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Abstract Background Containment measures slowed the spread of COVID-19 but led to a global economic crisis. We establish a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm that balances disease control and economic activities. Methods To train the RL agent, we design an RL environment with 4 semi-connected regions to represent the COVID-19 epidemic in Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, and Hokkaido, Japan. Every region is governed by a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Quarantined-Removed (SEIQR) model and has a transport hub to connect with other regions. The allocation of the synthetic population and inter-regional traveling is determined by population-weighted density. The agent learns the best policy from interacting with the RL environment, which involves obtaining daily observations, performing actions on individual movement and screening, and receiving feedback from the reward function. After training, we implement the agent into RL environments describing the actual epidemic waves of the four regions to observe the agent’s performance. Results For all epidemic waves covered by our study, the trained agent reduces the peak number of infectious cases and shortens the epidemics (from 165 to 35 cases and 148 to 131 days for the 5th wave). The agent is generally strict on screening but easy on movement, except for Okinawa, where the agent is easy on both actions. Action timing analyses indicate that restriction on movement is elevated when the number of exposed or infectious cases remains high or infectious cases increase rapidly, and stringency on screening is eased when the number of exposed or infectious cases drops quickly or to a regional low. For Okinawa, action on screening is tightened when the number of exposed or infectious cases increases rapidly. Conclusions Our experiments exhibit the potential of the RL in assisting policy-making and how the semi-connected SEIQR models establish an interactive environment for imitating cross-regional human flows.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a recent innovative transport concept, anticipated to oblige significant changes in current transport practices. This study aimed to develop a methodology to justify the potential MaaS adoption. For this purpose, an innovative methodology is presented to identify four types of stations, including "Transit (servicing travelers by bus)", "Micro-mobility (servicing travelers by bike and scooter)", "MaaS (servicing travelers by bus, bike, scooter, and Uber)", and "None (no station)" for each node. The proposed methodology minimizes the total user and agency costs, including user travel time cost, out-of-pocket costs, agency construction costs for MaaS and agency MaaS operating costs. The methodology was tested with a 100 node transport network with existing bus routes. The following results were acquired: 1) Construction of micro-mobility station was not justified for 42 nodes and 37 nodes in 20-years and 30-years life cycles if only 20% of demand from shortest path demand select micro-mobility options 2) Over 20-years and 30-years life cycles, the operator benefits from daily savings amounting to $18,520 and $16,033, respectively, and 3) There are no consistent results to justify the MaaS construction and operation based on existence of the transit stations. In other words, the justification depends on users' shortest trip paths, amount of demand, and existing transit stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Technical science & Technology series is the property of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The transport hub building's main function is to exchange passengers from one mode to another. The transfer area is the main area of passenger transfer activities in this building. Each transport hub building certainly has different transfer area characteristics from one another. Several factors shape the spatial characteristics of this area. The purpose of this study is to determine the spatial characteristics of the transfer area and, as a theoretical study, to see how the transfer area is an adequate passenger exchange area in case studies of transport hub buildings in the world. The method used to analyze the data is descriptive qualitative. The analysis was carried out by comparing the observed data with existing theoretical variables. The results of this research then conclude in the form of several dominant factors that make the spatial character of the transfer area in transport hub buildings in the world. From the analysis that has been done, it can be concluded that there are characteristics of space-forming elements which are dominated by transparent planes, maximize incoming natural light, have an orientation to the outside of the building, have a broad shape, are dominant and are located in the center of the building.

The key tool for economic growth and overcoming restrictions is the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the field of railway transport. Infrastructure projects aimed at organising passenger and freight rail traffic form a wide range of social effects, such as saving travel time, improving transportation safety, reducing emissions of harmful substances and noise levels, increasing physical activity, improving social integration and organising a barrier-free environment, agglomeration effects and an increase in subjective well-being.At the same time, such projects are very capital-intensive and often cannot be implemented in full due to limited funding. Especially this factor plays a significant role in the current conditions of sanctions pressure. The combination of these factors leads to the need for comprehensive risk management when deciding on the implementation of an infrastructure project for the development of railway junctions.Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify risks in the implementation of infrastructure projects, assess the identified risks and formulate recommendations for their reduction.

