Transport Related Research Research Articles

Transportation Research Challenges Based on the Analysis of EU Projects

In recent years several projects have been realised in the field of transportation, but there is a lack of systematic analysis of research challenges connected to these projects. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to provide an overview of these challenges through EU funded projects in the field of smart, green and integrated transport. Based on EU strategic documents, reports and roadmaps, 10 topics are identified playing a crucial role in transportation-related research. A systematic analysis of the projects is realised, where the projects collected from an online database in the Horizon 2020 framework programme from 2015 to 2020 are categorised into these topics. The results show that travel behaviour, big data and open data, sustainable mobility planning and smart solutions are covered by several projects which reflect the main research trends. While active and shared modes, multimodal transportation, trip optimisation and Mobility as a Service are also popular topics. Based on the results, the most underrepresented research areas are artificial intelligence and social networks. The analysis of the connections between the research topics could enable the achievement of a long-term paradigm shift in urban mobility, which is beneficial for researchers, professionals and policy makers.

More than walking and cycling: What is ‘active travel’?

Where has the concept of ‘active travel’ come from and where is it taking us? In this paper, we explore these questions, firstly, through a systematic review that summarises the growth of active travel research over the last 15 years. This suggests a tendency to equate or reduce active travel to simply walking and cycling. We then move on to explore what expanding this definition to include all “travel in which the sustained physical exertion of the traveller directly contributes to their motion” would mean for active travel research and the modes it studies. To do this, we provide a thematic review of the limited transport literature into wider active travel modes (such as running, kick scooting, skateboarding and wheelchair use). The thematic review discusses six threads (emergence, fun, inclusivity, safety, regulation, and design) that explore what is known about these wider active modes and how transport research characterises them. We conclude with a discussion of the likely implications of expanding the definition of active travel more widely for policy, practice and transport-related research. While not risk-free, we argue that embracing an expanded notion of active travel has much to offer and it should be approached more broadly within transport studies than it is.

Improvement of methods for assessing the effectiveness of dedicated lanes for public transport

There are different configurations of street and road networks in cities, which is why those transportation models that determine how effectively a public transport network is operated are different. Along with this, some transport areas may have characteristic features predetermined by the density of a street network, the intensity of individual and public traffic. The special feature of the current study is determining the operational effectiveness of dedicated lanes for public transport given a significant density of the main street and road network. Significant density is characterized by its value for the distance between adjacent intersections in the range of 150‒200 m. With such planning patterns, there is a mutual influence of the conditions of individual and public transport between adjacent intersections. An increase in the distance between intersections disrupts the stability of traffic flow through its disintegration into separate groups based on the dynamic characteristics of vehicles. A characteristic feature of the proposed procedure for evaluating the operational effectiveness of dedicated lanes is that the use of a GPS monitoring system makes it possible to relatively quickly determine the areas of the network where there are the greatest delays in movement in real time. After that, attention is focused on investigating the main factors of influence and their parameters followed by modeling. The reported results would in the future contribute to devising a clear sequence of transport-related research based on a set of their methods in order to acquire representative data and define adequate patterns. An important practical result is the use of not only established normative approaches to the design of dedicated lanes, which are common for all types of street and road networks but taking into consideration the peculiarities characteristic of their individual sections.

Comparison of Cycling Behavior between Keyboard-Controlled and Instrumented Bicycle Experiments in Virtual Reality

The use of virtual reality (VR) in transport research offers the opportunity to collect behavioral data in a controlled dynamic setting. VR settings are useful in the context of hypothetical situations in which real-world data does not exist or in situations which involve risk and safety issues making real-world data collection infeasible. Nevertheless, VR studies can contribute to transport-related research only if the behavior elicited in a virtual environment closely resembles real-world behavior. Importantly, as VR is a relatively new research tool, the best-practice with regards to the experimental design is still to be established. In this paper, we contribute to a better understanding of the implications of the choice of the experimental setup by comparing cycling behavior in VR between two groups of participants in similar immersive scenarios, the first group controlling the maneuvers using a keyboard and the other group riding an instrumented bicycle. We critically compare the speed, acceleration, braking and head movements of the participants in the two experiments. We also collect electroencephalography (EEG) data to compare the alpha wave amplitudes and assess the engagement levels of participants in the two settings. The results demonstrate the ability of VR to elicit behavioral patterns in line with those observed in the real-world and indicate the importance of the experimental design in a VR environment beyond the choice of audio-visual stimuli. The findings will be useful for researchers in designing the experimental setup of VR for behavioral data collection.

Overexpression of sugar transporter gene PbSWEET4 of pear causes sugar reduce and early senescence in leaves.

