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An airport serves as an interface between ground and air transportation; the efficient processing of ground transportation arrivals and departures is, therefore, an important part of airport operations. At many airports, the current pickup and dropoff locations for taxis and other passenger cars are along the terminal curb or in existing parking facilities, and many of these pickup and dropoff facilities suffer from excessive congestion. In addition, in recent years there has been growth in the use of on-demand ground transportation to and from airports, with the increased adoption of ride-hailing services, resulting in increased congestion. Since most airports are severely space constrained, there is a need to consider pickup and dropoff facilities that are more efficient (in vehicle throughput per unit space) than terminal curbs. In this paper we compare the throughput capacities of different pickup and dropoff facility layouts. We take into account the effect of the facility layout and operational rules on conflicts between the movements of different vehicles, the resulting delays in the movements of vehicles, as well as the spatial requirements of different layouts. We demonstrate the impact of mean service times, variability in service times and vehicle movement times, and operational rules on the relative throughput capacities of different facility layouts.

The restructuring of the economy post-COVID-19 coupled to the drive towards Net Zero carbon dioxide emissions means we must rethink the way we use transport fuels. Fossil-carbon based fuels are ubiquitous in the transport sector, however there are alternative synthetic fuels that could be used as drop-in or replacement fuels. The main hurdles to achieving a transition to synthetic fuels are the limited availability of low-cost carbon dioxide at an appropriate purity, the availability of renewable hydrogen and, in the case of hydrocarbons, catalysts that are selective for small and particular chain lengths. In this paper we will consider some of the alternative fuels and methods that could reduce cost, both economically and environmentally. We recommend that increased effort in the rapid development of these fuels should be a priority in order to accelerate the possibility of achieving Net Zero without costly infrastructure changes. As ground transportation offers a more straightforward approach legislatively, we will look at oxygenated organic fuels as an alternative drop-in replacement for hydrocarbons.

Supplemental digital content is available in the text., BACKGROUND Timely and safe distribution of quality blood products is a major challenge faced by blood banks around the world. Our primary objective was to determine if simulated blood product delivery to an urban trauma center would be more rapidly achieved by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) than by ground transportation. A secondary objective was to determine the feasibility of maintaining simulated blood product temperatures within a targeted range. METHODS In this prospective pilot study, we used two distinct methods to compare UAV flight duration and ground transport times. Simulated blood products included packed red blood cells, platelet concentrate, and fresh frozen plasma. For each blood product type, three UAV flights were conducted. Temperature was monitored during transport using a probe coupled to a data logger inside each simulated blood product unit. RESULTS All flights were conducted successfully without any adverse events or safety concerns reported. The heaviest payload transported was 6.4 kg, and the drone speed throughout all nine flights was 10 m/s. The mean UAV transportation time was significantly faster than ground delivery (17:06 ± 00:04 minutes vs. 28:54 ± 01:12 minutes, p < 0.0001). The mean ± SD initial temperature for packed red blood cells was 4.4°C ± 0.1°C with a maximum 5% mean temperature variability from departure to landing. For platelet concentrates, the mean ± SD initial temperature was 21.6°C ± 0.5°C, and the maximum variability observed was 0.3%. The mean ± SD initial fresh frozen plasma temperature was −19°C ± 2°C, and the greatest temperature variability was from −17°C ± 2°C to −16°C ± 2°C. CONCLUSIONS Unmanned aerial vehicle transportation of simulated blood products was significantly faster than ground delivery. Simulated blood product temperatures remained within their respective acceptable ranges throughout transport. Further studies assessing UAV transport of real blood products in populated areas are warranted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic/care management, level IV.

Objective This study evaluated patterns of utilization and costs of emergency transport among women with a diagnosis of preterm labor in the US. Methods The IBM® Treatment Pathways® tool was used to interrogate a cohort randomly selected from the IBM's MarketScan ® dataset. Differences in costs and utilization patterns were assessed by the type of emergency transport service and geography. Results A cohort of 12,995 women between the ages of 16 and 45 met the inclusion criteria. About 1,029 (7.9%) of these women had evidence of emergency transport within a day of the preterm labor diagnosis. In this cohort, the median cost of emergency ground transportation was US$834; air transport had a median cost of US$22,922. Additionally, 3.1% (284) women out of a cohort of 8,728 women ages of 16 and 45 with a diagnosis of false labor required emergency transport within 7 days suggesting that they were discharged too soon. Discussion The prevalence of emergency transport for preterm labor in rural areas is significantly higher compared to non-rural areas. In addition, the disproportionate use of air transport in rural areas increases the costs of the preterm labor event. Moreover, disparities in both utilization rates and costs were identified for different parts of the country.

Passenger transport is a basis in the transport system of any country. The task of transport is to provide an opportunity for every person to reach any point of our planet, not only safely, comfortably and quickly, but with little expenses. Aim: the arm of this study is to evaluate dynamics and share of transport expenses in population of the Russian Federation, and to study interrelation between figure of transport expenses of population and its transport mobility, and passenger transport fares. Methods: to achieve the set aim, such common scientific methods as observation, analysis, generalization, and analogy were used. Results: it is noted that transport expenses of the population increase at a slower pace than consumer spending. When considering the factors affecting the transportation costs of the population, it was determined that against the background of decreasing volumes of passenger traffic there is an increase in transportation tariffs. When comparing the indices of passenger tariffs and the consumer price index, a rapid increase in the cost of passenger traffic compared to prices for consumer goods was noted, which makes transport services less accessible to the public. Conclusion: The accelerating pace of life and economic realities today pose to transport companies certain tasks to ensure high speeds. High-speed ground transportation is coming to the fore, one of the types of which is a magnetic-vehicle transport, which, in addition to high speed, has certain advantages, such as safety, comfort, energy efficiency and high throughput. The development of new high-speed modes of transport, including a magnetic-casting, will ensure a high level of transport mobility and, accordingly, the country's economic development.