The article is devoted to determining the influence of natural and geographical factors on the transport structure in the conditions of urbanization. Transport has always played a significant role in the organization and development of territories, the level of transport provision reflected the status of the country, its importance in the world community. The purpose of the study is to establish the nature of the dependence of the transport structure on the natural conditions of the area and the geography of the region using the example of the city of Chernivtsi, to determine the conditionality of the features of building internal and external transport links in the urban space and beyond, and changes in the environment under their influence. The research methodology involves the involvement of general scientific and special methods, which allows us to consider the problem in different aspects, take into account the peculiarities of interdisciplinary issues in the field of urban planning and transport geography. The types of transport and the nature of the links between settlements, and in general the choice of the place where these settlements were founded, directly depended on the natural and geographical conditions of the area. The structure of urban development was formed on the basis of land and waterways. The streets duplicated directions to neighboring settlements or economic points of attraction (raw material extraction sites, trading posts, etc.). In the modern world, additional questions arise regarding the environmental aspects of the development of transport infrastructure - its impact on the environment and the quality of human life. This is especially true for large transport hubs that create a significant burden on the entire ecosystem due to the consumption of large amounts of energy, noise and light pollution, and chemical emissions. The adoption of the most adapted decisions on the nature of the traffic load in certain environmental conditions allows maintaining the balance of the ecosystem in a space that automatically passes to the status of an urbanized one. The city of Chernivtsi is indicative for Ukraine in terms of considering the relationship of the transport structure with the natural and geographical environment, since here the problem can be considered in temporal genesis, taking into account spatial changes - the transfer of transport hubs and main networks. In addition, Chernivtsi is positioned as a potential international transport hub based on a new airport, which will allow joining the international air transportation system. The most successful geographical position since the founding of the city on the trade route ensured the further development of the entire transport system. As a result, it was found that the main directions of economic relations and the transport networks served by them were laid down from the beginning of the formation of the city of Chernivtsi as an important stronghold on trade routes. Further, they developed due to the expansion of needs and new modes of transport (the consequences of technological progress). The tracing was determined by the location of neighboring settlements and the features of the terrain. In the city itself, the Prut became the main forming axis and significant differences in elevation marks on its right bank, which determined the nature of the development of the territory, the general street system. With the advent of the railway, it became necessary to create additional transport routes that were required to ensure its functioning. The construction of the airport also required the creation of an entrance to it by land transport. Automatically, all additionally involved territories were subject to gradual ordering, that is, they passed into the status of suburbanized. In recent years, there has been an urgent need to modernize the airport in Chernivtsi. Modern requirements for its equipment required the choice of another location - in the suburban area, which continues to develop the trend of suburbanization of new territories outside the city. The formation of a large transport hub based on the new airport will give impetus to the further development of the city, its inclusion in the international transport system in the field of air traffic. The rest of the transport structure is obliged to ensure its functioning. Taking into account natural and geographical factors will reduce the impact on the overall ecosystem of the territories, which is one of the most important requirements of our time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Efficient freight transport and management in large transportation hubs is crucial to world trade. Existing freight management systems fail to ensure traceability, transparency, information security and consistency of data stored and exchanged during the various operational processes. As a result, this has a negative impact on the performance of transport hubs.Materials and methods. The use of digital information and communication technology (ICT) applications in the transport industry can lead to highly automated processes and more cost-effective solutions. Freight transport requires the use of real-time data exchange between different stakeholders involved in the process. Traditional ICTbased logistics systems use a centralised architecture to host and process data and services. However, centralized logistics systems cannot ensure secure access to real-time data, operational visibility and trust between participating organisations.Results. Automation of various transport hub functions using the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing can adequately improve the performance of transport hub operations. These operations include automation of vehicle interface, container yards, intra-port logistics and terminal receiving point.Discussion and Conclusions. In this paper, we have explored opportunities for process improvement by integrating information exchange between different actors using end-to-end technologies in transport hubs, in particular the concept of blockchain, to optimise operations in international trade by integrating and sharing information between actors in the transport process.

