9,084 research outputs found
Peak Car and Beyond: The Fourth Era of Travel
No full textThere is emerging evidence that personal daily travel, particularly by car, has ceased to grow in the developed economies. This can be attributed to saturation of demand, given high levels of access and choice now widely available, together with constraints on higher speeds. We are therefore at a time of transition from an era of growth of per capita travel to an era of stability, in which the future factors determining the growth of total travel demand are demographic — population growth, increasing longevity, and urbanisation. The peak car phenomenon, which marks this transition, is seen in successful cities that attract a growing population whose travel needs are increasingly met by investment in rail-based transport, the revival of which is a characteristic of the new era
Obstacles on the path: An exposition of the experience of car-free living
No full textThe contemporary focus by local and central government on the promotion of sustainable transport options has highlighted the need for commuting to move away from the current dependence on private cars to more public and active (walking and cycling) modes of transport. Given the prominence of the motor car in personal transport options however, choosing to live car-free in this car dependent culture appears at first glance to be an irrational choice. This research explores the lived experiences of a group of Hamilton residents who have made such a choice. Using a grounded theory approach, the thesis presents the results of interviews with nine car-free Hamilton residents who shared their personal transport stories, which include their childhood experiences, but focus on their current everyday practices and experiences. Through semi-structured interviews, the costs and benefits of a car-free lifestyle are articulated and analysed. Their motivations for choosing to forgo cars and their solutions for overcoming potential barriers to car-free living are also reported and explored. The collected data generated a range of themes which are presented in three chapters, each covering a specific aspect of the participants’ stories. The first group of themes relate to the public sphere, the second to the private realm and the final group emanates from specific elements of car-free living that the thesis sought to clarify through the participants’ stories. The key finding is that living car-free within Hamilton City is viewed by the participants as a well reasoned and eminently sensible choice, which produces multiple benefits. In addition to their reduced environmental footprints, the participants value the social interaction associated with active and public transport. Their consensus is that they are healthier, wealthier and more involved members of the community. The most problematic areas of living without a car were associated with recreational and social activities, which often do not coincide with public transport schedules or involve distances too great for active transport. The benefits far outweigh any disadvantages however, and ultimately, this thesis concludes that a motor car is not necessary for the everyday activities of urban living in Hamilton and any associated inconveniences are not as insurmountable as generally imagined
The effects of female status on sex differentiated mate preferences
No full textMate preferences provide an opportunity to explore the validity of evolutionary
and social role origin theories of sex differences in human behaviour. In
evolutionary models, preferences are sex-specific adaptive responses to
constraints to reproductive success. In social role models, sex differences arise
from the allocation of men and women to different gender roles. I explored the
effects of the status of women on preferences to assess the validity of the origin
theories. I developed an adequate measure of female status (i.e. resource
control), and explored its effects on female preferences in an online survey
(Chapter 3), a mail-shot survey (Chapter 4), and a sample of non-industrial
societies (Chapter 5). Results implicated a role of constraints on women in the
expression of female-typical preferences. In an experimental manipulation of
female perceptions of their status, results enabled greater confidence in the
attribution of causal direction to relationships (Chapter 6). In Chapter 7, I
explored the conditions under which the relationships of interest occurred. In
Chapter 8, to further explore the origin models I investigated the effects of
resource control on the magnitudes of sex differences in preferences. In Chapter
9, I explored relationships between a characteristic more closely related to the
male gender role (i.e. apparent intelligence) and femininity in female faces.
