Scipedia: Documents published in 2015

Evaluating Iberian seaport competitiveness using an alternative DEA approach

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 06:28:58 +0100

Purpose This paper aims to evaluate the competitiveness of Iberian seaports through efficiency using an alternative DEA approach (Data Envelopment Analysis) and identifies explicit causes of inefficiency.

Document type: Article

Jobs and Land Use within Cities: A Survey of Theory, Evidence, and Policy

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 06:21:48 +0100

Over the last century, the urban spatial structure of cities has transformed dramatically from the traditional monocentric configuration to varying forms of decentralized organization. This paper reviews the theory and empirical evidence to understand the urban morphology of jobs and land use within a city. This survey highlights four broad insights: (i) The evolution of monocentric to polycentric centers has been accompanied by structural changes in the city. (ii) The internal geography of a city is an outcome of the trade-off between the pull from agglomeration economies and the push from congestion. (iii) The presence of externalities implies that the equilibrium spatial organization achieved by profit-maximizing firms may not necessarily be optimal. This justifies the role of public policy in addressing the associated market failures. (iv) The productive edge and competitiveness of a city can be enhanced by introducing policies that increase the overall connectivity to take advantage of economic opportunities across the metropolitan area. The survey also puts together a wide range of policy instruments that are useful in closing the gap between equilibrium urban spatial structure and the optimal outcome.

Document type: Article

A response to industrial maturity and energetic issues: a possible solution based on constructal law

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 05:37:55 +0100

Transport vehicle industry is suffering a diffused technological maturity. Energy efficiency is increasing with a certain velocity. But many factors in car development are playing against. A critical literature review about technological maturity symptoms and industrial grade design methods is presented for the current research paper. In particular Multidisciplinary Design Optimization and Modular System Design has been considered. A technical and scientific discussion, is performed focusing on the technological effect they are generating. A possible answer comes from the MAAT 7th framework Program which defined a novel design method initially conceived for airships. It has been defined CDE, Constructal Design for Efficiency. It is specifically based on Constructal law and second Principle of Thermodynamics and aims to produce an original methodological synthesis of Modular Design principles and Multidisciplinary Optimization harmonizing them by thermodynamic principles. The result of this process allows tuning CDE on the road through an effective generalization of the preliminary CDE concept. The schematization of the necessary design process of a vehicle has presented and discussed.

Document type: Article

Simulation-Based Approach for Studying the Balancing of Local Smart Grids with Electric Vehicle Batteries

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 04:32:42 +0100

Modern society is facing great challenges due to pollution and increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. As part of solving these challenges, the use of renewable energy sources and electric vehicles (EVs) is rapidly increasing. However, increased dynamics have triggered problems in balancing energy supply and consumption demand in the power systems. The resulting uncertainty and unpredictability of energy production, consumption, and management of peak loads has caused an increase in costs for energy market actors. Therefore, the means for studying the balancing of local smart grids with EVs is a starting point for this paper. The main contribution is a simulation-based approach which was developed to enable the study of the balancing of local distribution grids with EV batteries in a cost-efficient manner. The simulation-based approach is applied to enable the execution of a distributed system with the simulation of a local distribution grid, including a number of charging stations and EVs. A simulation system has been constructed to support the simulation-based approach. The evaluation has been carried out by executing the scenario related to balancing local distribution grids with EV batteries in a step-by-step manner. The evaluation results indicate that the simulation-based approach is able to facilitate the evaluation of smart grid– and EV-related communication protocols, control algorithms for charging, and functionalities of local distribution grids as part of a complex, critical cyber-physical system. In addition, the simulation system is able to incorporate advanced methods for monitoring, controlling, tracking, and modeling behavior. The simulation model of the local distribution grid can be executed with the smart control of charging and discharging powers of the EVs according to the load situation in the local distribution grid. The resulting simulation system can be applied to the study of balancing local smart grids with EV batteries. Based on the evaluation results, it is estimated that the simulation-based approach can provide an essential, safe, and cost-efficient method for the evaluation of complex, critical cyber-physical systems, such as smart grids.

Document type: Article

Making big data work: smart, sustainable, and safe cities

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 04:16:16 +0100

The goal of the present thematic series is to showcase some of the most relevant contributions submitted to the ‘Telecom Italia Big Data Challenge 2014’ and to provide a discussion venue about recent advances in the appplication of mobile phone and social media data to the study of individual and collective behaviors. Particular attention is devoted to data-driven studies aimed at understanding city dynamics. These studies include: modeling individual and collective traffic patterns and automatically identifying areas with traffic congestion, creating high-resolution population estimates for Milan inhabitants, clustering urban dynamics of migrants and visitors traveling to a city for business or tourism, and investigating the relationship between urban communication and urban happiness.

Document type: Article

Envelhecimento Populacional, Gratuidades no Transporte Público e Seus Efeitos Sobre as Tarifas na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 04:04:53 +0100

ResumoNo Brasil, estudantes, crianças de até quatro anos de idade e idosos com 65 anos ou mais têm direito a descontos parciais ou totais em viagens urbanas nos sistemas de transporte público. Esses descontos não são cobertos por fundos públicos, mas sim por subsídio cruzado cobrado dos demais usuários que pagam a tarifa cheia. Neste estudo, são estimados os efeitos do envelhecimento populacional sobre o preço das passagens do transporte público nas próximas quatro décadas na Região Metropolitana de São de Paulo (RMSP), a maior região metropolitana do país. As análises são baseadas nos dados da Pesquisa Origem-Destino, realizada em 2007 na RMSP, e nas projeções demográficas elaboradas pelo IBGE e pela Fundação Seade para 2020, 2030 e 2050. Considerando os diferentes períodos de projeção populacional, adaptou-se a técnica de padronização direta para simular as mudanças esperadas na composição das viagens do sistema de transporte, em termos de passageiros pagantes e não pagantes. Os resultados indicam que, no curto prazo (2020), o envelhecimento populacional estimado para ocorrer na RMSP teria efeito modesto sobre o número total e a composição etária das viagens realizadas no transporte público da região. No médio e longo prazos, contudo, o crescimento previsto na proporção de passageiros com gratuidades poderia ocasionar aumento no sobrepreço da tarifa, com elevação de seu valor em cerca de 10% e de 20%, caso seja mantido o mecanismo de subsídios cruzados. AbstractIn Brazil, students, children under four years of age and people aged 65 and over are entitled to partial or full concessions on urban travel in public transport systems. These discounts are not covered by public funding, but rather via cross-subsidization charged to the other service users who pay the full fare. In this study, the effects of population aging on public transport fares for the next four decades in the metropolitan region of São Paulo (MRSP), the largest metropolitan area in Brazil, are estimated. The analyses in this paper are based on data from the Pesquisa Origem-Destino (Origin-Destination Survey), carried out in 2007 in the MRSP, and on official population projections developed by IBGE (the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) and Fundação Seade (the Seade Foundation) for the years 2020, 2030 and 2050. Considering the different periods of population projection, the technique of direct standardization to simulate expected changes in the composition of public transport trips was utilized, in terms of paying and non-paying passengers. The results indicate that, in the short term (2020), population aging expected to occur in the MRSP should have a modest effect on the total number and age composition of public transport trips in the region. However, if the current cross-subsidization mechanism is maintained, the expected growth in the percentage of non-paying passengers could result in an increase in fares by about 10% and 20% in the medium and long terms. ResumenEn Brasil, los estudiantes, los niños menores de 4 años y las personas de 65 años o más tienen derecho a descuentos parciales o totales en los viajes urbanos en los sistemas de transporte público. Estos descuentos no son cubiertos por fondos públicos, sino por un subsidio cruzado cobrado a los demás usuarios de los servicios que pagan la tarifa completa. En este estudio, se estiman los efectos del envejecimiento de la población sobre el precio de los pasajes del transporte público en las próximas cuatro décadas en la Región Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP), la mayor región metropolitana del país. Los análisis se basan en los datos de la Encuesta de Origen-Destino realizada en 2007 en la RMSP y en las proyecciones demográficas elaboradas por el IBGE y por la Fundación SEADE para 2020, 2030 y 2050. Teniendo en cuenta los diferentes escenarios de proyección de la población, se utiliza la técnica de estandarización directa para simular los cambios esperados en la composición de los viajes del sistema de transporte en términos de pasajeros que pagan y que no lo hacen. Los resultados indican que, en el corto plazo (2020), el envejecimiento de la población estimado en la RMSP tendría un efecto modesto sobre el número total y la composición por edades de los viajes realizados en el transporte público de la región. En el mediano y el largo plazo, sin embargo, el aumento previsto de la proporción de pasajeros con el beneficio de la gratuidad podría causar un incremento del sobreprecio de la tarifa, con una elevación de su valor de entre el 10% y el 20%, en caso de mantenerse el mecanismo de subsidio cruzado.

Document type: Preprint

A Data Envelopment Analysis approach for accessibility measures: Simulating operational enhancement scenarios for railway across Europe

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 03:21:26 +0100

well known, infrastructure endowment influences competitiveness of a region since the characteristics of a transport system in terms of capacity, connectivity, speeds, etc. determine the advantages/disadvantages of an area compared to other locations. This article attempts to investigate the potential impacts on rail accessibility across Europe when different possible operational enhancement scenarios are simulated. The simulations are carried out by means of a combination of the TRANSTOOLS rail network and Traffic Analyst, the post-processing analyses are implemented in Matlab and the results for each zone (at NUTS3 level) are reported both in tabular form and in easy-to-read ArcGIS maps. Several accessibility measures are evaluated including two Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approaches aiming to construct a composite index for embracing all the complementary information provided by ‘partial’ accessibility sub-indicators; to better evaluate and understand the results either sensitivity and robustness analyses are performed for both the aggregate indicators. The outcomes provide insight into where major benefits in terms of accessibility can be expected; in particular the current infrastructure endowment already benefits many regions but improvements in speed could still increase significantly rail accessibility across Europe (mainly outside the core area as in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, etc.). Furthermore both the proposed global indexes, although associating different ‘endogenous’ weights to the various sub-indicators, appear to be worthy and robust against uniform random noise. Ultimately the results provide information useful for the prioritization of investment needs; moreover even if the interpretation of the partial accessibility indicators is clear and useful for policy-makers, the evaluation of a composite measure could allow planners not only to compare or fully rank the level of accessibility for different regions but even to control for eventual confusing and/or incomplete results that may appear when using only a partial approach.

Document type: Article

Precautionary and operational costs of freight train delays: a case study of a Swedish grocery company

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 02:59:25 +0100

There is limited knowledge about the valuation of reduced transport time variability for freight transports. This paper analyses a Swedish grocery company’s transports by shuttle train, as a case study. The distribution of the train arrival time is analyzed; it is shown that the 10 per cent worst delays contribute to more than half of the total train delays. Type and amount of the firm’s precautionary and operative costs are identified and calculated. It is shown that it is possible to get estimates for the cargo component of the VTTV (Value of Transport Time Variability) valid for the specific company based on the precautionary costs, the operative costs for delays and for the costs for cancellations separately or in combination. Further case studies are advocated in order to cover the whole freight transport market and study the differences between different segments of the market.

Document type: Article

Artificially designed pathogens – a diagnostic option for future military deployments

Scipedia content — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 00:40:40 +0100

Diagnostic microbial isolates of bio-safety levels 3 and 4 are difficult to handle in medical field camps under military deployment settings. International transport of such isolates is challenging due to restrictions by the International Air Transport Association. An alternative option might be inactivation and sequencing of the pathogen at the deployment site with subsequent sequence-based revitalization in well-equipped laboratories in the home country for further scientific assessment. A literature review was written based on a PubMed search. First described for poliovirus in 2002, de novo synthesis of pathogens based on their sequence information has become a well-established procedure in science. Successful syntheses have been demonstrated for both viruses and prokaryotes. However, the technology is not yet available for routine diagnostic purposes. Due to the potential utility of diagnostic sequencing and sequence-based de novo synthesis of pathogens, it seems worthwhile to establish the technology for diagnostic purposes over the intermediate term. This is particularly true for resource-restricted deployment settings, where safe handling of harmful pathogens cannot always be guaranteed. peerReviewed

Document type: Article

Predicción del flujo multifásico en tuberías: artículo de revisión

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 23:13:41 +0100

In this work a review about the most relevant methods found in the literature to model the multiphase flow in pipelines is presented -- It includes the traditional simplified and mechanistic models, moreover, principles of the drift flux model and the two fluid model are explained -- Even though, it is possible to find several models in the literature, no one is able to reproduce all flow conditions presented in the oil industry -- Therefore, some issues reported by different authors related to model validation are here also discussed

En este trabajo se presenta una revisión de los métodos más relevantes en la industria del petróleo para modelar el flujo multifásico en tuberías -- Se incluyen desde los modelos simplificados hasta los modelos mecanicistas además de explicar los principios de los modelos drift flux y two fluid -- Existe una gran cantidad de modelos en la literatura para simular el flujo multifásico en tuberías, empero, ningún modelo es capaz de reproducir todas las condiciones de flujo multifásico presentes en la industria del petróleo -- Finalmente, se mencionan algunos temas en los que se requiere más investigación que lleven a simulaciones con resultados más cercanos a los datos de pozos reale

Document type: Article

Strategic Deconfliction of 4D Trajectory and Perturbation Analysis for Air Traffic Control and Automation System

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 23:04:26 +0100

Strategic 4D trajectory conflict-free planning is recognized as one of the core technologies of next-generation air traffic control and automation systems. To resolve potential conflicts during strategic 4D conflict-free trajectory planning, a protection-zone conflict-control model based on air traffic control separation constraints was proposed, in which relationships between expected arrival time and adjusted arrival time at conflicting waypoints for aircraft queues were built and transformed into dynamic linear equations under the definition of max-plus algebra. A method for strategic deconfliction of 4D trajectory was then proposed using two strategies: arrival time adjustment and departure time adjustment. In addition, departure time and flight duration perturbations were introduced to analyze the sensitivity of the planned strategic conflict-free 4D trajectories, and a robustness index for the conflict-free 4D trajectories was calculated. Finally, the proposed method was tested for the Shanghai air traffic control terminal area. The outcomes demonstrated that the planned strategic conflict-free 4D trajectories could avoid potential conflicts, and the slack time could be used to indicate their robustness. Complexity analysis demonstrated that deconfliction using max-plus algebra is more suitable for deconfliction of 4D trajectory with random sampling period in fix air route.