Surrounded by seas on three sides, Turkey wants to connect different seas and coastal regions by land transport corridors. Moreover, Turkey pretends to connect the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and also Arctic Oceans by various transport corridors, which may referred to China, the EU, India and Russia accordingly. Thus, Turkey's transport strategy has 3 levels: national, regional and international. The research objective is to reveal Turkey's prospects of becoming a transport hub, to analyze Turkey's geographical location, the favorable circumstances and obstacles, the positions of the Turkish leadership and regional and extra-regional actors. We conclude that Turkey has glimmering chances to become a transport hub both in the West-East and North-South directions, and even in their various branches. Becoming a transport hub is very important from Turkey's point of view to be included in the top ten economically leading countries․ Likewise, it full compliances with Turkey's current ambitions։ Turkey is already a regional superpower with global ambitions, and in the long-term perspective it aspires to become a global player. The topic is actual for Armenia, as it directly refers on it․ The aspiration of Turkey to become a transport hub can also put Armenia on the world transport map, turning it into a transport hub as well, at least in the East-West (China-Europe) direction.

Copyright of Aeronautical Science Bulletins / Repüléstudományi Közlemények is the property of National University of Public Service and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The darkness that came from the Mediterranean Sea covered the city hated by the procurator... М. Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita The seventh airfield subzone covered our beloved city. Construction was stopped, and engineering was frozen. Now we have as much free time as we need. And while Irkutsk is struggling with the mistakes of previous administrations, let's see how new air terminals are opened one by one in the regional capitals of the country: Kemerovo, Saratov, Perm... The first one we saw was LEONOV in Kemerovo. And we saw it not online, but live, when we arrived at the Festival “Zodchestvo in Siberia”. The object of the issue is not a frequent section in PB. This issue contains several significant infrastructure facilities by Moscow authors. Airport terminals in three Russian regional capitals (41) and the Nizhegorodskaya transport hub in Moscow (63). The main Siberian festival of this autumn is a regular festival “Zodchestvo in Siberia” held in the first decade of September in Kemerovo (15-36). It is noteworthy that the main focus of the work of the key speakers of this festival, Nikolay Shumakov and Timur Bashkaev, is on transport infrastructure facilities. So the stars are aligned for us to talk about it, about INFRASTRUCTURE. The infrastructural crisis has hit fully half of the inhabited world. The gigantic transport, energy and information systems created in the middle of the last century have exhausted their resources. Mikhail Mishustin's government is adopting an ambitious plan to invest tens of trillions of rubles into the country's infrastructures. Joe Biden's government is discussing a similar plan that costs trillions of dollars. Meanwhile, it turns out that both the philosophy and methodology of infrastructure design have fundamentally changed and now require a deep rethinking. Along with the burning issues, however, we do not forget about anniversaries. The new issue of PB opens with a diptych devoted to the 80th anniversary of our regular author Alexander Rappaport.

The article features the architectural solution and purpose of the Nizhegorodskaya transport and interchange hub, as well as the importance of interaction between the leading design teams of different profiles. It describes the symbolic and artistic component of the project and its implementation.

The darkness that came from the Mediterranean Sea covered the city hated by the procurator... М. Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita The seventh airfield subzone covered our beloved city. Construction was stopped, and engineering was frozen. Now we have as much free time as we need. And while Irkutsk is struggling with the mistakes of previous administrations, let's see how new air terminals are opened one by one in the regional capitals of the country: Kemerovo, Saratov, Perm... The first one we saw was LEONOV in Kemerovo. And we saw it not online, but live, when we arrived at the Festival “Zodchestvo in Siberia”. The object of the issue is not a frequent section in PB. This issue contains several significant infrastructure facilities by Moscow authors. Airport terminals in three Russian regional capitals (41) and the Nizhegorodskaya transport hub in Moscow (63). The main Siberian festival of this autumn is a regular festival “Zodchestvo in Siberia” held in the first decade of September in Kemerovo (15-36). It is noteworthy that the main focus of the work of the key speakers of this festival, Nikolay Shumakov and Timur Bashkaev, is on transport infrastructure facilities. So the stars are aligned for us to talk about it, about INFRASTRUCTURE. The infrastructural crisis has hit fully half of the inhabited world. The gigantic transport, energy and information systems created in the middle of the last century have exhausted their resources. Mikhail Mishustin's government is adopting an ambitious plan to invest tens of trillions of rubles into the country's infrastructures. Joe Biden's government is discussing a similar plan that costs trillions of dollars. Meanwhile, it turns out that both the philosophy and methodology of infrastructure design have fundamentally changed and now require a deep rethinking. Along with the burning issues, however, we do not forget about anniversaries. The new issue of PB opens with a diptych devoted to the 80th anniversary of our regular author Alexander Rappaport.

