Common Mode Of Transport Research Articles

The use of light fractional composition fuels in the electric flame jet of a diesel engine

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the development of the polar territories of our planet. A large number of minerals on land and in the shelves attracts the attention of our contemporaries. Development of these territories with a harsh climate is possible by using modern vehicles and mechanisms that ensure the exploration of sediment layers, extraction of deposits, transportation of rocks and raw materials. The most common mode of transportation in these conditions are motorized vehicles. One of the most important aspects in the operation of automotive equipment in conditions of temperatures below freezing point in a cold climate is the startup of the diesel engine after a long period of parking. The industry produces auxiliary equipment. In this regard, heat generators are widely used. There are individual and group heaters of various types, including flame and infrared heaters that can provide support in the pre-starting procedure. In addition, there are means to facilitate the start-up. The reliable start of a diesel engine is influenced by factors such as the temperature of the air charge, the operating torque of the crankshaft, the conditions of fuel spraying, the activity of heat exchange processes and the tightness of the mating of the cylinder-piston group parts. The use of fuels of light fractional composition with an electric flame jet or the so-called gas-electric flame jet can constitute an effective solution to the problem.

Examining the relationship between transportation mode and the experience of road traffic accident in the upper west region of Ghana

The recent alarming rates of morbidity and mortality associated with road traffic accidents (RTAs) is a major global public health concern. The United Nations Organization has recognized the enormity of this problem and specified target 6 of the Sustainable Development Goal 3 that aims to halve injuries and deaths from RTAs by the end of 2020. Current accident trends in many low- and middle-income countries, however, pose a significant challenge to the attainment of this all important target. This could be informed by how accident prevention strategies overlook prevailing local traveling choices. The present study examines different modes of daily travels in northern Ghana and the experience of accidents. Logistic regression models were fitted to a cross-sectional data sample of 741 individual surveys conducted in three districts in the Upper West Region (UWR) of Ghana. Findings show that respondents who reported using motorcycle/tricycle as their common mode of transportation were more likely (AOR = 2.6, CI = 1.32,5.19) to experience accident compared with their car user counterparts. Also, participants were more likely (AOR = 1.17, CI = 1.03,1.32) to report experiencing an accident if their knowledge of speed limits was poor while high road safety perceptions was associated with lower likelihood (AOR = 0.95, CI = 0.91,1.00) of experiencing an accident. Although car accident is the most common form of RTAs in Ghana, the results of this study show that motorcycle/tricycle accident is common in the UWR. It is therefore important for accident prevention strategies to recognize contextual differences and nuances that inform transport choices and the associated risk of accidents.

Spatial analysis of shared e-scooter trips

Shared e-scooters have become a common mode of transportation in many cities around the world. E-sooters provide convenient and quick rides for short distances and can act as a connection for first/last mile trips. To date, limited studies have explored the spatial variation of e-scooter trips and there is knowledge to be gained by investigating variables associated with e-scooter trip generation. This study implemented a spatial analysis approach, Geographical Weighted Regression (GWR), to explore how factors relating to demographics, density, diversity, design, urbanism scores, distance to transit and other transportation-related variables influence e-scooter trips in Louisville, KY. More than 400,000 e-scooter trips across 159 Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZs) were included in the study. Results show TAZ-level factors including land use, age distribution, gender distribution, Walk Score and Park Score impacted the density of e-scooters trips in the TAZ. The GWR model showed improvements over a global Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model. Local goodness of fit ranged from 0.732–0.895 across the study area. This study can help governments and e-scooter sharing companies develop policies that maximize e-scooter use, equity, and accessibility while improving the mobility of cities.

Commuter PM exposure and estimated life-expectancy loss across multiple transportation modes in Xi’an, China