Few data exist regarding the train vs. pedestrian (TVP) injury burden and outcomes.This study aimed to examine the epidemiology and outcomes associated with TVP injuries.This is a retrospective National Trauma Databank study (January 2007 to July 2012) including trauma patients sustaining TVP injury. Demographics, injury data, interventions, and outcomes were abstracted. Patients injured by a train were compared to patients who sustained an automobile vs. pedestrian (AVP) injury.Of the 152,631 patients struck by ground transportation during the study time frame, 1863 (1.2%) were TVP. Median TVP age was 38 years (interquartile range [IQR] 24-50 years), 81.6% were male, median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 13 (IQR 6-24). TVP patients were more severely injured (ISS 13 vs. 9; p 0.001) and required more proximal amputations (13.4% vs. 0.2%; p 0.001) and cavitary operations (18.2% vs. 2.8%; p 0.001). TVP patients had higher rates of intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation and transfusion, longer length of stay, and higher in-hospital mortality. On multivariable logistical regression, TVP was an independent predictor for higher injury burden, ISS ≥25 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.650), immediate operative need (AOR 7.535), and complications (AOR 1.317).TVP is associated with a significant injury burden. These patients have a significantly higher need for immediate operation and more complicated hospital course.

Introduction and purpose Timely inter-facility transfer of thrombectomy-eligible patients is a mainstay of Stroke Systems of Care. We investigated transfer patterns among stroke certified hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex (19 counties, 9,286 sq mi, > 7.7 million people), by hospital network and stroke center status. Methods We conducted a North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council (NCTTRAC) Stroke Regional Care Survey at all 44 centers involved in the treatment of MT-eligible ischemic stroke patients between June-September 2019, with a response rate of 100%. All hospitals identified network status, stroke designation – Acute Stroke Ready Hospital (ASRH), Primary Stroke Center (PSC), Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) - and geographic location. Stroke Assessment and Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO) screening tool use was evaluated. The distance between the sending and receiving facility was calculated using GPS coordinates. If the closest CSC was not used, the average distance between the selected and the closest CSC was geospatially mapped via R statistical analysis software (Vienna, Austria) gmapsdistance package. Results Of the 44 facilities, 6 were ASRHs, 27 were PSCs, 11 were CSCs. Seventy-seven percent (n=34) belonged to one of four hospital networks. All facilities used stroke assessment tools; 57% completed LVO screening. There was significant heterogeneity in inter-facility transfer patterns with no regional standardization. Seventeen percent of ASRHs (n=1) and 56% of PSCs (n=15) conducted inter-facility transfers using ground transportation via EMS. Sixty percent of non-network facilities transferred to the closest CSC. Of the remaining 40%, the average distance between the closest and the selected CSC was 1.5 miles (min max 0.2-2.9 miles). Seventeen percent of network facilities transferred to the closest CSC. Among the remaining 83%, the average distance between the closest and the selected CSC was 4.1 miles (min-max 1-8 miles). Conclusions Non-network facility status increased the likelihood of transfer to the closest Comprehensive Stroke Center. Transfer distance variability among network facilities may contribute to delays in reperfusion therapy.

Ninety percent of the world’s trade goods travel by surface transportation, using maritime, road and rail assets. The security of the goods in transit, the infrastructure supporting the movement, and the vehicles, are required to ensure that international commerce proceeds successfully. Much has been written about the surface supply chain itself, but little has focused on the security of these components. This report provides a guide for those wanting an increased understanding of the security issues that supply chain surface transportation systems confront and a blueprint to guide their future research.

In this paper, the solution is proposed to the problem of synthesis of a core network for communication systems connecting information processing nodes in regional traffic control systems in air and ground transportation infrastructure distributed over a large territory, at considerable distances from each other. Results are obtained for calculation of core network parameters depending on its structure. The tasks of network structure synthesis are given. The results can be useful to developers and administrators of large network communication systems.

There is an urgent need to ameliorate the transport of the reconstituted vaccines to the vaccination sites to improve the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The maintenance of the integrity of the mRNA of the different COVID-19 reconstituted vaccines after continuous movement at room temperature during at least three hours ensures the safety of a ground transportation.

Introduction: Prior studies have found conflicting results in regards to whether air or ground transportation to transfer stroke patients is associated with quicker door-in-door-out (DIO) times. We aimed to examine DIO times in acute stroke patients from two community primary stroke centers (one with air/ground; one with dedicated ground transport only) from a similar geographical location. Additionally, we aimed to examine whether there were differences in DIO comparing the hospitals. Methods: We prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed stroke transfer data from two community hospitals in a health system between 10/1/2018 and 03/31/2020. A hierarchical logistic regression was performed in two steps to determine which factors were associated with DIO ≤ 90 minutes. First, possible confounding variables such as age, gender and arrival mode (EMS or private vehicle) were entered. Next, we entered variables of interest; transfer mode (ground vs air), if the patient was transferred for mechanical endovascular reperfusion (MER) and if the patient was transferred from the hospital with dedicated ground transport or not. A subgroup analysis determined if DIO differed between hospitals. Two-sided Fisher’s exact test examined proportion of DIO ≤ 60 minutes comparing hospitals. Results: During the study 334 patients were transferred [234 hospital with air/ground (100 air, 134 ground) and 100 hospital with dedicated ground transport]. We found that patients were more likely to be transferred within 90 minutes of arrival if: transferred by air, OR = 14.99 (95%CI 4.34 - 51.76) p < 0.001; transferred for MER, OR = 2.97 (95%CI 1.37 - 6.46) p = 0.006 and transferred by dedicated ground transport, OR = 14.93 (95%CI 4.35 - 51.30) p < 0.001. A subgroup analysis suggested that there was no difference in DIO between patients transferred by air or dedicated ground (p = 0.88). Although, we found significantly more patients were transferred within 60 minutes by the hospital utilizing a dedicated EMS (6.0% vs 1.3%), OR = 4.92 (95%CI 1.20 - 20.06) p = 0.02. Conclusions: In conclusion, a dedicated ground transport ambulance allowed for quicker DIO times overall, including a greater proportion of all transfers within 60 minutes but similar DIO times to MER patients transported by air.