Document type: Article

The Influence Of Load History On Durability Of P92 Steel Used For The Construction Of Energy Pipelines

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 22:50:00 +0100

"jats:p"The research material used in the study was the martensitic creep-resistant steel P92 used for the manufacture of pipes being part of power generation units subject to heavy load. The research problem focused on two issues. The first one was to analyze how the plastic deformation cumulated in the material in low-cycle fatigue conditions affects the characteristics of the material in creep conditions in a temperature of 600ºC. The other one was concerned with analysis of a reverse situation, i.e. how the initial plastic deformation of the material in creep conditions changes the mechanical characteristics of the steel under low-cycle fatigue conditions in a temperature of 600ºC.

Document type: Article

Cascading of Fluctuations in Interdependent Energy Infrastructures: Gas-Grid Coupling

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 22:43:30 +0100

The revolution of hydraulic fracturing has dramatically increased the supply and lowered the cost of natural gas in the United States driving an expansion of natural gas-fired generation capacity in many electrical grids. Unrelated to the natural gas expansion, lower capital costs and renewable portfolio standards are driving an expansion of intermittent renewable generation capacity such as wind and photovoltaic generation. These two changes may potentially combine to create new threats to the reliability of these interdependent energy infrastructures. Natural gas-fired generators are often used to balance the fluctuating output of wind generation. However, the time-varying output of these generators results in time-varying natural gas burn rates that impact the pressure in interstate transmission pipelines. Fluctuating pressure impacts the reliability of natural gas deliveries to those same generators and the safety of pipeline operations. We adopt a partial differential equation model of natural gas pipelines and use this model to explore the effect of intermittent wind generation on the fluctuations of pressure in natural gas pipelines. The mean square pressure fluctuations are found to grow linearly in time with points of maximum deviation occurring at the locations of flow reversals.

Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Document type: Article

Dependence of Parking Pricing on Land Use and Time of Day

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 22:15:21 +0100

key strategy of sustainable transportation, parking pricing can directly contribute to decreased greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. This paper describes an optimal structure of parking rates in terms of parking locations and time of day. A two-level parking model based on game theory is established using parking survey data collected in Beijing in 2014. The model was estimated based on Stackelberg game and the Nash equilibrium. Using the two-level parking model, the optimal structure of parking rates for inside/outside business zones and during peak/off-peak hours was calculated. In addition, the relationship between the government (which represents the public benefit) and car users, as well as the relationships among car users in the parking system were investigated. The results indicate that equilibrium among all of the agents in the parking system can be obtained using the proposed parking rate structure. The findings provide a better understanding of parking behavior, and the two-level parking model presented in the paper can be used to determine the optimal parking rate to balance the temporal and spatial distribution of parking demand in urban areas. This research helps reduce car use and the parking-related cruising time and thus contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions and air pollution.

Document type: Article

Description of an internal medicine outreach consultant appointment in western KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 2007 to mid-2014

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 22:01:14 +0100

This is a description of an internal medicine outreach appointment in western KwaZulu-Natal Province (KZN), South Africa (SA), from 2007 to mid-2014, facilitated by the transport services of the Red Cross Air Mercy Service (AMS) and funded by the KZN Department of Health. The hospital visits represented ‘multifaceted’ as opposed to ‘simple’ outreach. The AMS database of outreach visits was analysed according to frequencies of visits, number of patient contacts and number of contacts with medical personnel. A brief history of the outreach visits is given and their nature described. From January 2007 to the end of June 2014, the outreach physician undertook 481 hospital visits and visited seven hospitals (out of 21) more than 40 times each. A total of 3 340 medical personnel contacts were made, and 5 239 patients were seen. Other internal medicine specialists undertook an additional 199 visits, during which they made 1 157 personnel contacts and saw 2 020 patients. The combined total was therefore 680 visits undertaken, 4 497 medical personnel contacts made and 7 259 patients seen. The appointment of a dedicated outreach consultant for a particular discipline together with a reliable air and road transport system was successful in providing access to specialist care in rural settings. This strategy could be recommended throughout SA. Further studies would be required in order to assess outcomes.

Document type: Article

Satellite Monitoring Systems for Shipping and Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in the Baltic Sea

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 21:54:11 +0100

"jats:p"Shipping activities, oil production and transport in the sea, oil handled in harbors, construction and exploitation of offshore oil and gas pipelines have a number of negative impacts on the marine environment and coastal zone of the seas. In 2004-2014 we elaborated several operational satellite monitoring systems for oil and gas companies in Russia and performed integrated satellite monitoring of the ecological state of coastal waters in the Baltic, Black, Caspian, and Kara seas, which included observation of oil pollution, suspended matter, and algae bloom at a fully operational mode. These monitoring systems differ from the existing ones by the analysis of a wide spectrum of satellite, meteorological and oceanographic data, as well as by a numerical modeling of oil spill transformation and transport in real weather conditions. Our experience in the Baltic Sea includes: (1) integrated satellite monitoring of oil production at the LUKOIL-KMN Ltd. D-6 oil rig in the Southeastern Baltic Sea (Kravtsovskoe oil field) in 2004-2014; (2) integrated satellite monitoring of the “Nord Stream” underwater gas pipeline construction and exploitation in the Gulf of Finland (2010-2013); (3) numerical modeling of risks of oil pollution caused by shipping along the main maritime shipping routes in the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Proper, and in the Southeastern Baltic Sea; (4) numerical modeling of risks of oil pollution caused by oil production at D-6 oil rig and oil transportation on shore via the connecting underwater oil pipeline.

Document type: Article

Study on the Calculation Models of Bus Delay at Bays Using Queueing Theory and Markov Chain

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 21:25:20 +0100

Traffic congestion at bus bays has decreased the service efficiency of public transit seriously in China, so it is crucial to systematically study its theory and methods. However, the existing studies lack theoretical model on computing efficiency. Therefore, the calculation models of bus delay at bays are studied. Firstly, the process that buses are delayed at bays is analyzed, and it was found that the delay can be divided into entering delay and exiting delay. Secondly, the queueing models of bus bays are formed, and the equilibrium distribution functions are proposed by applying the embedded Markov chain to the traditional model of queuing theory in the steady state; then the calculation models of entering delay are derived at bays. Thirdly, the exiting delay is studied by using the queueing theory and the gap acceptance theory. Finally, the proposed models are validated using field-measured data, and then the influencing factors are discussed. With these models the delay is easily assessed knowing the characteristics of the dwell time distribution and traffic volume at the curb lane in different locations and different periods. It can provide basis for the efficiency evaluation of bus bays.

Document type: Article

Dynamic energy modelling for ship life-cycle performance assessment

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 21:18:37 +0100

This article summarises related work undertaken by the EC-funded Research Project TARGETS, which focuses on assessing energy efficiency by a direct approach. Energy flows onboard ships are considered in the time domain for complete ship energy systems simulation, allowing for interactions at system and component levels and accounting for different configurations, operating profiles, itineraries and environmental conditions. The approach and tools form the basis for life-cycle energy management considerations, addressing design, operation and retrofitting. To demonstrate the methodology leading to the evaluation of performance-based energy efficiency and its anticipated impact on ship design and operation, a case study for containership was carried out. Results are presented and discussed, demonstrating considerable advantage in adopting a more systematic and scientific approach to address Energy Efficiency of ships.

Document type: Article

Implementation of Single Phase Soft Switched PFC Converter for Plug-in-Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:50:43 +0100

This paper presents a new soft switching boost converter with a passive snubber cell without additional active switches for battery charging systems. The proposed snubber finds its application in the front-end ac-dc converter of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) battery chargers. The proposed auxiliary snubber circuit consists of an inductor, two capacitors and two diodes. The new converter has the advantages of continuous input current, low switching stresses, high voltage gain without extreme duty cycle, minimized charger size and charging time and fewer amounts of cost and electricity drawn from the utility at higher switching frequencies. The switch is made to turn ON by Zero Current Switching (ZCS) and turn OFF by Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS). The detailed steady state analysis of the novel ac-dc Zero Current- Zero Voltage Switching (ZC-ZVS) boost Power Factor Correction (PFC) converter is presented with its operating principle. The experimental prototype of 20 kHz, 100 W converter verifies the theoretical analysis. The power factor of the prototype circuit reaches near unity with an efficiency of 97%, at nominal output power for a ±10% variation in the input voltage and ±20% variation in the snubber component values.

Document type: Article

Gap-accepteance parameters for roundabouts: a systematic review

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:47:23 +0100

The critical and follow-up headways are the two gap-acceptance parameters which explain the traffic interaction of a minor street vehicle when enters the roundabout, merging into or crossing one or more circulating (major) streams. Several studies and researches provide measurements of critical and follow-up headways from real data at roundabouts. The objective of our research is to synthesize the data from the series of selected studies to interpret variation across the studies. In order to match the research goal, a systematic literature review on estimations of critical and follow-up headways at roundabouts was undertaken. Since several studies and researches developed worldwide were examined, we were able to note that the effect size varied from study to study. Thus the meta-analysis of effect sizes was performed as part of the literature review through the random-effects model. After discussing the assumptions of this model, the dispersion in effects across studies was assessed and the summary effect for each of the parameters under examination was computed. Calculations were made both for single-lane roundabouts and double-lane roundabouts, as well as for turbo roundabouts. Compared to the results of individual studies, the single (quantitative) meta-analytic estimate provides an accurate and reliable synthesis on the specific issue here addressed, and gives, with greater power of the individual reviewed studies, a comprehensive measure for the parameters of interest.

Document type: Article

The Walking Renaissance: A Longitudinal Analysis of Walking Travel in the Greater Los Angeles Area, USA

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:30:50 +0100

Promoting walking travel is considered important for reducing automobile use and improving public health. Recent U.S. transportation policy has incentivized investments in alternative, more sustainable transportation modes such as walking, bicycling and transit in auto-oriented cities such as Los Angeles. Although many past studies have analyzed changes in walking travel across the U.S., there is little clarity on the drivers of change. We address this gap by conducting a longitudinal analysis of walking travel in the greater Los Angeles area from 2001 to 2009. We use travel diary and household data from regional and national surveys to analyze changes in walking trip shares and rates across our study area. Results show that walking has significantly increased across most of Los Angeles, and that increases in walking trips generally correspond with increases in population, employment, and transit service densities. Estimates from fixed-effects regression analysis generally suggest a positive association between population density and walking, and that higher increases in transit stop density are correlated with increased walking trips to and from transit stops. These findings illustrate how regional planning efforts to pursue a coordinated land use-transit planning strategy can help promote walking in auto-oriented or vehicle adopting cities.

Document type: Article

An Accelerating Solution forN-Body MOND Simulation with FPGA-SoC

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:05:14 +0100

As a modified-gravity proposal to handle the dark matter problem on galactic scales, Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) has shown a great success. However, the"mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"""mml:mrow""mml:mi"N"/mml:mi""/mml:mrow""/mml:math"-body MOND simulation is quite challenged by its computation complexity, which appeals to acceleration of the simulation calculation. In this paper, we present a highly integrated accelerating solution for"mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M3"""mml:mrow""mml:mi"N"/mml:mi""/mml:mrow""/mml:math"-body MOND simulations. By using the FPGA-SoC, which integrates both FPGA and SoC (system on chip) in one chip, our solution exhibits potentials for better performance, higher integration, and lower power consumption. To handle the calculation bottleneck of potential summation, on one hand, we develop a strategy to simplify the pipeline, in which the square calculation task is conducted by the DSP48E1 of Xilinx 7 series FPGAs, so as to reduce the logic resource utilization of each pipeline; on the other hand, advantages of particle-mesh scheme are taken to overcome the bottleneck on bandwidth. Our experiment results show that 2 more pipelines can be integrated in Zynq-7020 FPGA-SoC with the simplified pipeline, and the bandwidth requirement is reduced significantly. Furthermore, our accelerating solution has a full range of advantages over different processors. Compared with GPU, our work is about 10 times better in performance per watt and 50% better in performance per cost.

Document type: Article

The Study on In-City Capacity Affected by Pedestrian Crossing

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:55:59 +0100

Currently, the urban road traffic congestion is serious and the traffic accident is happening at a high frequency; thus it has not satisfied the travel needs of security and affects the quality of urban trips. In order to effectively relieve the confliction of people and motor vehicle, to make sure of the safety of pedestrians crossing the road, and to improve the capacity of urban roads, this passage focuses on studying the influence of pedestrians crossing the roads on the capacity of urban roads in three pedestrian crossing approaches including freely crossing the street, uncontrolled crossing of the pedestrian crosswalk, and controlled crossing of the pedestrian crosswalk. Firstly, it confirms the general formula of the road capacity when pedestrians are crossing the road based on three preassumptions, combined with the survey data, and then constructs the empirical mathematical model of pedestrian crossing on the capacity impact. Lastly, it takes the step of case calculation and simulation evaluation and calculates errors between them, finding that the error between the model calculation and software simulation is small. The efficiency of the model is validated and improved.

Document type: Article

The longer and heavier vehicle debate: A review of empirical evidence from Germany

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:53:42 +0100

This paper aims to evaluate the likely effects of the adoption of Longer Heavier Vehicles (LHVs) from the perspective of logistics service providers (LSPs). The research consists of six case studies and a survey of companies which were involved LHV trials in Germany. Wider introduction of LHVs is being increasingly demanded so that road freight transport can better serve and support modern supply chains whilst achieving the desired eco-efficiency advancements. Available literature on LHVs puts a particular emphasis on five factors that need to be included in the assessment of their impact: energy efficiency, CO2 emissions, costs, safety and infrastructure. The research provides an original and innovative empirical study refining and validating the current conceptual framework for assessing LHVs demonstrating it is a valuable tool and providing evidence that the vast majority of companies participating in our study, regardless of their size, were interested in the adoption of LHVs. However, it should be noted that a key limitation of the research is that by focusing on a single country case, the nature and scale of the findings may not reflect practice in other countries and sectors. There is also a need to examine the long-term sustainability of the improvements made.