As the main energy source for generating ATP during plant growth and development, sugars are synthesized in leaves, while sugar allocation depends on both intracellular transport between different organelles and source-to-sink transport. However, sugar transport related research is limited in pear. Here, a sugar transporter PbSWEET4 was identified that control sugar content and senescence in leaf. Phylogenetic analysis and multiple sequence alignment results indicated that PbSWEET4 was homologous to AtSWEET15, which contained two conserved domains and could promote senescence. The qRT-PCR and transcriptome database result showed that the expression of PbSWEET4 was positively correlated with leaf development, especially highly expressed in older leaves. Furthermore, the evaluation of promoter-GUS activity also indicated that PbSWEET4 exhibited the highest expression level in older leaves. The subcellular localization revealed that the PbSWEET4 localized in the plasma membrane. Finally, overexpression of the PbSWEET4 in strawberry plants could reduce leaf sugar content and chlorophyll content, while accelerate leaf senescence, which might be due to enhanced export of sugars from leaves. These results enrich the knowledge about the function of sugar exporter in regulating the fruit species development, and provide a novel genetic resource for future improvement in carbohydrate partitioning for pear and other fruit trees.

The Physiology of Oxygen Transport by the Cardiovascular System: Evolution of Knowledge

The heart, vascular system, and red blood cells play fundamental roles in O2 transport. The fascinating research history that led to the current understanding of the physiology of O2 transport began in ancient Egypt in 3000 BC, when it was postulated that the heart was a pump serving a system of distributing vessels. Over 4 millennia elapsed before William Harvey (1578-1657) made the revolutionary discovery of blood circulation, but it was not until the 20th century that a lucid and integrative picture of O2 transport finally emerged. This review describes major research achievements contributing to this evolution of knowledge. These achievements include the discovery of the systemic and pulmonary circulations, hemoglobin within red blood cells and its ability to bind O2, and diffusion of O2 from the capillary as the final step in its delivery to tissue. The authors also describe the classic studies that provided the initial description of the basic regulatory mechanisms governing heart function (Frank-Starling law) and the flow of blood through blood vessels (Poiseuille's law). The importance of technical advances, such as the pulmonary artery catheter, the blood gas analyzer and oximeter, and the radioactive microsphere technique to measure the regional blood flow in facilitating O2 transport-related research, is recognized. The authors describe how religious and cultural constraints, as well as superstition-based medical traditions, at times impeded experimentation and the acquisition of knowledge related to O2 transport.

Costs a pretty penny: how household income impacts upon motorization in Europe and raises manufacturer branding challenges

Abstract This research starts from the findings of a previous study (Roșca, 2018) and intends to develop the preceding statistical model through testing new and more elaborated hypotheses based on the recommendations for future research made in the aforementioned work. The current paper tests demographic and transportation related variables for a multiple regression carried out at a confidence level of 95%. Regression results show a valid relationship between motorization and the selected regressors. Findings further reveal that motorization rates are most strongly influenced by the gross disposable income of households per capita (H4, β = 0.010, p = 0.000). Given that three of the demographic and transportation related research hypotheses have not been supported (age, overcrowding, fatalities), it might be argued that motorization should be looked upon more as a market(ing) feat rather than as a social or psychological fact. Car manufacturers should invest more in branding and in market segmentation in order to address the right target groups and properly position themselves with the customers. Branding, hence, becomes important as it creates an emotional connection between the corporate identity of the producers and the image that customers share about it. The closer the brand identity is to the brand image, the more of an impact the brand will have upon customers to spend part of their gross disposable income for car purchases. Starting from the main finding, this article also claims that future research needs to insist more upon the economic determinants of motorization (e.g. inflation, poverty rate, available resources, unemployment rate, interest rate etc.) and to determine their influence on brand preference and car ownership. At the same time, some other demographic variables such as age or generation could be double-checked, as researches provide shattered views upon their role: while some hold them as influential, others subjugate them to the economic determinants.

Combining Road Network Data from OpenStreetMap with an Authoritative Database

Computer modeling of road networks requires detailed and up-to-date dataset. This paper proposes a method of combining authoritative databases with OpenStreetMap (OSM) system. The complete route is established by finding paths in the graph constructed from partial data obtained from OSM. In order to correlate data from both sources, a method of coordinate conversion is proposed. The algorithm queries road data from OSM and provides means of locating any point on the route in both datasets. A method of calculating the distance of any route point from the origin, and conversion between the distance and geographic coordinates, is described. Next, the location of any route point in the authoritative database is converted to the calculated route distance, which establishes a relation between the two data sources. Additionally, a method of estimating road curvature is proposed. The algorithm is validated in series of experiments. The proposed algorithm may be beneficial for researchers who collect datasets needed for computer simulations, e.g. for evaluation of optimal speed limits, and it shows usefulness of OSM in transportation related research.

