthene and pyrene were frequently emitted by the buses powered by LSD and ULSD. However, buses powered by ULSD emitted 91% less PAHs than those powered by LSD. On the other hand, Mg, Ca, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ti, Ni, Pb, Be, P, Se, Ti and Ge were found in measurable quantities in the exhaust of the buses. The emissions of the elements were found to be strongly influenced by the engine driving conditions of the buses and fuel parameters such as sulfur content, fuel density and cetane index. -- Naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene, chrysene, benzo(a)anthracene and benzo(b)fluoranthene were predominantly emitted by ULP and LPG cars. On the average, the total emission factors of PAHs from LPG cars were generally lower than those of ULP cars, but given the large variations in the emission factors of cars powered by the same type of fuel, differences in the emission factors from both car types were statistically insignificant. In general, platinum group elements and many other elements were found in the exhausts of cars powered by both fuels. Emissions of inorganic elements from the cars were dependent on the type and the mileage of the cars. For example, ULP cars generally emitted higher levels of Cu, Mg, Al and Zn while LPG cars emitted higher level of V. In addition, cars with higher mileages were associated with higher emissions of the major elements (Zn, Al, Fe, V and Cu). -- Buses powered by ULSD usually emitted fewer particles, which were generally 31% to 59% lower than those emitted by LSD powered buses. Similarly, cars powered by LPG emitted less particles from those powered by ULP fuel. However, more nanoparticles (those with aerodynamic diameters of less than 50 nm) were emitted by LPG powered cars than their ULP counterparts. Health effect assessment of the exhaust PAHs was evaluated in terms of benzo(a)pyrene toxicity equivalent (BAPeq). The potential toxicities of PAHs emitted by ULSD powered buses were generally lower than those emitted by their LSD counterparts. A similar trend with lower emissions of PAHs from LPG cars than from ULP cars was observed when otherwise identical passenger cars were powered by LPG and ULP fuels. In summary, this thesis has shown that the majority of airborne particles found around Brisbane have anthropogenic origins, particularly vehicle emissions, and that fuel or lubricant formulations and engine operating conditions play important roles in the physical and chemical characteristics of pollutants emitted by vehicles. The implications of these results on worldwide strategies to reduce the environmental and health effects of particles emitted by motor vehicles were discussed. In this regard, direct emission measurements from vehicles powered by LSD, ULSD, ULP and LPG unveiled the relative environmental benefits associated with the use of ULSD in place of LSD to power diesel engines, and of LPG in place of ULP to power passenger cars.

Energy and transportation are topics of great importance to global sustainable development.  Tesla Motor Corporation is an electric vehicle company with the objective to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy” (Musk, 2016).  This thesis, a media discourse analysis, examines media texts concerning Tesla Motors to provide a better understanding of the company’s hitherto success in penetrating the automotive market.  Qualitative analyses of text were utilized to first define the discourse, then to describe how it has contributed to Tesla’s success.  A combination of word frequency analysis, textual analysis for positive modality, and analysis for principles of branding was utilized as method.  A sample set of 15 texts were analyzed to define the macro discourse, and one interview of Elon Musk analyzed closely to explicate how the textual content contributes to the company’s success. The results of a word frequency analysis suggest that Elon Musk’s personal narrative represents the discourse surrounding Tesla Motors and that it contributes to the company’s success via being imbued with authoritybuilding, trust building, and branding content.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) currently requires that all persons seeking a commercial driver's license for interstate commerce possess a certain minimal level of hearing. After an extensive literature review on topics related to hearing and driving, a human factors engineering approach was used to evaluate the appropriateness of this hearing requirement, the methods currently specified to test drivers' hearing, and the appropriate hearing levels required. Task analysis, audiometry, dosimetry, in-cab noise measurements, and analytical prediction of both speech intelligibility and masked thresholds were all used in performing the evaluation. One of the methods currently used to test truck driver hearing, the forced-whisper test, was also evaluated in a laboratory experiment in order to compare its effectiveness to that of standard pure-tone audiometry. Results indicated that there are truck driving tasks which require the use of hearing, that truck drivers may be suffering permanent hearing loss as a result of driving, that team drivers may be approaching a 100% OSHA noise dose over 24 hours, and that truck-cab noise severely compromises the intelligibility of live and CB speech, as well as the audibility of most internal and external warning signals. The forced whisper experiment demonstrated that there is significant variability in the sound pressure level of whispers produced using this technique (in the words, word types, and trials main effects). The test was found to be repeatable for a group of listeners with good hearing, but was found to have only a weak relationship to the results of pure-tone audiometry for a group of 21 subjects with hearing levels ranging from good to very poor. Several truck cab and warning signal design changes, as well as regulatory changes, were recommended based on the overall results of this evaluation.
Ph. D.