Document type: Article

City Blueprints: baseline assessments of water management and climate change in 45 cities

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:33:37 +0100

Climate change and urbanization are among the most significant trends of the twenty-first century, affecting global natural resources such as water, economic development and human well-being. The growth of the world population will be absorbed by the cities. The necessity of cities adapting to these trends calls for radical changes in urban water management. In this paper, baseline assessments, i.e., City Blueprints, have been carried out for 45 municipalities and regions in 27 countries, mainly in Europe. The assessments showed that cities vary considerably with regard to their water management. This is also captured in the Blue City Index® (BCI), the arithmetic mean of 24 indicators comprising the City Blueprint®. Theoretically, the BCI has a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 10. The actual BCIs in the 45 cities and regions varied from 3.5 (Kilamba Kiaxi in Angola) to 8.5 (Helsingborg in Sweden). The BCI was positively and significantly correlated with the gross domestic product per person, the ambitions of the local authorities regarding water management, the voluntary participation index and governance indicators according to the World Bank (2013). The study also demonstrated a very significant correlation between the BCI and the University of Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index. The impacts of water scarcity and floods in cities are discussed. It is concluded that cities in transitional and developing countries are particularly at risk.

Document type: Article

Fuel consumption optimization in air transport: a review, classification, critique, simple meta-analysis, and future research implications

Scipedia content — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:23:43 +0100

This paper presents a review, classification schemes, critique, a simple meta-analysis and future research implication of fuel consumption optimization (FCO) literature in the air transport sector. This review is based on 277 articles published in various publication outlets between 1973 and 2014. A review of 277 articles related to the FCO in air transport was carried out. It provides an academic database of literature between the periods of 1973– 2014 covering 69 journals and proposes a classification scheme to classify the articles. Twelve hundred of articles were identified and reviewed for their direct relevance to the FCO in air transport. Two hundred seventy seven articles were subsequently selected, reviewed and classified. Each of the 277 selected articles was categorized on four FCO dimensions (Aircraft technology & design, aviation operations & infrastructure, socioeconomic & policy measures, and alternate fuels & fuel properties). The articles were further classified into six categories of FCO research methodologies (analytical - conceptual, mathematical, statistical, and empirical- experimental, statistical, and case studies) and optimization techniques (linear programming, mixed integer programming, dynamic programming, gradient based algorithms, simulation modeling, and nature based algorithms). In addition, a simple meta-analysis was also carried out to enhance understanding of the development and evolution of research in the FCO. This has resulted in the identification of 277 articles from 69 journals by year of publication, journal, and topic area based on the two classification schemes related to FCO research, published between, 1973 to December- 2014. In addition, the study has identified the 4 dimensions and 98 decision variables affecting the fuel consumption. Also, this study has explained the six categories of FCO research methodologies (analytical - conceptual, mathematical, statistical, and empirical-experimental, statistical, and case studies) and optimization techniques (linear programming, mixed integer programming, dynamic programming, gradient based algorithms, simulation modeling, and nature based algorithms). The findings of this study indicate that the analytical-mathematical research methodologies represent the 47 % of FCO research. The results show that there is an increasing trend in research of the FCO. It is observed that the number of published articles between the period 1973 and 2000 is less (90 articles), so we can say that there are 187 articles which appeared in various journals and other publication sources in the area of FCO since 2000. Furthermore there is increased trend in research on FCO from 2000 onward. This is due to the fact that continuously new researchers are commencing their research activities in FCO research. This shows clearly that FCO research is a current research area among many research groups across the world. Lastly, the prices of jet fuel have significantly increased since the 2005. The aviation sector’s fuel efficiency improvements have slowed down since the 1970s–1980s due to the slower pace of technological development in engine and aerodynamic designs and airframe materials. We conclude that FCO models need to address the composite fuel consumption problem by extending models to include all the dimensions, i.e. aircraft technology & design, aviation operations & infrastructure, socioeconomic & policy measures, and alternative fuels & fuel properties. FCO models typically comprise all the four dimensions and this reality need to be taken into account in global FCO models. In addition, these models should have objectives or constraints to evaluate the aircraft sizes according to market structure, impact of various policy measures on fuel burn, and near term potential alternative fuel options in the global FCO problem. In the models reviewed, we evaluated that, only the few authors considered these factors. The literature identifies 98 decision variables affecting the fuel consumption related to various dimensions in air transport. So we can conclude that this analysis could represent the informational framework for FCO research in air transport. Our analysis provides a roadmap to guide future research and facilitate knowledge accumulation and creation concerning the application of optimization techniques in fuel consumption of air transport. The addressed dimensions & decision variables could be of potential value to future researchers on the aviation fuel consumption optimization research and is also capable of further refinements. In future, for fuel consumption optimization the explored decision variables could be checked for their reliability and validity and a statistically significant model with minimum number of decision variable could be developed. Further, on the basis of this statistical significant model and with the best market requirement for transport aircraft, the researchers can frame the objective function for fuel consumption minimization problem & decide their dependent variables, independent variables, constant, and constraints. Furthermore, this study will also provide the base for fuel conservation, energy efficiency, and emission reduction in the aviation sector.

Document type: Article

Conventional, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles? State-based comparative carbon and energy footprint analysis in the United States

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:45:37 +0100

Electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are often considered as better options in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption compared to internal combustion vehicles. However, making any decision among these vehicle options is not a straightforward process due to temporal and spatial variations, such as the sources of the electricity used and regional driving patterns. In this study, we compared these vehicle options across 50 states, taking into account state-specific average and marginal electricity generation mixes, regional driving patterns, and vehicle and battery manufacturing impacts. Furthermore, a policy scenario proposing the widespread use of solar energy to charge EVs and PHEVs is evaluated. Based on the average electricity generation mix scenario, EVs are found to be least carbon-intensive vehicle option in 24 states, while HEVs are found to be the most energy-efficient option in 45 states. In the marginal electricity mix scenario, widespread adoption of EVs is found to be an unwise strategy given the existing and near-future marginal electricity generation mix. On the other hand, EVs can be superior to other alternatives in terms of energy-consumption, if the required energy to generate 1. kW. h of electricity is below 1.25. kW. h.

Uncertainty-embedded dynamic life cycle sustainability assessment framework: An ex-ante perspective on the impacts of alternative vehicle options

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:44:29 +0100

native vehicle technologies have a great potential to minimize the transportation-related environmental impacts, reduce the reliance of the U.S. on imported petroleum, and increase energy security. However, they introduce new uncertainties related to their environmental, economic, and social impacts and certain challenges for widespread adoption. In this study, a novel method, uncertainty-embedded dynamic life cycle sustainability assessment framework, is developed to address both methodological challenges and uncertainties in transportation sustainability research. The proposed approach provides a more comprehensive, system-based sustainability assessment framework by capturing the dynamic relations among the parameters within the U.S. transportation system as a whole with respect to its environmental, social, and economic impacts. Using multivariate uncertainty analysis, likelihood of the impact reduction potentials of different vehicle types, as well as the behavioral limits of the sustainability potentials of each vehicle type are analyzed. Seven sustainability impact categories are dynamically quantified for four different vehicle types (internal combustion, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles) from 2015 to 2050. Although impacts of electric vehicles have the largest uncertainty, they are expected (90% confidence) to be the best alternative in long-term for reducing human health impacts and air pollution from transportation. While results based on deterministic (average) values indicate that electric vehicles have greater potential of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, plug-in hybrid vehicles have the largest potential according to the results with 90% confidence interval.

Fast Charging Stations: Simulating Entry and Location in a Game of Strategic Interaction

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:40:40 +0100

This paper uses a game of strategic interaction to simulate entry and location of fast charging stations for electric vehicles. It evaluates the equilibria obtained in terms of social welfare and firm spatial differentiation. Using Barcelona mobility survey, demographic data and the street graph we find that only at an electric vehicle penetration rate above 3% does a dense network of stations appear as the equilibrium outcome of a market with no fiscal transfers. We also find that price competition drives location differentiation measured not only in Euclidean distances but also in consumer travel distances.

Document type: Article

From Finance to ITS - Traffic Data Fusion based on Markowitz' Portfolio Theory

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:36:45 +0100

Traffic data fusion has much to do with combining available or considered data sources in the best possible way. In this, it is very similar to optimizing a portfolio of financial assets in regard of return and risk. This article draws the analogy between these two mostly different scientific worlds, i.e. finance and engineering. Similarities and differences in context of weighted-mean data fusion based on numerical traffic flow measurements such as travel times or speeds are discussed. This, in particular, includes guessing the potential benefit of negative weights. Optimal weights are derived following a strict mathematical theory based on assumptions (parameters) about systematic bias and correlations of the considered data sources. Moreover, a specific way of reducing the systematic bias of the fusion results is proposed and compared to common methods. The whole approach is demonstrated based on position data from two independent vehicle fleets in Athens, Greece. In this context, the problem of parameter calibration is solved by applying an advanced tool for such floating car data systems, called "self-evaluation". The experiments show that the proposed methods reliably reduce the systematic bias and variance of the fusion results with regard to the original data as well as in comparison to the naive fusion approach that uses equal weights for all data sources.

Travel itinerary planning for fractal-like multimodal transportation networks

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:20:22 +0100

Effective itinerary planning attracts more and more attention of both researchers and practitioners with a view to reduce costs, ensure quality of service as well as to meet the ever-growing needs of the population for public transport services enabling selection of specific travel modes while avoiding the negative impacts of traffic congestion. In this context the objective of this paper is to develop and test a generic fractal-like model of multimodal transport networks. Its purpose is to identify potentials and limitations of using the fractal organization perspective in compiling multimodal transport networks and public transport services in the course of selecting multi-modal routes that have the shortest paths through the network. Results of computational experiments assessing the scalability of the proposed method are presented as well.

Development of urban solar infrastructure to support low-carbon mobility

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:18:15 +0100

El títol del pre-print va ser: Eco-innovation of urban elements to support sustainable multimodal mobility The provision of an adequate network of urban infrastructures is essential to create clean and energy-efficient urban mobility systems. However, the urban infrastructure to support sustainable mobility can produce a substantial environmental burden if no life cycle environmental criteria are applied in its design and management. This paper demonstrates the potential to support energy-efficient and CO2-free pedestrian and e-bike mobility through the eco-design of urban elements. An eco-design approach is applied to reconceptualize a conventional pergola toward an eco-product (solar pergola). The solar pergola generates surplus photovoltaic electricity that provides a multifunctional character. According to the end-use of this energy, passive and active contributions to sustainability are distinguished for robust decision-making. The deployment of solar pergolas can contribute to save from 2,080 kg to over 47,185 kg of CO2 eq. and from 350,390 MJ to over 692,760 MJ eq. in 10 years, depending on the geographic emplacement and electricity grid system. These savings are equivalent to charging 2 to 9 e-bikes per day using clean energy. Instead of maximizing infrastructure deployment to shift to environmentally friendly modes of mobility, the implementation of multifunctional urban elements represents a key area of action in the context of smart city development.

Freight distribution in megacities: Perspectives of shippers, logistics service providers and carriers

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:08:22 +0100

We analyse the opinions of shippers, logistic service providers (LSPs) and carriers related to regulations and issues faced by these companies regarding freight distribution in megacities, and the logistical performance measures likely affected by those regulations and issues. We present a review of the freight distribution literature focusing on a large number of freight distribution aspects, such as regulatory, collaborative, environmental, logistical and risk. We also investigate some logistical performance indicators adopted by the companies. Subsequently, we conduct a survey with 147 companies working in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR). We use multivariate analysis of variance to assess the logistical performance indicators and non-linear canonical correlation analysis to identify the most relevant freight distribution attributes. The results that the majority of carriers are located inside the SPMR and efficiently handle these issues better than others actors. The lack of collaboration, cargo theft, traffic congestion and some regulations affect the LSP’s logistical performance. Moreover, the actors perceive regulatory aspects, mainly traffic congestion, and a lack of security for deliveries in unsafe areas as the significant issues for deliveries in megacities.

A new generation of buses to support more sustainable urban transport policies: A path towards “greener” awareness among bus stakeholders in Europe

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:03:25 +0100

EBSF, 3iBS, ZeEUS, EBSF_2 and ELIPTIC are research projects funded by the European Commission, with the aim of developing a new generation of buses across Europe. For all, the common task is two-pronged (i) it is necessary to develop innovative solutions to increase the attractiveness of this mode and (ii) to operate more environmentally-friendly vehicles. Prototypes with more comfortable and accessible internal layouts, advanced ITS-based solutions, new engines designed to save fuel and eco-driving are key working areas. The environmental concern is behind the majority of the tested innovations. These projects are based on demonstrators, that is the innovative measures are tested in real urban environments. The assessment is a classical before-vs-during the implementation of measures comparison. A transferability study is aimed to assess the theoretical exportability of the tested measures across Europe. Results so far stressed contrasting aspects within a common vision for the development of a new generation of buses: although stakeholders are willing to innovate bus fleets by introducing more sustainable propulsion systems, conventional modes are still favoured and the environmental concern is not a driver to export the tested measures. The objectives of the paper are to describe such outcomes, identify reasons which prevent a wider exploitation of cleaner buses, provide possible explanations and suggest recommendations to develop “green” awareness among bus stakeholders.

An Exponential Matrix Method for the Buckling Analysis of Underground Pipelines Subjected to Landslide Loads

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:01:24 +0100

Due to their dimensions, long pipelines often cross areas that are highly susceptible to landslides. In Italy, this problem requires special attention, as many slow-moving landslides interact with buried pipelines. The paper analyzes such interaction problem with particular reference to buckling analysis, tackling the solution of the governing equations by an exponential matrix method. In the paper the basic equation, its computational aspects and numerical analysis options are outlined. Representative results of the proposed methodology and potential applications on buckling analysis of buried pipes are presented.

