bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vivo MRS study of long-term effects of traumatic intracranial injection of a culture medium in mice
Authors: Shevelev O. B. , Cherkasova O. P. , Razumov I. A. , Zavjalov E. L.
Published: November 2023

Orthotopic transplantation of glioblastoma cells in the brain of laboratory mice is a common animal model for studying brain tumors. It was shown that 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) enables monitoring of the tumor’s occurrence and its development during therapy based on the ratio of several metabolites. However, in studying new approaches to the therapy of glioblastoma in the model of orthotopic xenotransplantation of glioma cells into the brain of mice, it is necessary to understand which metabolites are produced by a growing tumor and which are the result of tumor cells injection along the modeling of the pathology. Currently, there are no data on the dynamic metabolic processes in the brain that occur after the introduction of glioblastoma cells into the brain of mice. In addition, there is a lack of data on the delayed effects of invasive brain damage. Therefore, this study investigates the long-term dyna mics of the neurometabolic profile, assessed using 1H MRS, after intracranial injection of a culture medium used in orthotopic modeling of glioma in mice. Levels of N-acetylaspartate, N-acetylaspartylglutamic acid, myoinositol, taurine, glutathione, the sum of glycerophosphocholine and phosphocholine, glutamic acid (Glu), glutamine (Gln), and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) indicate patterns of neurometabolites in the early stage after intracranial injection similar to brain trauma ones. Most of the metabolites, with the exception of Gln, Glu and GABA, returned to their original values on day 28 after injection. A progressive increase in the Glu/Gln and Glu/GABA ratio up to 28 days after surgery potentially indicates an impaired turnover of these metabolites or increased neurotransmission. Thus, the data indicate that the recovery processes are largely completed on day 28 after the traumatic event in the brain tissue, leaving open the question of the neurotransmitter system impairment. Consequently, when using animal models of human glioma, researchers should clearly distinguish between which changes in neurometabolites are a response to the injection of cancer cells into the brain, and which processes may indicate the early development of a brain tumor. It is important to keep this in mind when modeling human glioblastoma in mice and monitoring new treatments. In addition, these results may be important in the development of approaches for non-invasive diagnostics of traumatic brain injury as well as recovery and rehabilitation processes of patients after certain brain surgeries.
Problems with studying directional natural selection in humans
Authors: Mikhailova S. V.
Published: November 2023

The review describes the main methods for assessing directional selection in human populations. These include bioinformatic analysis of DNA sequences via detection of linkage disequilibrium and of deviations from the random distribution of frequencies of genetic variants, demographic and anthropometric studies based on a search for a correlation between fertility and phenotypic traits, genome-wide association studies on fertility along with genetic loci and polygenic risk scores, and a comparison of allele frequencies between generations (in modern samples and in those obtained from burials). Each approach has its limitations and is applicable to different periods in the evolution of Homo sapiens. The main source of error in such studies is thought to be sample stratification, the small number of studies on nonwhite populations, the impossibility of a complete comparison of the associations found and functionally significant causative variants, and the difficulty with taking into account all nongenetic determinants of fertility in contemporary populations. The results obtained by various methods indicate that the direction of human adaptation to new food products has not changed during evolution since the Neolithic; many variants of immunity genes associated with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in modern populations have undergone positive selection over the past 2–3 thousand years owing to the spread of bacterial and viral infections. For some genetic variants and polygenic traits, an alteration of the direction of natural selection in Europe has been documented, e. g., for those associated with an immune response and cognitive abilities. Examination of the correlation between fertility and educational attainment yields conflicting results. In modern populations, to a greater extent than previously, there is selection for variants of genes responsible for social adaptation and behavioral phenotypes. In particular, several articles have shown a positive correlation of fertility with polygenic risk scores of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
A study of macroinvertebrate communities in Bolshiye Koty Bay of Lake Baikal using DNA metabarcoding
Authors: Kravtsova L. S. , Peretolchina T. E. , Triboy T. I. , Nebesnykh I. A. , Tupikin A. E. , Kabilov M. R.
Published: November 2023