Women who were considered to look more intelligent were perceived as less
feminine. In Chapter 10, I investigated the effects of reproductive strategy on
mate preferences. Results were consistent with evolutionary models of
behaviour. I argue that “status” is a multidimensional construct, and that its
effects on mate preferences are complex, that while results were generally more
consistent with an evolutionary than the biosocial model, integration of models
would provide greater insight into human mate preferences
Estimating individual driving distance by car and public transport use in Sweden
No full textHow much to drive, and how much to use public transport, are modelled as three- and two level decisions, respectively, based on micro-data for Sweden. The choices whether to have a car, whether to drive given access to a car, and how much to drive given that the individual drives at all are then estimated using a three equation model. Also after correcting for other variables, such as income, men are driving much more, and using less public transport, compared to women. People living in big cities are less likely to drive, but those who do are on average driving about as much as others. Age and access to company-cars are also important determinants for travel behaviour, but being a member of an environmental organisation is not. Driving increases with income, but to a lower degree compared to most aggregated studies on national level. The difference is explained in a simple model with income-dependent structural changes, implying that it becomes more difficult to live without a car when average income increases. This indirect effect is found to be of a similar size as the ordinary income elasticity typically found in cross-section analysis within a country or region.Transport demand; car ownership; car use; driving; public transport demand; multi-level decisions; social context; gender and transport
Is demand for polluting goods manageable? an econometric study of car ownership and use in Mexico
No full textCharging for social marginal costs is efficient regardless of price elasticities, but the importance of getting prices"right"is greater the more manageable, or elastic, the demand. In efficient pollution control programs, options to make cars cleaner are combined optimally with demand conservation. The roles played by"cleaner cars"as compared with"fewer trips"are determined by empirical parameters: cheap, clean technologies would imply a great role for cleaner cars, while high demand elasticities lead to a greater role for demand reduction. In seminal research, evisence was found to support the hypothesis that demand for commodities such as gasoline should have lower price elasticities and higher income elasticities in developing than in industrial countries. The authors estimate a model of gasoline demand and car ownership in Mexico, using a panel of annual observations by state. Key features they introduce are instrumental variables on different data and the treatment of (1) possible dynamics, (2) measurement errors in the data, and (3) unobserved characteristics in individual states. They use tests of serial correlation in the residuals to model the dynamics properly. The resulting model is one of almost immediate adjustment, with a short-term price elasticity for gasoline close to the long-term estimate of -0.8. The model displays elasticities that are lower (for income) and higher (for price) than those hypothesized, and are within the range of elasticities found in industrial countries. Byproducts of the model: The elasticity of car purchases with respect to gasoline prices is positive. Scrappage decisions are affected by income and by car and gasoline prices. And these elasticities are not significantly different in the richer states. For policy purposes, these findings do not support"elasticity pessimism"The use of car services is sensitive to pricing, which suggests that consumers, for some of their demand, have reasonably good alternatives to car services. Consideration of external costs - such as accidents, congestion, air pollution, and road damage - thus involve considerable demand conservation.Inequality,Transport and Environment,Energy and Environment,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies
Email for clinical communication between healthcare professionals.
No full textBACKGROUND: Email is one of the most widely used methods of communication, but its use in healthcare is still uncommon. Where email communication has been utilised in health care, its purposes have included clinical communication between healthcare professionals, but the effects of using email in this way are not well known. We updated a 2012 review of the use of email for two-way clinical communication between healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of email for clinical communication between healthcare professionals on healthcare professional outcomes, patient outcomes, health service performance, and service efficiency and acceptability, when compared to other forms of communicating clinical information. SEARCH METHODS: We searched: the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 9 2013), MEDLINE (OvidSP) (1946 to August 2013), EMBASE (OvidSP) (1974 to August 2013), PsycINFO (1967 to August 2013), CINAHL (EbscoHOST) (1982 to August 2013), and ERIC (CSA) (1965 to January 2010). We searched grey literature: theses/dissertation repositories, trials registers and Google Scholar (searched November 2013). We used additional search methods: examining reference lists and contacting authors. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials, quasi-randomised trials, controlled before and after studies, and interrupted time series studies examining interventions in which healthcare professionals used email for communicating clinical information in the form of: 1) unsecured email, 2) secure email, or 3) web messaging. All healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers in all settings were considered. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, assessed the included studies' risk of bias, and extracted data. We contacted study authors for additional information and have reported all measures as per the study report. MAIN RESULTS: The previous version of this review included one randomised controlled trial involving 327 patients and 159 healthcare providers at baseline. It compared an email to physicians containing patient-specific osteoporosis risk information and guidelines for evaluation and treatment versus usual care (no email). This study was at high risk of bias for the allocation concealment and blinding domains. The email reminder changed health professional actions significantly, with professionals more likely to provide guideline-recommended osteoporosis treatment (bone density measurement or osteoporosis medication, or both) when compared with usual care. The evidence for its impact on patient behaviours or actions was inconclusive. One measure found that the electronic medical reminder message impacted patient behaviour positively (patients had a higher calcium intake), and two found no difference between the two groups. The study did not assess health service outcomes or harms.No new studies were identified for this update. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Only one study was identified for inclusion, providing insufficient evidence for guiding clinical practice in regard to the use of email for clinical communication between healthcare professionals. Future research should aim to utilise high-quality study designs that use the most recent developments in information technology, with consideration of the complexity of email as an intervention
Rationing can backfire : the day without a car in Mexico City
No full textIn November 1989, Mexico City's administration imposed a regulation banning each car from driving on a specific day of the week. The regulation has been both popular and controversial. Some feel that it is a reasonable concession aimed at alleviating congestion and pollution problems. Others feel it is both inefficient and unfair: inefficient in the way most rationing systems are inefficent, and unfair in that it is costly to some and easily avoided or accommodated by others. Some feel that it may also be so inefficient that it is counterproductive. The authors found evidence to support that view. Many households bought an additional car to get additional driving permits, and the amount of driving increased. Greater use of old cars and increased weekend driving may have contributed to the disappointing results of Mexico's one-day ban on driving: high welfare costs and none of the intended benefits.Roads&Highways,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Country Strategy&Performance,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Roads&Highways,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Transport and Environment
Buying a used car
No full textTitle from PDF cover (viewed on November 3, 2017).This archived document is maintained by the State Library of Oregon as part of the Oregon Documents Depository Program. It is for informational purposes and may not be suitable for legal purposes.Mode of access: Internet from the Oregon Government Publications Collection.Text in English
The evolution of the car-making industry
No full textMass-production, cars, pollution – they all have long become well known and well connected phenomena of the modern life. Nowadays the people can also add to the list such items like awareness, scientific approach, long-term thinking, and environmental responsibility. They are surrounded by a multitude of consumer goods, most of which are produced in a scientific manner, and all of which will more sooner than later end up in the garbage. Cars are the most noticeable – both by size and by numbers – and also the most expensive of all the mass products in people’s view. For many of them they are a clear target for reprimand and regulation, and, as a result, the automotive industry is being increasingly brought under bureaucratic control,
together with its whole supplier and distributor network. The author started writing this article in an attempt to place the above process under scrutiny, because it is his firm belief that similar measures, similar tough governmental control will inevitably spill over to other industries, which at the moment are producing
more inconspicuous, but still polluting products. The present paper shows the relationship between car-making, supply chain management and the efforts of public administration to protect the environment –
a connection with clear practical implications
Attitudes and Knowledge Of Nurses in the Republic of Croatia About Managing Hypoglycemia: a Cross-Sectional Study
No full textUvod: Hipoglikemija je jedna od akutnih komplikacija šećerne bolesti povezanih s terapijom za snižavanje glukoze kao što su inzulin ili sulfonilureja. Hipoglikemija se definira kao niska razina glukoze u krvi (ispod 4 mmol/L),a razlikujemo blagu, tešku i relativnu hipoglikemiju. Medicinska sestra/tehničar je član multidisciplinarnog tima koji s liječnicima i ostalim osobljem sudjeluje u zbrinjavanju pacijenata i zato mora posjedovati određeno znanje i vještine kako bi što bolje prepoznali i zbrinuli epizodu hipoglikemije. U ovom istraživanju ispituje se znanje i stavovi medicinskih sestara/tehničara u Republici Hrvatskoj. S obzirom da do sada nije provedeno istraživanje na ovu temu u Republici Hrvatskoj, a broj oboljelih od šećerne bolesti se povećava, potrebno je da medicinske sestre/tehničari znaju pravovremeno reagirati i zbrinuti epizodu hipoglikemije kao hitnog stanja.
Cilj istraživanja: Cilj ovog rada je ispitati stavove i znanje medicinskih sestara/tehničara o zbrinjavanju hipoglikemije u Republici Hrvatskoj te postoji li razlika s obzirom na razinu obrazovanja i radno iskustvo.
Metode: Provedeno je opažajno presječno istraživanje, a ispitanici su bili medicinske sestre/ tehničari u Republici Hrvatskoj. Podatci su prikupljeni putem online ankete koja je prilagođena za potrebe ovog diplomskog rada. Istraživanje je provedeno od studenog do prosinca 2024.godine. Podatci su se prikupljali pomoću anketnog upitnika „Questionnaire for nursing staff on inpatient hypoglycaemic (low blood glucose) management“ koji je preuzet iz članka koji su objavili C. Jones i J. Ndebu te upitnika iz članka „Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Health Care Providers in the Philippine General Hospital towards In-Patient Hypoglycemia and its Management“ kojeg su objavili Isnani S-LJ, Macalalad-Josue A i Jimeno CA. Upitnici su prilagođeni za potrebe ovog diplomskog rada.