This thesis is an empirical investigation of the strategic use of information in the airline industry, and explores the development of competition in the airline industry from an information perspective. The research traces the evolution in the environmental conditions facing airlines from World War I to the present. The research also analyses evolution of the uses of information. Information is an enabler, allowing things to be done, but information can also be a resource in itself. The research finds growing strategic use of information from automation to using information as a resource for strategic flexibility. The main sources of information that airlines use in their strategic efforts are analysed, as well as the ways in which airlines procure this information and the uses they make of it in strategy. The research finds evidence of distinct phases in the evolution of the uses made of information by airlines. Crucial to airline strategic flexibility is local market information acquired informally. However, the evidence also illustrates the serious difficulties airlines face in using the external information about the markets in which they operate in their strategy. Different streams of academic literature support the findings of this empirical research.

This thesis aims at investigating the behaviour of airlines in recently liberalised markets, by making use of the Brazilian air transportation as a case study. In order to accomplish this objective, the following three essays were developed: a study of low cost carrier entry behaviour, an analysis of the pricing behaviour of the major incumbents in the industry, and, finally, an assessment of airline conduct in the most important market in the country. All essays contain empirical investigation performed by making use of data supplied by Brazil’s Department of Civil Aviation, DAC. In the first essay, the entry of Gol Airlines on several Brazilian domestic routes, in 2001 and 2002, is analysed in order to draw inference on the competition between a discounter in rapid expansion and the full-service carriers. A route-choice model is estimated by making use of a flexible post-entry equilibrium profits equation and accounting for endogeneity of the main variables. The second essay aims at empirically investigating the pricing behaviour of the legacy carriers in Brazil, with special focus on reactions to the entry of Gol, in 2001. A study of localised competitive advantage regarding the determinants of pricing power is performed along with the analysis of the pattern of price reactions by the incumbents. A single econometric framework is designed and estimated with panel data controlling for city-specific effects. And finally, the third essay aims at assessing the impacts of economic liberalisation on the route Rio de Janeiro - São Paulo. By making use of both a two-stages budgeting representation of the demand system, and a competition model with product heterogeneity among rivals, and based on the framework of the New Empirical Industrial Organisation, it was possible to examine the existence of a structural change on airlines’ conduct parameters due to the regulatory reform.

The increasing size and complexity of road vehicles used for the transport of day-old chicks has raised concerns about the thermal environment achieved within the load space of such transporters. Current designs have not been based on scientific infonnation or evaluation, making new development difficult for the industry. To address this lack of information, given the high cost of these vehicles, modelling of this situation would seem a viable option. The work presented in this thesis illustrates the effectiveness of experimental and numerical modelling. Results collected using an ultrasonic anemometer from a full-scale isothennal model of a particular load space and ventilation system are presented for different load configurations of empty chick boxes. These cases were also sinmlated using commercially available computational fluid dynamics software [PHOENICS with high-Re k-e turbulence model and hybrid convective differencing]. These numerical model results were then validated against the experimental data using a novel statistical method based on the repeatability of the experimental data. In further numerical sinmlations a heat load model representing the presence of the chicks, was also incorporated and the likely thermal environment assessed. These numerical results were used to assess the ventilation delivered to each chick box based on the predicted mean air velocities. These results indicated that experimental modelling was a time consmning process with difficulties of accessibility for instrumentation within a loaded vehicle. Numerical sinmlation gave a good approximation of the experimental data but required a nwnber of significant assumptions and simplifications to be made. The main area of disagreement with the experimental data was in the predicted turbu1ence levels. Ventilation rates and thermal conditions within the load space studied suggested an adequate environment is achieved for normal journeys but that the potential for heat stress exists. Further field work to validate these findings is suggested.

The level of ownership and use of motorcycling has increased rapidly in Edinburgh and the UK in the last ten years. In this study, motorcycle driving cycles (rural and urban) were developed for Edinburgh (Edinburgh Motorcycle Driving cycle-EMDC). The analysis of EMDC demonstrates that motorcycles‘ driving behaviour differs between urban and rural areas. EMDC shows a typical transient nature of speed, acceleration and deceleration, which is also different from regulatory driving cycles (Economic Commission for Europe-ECE and World Motorcycle Test Cycle-WMTC) and examples from Asia (Taiwan, Bangkok and China). This research underlines the need for detailed investigations of driving cycles in any local condition. It is not generally feasible for a driving cycle developed in one area to be applicable in another area, even with some similar characteristics. Emission factors were also estimated using onboard, laboratory and micro simulation measurements along the test corridor (Air Quality Management Area-AQMA). Laboratory measurements were carried out by applying a number of standard driving cycles (ECE and WMTC) and the derived EMDCs. Results show that the emission factors (EFs) calculated in the laboratory for carbon monoxide (CO) and Hydrocarbons (HC) are higher for the urban EMDC cycle compared to the standard regulatory factors than they are for the rural (except Nitrogen Oxide-NOx). Laboratory emission factors for CO and HC for the urban EMDC were found to be higher than the micro-simulation and onboard methods. EFs obtained from micro-simulation and onboard emissions using the National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (NAEI) emission coefficients were not very different with the exception of NOx, which were relatively higher than those of EMDC. Micro simulation models were mainly developed for private cars and therefore special care should be taken when using them for modelling other conditions (e.g. motorcycles driving characteristics). This study illustrates the extent to which micro-simulation may be utilised to accurately model emissions and discusses the refinements required to model motorcycle motion (hence emission) accurately in micro simulation. The study provides a platform for a large number of potential future applications for the evaluation of emissions and for developing various policy scenarios of pollution reduction and reducing health impacts at local levels.

