Annual Kilometers Research Articles

Ultrasound detection of non-atherosclerotic intima-medial abnormalities of lower limbs arteries in amateur endurance runners

BackgroundStructural changes in the lower limb’s arterial wall in amateur endurance runners are a rare incidental finding, represented just by several case reports.AimStudy the incidence of non-atherosclerotic lower limb artery wall changes in defined group of amateur endurance runners and identify relationship with the training parameters and the relevant biochemical markers.MethodsAmateur male athletes engaged in endurance running for more than 5 years were enrolled. Tibial and anterior popliteal arteries on each side were examined by ultrasound with focus on non-atherosclerotic structural wall changes: intima-medial border blurring, presence and character of non-atherosclerotic noduli. Subsequently the descriptive and correlation analysis were performed.ResultsThe study enrolled 20 amateur male endurance runners from Black Swan Triathlon Club Slovakia. The low atherosclerotic risk was represented by normal lipid levels, BMI under 30 kg/m2 and non-smokers in all participants. At least one type of structural artery wall abnormality (noduli or intima-medial border blurring) was present in 19 of 20 participants (95%). The most present was the intima-medial blurring. (80% of participants). The noduli were present in 65% of study group, in almost 40% of these, they were considered as hyperechogenic. All these affections were predominantly in popliteal artery area (65%). The vast majority has bilateral affection. We find a mild correlation between these ultrasound findings and training load represented by annual kilometers and run hours. There was no association between these changes and lipid spectrum or CRP level.ConclusionThe subclinical lower limb artery changes, represented by intima-medial border blurring and non-atherosclerotic noduli were present in almost every amateur endurance runner. Despite the underlying mechanism is not understood, the increased training load seems to be one of the responsible factors.

Cycling through the ranks: a cross-sectional analysis of endurance, strength and body composition indicators in junior, elite, and amateur competitive road cyclists.

The objective of the present study was to compare different performance indicators, encompassing endurance, body composition, and maximal and explosive strength markers, among competitive Lithuanian cyclists across different age and performance categories. Thirty Lithuanian male cyclists in elite (EL, N.=10), amateur (AM, N.=10), and junior (JU, N.=10) categories underwent body composition analysis, knee extensors' isometric strength and ultrasound measurements, maximal incremental exercise tests, cycling efficiency protocol, and sprint performance evaluations. Additionally, competition results and power profiles were analyzed. EL cyclists had greater experience and higher annual kilometers (P<0.05). Quadriceps muscle size exhibited significant differences, being greater in EL than JU (P<0.05), whereas no noteworthy variations were observed in body fat or isometric strength. EL athletes demonstrated higher maximal oxygen consumption, maximal aerobic power, and sprint performance compared to JU and AM, particularly when considering absolute power metrics (P<0.05). Interestingly, despite JU achieving lower ranks in competitions, power profiles differed minimally between EL and JU. Furthermore, both JU and AM expended more energy during competitions (P<0.05). The study highlights disparities among Lithuanian cyclists, with EL cyclists showcasing advantages in endurance capacity and better competition outcomes, possibly due to their extensive experience, leading to a more efficient energy utilization. This research enhances our understanding of the multifaceted nature of the sport performance within the realm of Lithuanian cycling.

Better understanding female and male driving offenders’ behavior: Psychological resources and vulnerabilities matter!

Although driving risk taking appears to be mainly male, an increase in driving violations has been observed in recent years among French female drivers. The main objective of the present study was to explore the driving behaviors, psychological resources, and vulnerabilities of female and male driving offenders participating in a French driver rehabilitation program. The second aim was to examine to what extent females’ and males’ resources and vulnerabilities predicted their violations, engagement in distracting activities while driving, and prosocial driving behaviors. In the course of 110 rehabilitation programs, 1686 driving offenders (22.4% females) completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Compared to male offenders, females were more likely to have received a higher education, be divorced, or separated, and drive fewer annual kilometers. They also had had fewer demerit points than males in the last three years. They were more empathetic but also more impulsive than their male counterparts and less self-compassionate and mindful. Regression and moderation analyses revealed that, across genders, certain psychological resources such as mindfulness can be considered as protective factors for driving offenders as they tend to decrease dangerous behaviors and increase prosocial ones, while vulnerabilities such as aggressive driving anger expression seem to have the opposite effect. Our results provide a better understanding of driving offenders’ behavior and the influence of personal dispositions. They also open new interesting research avenues in the prevention of dangerous behaviors among this high-risk population.