The article features the architectural solution and purpose of the Nizhegorodskaya transport and interchange hub, as well as the importance of interaction between the leading design teams of different profiles. It describes the symbolic and artistic component of the project and its implementation.

The article shows the planning targets in the scope of the transport node and city. The ways of railway stations development as places of mass transfer of passengers is determined. The method of identifying dependencies between the length of foot walk and increasing the number of stations for stopping is proposed.

The public transit accessibility has become an important attribute of social and economic activity of contemporary society. The shift to the sustainable paradigm of the current cities’ development has made public transport the basic mean for population travels execution. The spatial character of the travels in the megapolises supposes its implementation with the transfers. This may result in the travel time increase if the transport hubs are designed or located inefficiently. In some cases, the transport hub locations do not reflect the current demand for public transport services and require the fulfilment of the infrastructure measures. The paper presents the Hub Location Problem (HLP) solving in the case of rapid transit and trolleybus lines interaction. It has been proposed the combined criterion for the HLP solving based on the two-dimensional coordinate system with the estimation of passenger walk turnover. The simulation procedure to estimate the transport hub relocation has been made in the PTV VISUM software in the case of the Industrial District of Kharkiv City (Ukraine). The results of the economic effect available from the transport hub rational location have been estimated.

In terms of a systematic approach, till now it was not possible to investigate separately sea passenger terminals and the operation of ferry or cruise lines. So it is necessary to investigate their mutual influence, analyze the intensities, take into account the influence of the external environment and solve forecasting problems. This circumstance justifies the need to use new tools and models that allow analyzing the macro-level, consisting of all the ports in the region and the available ferry lines. For solving short-term forecasting problems, the class of polynomial problems has recommended itself well. But, when taking into account the mutual influence of the terminals and ferry lines on each other, the task becomes much more complicated. The discrete nature of the initial data, schedules of ship calls which need to be combined into a single array of data, comes to the fore in the study of processes. The process of functioning of an individual terminal with varying degrees of accuracy can be represented as a sequence of several typical design modes, each of which corresponds to a change in a certain set of characteristics and number of ship calls. But when solving problems at the macro-level, the article proposes to use optimization based on the circos plot. The construction of this type of diagram is associated with the fulfillment of certain boundary conditions, which makes it possible to define the boundaries of the region, to study and to form the completeness of the initial data. The object of the study is the interconnection of selected marine passenger terminals and the existing ferry lines. Based on the initial data, transformations were carried out and a circular (circos) plot of relations was constructed. Such diagram takes into account the analysis of the mutual influence of the terminals of one region. The obtained results make it possible to improve the quality of decision making, since a representation of the macro-level planning system of the «marine passenger terminals - ferry lines» is formed within the framework of the selected marine region.