The collection and interpretation of data is a critical component of traffic and transportation engineering used to establish baseline performance measures and to forecast future conditions. One important source of traffic data is commercial motor vehicle (CMV) weight and classification data used as input to critical tasks in transportation design, operations, and planning. The evolution of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies has been providing transportation engineers and planners with an increased availability of CMV data. The primary sources of these data are automatic vehicle classification (AVC) and weigh-in-motion (WIM). Microscopic traffic simulation models have been used extensively to model the dynamic and stochastic nature of transportation systems including vehicle composition. One aspect of effective microscopic traffic simulation models that has received increased attention in recent years is the calibration of these models, which has traditionally been concerned with identifying the "best" parameter set from a range of acceptable values. Recent research has begun the process of automating the calibration process in an effort to accurately reflect the components of the transportation system being analyzed. The objective of this research is to develop a methodology in which the effects of CMVs can be included in the calibration of microscopic traffic simulation models. The research examines the ITS data available on weight and operating characteristics of CMVs and incorporates this data in the calibration of microscopic traffic simulation models. The research develops a methodology to model CMVs using microscopic traffic simulation models and then utilizes the output of these models to generate the data necessary to quantify the impacts of CMVs on infrastructure, travel time, and emissions. The research uses advanced statistical tools including principal component analysis (PCA) and recursive partitioning to identify relationships between data collection sites (i.e., WIM, AVC) such that the data collected at WIM sites can be utilized to estimate weight and length distributions at AVC sites. The research also examines methodologies to include the distribution or measures of central tendency and dispersion (i.e., mean, variance) into the calibration process. The approach is applied using the CORSIM model and calibrated utilizing an automated genetic algorithm methodology.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Riverside, 2009.
Includes abstract. Title from first page of PDF file (viewed January 27, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 82-87). Issued in print and online. Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations.

The city of Shanghai was transformed from a treaty port of around half a million people when the British first arrived after the end of the Opium War to become the most populous, prosperous, and cosmopolitan metropolis in China by the early 20th century. The development of public transportation systems contributed significantly to the urban expansion and growth of the city, as well as in reshaping the city's identity. This dissertation examined the impact of public transportation on the urban landscape of Shanghai by focusing on three major issues: "tradition versus modernity", state and society relations, and the relationship between technology and society. As a divided city governed by three separate political jurisdictions, Shanghai offered a unique perspective in understanding the roles public transportation and urban planning played in changing a city's layout. This dissertation addressed the specific differences in the development of urban infrastructure and its impact on population growth, mobility and accessibility, and economic prosperity of the British controlled International Settlement, the French Concession, and the Chinese city. The first half of the dissertation analyzed the roles in which "traditional" man-powered vehicles such as the wheelbarrow, sedan chair, horse-drawn carriage, and rickshaw played, before delving into the arrival of "modern" machine-powered vehicles such as automobiles, trams, trolleys, and buses in the early 20th century. Each form of transportation vehicle is discussed for its specific role, and the type of clientele it catered. This dissertation argued that man-powered vehicles and machine-powered vehicles did not necessarily compete with each other for passengers, as each type of vehicle served its specific purposes and clients. Public transportation; just like food, clothing, or housing is a form of material culture where one's socioeconomic or class status is revealed by the type of transport one chooses. Because the different types of vehicles did not directly compete with each other, they all saw significant increases in ridership. The 'tradition versus modernity" theme is aimed at addressing the bigger picture of "continuity and change", where Shanghai was transformed by foreign influences yet at the same time it still retained traditional Chinese characteristics to form a complex identity. The second half of the dissertation dealt with state and society relations, and the relationship of technology and society. The issue of public versus private responsibility is addressed with historical analysis of government orchestrated urban planning and the private sector providing the services to fulfill the people's needs and demands. In focusing on these two themes, this dissertation argued that technology has inherent political agenda attached to it, as government policies specifically created areas of the city which had better public transportation infrastructure, which led to these parts of the city being more commercially prosperous and vibrant than others. Routes, lines, and stops were designated with specific political purposes in mind, and public transportation accessibility contributed to the uneven economic developments across the city. The Greater Shanghai Project of 1927-1937 was a specific attempt by the Chinese government to create a new city center that could shift the population away from the foreign concessions into the Chinese territories. This dissertation argued that this campaign would not have been feasible even without the Japanese attack due to insufficient public funds. The findings in this dissertation will hopefully add to the scholarship on the history of Shanghai and the history of technology in China.