The diversity of macroinvertebrates, the structure of their communities in Bolshiye Koty Bay (Lake Baikal) was studied by a DNA metabarcoding approach using an Illumina MiSeq system. Internal primer mlCOIintF in combination with jgHCO2198 of the Folmer fragment of the COI gene were used for macroinvertebrate metabarcoding. A total of 118009 reads of the COI gene fragment (at least 313 bp in length) were obtained. The correlation of the Spearman coefficient (S = 0.6, p < 0.05) with the abundance of macroinvertebrates in the samples before DNA extraction showed that the number of reads can serve as an indirect characteristic of the abundance of a species (operational taxonomic unit, OTU). 115 OTUs belonging to the higher taxa of macroinvertebrates were identified: Porifera, 1; Platyhelminthes, 3; Annelida, 38; Arthropoda, 55; Mollusca, 18. At a high level of resolution (with homology with GenBank reference sequences ≥ 95 %, coverage ≥ 90 %), 46 taxa of macroinvertebrates comprising three communities were registered: one dominated by molluscs (Choanomphalus conf. maacki) and two dominated by chironomids (Orthocladius grega rius Linev., Sergentia baicalensis Tshern.). Communities are characterized by low species diversity according to Shannon (from 0.7 to 1.2 bits), high concentration of dominance according to Simpson (from 0.5 to 0.7) and low evenness according to Pielou (from 0.3 to 0.4). Dominants and subdominants in the communities account for 91 to 96 % of COI gene fragment reads. The spatial distribution of the dominant species identified in the communities is influenced by the geomorphological features of the bottom and the composition of sediments in the area studied. The approach proposed for studying the structure of macroinvertebrate communities based on DNA metabarcoding and next generation sequencing can be recommended for express assessment of the state of aquatic ecosystems in the monitoring.
The Relationships between Urban Form and Travel Patterns. An International Review and Evaluation
Authors: Stead Dominic , Marshall Stephen
Published: November 2023

There is a growing body of research concerned with the relationship between urban form and travel patterns. Studies originate from a diversity of sources, and encompass a variety of geographic scales and locations. To add to this diversity, many different characteristics of urban form to have been examined in these studies, and travel patterns have been measured in a number of different ways. This paper brings together in a systematic way the results of many recent studies on urban form and travel patterns over the last 20 years. As well as this systematic approach, other key aspects of this review paper include the identification of where research has been concentrated (and where there are gaps in research), and in the critique of the studies, which includes issues of data accuracy, reliability and quality, the applicability of research methods and data interpretation. The critique focuses in some detail on the interaction of socio-economic factors with urban form and travel patterns.
Sustainable Transport and Potential Mobility
Authors: Black William R.
Published: November 2023

Any index that seeks to assess transport sustainability for areas will soon confront the problem that these areas must also have some reasonable level of mobility. Implicitly the impacts on sustainability are the least where the economy has not yet developed. As a result there is a need to explicitly consider the level of potential mobility that the economy is capable of supporting. An index is proposed here that is based on the difference between the level of sustainability and the level of potential mobility, standardized for population size and units of measurement. The index is illustrated for a number of different policy and regulatory situations. More important than the index developed are the limitations of this or other measurement systems in this area. These range from how one can allocate aviation fuels to specific countries to how one can translate current environmental targets into index values. There will have to be considered in the development of any future indices in this area.
A Dynamic Model to Appraise Strategic Land-Use and Transport Policies
Authors: Pfaffenbichler P. C. , Shepherd S.P.
Published: November 2023

This paper presents a framework for an ex ante appraisal of urban land use and transport strategies. At the core of this framework is a dynamic land use and transport interaction model. Objective functions and an optimisation routine are used to assess the effects of complex strategies formed by policy instrument combinations with different policy levels possible. The main objective of the underlying study is to promote sustainable policies. Therefore the proposed framework considers either explicitly or implicitly all five domains of the STELLA focus group 4 (environment, safety, health, land use and congestion).
Overcoming Traffic Congestion
Authors: Scott Darren M.
Published: November 2023

This paper addresses the issue of why measures designed to ease traffic congestion have met with limited success in North American cities. To this end, specific types of supply and demand strategies (i.e., roadway construction, jobs-housing balance and the compressed workweek) are discussed emphasizing behavioral responses to them. With respect to roadway construction, evidence of induced travel from recent studies undertaken in the United States is presented. With respect to the two remaining strategies, two studies conducted in Canada employing simulation models are described. Finally, activity-based travel demand models are discussed as a promising means for forecasting both anticipated and unanticipated behavioral responses to mitigation measures, thereby enabling policy makers to make informed decisions as to whether the measures merit implementation.
Port Reorganisations and the Worlds of Production Theory
Authors: Chlomoudis Constantinos I. , Karalis Apostolos V. , Pallis Athanasios A.
Published: November 2023