Organizational motivation, employee job satisfaction and organizational performance

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of motivation on job satisfaction and organizational performance in the context of container shipping companies in Taiwan. Four motivation dimensions were identified based on an exploratory factor analysis, including remuneration, job achievement, job security and job environment. In addition, five job satisfaction dimensions were identified, namely: job policy, job autonomy, job workload, job performance and job status. Organizational performance dimensions included financial and non-financial performance. Design/methodology/approach Factor analysis was used to summarize a large number of motivation, job satisfaction and organizational performance attributes to identify the crucial factors. Reliability tests based on Cronbach’s alpha and corrected item-total correlation coefficients was used to test the internal consistency of questionnaire responses. ANOVA tests were subsequently used to test for differences in respondents’ perception of these factors according to selected demographics. Finally, a multiple regression model analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between motivation, job satisfaction and organizational performance. Findings Results indicated that remuneration and job performance had a positive effect on financial performance dimensions such as return on assets, turnover growth rate and profitability while job environment and job autonomy had a positive effect on non-financial performance dimensions, such as customer service, employee productivity and service quality. Originality/value This study has drawn attention to the importance of the relationships between motivation, job satisfaction and organizational performance in the container shipping context. The findings have significant implications for researchers and shipping practitioners. Despite the existence of research on the inter-relationships between motivation, job satisfaction and organizational performance in other disciplines, no empirical study was discussed in previous shipping or transportation-related research.

Transportation related research at the university of auckland [its research lab

Transportation related research at the university of auckland [its research lab

Sustainable transport development and passenger transport demand in Poland

Development of sustainable transportation is a process which involves promoting efficient transport systems meeting social expectations, while reducing any sub-optimal or harmful effects on public health, natural environment, economy and urban planning. Therefore, in the case of passenger transport, the most effective measure to achieve sustainable transport development is to maximize the share of public transport. This paper analyses trends in changes of demand for passenger transport in European Union Member States, in Poland and in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, including in urban and non-urban areas. Based on collected data and extensive transport-related research of the authors, including surveys of residents, the most important conditions have been defined which affect passenger transport demand in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, and a forecast has been attempted of the demand in three different scenarios of economic development (optimistic, stable and regressive) for various years. The projected public transport demand has been established on the basis of simulations using a proprietary transport model. Results of these calculations revealed surprising conclusions which indicate unfavourable trends in changes of the analysed demand and insignificant differences in projected transport needs, regardless of the selected economic development option for the country and the province.

An Improvement of Knowledge Discovery Database (KDD) Framework for Effective Decision

In this study, an understanding and a review of Knowledge Discovery Database (KDD) development and its applications in tire maintenance are highlighted. Even though data mining has been successful in becoming a major component of various business processes and applications, the benefits and real-world expectations are very important to consider. It is also surprising to note that very little is known to date about the usefulness of applying knowledge discovery in transport related research. From the literature, the frameworks for carrying out knowledge discovery and data mining have been revised over the years to meet the business requirements. The Domain Driven Data Mining (DDDM) is one of the KDD frameworks often used for this purpose. In this study, we apply DDDM-KDD for formulating effective tire maintenance strategy within the context of a Malaysian's logistics company. We also discussed the weaknesses of the results from DDDM-KDD and emphasize the important of using the next generation of KDD framework Actionable Knowledge Discovery (AKD) for an effective decision. The direction flow of research, research methods use and contribution of research also are highlighted.

The use of oligonucleotide aptamers in cancer therapy

Aptamers are a new class of molecules which originated in the 1990s. They are usually RNA or DNA oligonucleotides, the length of which ranges between 20 and 80 nt. They are produced using the SELEX method that allows one to obtain aptamers that bind to virtually any molecule of interest, providing a high specificity. Aptamers are an alternative to antibodies because on the one hand, their sensitivity is at a similar or sometimes even higher level, while on the other hand they do not show immunogenicity, and may be synthesized in vitro. To date, a broad range of different applications of aptamers has been described: as components of biosensors, or use in various laboratory techniques, such as microarrays or chromatography. One of the most important is the use of aptamers in medicine, especially in the fight against cancer. They can be used both for diagnosis and for the eradication of cancers - particularly through the delivery of drugs. Currently, most transport-related research is devoted to the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs, such as doxorubicin. This was used in research on liver cancer cells, prostate, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia blast cells. Another possibility is to use aptamers to deliver siRNAs. In this way inhibition of the quality control process of the mRNA in tumor cells is possible. An aptamer complex with the drug allows for direct delivery of the active substance in a particular cell type, substantially eliminating the non-specific effect of the drug.