Allied Land Command or LANDCOM is responsible for synchronizing ground power allocated to NATO. Moreover, it looks to the types of forces necessary for forced entry operations to the indefinite sustainment of full-spectrum operations. These events include being ready to execute the likes of humanitarian relief operations, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and all the way up to traditional combat. What’s more is that it does not just focus on ground power (light infantry, mechanized infantry, armor, airborne, and air assault formations), but also looks at medical units (hospitals), engineers, signals support, and logistics (fuel, supply, ground transportation, and more). This chapter conducts a deeper dive into this component command. The focus will also draw attention to the NATO show-of-force exercises in Eastern Europe to hedge against Russia’s bellicose behavior in the region (Jakobsen 2019, 294).

The outbreak of the COVID-19 has affected the development of the logistics supply chain. The article sorts out the impact of the epidemic on logistics supply chain, and concludes that logistics supply chain has problems such as poor security and stability, high external dependence, unsound overseas ground transportation networks, and prominent shortcomings in air cargo, which have affected the economic growth. This article proposes relevant countermeasures from strengthening top-level design, improving air cargo capacity, improving overseas service networks, improving informatization and cultivating leading enterprises, to improve China’s logistics supply chain service guarantee capabilities, and ensure the efficient development of China’s economy and society.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected many individuals worldwide Individuals in contact with unspecified people during their work, may be at risk of occupational exposure On June 22, 2020, 1,435 overseas patients were identified in the Republic of Korea Considering the influx of overseas patients, aircraft-mediated COVID-19 transmission is a major concern Case presentation: We presented two flight attendants diagnosed with COVID-19 who shared the crew's resting area and ground transportation, and discussed the risks experienced by flight attendants Conclusions: Biosafety guidelines for cabin crews should be intensified, and their COVID-19 risks must be further investigated Policymakers must consider comprehensive surveillance systems for workers with high risks of occupational exposures and transmissions, such as flight attendants © 2021 Korean Society of Occupational

Taxi is one important component of ground transportation at airports. Taxi drivers face two options after dropping off passengers: waiting to pick up passengers at the airport or ditching the airport and searching elsewhere for their next trips. Understanding how taxi drivers make decisions will not only benefit themselves but also benefit passengers. In addition, policies can be made to balance the taxi supply and demand at airports. In this research, a M / M / 1 / ∞ / N model was developed to investigate taxi drivers' decision-making mechanism based on queueing theory. By comparing the net income of these two options in the same time period, a better strategy could be selected. The model was then validated by a case study conducted at Yaoqiang International Airport in Jinan, China. With the model established, drivers' decisions in different time periods could be determined. By analyzing the model results, it was found that the results obtained by the model were consistent with the real-world situations. Furthermore, it was also discovered that taxi drivers’ decisions were strongly influenced by the number of flights taking off and landing in a certain period.

Visibility is a critical factor for transportation, even if we refer to air, water, or ground transportation. The biggest trend in the automotive industry is autonomous driving, the number of autonomous vehicles will increase exponentially, prompting changes in the industry and user segment. Unfortunately, these vehicles still have some drawbacks and one, always in attention and topical, will be treated in this paper&mdash, visibility distance issue in bad weather conditions, particularly in fog. The way and the speed with which vehicles will determine objects, obstacles, pedestrians, or traffic signs, especially in bad visibility, will determine how the vehicle will behave. In this paper, a new experimental set up is featured, for analyzing the effect of the fog when the laser and LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) radiation are used in visibility distance estimation on public roads. While using our experimental set up, in the laboratory, the information offered by these measurement systems (laser and LIDAR) are evaluated and compared with results offered by human observers in the same fog conditions. The goal is to validate and unitarily apply the results regarding visibility distance, based on information arrives from different systems that are able to estimate this parameter (in foggy weather conditions). Finally, will be notifying the drivers in case of unexpected situations. It is a combination of stationary and of moving systems. The stationary system will be installed on highways or express roads in areas prone to fog, while the moving systems are, or can be, directly installed on the vehicles (autonomous but also non-autonomous).

Larger types of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are beginning to be used in the United States and Europe for commercial transportation. Additionally, some blood product transport systems have been commercialized in Rwanda and other countries and used in pandemic operations for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in infected areas. Conversely, implementing goods transportation for commercial purposes in Japan has been difficult, especially in urban areas, due to national legislation. This study examined UAV-assisted transportation in Japan, a natural disaster hotspot, with a focus on the potential uses of UAVs in situations where traffic blockages make ground transportation impossible. UAVs were used to transport 17 kg of medical supplies belonging to a disaster medical assistance team (DMAT), along with 100 emergency meals. We also transported insulin under controlled-temperature conditions, as well as many other emergency supplies. Using UAVs to transport emergency supplies could be an effective approach when dealing with disasters. This paper summarizes the effectiveness of this approach for medical care and disaster response activities. We present a method for using drones to bridge the gap between medical and firefighting personnel, such as DMAT personnel, who are engaged in life-saving activities at the time of a disaster, and those who are unable to transport necessary goods by land using terrestrial vehicles due to traffic interruptions.

