Individual Trips Research Articles

Assessing the Impact of Transport Mode, Trip Purpose, and the Built Environment on Mood using a Smartphone App

Background/Aim: Active travel (i.e., walking or cycling) leads to improved mood compared to sedentary modes (i.e., driving). Previous studies rely on participants’ recall of their mood from prior trips. Using a smartphone app that allows for assessment directly after trips may provide more accurate responses and more nuanced information on mood during transport. We aim to explore how mood during travel is related to mode, trip purpose, and the built environment. Methods: We recruited participants in southwest Virginia and Washington, D.C to download the phone app Daynamica to track their trips for two weeks (31 participants; ~1,300 individual trips). After each trip, participants completed surveys to assess mood and trip purpose. In a previous study, we conducted a factor-analysis on the mood survey to create a mood score; the survey was unidimensional with high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.92). We employed regression analysis to assess how mood varies based on transport mode (i.e., active vs. sedentary), trip purpose (i.e., recreational vs. utilitartian), and the built environment (i.e., “walkscore”). Results: We used “car” as the reference case in our regressions and found that mood was higher when using a bike (β=0.11; p<0.01) and lower when using transit (β=-0.13; p<0.01). We did not find a significant relationship between walkscore and mood. However, we found a significant interaction between walking and walkscore (β=-0.12; p<0.01). We ran alternate models for trip purpose and used “work” as the reference case. Mood was higher for recreational trips (β=0.20; p<0.01), eating out (β=0.09; p<0.01) and going shopping (β=0.06; p=0.04). Conclusions: Active travel improves physical (e.g., physical activity) and environmental (e.g., reducing emissions) health. We explore a third potential health-promoting outcome: improved mood. Our work demonstrates how information on mood and satisfaction could be used to promote sustainable forms of transportation.

Development of a Combined Human Transferrin-Hemoglobin Lateral Immunochromatographic Assay for Accurate and Rapid Fecal Occult Blood Test.

Fecal occult bloodtest (FOBT) plays an important role in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases. The sensitivities of current FOBT methods are still not satisfactory. The aim of this study is to develop a combined human transferrin (HTf)-hemoglobin (HHb) lateral flow assay (LFA) for accurate and rapid FOBT. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) targeting HTf were developed by conventional methods and paired using LFA strips. The best HTf MAb pair was chosen according to the overall performance on testing limit and specificity. Meanwhile, HHb LFA strips were prepared using previously developed HHb MAbs. The testing limit and specificity were characterized. Based on the selected HTf MAb pair and the verified HHb MAb pair, combined HTf-HHb strips were developed. The combined HTf-HHb strips were used for FOBT of 400 human fecal samples, including 200 gastrointestinal bleeding specimens and 200 healthy subjects. For comparison, the homemade individual HTf and HHb strips, as well as three kinds of commercial FOBT strips, were also used for the FOBT. Two MAb pairs targeting HTf were developed for LFA. Two types of HTf strips were prepared accordingly. The type I was chosen due to its lower detection limit. Using the type I HTf MAb pair and the verified HHb- MAb pair, the combined HTf-HHb strips could detect the HTf at concentrations between 1 ng/mL and 1 x 106 ng/mL and the HHb between 10 ng/mL and 2.5 x 106 ng/mL. Compared to individual HTf and HHb strips and three kinds of commercial strips, the combined strips showed the highest diagnostic sensitivity in FOBT (96.0%). The specificity was a satisfactory 99%. Our combined HTf-HHb test strips are a very promising product for accurate and rapid FOBT.

Development of a Universal Solar Energy Harvesting System Suited for Textile Integration Including Flexible Energy Storage

With the growing interest in smart textiles the need for a lightweight energy supply that is compatible with textile properties is increasing. Here we describe a proof of concept for a universal solar harvesting system which is scaled for the integration into clothing including flexible energy storage and flexible solar cells. The flexible solar cells show efficiencies of above 10 % and are integrated as individual strips in order to minimize the effect on the bending and draping properties of the textile. The integrated batteries are lithiumion based and include an electrolyte that guarantees safety when in proximity to the human body.

Christopher Dyer, Erik Thoen, & Tom Williamson, eds. Peasants and Their Fields: The Rationale of Open-Field Agriculture, c. 700–1800. CORN Publication Series 16. Turnhout: Brepols, 2018, 275 pp., 64 figs., 7 tables.