Risk became popular among management theorists, with many proposing ways to manage all sorts of risks. Some countries require corporations to implement risk management as stand-alone or even integrated element within improved internal control frameworks. As result, several national standards were developed over the last 20 years, but just one arose as truly international solution: ISO 31000. Little has been published on integrated risk management at airlines and the use of industry-wide standards has never been consistently explored before. Two industry-specific standards exist, but their limited scope led to little adherence by airlines. To cover this gap,this thesis analysed the wider picture of integrated airline risk management practices, aiming at identifying improvement areas to propose an adaptation of the ISO 31000 risk management framework. Several empirical methods (including a survey to publications by the ToplOO airlines, and interviews to airline risk managers, experts and practitioners) showed that only six airlines reported using ISO 31000, with two others citing its predecessor, AS/NZS 4360. Many vaguely referred to COSO, customised models or didn't mention any framework. It is unclear why only few airlines use ISO 31000, when other industries applied it successfully before. Therefore, to help disseminating ISO 31000 among airlines, a customised framework has been designed that proposes a truly holistic industry-specific approach, not focussing on individual risk sources. It integrates risk management along the airlines' entire value chain and involves relevant stakeholders in the airlines' internal risk management efforts. The proposal's validation process showed that, while being ambitious in its goals, the customised framework is complete and concise, providing valuable input for airlines using other risk management models. It has been considered particularly suitable for those airlines thinking of launching risk management initiatives. Given that a fundamental culture change is needed, the timeframe for implementation should be generous, allowing for several process iterations and revisions.

The transportation community is exploring how new "big'' databases constructed by companies or public administrative agencies can be used to better understand travelers' behaviors and better predict travelers' responses to various transportation policies. This thesis explores how a large targeted marketing database containing information about individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics, current residence attributes, and previous residential locations can be used to investigate research questions related to individuals' transportation preferences and the built environment. The first study examines how household vehicle ownership may be shaped by, or inferred from, previous behavior. Results show that individuals who have previously lived in dense ZIP codes or ZIP codes with more non-automobile commuting options are more likely to own fewer vehicles, all else equal. The second study uses autoregressive models that control for spatial dependence, correlation, and endogeneity to investigate whether investments in public transit infrastructure are associated with higher home values. Results show that willingness-to-pay estimates obtained from the general spatial Durbin model are less certain than comparable estimates obtained through ordinary least squares. The final study develops an empirical framework to examine a housing market's resilience to price volatility as a function of transportation accessibility. Two key modeling frameworks are considered. The first uses a spatial autoregressive model to investigate the relationship between a home's value, appreciation, and price stability while controlling for endogenous missing regressors. The second uses a latent class model that considers all these attributes simultaneously, but cannot control for endogeneity.