Taking into account the new dimensions of port production that have become evident during the recent past, this paper tackles the issue of port reorganisation. In the light of the changes in the world economy and the new competitive environment, the paper focuses on the new structures of the port industry and the characteristics of the contemporary port product within a more general analytical framework of ‘Worlds of Production’. This conceptualisation suggests that neither the industrial model of mass production, nor any other model alone, can determine a single effective pattern of organisation of port production. Within the new reality, modern ports must provide a greater variety of services to port users than in the past. The diversity and complexity of the contemporary port product demand the application of multiple organisational transformations incorporating elements of different possible action frameworks. In this vein, the introduction of intra-port competition, the development of strategic or regional networks, and the reconsideration of the role of port authority turn to critical parameters of the essential restructuring.
The Contribution of Land Use Planning to Reducing Traffic Growth
Authors: Headicar Peter
Published: November 2023

The relationship between land use and travel behaviour has attracted research interest in England over the last fifteen years, principally in connection with possible links between urban form and sustainability. Since the mid 1990s this work has been overtaken somewhat by Government policy initiatives. This is something of a mixed blessing. Official attention has shifted to the implementation of what is now an established line of policy. In academic circles, by contrast, there is increasing interest in mobility more generally as a phenomenon of contemporary society. In this context the pattern of land use remains an important influence, if only because of the physical legacy presented by the established pattern of development. However, the evolution in travel behaviour is, as ever, conditioned by broader social and economic trends (Gillespie et al 1998). This paper provides an overview of English experience in this field in three main sections: research, policy and implementation. To place these in context they are preceded by a section titled 'background' which highlights for an international audience some of the distinctive features of the English scene, in terms of geography, cultural attitudes to development and travel, and institutional arrangements for land use and transport planning. These require very careful consideration before any attempt is made to draw inferences for policy-making in other countries.
Project Selection in Traffic Accident Prevention and Mitigation
Authors: Poorzahedy Hossain , Shetab Bushehri Sayed Nader
Published: November 2023

This paper deals with two problems in relation to the accident treatment of urban street networks, i.e. accident prevention (AP) and accident mitigation (MP). These two problems are defined based on the concepts of suitable remaining trip-hours, link importance, and klink connectedness of node-destinations in the network. The objective of problem (AP) is to upgrade the important links so as to maximize a measure of the performance of the network. This is a before-accident treatment of the network. The objective of problem (MP) is to mitigate the accident effects in the network so as to maximize a measure of network connectedness. This is an after-accident treatment of the network, which is done by equipping
auxiliary links in the network to join the available set of links, in order to make important 1-link connected node-destination pairs, k-link connected (k ≥ 2) . Two algorithms have been proposed to solve these two problems. The reasonability of the solution results has been shown by applying these two algorithms on a small-sized (6 nodes, 10 links) example network. The feasibility of the application of these algorithms on larger networks has been investigated by applying them on the network of Sioux Falls (24 nodes and 76 links).
Implementing Value Pricing for U.S. Roadways
Authors: Sullivan Edward C.
Published: November 2023

This paper reviews the current status of congestion-based road pricing in the United States and examines some of the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful projects, including their marketing aspects. It is concluded that forward momentum has been established for innovative road pricing, but future progress toward more widespread use of congestionbased pricing is likely to take advantage of local opportunities which present themselves, and will proceed cautiously. Considerable emphasis will be placed on marketing strategies in order to win consumer acceptance.
Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Germany
Authors: Verron Hedwig , Friedrich Axel
Published: November 2023

The study reported in this paper is part of an OECD project with several case studies in different countries. The purpose of the project was to look for possible ways to reduce the environmental impact of transport to a level which is compatible with sustainability. The participants in the case studies agreed upon quantifying criteria for carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, which should describe environmentally sustainable transport (EST), and each case study constructed a business-as-usual scenario and three EST scenarios, considering the period from 1990 to 2030. Each EST scenario should meet the criteria in a backcasting effort, EST1 looking for solely technical solutions, EST2 restricting and shifting transport volumes while ignoring technological progress, and EST3 combining components of both strategies. In the German case study criteria were additionally quantified for particulate matter, noise and land-take for transport purposes. The German EST1 scenario is based on hybrid electric hypercars, hydrogen for public transport, freight and aviation, and electricity from renewable sources. In the EST2 scenario total transport activity for passenger and freight transport had to be reduced by 40% and 25% respectively, compared to 1990 in order to meet the criteria. In the EST3 scenario, while highly energy efficient conventional propulsion systems and engines were used, total passenger transport decreased only slightly and freight transport even increased. Implementation measures were then defined on the basis of the EST3 scenario. Emission regulation, fuel tax, and road pricing for heavy duty vehicles were the key features in order to achieve EST in this case study. They were complemented by additional sets of measures, designed to prevent urban sprawl, diminish freight traffic growth, increase liveability of towns, improve the infrastructure and service conditions of alternative modes as well as provide energy supply by regenerative sources.
Environmentally Sustainable Transport in the CEI Countries
Authors: Thaler Robert , Wiederkehr Peter
Published: November 2023