Medieval peasants used a wide variety of field systems, but one of the most common was the open-field system, wherein the arable land was divided into two or three large fields, which in turn were subdivided into numerous long strips, so that each peasant’s holdings were thus scattered and intermingled amongst the fields. There were no barriers between the individual strips (hence the name “open fields”) and livestock were pastured on the fields after harvest and during fallow years; because holdings were intermingled, peasants had to decide collectively upon the timing of fallowing and grazing. Agricultural historians have now spent over a century studying the open fields, beginning with Frederic Seebohm’s The English Village Community (1883), and Peasants and Their Fields provides a useful view of the open fields in various parts of Europe and beyond.

Collaboration between physical activity researchers and transport planners: A qualitative study of attitudes to data driven approaches

Abstract Collaboration between physical activity (PA) researchers and transport planners is a recommended strategy to combat the physical inactivity epidemic. Data collected by PA researchers could be used to identify, implement and evaluate active transport (AT) projects. However, despite aligned interests, researchers and transport planners rarely collaborate. This study utilized qualitative methods to 1) gain an in-depth understanding of the data utilized in AT planning, 2) explore the utility of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and accelerometer data in supporting the planning process, 3) identify the benefits and barriers of researcher and transport agency collaboration, and 4) identify the facilitators to collaboration for these groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 transport modeling, planning or engineering professionals, transport agency directors, and academics with relevant expertise in health or transport planning. A thematic analysis was conducted following structural coding by two researchers. The analysis revealed that geographic and physical activity data that are current, local, objective and specific to individual AT trips would improve upon currently available data sources. Informants believed that research collaboration could increase capacity by providing unbiased data and access to students to assist with targeted research. Collaboration could also increase the relevance of academic research in applied settings. Identified barriers included: setting up contracts, lack of policy and planning mandates that include health, a disconnect between research interests and agency needs, and competing priorities. Researchers may need to initiate discussions with AT practitioners until health is formally included in the planning process as the first step in understanding data needs and identifying mutual research interests. However, regulations that link health and physical activity metrics to funding, as well as training programs that incorporate public health and transport planning, are needed to encourage cross collaboration.

Validating crowdsourced bicycling mobility data for supporting city planning

Crowdsourced data hold great potential in creating metrics which can support city planning. Devices such as smartphones, with their sensor capabilities including GPS can be used to capture a wealth of mobility data at the scale of individual trips. However, the use of crowdsourced data for city planning is still hindered by doubts about their accuracy, objectivity and representativeness. This study proposes a validation process with five criteria – geographic coverage, origin-destination match, demographic match, distance–duration distributions, and route match – to assess different representativeness aspects of mobility data. The validation process is demonstrated using a crowdsourced data on bicycling in Sydney, Australia, compared with Census Journey to Work data. Results indicate a good overall fit of the sample against the population, but variations across the five criteria. Implications of these variations on the suitable uses for the crowdsourced data are discussed, and current limitations of the proposed approach are identified.

Методическая основа агролесомелиоративной оценки защитных лесных насаждений по данным дистанционного мониторинга

The south of Russia is the largest agro-industrial region of the country. One of the factors contributing to the successful development of agriculture in this area are the stable agroforestlandscapes, formed several decades ago, the main structural element of agroforestlandscapes are forest shelterbelts, which exert meliorative influence on the agroecological situation in the agrolandscapes. However, as a result of the impact of natural-climatic and anthropogenic factors, most of the protective forest plantations are in an unsatisfactory state. In this regard, it is necessary to carry out an inventory of the forest reclamation fund to obtain reliable information on their quantity and current state of protective forest plantations, with a view to developing urgent forest measures aimed at preserving them, improving the forest and reclamation condition and increasing they longevity. At present, information technologies are widely used in scientific research and practical activities, including agriculture and forestry. However, the use of remote methods and geoinformation technologies in the study of protective forest stands from the point of view of a systematic approach (assessment of forest strip systems in agrolandscapes), both in domestic and in foreign scientific research, is not sufficiently developed and requires further study. The developed author's method of agroforest reclamation assessment of protective forest plantations on the basis of remote information and GIS technologies allows simultaneous carry out three-level analysis of forest belt systems within the administrative area, the farm and the individual forest strip. The proposed approach opens up new opportunities for conducting research in the assessment of the state of protective forest plantations of the territory of the Russian Federation for the development of scientifically based principles and methods for the rational management of the agroforest reclamation fund. The presented method was successfully implemented during monitoring of protective forest plantations on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory within the framework of the implementation of the regional target program "Fertility" for 2006-2010, on an area of more than 11,000 hectares.