In the prehospital setting, the use of ambulance lights and sirens (LS) has been found to result in minor decreases in transport times, but has not been studied in interfacility transportation.The objective of this study was to evaluate the indications for LS and the impact of LS on transport times in interfacility critical care transport.We performed a retrospective analysis using administrative data from a large, urban critical care transportation organization. The indications for LS were assessed and the transport times with and without LS were compared using distance matching for common transport routes. Median times were compared for temporal subgroups.LS were used in 7.3% of transports and were most strongly associated with transport directly to the operating room (odds ratio 15.8; 95% confidence interval 6.32-39.50; p 0.001). The timing of the transport was not associated with LS use. For all transports, there was a significant decrease in the transport time using LS, with a median of 8 min saved, corresponding to 19.5% of the overall transportation time without LS (33 vs. 41 min; p 0.001). The reduction in transport times was consistent across all temporal subgroups, with a greater time reduction during rush hour transports.The use of LS during interfacility critical care transport was associated with a statistically significant time reduction in this urban, single-system retrospective analysis. Although the use of LS was not associated with rush-hour transports, the greatest time reduction was associated with LS transport during these hours.

La contratación de proveedores de tercera parte logística (3PL) ha venido aumentando en los últimos años a nivel mundial y local. Uno de los servicios que más se terceriza es el transporte. La contratación de un proveedor de tercera parte para el transporte terrestre de mercancías es un problema de decisión multicriterio que debe ser abordado con herramientas adecuadas de manera que se garantice la mejor contratación posible considerando los criterios que la organización contratante considere para esta transacción. El presente trabajo propone un desarrollo multicriterio a partir de la utilización del proceso analítico jerárquico difuso (AHP difuso) y TOPSIS para la selección de un proveedor de tercera parte en el transporte terrestre de mercancía incluyendo el riesgo operacional como uno de los criterios de selección. La propuesta es aplicada para la selección de un transportador por parte de una empresa manufacturera del Valle del Cauca en Colombia. Contracting third-party logistics providers (3PL) is an activity that has been increasing over the last years globally and locally. One of the most outsourced services is transportation. Hiring a 3PL for ground transportation of merchandise is a multi-criteria decision-based problem, which must be addressed with the right tools to guarantee the best possible hiring considering the criteria that the contracting organization considers the most important for this transaction. The present paper proposes a multi-criteria development based on the use of the diffuse hierarchical analytical process (diffuse AHP) and TOPSIS for the selection of a third-party supplier in ground transportation of merchandise, including operational risk as one of the selection criteria. The proposal is applied to the selection of a transporter by a manufacturing company in Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Introduction: Mode of transport utilized during inter-hospital transfers can influence delays in patients with suspected large vessel occlusion (LVO). We hypothesized that air transport is advantageous over ground in this patient population. Method: Suspected LVO patients transferred to our hub from 13 spoke hospitals within our tele-stroke network at UT-Houston, from September 2015 to April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were dichotomized into air vs. ground transport. Travel time was calculated as time from transfer center activation to arrival at hub. For each spoke, average air miles/hour and ground miles/hour indices were calculated for comparison. Air transport was considered advantageous if the difference in indices was positive. Results were stratified by time of the day [diurnal (6a-6p) vs. nocturnal (6p-6a)]. Results: In a total of 339 patients, 290 (86%) used air transport, while 49 (14%) used ground. Baseline age, gender, race, use of IV-tPA, mRS in the 2 groups were similar, except air group had higher NIHSS [median 15 vs. 12, p = 0.048]. Overall, mean ground indices were smaller compared to air indices (21.35 ± 10.76 vs. 25.77 ± 14.33, p = 0.006). The advantage of air transport was maintained when stratified by time of the day but more notable during nocturnal hours [air 25.12 ± 14.93 vs. ground 19.85 ± 10.14, p = 0.021)] compared to diurnal hours [(air 28.82 ± 13.68 vs. ground 25.00 ± 10.80, p = 0.17)]. Difference between air and ground indices (y axis) was positively correlated with ground distance (x axis) (Pearson rho = 0.80, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.93, p Conclusion: Irrespective of time of the day, air transport is faster mode of transporting patients during inter hospital transfers and should be utilized particularly for spokes situated farther away (over 20 miles) from hub and during nocturnal hours.

By adopting and extending lessons from the air traffic control system, we argue that a nationwide remote monitoring system for driverless vehicles could increase safety dramatically, speed these vehicles' deployment, and provide employment. It is becoming clear that fully driverless vehicles will not be able to handle "edge" cases in the near future, suggesting that new methods are needed to monitor remotely driverless vehicles' safe deployment. While the remote operations concept is not new, a super-human driver is needed to handle sudden, critical events. We envision that the remote operators do not directly drive the vehicles, but provide input on high level tasks such as path-planning, object detection and classification. This can be achieved via input from multiple individuals, coordinated around a task at a moment's notice. Assuming a 10% penetration rate of driverless vehicles, we show that one remote driver can replace 14,840 human drivers. A comprehensive nationwide interoperability standard and procedure should be established for the remote monitoring and operation of driverless vehicles. The resulting system has potential to be an order of magnitude safer than today's ground transportation system. We articulate a research and policy roadmap to launch this nationwide system. Additionally, this hybrid human-AI system introduces a new job category, likely a source of employment nationwide.

The fast-paced advancement of ground transportation methods such as connected and autonomous vehicles makes it difficult for professionals to design infrastructure, which includes airports. Due to the amplified variability in both transportation modes and demographics, planners must consider the best alternative, which will service all of their users while integrating an autonomous system. This paper describes mobility activities at the interface between ground transportation and airport terminal, characteristics of automation in airport access, and planning and design requirements with a focus on human factors. Knowledge gaps are identified. A human factors study is introduced for understanding characteristics and behaviour of users of landside facility. This paper aims to assist planners and designers in considering human factors when planning for autonomous systems in airport terminals; specifically focusing on pick up and drop off zones.