Commuters are reportedly exposed to severe traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) during their commuting trips. This study was designed and implemented to (1) compare particulate matter (PM) exposure across four common transportation modes; (2) examine and analyze various determining factors; and (3) estimate public health effects caused by commuting exposure to PM. All analyses and calculations were based on the experimental data collected from 13 volunteers, including heart-rate data on 336 commuting trips in four travel modes in Xi’an China. The results indicate highest PM exposure associated with cycling (average PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 of 114.35, 72.37 and 56.51 μg/m3, respectively), followed by riding transit buses (116.29, 67.60 and 51.12 μg/m3 for the same pollutants, respectively), then taking a taxi (97.61, 58.87 and 45.11 μg/m3), and the lowest exposure onboard subways (55.86, 46.20 and 40.20 μg/m3). A multivariable linear regression model was used to examine major influences on PM concentration variations, with results corroborating significant PM variance across commuting modes, which is also affected by background pollution concentration and relative humidity. Further, years of life expectancy (YLE) loss were estimated using an inhalation dose model together with the life table method: cycling commuters experienced the greatest YLE loss (5.51–6.43 months per capita for the studied age group). During severe pollution periods, substituting other modes (like subway) for cycling could effectively avoid acute exposure. PM2.5 levels in taxi cabins powered by CNG or methanol were comparatively lower, indicating that implementing alternative energy strategies could effectively lower traffic emissions and population exposure.

DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF DRUG SCREENING IMMUNOASSAYS IN DRUG FACILITATED CRIMES

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of immunoassays in drug screening as required in emergency for the rapid diagnosis of drug intoxication in travel related crimes.
 Study Design: Diagnostic accuracy study.
 Place and Duration of Study: department of Chemical Pathology and Endocrinology, Armed Forces Institute ofPathology, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jul 2017 to Jun 2018.
 Methodology: Sealed urine specimens of 77 patients with history of suspected intoxication in drugs facilitatedstreet crimes, received for toxicology screening were included in the study. All the specimens were analysed,initially on immunoassay (index test) and then on Triple Quadrupole Liquid chromatography–Mass spectrometry (reference standard). Benzodiazepine being the main class of drugs involved in travel related crimes, diagnostic accuracy of immunoassay technique was assessed for these by calculating its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value.
 Results: Victims were predominantly males and public transportation was the most common mode of transport. The most commonly used drug was Lorazepam. Immunoassay failed to detect few cases who were shown to be intoxicated with benzodiazepines by liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The false negative rate was 4.9%. Only one false positive case was observed. The accuracy was calculated to be 94.8% with sensitivity of 95.08% and specificity of 93.7%.
 Conclusion: Immunoassay was found reliable for rapid testing in drug facilitated intoxication cases. Howevercritical decision making should be done cautiously keeping in mind the limitations associated with thesescreening procedures.

The Choice of Multimodal Transport Mode of Agricultural By‐Product Logistics in Land‐Sea New Corridor in Western China Based on Big Data

The “new land‐sea corridor” has brought cross‐border facilitation and increased trade financing channels. It not only has long been a road‐sea transportation corridor but also has been upgraded to a trade corridor. As one of the most inclusive cities, Chongqing, with the help of this channel, can bring more dividends and international resources to the entire western region. Through the logistics base of Singaporean‐Chongqing cooperation in multimodal transport, Chongqing can play an important role as a channel operation center and an important logistics hub. Some international shipping resources will be extended to Chongqing, letting the whole western region share the agricultural by‐products brought by Southeast Asian countries. Multimodal transport is a common mode of transport in international trade; it combines various modes of transport organically, brings into play the advantages of various modes of transport, and can reduce costs to a large extent. At present, multimodal transport is mostly used for importing and exporting goods; multimodal transport is not widely used in agricultural by‐product logistics transportation. Multimodal combination will be used in the transportation of agricultural by‐product logistics; it can avoid the shortcomings of simply using road transportation and make the logistics transportation cost of agricultural by‐products lower and management more convenient. Based on the large data, this paper considers factors such as route factors, transfer mode selection, and window meeting time in the transfer process; a mathematical model and advanced colony ant algorithm can be used to solve the transfer optimization problem of a very large fleet of agricultural by‐product logistics. This solution can provide instructions and suggestions for companies that should increase relevant scientific research.

Theoretical Analysis of the Motorcycle Front Brake Heating Process during High Initial Speed Emergency Braking

Motorcycles are a common mode of transport. They are used both for a conventional purpose - as a way to cover the distance from A to B, but more and more often they are a way of recreation. The choice of bikes is huge on the market: from scooters, threw small city bikes, to high-speed performance or racing machines. High speeds is closely related to high kinetic energy of movement. In case of emergency stopping, the brakes may overheat and cause fading. In this study, it was decided to check how the initial speed affects the motorcycle brake heating process. FEM was used for this purpose.