Rezultati: U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 317 ispitanika od čega su 256 (80,76%) osobe ženskog spola i 61 (19,24%) osoba muškog spola. Rezultati ispitivanja ukazuju na činjenicu da značajan broj ispitanika ima zadovoljavajuće znanje u području postupaka za zbrinjavanje hipoglikemije (89,91% ispitanika ima barem 50% točnih odgovora), dok većina ispitanika ima povoljne stavove o zbrinjavanju hipoglikemije (IQR=3,67).Stavovi medicinskih sestara/ tehničara o zbrinjavanju hipoglikemije su ispitani upotrebom 6 pitanja, te je na bodovnoj skali u rasponu od 1 do 5 bodova utvrđena srednja razina stava medicinskih sestara/ tehničara o zbrinjavanju hipoglikemije je 3,67 (IQR=2,83-3,83). Među ispitanim prvostupnicama najveći broj su ostvarili rezultat na upitniku za procjenu znanja veći od 50% (n=144; 99,31%), dok je tek jedna ispitanica ostvarila rezultat manji od 50%, te je ispitivanjem utvrđeno da statistički značajna većina medicinskih sestara/tehničara postiže rezultat veći od 50% (χ2=141,03; P<0,001).
Zaključak: Utvrđeno je da medicinske sestre/tehničari u Republici Hrvatskoj posjeduju vrlo dobro znanje o zbrinjavanju hipoglikemije, pri čemu se bolje snalaze u situacijskim pitanjima nego u teorijskim. Također je utvrđeno da prvostupnice i magistre sestrinstva imaju pozitivniji stav prema zbrinjavanju hipoglikemije u odnosu na medicinske sestre sa srednjom stručnom spremom. Analiza podataka sugerira da medicinske sestre/tehničari u Hrvatskoj posjeduju izraženije kliničko znanje i vještine u odnosu na teorijsko znanje što nam daje uvid u potrebu izmjene obrazovanja ovog kadra.Background: Hypoglycemia is one of the acute complications of diabetes associated with glucose-lowering therapies such as insulin or sulfonylurea. Hypoglycemia is defined as a low blood glucose level (below 4 mmol/L), and it can be classified as mild, severe, or relative hypoglycemia. Nurses are members of a multidisciplinary team who, along with doctors and other staff, participate in patient care and therefore must possess specific knowledge and skills to better recognize and manage hypoglycemic episodes. This study examines the knowledge and attitudes of nurses/technicians in the Republic of Croatia. Since no research on this topic has been conducted in the Republic of Croatia so far, and the number of people with diabetes is increasing, it is essential for nurses/technicians to know how to respond promptly and manage a hypoglycemic episode as an emergency situation. Aim: The aim of this research is to examine the attitudes and knowledge of nurses about the management of hypoglycemia in the Republic of Croatia and whether there is a difference with regard to the level of education and work experience. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted, and the respondents were nurses/technicians in the Republic of Croatia. The data was collected through an online survey that was adapted for the needs of this thesis. The research was conducted from November to December 2024. Data were collected using the survey questionnaire "Questionnaire for nursing staff on inpatient hypoglycaemic (low blood glucose) management," which was taken from the article published by C. Jones and J. Ndebu, and the questionnaire from the article "Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Health Care Providers in the Philippine General Hospital towards In-Patient Hypoglycemia and its Management," published by Isnani S-LJ, Macalalad-Josue A, and Jimeno CA. The questionnaires were adapted for the purposes of this thesis. Results:The study included 317 respondents, of which 256 (80.76%) were female and 61 (19.24%) were male. The results indicate that a significant number of respondents have satisfactory knowledge in the area of hypoglycemia management procedures (89.91% of respondents have at least 50% correct answers), while the majority of respondents have favorable attitudes towards hypoglycemia management (IQR=3.67). The attitudes of nurses/technicians towards hypoglycemia management were assessed using 6 questions, and on a scoring scale ranging from 1 to 5 points, the median attitude score of nurses/technicians towards hypoglycemia management was 3.67 (IQR=2.83-3.83). Among the respondents with bachelor's degrees, the majority achieved a score of more than 50% on the knowledge assessment questionnaire (n=144; 99.31%), with only one respondent scoring less than 50%. The examination established that a statistically significant majority of nurses/technicians scored more than 50% (χ2=141.03; P<0.001). Conclusion: It has been found that nurses/technicians in Croatia possess very good knowledge of hypoglycemia management, excelling particularly in situational questions rather than theoretical ones. Additionally, it has been determined that bachelor's and master's degree holders in nursing exhibit a more positive attitude towards hypoglycemia management compared to nurses with a secondary level of education. Data analysis suggests that nurses/technicians in Croatia have more pronounced clinical knowledge and skills compared to theoretical knowledge, which gives us insight into the need to change the education of this staff
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