Differential analysis of Operating System indicators for anomaly detection in dependable systems: An experimental study

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:00:59 +0100

Dependable complex systems often operate under variable and non-stationary conditions, which requires efficient and extensive monitoring and error detection solutions. Among the many, the paper focuses on anomaly detection techniques, which monitor the evolution of some specific indicators through time to identify anomalies, i.e. deviations from the expected operational behavior. The timely identification of anomalies in dependable, fault tolerant systems allows to timely detect errors in the services and react appropriately. In this paper, we investigate the possibility to monitor the evolution of indicators through time using the random walk model on indicators belonging to Operating Systems, specifically in our study the Linux Red Hat EL5. The approach is based on the experimental evaluation of a large set of heterogeneous indicators, which are acquired under different operating conditions, both in terms of workload and faultload, on an air traffic management target system. The statistical analysis is based on a best-fitting approach aiming to minimize the integral distance between the empirical data distribution and some reference distributions. The outcomes of the analysis show that the idea of adopting a random walk model for the development of an anomaly detection monitor for critical systems that operates at Operating System level is promising. Moreover, standard distributions such as Laplace and Cauchy, rather than Normal, should be used for setting up the thresholds of the monitor. Further studies that involve a new application, a different Operating System and a new layer (an Application Server) will allow verifying the generalization of the approach to other fault tolerant systems, monitored layers and set of indicators.

Editorial: Moving forward with mobile positioning data in academic research

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:59:11 +0100

This special issue of the European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research (EJTIR) comprises three papers addressing some key issues in transport geographical research that use location tracking data. Preliminary versions of those papers were presented at the Mobile Ghent 2013 Conference. This event is part of a series of biannually held conferences on location-based services (LBS) that initially started in Tartu, Estonia. This editorial briefly points to the growing academic relevance of mobile phone tracking data and location-based services, describes the history and aim of the Mobile Ghent conference and gives a preview of the selected contributions.

Quantifying the role of disturbances and speeds on separated bicycle facilities

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:56:45 +0100

cities aim to spur cycling, a key issue revolves around the location and quality of separated bicycle facilities. However, sometimes owing to impedances, these facilities fail to have the desired overall utility for cyclists. This study focuses on the role of non-stationary disturbances, i.e., the presence of users of other modes. The aim is to quantify the effects and frequencies of disturbances on off-street bicycle facilities (from other cyclists and pedestrians) and compare them to disturbances (from motorized vehicles) while cycling in mixed traffic. Using three segments in Bologna, Italy, we measured the frequency, type, and speed reduction attributed to different types of disturbances. We analyzed speed and likelihood of events to calculate a weighted average of the cyclists’ speed for separated bicycling facilities and on the roadway. For two of the segments, weighted speed reductions were minimal. However, in a third segment—one with considerably more disturbances—speed reductions were considerable: 20 percent for the separated facility and 40 percent for the mixed traffic. When married with cycling use patterns along the facilities, the notable speed reductions point to a possible trade-off cyclists make in choosing between different routes. The results help quantify relationships between cyclists and non-stationary disturbances; they also caution transport officials about possible unintended outcomes for separated bicycle facilities.

The impact of immediate or delayed feedback on driving behaviour in a simulated Pay-As-You-Drive system

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:52:40 +0100

Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) insurance links an individual's driving behaviour to the insurance fee that they pay, making car insurance more actuarially accurate. The best known PAYD insurance format is purely mileage based and is estimated to reduce accidents by about 15% (Litman, 2011). However, these benefits could be further enhanced by incorporating a wider range of driving behaviours, such as lateral and longitudinal accelerations and speeding behaviour, thereby stimulating not only a safe but also an eco-friendly driving style. Currently, feedback on rewards and driver behaviour is mostly provided through a web-based interface, which is presented temporally separated from driving. However, providing immediate feedback within the vehicle itself could elicit more effect. To investigate this hypothesis, two groups of 20 participants drove with a behavioural based PAYD system in a driving simulator and were provided with either delayed feedback through a website, or immediate feedback through an in-car interface, allowing them to earn up to 6 extra. To be clear, every participant in the web group did actually view their feedback during the one week between sessions. Results indicate clear driving behaviour improvements for both PAYD groups as compared to baseline rides and an equal sized control group. After both PAYD groups had received feedback, the initial advantage of the in-car group was reduced substantially. Taken together with usability ratings and driving behaviours in specific situations these results show a moderate advantage of using immediate in-car feedback. However, the study also showed that under conditions of feedback certainty, the effectiveness of delayed feedback approaches that of immediate feedback as compared to a naive control group. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact Assessment of Its Applications for Vulnerable Road Users

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:46:24 +0100

The EU-sponsored VRUITS project has prioritized ITS applications which have a potential to improve the safety, mobility and comfort of vulnerable road users (VRUs) and performed a quantitative safety, mobility and comfort assessment for the 10 most promising systems. The assessment methodology addresses not only the direct effects of the systems, but also unintended effects and effects through changes in mobility patterns. The 10 selected ITS were: VRU beacon system, Powered Two Wheelers oncoming Vehicle information, Bicycle-to-vehicle communication, Cooperative Intersection safety, Green wave for cyclists, Pedestrian & Cyclist detection with Emergency Braking, Blind spot detection, Intelligent pedestrian traffic signal, Crossing adaptive lighting and Information on bike rack vacancy. The paper presents the quantitative estimates for the impact on safety, mobility and comfort. The outputs of the impact assessment are translated into socioeconomic indicators via a social cost-benefit analysis. © 2016 The Authors.

New City Logistics Paradigm: From the “Last Mile” to the “Last 50 Miles” Sustainable Distribution

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:43:40 +0100

The distribution of goods in urban areas, together with private traffic flows, are among the main sources of energy consumption, air pollution and noise. As a consequence, in the 2000s, several EU cities started to implement logistical solutions for the sustainable city. In this context, this study addresses the implementation of a new eco-logistic system, which serves multiple adjacent cities by using electric vehicles to deliver goods of any type within their urban areas. This paper describes the results of a project developed in the province of Vicenza (northern Italy) and covering the main cities (Bassano del Grappa, Thiene, Schio and Valdagno) in the foothills (the so-called Pedemontana Veneta zone). The eco-logistic system aims to cover the last 50 miles of distribution (typical area of an Italian province) with a centralised platform that performs green deliveries with electric vehicles from/to the downtown areas. A preliminary and extensive "on field" analysis by means of door-to-door questionnaires was conducted to identify the performance required by the eco-logistic system. Therefore, the design of such a distribution system is performed to assess and define the conditions that make this solution profitable from both the economic and the environmental perspective.

Document type: Article

Incivility in controversies : The influence of presumed media influence und perceived media hostility on the antagonists in the German conflict over aircraft noise

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:42:31 +0100

Previous research suggests that the antagonists in conflicts are influenced by their perceptions of hostile media coverage and presumptions of media effects. Research so far has concentrated on presumed media influences on the general public. This study concentrates on presumed media influences on the conflicting parties. It tests how hostile media perceptions and presumptions of media effects on the conflicting parties affect the antagonists’ acceptance of an uncivil and uncompromising style of public communication. In the context of the German controversy over aircraft noise, online surveys of 82 (47%) opponents of aircraft noise and 48 (33%) proponents of air traffic were conducted. Hostile media perceptions have no direct but an indirect effect on antagonists’ intentions to communicate. They strengthen both parties’ beliefs that the media make the protesters against aircraft noise more extreme. This, in turn, increases both parties’ acceptance of incivility in the public dispute.

Editorial Preface: Smart and Resilient Cities. Ideas and Practices from the South of Europe

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:42:04 +0100

Cognitive Modelling of Emotion Contagion in a Crowd of Soccer Supporter Agents

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:39:42 +0100

This paper introduces a cognitive computational model of emotion contagion in a crowd of soccer supporters. It is useful for: (1) better understanding of the emotion contagion processes and (2) further development into a predictive and advising application for soccer stadium managers to enhance and improve the ambiance during the soccer game for safety or economic reasons. The model is neurologically grounded and focuses on the emotions “pleasure” and “sadness”. Structured simulations showed the following four emergent patterns of emotion contagion: (1) hooligans are very impulsive and are not fully open for other emotions, (2) fanatic supporters are very impulsive and open for other emotions, (3) family members are very easily influenced and are not very extravert, (4) the media is less sensible to the ambiance in the stadium. For validation of the model, the model outcomes were compared to the heart rate of 100 supporters and reported emotions. The model produced similar heart rate and emotional patterns. Further implications of the model are discussed.

Understanding how and why cities engage with climate policy : an analysis of local climate action in Spain and Italy

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:37:33 +0100

Cities significantly contribute to climate change and at the same time have governance capacity to act efficiently in the field s of mitigation and adaptation. Their capacity is being increasi ngly recognized by international institutions and has been pointed out as crucial i n the multi-level government scenario of the European Union (EU). Addressing the ch allenges of climate change at urban level is a complex issue w hich requires a holistic approach to strategic urban planning. Unders tanding why and how cities start action can help to identify th e barriers they face when addressing climate change, and how national government s, regions and international bodi es can support local authoriti es in their climate fight. This work aims to contribute to the provision of the knowledge needed to gain a better and deeper insight into u rban climate action. The study investigates the state-of -the-art of urban climate plans in Spain and Italy, two countries which share simila rities on many levels (i.e. cultural, geographical, climate vulnerabilities, urban configurations and institutional framework). The research a nalyses cities that are included in the Eurostat Urban Audit (U A), 26 in Spain and 32 in Italy, focusing on the actions taken by large and medium m unicipalities in reducing their contribution to climate change and becoming mo re resilient to changing weather patterns. The results of the a nalysis show a trend towards increasing awarene ss of climate mitigation (highly focused on ener gy efficiency and the promotion of cleaner ener gy sources), while adaptation remains a local policy area in its infancy in both countries. The study also identifies the beneficial influen ce of national and international climate city networks.

Of “white crows” and “cash savers:” A qualitative study of travel behavior and perceptions of ridesharing in Denmark

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:28:15 +0100

Based on original research collected through semi-structured research interviews and five focus groups throughout Denmark, this study explores Danish perceptions about ad hoc, acquaintance-based, and organization-based ridesharing (“carpooling”). Using a grounded, qualitative factor analysis approach, it investigates the elements that influence the adoption (and non-adoption) of ridesharing and identifies market segments and business models that may enable planners to overcome existing barriers. The article finds that Danish drivers and commuters appear to be split on the topic. Negative perceptions reported by respondents include lack of availability and difficulty finding rides, viewing ridesharing as unsafe or unsecure, and expectations of social awkwardness, among others. Positive perceptions reported include cost savings compared to public and private transport, greater flexibility of travel times, and the ability to socialize with vehicle occupants. These contrasting views lead us to conclude that existing theories and models of ridesharing behavior may need to be fundamentally rethought, both in Denmark and possibly elsewhere. Our results also suggest that ridesharing efforts framed around climate change or environmental sustainability will not likely be successful in Denmark.

An improved one-dimensional model for liquid slugs travelling in pipelines

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:18:36 +0100

An improved one-dimensional (1D) model—compared to previous work by the authors—is proposed, which is able to predict the acceleration and shortening of a single liquid slug propagating in a straight pipe with a downstream bend. The model includes holdup at the slug's tail and flow separation at the bend. The obtained analytical and numerical results are validated against experimental data. The effects of holdup, driving pressure and slug length are examined in a parameter variation study.

Using underground gas storage to replace the swing capacity of the giant natural gas field of Groningen in the Netherlands. A reservoir performance feasibility study

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:13:00 +0100

In this study we probe the ultimate potential Underground Gas Storage (UGS) capacity of the Netherlands by carrying out a detailed feasibility study on inflow performances of all onshore natural gas reservoirs. The Netherlands is one of the largest natural gas producers in Western Europe. The current decline of its national production and looming production restrictions on its largest field of Groningen -owing to its induced seismicity- have recently made necessary to upgrade the two largest UGS of Norg and Grijpskerk. The joined working volume of these two UGS is expected to replace the swing capacity of the Groningen field to continue guaranteeing the security of supply of low calorific natural gas. The question is whether this UGS configuration will provide the expected working storage capacity unrestricted by issues on reservoir performances and/or induced seismicity. This matter will be of paramount importance in the near future when production restrictions and/or the advance state of depletion of the Groningen field will turn the Netherlands into a net importer of high calorific natural gas. By then, the question will be whether the available UGSs will still be economically attractive to continue operating, or if additional or alternative UGSs will be needed?. Hence the characterization and ranking of the best potential reservoirs available today is of paramount importance for future UGS developments. We built an in-house automated module based on the application of the traditional inflow performance relationship analysis to screen the performances of natural gas reservoirs in onshore Netherlands. Results enable identifying the 72 best candidates with an ultimate total working volume capacity of 122±30 billion Sm 3 . A detailed sensitivity analysis shows the impact of variations in the reservoir properties or wellbore/tubing configurations on withdrawal performances and storage capacity. We validate our predictions by comparing them to performances of the UGSs currently operating in the Netherlands. Our results show that although Norg and Grijpskerk stand midst the best candidates, their working:cushion gas volume (wv:cv) ratios appear amongst the lowest. We found many other reservoir candidates with higher wv:cv ratios ("1) and working volumes between 3 and 10 billion Sm 3 geographically distributed across the Netherlands. Any of the current and future UGSs will have to compete with economically more attractive means of gas import via pipelines and liquefied natural gas. We suggest that only the strategic development of a network of efficient underground gas storages with wv:cv ratios "1, could increase its economical attractiveness. This can reduce future dependence on foreign gas supply for cases of import disruption or shortages during peak demand in winter periods. Future political and economic decisions and societal acceptance will determine the role that UGS will play in the security of supply of natural gas in the Netherlands and Western Europe.