Assessing Knowledge and Perceptions of Health Care Workers toward Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Objective: To assess the knowledge and perceptions of health care workers towards coronavirus (COVID-19)in most of the governorates of Iraq.Method: A cross-sectional survey, web-based study was conducted among HCWs about COVID- 19 duringthe last two weeks of April 2020. Knowledge and Perception were assessed by five components adaptedfrom the Ebola knowledge scale, and A 7-item instrument this part was developed using WHO coursematerials on Emerging respiratory for viruses COVID-19 and distributed randomly to HCWs using socialmedia. Descriptive statistics were used to express participants’ demographic information, mean knowledgescore and mean Perception score of HCWs. Chi squares tests were used to assess the association betweenstudy variables and Perception questions was used to identify the level of association among variables at thesignificance level of p<0.05.Result: (184) participated of HCWs complete the survey (64.1%) are males, aged 20-29 years (54.3%),and most of them are Nurse (64.7%) and Lab-technicians (20.1%). Regarding COVID-19, most of themused social media to obtain the information (68%), About less than half of the respondents (41.30%)opined that COVID-19 was ? a severe illness transmitted to people from wild animals. Approximately87% of respondents identified “contact by airborne droplets through breathing, sneezing or coughing”as the most common mode of transportation; Most of the participants associated COVID-19 with fever(90.80%), shortness of breath (89.10%) and coughing (76.66%). Handwashing and social distraction werechosen by most respondents (95.70%) as a method of preventing infection while 9.80% reported consuminggin, garlic, ginger, herbal mixtures and foods/soups as precautions against COVID-19. The majority ofparticipants (81%) believed that COVID-19 is fatal; It was also noted that the social media (Whatsapp,Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.) are the most common source of health information about COVID-19(65.20%). demonstrated a positive perception of prevention and control towards COVID-19. Most elementsof Perception were significantly associated with gender and age at (P <0.05).Conclusions: The results of this study showed that healthcare workers have a good knowledge and positivePerception towards COVID-19. As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is critical toadditional education interventions and campaigns are required for healthcare workers.

Considering the Potential Health Impacts of Electric Scooters: An Analysis of User Reported Behaviors in Provo, Utah.

Electric scooters (e-scooters) are an increasingly popular form of transportation in urban areas. While research on this topic has focused primarily on injuries, there are multiple mechanisms by which e-scooter share programs may impact health. The aim of this study is to explore the health-related behaviors of e-scooter users and to discuss their implications for public health. Data were collected using an online survey emailed to registered e-scooter users. A total of 1070 users completed the survey. Descriptive variable statistics and chi-squared analysis were performed to determine variable dependent relationships and equality of proportions. The most common destinations reported were “just riding around for fun”, home, and dining/shopping. The two most common modes of transportation that would have been used if e-scooters were not available were walking (43.5%) and using a personal vehicle (28.5%). Riding behavior was equally mixed between on the street, on the sidewalk, and equal amounts of both. e-Scooters in Provo are likely having both positive (e.g., air pollution) and negative impacts on health (e.g., injuries, physical inactivity). Future research should further explore patterns of e-scooter use and explicitly examine the linkages between e-scooters and areas of health beyond just injuries.

Referrals to a pediatric emergency department of a tertiary care teaching hospital before and after introduction of a referral education module - a quality improvement study

BackgroundProvision of timely care to critically ill children is essential for good outcome. Referral from smaller peripheral hospitals to higher centers for intensive care is common. However, lack of an organized referral and feedback system compromises optimal care. We studied the quality of referral letters coming to our Emergency Department (ED) with respect to their demography, association with severity of illness and mortality before and after referral education.MethodsOur study was completed in three phases in the Pediatric ED; Pre-intervention, Intervention and Post intervention phases. Quality of referral letter was matched with a quality checklist proforma and graded as ‘good’, ‘fair’ and ‘poor’ if it scored > 7, 5–7 and < 5 points respectively. A peer reviewed referral education module was prepared using case studies, expert opinions, and lacunae observed in the first phase and administered to health care providers (HCP’s) of referring hospitals. Quality of referral letter was compared between pre and post intervention phases.ResultsMost referrals belonged to the neighboring states of Punjab (48.2%) and Haryana (22.4%). Major referring hospitals were from public sector (80.9%), of which the teaching hospitals topped the list (53.6%). Government run ambulance services (85.5%) was commonest mode of transport used and need for a PICU bed and/or mechanical ventilation (50.4%) was the commonest reason for referral. The post intervention phase saw a significant decline in the proportion of poor (93.2 vs.78.2%; p = 0.001) and a significant increase in the proportion of fair (6.1 vs 18%; p = 0.001) and good referral letters (0.7 vs 18%; p = 0.001). The proportion of children with physiological decompensation at triage had reduced significantly in the post intervention phase [513 out of 1403 (36.5%) vs. 310 out of 957 (32.3%); p = 0.001].ConclusionReferral education had significantly improved the quality of referral letters. Proportion of children with physiological decompensation at triage had decreased significantly after referral module. This change suggests sensitization of the peripheral hospitals towards a better referral process. Continued multifaceted approach will be required for sustained and increased benefits.