Knowledge Discovery Database (KDD)-Data Mining Application in Transportation

In this paper, an understanding and a review of data mining (DM) development and its applications in logistics and specifically transportation are highlighted. Even though data mining has been successful in becoming a major component of various business processes and applications, the benefits and real-world expectations are very important to consider. It is also surprising to note that very little is known to date about the usefulness of applying data mining in transport related research. From the literature, the frameworks for carrying out knowledge discovery and data mining have been revised over the years to meet the business expectations. In this paper, we apply CRISP-DM for formulating effective tire maintenance strategy within the context of a Malaysian’s logistics company. The results of applying CRISP-DM for tire maintenance decisions are presented and discussed.

Evaluating Transportation Research Journal Quality Using the Author Affiliation Index

AbstractPrevious research by Gorman and Kanet (2011) reports survey responses on transportation‐related research journal quality. In addition to ranking research journal quality, respondents in that survey also provided their opinions regarding the quality of research institutions around the world. We evaluate the consistency of these two responses with the Author Affiliation Index (AAI), which evaluates journal quality by measuring the percentage of authors coming from top research institutions. We find that the AAI produces a journal ranking that is highly correlated with our opinion survey; that is, the best‐rated research institutions publish more frequently in the bestrated journals. Based on these observations, we suggest the AAI is a low‐cost alternative to opinion surveys and other means of journal quality evaluation.

Analysis of fatal road traffic crashes in Ghana

The major objective of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with fatal road traffic crashes (RTCs) and to propose remedial measures to address them. Fatal RTC data for the period 2005–2007 in Ghana were analysed using the Micro-computer Accident Analysis Package (MAAP) software. Other transport-related research works were reviewed and incorporated in the article. The study showed that pedestrians accounted for 42% of all road traffic fatalities and nearly one-third (33%) of these crashes occurred during the early night-time hours. Children alone constituted almost one-third of all pedestrian fatalities. The occupants of goods vehicles accounted for 12% of all road traffic fatalities although goods vehicles constitute just about 9% of the total motor vehicle population in Ghana. Pedestrians, especially children bear a disproportionately high share of road traffic fatalities in Ghana. The risk of being killed as a pedestrian in traffic is exacerbated during night time. Excessive vehicular speeds, inappropriate use of goods vehicles for passenger transport, excessive loading and inadequate trauma care are the key contributory risk factors to the high number of road traffic fatalities. Concerted efforts spanning education, engineering, enforcement and trauma care are needed to stem the rise in fatal crashes in Ghana.

Bayesian Multinomial Logit

Statisticians along with other scientists have made significant computational advances that enable the estimation of formerly complex statistical models. The Bayesian inference framework combined with Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation methods such as the Gibbs sampler enable the estimation of discrete choice models such as the multinomial logit (MNL) model. MNL models are frequently applied in transportation research to model choice outcomes such as mode, destination, or route choices or to model categorical outcomes such as crash outcomes. Recent developments allow for the modification of the potentially limiting assumptions of MNL such as the independence from irrelevant alternatives (IIA) property. However, relatively little transportation-related research has focused on Bayesian MNL models, the tractability of which is of great value to researchers and practitioners alike. This paper addresses MNL model specification issues in the Bayesian framework, such as the value of including prior information on parameters, allowing for nonlinear covariate effects, and extensions to random parameter models, so changing the usual limiting IIA assumption. This paper also provides an example that demonstrates, using route-choice data, the considerable potential of the Bayesian MNL approach with many transportation applications. This paper then concludes with a discussion of the pros and cons of this Bayesian approach and identifies when its application is worthwhile.

TransNet: the transportation research Internet cooperative

TransNet is an experimental service that provides a model for the organization and electronic dissemination of transportation knowledge. TransNet is an Internet cooperative whose members are universities that have a demonstrated interest in transportation research and that have the necessary hardware, software and personnel to host a World Wide Web (WWW, or Web) site. TransNet provides the opportunity for hundreds of universities and other organizations to participate in the cooperative venture. Each host organization maintains a standard set of information services for one or more specific transportation-related research topics. This paper provides an overview of the TransNet project and describes the "nested matrix" approach adopted for topic organization. The nine basic services (literature, research, modeling, education, agency contacts, professional forum, multimedia, Internet links, and news) that will be provided by host universities for each transportation topic are described in detail. As TransNet evolves, and as more participants begin to host topic-specific service pages, a wealth of transportation research data and information will become readily accessible electronically to all interested parties.