Potential of converting short car trips to active trips: The role of the built environment in tour-based travel

Abstract Objective To better understand trip-chaining patterns and mode choice of various urban forms, this study examines the effects of land use on travel mode choice and analyzes the concept of neighborhood design in the substitution of short car trips by other transportation modes. Methods A ‘tour’ is defined as a home-to-home loop of individual trips, including all the stops made along the way. This paper develops tour-based, mode-choice models and conducts integrative assessments to determine the relative influences of the various factors associated with tour-based travel and activity space environments for short round trips. Results The short round trips most likely to require a car tended to be either commuting trips, trips involving heavy goods, or trips that link two or more stops. Transit trips for short-distance travel were likely to involve trip chaining, while most shopping trips comprised a single outing with no trip chaining. A key to increasing travel by walking was a concentration of retail shops and service providers near people's homes whereas street networks and a good regional accessibility encouraged cycling and transit use respectively, although potential spurious effects cannot be fully determined. Conclusions Policymakers in LA who hope to increase walking should focus on the concentration of business activity in a compact commercial core in residential areas, while transit agencies in LA should consider trends like chained trip-making and restructure communities and central places with much greater transit accessibility. These strategies for local urban design and regional accessibility are likely to affect people's decisions concerning travel mode mostly in non-work travel without intervening stops; therefore, personal vehicle use can be reduced more easily by focusing on trips for leisure time activities and personal business activities near residential locations rather than on work commutes.

Epidemic spreading between two coupled subpopulations with inner structures.

The structure of underlying contact network and the mobility of agents are two decisive factors for epidemic spreading in reality. Here, we study a model consisting of two coupled subpopulations with intra-structures that emphasizes both the contact structure and the recurrent mobility pattern of individuals simultaneously. We show that the coupling of the two subpopulations (via interconnections between them and round trips of individuals) makes the epidemic threshold in each subnetwork to be the same. Moreover, we find that the interconnection probability between two subpopulations and the travel rate are important factors for spreading dynamics. In particular, as a function of interconnection probability, the epidemic threshold in each subpopulation decreases monotonously, which enhances the risks of an epidemic. While the epidemic threshold displays a non-monotonic variation as travel rate increases. Moreover, the asymptotic infected density as a function of travel rate in each subpopulation behaves differently depending on the interconnection probability.

WATER SURFACE RECONSTRUCTION IN AIRBORNE LASER BATHYMETRY FROM REDUNDANT BED OBSERVATIONS

Abstract. In airborne laser bathymetry knowledge of exact water level heights is a precondition for applying run-time and refraction correction of the raw laser beam travel path in the medium water. However, due to specular reflection especially at very smooth water surfaces often no echoes from the water surface itself are recorded (drop outs). In this paper, we first discuss the feasibility of reconstructing the water surface from redundant observations of the water bottom in theory. Furthermore, we provide a first practical approach for solving this problem, suitable for static and locally planar water surfaces. It minimizes the bottom surface deviations of point clouds from individual flight strips after refraction correction. Both theoretical estimations and practical results confirm the potential of the presented method to reconstruct water level heights in dm precision. Achieving good results requires enough morphological details in the scene and that the water bottom topography is captured from different directions.

Investigations into the impact of locally modified sensor architectures on the detection efficiency of silicon micro-strip sensors

The High Luminosity Upgrade of the LHC will require the replacement of the Inner Detector of ATLAS with the Inner Tracker (ITk) in order to cope with higher radiation levels and higher track densities. Prototype silicon strip detector modules are currently developed and their performance is studied in both particle test beams and X-ray beams. In previous test beam measurements of prototype modules, the response of silicon sensors has been studied in detailed scans across individual sensor strips. These scans found instances of sensor strips collecting charge across areas on the sensor deviating from the geometrical width of a sensor strip. The variations have been linked to local features of the sensor architecture. This paper presents results of detailed sensor measurements in both X-ray and particle beams investigating the impact of sensor features (metal pads and p-stops) on the sensor strip response.

QUALITY OF HOTEL SERVICES AS A FACTOR DETERMINING THE TRUST OF CUSTOMERS – CONSUMER RESEARCH

The aim of the study was to investigate the respondents' opinion about the quality of hotel services as a factor conditioning the trust of customers occupying accommodation facilities in the province of Silesia. The study was conducted in late May and June 2013 among 100 respondents. In order to establish a statistically significant correlation between the answers and the factors differentiating Chi2 test was used using Statistica software v.10.0. The strength of the correlation between responses and factors differentiating the study group established by the designation factor V Cramer. The analysis found that the preferences and behavior of guests occupying accommodations in Silesia are not dependent on gender, age, education or place of (permanent/ temporary) residence of respondents. Hotel guests occupying accommodations in Silesia are characterized by high awareness on the categorization of hotels, which is based on frequent use of hotel services for tourism, mainly accommodation of individual or group trips. The main determinants of the choice of accommodation facilities in Silesia by hotel guests proved to be the location of the property but also the price and the comfort of its rooms and the quality of services offered, including the quality of the work of the staff and the quality of additional services.