Flow visualization over an Indian auto-rickshaw model

From the late twentieth century, spark-ignition engine powered Indian auto-rickshaw is treated as the most common mode of transportation for rural and urban area activities. This three-wheeler vehicle is found to be an economic mode of transport for shorter distances. This study focuses on the flow visualization over the vehicle using smoke based visualization technique. The visualization is achieved by using a monochromatic laser sheet on the vehicle with seeding particles at various operating conditions. This visualization study helps researchers to understand the external flow physics. The results in terms of flow pattern obtained with the visualization gives an understanding of the wake formation by the vehicle. The results also indicate the presence of complex flow around the vehicle.

Interactions of Ionophoric Polyphenols with Human Serum Albumin

The distribution of a drug is determined, at least in part, by its interactions with serum proteins. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant blood plasma protein, serves as the most common mode of transport for drugs to their target. In our previous work, we have synthesized and studied important characteristics of a series of ionophoric polyphenols as potential anti‐Alzheimer’s disease agents. As part of our ongoing investigations on the biological activity of these compounds, we are now exploring possible transport mechanisms. In our current work, the interactions of the ionophoric polyphenols with HSA were studied via in vitro and in silico methods. In line with in vitro studies, the interaction of the ionophoric polyphenols with HSA were studied by fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies to obtain binding affinities, bimolecular quenching constants, theoretical number of binding sites and HSA secondary structural changes. Moreover, in line with in silico studies, a preferred mode of binding was predicted by molecular docking and the predicted systems were subject to a 5 ns MD simulation; consequently, RMSD studies were performed to attest for stability of the systems, MM/GBSA binding free energies were calculated to correlate with experimental binding affinities and per‐residue energy decomposition analyses were carried out to analyze residues critical to binding. Using resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound which has demonstrated strong neuroprotective and anti‐Alzheimer disease properties, as a control, in vitro results showed the formation of adducts (static quenching), one theoretical binding site, binding constants (Ka) ranging 104 to 106 M−1 and only slight secondary structure modifications between HSA and the ionophoric polyphenols. Further, in silico results revealed the ionophoric polyphenols and resveratrol favorably binding subdomain IIA of HSA, forming critical interactions to Trp 214 and Asp451. RMSD studies showed the HSA‐IIA system plateauing after a short time indicating stable binding events; in addition, a Pearson correlation coefficient of R=0.80 between the experimental binding affinity and computational binding free energies showed a strong correlation between in vitro and in silico results. Overall, our results seem to indicate that there is a ionophoric polyphenol‐serum albumin interaction, which could have a potential impact on the use of ionophoric polyphenols as therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease.Support or Funding InformationThis research used resources of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility operated under Contract No. DE‐AC02‐05CH11231.

Brought in dead cases to a tertiary referral paediatric emergency department in India: a prospective qualitative study

ObjectivesBrought in dead (BID) presentation is profoundly related to prehospital variables including disease-related determinants and social and system-related factors. Identifying these factors would help us recognise various gaps in health...