Computing network tolls with support constraints

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:04:23 +0100

Reducing traffic congestion via toll pricing has been a central topic in the operations research and transportation literature and, recently, it has been implemented in several cities all over the world. Since, in practice, it is not feasible to impose tolls on every edge of a given traffic network, we study the resulting mathematical problem of computing tolls on a predefined subset of edges of the network so as to minimize the total travel time of the induced equilibrium flow. We first present an analytical study for the special case of parallel edge networks highlighting the intrinsic complexity and nonconvexity of the resulting optimization problem. We then present algorithms for general networks for which we systematically test the solution quality for large-scale network instances. Finally, we discuss the related optimization problem of computing tolls subject to a cardinality constraint on the number of edges that have tolls. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 653, 262-285 2015

Pro-active Management of Traffic Incidents Using Novel Technologies

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:57:58 +0100

This paper presents the results of the assessment phase of the project PRIMA (Pro-Active Incident Management), where the benefits, costs and risks of novel traffic incident management techniques are investigated. The project targets the enhancement of current state-of-the-art measures for handling incidents, i.e. road accidents, breakdowns and congestion, by recommending proactive techniques. To this end, modern technologies such as eCall, C2X or xFCD are assessed in terms of their potential to optimize the overall incident duration and response. Results are derived from a scenario-based assessment methodology involving macroscopic traffic simulations, traffic performance calculations and cost-benefit analysis. The work presented in this paper is being followed up by the development of practical guidelines and recommendations for traffic managers of motorways and primary roads.

Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Method for Technology Selection for Emissions Reduction from Shipping under Uncertainties

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:53:48 +0100

This paper describes a methodology for the application of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) on the technology selection for emissions reduction from shipping under uncertainties and incomplete information. Nine criteria in four aspects, including technological (maturity), economic (capital cost and operation cost), environmental (effects of SO "sub"x"/sub", NO "sub"x"/sub", GHG, and PM reduction), and social-political aspects (government support and social acceptability), were used for the sustainability assessment. The study aims at developing the methodology for technology selection for emissions reduction from shipping by combining Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and VIKOR. Fuzzy AHP was used to determine the weights of the evaluation criteria and the relative performance of the alternatives with respect to each evaluation criterion, and VIKOR was used to prioritize the alternative technologies. The two methods of VIKOR and the traditional AHP were combined to validate the proposed methodology. Three alternative technologies of low sulphur fuel, scrubber and LNG were studied using the proposed model, and the results indicate that the proposed methodology is capable of assisting the decision-makers to select the most sustainable technology for emissions reduction from shipping under uncertainties and incomplete information.

Commuting-related fringe benefits in the Netherlands : Interrelationships and company, employee and location characteristics

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:49:49 +0100

Mobility management measures taken by firms could potentially result in more sustainable transport choices and hence reduce traffic congestion and emissions. Fringe benefits offered to employees are a means to implement those measures. This paper explores the most common commuting-related fringe benefits currently provided by employers in the Netherlands, namely telework, flextime and allowance types like public transport passes, bicycle contribution, company cars and general financial compensation. By using the Dutch National Time Use Survey (TBO) 2005/2006, interrelationships among fringe benefits and correlations between company, employee, and (home and work) location characteristics and those employee benefits could be investigated. Logistic regressions and Tobit models are used for several estimations indicating the provision and the use of fringe benefits. The results show that relationships among fringe benefits exist, mainly between telework and flextime, but also between those flexible work arrangements and some types of commuting allowance. Furthermore, numerous job, person and geographical variables affect the probability of receiving and using the fringe benefits. For example, in the non-profit and the public sector sustainable commuting benefits are more often provided, the use of fringe benefits is strongly influenced by household composition and several allowance types show a significant correlation with the number of cars in the household. Moreover, firm location, in particular firm density, is highly related to mobility management measures taken by firms.

The adoption of sustainable innovations

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:45:30 +0100

Critical to the environmental success of sustainable innovations is the adoption by consumers. The consensus is that instrumental shortcomings of sustainable innovations inhibit their adoption. However, we argue that the adoption of sustainable innovations does not exclusively depend on their instrumental attributes. In addition, people may be motivated to adopt sustainable innovations because of their positive environmental and symbolic attributes, that is, they benefit the environment and can be used to signal positive characteristics to oneself and others. We studied the significance of instrumental, environmental and symbolic attributes for the adoption of two sustainable innovations: electric cars (Study 1) and local renewable energy systems (Study 2), following two methods. Results showed that when asked directly, participants claimed that instrumental and environmental attributes are most important for their decision to adopt sustainable innovations, while symbolic attributes were rated as less important. Interestingly, evaluations of the symbolic and environmental attributes of sustainable innovations, but not evaluations of their instrumental attributes, predicted different indicators of adoption (i.e., interest in, the acceptability of, and intention to adopt these sustainable innovations), suggesting that the significance of symbolic motives for adopting sustainable innovations may not be recognized by consumers. Moreover, favorable evaluations of symbolic attributes particularly enhanced interest in and acceptability of sustainable innovation when participants evaluated the instrumental attributes more negatively, but not when instrumental attributes were evaluated relatively positively. This suggests that the instrumental drawbacks of sustainable innovations may sometimes strengthen their positive signal, which can promote interest in sustainable innovations. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and control of public-service contracts and an application to public transportation systems

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:44:06 +0100

Until the end of the 20th century it was common that cities organized, financed, and managed their own public transportation systems. More recently (in Italy mainly during the last decade), many countries liberalized the service provision of public transportation. Although offering local public transportation is a political and financial duty of governments, the service provision is outsourced to a private operator, while the government retains a control position, given to a regulatory agency. This is a common scheme not only in transportation. In close collaboration with the public transportation agency of the city of Bologna, Italy, we designed a methodology to optimize some aspects of the contractual relationship between that agency and the bus operator. We focus on the fines specified by the contract when the operator fails to comply with the service level it has agreed to provide, and on a procedure to measure that service level. Our approach has the advantage that it aligns the incentives of both parties to the benefit of bus riders. We model the agency–operator relationship as a multistage game and find its equilibrium to establish the best operating regime. The game-theoretical approach provides expressions for the fines that the operator should be charged if it does not satisfy the contracted services, and for the optimal agency’s budget to devote to control activities. Second, to check the compliance of the operator with the schedule specified by the contract in a resource-efficient way, we compute how to position the agency’s employees to verify if buses are running according to the specifications of the contract. This is achieved by counting bus services and by checking other quality indicators. We formulate this NP-hard problem as a mixed integer linear program and propose an algorithm to solve it that is effective in providing itineraries for the controllers working for the agency. This paper was accepted by Dimitris Bertsimas, optimization.

A case study for the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:39:23 +0100

This paper provides a method to identify drivers, barriers and synergies (DBS) related to the deployment of a CO2 pipeline network. The method was demonstrated for the West Mediterranean region (WMR) (i.e. Spain, Portugal and Morocco). The method comprises a literature review, analysis of embedded pipeline trajectories, interviews with experts, and workshops with stakeholders. Subsequently, the collected information was used to identify route specific DBS in several CO2 pipeline network deployment scenarios that were modeled for the WMR. Most identified DBS apply to CO2 pipeline transport in general. The barriers (e.g. technical knowledge gaps, outstanding legislative issues, lack of financial incentive) can in principle be tackled to make the design, construction and operation of a CO2 pipeline network possible, but could sometimes lead to somewhat higher costs. Furthermore, there are also facilitating processes (e.g. experience with CO2 pipeline transport for EOR). Cost benefits due to pipeline oversizing were identified as a route specific driver, whereas crossings of mountains, water and nature areas are route specific barriers. Installing CO2 pipelines along natural gas pipelines could be either a route specific synergy or barrier, depending on site conditions. Finally, several key measures were proposed to enable CO2 pipeline networks in the future.

A European vision for more environmentally friendly buses

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:37:05 +0100

This paper deals with EBSF – European Bus System of the Future , 3iBS – the Intelligent, Innovative Integrated Bus Systems and ZeEUS – Zero Emission bUs Systems , three research projects funded by the European Commission, with the aim to develop a new generation of buses. The common task is to develop innovative solutions to increase the attractiveness of this mode and to operate more environmentally-friendly vehicles. Key working areas are more comfortable layouts, advanced ITS-based solutions to improve operations, new engines designed to save fuel and the enhancement of the electric option. Concern for the environment lies behind the majority of these innovations. The innovations are tested in real urban environments and performance assessed through Key Performance Indicators. Within EBSF it was also possible to perform a Transferability Exercise (TE) to assess the theoretical exportability of the innovations to more urban contexts. The research objective of this paper is to critically revise the projects’ results and present them for further applications beyond the European projects field. Results thus far stressed contrasting aspects within a common vision for the development of a new generation of buses. Stakeholders are well aware of the need to comply with the European standards in the field of sustainable mobility. This is shown by the fact that the majority of them are becoming more environmentally aware about the need to renew their fleets. However, because of economical reasons they fail to consider any environmental concerns in the TE, even when these should be crucial in the transfer decisions.

City-Scale Social Event Detection and Evaluation with Taxi Traces

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:34:42 +0100

social event is an occurrence that involves lots of people and is accompanied by an obvious rise in human flow. Analysis of social events has real-world importance because events bring about impacts on many aspects of city life. Traditionally, detection and impact measurement of social events rely on social investigation, which involves considerable human effort. Recently, by analyzing messages in social networks, researchers can also detect and evaluate country-scale events. Nevertheless, the analysis of city-scale events has not been explored. In this article, we use human flow dynamics, which reflect the social activeness of a region, to detect social events and measure their impacts. We first extract human flow dynamics from taxi traces. Second, we propose a method that can not only discover the happening time and venue of events from abnormal social activeness, but also measure the scale of events through changes in such activeness. Third, we extract traffic congestion information from traces and use its change during social events to measure their impact. The results of experiments validate the effectiveness of both the event detection and impact measurement methods.

Methodology for Field Operational Tests of Automated Vehicles

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:33:05 +0100

Over the past decade a large number of Field Operational Tests (FOT) have been conducted to test Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in real traffic conditions with thousands of drivers. In order to ensure scientifically sound studies a FOT methodology was developed in the FESTA project. Currently we are on the brink of a new series of large scale FOTs, testing automated and autonomous vehicles. A common FOT methodology serves the following purposes: (1) to ensure that a systematic and scientific approach is taken by FOTs, (2) to enable the assessment of the impact of large-scale introduction of ITS on safety, mobility, efficiency and environment, (3) to be able to compare results of different FOTs, and (4) to build a community and facilitate knowledge exchange. FESTA focuses strongly on the drivers of vehicles, and the changes in their behaviour when driving a vehicle that is instrumented with new systems. In FESTA, it is recommended that driving with an ITS is compared with driving without it (the baseline). However, what will be the focus of the new FOTs? And what will be the main research questions these FOTs will address? And what is the baseline? Three types of focus can be distinguished; centred on the user, the vehicle or the context. In this paper we discuss the requirements for a methodology that addresses these three types of focus. We investigate how the current FOT methodology may be adapted or may need to be completely changed. Special attention is given to the type of data that is needed for baselines and for answering research and impact questions.

Troubled waters

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:27:26 +0100

Waterways are one of the oldest systems for the transportation of cargo and continue to play a vital role in the economies of some countries. Due to societal change, climate change and the ageing of assets, the conditions influencing the effective functioning of these systems seem to be changing. These changing conditions require measures to renew, adapt or renovate these waterway systems. However, measures with the sole aim of improving navigation conditions have encountered resistance, as the general public, and stakeholders in particular, value these waters in many more ways than navigation alone. Therefore, a more inclusive, integrated approach is required, rather than a sectoral one. Addressing these contemporary challenges requires a shift in the traditional waterway authorities' regimes. The aim of this study is to identify elements in the institutional setting where obstacles and opportunities for a more inclusive approach can be found. Two major waterway systems, the American and the Dutch, have been analyzed using the Institutional Analysis and Development framework to reveal those obstacles and opportunities. The results show that horizontal coordination and a low pay-off for an inclusive approach is particularly problematic. The American case also reveals a promising aspect - mandatory local co-funding for federal navigation projects acts as a stimulus for broad stakeholder involvement. Improving horizontal coordination and seizing opportunities for multifunctional development can open pathways to optimize the value of waterway systems for society. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimated impacts of the sulphur directive on the Nordic industry

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:26:59 +0100

Introduction The International Maritime Organization and the European Parliament (EP) have stated that ships must lower sulphur emissions significantly in a specific region in Northern Europe, that is, in the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA), where sulphur content in bunkers is not allowed to exceed 0.1 percent. The Nordic companies have been examined somewhat marginally from the point of view of the SECA-directive, and how it will affect the cost-efficiency of the industry.

Document type: Article

What makes the difference between a low-cost carrier airport and a low-cost carrier base?

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:24:07 +0100

The liberalization of the European air transport market has enabled airlines to expand their networks substantially throughout the continent. In particular, low-cost carriers (LCCs) did so by rapidly expanding their number of bases in countries all over Europe. This paper sheds light on the variables that are related to the base likelihood of Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, using several logistic regression models on a rich dataset with 385 European airports. The analysis shows that population is positively related to base likelihood. This relation is substantially stronger for easyJet bases. In addition, Ryanair base likelihood is positively linked with the number of hotel beds near the airport. EasyJet bases do not show such a relationship. Ryanair and especially Wizz Air bases are located in less wealthy regions, while easyJet bases are located in slightly richer regions. In addition, an obvious positive relationship between base likelihood and the number of airport operating hours is shown. The level of labour costs is related negatively to base likelihood. Airport competition turns out not be related to base likelihood. Finally, Ryanair's bases are often only served by LCCs, while easyJet target airports that have a mixed airline portfolio.

The Modularisation Design Approach Applied to the ADAS Domain: The DESERVE Project Experience

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:18:09 +0100

The paper focuses on the innovative strength that the DESERVE platform has brought on the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) market in terms of major safety and economic affordability. DESERVE is a project aimed at designing and implementing a low-cost, integrated platform for ADAS: the creation of innovative software and hardware modules to be integrated in ADAS applications will pave the way to a standardization of the single components in order to achieve a full integration of diversified models despite their complexity. The achievement of such objective will end up in an increase of the reliability level of the system and in a cost reduction for ADAS functions and for development costs as well. In this paper the results of the application of the modularisation philosophy to the DESERVE platform architecture and to the human machine interface (HMI) concepts will be presented.