Introdução: O deslocamento ativo tem estreita relação com problemas de saúde pública da atualidade e sua promoção pode contribuir para melhorias quanto à mobilidade urbana, estado de saúde e proteção do meio ambiente. Entretanto, a maior parte das pesquisas sobre o tema tem sido desenvolvida em países de renda alta. A presente tese busca ampliar a investigação sobre o deslocamento ativo no Brasil. Objetivos: i) Descrever a frequência, a distribuição e a variação temporal de indicadores do deslocamento ativo em populações brasileiras; ii) Avaliar o impacto de mudanças no padrão de transporte da população sobre o deslocamento ativo, o tempo sedentário e desfechos de saúde em populações brasileiras. Métodos: Tese composta por sete manuscritos. O primeiro apresenta revisão sistemática de estudos com informações sobre a prática de deslocamento ativo na América Latina e Caribe; o segundo descreve estimativas representativas da população brasileira sobre a prática de deslocamento ativo para o trabalho; o terceiro e o quarto descrevem a frequência e tendência temporal do deslocamento ativo na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (ciclistas e escolares); o quinto discute a questão da mobilidade urbana e do direito à cidade em São Paulo; o sexto e o sétimo avaliam o impacto de mudanças no padrão de mobilidade da metrópole paulistana sobre a prática de deslocamento ativo, tempo não-ativo de deslocamento e tempo total de deslocamento, bem como sobre a poluição do ar e saúde da população. Resultados: A prevalência mediana de deslocamento ativo encontrada em diferentes locais do Brasil foi de 12 por cento , variando entre 5,1 por cento em Palmas (Tocantins) a 58,9 por cento em Rio Claro (São Paulo) (Manuscrito 1). Um terço dos homens e das mulheres desloca-se a pé ou de bicicleta de casa para o trabalho no país. Em ambos os sexos, esta proporção diminui com o aumento da renda e da escolaridade e é maior entre os mais jovens, entre os que residem em áreas rurais, e na região Nordeste. Em todas as regiões metropolitanas estudadas, o quinto das pessoas de menor renda apresenta uma maior frequência de deslocamento ativo (Manuscrito 2). Entre os anos de 2007 e 2012, observamos redução no número de ciclistas em São Paulo e diferenças expressivas na proporção de ciclistas entre homens e mulheres (9,7 por mil habitantes versus 1,4 por mil habitantes em 2012) (Manuscrito 3). Também verificamos uma queda na proporção de crianças que se deslocam ativamente para a escola entre os anos de 1997 e 2012 (Manuscrito 4). O cenário epidemiológico do deslocamento ativo no país é resultante da disputa pelo direito à cidade, com repercussões na transição de mobilidade humana e na saúde e qualidade de vida da população, como podemos observar no caso de São Paulo (Manuscrito 5). A construção de uma São Paulo mais inclusiva, com menores distâncias para os deslocamentos cotidianos e maior frequência de caminhada e bicicleta, levaria à substancial redução do tempo total e do tempo sedentário despendidos nos deslocamentos, sem diminuir a duração do deslocamento ativo (Manuscrito 6). Traria também ganhos à saúde da população, sobretudo pelo aumento da prática de atividade física e da redução da poluição do ar (Manuscrito 7). Conclusões: A prática de deslocamento ativo no Brasil apresenta marcadas diferenças segundo região e características sociodemográficas. De um modo geral, esta prática vem diminuindo no país, o que deve contribuir negativamente para a saúde da população. A promoção de cidades mais inclusivas e compactas, com o favorecimento a modos ativos de deslocamento, pode contribuir para reverter esta preocupante tendência.
Introduction: Active commuting is closely related to current public health issues and its promotion can contribute to improvements in urban mobility, health and environmental protection. However, research on the subject is largely concentrated in high-income countries. This thesis aims to expand research on active commuting in Brazil. Objectives: i) To describe the frequency, distribution and time trend of active commuting indicators in Brazilian populations; ii) To assess the impact of travel pattern changes on active commuting, sedentary time and health outcomes in Brazilian populations. Methods: The thesis consists of seven manuscripts. The first manuscript is a systematic review of studies with information on active commuting practice in Latin America and the Caribbean; the second describes nationally representative estimates about active commuting to work in Brazil; the third and fourth describe active commuting frequency and time trends in São Paulo metropolitan area (cyclists and schoolchildren); the fifth discusses the issue of urban mobility and the right to the city of São Paulo; the sixth and seventh assess the impact of changes in São Paulo travel pattern on active commuting, non-active commuting and total travel time as well on air pollution and population health. Results: The median prevalence of active commuting found in Brazilian settings was 12 per cent , ranging from 5.1 per cent in Palmas (Tocantins) to 58.9 per cent in Rio Claro (Sao Paulo) (Manuscript 1). One-third of men and women walk or cycle for commuting to work in Brazil. In both sexes, this proportion decreases with increasing income and education and is higher among younger people, those living in rural areas, and in the Northeast. In all Brazilian metropolitan areas studies, people in the lowest quintile of income had a higher frequency of active commuting (Manuscript 2). Between 2007 and 2012, we observed a decreasing number of cyclists in São Paulo and marked sex differences in the proportion of cyclists (9.7 per thousand inhabitants for men versus 1.4 per thousand inhabitants for women in 2012) (Manuscript 3). We also found a decrease in the proportion of children who are actively commuting to school between 1997 and 2012 (Manuscript 4). The epidemiological scenario of active commuting in Brazil is the result of a historical dispute for the right to the city, with repercussions for human mobility transition and people\'s health and quality of life, as can be seen in the case of São Paulo (Manuscript 5). Building a more inclusive São Paulo, with shorter distances and more walking and cycling, would lead to substantial reductions of total and sedentary commuting time, without reducing active commuting time (Manuscript 6). It would also result in improvements for peoples health, particularly due to the increasing physical activity and decreasing air pollution (Manuscript 7). Conclusions: Active commuting in Brazil shows marked regional and socioeconomic contrasts. Overall, this practice has decreased, which should contribute negatively to the health of Brazilians. The promotion of more inclusive and compact cities, favoring active travel, can help reverse this worrying trend.