Moving people and freight in an environmentally sustainable manner that reduces environmental pollution and health hazards is a key challenge for transport and environment policies in Europe. Present mobility patterns of passenger and freight transport in Central and Eastern Europe do not correspond to the objectives of sustainable development. This paper presents the results of a transport futures study for the CEI region as a whole using backcasting methodology with long-term sustainability criteria to be met by 2030. Achieving environmentally sustainable transport (EST) doesn’t mean less transport and mobility than we have today, but it means primarily maintaining a balanced modal split that results in less environmental and health impacts than it would be under projected future trends. Rail, trams, busses and new forms of flexible inter-modal public transport mobility would have to take a large share and rail transport for passenger and freight as well as inland shipping would have to be nearly doubled by 2030 while road freight could still increase if it is based on alternative fuels reducing its impacts. Technological advancements for passenger cars and lorries, fuels and infrastructure will play an important part to achieve EST, but also ‘smart’ mobility management (e.g. transport avoidance, increasing load factors and modal shift), innovative mobility services and freight logistics would be critical. The implementation of these policies and strategies will require coherent and comprehensive packages of instruments and measures, including: economic instruments, regulatory instruments, changes
in infrastructure investment, mobility management, information and education programmes as well as better integration of land use, transport and environment policies. Realising EST will provide new opportunities for businesses to develop and invest in innovative solutions for passenger and freight transport. Overall, achieving EST would constitute a net benefit for the environment and for quality of life in general.
Book Review
Authors: Vanelslander Thierry
Published: November 2023

This book was meant to disseminate the results of a national research project funded by the European Union. In this case, a standard structure could be expected containing the need for and the context of the research, the methodology used and the results obtained. But the book does a lot more than summarizing the research conducted. Each of the traditional items are of course reported throughout the different articles, but the emphasis is on original and provocative approaches. The evaluation of the latest trends in the sector, the impact of education and training on sector behaviour, the impact of culture, and the monitoring of reproductability and transferability of the evaluation procedure give an extra dimension to the analysis reporting. The main topic in itself too merits attention and praise since there is ample supply of training programmes, the quality of which, however, varies (a program useful in one situation may not apply to or even have a counterproductive effect in a different situation, and the need for training should be clearly evaluated before taking any action).
Hinterland Access Regimes in Seaports
Authors: de Langen Peter W. , Chouly Ariane
Published: November 2023

Seaports serve hinterlands. Various inland modes such as road, rail, inland waterways and pipeline are used to access the hinterland. The quality of the access to and from the hinterland differs between seaports and affects their competitiveness.

The quality of the hinterland access depends among others on the behaviour of a large variety of actors, such as shipping lines, terminal operators, forwarders, the port authority and the national/regional government. Therefore, effective hinterland access is at least partially an organisational challenge. Together these actors create a ‘hinterland access regime’. The analysis of this regime is central in this paper.

First, the relevance of hinterland access for seaports is briefly discussed. Second, the term ‘hinterland access regime’ is defined and the theoretical framework presented in De Langen (2004) is used to analyse the quality of the hinterland access regime. Third, survey results on the quality of the hinterland access regime in three seaport clusters, Rotterdam, Durban and the Lower Mississippi Port Cluster (LMPC) are discussed. This analysis shows major differences between hinterland access regimes. Fourth, opportunities to improve the hinterland access regime in these three ports are discussed.
Financially independent public transport; its impacts on the public transport system in the Netherlands
Authors: van Goeverden Kees , Peeters Paul
Published: November 2023

The paper deals with the question of how suspension of the subsidies for public transport operations in the Netherlands would affect the public transport system. Today, the costs of public transport far exceed the revenues, particularly in urban and regional transport. The most efficient measures for improving the financial performance are reducing the wages and increasing vehicle speed, for instance by enlarging stop spacing. In order to find the effects of suspension of the subsidies, two scenarios are developed describing opposite extremes that define probable developments in Dutch public transport. In both scenarios, suspension of subsidies would have strong negative effects on the urban and regional transport supply. The level of service would decline and fares would increase substantially. As a consequence the demand would fall. Long distance transport might be less affected. The effects might even be positive, depending on the strategy of the operators.
Book Review
Authors: Brookhuis Karel
Published: November 2023