Practical Improvement Scenarios for an Innovative Waste-Collection Recycling Program Operating with Mobile Green Points (MGPs)

Since 2021, the prefectural authorities of the Attica Region in Greece have been operating a rewarding recycling program for the collection of clean recyclable waste in collaboration with the “Specialist Integrated Association of the Prefecture of Attica” (EDSNA, in Greek) and private contractors, called “THE GREEN CITY”. This program mobilizes almost 30 mobile green points (MGPs) daily, which are self-propelled trucks that collect clean recyclable materials from citizens and businesses across the Attica Region. After one year of operation, this program has shown promising results, having more than 100,000 registered citizens and having already collected over 500 tons of clean recyclable municipal solid wastes in more than 60 municipalities of Attica. However, these promising results are accompanied by some significant financial and environmental costs. This study presents two different practical improvement scenarios for THE GREEN CITY recycling program’s current situation that ensure (a) the shortening of the annual kilometers and time on the remote routes of all programs, (b) the annual fuel-cost decrease for the MGPs and (c) the annual reduction of their CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Afterwards, we compare these two scenarios and conclude that the “first improvement scenario with main depot decentralization” is more realistic, feasible and has a bigger total sum of positive impacts than the second one. Therefore, this study strongly suggests the implementation of the “first improvement scenario with main depot decentralization” and opens the road to future improvement scenarios for various waste-management systems or recycling programs.

Candrive-Development of a Risk Stratification Tool for Older Drivers.

Assessing an older adult's fitness-to-drive is an important part of clinical decision making. However, most existing risk prediction tools only have a dichotomous design, which does not account for subtle differences in risk status for patients with complex medical conditions or changes over time. Our objective was to develop an older driver risk stratification tool (RST) to screen for medical fitness-to-drive in older adults. Participants were active drivers aged 70 and older from 7 sites across 4 Canadian provinces. They underwent in-person assessments every 4months with an annual comprehensive assessment. Participant vehicles were instrumented to provide vehicle and passive Global Positioning System (GPS) data. The primary outcome measure was police-reported, expert-validated, at-fault collision adjusted per annual kilometers driven. Predictor variables included physical, cognitive, and health assessment measures. A total of 928 older drivers were recruited for this study beginning in 2009. The average age at enrollment was 76.2 (standard deviation [SD]=4.8) with 62.1% male participants. The mean duration for participation was 4.9 (SD=1.6) years. The derived Candrive RST included 4 predictors. Out of 4483 person-years of driving, 74.8% fell within the lowest risk category. Only 2.9% of person-years were in the highest risk category where the relative risk for at-fault collisions was 5.26 (95% confidence interval=2.81-9.84) compared to the lowest risk group. For older drivers whose medical conditions create uncertainty regarding their fitness-to-drive, the Candrive RST may assist primary health care providers when initiating a conversation about driving and to guide further evaluation.

Electric vehicles can have only a minor role in reducing transport's energy and environmental challenges

&lt;abstract&gt; &lt;p&gt;Many governments have supported the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) through purchase subsidies or waiving fuel taxes. The key findings of this paper are that the benefits of EVs may have been overstated, at least for some countries, as their energy savings and climate mitigation advantages depend on such factors as annual kilometres travelled per vehicle, electricity fuel mix, vehicle size and even local conditions. Because serious climate change has already arrived in the form of increasing frequency and severity of extreme events, we do not have the decades required for electricity production to be predominantly from non-carbon sources. Further, there are a variety of other challenges facing private transport—EVs just as much as conventionally powered vehicles. These include traffic casualties, non-engine air and noise pollution, light pollution, land requirements for roads and parking, and the intrusion of roads into natural habitats. With the promotion of EVs, these other transport problems run the risk of being downplayed. If all the environmental challenges facing road vehicles are to be effectively and quickly tackled, significant reductions in road vehicular travel are needed.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/abstract&gt;

Energy growth sources and future energy-saving potentials in passenger transportation sector in China

Abstract In China, energy use from passenger vehicles is increasing rapidly due to urbanization and income growth, but the contributions of transport service structure shift and energy efficiency improvement, especially future energy-saving directions are controversial and unclear because of the differences in the choices of traffic modes, which may greatly affect the analysis results and their interpretations. This study investigates the growth sources of energy use in the passenger transport sector during 1979–2017 and future energy-saving potentials by 2030 by re-examining statistical data. Results show that the transport service increase and transport structure shift led to the increase in energy use by 665.25% and 337.22%, but approximately 14% of the increased energy use was offset by energy efficiency improvements, and its effect is limited in public transportation sector, compared with private passenger vehicle sector. In public passenger transport sector, adjusting the service or volume structure may be a desirable option while in private passenger vehicle sector the policy focus is more on improving fuel efficiency and reducing average annual kilometers traveled per capita. Overall, there is still at least 28.3% of energy reduction potential by energy efficiency improvement before 2030 compared to 2017 baseline level. Potential evaluation showed that the current potential of transport service structure adjustment based on industrial planning is limited, which highlights the necessity of reform, involving promoting the sharing transportation, railway, subway and buses.