Study of the crystal device for deflecting high-energy proton beams using synchrotron radiation diffraction

Currently, bent silicon single crystals are used at large accelerators to extract and collimate proton beams. A device for multiple deflection of a proton beam based on several bent silicon strips operating in the volume reflection mode has recently been developed. In this device, the bending of silicon strips successively located on the surface of a thick plate is implemented due to the internal stress induced by grooves mechanically formed on the crystal surface (Twyman effect). Topography based on angular scanning and synchrotron radiation was applied to measure the bending of individual deflector strips and the crystal as a whole. The measurement results are compared with the data obtained with a proton beam.

Can land use planning help mitigate transport-related carbon emissions? A case of Changzhou

Planners, engineers, and policymakers take a great interest in effective ways to mitigate carbon emissions by land use planning. Hence, the interrelationship between land use and carbon emissions has become a mutually concerned issue with the rapid economic growth and urbanization in the world. As the second largest source of carbon emissions, it has been argued whether transport-related emissions could be reduced by spatial planning and land use policy, since land use pattern, which affects urban form and configuration, is the origin of travel behaviors and has a close interaction with transport system. In this study, a traffic assignment model is incorporated with carbon emission evaluation at an individual trip level based on Origin-Destination person trip data in Changzhou, China, taking into account road types, capacity, velocity, and volume. On the other hand, land use pattern and landscape metrics are analyzed based on Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) which are the basic geographic unit for person trip survey and transport planning. Then, by using the traffic assignment results we investigate the spatial distribution pattern of carbon emitted by person trips at the level of road link, and examine whether transport-related carbon emissions are correlated to land use pattern. Our study observes that the distribution of land use pattern and transport-related carbon emissions varies considerably between urban and rural areas, and arterial and collector streets inside built-up area are the major contributors of carbon emissions rather than major road, highway, or expressway. A regression analysis demonstrates that land use and landscape pattern are significantly correlated with transport-related carbon emissions. The correlations between carbon emission intensities, land for residential and commercial uses, and patch density (PD) shape inverted-U curves, which are consistent with the trends shown in the Kuznets Curve. Findings of this study are further developed to provide policy implications to resolve China’s low-carbon urban development. Since the Kuznets Curves do exist for the observed correlations between carbon emissions and land use, corresponding land use strategies like mixed high-density land use, compact city, etc. deserve more attention.

Exploring the social and spatial potential of an intermodal approach to transport planning

ABSTRACTGilbert and Perl (2007) established how different epochs in human history came with specific “transport revolutions.” Our research suggests that intermodal approaches could constitute an invisible transport planning revolution.Based on a review defining “social” sustainability as it applies to urban passenger transportation, we consider the potential of an intermodal focus to better integrate non-motorized (walking-cycling) and public transportation. We start from the premise that rather than being a primary “mono-mode” such as buses or trains, sustainable transport is best understood as an ecology of modes with specific strengths and complementarities that can be mobilized through planning.Using data from Metropolitan Santiago (Chile), we explore this potential, from a conceptual, mainly social, and spatial perspective. We find that paying more attention to different formats of cycling, public transport integration could significantly improve low-cost alternatives for individual and feeder trips. Moreover, adjusting land use to non-work trip purposes could yield substantial benefits. This approach also offers the possibility of developing relatively simple tools helpful for improving the deliberative aspects of participatory planning, thereby increasing buy-in as well as improving health, efficiency, safety, and other benefits of sustainable transport.

Simulating individual work trips for transit-facilitated accessibility study

To measure job accessibility, person-based approaches have the advantage to capture all accessibility components: land use, transportation system, individual’s mobility and travel preference, as well as individual’s space and time constraints. This makes person-based approaches more favorable than traditional aggregated approaches in recent years. However, person-based accessibility measures require detailed individual trip data which are very difficult and expensive to acquire, especially at large scales. In addition, traveling by public transportation is a highly time sensitive activity, which can hardly be handled by traditional accessibility measures. This paper presents an agent-based model for simulating individual work trips in hoping to provide an alternative or supplementary solution to person-based accessibility study. In the model, population is simulated as three levels of agents: census tracts, households, and individual workers. And job opportunities (businesses) are simulated as employer agents. Census tract agents have the ability to generate household and worker agents based on their demographic profiles and a road network. Worker agents are the most active agents that can search jobs and find the best paths for commuting. Employer agents can estimate the number of transit-dependent employees, hire workers, and update vacancies. A case study is conducted in the Milwaukee metropolitan area in Wisconsin. Several person-based accessibility measures are computed based on simulated trips, which disclose low accessibility inner city neighborhoods well covered by a transit network.

