Seating Capacity Research Articles

New survey shows COVID-19's impacts on South Carolina oyster farmers and offers hope for recovery

This article is a summary of six months of research on how COVID-19 has affected South Carolina oyster aquaculture farms. This research has four goals: to better understand oyster consumption and purchases, to assess the impact of COVID-19 restaurant closures and reduced seating capacity on oyster consumption, to forecast oyster consumption trends, and to discover methods for marketing oysters for home consumption. . . .

Integrated optimization of capacitated train rescheduling and passenger reassignment under disruptions

During railway operations, unexpected events may influence normal traffic flows. This paper focuses on a train rescheduling problem for handling large disruptions, such as a rolling stock breakdown leading to a cancelled train service, where passenger reassignment strategies have to be considered. A novel mixed-integer linear programming formulation is established with consideration of train retiming, reordering, rerouting, and reservicing (addition of extra stops). The proposed mathematical formulation considers planning extra stops for non-canceled trains in order to transport the disrupted passengers, which were supposed to travel on the canceled train, to their pre-planned destination stations. Other constraints deal with limited seat capacity and track capacity, and mapping train rescheduling with passenger reassignment. A bi-objective function is optimized by a weighted-sum method to maximize the number of disrupted passengers reaching their destination stations and to minimize the weighted total train delay for all non-canceled trains at their destinations. A series of numerical experiments based on a part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line is carried out to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed model and to perform a sensitivity analysis of various performance factors. The results show that an optimal reassignment plan of disrupted passengers is important to achieve real-time efficiency of traffic and re-ticketing. The impact of passenger reassignment on train rescheduling is influenced by the weights for objectives, duration of disruption, allowed additional dwell and running times, and relationship between passenger demand and total available train capacity.

Taxi vs. demand responsive shared transport systems: An agent-based simulation approach

Public transport in urban and suburban areas is not always able to meet population's need of accessibility to jobs, education, health and other opportunities in terms of routes and frequencies; therefore, those who do not own a private vehicle, or who cannot afford individual public transport (e.g. taxis), are often in a condition of social exclusion. Taking advantages of new ICT tools and facilities, Demand Responsive Shared Transport (DRST) services can provide “on demand” transport gathering ride bookings of different users and routing a fleet of vehicles to satisfy passengers' needs while minimizing the cost for the operator.In this paper, different DRST service configurations are compared to taxi services to investigate their economic attractiveness and sustainability. This is done by using an agent-based simulation model applied to the case of Ragusa (Italy), a city with poor public transport supply, where an innovative DRST service has already been experimented. A set of 50 different scenarios has been simulated, by varying the numbers of vehicles and seat capacity, and considering different demand rates and route choice strategies of the vehicles. Results are analyzed according to different key performance indicators, mainly showing that the DRST system is more advantageous than taxis when dealing with higher demand rates. On the other hand, the efficiency of the DRST system is rather limited compared to taxis in the case of low transport demand and fleets with a small number of vehicles. Between high and low demand there is a balance between the taxi and the DRST systems, where one should deepen the analysis to identify optimal operational parameters. These results pave the way for further analyses to help the planning and design of intermediate transport services like DRST, which are able to bridge the gap between collective and individual transport in urban and suburban areas.

A SWOT analysis of physical infrastructure in government-owned university libraries in Ogun State, Nigeria

The adequacy of the physical infrastructure of three government-owned university libraries in Ogun State, Nigeria, were evaluated using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Results showed that the libraries have strengths in terms of their geographical locations, accessibility by road, ventilation, space for individual activities, and shelving. Infrastructural weaknesses are in the areas of service to the physically challenged, noise and seating capacity. Poor maintenance and funding are threats to the libraries’ infrastructure. It is recommended that accrediting bodies consider reviewing standard requirements for seating capacity, while serious attention should be paid to the needs of the physically challenged in the construction of library buildings.