The Brazilian transportation sector accounts for almost half of the carbon dioxide emissions in the country, and more than 90% of these emissions come from ground transportation. In 2017, Brazil had approximately 97 million vehicles, with 7.8 million in the city of Sao Paulo, the majority of which were powered by internal combustion engines. Due to CO2 reduction emission goals, many countries have plans to extinguish combustion vehicles by 2040. The start-stop system, a cheaper technology, became a trend in the hybrid vehicle market with the purpose of reducing fuel consumption and thereby reducing pollutant emissions. The Sao Paulo Traffic Engineering Company (CET) annually publishes the Volume and Speed Report that presents the characteristics of the Sao Paulo city traffic. The Sao Paulo State Environment Company (CETESB) publishes annually the Fleet Vehicle Emissions Report and its data. Using these public data, the present work performed a bottom-up analysis to evaluate the reduction potential of pollutant emissions for the city of Sao Paulo by changing the lightweight vehicle fleet to include start-stop system vehicles. This study obtained a reduction potential factor of total emissions between 12.3% and 13.8%, and a CO2 emission reduction potential for Sao Paulo of 1,338,341 annual tons.

This chapter gives a comprehensive review on R&D efforts to develop bio-based thermosetting resins and biocomposites for use in critical applications such as aircraft fabrication, rail transportation, and construction by a Chinese research consortium in collaboration with international teams. This work was initially motivated by the fact that, on one hand, environmental and resource-related benefits of bio-sourced materials are still compromised by limited standards of technical performance and material life. On the other hand, in the air and ground transportation sectors, new environmental regulations and societal concerns have triggered a search for new products and processes that complement not only environment but also resources. To address this issue, novel bio-sourced materials, including bio-sourced epoxies, continuous plant fibers, textiles and prepregs, and neat and hybrid biocomposite laminates, were developed. These materials were characterized, modified, and evaluated in terms of their interfacial properties, flammability, and hydrothermal stability levels. Quasi-structural and structural damping biocomposite structures were finally designed and manufactured using technologies that have been fully adapted to state-of-the-art industrial composite processes. It is also found that developing function-integrated plant-fiber-fabric-reinforced biocomposites and corresponding hybrid structures appears to be more essential and feasible than the mere development of “high-performance” biocomposites for applications. At the end of the chapter, structural damping and decorative quasi-structural composites for use in aircraft, rail transportation, and civil engineering sectors are presented.

This paper synthesizes evidence from Workshop 4 ‘Criteria for successful collaboration’ of the 15th International Conference on Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport. This workshop focused on collaboration between public and private organisations as a key dimension of public transport governance. Collaborative arrangements can in some cases be a complementary approach to owner-instruction relationships (when allowed within the legal framework), overcoming or at least addressing some of the “critical interfaces” and problems that “fall between the cracks” in formal institutional structures. Collaboration between organisations with different resources and aims is often crucial for the ability to identify, develop and implement efficient solutions to problems that exceed traditional divisions of responsibility. It can foster trust (trusting partnerships) and joint capacity for innovation; and it can take place in formalized partnerships or more informal networks.Papers at the workshop addressed both positive and negative experiences of collaboration in Scandinavia, Brasil, Chile, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Australia from an empirical perspective, but several more theoretical papers considered the place of collaboration within wider governance frameworks. The workshop discussions led to a clearer definition of collaboration, and the formulation of key lessons on collaboration as a critical dimension in the interaction between the organisations that drive the development of current public transport operations and management, and future public transport improvements

El transporte terrestre es aquel traslado que se realiza sobre la superficie de la tierra, la gran mayoría se realizan sobre ruedas, tiene su origen en el traslado del ser humano, quien por la necesidad de moverse o de trasladar sus cargas atendiendo al peso o la distancia se vio en la necesidad de perfeccionar este mecanismo, desde el empleo de los ríos hasta la tierra firme. El devenir del tiempo provocó la aparición de la rueda en lo sucesivo del motor, que también se vio inmerso en su evolución y perfeccionamiento, primero empleó el fuego, el agua, el vapor y luego aparece el motor de combustión interna, perfeccionándose con el descubrimiento del petróleo. En la actualidad el transporte terrestre apunta hacia nuevas alternativas como la electricidad, la energía solar y la inteligencia artificial.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the relationship between the formal (governance established in law) and informal institutions (governance not established in law) that underpin the planning, operation and improvement of local and regional public transport, by using case studies of four countries: Britain (more specifically England, outside London); the Netherlands; Germany; and Sweden. The paper uses a framework drawn from the literature on institutional change to analyse the interplay between the formal governance structures and the other actors and organisations that have an influence on public transport, the formal and informal relationships between them, and how informal institutions emerge to increase the effectiveness with which public transport is delivered. By selecting countries with some similarities in institutional structure, it is possible to explore how relationships can differ even within a relatively similar overall framework for public transport. Drawing on qualitative research with actors in the different countries, the research explores how informal institutions help actors negotiate the constraints of formal, statutory institutions. Findings reveal that informal institutions smooth the critical interfaces where formal institutions were producing sub-optimal public transport, thus providing evidence that the two modes of governance are, in fact, highly complementary.

Since the launch of the smartphone game “Pokemon Go”, the worldwide craze has led to numerous traffic crashes and injuries resulting from falling or tripping. This paper investigates the effects of several smartphone distracting activities (gaming, talking, texting, Web surfing, and listening to music) on the street-crossing behaviours of pedestrians in Taipei City, Taiwan. A field study using video cameras was conducted to observe pedestrian crossing behaviours (e.g., crossing time, sudden movements, running a red light, and walking outside the crosswalk) at a selected signalised intersection. Data such as phone features, distracting activities, and personal attributes of the pedestrians were obtained in interviews conducted after pedestrians had completed crossing the street. In total, 1995 pedestrians engaging in various smartphone activities were observed. Results indicate that unsafe crossing behaviours were more prevalent among those playing “Pokemon Go”. Texting via instant-message apps appeared to be the second-most risk distracting activity. Results of the logistic models reveal that contributing factors to unsafe behaviours include being a student, phone screen of 5 in. or larger, and having an unrestricted 4G Internet data allowance. Two interaction terms (gaming × students, and gaming × unlimited 4G data allowance) in the models appear to be important determinants of unsafe crossing behaviours. The current research suggests that to prevent potential crashes and injuries, smartphone gaming while crossing the street should be prohibited.