The public transit accessibility has become an important attribute of social and economic activity of contemporary society. The shift to the sustainable paradigm of the current cities' development has made public transport the basic mean for population travels execution. The spatial character of the travels in the megapolises supposes its implementation with the transfers. This may result in the travel time increase if the transport hubs are designed or located inefficiently. In some cases, the transport hub locations do not reflect the current demand for public transport services and require the fulfilment of the infrastructure measures. The paper presents the Hub Location Problem (HLP) solving in the case of rapid transit and trolleybus lines interaction. It has been proposed the combined criterion for the HLP solving based on the two-dimensional coordinate system with the estimation of passenger walk turnover. The simulation procedure to estimate the transport hub relocation has been made in the PTV VISUM software in the case of the Industrial District of Kharkiv City (Ukraine). The results of the economic effect available from the transport hub rational location have been estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In connection with the active development of information systems in transport, it becomes necessary to integrate vehicles, infrastructure and humans into a single information network. The V2I system of information analysis for monitoring and controlling vehicles in operating conditions is an organic combination of information and analytical components. The latter includes the analysis of information regarding changes in operating conditions. The article presents a study that has improved the processes of managing the operating conditions of vehicles in the V2I communication system by using simulation modelling. A simulation model for choosing the optimal operating conditions for vehicles is described. The model takes into account road, climatic, and transport conditions and culture of vehicle operation, as well as the peculiarities of public transport movement in a transport hub. The objective function with the appropriate restrictions and the problem of traffic optimization in the investigated transport hub were established. Diagrams of the processes of the simulation model were constructed for various input parameters, including the optimal ones, with the creation of corresponding agents and their populations. Models of public transport delays at stops using a triangular distribution were developed, and the corresponding hypotheses were confirmed by Pearson's test (χ2). The developed models can be used in the process of rebuilding a transport hub, as well as for modeling traffic when the operating conditions of vehicles change and for predicting such changes. The simulation results can be used in the creation and design of intelligent transport systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a significant increase in the role of sea ferry services today as well as a significant increase in the number of ferry vessels and passenger flow, which requires the development of new practical forecasting methods. The article proposes a new approach to forecasting, which is based on the integrated interaction of the systems «passenger sea port - cruise or ferry lines». This research focused on the regions of the Adriatic and the Baltic Sea and the existing network of cruise and ferry line routes. When studying this system, it was justified to use a new mathematical model based on practical simulation and models of the theory of discrete processes and systems. The proposed model is complemented by a discretization-based study based on the Kotelnikov´s theorem. To reflect the dynamics of changes in such a system, it is proposed to use new diagrams of the intensity represented by circos graphs (diagrams). The article discusses the practical importance of using new circos intensity graphs of sections to study the operation of the «marine terminal - cruise line or ferry line» systems based on real data on the Baltic and Adriatic seas. Based on the simulation results, a new system of corrective actions is proposed to improve the management of marine terminals. It presents new results which can increase the accuracy of the planning and decision-making process in predicting and planning the route network based on the research of passenger traffic between the «sea terminal - cruise line or ferry line» systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article shows the planning targets in the scope of the transport node and city. The ways of railway stations development as places of mass transfer of passengers is determined. The method of identifying dependencies between the length of foot walk and increasing the number of stations for stopping is proposed.