A comparison of hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:15:52 +0100

The automotive industry has proposed and announced a number of technological innovations to reduce the environmental impact of transport. Whereas initially many of the proposed technologies were surrounded by very optimistic expectations, many technological innovations are not commercially available yet and expectations eventually turned into disappointment. The hypes concerning these alternative drivetrain technologies collapsed when optimistic announcements could not be met, within the proposed timeframe. This paper analyzes the relation between research and development activities (innovation activities) and communication activities in the automotive industry using patent statistics, press releases and interviews. The analysis reveals that the underlying characteristics of the specific technology have an influence on the relation between communication and innovation activities. When innovations depend on the build-up of a new infrastructure actors have a strong incentive to raise expectations. This suggests that the specific shape of the hype cycle is depending on the complexity of the technology.

Development of a risk-based integrity model for offshore energy infrastructures - application to oil and gas pipelines

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:13:13 +0100

integrity management (AIM) is crucial at each stage of offshore energy development in order to maintain the integrity and enhance the safety of critical assets. Risk-based integrity is a widely used approach in AIM which aims to assess the potential risks of infrastructure damage, on the basis of likelihood of failure and magnitude of consequences. This paper develops a risk-based integrity model for offshore energy infrastructures with particular application to subsea oil and gas pipelines. The likelihood of failure is estimated using the Bayesian prior-posterior analysis as well as expert elicitation methods. The consequences associated with failures are also evaluated in terms of a 'cost' function which includes the costs of inspection, maintenance and repair. Our presented model is then applied to assess the potential risk of damage to an oil export pipeline. The results indicate that 'corrosion' is the most common cause of failure for pipelines, followed by external influences and human and operational errors. In accordance with the consequence analysis carried out, cost of inspection and preventive maintenance is evaluated to be significantly less than the costs associated with pipeline replacement. Finally, three mitigation strategies are suggested to minimise the risks of pipeline damage.

Gli effetti dell'alta velocità ferroviaria sull'attrattività turistica delie principali città italiane [The effects of High Speed Rail on the touristic attractiveness of the main Italian cities]

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:09:29 +0100

Effect of refrigerants on the economical optimum insulation thickness for indoor pipelines of split air conditioning systems

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:07:24 +0100

This study presents investigations of optimum insulation thickness, cost savings and payback periods for gas pipeline and liquid pipeline under the heating operation of 1500 hours and cooling operation of 1500 hours of a split air conditioning system that used flexible insulation foam as insulation material. Analyses are performed for four different refrigerants indicated as R-22, R-134a, R-407C and R-410A. The results indicate that under heating mode, the optimum insulation thickness of gas pipeline varies from 9 to 12 mm depending on the analyzed refrigerants, whereas the optimum insulation thickness of liquid pipeline varies from 6 to 9 mm depending on the analyzed refrigerants. When it comes to cooling mode, while optimum insulation thickness of gas pipelines is 9 mm for all the analyzed refrigerants, optimum insulation thickness of liquid pipelines is 6 mm for all the analyzed refrigerants. Under the given operation conditions, R-407C shows the highest potential for cost savings through the optimization of insulation thickness, since it has the lowest mass flow rate. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and International Institute of Refrigeration. All rights reserved.

The natural gas industry: equipment, materials, and corrosion

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:02:47 +0100

© by De Gruyter 2015. Corrosion is a crucial worldwide problem that strongly affects the oil and gas industry. Natural gas (NG) is a source of energy used in industrial, residential, commercial, and electric applications. The abundance of NG in many countries augurs a profitable situation for the vast energy industry. NG is considered friendlier to the environment and has lesser greenhouse gas emissions compared with other fossil fuels. In the last years, shale gas is increasingly exploited in the USA and in Europe, using a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technique for releasing gas from the bedrock by injection of saline water, acidic chemicals, and sand to the wells. Various critical sectors of the NG industry infrastructure suffer from several types of corrosion: steel casings of production wells and their drilling equipment, gas-conveying pipelines including pumps and valves, plants for regasification of liquefied NG, and municipal networks of NG distribution to the consumers. Practical technologies that minimize or prevent corrosion include selection of corrosion-resistant engineering materials, cathodic protection, use of corrosion inhibitors, and application of external and internal paints, coatings, and linings. Typical cases of corrosion management in the NG industry are presented based on the authors' experience and knowledge.

Peer Reviewed

Electric vehicles and urban noise control policies

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:02:17 +0100

"jats:p"Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ) is a planning strategy that is more and more adopted by municipalities in Europe to improve their environmental conditions. It consists in the prohibition for traditional vehicles to circulate in specific areas. Although the main aim is to tackle air pollution problems, positive effects are registered in terms of reduction of noise annoyance and in terms of improved “quality of life” if specific conditions are respected. On the other side under the drive of the global market, the number of circulating electric vehicles in urban sites is also increasing. In the next years we expect to experience a new and not well-known urban soundscape."/jats:p" "jats:p"In this paper is presented an overview of recent urban projects and policies that deal with noise control and how these experiences will match into the next years with the sound characteristics of new electric vehicles for private and public transportation.

Document type: Article

Investing in CO2 transport infrastructure under uncertainty : A comparison between ships and pipelines

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:02:00 +0100

The aim of this study is to assess whether the value of flexibility can influence the investment decision between CO"inf"2"/inf" ship and pipeline transport and, therefore, the way the infrastructure develops. For this, the value of a carbon capture and storage project are calculated with the standard net present value (NPV) and with the least-squares Monte Carlo method, which is a real option approach (ROA).Results of the NPV and ROA show that ships are preferred for small volumes over large distances. For instance, for a design capacity of 2.5Mt/y, pipelines are preferred for 250km and ships for 500km. The ROA shows that the option value to abandon the project and to switch off the CO"inf"2"/inf" capture unit temporarily are about 2-4 and 5 times as high for the ship compared to the pipeline configurations, respectively. The option to connect to another storage reservoir has a value of "1000M€ for the 10MtCO"inf"2"/inf"/y configurations. Consequently, this option turns the project values positive for the 10MtCO"inf"2"/inf"/y pipeline and shipping configurations over a distance of 250 and 500km.Overall, the value of flexibility did not change the preferred transportation mode from pipeline to ship transport, at least for the considered options to abandon the project, switch off the capture unit temporarily and switch to another storage reservoir. However, under the assumptions made, all 10MtCO"inf"2"/inf"/y cases were not profitable with the NPV approach, while they were profitable with the ROA.

An integrated transient model for simulating the operation of natural gas transport systems

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:00:50 +0100

This paper presents an integrated transient hydraulic model that describes the dynamic behavior of natural gas transport systems (GTS). The model includes sub models of the most important facilities comprising a GTS, such as pipelines, compressor stations, pressure reduction stations, underground gas storage facilities and LNG Terminals. The submodels are combined to an integrated network model and the algorithm for solving the resulting system of equations is detailed. The accuracy of the model is confirmed by benchmarking the model against results from the scientific literature and the commercial software SIMONE. Finally, the ability of the model to simulate the normal operation of a real world gas system and the operation in case of a supply disruption from a major entry point is demonstrated. Crown Copyright (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Localization algorithms for multilateration (MLAT) systems in airport surface surveillance

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:00:12 +0100

We present a general scheme for analyzing the performance of a generic localization algorithm for multilateration (MLAT) systems (or for other distributed sensor, passive localization technology). MLAT systems are used for airport surface surveillance and are based on time difference of arrival measurements of Mode S signals (replies and 1,090 MHz extended squitter, or 1090ES). In the paper, we propose to consider a localization algorithm as composed of two components: a data model and a numerical method, both being properly defined and described. In this way, the performance of the localization algorithm can be related to the proper combination of statistical and numerical performances. We present and review a set of data models and numerical methods that can describe most localization algorithms. We also select a set of existing localization algorithms that can be considered as the most relevant, and we describe them under the proposed classification. We show that the performance of any localization algorithm has two components, i.e., a statistical one and a numerical one. The statistical performance is related to providing unbiased and minimum variance solutions, while the numerical one is related to ensuring the convergence of the solution. Furthermore, we show that a robust localization (i.e., statistically and numerically efficient) strategy, for airport surface surveillance, has to be composed of two specific kind of algorithms. Finally, an accuracy analysis, by using real data, is performed for the analyzed algorithms; some general guidelines are drawn and conclusions are provided. Mr. Ivan A. Mantilla-Gaviria has been supported by a FPU scholarship (AP2008-03300) from the Spanish Ministry of Education. Moreover, the authors are grateful to ERA A.S. who supplied the recording of TDOA measurements. Mantilla Gaviria, IA.; Leonardi, M.; Galati, G.; Balbastre Tejedor, JV. (2015). Localization algorithms for multilateration (MLAT) systems in airport surface surveillance. Signal, Image and Video Processing. 9(7):1549-1558. doi:10.1007/s11760-013-0608-1 S 1549 1558 9 7

Representative volume element of asphalt pavement for electromagnetic measurements

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:55:41 +0100

VK: T20703 The motivation for this study was to investigate the representative volume element (RVE) needed to correlate the nondestructive electromagnetic (EM) measurements with the conventional destructive asphalt pavement quality control measurements. A large pavement rehabilitation contract was used as the test site for the experiment. Pavement cores were drilled from the same locations where the stationary and continuous Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) measurements were obtained. Laboratory measurements included testing the bulk density of cores using two methods, the surface-saturated dry method and determining bulk density by dimensions. Also, Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) and the through specimen transmission configuration were employed at microwave frequencies to measure the reference dielectric constant of cores using two different footprint areas and therefore volume elements. The RVE for EM measurements turns out to be frequency dependent; therefore in addition to being dependent on asphalt mixture type and method of obtaining bulk density, it is dependent on the resolution of the EM method used. Then, although the average bulk property results agreed with theoretical formulations of higher core air void content giving a lower dielectric constant, for the individual cores there was no correlation for the VNA measurements because the volume element seizes deviated. Similarly, GPR technique was unable to capture the spatial variation of pavement air voids measured from the 150-mm drill cores. More research is needed to determine the usable RVE for asphalt. Peer reviewed

Document type: Article

The influence of adverse weather conditions on probability of congestion on Dutch motorways

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:53:54 +0100

Weather conditions are widely acknowledged to contribute to the occurrence of congestion on motorway traffic by influencing both traffic supply and traffic demand. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that explicitly integrates supply and demand effects in predicting the influence of adverse weather conditions on the probability of occurrence of congestion. Traffic demand is examined by conducting a stated adaptation experiment, in which changes in travel choices are observed under adverse weather scenarios. Based on these choices, a Panel Mixed Logit model is estimated. Supply effects are taken into account by examining the influence of precipitation on motorway capacity. Based on the Product Limit Method, capacity distribution functions are estimated for dry weather, light rain and heavy rain. With the developed model to integrate the supply and demand effects breakdown probabilities can be calculated for any given traffic demand and capacity. The results show that rainfall leads to a significant increase in the probability of traffic breakdown at bottleneck locations. Interestingly the probability of a breakdown at these bottleneck locations is predicted to be slightly higher in light rain (98.7%) than in heavy rain (95.7%) conditions, which is the result of the higher traffic demand in light rain conditions. Based on the results presented in this paper, it can be recommended to always incorporate both supply and demand effects in the predictions of motorway breakdown probabilities due to adverse weather conditions to improve the validity of the predictions. © 2015 Editorial Board EJTIR. All rights reserved.

Laboratory results and implications for cycling safety

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:49:07 +0100

When driven at low speeds, cars operating in electric mode have been found to be quieter than conventional cars. As a result, the auditory cues which pedestrians and cyclists use to assess the presence, proximity and location oncoming traffic may be reduced, posing a safety hazard. This laboratory study examined auditory localisation of conventional and electric cars including vehicle motion paths relevant for cycling activity. Participants (N = 65) in three age groups (16–18, 30–40 and 65–70 year old) indicated the location and movement direction (approaching versus receding) of cars driven at 15, 30 and 50 km/h in two ambient sound conditions (low and moderate). Results show that low speeds, higher ambient sound level and older age were associated with worse performance on the location and motion direction tasks. In addition, participants were less accurate at determining the location of electric and conventional car sounds emanating from directly behind the participant. Implications for cycling safety and proposals for adding extra artificial noise or warning sounds to quiet (electric) cars are discussed.

Key findings and recommendations from the IMPACTS project

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:47:43 +0100

The IMPACTS project investigated how impurities affect the design and operation of CO2 transport and storage processes. Experimental work and modelling have advanced the state of the art in the areas of how impurities in CO2 affect thermo-physical properties, fluid flow, corrosion, and reservoir chemical reactivity. High-quality experimental thermodynamic data were obtained to develop new reference equations of state for exhaust gases (EOS-CG). Parts of the results have been distributed as the publicly available TREND 2.0 software. The software enables modelling the true behaviour of impure CO2 mixtures, thereby increasing the fidelity of the simulations. IMPACTS also provided recommendations that relate results from parts of the CCS chain into results that relate to the entire CCS chain. They cover such areas as trade-offs between impurity levels and CCS system costs, optimized CO2 quality on a case-by-case basis for CCS chains, and design/operation of pipelines. New methodologies have been suggested for selecting the design criteria for operation of CO2 pipelines to avoid two-phase flow and running ductile fractures. This can help limit over-specifying design and reduce costs. For example, IMPACTS has shown how 4% of impurities in the CO2 can increase the power consumption for compression and processing by 50%. IMPACTS has generated a large amount of new knowledge and is an example of how a wide-reaching research program with several groups investigating different aspects of the same topic has brought the knowledge base forward while ensuring that the results are aligned. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd

W jaki sposób morskie planowanie przestrzenne może przyczynić się do zrównoważonego niebieskiego wzrostu Morza Bałtyckiego?