Seat Assignments With Physical Distancing in Single-Destination Public Transit Settings.

While the importance of physical (social) distancing in reducing the spread of COVID-19 has been well-documented, implementing similar controls in public transit remains an open question. For instance, in the United States, guidance for maximum seating capacity in single-destination public transit settings, such as school buses, is only dependent on the physical distance between passengers. In our estimation, the available models/guidance are suboptimal/inefficient since they do not account for the possibility of passengers being from the same household. This paper discusses and addresses the aforementioned limitation through two types of physical distancing models. First, a mixed-integer programming model is used to assign passengers to seats based on the reported configuration of the vehicle and desired physical distancing requirement. In the second model, we present a heuristic that allows for household grouping. Through several illustrative scenarios, we show that seating assignments can be generated in near real-time, and the household grouping heuristic increases the capacity of the transit vehicles (e.g., airplanes, school buses, and trains) without increasing the risk of infection. A running application and its source code are available to the public to facilitate adoption and to encourage enhancements.

Design and modeling of an electric vehicle for facilitating door delivery of online orders

This research has modeled an electric vehicle with single person seating capacity using Solidworks software. The aim of this study is to design an electric vehicle model for facilitating door delivery of online orders. It is expected that the continued growth of electronic commerce will add 36 percent much delivery vehicles onto roads by 2030 and create 32 percent more carbon dioxide than they perform nowadays. It becomes clear that electronic commerce firms must move away from petrol engines and create new delivery vehicle forms that are much cleaner, cheaper and sustainable for delivery boys. The proposed design will be an efficient solution for enabling delivery of products in a sustainable way.

Multimodal shortest hyperpaths considering crowding in transit

In rush hours, the onboard crowd level within transit vehicles is a problem of any large city. At the expense of time savings, some users will avoid riding crowded lines if they consider that transit vehicles do not have enough personal space. This paper presents a hypergraph model and an algorithm to find multimodal shortest hyperpaths considering the user constraints on the sequence of boarded modes and their preferences of onboard crowding levels. It is assumed that transit inter-arrivals are random. A penalty for riding transit vehicles is defined to model how the users perceive the onboard crowd levels. This penalty depends on the onboard crowd levels and the seating capacity of the vehicles. A state-automaton is used to model the user constraints on the sequence of boarded modes. To find the shortest hyperpaths, the user selects their origin, destination, the maximum number of modal transfers, and the onboard crowd level threshold.

Aircraft and passenger recovery during an aircraft’s unexpected unavailability

Airlines design their initial schedules under the assumption that all resources will be available on time and flights will operate as planned. However, some disruptions occur due to mechanical failures and unexpected delays of maintenance, making the aircraft unavailable for a certain period of time. These deviations from the initial plan result in high operational costs in addition to the serious inconveniences experienced by passengers. In order to handle aircraft and passenger recovery problems simultaneously, we work on integrated networks at which aircraft routings and passenger itineraries are superimposed. Consequently, we could calculate the actual profit and cancellation cost by evaluating each passenger itinerary while considering the seat capacity limitations. In our computational results, we use a daily schedule of a major U.S. airline and clearly demonstrate that there is an optimal trade-off between operating and passenger-related costs.

Evaporative misters for urban cooling and comfort: effectiveness and motivations for use.