In terms of a systematic approach, till now it was not possible to investigate separately sea passenger terminals and the operation of ferry or cruise lines. So it is necessary to investigate their mutual influence, analyze the intensities, take into account the influence of the external environment and solve forecasting problems. This circumstance justifies the need to use new tools and models that allow analyzing the macro-level, consisting of all the ports in the region and the available ferry lines. For solving short-term forecasting problems, the class of polynomial problems has recommended as well. But, when taking into account the mutual influence of the terminals and ferry lines on each other, the task becomes much more complicated. The discrete nature of the initial data, schedules of ship calls which need to be combined into a single array of data, comes to the fore in the study of processes. The process of functioning of an individual terminal with varying degrees of accuracy can be represented as a sequence of several typical design modes, each of which corresponds to a change in a certain set of characteristics and number of ship calls. But when solving problems at the macro-level, the article proposes to use optimization based on the circos plot. The construction of this type of diagram is associated with the fulfillment of certain boundary conditions, which makes it possible to define the boundaries of the region, to study and to form the completeness of the initial data. The object of the study is the interconnection of selected marine passenger terminals and the existing ferry lines. Based on the initial data, transformations were carried out and a circular (circos) plot of relations was constructed. Such diagram takes into account the analysis of the mutual influence of the terminals of one region. The obtained results make it possible to improve the quality of decision making, since a representation of the macro-level planning system of the «marine passenger terminals - ferry lines» is formed within the framework of the selected marine region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to understand mobility patterns in mega-city regions from perspectives of accessibility and air-rail intermodality. Travellers' preferences for intercity mode and its access and egress modes were simultaneously collected in the context of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei mega-city region. The accessibility of transport hubs and destinations was measured to enable interpreting mobility behaviour in three dimensions, i.e., travel mode decisions, departure transport hub decisions, and transport service decisions. The calibrated behavioural model highlights a series of determinants regarding level-of-service attributes, travel characteristics, accessibility, socio-demographics, and their interaction. Based on the behavioural insights, twenty domestic cities were selected as destinations for analysing the dynamics of mobility patterns in terms of the competition within the multi-airport system and air-rail cooperation potential in the long-haul market. The elasticity of shifts in transport demand between the primary and secondary airports in the Beijing multi-airport system was assessed under various pricing strategies, highlighting the vital role of the most accessible airport in air traveller decision-making. Moreover, the results underline the effect of air-rail intermodal service upgrades, e.g., offering baggage handling systems and flexible tickets, on stimulating air-rail intermodal mobility in the mega-city region. • Behavioural determinants of intermodal travellers. • Joint decisions on transport modes, hubs, and services. • Effect of accessibility on competitive relationships in multi-airport systems. • Market share of air-rail intermodality in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei mega-city region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local authorities of Katowice have proposed to localize a transport hub of the Park&Ride system at Brynowska junction. The paper reviews the impact of this proposition on road traffic at the hub. The analysis of transport modal split was performed. In order to estimate the effects of such a system, an analysis of traffic distribution was done with a questionnaire survey. Based on the results, two traffic simulation models have been developed: first, simulating the current state of Brynowska junction and, second, presenting the junction with the transport hub of the Park&Ride system. A comparison of the two models made it possible to estimate the effects of the implementation of the Park&Ride system. Obtained results prove that this solution could improve the current state of the transportation system.

The transport interchange hubs development (TIH) has recently become an important urban issue. In our country, this problem being quite new is determined by urban planning approaches aimed at solving it. The transport hub includes a complex of several transport modes performing operations for servicing transit, local and urban transportation of goods and passengers.

Modern processes in the world economy directly affect the development and changes in sea passenger ports and their infrastructure. The principles of organization of the "city - sea passenger port" system are changing and becoming more complex. Recently there has been a significant increase in passenger traffic and cruise ship and ferry traffic in Baltic Sea. Since these objects are complex technical systems consisting of many elements, in their study it is necessary to use the system approach, to solve the problem of structure synthesis and the determination of objective functions. The objective of this publication was to study how the forecast for the development of demand for sea passenger ports (number cruise ships and passengers flow for next year) could be done by combining simulation and forecast functions. These tasks depend on the qualitative construction of specialized information simulation models. Such subsystems should be used by passenger port management for both operational everyday tasks and strategic tasks. One of the main goals of the forecast is the qualitative construction of an analytical function work of the terminal that determines the passenger flow based on real data. The article considers the solution of this problem by using the method of average growth rate and polynomial extrapolation. In the article, the characteristics and infrastructural features of the passenger ports of St. Petersburg are given, and the main directions of development based on the results of simulation are considered. The paper discusses advantages of using such forecast and their introduction in the early stages of operation of the terminal. The study represents an example of analytical information used for the forecast of the terminal load, the analysis of the workload and efficiency of the organization of the marine terminal in operational tasks using analytical function based on real data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Harbin Institute of Technology. Social Sciences Edition / Haerbin Gongye Daxue Xuebao. Shehui Kexue Ban is the property of Harbin Institute of Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

China Railway Express has been developed rapidly since “the Belt and Road Initiative” in China was proposed. Many cities in the Midwest of China have developed into the transport hub from the transport terminal. The key question is how to reasonably formulate the size of the container station and the frequency of the shift for China Railway Express. This paper takes the container as the research object. Regarding the containers as customers in the queuing system, customers’ services ending with the loading of containers into China Railway Express, based on a finite-capacity queueing system with batch service, this paper provides an optimal layout method for the container yard of China Railway Express. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article characterizes the growing interest of the Arctic states and the world community to the development of the vast natural resources in the harsh environment of the Arctic, including the development of programs and the strategy, the importance of international cooperation, harmonization of legal framework of economic activities in the macro-region. The essential modernization and development of transport and logistics complex in the effective development of the Arctic zone is substantiated. A conceptual model for creating the modern transport and logistics complex applicable to Murmansk transport hub, the largest in the Russian Arctic, has been developed.