PAVEMENT CONDITION ANALYSIS VIA VEHICLE MOUNTED ACCELEROMETER DATA

Road anomalies and irregularities such as potholes and uneven surfaces are a common hazard in South East Asia and developing countries. Such hazards pose a threat to the safety and well-being of both civilians going about their daily routine and tourists who are exploring the city. Since bicycles and rickshaws are still a common mode of transport used by both civilians and tourists in many South East Asian countries, it is essential to improve the overall quality and smoothness of pavements which are traversed by these vehicles. Management of international sporting and recreational events also require satisfactory road and pavement conditions. Before pavement conditions can be improved, it is an essential prerequisite to obtain comprehensive information about road irregularities such as the location and also severity of the road irregularity (depth of the potholes and height of bumps). In this paper, we propose a method for obtaining mathematical models that represent the overall condition of the pavements that are part of a commonly traversed cycling route. Such mathematical models and coefficients can be stored in the cloud of an Internet of Things (IOT) data analytics systems subsequently leading to identification of regions with severe road irregularities.&#x0D; ABSTRAK: Kerosakan pada permukaan jalan raya merupakan salah satu faktor risiko kemalangan yang berlaku secara meluas di negara Asia Tenggara dan negara membangun yang lain. Memandangkan kenderaan seperti beca dan basikal masih diguna pakai secara meluas di negara membangun, adalah mustahak untuk membaik pulih kerosakan jalan raya. Pengurusan sukan antarabangsa dan rekreasi juga memerlukan keadaan jalan dan laluan pejalan kaki yang baik. Sebelum kerja membaik pulih dapat dilakukan, maklumat lengkap mengenai tahap kerosakan jalan raya dan lokasi kerosakan diperlukan. Dalam kajian ini satu kaedah telah diperkenalkan untuk mendapatkan persamaan matematik yang menggambarkan keadaan sebenar permukaan jalan raya, di mana sebahagiannya merupakan laluan berbasikal yang selalu digunakan. Model matematik dan pekali ini boleh di simpan dalam sistem analisis data awan Internet Benda (IOT) kemudiannya dapat mengenal pasti kawasan jalan yang rosak dan tidak rata.

A Series of Three Aircraft Emergency Public Health Alerts at an International Airport Over a Six Week Period due to Suspected Contaminated Cabin Air

Air travel is a safe, common mode of transport for both work and leisure activities. It can be associated with health risks, with exposure to toxic compounds or fumes in the aircraft cabin resulting in a variety of clinical symptoms. We report on three aircraft incidents which resulted in passenger and crew illness and necessitated emergency landings at Dublin International Airport. We obtained details on the three incidents from the National Ambulance Service Operations Centre dispatch system and staff, regional public health specialists and the National Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU). We conducted a chart review of all passengers and crew who attended the hospital Emergency Department (ED) and consulted with the attending ED physician. Twenty-three crew and passengers reported feeling unwell on the three flights over a six week summer period. Symptoms included dizziness, headache, and throat and eye irritation. On one flight there was a severe odour. Fifteen crew and passengers from the first two incidents were treated at a hospital ED. One case had a low oxygen saturation, and another required oral steroids and nebulised bronchodilator. The AAIU did not find a cause for illness on assessment of all three aircraft. The three aircraft incidents described highlight the potential safety risk of air quality alterations. While there is no evidence that serious health events occurred in these events, sharing of experiences on similar events may lead to increased understanding of these complex events and ensure that aircrafts are a safe environment in which to travel and work.

Methods to Detect and Reduce Driver Stress: A Review

Automobiles are the most common modes of transportation in urban areas. An alert mind is a prerequisite while driving to avoid tragic accidents; however, driver stress can lead to faulty decision-making and cause severe injuries. Therefore, numerous techniques and systems have been proposed and implemented to subdue negative emotions and improve the driving experience. Studies show that conditions such as the road, state of the vehicle, weather, as well as the driver’s personality, and presence of passengers can affect driver stress. All the above-mentioned factors significantly influence a driver’s attention. This paper presents a detailed review of techniques proposed to reduce and recover from driving stress. These technologies can be divided into three categories: notification alert, driver assistance systems, and environmental soothing. Notification alert systems enhance the driving experience by strengthening the driver’s awareness of his/her physiological condition, and thereby aid in avoiding accidents. Driver assistance systems assist and provide the driver with directions during difficult driving circumstances. The environmental soothing technique helps in relieving driver stress caused by changes in the environment. Furthermore, driving maneuvers, driver stress detection, driver stress, and its factors are discussed and reviewed to facilitate a better understanding of the topic.

Walking the First/Last Mile to/from Transit: Placemaking a Key Determinant

Sustainable mobility concerns have seen cities introducing mass transit systems, but travel choice factors such as accessibility, convenience, comfort and safety cannot be addressed through a transit system alone. A trip made on a transit system requires commuters to utilise more than one mode of transport. Walking is generally the most common transport mode to access and egress transit stops. While there is evidence on the pedestrian environment influencing transit ridership, only a few studies have explored how it affects the share of people who walk to/from transits, especially in the context of the developing world. This article postulates that the pedestrian environment influences users’ decision to walk the last mile, substantiating it with the findings of a study of transit users across the metro stations of Delhi, India. A pedestrian environment index is developed by including elements of the built form and activities adjacent to the network of streets, in addition to the pedestrian infrastructure quality. Interestingly, the route environment is found to have a significant and much higher correlation with walk share in contrast to pedestrian infrastructure availability. Within the route environment, the sub-indicator that impacts walk share the most is placemaking. It highlights the significance of planning for an enhanced pedestrian environment in a larger context of the catchment area, in contrast to the current myopic approach of station-centric pedestrian infrastructure provisioning.