Long-run studies of daily travel: methodological review and convergence of distance traveled per capita across cities

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper is to review previous studies that have modelled daily travel using long-run variations of data (20 years or more), focusing on their theoretical (micro-founded) assumptions, and then to present a case study applying one of these assumptions. The review intends to clarify how these studies assume intergenerational differences in the (unobservable) mobility preferences of individuals, which determines how they describe the changes in the aggregate of individuals. This study shows that one group of studies describes these changes using changes in the behaviour of individuals representing all generations and by assuming their preferences over time. This assumption is useful, as it accommodates all types of data covering different periods, including the so-called aggregate data. This study also shows that the other study group describes them using the turnover of individuals of different generations, assuming that individuals born in different periods could have different preferences. This has been made possible by following birth cohorts over time using data from repeated surveys while enabling a focus on generation-specific characteristics in daily travel. Next, the case study provides an example of how most previous long-run studies on daily travel have employed theoretical assumptions. It applies the first assumption to examine a convergence hypothesis of distance travelled per capita across cities. This hypothesis is derived from the assumptions posed primarily on the production-side of a city’s transportation system, including diminishing returns under current transportation technologies. A linear regression model is employed to test the hypothesis with a city-level data set covering 39 developed cities in the world from 1960 to 2000. The results support the hypothesis, showing negative and statistically significant effects of per capita annual kilometres travelled on their subsequent average growth rates in every model with different sets of the control variables representing the surrounding conditions of the transportation network. The results of the case study suggest that current daily travel may be exhausting most of the quantitative potential of a city’s transportation network under the current technologies.

Smart transportation and the economic effects of the Quebec-California caps and trade market

There is an increasing trend in the demand for electric vehicles (EV) but consumer choice is very limited compared to the gamut of conventional cars. The demand for the latter is still growing despite their negative impact on the environment and government policies to incentivise the reduction of their use. This paper examines the consumption patterns of the Canadian commuters who travel by car. It estimates the demand for car transportation services for the province of Quebec and makes simulations to predict the evolution of this demand till the year 2040. The estimations of the 'baseline scenario' are made using some key variables such as car price, annual kilometres driven, and the price of substitutes such as public transit. In the first simulation, there is no government intervention to modify the consumption patterns of drivers. A second model is used to investigate the impact of the pollution permits on the demand for vehicles. The new Quebec-California caps and trade (C&T) market is analysed and its impact on the demand for cars and the environment is empirically estimated.

Assessment of motor vehicle use characteristics in three Indian cities

Estimates of emissions and energy consumption by vehicular fleet in India are not backed by reliable values of parameters, leading to large uncertainties. We report new methods, including primary surveys and secondary data sources, to estimate in-use fleet size, annual mileage (kilometers per year), and fuel efficiency of cars and motorised two-wheelers (MTW) for Delhi, and except fleet size and annual mileage of cars, for Visakhapatnam and Rajkot. We estimated that the official number of registered cars and MTW in Indian cities is more than two times the actual number of in-use vehicles. The private vehicular fleet in India is the youngest, its fuel efficiency one of the highest, and annual kilometers travelled is the lowest, compared to many high-income countries, such as the USA and those in European Union. Along with high renewal rate of fleet, the data suggest that it is possible for India to have one of the most fuel-efficient vehicle fleets in the world in the future, if fuel-efficiency standards and fiscal policies to contain growing dieselization are implemented in the country at the earliest.

Transitioning to energy efficient vehicles: An analysis of the potential rebound effects and subsequent impact upon emissions

Given the shift toward energy efficient vehicles (EEVs) in recent years, it is important that the effects of this transition are properly examined. This paper investigates some of these effects by analyzing annual kilometers traveled (AKT) of private vehicle owners in Stockholm in 2008. The difference in emissions associated with EEV adoption is estimated, along with the effect of a congestion-pricing exemption for EEVs on vehicle usage. Propensity score matching is used to compare AKT rates of different vehicle owner groups based on the treatments of: EEV ownership and commuting across the cordon, controlling for confounding factors such as demographics. Through this procedure, rebound effects are identified, with some EEV owners found to have driven up to 12.2% further than non-EEV owners. Although some of these differences could be attributed to the congestion-pricing exemption, the results were not statistically significant. Overall, taking into account lifecycle emissions of each fuel type, average EEV emissions were 50.5% less than average non-EEV emissions, with this reduction in emissions offset by 2.0% due to rebound effects. Although it is important for policy-makers to consider the potential for unexpected negative effects in similar transitions, the overall benefit of greatly reduced emissions appears to outweigh any rebound effects present in this case study.