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:44:51 +0100

The sea and the coasts are drivers of Europe’s economy as many of the economic activities as well as large part of trade depend on the sea. At the European level there is strong political pressure to enhance the growth of maritime economy sectors. The European Union has developed the Integrated Maritime Policy to support the sustainable development of the seas and oceans. The aim is to reach a good environmental status of European seas by 2020. The value of this study is to provide fresh insight into the topic by examining the empirical relationship between the sustainable Blue Growth and Marine Spatial planning. The purpose is to make a relatively short introduction to questions like what is the potential of sustainable Blue Growth, how can maritime spatial planning (MSP) contribute to sustainable Blue Growth, and what are the cross-border elements of MSP. The experiences of previous MSP projects, EU policy reports and scientific articles with MSP in their focus are used as a source to answer these questions. So far there have been only recommendations towards sustainable Blue Growth, and each country remains responsible for designing and determining the format and content of maritime plans. MSP processes should be developed both at national and international levels. Renata Kozak

Evaluation of Advanced Control for Li-ion Battery Balancing Systems Using Convex Optimization

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:40:03 +0100

Typically, the unique objective pursued in either active or passive balancing is equalization of single cell charge. However, a balancing circuit may offer more control features, like virtual equalization of single cell internal resistance or thermal balancing. Such control features for balancing systems are evaluated in this paper by means of convex optimization. More than one hundred cases in a pure EV application are evaluated. Balancing circuits' efficiency models are implemented and realistic cell-to-cell parameter distributions are considered based on experimental data. Different battery sizes and driving cycles are considered. Balancing circuit topology is taken into account by selecting a specific category of energy transfer: cell-to-heat, bypass, cell-to-pack, pack-to-cell, cell-to-cell shared, cell-to-cell distributed or cell-to-pack-to-cell. In general, better results in terms of energy losses, available capacity or temperature are obtained for the last three categories, even for moderate balancing currents. In particular, remarkable improvements are observed under conditions of high power demand with high variability, i.e., smaller battery sizes and more demanding driving cycles.

Towards personalised automated driving: Prediction of preferred ACC behaviour based on manual driving

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:39:46 +0100

More and more Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADASs) are entering the market for improving both safety and comfort. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is an ADAS application that has high interaction with the driver. ACC systems use limited sensor input and have only few configuration possibilities. This may result in the behaviour of the ACC not matching user's preferences in all cases, resulting in lower acceptance of the system. In this work, we examine the possibilities for a Personalised ACC (PACC), which adapts the ACC settings such that it matches the driver preference in order to increase the acceptance. The driver preferred ACC behaviour is predicted using machine learning techniques and manual driving data. On-road experiments showed that the method is promising as it is able to discriminate between two preference clusters with an accuracy of 85%.

Urban sustainable mobility. Part 2: Simulation models and impacts estimation

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:37:29 +0100

The urban sustainable transport policies are very different in terms of costs and expected benefits, and the effects of these policies and their combinations are difficult to anticipate on a purely intuitive basis and sometimes the end effect could be contrary to intuitive expectations (e.g. policies aimed to reduce pollution, ending up in increasing it). In this context, the concept of eco-rational planning assumes a central role. This means identifying the right mixture of interventions to be implemented on the transport system that is: rational for the transport system and sustainable for people's health and for the environmental and requires minimal economic resources. Starting from the results of the compendium paper (Part 1), the paper investigate on non-rational sustainable transport policies through an ex-post analysis on real casa application in Naples (Italy).

Methodological development of a specific tool for assessing acceptability of assistive systems of powered two-wheeler-riders

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:28:11 +0100

Research on the acceptability of assistive systems for improving the safety of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) is a pressing issue. The use of safety-enhancing assistive systems for motorised vehicles, including advanced driver assistance systems and in-vehicle information systems is widespread in many countries. Yet, there is only a limited number of equivalent intelligent transport systems (ITS) for PTWs, namely advanced rider assistance systems and on-bike information systems. This study describes the methodological development of a specific tool for assessing motorcyclists' acceptability of ITS, as part of the motorcyclists' profiling questionnaire (MOPROQ). There were three stages of development. First, a literature review was undertaken to assess the current state of the art regarding ITS for PTWs and to determine the most relevant facets of acceptability that should be measured. Second, a series of focus group interviews were conducted to explore riders' attitudes towards ITS. Finally, the focus group results were used to develop a large-scale survey (MOPROQ), which was administered to an initial sample of over 6000 riders internationally. The designed tool can be used as a basis for the determination of rider acceptability of ITS systems in the future.

A systematic approach to assess the effectiveness of airport noise mitigation strategies

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:19:43 +0100

Regional airports are often located very close to the urban area they serve and the increasing traffic rate that many of them have experienced in the last years has produced several impacts on the communities living close to the airport area, mainly aviation noise. If not properly managed, noise impacts produced by airport operations can cut down significantly the development of airport air traffic with direct effects on the economic and territorial systems. Aeronautical noise has greatly reduced in the last decade, due to aircraft design technological improvements and more severe regulations. However, the noise reduction during a single event does not make the issue of the airport location â€“ and then the whole noise impact â€“ less significant. This paper proposes an assessment process to evaluate the effects of actions adopted to reduce airport noise impacts on populated areas. Both airport-related factors â€“ such as number of take-off; day-evening-night distributions of movements; aircraft type; flying paths â€“ and land-use characteristics have been considered and combined in a density index that synthesizes the impacts of airport noise on the territory. The assessment process has been tested on a real case, the airport of Bologna in Northern Italy. The predicted results, compared with available real data for the test case, are significant and encourage the use of the proposed assessment process as decision support system for the airport management.

Implementation of Wavelet-Based Robust Differential Control for Electric Vehicle Application

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:16:47 +0100

This research letter presents the modeling and simulation of electronic differential, employing a novel wavelet controller for two brushless dc motors. The proposed controller uses discrete wavelet transform to decompose the error between actual and reference speed. Error signal that is actually given by the electronic differential based on throttle and steering angle is decomposed into frequency components. Numerical simulation results are provided for both wavelet and proportional-integral-derivate controllers. In comparison, the proposed wavelet control technique provides greater stability and ensures smooth control of the two back driving wheels.

A multiple criteria approach to two-stage data envelopment analysis

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:07:31 +0100

Two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) models are commonly used in the evaluation and benchmarking of sustainable operations and processes across multiple research fields. To date, however, little attention has been given to the unrealistic weight distribution and weak discrimination power in the modeling and evaluation of the two-stage sustainable operations when using two-stage DEA models. In order to overcome this methodological weakness, we use the multiple criteria DEA (MCDEA) approach in the evaluation of the two-stage processes. The outcome is a multiple criteria two-stage DEA model which yields more realistic weights for the inputs and outputs and thus has better discrimination power than traditional two-stage DEA models. The developed model is tested and validated by assessing the sustainable design performances of a sample of car product designs.

Patent-based technology forecasting: case of electric and hydrogen vehicle

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:02:34 +0100

The purpose of this paper is to study the evolution of emerging technological paths in the automotive industry. Worldwide patent data from the years 1990-2010 was collected and utilised to define the technological life cycles of the electric and fuel cell vehicle technologies. The novelty of our study is practicing the patent analysis approach using text mining techniques to collect patents according to their concepts in the automotive industry. The patent analysis results are compared to existing literature and expert opinion studies in alternative fuel vehicles field. The findings suggest that the development of electric vehicles will be quicker with a higher R&D share, compared to hydrogen vehicles. By gathering data and insights, the paper also offers general views on future automotive technology trajectories.

Troubled waters: An institutional analysis of ageing Dutch and American waterway infrastructure

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:00:59 +0100

Occupational exposure to carcinogens in Australian road transport workers

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:59:44 +0100

Background Road transport workers (RTWs) are at high risk of exposure to several occupational carcinogens. However, there are gaps in knowledge regarding the extent and the circumstances of exposure. As a sub-study of the Australian Work Exposures Study, this study investigated the prevalence of occupational exposure in Australian RTWs. Methods A random sample of Australian working population was invited to a telephone interview regarding their current jobs. An automated expert-assessment procedure was applied to self-reported job-related tasks using a web-based application. 162 RTWs were included in this study. Results RTWs were exposed to diesel exhaust (97%), solar ultraviolet radiation (78%), environmental tobacco smoke (55%), benzene (29%), silica (15%), and asbestos (10%) at work. Besides driving on roads, vehicle maintenance-related tasks were the major source of carcinogen exposures among RTWs. Discussion Most RTWs are exposed to at least one carcinogen at work. We have identified tasks where the use of control measures could potentially reduce exposures. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:31–41, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Design of Driver-Assist Systems Under Probabilistic Safety Specifications Near Stop Signs

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:57:08 +0100

In this paper, we consider the problem of designing in-vehicle driver-assist systems that warn or override the driver to prevent collisions with a guaranteed probability. The probabilistic nature of the problem naturally arises from many sources of uncertainty, among which the behavior of the surrounding vehicles and the response of the driver to on-board warnings. We formulate this problem as a control problem for uncertain systems under probabilistic safety specifications and leverage the structure of the application domain to reach computationally efficient implementations. Simulations using a naturalistic data set show that the empirical probability of safety is always within 5% of the theoretical value in the case of direct driver override. In the case of on-board warnings, the empirical value is more conservative due primarily to drivers decelerating more strongly than requested. However, the empirical value is greater than or equal to the theoretical value, demonstrating a clear safety benefit.

Urban Development Policy and Urban Sprawl in Turkey

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:56:25 +0100

In the second half of twentieth century, metropolitan areas have undergone diverse structural changes with the increasing introduction of progressive technologies in transportation and communication. Urban sprawl has many effects on urban environment as unplanned expansion of the city, increased energy consumption, increased traffic congestion. The detrimental consequences of urban sprawl can be solved through planned decentralization. The diverse existing urban systems must be coordinated with the new development areas in order to establish the integrity of the macroform. In countries where planning policies and codes have not been effectively implemented, metropolitan growth seems to have inevitably taken the form of urban sprawl. Turkey is not much different from other developing countries where metropolitan growth is due to heavy rural migration and results in urban sprawl. The multiple plans no matter how technically well prepared were not effectively implemented due to lack of determined policies and the multiplicity of speculative market forces and their heavy demands in Turkey. Thus, metropolitan growth was consequently transformed into an oil-spill form in most of the Turkish cities. This paper is concerned with the notion of urban sprawl in metropolitan cities in Turkey. This paper aims to discuss the impacts of planning tools and regulations in the sprawl of the city. The consequent urban sprawl thus changes the envisaged macroform of the urban settlement profoundly.

Application of noise abatement procedures at regional airports

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:55:41 +0100

The increasing traffic rate experienced by regional airports in Europe in recent years has had various impacts on the communities living near to the airport areas. To mitigate the negative effects of aviation noise, airports, particularly those close to dwellings and communities, have developed a number of noise abatement measures, of which the noise abatement procedures are one of the most widely adopted. Guglielmo Marconi International Airport, in Italy, is a prototypal case of an urban regional airport, which will probably be seriously constrained by environmental factors in the short-medium term, because of its proximity to the suburbs of the city of Bologna and the growth in air traffic in the last decade. This has encouraged the airport management to take appropriate countermeasures to promote awareness among carriers, encouraging them to limit, as far as possible, their departure operations over inhabited areas during certain time windows. This has led to the formulation of a new initial climb procedure for take-offs from runway 12. In this paper, the effectiveness of this procedure is evaluated by carrying out a before-after analysis of noise curves and percentage of population and sensitive buildings within the noise contours.

Research findings to inform policy

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:55:11 +0100

Research to inform policy is often challenged with how to genuinely use and implement research findings in decision-making and policy-planning. To begin with, the dialogue between researchers and decision-makers is essential to ensure profound understanding and legitimate interpretations of the results. Furthermore, the step to drawing practical conclusions and process them into actions can only succeed if research findings are diffused to decision-making levels with influence on the matter and mechanisms to knowledge transfer in the presence of a stable, favourable policy environment exist. Research investments into the topic of electromobility in Europe are substantial, and subtopics aiming to inform national policy-makers address a complex set of aspects from environmental and societal to technological and economic. This paper has a two-fold objective, the first of which is to present the results of scenarios to explore electromobility deployment in Finland, Germany and the European Union. The second is to discuss the challenges and solutions to bridge the gap from research findings towards decision-making and policy-planning, using our electromobility scenario work as an example. The electromobility scenarios were built using the VECTOR21 model (Mock, 2010), and the rationale was to simulate vehicle sales and markets under different policy settings and calculate the most economical solution to fulfil regulation on CO2 emissions as set by the European Commission (2009). The model allows calculating the market diffusion of alternative powertrain technologies to the European market until 2030, taking into account different taxation schemes, incentives and other country-specific characteristics. We also present the cost-benefit-analysis of the modelling results to assess the different scenarios and to show variation between regions regarding profitability of alternative technological or political support and interventions. To proceed from research findings towards decision-making and policy-planning, we made observations relating to transfer of research knowledge and interpretation of our electromobility scenario results in national policy contexts. An evaluation of how the function of research to inform policy in this case succeeded is provided. In addition, the influence of expert opinions on the political decision-making process will be discussed through experiences from an expert questionnaire conducted to survey the importance of costs, time requirement, acceptance and other criteria of promotion measures of electromobility.

The influence of land use and mobility policy on travel behavior : a comparative case study of Flanders and the Netherlands

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:54:58 +0100

Numerous transportation studies have indicated that the local built environment can have an important effect on travel behavior; people living in suburban neighborhoods travel more by car than people living in urban neighborhoods. In this paper, however, we will analyze whether the regional land use has an important influence on travel behavior by comparing two regions with a varying land-use pattern: Flanders (Belgium) and the Netherlands. The different land-use pattern seems to have influenced travel behavior in both regions. An active spatial planning policy in the Netherlands, clustering activities in urban surroundings, appears to have realized a sustainable travel behavior, as a substantial share of residents frequently walk, cycle or use public transportation. The rather passive spatial planning in Flanders, resulting in urban sprawl, seems to stimulate car use. The applied mobility policy also has an impact on the travel behavior and land use of the Flemings and the Dutch. Infrastructure is concentrated in Dutch urban environments, whereas Flanders has a more widespread network of infrastructure and cheap public transportation, resulting in a further increase of suburbanization.

Impact of ITS on CO2 emissions - The contribution of a standardised assessment framework

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:54:21 +0100

Intelligent transport systems are accepted as an integral part of the transport system. They have high potential in reducing the carbon footprint of traffic while improving efficient and safe transport. The calculation of CO"inf"2"/inf" emissions arising from the transport sector incorporating the impact of ITS is a challenging task. A systematic assessment methodology will support developers, public authorities and investors in ITS solutions to make sound decisions based on comparable and transparent impact estimates. As the basis for such an assessment, the fragmentation of traffic in underlying processes is suggested. These processes can be divided into transport demand related processes and driver behaviour and vehicle related processes. Together these processes lead to traffic flow. Transport processes are influenced by various factors. Both the processes itself and the factors influencing them can be affected by ITS. A systematic analysis of the potential effects of ITS on all these levels is the prerequisite for choosing a suitable modelling approach to quantify the effects. It also ensures the transparency of the modelling process by elucidating the required model sensitivities. The details of such an approach and its context from user need to a standardised assessment methodology for ITS is described. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2015.