Thermal comfort is an important determinant of quality of life and economic vitality in cities. Strategies to improve thermal comfort may become a more critical part of urban sustainability efforts with projections of continued urban growth and climate change. A case study was performed in the hot, dry summertime climate of Tempe, Arizona to quantify the influence of evaporative misters on the thermal environment in outdoor restaurants and to understand business managers' motivations to use misters. Microclimate measurements (air temperature (Ta), wind speed, relative humidity, globe temperature) were taken at five restaurants midday within four exposures: misted sun, misted shade, sun only, and shade only. We assessed Ta, mean radiant temperature (MRT), universal thermal climate index (UTCI), and physiological equivalent temperature (PET) between these four conditions within each location. Misters improved thermal comfort across all days, sites, and exposure conditions. MRT was on average 7.6 °C lower in misted locations, which significantly lowered average PET (- 6.5 °C) and UTCI (- 4.4 °C) (p < 0.05). Thermal comfort was most improved using mist in combination with shade. Under such conditions, PET and UTCI were reduced by 15.5 °C and 9.7 °C (p < 0.05), respectively. Business managers identified customer comfort and increased seating capacity as the principal factors for mister use. Esthetics of misters further encouraged use, while cost and environmental concerns were perceived to be less important. While this case study demonstrates value in outdoor misting in a hot, dry climate, additional work is needed to more fully evaluate tradeoffs between cost, water use, and comfort with continuing urban growth.

Independent restaurant operator perspectives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions and attitudes of South Carolina independent full-service restaurant operators in relation to the operational and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach that first partnered with local administrative and governmental bodies to disseminate a short survey. The survey was open to respondents for a 5-week period, beginning May 4th, 2020, which was when restaurants were permitted to reopen indoor dining, but with seating capacity restrictions to ensure social distancing. The second qualitative stage employed semi-structured post-survey interviews with selected independent restaurant operators from across the state. The results indicated that 25% of the restaurants polled did not survive the nearly two-month closure. Less than a quarter of respondents were unable to bring back their company’s employees to pre-pandemic levels. The CARES Act financial relief programs were favored by most (81%) of the surveyed restaurant operators. Approximately 65% of the respondents did not feel they could keep their restaurants open if the pandemic restrictions remained in place until 2021. The respondents were split as to the future viability of the hospitality and tourism industry. The study offers guidance and managerial strategies for other independent full-service restaurant operators, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve.

ASSESSMENT OF SERVICE QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM

Transportation is an indistinguishable component of any society. Provision of luxury transportation at favorable rates to general public is the need of the day for societal comfort. Research has been done to assess the service and efficiency level of(Bus Rapid Transit)BRT system by evaluating initial parameters including passenger’s attitudes towards quality, safety, security, and service provided by Metro bus Lahore as well as identifying problems encountered by passengers. In Pakistan, local transportation play significant role for travelers to commute whereas the vast transportation system of Lahore and construction of Metro Bus Transit System with consideration to balance demands of traffic has provided safer, economical and secure public transport system to the people. This research has been carried out from Shahdara to Gujjumata. The questionnaire-based survey was conducted. which was comprised of questions according to problems, needs of passengers and indicators which were set to identify the service quality of Metro Bus. It is revealed from analysis that majority of people are satisfied from service quality, punctuality, accessibility and efficiency provided by BRT system. It is also observed that this service is user-friendly for physically impaired persons. Dissatisfaction level was also observed on low seating capacity in buses, security, safety of users on board. This research suggests concerned authority to improve, enhance current passenger services and provide better services so that current users can enjoy services and attract new passengers to use Metro bus as well as imply international best practices in Pakistan urban transport.

All My Sons

All My Sons

Improving Room Carrying Capacity within Built Environments in the Context of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic that has struck the world since March 2019 has established an unusual modus operandi for all of us. During this transient situation, some of the activities have been severely altered, especially those which are performed in indoor spaces such as classrooms, restaurants, or libraries. As physical distance is mandatory in most countries, the capacity of these places has been severely reduced, causing unsustainable economic and logistical issues. This work aims to analyze the possible ways of distributing seats in symmetrical spaces for different uses and room sizes. For that purpose, the classical seat arrangement in rows and columns is compared with an equilateral triangle-based seat pattern, which is proposed as a better solution in most cases. Results show that a greater number of seats is achieved in most situations using the proposed patterns, with mean increases of 13% and peaks from 25% to 50% in some specific circumstances. A discussion about an optimized layout, shape and size of the furniture used in multiple seat tables is included. The outcome shall generate a positive impact on schools, colleges, restaurants, libraries, and similar built environments where seating capacity is crucial.