Annual Motor Vehicle Travel Distance and Incident Obesity

Obesity has become a major health and economic problem with increasing prevalence. Unfortunately, no country can act as public health exemplar for reduction of obesity. The finding of associations between sedentary behaviors and obesity, independent of the level of physical activity, may offer new insights to prevent this burdensome problem. To evaluate prospectively the relationship between annual distance traveled by motor vehicles and subsequent incidence of overweight or obesity in a Mediterranean cohort. Data from a prospective cohort study (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra Project, 1999-2011) with a permanently open recruitment were analyzed. Self-administered questionnaires are mailed every 2 years, collecting information on dietary habits, lifestyle, risk factors, and medical conditions. Annual kilometers traveled by motor vehicles were grouped into three categories (≤10,000; >10,000 to ≤20,000; and >20,000). Multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to assess the risk of overweight or obesity across categories of distance traveled annually. In all, 9160 participants (58% female, average age=37 years) were followed up for a median of 6.4 years. During 39,175 person-years of follow-up, 1044 (15.3%) normal-weight participants at baseline became overweight or obese. Among participants who did not change their category of annual kilometers traveled during follow-up, an increased risk of overweight or obesity in the highest category of annual kilometers traveled was observed, compared with the lowest one (hazard ratio=1.4, 95% CI=1.1, 1.7). This study suggests a potential pernicious effect of the use of motor vehicles on the risk of overweight or obesity.

Analysis of Joint Household Decisions About Car and Motorbike Ownership and Use in Taiwan

Decisions about automobile ownership and use have been the subject of several investigations over the past few decades. However, decisions about car and motorbike ownership and use have not been sufficiently explored. It is important and useful for researchers and government officials in Taiwan to consider joint household decisions about car and motorbike ownership because many motorbikes are used in Taiwan. Therefore, both cars and motorbikes are considered in this study on the basis of microeconomic consumer behavior theory, in which fixed and variable costs are the two main components of budget restriction. A household is assumed to maximize its utility with three parameters: annual kilometers traveled by car, annual kilometers traveled by motorbike, and annual volume of all other goods and services (in monetary units). Probabilities of car and motorbike ownership are derived and calculated from demand functions and indirect utilities. Different scenarios are modeled to investigate the impact of changes in variable and fixed costs of car and motorbike, income, and combinations of these parameters on car and motorbike ownership and use.

Analysis of Joint Household Decisions about Car and Motorbike Ownership and use in Taiwan

Decisions about automobile ownership and use have been the subject of several investigations over the past few decades. However, decisions about car and motorbike ownership and use have not been sufficiently explored. It is important and useful for researchers and government officials in Taiwan to consider joint household decisions about car and motorbike ownership because many motorbikes are used in Taiwan. Therefore, both cars and motorbikes are considered in this study on the basis of microeconomic consumer behavior theory, in which fixed and variable costs are the two main components of budget restriction. A household is assumed to maximize its utility with three parameters: annual kilometers traveled by car, annual kilometers traveled by motorbike, and annual volume of all other goods and services (in monetary units). Probabilities of car and motorbike ownership are derived and calculated from demand functions and indirect utilities. Different scenarios are modeled to investigate the impact of changes in variable and fixed costs of car and motorbike, income, and combinations of these parameters on car and motorbike ownership and use.

Human factors and driving performance : Quimby, A.R., and Watts, G.R. Transport and road research laboratory, Crowthorne, Berks, Report No LR-1004, 1981, 32 pp

The relative importance of a variety of human factor variables to driving performance was investigated using a representative sample of 60 drivers. Factors considered included: visual and perceptual abilities, risk taking, reaction time measures, biographical, attitudinal and personality variables and physiological measures of stress. Driving performance was assessed by obtaining accident and exposure histories for the previous 3 years and also by considering the number of driving errors committed on a test drive. In the analysis special attention was given to identifying any age differences revealed by the results that might help to explain why accident rates vary with age. Results indicated that the variable measuring risk taking was most highly correlated with driving performance. The driver's attitude to safety and measures of visual and perceptual abilities, such as acuity, risk assessment and hazard perception--measured both on the road and in a simulator--were also relatively important. Additional variables that were significantly correlated with driving performance included: age, socio-economic group number, annual kilometres driven, additional driver training, one's personality factor and a physiological measure of stress. Several of the variables showed significant age effects. The findings are discussed and their importance to road safety is considered. (Author/TRRL)