Impacts of congestion pricing and reward strategies on automobile travelers’ morning commute mode shift decisions

This paper studies the impacts of congestion pricing and reward strategies on automobile travelers’ morning commute mode shift decisions using stated preference travel mode choice data of over 1000 automobile travelers collected in Beijing inner districts. To address the complex impacts of these strategies on automobile travelers, a stage-based model framework is developed to analyze their mode shift decision-making process (whether they will shift from using automobile to public transit, biking or walking or continue using automobile) under these strategies. Four multilevel structural equation models are created for participants using automobile (personal vehicle and/or taxi) as the most common mode of transportation (hereafter referred to as “more habitual automobile travelers”) and those using automobile as second most common mode (hereafter referred to as “less habitual automobile travelers”) under each strategy. Model estimation results show that the impacts of latent psychological factors on mode shift decisions under congestion pricing and reward strategies are significantly different between more and less habitual automobile travelers. The results also show that congestion pricing strategies are more effective than reward strategies in promoting mode shifts among more habitual automobile travelers, while the opposite is observed for less habitual automobile travelers. This study provides insights for designing congestion pricing and reward strategies and illustrates the importance of developing complementary modules that target numerous factors in different stages of the mode shift decision-making process to effectively promote mode shifts from automobile to sustainable travel modes in China.

Commuter exposure to particulate matters in four common transportation modes in Nanjing

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the major air pollutants in China. Traffic-related microenvironments are the typical scenarios exposed to high PM concentrations. This paper investigates the personal exposure to PM during commuting in Nanjing in four transportation modes, i.e. subway, bicycle, bus and walking. The measurements were conducted in a heavy-traffic street during rush hours in summer and winter. The result reveals significant PM concentration differences between various commuting modes. Passengers in subway cabin are exposed to lowest PM1 (38.3 μg/m3) and PM2.5 (54.4 μg/m3) concentrations, while passengers in subway station are exposed to highest PM2.5 (90.5 μg/m3). Pedestrians are exposed to highest PM1 (59.5 μg/m3). Both outdoor and indoor-generated particles contribute a lot to the particles in subway station and 63.4% of the PM2.5 generated in subway station are between 1 μm and 2.5 μm in size. Most particles in subway cabin are from subway station and most particles in bus cabin come from the outdoor air, while indoor sources contribute little. Spatial particle concentration variations were observed in subway station. The particle concentration at a deeper level is usually higher than the concentration at a shallower level. Substantial particles within 1–2.5 μm in size were observed at the platform and the portion within 1–2.5 μm decreased at shallower levels. The PM inhalation during subway trip is lowest while the inhalations during walking and cycling are more than 5 times higher. During a short distance subway trip, the exposure in subway station contributes most of the total particle inhalation during the entire subway trip.

Congestion-Aware Ride-Sharing

In its current form, ride-sharing is responsible for a small fraction of traffic load compared to other transportation modes, especially private vehicles. As its benefits became more evident, and obstacles, e.g., lack of liability legislation, that may hinder its larger scale adoption are being overcome, ride-sharing will be a more common mode of transportation. In particular, autonomous vehicles (AVs) are showing their proficiency on the roads, which may also catalyze ride-sharing ubiquity. For example, while an AV owner is at work, he may find it appealing to offer his AV as a service or rent it to Uber so that the vehicle serves others’ transportation requests. Furthermore, this disruptive technology is backed up by companies like Google (Waymo), Tesla, and Uber. Therefore, ride-sharing will soon become a source of traffic congestion itself. In this article, we present an efficient congestion-aware ride-sharing algorithm which, instead of finding optimal travel plans based on traffic load generated by other means of transportation, it computes optimal travel plans for thousands of ride-sharing requests within a time interval. Note that in this problem, an optimal travel plan for a group of requests may affect an already computed travel plan for another concurrent group of requests, therefore plans cannot be isolated from each other.