The effect of prehospital helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) on mortality has been analyzed previously in polytrauma patients with discordant results.Our aim was to compare outcomes in patients with isolated severe blunt traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) transported by HEMS or ground emergency medical services (GEMS).We conducted a National Trauma Data Bank study (2007-2014). All adult patients (≥16 years old) who sustained an isolated severe blunt TBI and were transported by HEMS or GEMS were included in the study.There were 145,559 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 116,391 (80%) patients were transported via GEMS and 29,168 (20%) via HEMS. Median transportation time was longer for HEMS patients (41 vs. 25 min; p 0.001). HEMS patients were more likely to have hypotension (2.7% vs. 1.5%; p 0.001), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score 9 (38.2% vs. 10.9%; p 0.001), and head Abbreviation Injury Scale (AIS) score of 5 (20.1% vs. 9.7%; p 0.001). Stepwise logistic regression analysis identified age ≥ 65 years old, male sex, hypotension, GCS score9, prehospital intubation, and head AIS scores 4 and 5 as independent predictors of mortality. Helicopter transportation was independently associated with improved survival (odds ratio [OR] 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-0.67; p 0.001). Admission to a Level I trauma center was an independent predictor of survival (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.53-0.82; p = 0.001). Regardless of head AIS, helicopter transport was an independent predictor of survival (AIS 3: OR 0.35; p 0.001; AIS 4: OR 0.44; p 0.001; AIS 5: OR 0.76; p 0.001). A prolonged transport time was not an independent predictor of mortality.Helicopter transport, in adult patients with isolated severe TBI, is associated with improved survival.

Background Implementation of the first Danish helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) was associated with reduced time from first medical contact to treatment at a specialized centre for patients with suspected ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We aimed to investigate effects of HEMS on mortality and labour market affiliation in patients admitted for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods In this prospective observational study, we included patients with suspected STEMI within the region covered by the HEMS from January 1, 2010, to April 30, 2013, transported by either HEMS or ground emergency medical services (GEMS) to the regional PCI centre. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Results Among the 384 HEMS and 1220 GEMS patients, time from diagnostic ECG to PCI centre arrival was lower with HEMS (median 71 min vs. 78 min with GEMS; P = 0.004). Thirty-day mortality was 5.0% and 6.2%, respectively (adjusted OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.44-1.51, P = 0.52. Involuntary early retirement rates were 0.62 (HEMS) and 0.94 (GEMS) per 100 PYR (adjusted IRR = 0.68, 0.15-3.23, P = 0.63). The proportion of patients on social transfer payments longer than half of the follow-up time was 22.1% (HEMS) vs. 21.2% (adjusted OR = 1.10, 0.64-1.90, P = 0.73). Conclusion In an observational study of patients with suspected STEMI in eastern Denmark, no significant beneficial effect of helicopter transport could be detected on mortality, premature labour market exit or work ability. Only a study with random allocation to one system vs. another, along with a large sample size, will allow determination of superiority of helicopter transport.

This research aims to identify barriers to the implementation of local transport policy by exploring bus policy implementation in Great Britain. The methodology is based on an online survey with 56% of local authorities and follow-up interviews with 10 of those officers, analysed via a ten-point hybrid theory. The greatest challenges faced by local authorities included the availability of financial and staff resources, the existence of a clear policy document and inter-organisational communication. The relationship between setting policy objectives, selecting suitable measures to achieve those objectives, and setting and monitoring targets was identified as key to successful policy implementation.

A tactical vehicle should have air transportability for rapid attack and should satisfy its basic role for ground transportation. Airlift provision must be developed for aerial transportation of tactical vehicles by helicopter. The design points of front and rear lifting devices should be constructed, and the sling loads should be calculated according to various flight conditions to maintain a stable position in the air transportation of a military vehicle. The sling loads that act on the design points of airlift provision can be calculated by the analytic method defined in MIL-STD-209K. However, the actual sling loads could be different from theoretical sling loads due to vehicle specification, airlifting mechanism, and flight environment. Therefore, a virtual analysis environment for the development of airlift devices should be constructed. To establish an optimal design of airlift provision, accurate sling loads should be calculated through flight simulation, and the base model of airlift provision should be constructed based on calculated loads. In this study, we proposed an integrated process for the selection of design parameters, design of experiment, and approximate optimal design of a Korean light tactical vehicle with lightweight airlift provision.

Previous comparison studies regarding 2 types of transportation, helicopter (HEMS) versus ground emergency medical services (GEMS), have shown underlying heterogeneity as these options have completely different routes and consequent times with reference to one patient. To compare the 2 types of transportation on a case-by-case basis, we analyzed the retrospectively reviewed HEMS and predicted GEMS data using an open-source navigation software. Patients transferred by military HEMS from 2016 to 2019 were retrospectively enrolled. The HEMS records on the time of notification, injury point and destination address, and time required were reviewed. The GEMS data on distance and the predicted time required were acquired using open-source social navigation systems. Comparison analyses between the two types of transportation were conducted. Furthermore, linear logistic regression analyses were performed on the distance and time of the two options. A total of 183 patients were enrolled. There was no statistical difference (P = .3021) in the distance between the 2 types of transportation, and the HEMS time was significantly shorter than that of GEMS (61.31 vs 116.92 minutes, P

As automation becomes more capable, the need to craft designs compatible with people becomes more important. This is particularly true with increasingly autonomous vehicles, which have begun to change what it means to drive. Kaber (2018) argues that the levels-of-automation framework provides a useful perspective to guide design, but he acknowledges that others, such as Dekker and Woods (2002), have argued otherwise. The levels-of-automation perspective addresses an essential issue of “who does what,” and the Dekker-Woods perspective addresses an equally important issue of how to coordinate automation and people: “how to work together.” Kaber argues for greater precision in describing human behavior as it relates to automation, but this commentary argues for greater precision in describing automation as it relates to people. This paper describes a perspective that received little attention in Kaber’s review: automation elements as part of a network, addressing the issue of “what’s connected.” Applying this perspective to the challenge of increasingly autonomous vehicles shows that considering several perspectives may be more effective than fine-tuning the single perspective of “who does what.”