“Driver Behaviour and Training”, edited by Dr. Lisa Dorn, is based on contributions to the “First International Conference on Driver Behaviour and Training”, in Stratford-upon-Avon (UK), November 2003. The motivation for the conference and primary objective of its proceedings, and therefore of the book under review, is “how driver training might reduce crash risk”, or, how driver training could contribute to reducing human error, or better, erroneous driving behaviour (see the Introduction). The book contains 36 contributions, divided in four sections (Professional Driving, Driver Health, Fatigue and Accidents, In- Vehicle Technology, Driver Training and Instruction), which appear to have been rather haphazardly assembled instead of relating to the clearly stated objectives of the book. Common to all four sections is the fact that whilst some of the contributions do relate to aspects of driver training, others do not at all. Some contributions do not appear to have anything to do with driver/driving behaviour, for instance chapter 6, which deals with aspects of management of a bus company, or chapter 12 which is about safety aspects of baby seats in cars. These are undoubtedly important topics for the driving community, but they are bear no relation to driver behaviour and training.
Daily Mobility in Berlin
Authors: Scheiner Joachim
Published: November 2023

The article deals with the process of integration of East and West Berlin by means of the population's everyday mobility. Analysing activity spaces in four small-scale study areas on both sides of the former Berlin wall, there is evidence for significant differences between adjacent areas on both sides of the former wall as well as between different groups within an area. The interviewees' place of origin plays an important role.

The question is, how – on the one hand – groups of persons might be characterised who tend to integrate the respective other half of the city more strongly into their everyday life ('border crossers') or – on the other hand – people still tend to concentrate on their respective half of the city a decade after the fall of the wall ('half-urbanites'). On the basis of spatial behaviour and the attitude towards the city's other half, four groups are differentiated. They are examined by a discriminant analysis as well as on the basis of semi-structured interviews with regard to dominating patterns of interpreting the German unification and their own personal identity. These patterns provide a considerable contribution for a better understanding of group-specific differences in the choice of mobility behaviour.

From these results, consequences are drawn for the explanation of travel behaviour and for the theory and methodology of travel behaviour research. The hypothesis is developed that spatial action may not fully be explained by restrictive factors (infrastructure, distribution of opportunities, socio-demographic factors etc.). Additional factors which are empirically much more difficult to handle, such as attitudes, lifestyles, biographical experiences and long-term spatial orientations, are playing a role. The modelling of travel behaviour is theoretically incomplete by neglecting individual reasons of action. Any prediction of the future transport development might at least partly suffer from this weakness.
Editorial Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
Authors: van der Heijden Rob E.C.M. , Marchau Vincent A.W.J.
Published: November 2023

The application of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), in particular Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), is expected to improve the performance of road transportation significantly. Public policy makers, among others, are therefore increasingly interested in the implementation of these systems. Available knowledge on various implementation issues is growing, but still limited. This is due to the complex interactions between technological re- quirements, market introduction, impacts on driver behaviour and traffic performance and policy priorities. This article provides a framework for ADAS implementation, reviews recent developments in this field and introduces the contributions to this special issue.
The adequate integration of sustainability into transport policy
Authors: Himanen Veli , Perrels Adriaan , Lee-Gosselin Martin
Published: November 2023

In this paper we discuss to what extent transport policy fails to integrate five types of external effects, and what kind of research needs follow from the objective to make transport sustainable. The discussion is a synthesis of the findings collected and synthesized in the framework of Focus Group 4 of the STELLA project. The assignment of Focus Group 4 was to draw up a set of recommendations for future transport policy-oriented research dealing with external effects, on the basis of a series of specialist workshops.

Five different kinds of so-called external effects of transport were identified beforehand, being environment, safety and security, public health, land use and congestion. Safety and security as well as congestion are external effects in the sense that they are not ‘internalised’ in the price of the transport service, but they do affect predominantly others within the transport system. This means that with some delay the transport market still reacts to changes in the intensity of these effects, albeit biased or insufficient. The public goods character of both externalities however implies that public intervention is needed to attain better performance of these external effects, partly via internalisation of the external effects and partly via planning (i.e. by evaluating the trade-offs ex ante).