Scaling Law of Urban Ride Sharing

Sharing rides could drastically improve the efficiency of car and taxi transportation. Unleashing such potential, however, requires understanding how urban parameters affect the fraction of individual trips that can be shared, a quantity that we call shareability. Using data on millions of taxi trips in New York City, San Francisco, Singapore, and Vienna, we compute the shareability curves for each city, and find that a natural rescaling collapses them onto a single, universal curve. We explain this scaling law theoretically with a simple model that predicts the potential for ride sharing in any city, using a few basic urban quantities and no adjustable parameters. Accurate extrapolations of this type will help planners, transportation companies, and society at large to shape a sustainable path for urban growth.

Modelling the Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Ambient Nitrogen Dioxide and Investigating the Effects of Public Transit Policies on Population Exposure

Estimating the future state of air quality associated with transport policies and infrastructure investments is key to the development of meaningful transportation and planning decisions. This paper describes the design of an integrated transportation and air quality modelling framework capable of simulating traffic emissions and air pollution at a refined spatio-temporal scale. For this purpose, emissions of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) were estimated in the Greater Montreal Region at the level of individual trips and vehicles. In turn, hourly Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentrations were simulated across different seasons and validated against observations. Our validation results reveal a reasonable performance of the modelling chain. The modelling system was used to evaluate the impact of an extensive regional transit improvement strategy revealing reductions in NO2 concentrations across the territory by about 3.6% compared to the base case in addition to a decrease in the frequency and severity of NO2 hot spots. This is associated with a reduction in total NOx emissions of 1.9% compared to the base case; some roads experienced reductions by more than half. Finally, a methodology for assessing individuals’ daily exposure is developed (by tracking activity locations and trajectories) and we observed a reduction of 20.8% in daily exposures compared to the base case. The large difference between reductions in the mean NO2 concentration across the study domain and the mean NO2 exposure across the sample population results from the fact that NO2 concentrations dropped largely in the areas which attract the most individuals. This exercise illustrates that evaluating the air quality impacts of transportation scenarios by solely quantifying reductions in air pollution concentrations across the study domain would lead to an underestimation of the potential health gains.

Characterization of recruitment through tandem running in an Indian queenless ant Diacamma indicum.

Tandem running is a primitive recruitment method employed by many ant genera. This study characterizes this behaviour during the recruitment of colony mates to a new nest in an Indian ant Diacamma indicum. Tandem leaders who have knowledge of the new nest lead a single follower at a time, to the destination by maintaining physical contact. In order to characterize tandem running, we captured and analysed 621 invitations, 217 paths and 226 termination events. Remarkably, not a single colony member was lost. While invitations were stereotypic in behaviour, termination was not. Analysis of speed revealed that the average transport speed was 4.2 cm s−1. Coupled adult-brood transport was slower than other transports but was more efficient than individual trips. Comparing tandem running with other popular recruitment methods in ants allows us to postulate that even though tandem running is primitive it is probably just another means to achieve the same end.

An Information-Theoretical Approach to Image Resolution Applied to Neutron Imaging Detectors Based Upon Individual Discriminator Signals

1D or 2D neutron position sensitive detectors with individual wire or strip readout using discriminators have the advantage of being able to treat several neutron impacts partially overlapping in time, hence reducing global dead time. A single neutron impact usually gives rise to several discriminator signals. In this paper, we introduce an information-theoretical definition of image resolution. Two point-like spots of neutron impacts with a given distance between them act as a source of information (each neutron hit belongs to one spot or the other), and the detector plus signal treatment is regarded as an imperfect communication channel that transmits this information. The maximal mutual information obtained from this channel as a function of the distance between the spots allows to define a calibration-independent measure of position resolution. We then apply this measure to quantify the power of position resolution of different algorithms treating these individual discriminator signals which can be implemented in firmware. The method is then applied to different detectors existing at the ILL. Center-of-gravity methods usually improve the position resolution over best-wire algorithms which are the standard way of treating these signals.