Across a wide variety of systems, from aviation and ground transportation to energy and financial systems, there continues to be a move toward introducing more powerful technological support. Research and practice have clearly demonstrated that, for these complex systems, human centered designs are critical, especially when anomalous scenarios arise. As a result, one important focus of research in cognitive systems engineering has dealt with understanding how brittle technologies influence joint cognitive system performance. This panel will address three issues: 1) What do we know about how system design affects human performance when the competence envelope for the incorporated technology is exceeded? 2) What guidance is available for the design of joint cognitive systems so that they are robust or resilient when these competence envelopes are exceeded? 3) What important research questions need to be addressed to further extend our understanding regarding how to design and integrate cognitive tools into the work environment and to translate this understanding into effective system designs.

International audience; We investigate whether passenger delays and airline costs due to disruptive events affecting European airports could be reduced by a coordinated strategy of using alternative flights and ground transportation to help stranded passengers reach their final destination, using Airport Collaborative Decision Making concepts. Optimising for airline cost for hypothetical disruptive events suggests that, for airport closures of up to 10 hours, airlines could benefit from up to a 20% reduction in passenger delay-related costs. Mean passenger delay could be reduced by up to 70%, mainly via a reduction in very long delays.

The affordability of wearable psychophysiological sensors has led to opportunities to measure the mental workload of operators in complex sociotechnical systems in ways that are more objective and less obtrusive. This study primarily focuses on the sensors themselves by investigating low-cost and wearable sensors in terms of their accuracy, obtrusiveness, and usability for research purposes. Two sensors were assessed on their accuracy as tools to measure mental workload through heart rate variability (HRV): the E3 from Empatica and the emWave Pro from HeartMath. The BioPatch from Zephyr Technology, which is an U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved device, was used as a gold standard to compare the data obtained from the other 2 devices regarding their accuracy on HRV. Linear dependencies for 6 of 10 HRV parameters were found between the emWave and BioPatch data and for 1 of 10 for the E3 sensor. In terms of research usability, both the E3 and the BioPatch had difficulty acquiring either sufficiently high data recording confidence values or normal distributions. However, the BioPatch output files do not require postprocessing, which reduces costs and effort in the analysis stage. None of the sensors was perceived as obtrusive by the participants.

A travel plan is a mechanism for delivering a package of transport measures at a site to manage car use and encourage the use of more sustainable forms of transport. In recent years, travel plans have been required for new infill and greenfield developments through the land-use planning and approvals process, predominantly in the United Kingdom, the United States, continental Europe and Australia. This paper contributes to the literature by providing a global review of travel plans for new developments. The results show that while travel plans for new developments share a common set of elements with those for pre-existing sites, differences within each element are notable, particularly in the types of travel plan measures adopted, processes for managing the travel plan, and approaches to monitoring and review. Results of previous evaluations have varied considerably, although most have reported a reduction in car driver trips of 10–20 percentage points. Despite this, most evaluations lack rigour, with a paucity of robust evidence. Key success factors identified by the literature, such as the provision of an explicit policy supporting the role of travel plans, should be embedded within the travel planning process where possible to ensure best outcomes for new developments.

Ground transportation systems are critical to the economy, safety, and quality of life of any community. Thus, engineers and policy-makers need to make sure that these systems are resilient...

The UK's highly privatised port system means that, while many of the issues in the port governance literature relevant to port concessions do not arise here, the respective roles of harbour authorities and port operators continue to be questioned. The concern in the UK is whose role it should be to monitor the capacity and service quality of the port sector, including how to govern the ways in which the different classes of port stakeholder interact. This paper describes and discusses the UK port sector, the main ports and cargo types, the governance system and recent developments. Recent changes in national policy are reviewed and potential new developments in governance are considered, reflecting on how the UK case represents some key theoretical considerations regarding infrastructure governance within a modern political system favouring private ownership and operation of the transport sector.

One of the most important issues in transportation and urban planning is an understanding of passenger choice while commuting in existing transport infrastructure. Big modern cities offer a multimodal selection of methods to transfer between the parts of the city, including various types of ground transportation and a subway. On the other hand, passengers’ model choice depends on the available routes, often historically formed without regard to modern passenger needs and fast-changing of cities life. As a result, for the optimization of public transport systems we should understand how the rules are formed, followed by passengers when choosing a specific route. This paper discusses the evaluation of modal-choice rules through ground transportation modeling using historical data collected from turnstiles in the subway and census data. The results should help in identifying the critical places in the existing infrastructure and transportation planning of big cities. The modeling results are shown on the example of St. Petersburg.