The other external effects, however, are not only insufficiently internalised in the transport price, but they are also predominantly affecting parties outside the transport system. Consequently, changes in the intensity of these effects do not feed back directly into the transport market. In that case public intervention has even a more complicated task, since it takes more time and is more complicated to learn what are actually the right balances for the trade-offs between adequate access and, in turn, sustainability, spatial quality, and public health.
Pessimistic Equilibrium Flow and Its Network Design Implications
Authors: Poorzahedy Hossain , Shetab Bushehri Sayed Nader
Published: November 2023

Quality of service in urban transportation network is very important to the users of this network. Travel time in street networks is one, very important, aspect of this service, particularly for trips with purposes such as work or school. A conservative route choice concept based on a pessimistic view of travel time has been proposed to render a pessimistic equilibrium flow (PEF). This flow is different from a user equilibrium flow (UEF), particularly in congested networks, and has sometimes a lower total travel time than UEF. A street network design problem has been proposed to take into account the travel time fluctuations (or service quality) in the network. This design model is based on PEF and is called pessimistic network design (PND) model. It is shown by an example network that an implication of PEF consideration in a PND model is that projects with lower potential in getting congested are chosen as compared with the conventional network design problem.
Empirical Analysis of Two-Leader Car-Following Behavior
Authors: Hoogendoorn Serge P. , Ossen Saskia
Published: November 2023

Several researchers have proposed that drivers do not just respond to the vehicle directly ahead, but also to the second, and even the third, fourth or fifth vehicle ahead. Little empirical evidence for this hypothesis has however been presented so far. We provide empirical evidence showing that drivers are not only reacting on the vehicle directly ahead, but also the ‘second leader’. This is achieved by analyzing vehicle trajectory data collected by observing a motorway traffic flow from a helicopter. These microscopic data enable estimation of individual car-following models. The extent to which this multi-anticipatory behaviour occurs turns out to be considerable: on average, the sensitivity with respect to stimuli coming from the second vehicle is half the sensitivity of the first vehicle ahead. For some vehicle triples, even higher sensitivities to the behaviour of the second leader than to the behaviour of the first have been observed. The estimation results show large differences in car-following behaviour between the different drivers. These differences can in part be explained by the vehicle-type composition of the considered vehicle triples. Trucks drivers show different behaviour than person-car drivers; drivers following a truck show dissimilar car-following behaviour than drivers following a personcar. Although not being a benchmarking study aimed at providing the best model of car-following behaviour, the research presented in this article shows that including multiple leaders can improve modelling of driving behaviour considerably.
Book Review: A. Kanafani and K. Kuroda (eds.) Global Competition in Transportation Markets: Analysis and Policy Making
Authors: Nijkamp Peter
Published: November 2023

I have read the above book on a long flight to Japan. And it was certainly not boring literature; it kept me awake during a twelve hour flight. This is certainly the type of book that one likes to see in the hands of researchers and students. It contains 16 individual and selfcontained chapters of a high quality. They all center around the theme of competition and globalization in modern transportation markets. The book, an edited volume based on proceedings of a conference, comprises essentially two disjoint parts, the first one dealing with air transport and the second one with maritime transport. Clearly, these are rather different markets and one may wonder what these markets have in common. The editors offer only a two-page preface in which they try to indicate that these markets may have indirectly some commonalities. These markets share the following features. They are both globally and locally subjected to strict competition. Next, both markets are characterized by economies of scale (including economies of scope and density in networks). Furthermore, both markets exhibit clearly the features of network externalities at various geographical networks. And finally, these markets display a high degree of dynamics and much uncertainty, so that the design of proper policies is not an easy task. A more profound editorial synthesis connecting both markets from a fundamental globaleconomic perspective would certainly have been desirable. This is perhaps the only weakness in this book.
A Strategic Niche Analysis of Urban Road Pricing in the UK and Norway
Authors: Ieromonachou Petros , Potter S. , Warren J.P.
Published: November 2023

