Investigating the mobility habits of electric bike owners through GPS data

This paper investigates the mobility habits of electric bike owners as well as their preferred routes. Through a GPS tracking campaign conducted in the city of Ghent (Belgium) we analyze the mobility habits (travel distance, time spent, speed) during the week of some e-bike users. Moreover, we propose the results of our map matching, based on the Hausdorff criterion, and preliminary results on the route choice of our sample. We strongly believe that investigating the behavior of electric bikes’ owners can help us in better understanding how to incentivize the use of this mode of transport. First results show that the trips with a higher travel distance are performed during the working days. It could be easily correlated with the daily commuting trips (home-work). Moreover, the results of our map-matching highlight how 61% of the trips are performed using the shortest path

Unveiling E-bike potential for commuting trips from GPS traces

Common goals of sustainable mobility approaches are to reduce the need for travel, to facilitate modal shifts, to decrease trip distances and to improve energy efficiency in the transportation systems. Among these issues, modal shift plays an important role for the adoption of vehicles with fewer or zero emissions. Nowadays, the electric bike (e-bike) is becoming a valid alternative to cars in urban areas. However, to promote modal shift, a better understanding of the mobility behaviour of e-bike users is required. In this paper, we investigate the mobility habits of e-bikers using GPS data collected in Belgium from 2014 to 2015. By analysing more than 10,000 trips, we provide insights about e-bike trip features such as: distance, duration and speed. In addition, we offer a deep look into which routes are preferred by bike owners in terms of their physical characteristics and how weather influences e-bike usage. Results show that trips with higher travel distances are performed during working days and are correlated with higher average speeds. Usage patterns extracted from our data set also indicate that e-bikes are preferred for commuting (home-work) and business (work related) trips rather than for recreational trips

A Preliminary Analysis Over the Factors Related with the Possession of an Electric Bike

AbstractIn recent decades different studies focused on how to incentivize a shift from car to bicycle. In this context the electric bike is gaining more and more popularity. Because of its higher speed and longer reach, the e-bike could be an attractive alternative to the car. Through an online survey (together with a GPS tracking campaign and a weekly travel diary) conducted in the city of Ghent (Belgium) we define the profile of the e-bike users (age, income, ownership, etc…) and analyze their mobility habits (distance travelled, purpose of the trip, etc…). The initial results obtained from a travel diary survey show how the e-bike is highly used for commuting trips while for more occasional trips (at most once per week) the car is the preferred alternative. Moreover, the analysis of the changes in the mobility habits after the acquisition of the e-bike shows how the e-bike has mainly incorporated the trips performed by bike while also causing an increase of the frequency for some trips. Summarizing, in this paper we propose a preliminary analysis over the factors correlated with the ownership of an e-bike and an overview about how people changed their mobility habits after the acquisition of the e-bike

On the consistency between commuting satisfaction and traveling utility: the case of the University of Luxembourg

According to random utility theory, there is no clear distinction between the utility inferred from observed choices (decision utility), the experienced outcome of decision makers’ (experienced utility) or their retrospective evaluation (remembered utility). While empirical experiments have shown that decision utility and remembered utility do not perfectly coincide, little is known regarding the magnitude of this discrepancy, especially in the transport field. Using a cross-sectional travel survey, the objective of this paper is to quantify the relationship between commuters’ stated choice satisfaction (a proxy for remembered utility) and the Logsum function of the utility of all available modes of transport (decision utility). This is of tremendous importance, as implemented transport policy measures, which aim to increase the overall decision makers’ utility, may have low impact on their satisfaction level and thus be ineffective. Results indicate that the utility Logsum is associated with respondents’ commuting satisfaction. However, context specificities have an important impact on this association

Analyzing the relation between commuting satisfaction and residential choices using discrete choice theory and structural equation modeling

The concept of travelling satisfaction is gaining more and more interest in the transportation field. While increasing travellers’ satisfaction should be a goal of policy makers and practitioners, a drop in commuting satisfaction might lead to switch from one mode to another. Objective trip characteristics (time, cost, mode) as well as other elements such as mode attitude, lifestyle, etc. affect travel satisfaction rating. Despite an extensive literature on travel satisfaction determinants, often, the interaction between the studied determinants is overlooked. The main aim of this paper is to quantify the impact (both direct and indirect) of residential choices on the home-to-work stated travelling satisfaction. Methodologically, a Discrete Choice Theory approach (via the well-known concept of the utility Logsum) and a Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach have been used and compared. Results of both modelling approaches show that the direct effect of residential choices on commuting satisfaction is negligible compared to individuals’ external factors such as trip characteristics. However, using the PLS-SEM approach, indirect effects of residential choices on commuting satisfaction can be quantifie

Abordaje dietético de la disfagia orofaríngea en establecimientos de salud públicos y privados de la República Argentina, año 2021: Estudio Exploratorio.