Profesionalnim vozačima osnovno zanimanje je upravljanje motornim vozilom. Izvođenje radnih zadatka podrazumeva stalnu napregnutost pažnje vezanu za vidne i zvučne podražaje koji se brzo smenjuju, što zahteva da vozač adekvatno i tačno reaguje na promene. Prijem informacija, obrada, donošenje odluke i izvršavanje motornog odgovora su procesi koji prate jedni druge i čine vreme percepcije-reakcije (VPR). Uslovi i zahtevi rada za profesionalne vozače su isti i za mlađe i starije radnike i povezani su sa velikom odgovornošću za ljudske živote i materijalna dobra, bez obzira na to što je poznato, da se radna sposobnost menja zbog prirodnog procesa starenja. Merenje i utvrđivanje vrednosti VPR je važan deo ispitivanja u okviru procene zdravstvene sposobnosti za bezbednu vožnju. Ciljevi: Utvrđivanje vrednosti VPR kod profesionalnih vozača i poređenje sa kontrolnom grupom. Ispitivanje uticaja starosti i vozačkog iskustva na VPR kod profesionalnih vozača. Materijal i metode : Ova studija procenjuje deo sposobnosti profesionalnih vozača merenjem VPR prostog i složenog, važnih za sigurnost u vožnji. Istraživanje je sprovedeno u vremenskom periodu od devet meseci i obuhvatilo je 548 ispitanika muškog pola, starosti od 21 do 65 godina. Eksperimentalnu grupu je činilo 278 ispitanika (profesionalni vozači), a kontrolnu 270 ispitanika kojima osnovno zanimanje nije profesionalna vožnja. Testiranje je izvedeno pomoću hardversko-softverskog sistema za određivanje vrednosti VPR na proste i složene audio-vizuelne podražaje. Merenja su sprovedena na tri nivoa težine zadatka: prosto VPR, i testovi složenog VPR na promenu pozicije podražaja i vrste boje. Rezultati: Utvrđene su značajno niže srednje vrednosti VPR na sva tri nivoa testiranja u grupi profesionalnih vozača u poređenju sa kontrolnom grupom. Utvrđena je pozitivna povezanost srednjih vrednosti VPR sa godinama života i dužinom profesionalnog vozačkog radnog staža na svim testovima u grupi profesionalnih vozača. Nisu utvrđene značajne razlike u procentu pogrešnih odgovora u odnosu na životno doba i dužinu vozačkog staža, što govori o pozitivnim efektima profesionalne prakse u vožnji. Nisu utvrđene značajne razlike srednjih vrednosti VPR kod vozača u gradskom ili međugradskom saobraćaju, kao i u odnosu na broj pređenih kilometara mesečno na svim testovima. Obeležja poput starosti (godine života), profesionalne prakse (iskustvo u godinama profesionalne vožnje), neke promene zdravstvenog stanja (postojanje bolesti ili drugih poremećaja) u grupi profesionalnih vozača pokazale su se kao prediktori sa značajnim nivoom povezanosti sa vrednostima VPR. Metodom višestruke regresione analize smo ispitali smo povezanost vrednosti VPR sa posmatranim prediktorima kada ih analiziramo zajedno uzimajući u obzir njihovu međusobnu interakciju. Regresioni model pokazuje kako skup posmatranih obeležja predviđa promene VPR. Zaključak: Utvrđene vrednosti i prediktivni model promena VPR profesionalnih vozača mogu biti korisni podaci u svakodnevnom radu zdravstvenim ustanovama koje procenjuju vozačku sposobnost, kako bi se identifikovali potencijalno rizični vozači sa višim vrednostima VPR, zamorenih i osoba sa početnim oštećenjima nervnog sistema, sklonih povredama u saobraćaju i na radu, u cilju prevencije saobraćajnih udesa i povreda, kao i osiguranja da vozači imaju sposobnosti neophodne za bezbednu vožnju. Utvrđene vrednosti VPR mogle bi naći primenu pri oceni radne sposobnosti i kod radnika na drugim zanimanjima gde se očekuje brza i tačna reakcija na određeni podražaj.
The term professional driver refers to people whose main occupation is driving a motor vehicle. Performing work tasks implies a constant strain of attention related to visual and audible stimuli that change quickly, which requires the driver to respond adequately and accurately to changes. Receiving information, processing, making a decision and executing a motor response are processes that accompany each other and make up the perception-reaction time (PRT). The working conditions and requirements for professional drivers are the same for both younger and older workers and are associated with great responsibility for human lives and material goods, regardless of the fact that it is known that working ability changes due to the natural aging process. Measuring and determining the value of PRT is an important part of testing as part of the assessment of health fitness for safe driving. Aims: Determination of PRT values in professional drivers and comparison with the control group. Examination of the effects of aging and driving experience on the PRT of professional drivers. Material and methods: This study assesses part of the ability of professional drivers by measuring simple and complex PRT important for driving safety. The study was conducted over a period of nine months and included 548 male respondents, aged 21 to 65 years. The experimental group consisted of 278 respondents (professional drivers), and the control group consisted of 270 respondents whose main occupation is not professional driving. Testing was performed using a hardware-software system to determine the value of PRT on simple and complex audio-visual stimuli. Measurements were carride out at three levels of task difficulty: simple PRT, and complex PRT tests to change stimuli position and color type. Results: Significantly lower PRT mean values were found at all three levels of testing in the group of professional drivers compared to the control group. A positive correlation was found between the mean PRT values with age and experience of professional driving on all tests in the group of professional drivers. No significant differences were found in the percentage of incorrect answers in relation to the age and driving experience, which shows the positive effects of professional driving practice. No significant differences were found in the mean PRT values on all tests for drivers in urban or interurban traffic and in relation to the number of kilometers per month. Individual characteristics as, aging, professional practice (experience in years of professional driving), changes in health status (existence of diseases or other disorders) in the group of professional drivers showed to be predictors with a significant level of correlation with PRT values. Using the method of multiple regression analysis, we examined the correlation of PRT values with the observed predictors when we analyze them together, taking into account their mutual interaction.The regression model shows how the set of observed features predicts changes in PRT. Conclusion: The determined values and the predictive model of changes PRT of professional drivers can be useful data in the daily work of health institutions that assess driving ability, in order to identify potentially risky drivers with higher PRT values,, tired and people with initial nervous system damage, prone to traffic injuries and at work, in order to prevent traffic accidents and injuries, as well as to ensure that drivers have the skills necessary for safe driving. The determined values of PRT could be used in the assessment of work ability and in workers in other occupations where a quick and accurate response to a particular stimulus is expected.

