Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Identificação dos fatores que influenciam na escolha da rota pelos ciclistas: estudo de caso da cidade de São Carlos

This study reports on the information obtained by analyzing actual urban bicyclecommuter routes in São Carlos, using Global Positioning Systems (GPSs) for collecting the data and a Geographic Information System (GIS) for analyzing the data. The characteristics of the routes used by cyclists were compared with the characteristics of the shortest-path routes. The extra distance travelled was computed by the difference between these two lengths, and a multiple linear regression was created for explain the reason for this extra distance. The results showed that 70% of the trips were, at most, 15% longer than the shortest path, the average extra distance was 220 meters and the factors that have an influence was the street hierarchy and pavement quality.Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisEste trabalho relata as informações obtidas através da análise de rotas reais de bicicleta em viagens urbanas na cidade de São Carlos, utilizando Sistemas de Posicionamento Global (GPSs) para a coleta de dados e um Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG) para a análise das informações. As características dos percursos realizados pelos ciclistas foram comparadas com as características dos caminhos mais curtos entre seus pontos de origem e destino. A distância adicional percorrida foi calculada pela diferença de comprimento entre estas duas rotas e uma regressão linear múltipla foi criada pra explicar o motivo deste acréscimo. Verificou-se que 70% das viagens realizadas foram, no máximo, 15% mais longas que o menor caminho, a distância adicional média foi igual a 220 metros e que os fatores que influenciam diretamente no acréscimo da viagem é a hierarquia viária e a qualidade do pavimento

Identification of Factors that Influence Cyclistś Route Choice

AbstractThe objective of the research described in this paper was to evaluate the perception of a group of individuals with respect to factors that might influence their route choice. Data collection was carried out with 65 cyclists that use the bicycle for commuting in a medium-sized Brazilian city. A questionnaire was prepared in which eighteen factors and respondents asked to assess the importance of these factors for their route choice, on a 5-point scale ranging from “Very important” (coded as 1) and “Very Unimportant” (coded as 5). The final part of the questionnaire asked about the respondent's personal characteristics: gender, age, reason why they use the bicycle (work, school, leisure, other), frequency of cycling (a few days month, one day a week, two or three days a week, four or more days a week) and if they usually plan their route before leaving home. The results showed that the most important factors were: motor vehicle speed and number of trucks in the flow (both assessed as 5.0–very important). Other important attributes were: volume of motor vehicles, security and street lighting (all with a 4.86 score). The least important factor was cycling on a one way street (3.29)

What Makes a Good Cargo Bike Route? Perspectives from Users and Planners

Cargo bikes—bicycles made to carry both goods and people—are becoming increasingly common as an alternative to automobiles in urban areas. With a wider and heavier body, cargo bikes often face problems even in the presence of cycling infrastructure, thus limiting their possibilities of route choice. Infrastructure quality and the route choices of cyclists have been well studied, but often solely based on a quantitative approach, leading to tools such as BLOS (bicycle level of service). With various designs of cargo bikes being used for a wide range of purposes, the route choice of cargo bike users is difficult to generalize. This study combines quantitative and qualitative approaches in order to explore what is important for cargo bike users’ route choice, and how this knowledge can be effectively used for planning. Our results suggest that while some general preferences exist, route choice involves complex dynamics that cannot be fully explained by quantitative measures alone: in addition to understanding “what” is important for cargo bike users, we need to understand “why” it is important. Furthermore, route choice is also influenced by the city context, making a study tailored to the local context essential