I Introduction: Dysphagia refers to the alteration in the swallowing process; its treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach to ensure the safety and efficacy of feeding. The aim of this study was to describe the existence and characteristics of interdisciplinary teams in the treatment of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OPD) in adult and pediatric patients, and the use of typifications of oral diets adapted for this purpose, in health institutions with hospitalization in the Argentine Republic. Methodology: exploratory study. Non-random sampling. A self-designed questionnaire aimed at Registered Dietitians was applied. Data was processed with VCCStat – Beta3.0®. Descriptive statistics were calculated with CI 95%. Results: 100 health institutions were sampled, from 22 districts. 38% (IC 95% 28,6-48,3) had interdisciplinary teams for the treatment of OPD, and only 12% were well formed and fully operational. 75.8% (IC 95% 63,0-85,4) reported that the greatest difficulty in forming an interdisciplinary team was the lack of professionals linked to OPD treatment. 40% (IC 95% 30,5-50,3) did not have standardized diets designed for this group of patients. Only 11% and 6% of institutions used IDDSI nomenclature to describe consistency of food and beverages. Conclusions: in most cases there were no interdisciplinary teams for treatment of patients with OPD, neither standardized diets nor consensus regarding the nomenclature used to describe textures and consistencies. Training and specialization of health professionals and the will of each institution to promote interdisciplinary teams to treat OPD are urgently needed.Introducción: La disfagia hace referencia a la alteración en el proceso deglutorio; su tratamiento requiere un abordaje multidisciplinario para garantizar la seguridad y eficacia de la alimentación. El objetivo fue describir la existencia y características de equipos interdisciplinarios para el abordaje de la disfagia orofaríngea (DOF) en pacientes adultos y pediátricos, y el uso de tipificaciones de planes de alimentación adaptados a tal fin, en establecimientos de salud con internación de la República Argentina. Metodología: estudio exploratorio. Muestreo no aleatorio, por conveniencia. Se aplicó un cuestionario de diseño propio dirigido a Licenciados en Nutrición. Los datos fueron procesados con VCCStat – Beta3.0®. Se calcularon porcentajes, medidas de tendencia central y dispersión, e IC95%. Resultados: La muestra quedó conformada por 100 establecimientos de 22 provincias. Sólo el 38% (IC 95% 28,6-48,3) contaba con equipos interdisciplinarios para el abordaje de la DOF, y apenas el 12% estaba bien conformado y en pleno funcionamiento. En el 75,8% (IC 95% 63,0-85,4) de los casos la principal dificultad percibida para su conformación fue la falta de profesionales vinculados al abordaje de la DOF. El 40% (IC 95% 30,5-50,3) no contaba con listas de menú tipificadas para la alimentación oral adaptada de pacientes con DOF. Sólo un 11% y 6% de las instituciones utilizaban la nomenclatura propuesta por IDDSI para describir las consistencias de líquidos y alimentos, respectivamente. Conclusiones: En la mayoría de los casos no existían equipos interdisciplinarios para el abordaje de la DOF. Tampoco existían planes de alimentación de textura modificada tipificados ni consenso respecto a la nomenclatura para describirlos. La capacitación y especialización de los profesionales de la salud y la decisión de cada institución para fomentar la conformación de equipos interdisciplinarios son hoy una necesidad.

Analysis of shared common genetic risk between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy

Because hyper-excitability has been shown to be a shared pathophysiological mechanism, we used the latest and largest genome-wide studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (n = 36,052) and epilepsy (n = 38,349) to determine genetic overlap between these conditions. First, we showed no significant genetic correlation, also when binned on minor allele frequency. Second, we confirmed the absence of polygenic overlap using genomic risk score analysis. Finally, we did not identify pleiotropic variants in meta-analyses of the 2 diseases. Our findings indicate that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy do not share common genetic risk, showing that hyper-excitability in both disorders has distinct origins

Daily modal travel costs as explanatory variables for vehicle ownership decisions

status: accepte