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2004.
Advisor: Dr. Renatus Mussa, Florida State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Title and description from dissertation home page (Jan. 19, 2005). Includes bibliographical references.

碩士
淡江大學
會計學系碩士在職專班
103
This study aims to explore the impact of Japanese Yen exchange rate on abnormal Stock Returns in Taiwan Motor Vehicles, Tourism, and Air Transportation industries. Using the five events from 2008 to 2012, in which affected the Japanese Yen exchange rate, the study analyzes,32 sample companies, whether their abnormal Stock Return are influenced by the Japanese Yen exchange rate. The empirical results show that Japanese Yen exchange rate has a significant influence on abnormal Stock Returns of Motor Vehicles, Tourism, and Air Transportation industries. Because the events of U.S. financial crisis and March 11th Japan tsunami caused the increase in Japanese Yen appreciation, the market expected that the increase in Japanese Yen led to increase enterprise operational cost and decrease its profit. It indicates the negative effects on the abnormal stock price in the Motor Vehicles, Tourism and Air Transportation in Taiwan. When Abe Shinzo was assured to the official post as the prime minister of Japan, the Japanese Yen depreciation was expected to increase. The market expected the increase in Japanese Yen resulting in the decrease of the enterprise operational cost; therefore, the enterprise’s profit increased. Consequently, it indicates the positively significant influence on the abnormal Stock Returns in the Motor Vehicles, Tourism and Air Transportation in Taiwan. This study contributes to providing the investors in Taiwan the reference for investment decision, and to offer the relevant authorities the reference in making the economic policies for Motor Vehicles, Tourism and Air Transportation in Taiwan.