Due to the compactness and high concentration of socio-economic phenomena urban areas require a developed transport infrastructure and a coherence in communication with the surrounding territory and centres of different levels to ensure the proper functioning. The article is dedicated to estimation of the position of medium-sized cities in an Western part ofUkrainerelative to the existing transport system. Particular attention is paid to location relative to international transport corridors and European routes, to the proximity and transport accessibility to state border checkpoints. It has been determined that in general cities are characterized by an advantageous position, as being situated within the border area, within or close to major highways, and most of them have easy connection to regional centres. The most favourable transport and geographical position, which can be described as arterial, belongs to Kovel, Mukacheve and Stryi. Kovel and Stryi are important transport hubs inWestern Ukraine. However, comparing to other medium-sized cities of the area, the greatest amount of international and European transport routes lies across Mukacheve. Transport and geographical position of Colomyia and Chervonohrad can be considered as advantageous, as evidenced by their status of railway hubs, less advantageous – Drohobych and Kalush. Novovolynsk has the least advantageous, peripheral transport and geographical position. The transport and geographical position of medium-sized cities in the region serves as an additional incentive to use their potential, which is particularly important in view of their role as industrial and administrative centres.

Objectives: Transport hub is an important part of urban comprehensive transportation system. Traffic -related air pollution can reach high level because of difficulty of diffusion and increase of emission in transport hub. However, whether exposure in this semi-closed traffic micro-environment causes acute changes in pulmonary function of commuters still needs to be explored. Methods: Forty young healthy adults participated in this randomized, crossover study. Each participant underwent 2 h exposure in a designated transport hub and, on a separate occasion, in an appointed park. Personal exposures to fine particulate matter (PM), black carbon (BC) and carbon monoxide (CO) were measured. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were assessed pre-, during and post-exposure. Mixed linear models were used to analyze the pulmonary effects of traffic-related air pollutants. Results: Participants had significantly higher exposures to PM, BC and CO in the transport hub than in the park. Exposure in transport hub induced significant reductions in FEV and PEF compared with the park during exposure 1 and 2 h. The reductions were significant associated with traffic-related air pollutants. For instance, per 10 μg/m increment in PM was associated with −0.15 % (95 % CI −0.28, −0.02 %) reduction in FEV during exposure 2 h. However, effects became attenuate after 2 h exposure. Conclusions: Short-term exposure in transport hub had acute reduction effects on pulmonary function. More attention should be paid to the health effects of exposure in the semi-closed traffic micro-environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the compactness and high concentration of socio-economic phenomena urban areas require a developed transport infrastructure and a coherence in communication with the surrounding territory and centres of different levels to ensure the proper functioning. The article is dedicated to estimation of the position of medium-sized cities in an Western part of Ukraine relative to the existing transport system. Particular attention is paid to location relative to international transport corridors and European routes, to the proximity and transport accessibility to state border checkpoints. It has been determined that in general cities are characterized by an advantageous position, as being situated within the border area, within or close to major highways, and most of them have easy connection to regional centres. The most favourable transport and geographical position, which can be described as arterial, belongs to Kovel, Mukacheve and Stryi. Kovel and Stryi are important transport hubs in Western Ukraine. However, comparing to other medium-sized cities of the area, the greatest amount of international and European transport routes lies across Mukacheve. Transport and geographical position of Colomyia and Chervonohrad can be considered as advantageous, as evidenced by their status of railway hubs, less advantageous – Drohobych and Kalush. Novovolynsk has the least advantageous, peripheral transport and geographical position. The transport and geographical position of medium-sized cities in the region serves as an additional incentive to use their potential, which is particularly important in view of their role as industrial and administrative centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]