Seating Provision and Configuration of a 12m City Bus Considering Passenger Crowding

Seating capacity of a limited area significantly affects passenger crowding on a 12 m city bus, which is the main type of buses for public transport in China. This study aimed to provide an optimal solution for the seating capacity to adapt the passenger flow during operational periods. The study claimed that the seating capacity was defined by an overall crowding effect considering both the standees and seated passengers, whose demands for seat supply are different. It investigated the projected area of the seated passengers on board, defined the criteria regarding whether the current trip was a peak shift, and proposed a passenger crowding index for optimizing the seating capacity during two operational periods. It not only provided a recommended table between actual seating capacity and intensity coefficient varying along the two periods, but also discussed the number of 12 m buses with different seating capacities allocated to the bus line. It demonstrated the feasibility of the passenger crowding index through a case study and compared the effects of three main seat configurations existing on the 12 m city bus. It displayed that a seat capacity preferably ranged from 21 to 43 while only one seat configuration was allowed by the public transport enterprises.

Simulated acoustic characteristics of stage displacements in a shoebox hall: A case study in Cultural Centre Concert Hall in Taipei

Since Berlin Philharmonic Hall opened in 1963, surround hall configuration has been preferred and used worldwide by architects for its dramatic visual appearance and the proximity to stage. However, according to Beranek’s study, the top three concert halls in the world that have the best acoustics are in shoebox shape. To study the acoustic characteristics of stage displacement in a shoebox hall is the objective of this study. A simplified wired-frame model of Cultural Centre Concert Hall in Taipei is used as an example in this study. It is a stunning performing-arts building as mentioned by Beranek. Its seating capacity is 2077 and it is a shoebox hall. Five different stage displacements along the central axis have been used. The original ceiling configuration is used and moved with each stage displacements. Fixed materials and the relevant absorption coefficients are used in the study as well. Acoustic parameters such as music clarity, lateral refraction, early decay time as well as reverberation time (T30) are simulated. The results showed that for the best proximity, as stage and stage ceiling are moved toward the centre of shoebox hall, the simulated T30 could be increased to approximately 1.7 seconds in 1000 Hz. To meet the original T30 design goal in 2.25 s at 1000 Hz, about 600 m2 of NRC 0.88 acoustic panel were used.

An Electric Vehicle Routing Problem With Intermediate Nodes for Shuttle Fleets

In this article, we propose a variant of the electric vehicle routing problem considering explicitly the intermediate nodes. Ultimately aiming to provide an optimal routing plan for the shuttle fleet that serves to a university settlement internally, we consider a real road network by explicitly taking into account in the formulation the entire intersections existing and the time-varying passenger demand at shuttle stops, as well as the vehicle dynamics, battery, and recharging features. On purpose, a mathematical program to obtain the joint minimization of a number of objectives in terms of cost, i.e., vehicle operating, battery recharging, and recharging station purchasing, is formulated. Solutions employing an exact method are sought using models of mixed integer program within scenarios involving a number of features including the campus-wide passenger demand, seat capacity of shuttles, battery capacity of shuttles, and recharging station location. Further solutions to our model formulation have been obtained using a benchmark set of instances designed for a large-scale real network. Our findings show that considering a real road network as it is, is significant in exact routing solutions despite the fact that the level of network complexity is an issue. We suggest that a trade-off among the actuality of the network topology and the consequent computational load should be carefully made in order to obtain solutions using exact methods. As is shown, there is room to investigate further in details the dynamics of routing considering especially the effects of changes in flow conditions at intermediate nodes using our formulation.