Traditional transport policies of road expansion entail a relatively simple system of actors and processes around which expertise, knowledge, and skills which has built up over many decades. Some of the more radical Travel Demand Management measures, including urban road pricing, involve a complicated set of institutions, processes, people and procedures. Road pricing schemes often get delayed or abandoned due to controversy, disagreements, unanticipated problems and a whole host of other delaying factors. If they are implemented, they tend to be diluted and consequently become less effective. Strategic Niche Management (SNM) has previously been used to provide guidelines on the implementation of innovative transport technologies through setting up protected experimental settings (niches) in which actors learn about the design, user needs, social and political acceptability, and other aspects. Here SNM is modified to cover a policy approach through the analysis of road user charging case studies in the UK and Norway. A detailed analysis of the road user charging schemes in Bergen, Oslo, Durham and London is presented. Key factors identified include the role of stakeholder and user networks, the existence of a project champion, understanding the motivations and expectations of stakeholders and users, learning with regards to the regional context, and the change in perceptions associated with acceptance. Comparison between the four cases shows different approaches emerging from each country in implementing and ‘marketing’ of the policies. The paper concentrates on approaches such as: the purpose for introducing the policies, the involvement of users in the planning process and, the use of revenues for either providing alternative transport modes or financing road infrastructure. Key factors identified using the SNM framework include the role of stakeholder and user networks, the existence of a project champion, understanding the motivations and expectations of stakeholders and users, learning with regards to the regional context, and the change in perceptions associated with acceptance. This type of analysis could prove useful for transport planners envisaging the implementation of road pricing projects.
Editorial Special Issue: Logistics, networks and sustainability in freight transport
Authors: Zamparini Luca
Published: November 2023

The papers in this Special Issue provide several analyses and descriptions of the relevance of logistics, networks and sustainability in the recent evolution of freight transport flows at the local, national, and global levels. This phenomenon has been determined by several causes. First, the augmented GDP per capita in developed economies has stimulated the demand for an ever-increasing amount and variety of goods. Moreover, a significant share of the productive processes has been outsourced from the developed countries towards the developing ones. The economic reasons that have fostered this delocalization can be traced back to lower labour and investment costs in the latter countries, together with the decrease in unit transport costs. There has consequently been an increase in the complexity of existing freight transport networks and the emergence of new ones (Van Geenhuizen et al., 2007). This evolution has partly been related to the behaviour of logistics firms that, faced with an ever-rising level of competition, have been looking for alternative transport networks involving the implementation of peculiar transport means or of efficient intermodal systems (Beuthe et al., 2004). Moreover, as was mentioned above, new transport networks have emerged on the basis of evolving consumers’ demands and productive processes. This has, on the one hand, implied the urge for logistics firms to reconsider their strategic decisions (Brewer et al., 2001; De Kok and Graves, 2003) and, on the other hand, the opportunity for local and national administrations to take advantage of the international and/or intercontinental hubs of freight transport networks located within their territories (Banister, 2002).
Transportation quality indices for economic analysis of non-metropolitan cities
Authors: Vachal Kimberly , Bitzan John , Button Kenneth
Published: November 2023

It is generally agreed that transportation plays a role in economic development, but it often is assumed away in empirical work due to data voids or under implicit assumptions that it is largely an inert factor. This paper seeks to add to the quantitative material by offering estimates of the relative quality of surface freight transportation service resources available to non-metropolitan cities across the US. Indicators suggest that cities located in the Midwest have relatively higher freight transport service quality, and that a cluster of north-eastern states are at a disadvantage, considering the quality of freight service for non-metropolitan areas. Transportation quality indicators developed in this research offer a new opportunity to consider transportation in analysis of economic development policies and strategies.
Indirect energy associated with Swedish road transport
Authors: Jonsson Daniel K.
Published: November 2023

Typically when transport systems are considered from an energy or environmental perspective it is primarily the energy use associated with the propulsion of vehicles that is addressed. There are however other significant energy categories associated with transport systems, labelled as indirect energy – construction, operation, maintenance and demolition of infrastructure; manufacturing, service and scrapping of vehicles; and fuel production. In this paper the indirect energy is calculated to slightly more than 45% of the total energy use in the Swedish road transport sector. In detail, infrastructural energy stands for approximately 22%, vehicular energy at least 14%, and fuel production about 9% of the total energy use. In conclusion, the insight into the significance of the indirect transport energy should have implications on transport policy, for example, the design of means of control to reduce energy use and environmental impact. Four scenarios involving energy-saving measures are tested, and even though direct energy use remains the single largest item, policy-makers concerned with reducing road sector CO2-emissions cannot focus exclusively on the consumption of petrol and diesel for propulsion, but should also give heed to the energy use associated with infrastructure and vehicles.
Editorial Special issue: Links in the air transport chain: Where and when does optimisation begin?
Authors: Voorde Eddy Van De
Published: November 2023