This paper presents a class of hub network design problems with profit-oriented objectives, which extend several families of classical hub location problems. Potential applications arise in the design of air and ground transportation networks. These problems include decisions on the origin/destination nodes that will be served as well as the activation of different types of edges, and consider the simultaneous optimization of the collected profit, setup cost of the hub network and transportation cost. Alternative models and integer programming formulations are proposed and analyzed. Results from computational experiments show the complexity of such models and highlight their superiority for decision-making.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Background. In 2018, 81% of the 36, 529 solid organs transplanted in the United States came from deceased donors. These organs were recovered through widespread use of aeromedical and emergency ground transportation systems. Urgently scheduled travel to remote hospitals at night and in varied weather conditions carries risk for the transplant professionals involved. A landmark survey conducted in 2007 demonstrated that 80% of respondents had experienced a “near-miss” event while on a procurement trip, and 15% had been involved in at least 1 accident. One decade later, we sought to revisit the issue of procurement related travel safety. Methods. A 32 question survey designed to interrogate travel practice, accident frequency, and perceptions of safety was sent to the American Society of Transplant Surgeons membership. Results. Our survey response rate was 20.6%. At least 1 travel accident with bodily injury was reported by 23% of respondents and yet only 7% of respondents reported feeling “unsafe” or “very unsafe” during procurement travel. Sixteen percent of respondents participated in a procurement at a dedicated organ procurement facility, and only 53% of procurement surgeons completed at least 1 deceased donor procurement at their own hospital facility within the preceding 12 months. Conclusions. In a field where increasingly aggressive organ utilization is the norm, the efficiency and safety of procurement travel merits ongoing consideration. Addressing these concerns takes on new significance as organ allocation policies change geographic distribution to expand the extent of travel required for surgical teams.

PURPOSE: To investigate commuter exposures to particulate matter (PM) in urban public transportation buses and subways, PM concentrations were simultaneously monitored for these two modes, over the same routes, in Xi’an, China. METHODS: The microenvironment variabilities in each stage of the total trip were analyzed. Exposure doses for the different commute processes were estimated based on the heart rates of volunteers. Experimental measurements were taken during peak traffic hours in July and October (summer and autumn) on two typical commute routes, for a total of 36 trips. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the effects of different variables on commuter exposures. RESULTS: On the same route, the average PM exposure concentration of bus commuters was higher than those of subway commuters. For example, on Route 1 in the case study, the average PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 exposure concentrations of bus commuters were 71.6%, 19%, and 10.4% higher, respectively, than those of subway commuters. In the ground transportation mode, the exposure concentration of bus commuters was affected by the type of vehicle. Particle concentrations were significantly higher inside compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, than in pure electric (PE) buses, and in summer, the PM10 concentration in a CNG bus was 4.3 times higher than that in a PE bus. In a CNG bus, commuters in the back door area suffered the highest PM10 exposure concentration (179.6 μg/m(3)), followed by those in the rear of the carriage (142.8 μg/m(3)), and then those in the front door area (105.4 μg/m(3)). CONCLUSION: Commuters’ avoidance of ground traffic sources, effective ventilation systems in buses, and the use of screens in subway systems can all help to lower the PM exposure of commuters. For all the modes of transportation in our study, the hottest spots for PM exposure appeared in the period when commuters were waiting for transit vehicles to arrive.

Individual freight transport policies have been investigated in the literature extensively in the last 10–15 years, yet there has surprisingly been very little attention to the process of selecting urban freight transport (UFT) policy measures. This study focuses on UFT policy choice by local authorities, investigating how policy context, resource availability and the need for legitimacy influence how local authorities seek and select UFT specific policies. The methodology is a cross-case analysis of eleven cities across three countries (Sweden, England and Scotland), based on interview and documentary data. Findings reveal that all cities have the same high-level goals, such as reducing emissions and congestion, supporting the economy and improving quality of life. However, in most cases these rather general goals are not broken down into clear objectives with targets that can be measured. Therefore, selected UFT policy measures are chosen from a pool of common measures (primarily access restrictions such as time windows and weight restrictions), but without monitored targets that determine whether or not they are achieving objectives. This does not necessarily mean that the measures chosen are inappropriate, but that there is a lack of a strategic approach to setting and reviewing measures according to achieving specific policy goals. This is primarily a result of a lack of resources and dedicated UFT personnel, as well as challenges related to public acceptability of restrictive policies.

This paper presents the review of policies and their possible effects for promoting the use of electric vehicles. Suggestions on faster implementation of electric vehicles can also be identified within best practices from abroad. Various countries have adopted different policies to promote the use of electric vehicles which include fiscal or other forms of incentives that would persuade people into buying electric vehicles. Possible effects are hard to determine since many variables affect a consumer’s purchasing decisions. That is why identification of policies that have proven to be successful and those that have not achieved projected results and should be improved is necessary. Research has shown that countries with most promising policies for promotion have the biggest share of electric vehicles and invest the most in their promotion (fiscal incentives).

In order to ensure the users security within the vehicle–specific applications Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are designed. For avoiding any kind of loss there is a communication between the users for exchanging important data. Related to the Vehicle Transportation there are several applications of the ITS. There is a requirement for which there is an introduction of Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) for enhancing the safety and efficiency of ground transportation networks and real time information which is its main purpose.

Traveling requires advanced planning and proper preparation to ensure your and any traveling companions' personal security and safety. People perceive risk differently and often inaccurately. Practical information is provided for each phase of a trip, when the traveler is out and about, and for other topics such as ground transportation and the need for personal communications. Strategies for dealing with an active shooter and surviving a hostage situation are provided.

Aeromedical patient staging refers to the immediate pre- and post-flight care, preparation, and ground transportation for patients undergoing aeromedical evacuation (AE). It is carried out in a patient-staging facility that can vary greatly in size, location, and mission, which can range from a 50- or 100-bed facility collocated with a large US medical treatment facility to a mobile 10-bed capability established in tents adjacent to the flight line proximal to a combat zone. Patient-staging personnel assist AE flight crews enplane and deplane patients along with their medical equipment and baggage. Patient staging also includes the administrative processing required for any movement within the worldwide AE system. Aeromedical patient staging is carried out daily at large and small facilities throughout the world. This chapter describes the various types of patient-staging facilities, their organization, and the numerous services they provide.