Smart and Resilient Cities. A Systemic Approach for Developing Cross-sectoral Strategies in the Face of Climate Change

Scipedia content — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:51:39 +0100

Climate change is considered one of the main environmental issues challenging contemporary cities. Meanwhile, urban development patterns and the growth of urban population represent the main contributors to climate change, affecting the total energy consumptions and the related greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, a breakthrough in current urban development patterns is required to counterbalance the climate-related issues. This study focuses on the Smart City and Resilient City concepts that, according to current scientific literature, seem to play a leading role in enhancing cities’ capacities to cope with climate change. In detail, based on the review of existing literature, this study analyzes the synergies between the two concepts, highlighting how the Smart City concept is more and more widely interpreted as a process addressed to make cities “more livable and resilient and, hence, able to respond quicker to new challenges” (Kunzmann, 2014). Nevertheless, current initiatives to improve cities’ smartness and resilience in the European cities are very fragmented and operational tools capable to support multi-objective strategies are still at an early stage. To fill this gap, embracing a systemic perspective, the main characteristics of a smart and resilient urban system have been identified and framed into a conceptual model. The latter represents a preliminary step for the development of an operational tool capable to guide planners and decision-makers in carrying out multi-objective strategies addressed to enhance the response capacities of complex urban systems in the face of climate change.

An Ultrasound-Based Liquid Pressure Measurement Method in Small Diameter Pipelines Considering the Installation and Temperature

Scipedia content — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:07:21 +0100

Liquid pressure is a key parameter for detecting and judging faults in hydraulic mechanisms, but traditional measurement methods have many deficiencies. An effective non-intrusive method using an ultrasound-based technique to measure liquid pressure in small diameter (less than 15 mm) pipelines is presented in this paper. The proposed method is based on the principle that the transmission speed of an ultrasonic wave in a Kneser liquid correlates with liquid pressure. Liquid pressure was calculated using the variation of ultrasonic propagation time in a liquid under different pressures: 0 Pa and X Pa. In this research the time difference was obtained by an electrical processing approach and was accurately measured to the nanosecond level through a high-resolution time measurement module. Because installation differences and liquid temperatures could influence the measurement accuracy, a special type of circuit called automatic gain control (AGC) circuit and a new back propagation network (BPN) model accounting for liquid temperature were employed to improve the measurement results. The corresponding pressure values were finally obtained by utilizing the relationship between time difference, transient temperature and liquid pressure. An experimental pressure measurement platform was built and the experimental results confirm that the proposed method has good measurement accuracy.

Document type: Article

Low-carbon innovation policy with the use of biorenewables in the transport sector until 2030

Scipedia content — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:07:05 +0100

The topic of the present study deals with the changes and future trends of the European Union’s climate policy. In addition, it studies the manner in which Hungary’s transport sector contributes to the success of the above. The general opinion of Hungarian climate policy is that the country has no need of any substantial climate policy measures, since it will be able to reach its emission reduction targets anyway. This is mostly true, because the basis year for the long term goals is around the middle/end of the 1980’s, when Hungary’s pollution indices were entirely different than today due to former large-scale industrial production. With the termination of these inefficient energy systems, Hungary has basically been “performing well” since the change in political system without taking any specific steps in the interest of doing so. The analysis of the commitments for the 2020-2030 climate policy planning period, which defined emissions commitments compared to 2005 GHG emissions levels, has also garnered similar political reactions in recent years. Thus, it is not the issue of decreasing GHG emissions but the degree to which possible emissions can be increased stemming from the conditions and characteristics of economic growth that is important from the aspect of economic policy. In 2005, the Hungarian transport sector’s emissions amounted to 11 million tons, which is equal to 1.2% of total EU emissions, meaning it does not significantly influence total transport emissions. However, the stakes are still high for developing a low GHG emission transport system, since that will decide whether Hungary can avoid those negative development tendencies that have plagued the majority of Western European transport systems. Can Budapest avoid the scourge of perpetual smog and traffic jams? Can it avert the immeasurable accumulation of externalities on the capital city’s public bypass roads caused by having road transport conduct goods shipping?
JEL classification: Q58

Document type: Article

Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA): a study protocol for a multicentre project

Scipedia content — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:05:23 +0100

Introduction: Only one-third of the European population meets the minimum recommended levels of physical activity (PA). Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. Walking and cycling for transport (active mobility, AM) are well suited to provide regular PA. The European research project Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) pursues the following aims: (1) to investigate correlates and interrelations of AM, PA, air pollution and crash risk; (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of selected interventions to promote AM; (3) to improve health impact assessment (HIA) of AM; (4) to foster the exchange between the disciplines of public health and transport planning, and between research and practice. Methods and analysis: PASTA pursues a mixed-method and multilevel approach that is consistently applied in seven case study cities. Determinants of AM and the evaluation of measures to increase AM are investigated through a large scale longitudinal survey, with overall 14 000 respondents participating in Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Örebro, Rome, Vienna and Zurich. Contextual factors are systematically gathered in each city. PASTA generates empirical findings to improve HIA for AM, for example, with estimates of crash risks, factors on AM-PA substitution and carbon emissions savings from mode shifts. Findings from PASTA will inform WHO's online Health Economic Assessment Tool on the health benefits from cycling and/or walking. The study's wide scope, the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and health and transport methods, the innovative survey design, the general and city-specific analyses, and the transdisciplinary composition of the consortium and the wider network of partners promise highly relevant insights for research and practice. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval has been obtained by the local ethics committees in the countries where the work is being conducted, and sent to the European Commission before the start of the survey. The PASTA website (http://www.pastaproject.eu) is at the core of all communication and dissemination activities. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution IGO License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo/), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction for non-commercial purposes in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In any reproduction of this article there should not be any suggestion that WHO or this article endorse any specific organisation or products. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL.

Document type: Article

HOW TO FACILITATE THE MOVEMENT OF PASSENGERS BY INTRODUCING BAGGAGE COLLECTION SYSTEMS FOR TRAVEL FROM NORTH SHIELDS TO NEWCASTLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Scipedia content — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:04:03 +0100

This paper reviews current systems that either transport baggage or have the potential to transport baggage, as well as proposed systems, before modelling some of them in a modal choice model to examine how effective they would be if implemented. It was hoped that the introduction of a baggage collection system would increase the number of passengers using public transport which would be good for the environment. The specific location of the study was Tyne and Wear and a journey from North Shields to Newcastle International Airport was chosen for the analysis. The system proposed is compared to an existing systems known as InPost and Virgin Bag Magic. It was found that for the average passenger in North Shields, a system based on the way InPost operates would offer the greatest utility. However, with the introduction of a new utility equation that could analyse mixed-mode travel, a baggage collection hub based in Newcastle upon Tyne city centre offered a more significant number of users provided that the cost of the system was either covered in the travel ticket or provided by the airport or airline free of charge. This dedicated baggage collection system would be much more expensive to introduce compared to the InPost system as the infrastructure to run the InPost system is already in place, however, the ridership of the newly proposed system would be much larger therefore it could potentially recoup the development costs.

Document type: Article

Modeling, Control, and Optimization in Aeronautical Engineering

Scipedia content — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 11:29:57 +0100

The last decade has witnessed the rapid development of aeronautical engineering including all branches of applied sciences and technology dealing with aircraft and their support systems, which brings forward the higher request of safety, efficiency, and environmental protection. Modeling, control, and optimization of aeronautical engineering have played an increasingly important role in meeting aeronautical requirements, and they have drawn widespread attention from communities including control theory, intelligent optimization, system science, real-time distributed computing, electronic information engineering, and aeronautical engineering industry. Driven by such motivations, the main focus of this special issue is on the new theories, new technologies, and their applications in modeling, control, and optimization for aeronautical engineering systems. The special issue is a collection of original research articles, whose authors and editors belong to academic or research institutions of five different countries from Asia, Europe, and Australia. The full papers in this issue can be broadly organized into two main categories: (i) modelling and optimization and (ii) control techniques. Papers in category (i) are mainly concerned with network optimization of air transportation system and terminal-area operation. Recently, people come to realize that the air transportation system can be modeled as complex networks. Along this line, K. Cai et al. in “A Novel Biobjective Risk-Based Model for Stochastic Air Traffic Network Flow Optimization Problem” and X. Guan et al. in “An Airway Network Flow Assignment Approach Based on an Efficient Multiobjective Optimization Framework” modeled the flight operation as network flow optimization problem and proposed novel algorithms, respectively. Terminal-area operation is the bottleneck of the air transportation system. Y. Yang et al. investigated the aircraft intent inference approach and proposed an online trajectory clustering method, which will be meaningful to the efficiency and safety of busy terminal area. Papers in category (ii) are focusing on the topics of rotary-wing aircrafts and robots. The rotary-wing aircraft is one of the popular platforms in the control community such as the helicopter and quadrotor. T. Oktay and F. Sal in “Helicopter Control Energy Reduction Using Moving Horizontal Tail” attempted to improve the flight duration by reducing consumption of the energy. X. Xu et al. in “MRAC Control with Prior Model Knowledge for Asymmetric Damaged Aircraft” intended to explore control of the wing-damaged aircraft, which is one of advanced topics to improve survivability of the fighters. Z. Li and Y. Wang in “Coordinated Control of Slip Ratio for Wheeled Mobile Robots Climbing Loose Sloped Terrain” attempted to explore the control of mobile robots in 3D environments. J. Lopez et al. in “A Robust H∞ Controller for an UAV Flight Control System” implemented and validated a robust H∞ controller for an UAV to track different types of manoeuvres in the presence of noisy environment. It should be mentioned that a special issue simply provides a snapshot of the field taken at a particular point in time. Due to the standard page limitations of a journal volume, it can only include a relatively small number of papers. As a result, its coverage is by no means complete despite our best efforts.

Document type: Article

Evaluating the CO2 Emission of the Milk Supply Chain in Italy: An Exploratory Study

Scipedia content — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 11:06:09 +0100

During the last few years, Italian dairy farms, which gather, process and sell milk at the national level, have strengthened their leading market position at the detriment of dairy cooperatives, operating within regional borders. Moreover, decreasing milk prices and increasing production costs have recently induced many farmers to open automatic vending machines, dispensing raw milk for direct sale to local consumers. In order to contribute to the environmental assessment of alternative systems, this study estimated CO 2 emissions related to the transport from production farms to point of sale, for three brands of fresh milk currently sold in the Umbria region (Italy), starting from the food miles indicator as a simple concept, easily understood by consumers. These brands differ in the origin of milk (national, regional and local) and distribution channels (large-scale retail channels for national and regional brands and vending machines for the local one). Thus, we estimated the emissions generated by the transport of the fresh milk consumed by regional households. In agreement with previous studies about CO 2 emissions of foreign milk supply chains, the analysis showed that the production system of regional-branded milk, sold by retail channels, is the most efficient in terms of the environmental impact of transport.

Document type: Article

Safety of children in cars: A review of biomechanical aspects and human body models

Scipedia content — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 11:04:09 +0100

The protection of children in motor vehicle crashes has improved since the introduction of child restraint systems. However, motor vehicle crashes remain one of the top leading causes of death for children. Today, computer-aided engineering is an essential part of vehicle development and it is anticipated that safety assessments will increasingly rely on simulations. Therefore, this study presents a review of important biomechanical aspects for the safety of children in cars, including child human body models, for scenarios ranging from on-road driving, emergency maneuvers, and pre-crash events to crash loading. The review is divided into four parts: Crash safety, On-road driving for forward facing children, Numerical whole body models, and Discussion and future outlook.The first two parts provide ample references and a state-of-the-art description of important biomechanical aspects for the safety of children in cars. That children are not small adults has been known for decades and has been considered during the development of current restraints that protect the child in the crash phase. The head, neck, thorax, and pelvis are body areas where development with age changes the biomechanics and the interaction with restraint systems. The rear facing child seat distributes the crash load over a large area of the body and has proved to be a very efficient means of reducing child injuries and fatalities. Children up to age 4. years need to be seated rearward facing for optimal protection, mainly because of the proportionally large head, neck anthropometry and cartilaginous pelvis. Children aged 4 up to 12. years should use a belt positioning booster together with the vehicle seat belt to ensure good protection, as the pelvis is not fully developed and because of the smaller size of these children compared to adults. On-road driving studies have illustrated that children frequently change seated posture and may choose slouched positions that are poor for lap belt interaction if seated directly on the rear seat. Emergency maneuvers with volunteers illustrate that pre-crash loading forces forward-facing children into involuntary postures with large head displacements, having potential influence on the risk of head impact. Children, similar to adults, benefit from the safety systems offered in the vehicle. By providing child adaptability of the vehicle, such as integrated booster cushions, the child-restraint interaction can be further optimized. An example of this is the significant reduction of lap belt misuse when using integrated boosters, due to the simplified and natural positioning of the lap belt in close contact with the pelvis. The research presented in this review illustrates that there is a need for enhanced tools, such as child human body models, to take into account the requirements of children of different ages and sizes in the development of countermeasures.To study how children interact with restraints during on-road driving and during pre- and in-crash events, numerical child models implementing age-specific anthropometric features will be essential. The review of human whole body models covers multi body models (age 1.5 to 15. years) and finite element models (ages 3, 6, and 10. years). All reviewed child models are developed for crash scenarios. The only finite element models to implement age dependent anthropometry details for the spine and pelvis were a 3. year-old model and an upcoming 10. year-old model. One ongoing project is implementing active muscles response in a 6. year-old multi body model to study pre-crash scenarios. These active models are suitable for the next important step in providing the automotive industry with adequate tools for development and assessment of future restraint systems in the full sequence of events from pre- to in-crash.

Document type: Article