The air transport sector has recently enjoyed a period of strong economic growth and boom, marked by the entry of new carriers, expanding business, and considerable profit-making. Clearly, though, this has not always been the case. What is more, in the first half of 2008, we have witnessed a new wave of mergers and takeovers, as well as bankruptcies and market exits, which would seem to suggest that the boom is over, for a while at least. As in the maritime sector, thought and action in the airline business have evolved rapidly in recent years, with respect to both passenger and freight transport. Increasingly, players are approaching the industry from the perspective of air transport chains. Prospective customers are no longer selecting airports and airlines on the basis of their individual merits, but because they belong to an air transport chain that meets their preferences maximally and corresponds to their willingness to pay. Hence, the success of those airports and airlines depends crucially on whether or not they belong to a successful air logistics chain. This process coincides with a degree of specialisation, air freight being a typical example. Whereas air freight used to be regarded as a ‘side product’ of passenger transport, there are now a number of carriers focusing exclusively on freight. Likewise, there are now airports (albeit smaller ones) who consider freight transport as their core business. This growing significance of full-freighter services has been occasioned by a combination of factors, including insufficient freight capacity and stricter safety regulations on passenger planes, a trend towards scale enlargement, and substantial imbalances between incoming and outgoing flows. It is important that research should stay apace with this rapid evolution in the airline industry. In the present issue of the European Journal of Transport Infrastructure Research, we pick up on the now widely accepted transport chain perspective. The six contributions focus on different links in the air transport chain, but without losing sight of interdependencies and the possibility of integration.
Congestion and Air Transport: a challenging phenomenon
Authors: Roosens Paul
Published: November 2023

This paper deals with the problem of congestion in air transport. The focus is on the congested related delays at airports and en route. One of the solutions in the longer run is additional investment in new infrastructure, but in this article the major attention goes to the short run operational techniques to optimize the use of existing capacity. The pricing mechanism and slot allocation do not constitute a basic part of this article, as many academic publications already exist on these issues. During the years a lot of experience and successful solutions have been adopted in the US by the FAA and in Europe by the European Union and Eurocontrol. Whatever the solutions, constantly new challenges are looming beyond the horizon. Especially the relationship between noise related concerns and congestion is actually becoming a major problem.
Airports of the future: essentials for a renewed business model
Authors: Macário Rosário
Published: November 2023

This paper addresses the interaction between airports and airline companies taking into account the evolution of air transport in the last decades and an approach to integrated quality of service. Traditionally airport management, just like all transport infrastructure management, use to look at airlines as their primary customers, due to their legally binding agreements and because airlines pay for several charges, such as landing and parking fees, charges per passenger or tonne of freight handled, etc. Airlines, in turn, have legally binding agreements with passengers and look at passengers as their primary clients. In their unconscious business models airports used to see themselves as providers of an high technological demanding infrastructure, of national strategic interest, for very sophisticated operations where safety played both a very distinguished and distinct role. This paper challenges this traditional airport model and discusses a renewed business model for airports. This renewed model maintains the key functions of an airport but is built in the concept of quality of service as an interactive process that encompasses all agents engaged in the provision of the service.
Liberalisation of Rail Freight Markets in Central and South-Eastern Europe: What the European Commission Can Do to Facilitate Rail Market Opening
Authors: Ludvigsen Johanna
Published: November 2023

Drawing on the features of political and economic transformation in Central and South-eastern Europe, this article explores how the First Infrastructure Package which in 2001 liberalised rail freight markets in Europe affected the process of legislative compliance and market dynamics in the new EU-members. The article focuses on how these countries governments’ safeguarding of economic welfare of national voters hindered rail market opening and distorted the level of playing ground for competition between the incumbents and the new entrants. To understand the public administrators’ behaviours, the study looks into in the economic woes of the newly liberated countries which imposed considerable political pressures on the national governments. Opening of rail markets to competition magnified these problems because national incumbents did not know how to compete and earn market profits. Large financial losses that they incurred as a consequence of rail market contestability have seriously threatened the means of subsistence for many railway workers. Thus, the governments stepped in to subsidise the incumbents’ employment and service continuity. These developments reveal conflict between the national priorities and the European Commission’s desire for intra-rail and inter-modal competition. Yet, the results also indicate that despite unequal playing ground, private rail operators in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania learned how to compete and accumulate working capital for expansion into the truck-served freight segment. Besides, the growth in markets captured by new entrants was not deterred by infrastructure fees which are among highest in Europe, the discrimination in access to rail terminals and an official favouritism towards incumbents. The explanations are rooted in socio-political transformation which created unique opportunities for entry into the rail freight sector and unleashed entrepreneurial dynamism. In order to minimise incompatibility between the national and the European interests, the article concluded that the European development funds, which the new member states receive should be channelled to remove the discriminatory praxis, dismantle the national railway monopolies, and build consensus between the national and the European prerogatives.