The Early Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Aviation Industry

The goal of the paper is to assess early economics impact of Covid-19 on the aviation industry as it is one of the hardest hit industries. Covid-19 has an unprecedented impact on the international passenger seat capacity and gross passenger operating revenues of airlines. In the first part, we look at the impact of the pandemic on the economy as a whole and subsequently look at the economic cost of airlines. Two main elements are driving this negative trend – travel restrictions and overall economic development. We are currently experiencing the tightest international travel restrictions in the modern era of flight transportation with the economies worldwide experiencing a greater decline in GDP than during the last 3 recessions. In the second part, we look at two out of many possible path scenarios which are likely to drive the trend: V-shaped path and U-shaped path. All pandemic outbreaks before followed V-shaped scenario but Covid-19 has paralysed the society for longer with stricter governmental measures and so U-shaped scenario has to be taken into account as the most likely outcome for the aviation industry during this pandemic.

Estimation of direct energy consumption and CO2 emission by high speed rail, transrapid maglev and hyperloop passenger transport systems

This paper deals with estimation of direct energy consumption and related emissions of GHG exclusively, including CO2, by the High Speed Rail (HSR), Trans Rapid Maglev (TRM), and Hyperloop (HL) passenger transport systems. This includes developing the corresponding analytical models based on the mechanical energy and applying them according to the specified what-if operating scenarios. The analogous models are developed and applied to the Air Passenger Transport (APT) system for comparison purposes. The results of the application of the proposed models under given conditions have indicated that the average and total energy consumption and related emission of CO2 of the three systems have been generally sensitive, i.e. elastic to variations of the nonstop journey distance and the vehicle/train seating capacity. Their average values have decreased more than proportionally and total values in proportion with increasing of the nonstop journey distance. Both have decreased with increasing of the vehicle/train seating capacity per departure. In the case of supplying equivalent equally utilized transport capacities, the HSR and the TRM have had lower energy consumption and related emission of CO2 than the HL system. As well, the HSR, the TRM, and the HL have had lower energy consumption and related CO2 emission than the selected APT aircraft up to some ‘breaking’ journey distance under given what-if operating scenarios.

Study of emerging air taxi network operation using discrete-event systems simulation approach

This research focuses on understanding the air taxi operations to determine the number of air taxis required to fulfill the demand for urban air mobility in New York City (NYC). We leverage the Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify (DMADV) framework and integrate it with the systems simulation approach. Upon investigation, we find that all the parameters linearly impact the vehicle utilization, while other measures are robust, specifically with respect to the seating capacity. It is also recommended to operate initially with 70 air taxis in NYC to achieve a trade-off between customer wait time and vehicle utilization. The proposed approach can act as a recommender system for air taxi companies.

Reducing musculoskeletal complaints and fatigue through participatory ergonomics on the table and chair design of participants of Halal Assurance System (HAS) training in LPPOM MUI of Banten, Indonesia

Background: Halal Assurance System (HAS) training is mandatory for industries that will apply for halal certification at LPPOM MUI of Banten Province. In some trainings, the participants felt uncomfortable which can be seen from the level of fatigue and complaints caused by an uncomfortable sitting position due to poor design of tables and chairs. This condition is very detrimental to participants.Methods: This treatment by subject design study did from April to November 2019. The participants were who attended the HAS Training-23000 that fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Samples then grouped into three group with different condition in each. We took indoor environment data and each sample about sample characteristics and business characteristics. Muscle complaints took by subjective questionnaires before and after training. The data analyzed by SPSS and p&lt;0.05 was significant.Results: Total 120 participants were included consisting of 40 participants in each condition. Â The indoor environment conditions in the three conditions are the same (p&gt;0.05). There were significant reduce of score of musculoskeletal complaints and fatigue before and after trainings in each condition (p&lt;0.0001). Seats with multilevel arrangement (condition III) have the lowest value of musculoskeletal complaints and fatigue.Conclusions: The smooth communication among participants influences the speed in implementing participatory ergonomics. The use of tables and chairs with a seating capacity of 6 people/table is the most effective when compared to others. The application of participatory ergonomics can reduce musculoskeletal complaints and fatigue of participants of the Halal Assurance System.