There has been an increased push away from the traditional combustion-engine powered vehicle due to environmental, health, and political concerns. As a result, alternative methods of transportation such as electric vehicles (EVs) have gaining popularity in the market. However, the EVs are not penetrating the market as quickly as expected, due in part to a combination of range, charge anxiety, and their financial costs. EVs cannot travel far due to limited driving range and require longer charge times than combustion-engine powered vehicles to recharge. Coupled with a lacking infrastructure for charging, the feasibility of an all-electric transportation market is still not possible. We propose a novel system in which we study and characterize the feasibility of increasing the effective driving range of a battery electric vehicle by utilizing inductive charge transfer to create an ad-hoc charging network where vehicles can “share” charge with one another. The application of wireless charge transfer from vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) is the first of its kind and does not require any changes to current metropolitan infrastructures. Through the use of computer networking and communications algorithms, we analyze real-world commuter and taxi data to determine the potential effectiveness of such a system. We propose a participation and incentive mechanism to encourage participation in this network that enables the system to be functional.To illustrate proof of principle for V2V charging at traffic lights, we simulate a simplified model in which vehicles only exchange charge at traffic lights without coordination with other vehicles. Using a greedy heuristic, vehicles only exchange charge if they happen to meet another vehicle that has charge to share. The heuristic is greedy since decisions are made at each iteration with longer optimality not being considered. We are able to demonstrate an increase in effective driving range of EVs using these simplistic assumptions. In this thesis, we develop and quantify a complete simulation framework, which allows EVs to operate using charge sharing. We analyze data from the United States Department of Transportation, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and Regional New York City data sources to understand the cumulative driving distance distributions for passenger/commuter vehicles and taxicabs in large metropolitan areas such as New York City. We show that the driving distributions can best be represented as heavy-tail distribution functions with most commuter vehicles not requiring additional charge during a typical day’s usage of their vehicle as compared to taxicabs, which regularly travel more than 100 miles during a 12-hour shift. We develop and parameterize several variables for input into our simulation framework including driving distance, charge exchange heuristics, models for determining pricing of charge units, traffic density, and geographic location. The inclusion of these parameters helps to build a framework that can be utilized for any metropolitan area to determine the feasibility of EVs. We have performed extensive evaluation of our model using real data. Our current simulations indicate that we can increase the effective distance that an electric vehicle travels by a factor of at least 2.5. This increased driving range makes EVs a more feasible mode of transportation for fleet vehicles such as taxicabs that rely heavily on commuting long cumulative distances. We have identified areas for future improvement to add further parameters to make the model even more sensitive. Finally, we focus on the application of our charge sharing framework in a real-world application for utilizing this methodology for the New York City bus system. In partnership with the New York City MTA, we launched a feasibility study of converting the currently majority hybrid bus fleet into a complete electric bus fleet with charging available at bus stops during scheduled bus stops. Unlike the earlier charge sharing framework, this simulation focuses on discrete distances that are traveled by the bus before having an opportunity to charge at the next bus stop. In this scenario, a large source of variability is the amount of time that the bus is able to stop at a bus stop for charging since this is determined by the amount of time needed to successfully embark and disembark the passengers at the given bus stop. This particular variability impacts how much charge the bus is able to gain during any given stop. We conclude with a list of opportunities for future work in expanding the model with additional parameters and conclusions of our work. Further, we identify areas of further research that outline the potential positive and negative outcomes from a charge sharing system that can be extended to various other applications including micro-mobility applications such as electric scooters and bicycles.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (PAEB) system for avoiding/mitigating pedestrian crashes have been equipped on some passenger vehicles. At present, there are many e orts for the development of common standard for the performance evaluation of PAEB. The Transportation Active Safety Institute (TASI) at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis has been studying the problems and ad- dressing the concerns related to the establishment of such a standard with support from Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC). One of the important components in the PAEB evaluation is the development of standard testing facili- ties at night, in which 70% pedestrian crash social costs occurs [1]. The test facility should include representative low-illuminance environment to enable the examination of sensing and control functions of di erent PAEB systems. This thesis work focuses on modeling low-illuminance driving environment and describes an approach to recon- struct the lighting conditions. The goal of this research is to characterize and model light sources at a potential collision case at low-illuminance environment and deter- mine possible recreation of such environment for PAEB evaluation. This research is conducted in ve steps. The rst step is to identify lighting components that ap- pear frequently on a low-illuminance environment that a ect the performance of the PAEB. The identi ed lighting components include ambient light, same side/opposite side light poles, opposite side car headlight. Next step is to collect all potential pedes- trian collision cases at night with GPS coordinate information from TASI 110 CAR naturalistic driving study video database. Thirdly, since ambient lighting is relatively random and lack of a certain pattern, ambient light intensity for each potential col- lision case is de ned and processed as the average value of a region of interest on all video frames in this case. Fourth step is to classify interested light sources from the selected videos. The temporal pro le method, which compressing region of interest in video data (x,y,t) to image data (x,y), is introduced to scan certain prede ned region on the video. Due to the fact that light sources (except ambient light) impose distinct light patterns on the road, image patterns corresponding to speci c light sources can be recognized and classi ed. All light sources obtained are stamped with GPS coordinates and time information which are provided in corresponding data les along with the video. Lastly, by grouping all light source information of each repre- sentative street category, representative light description of each street category can be generated. Such light description can be used for lighting construction of PAEB test facility.

Modern vehicles are designed to protect occupants in the event of a crash with some vehicles better at this than others. However, passenger protection during an accident has shown to be not enough in many high impact crashes. Statistics have shown that the human error is the number one contributor to road accidents. This research study explores how driver error can be reduced through technology which observes driver behaviour and reacts when certain unwanted patterns in behaviour have been detected. Finally a system that detects driver fatigue and driver distraction has been developed using non-invasive machine vision concepts to monitor observable driver behaviour.
Electrical Engineering
M. Tech. (Electrical Engineering)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Pedestrian and vehicle interaction analysis in a naturalistic driving environment can provide useful information for designing vehicle-pedestrian crash warning/mitigation systems. Many researchers have used crash data to understand and study pedestrian behaviors and interactions between vehicles and pedestrian during crash. However, crash data may not provide detailed pedestrian-vehicle interaction information for us. In this thesis, we designed an automatic pedestrian tracking and status analysis method to process and study pedestrian and vehicle interactions. The proposed pedestrian tracking and status analysis method includes pedestrian detection, pedestrian tracking and pedestrian status analysis modules. The main contributions of this thesis are: we designed a new pedestrian tracking method by learning the pedestrian appearance and also their motion pattern. We designed a pedestrian status estimation method by using our tracking results and thus helped estimate the possibility of collision. Our preliminary experiment results using naturalistic driving data showed promising results.