bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behavioral Biases among Producers: Experimental Evidence of Anchoring in Procurement Auctions
Authors: Ferraro Paul J. , Messer Kent D. , Shukla Pallavi , Weigel Collin
Published: June 2022

Experimental research in behavioral economics focuses on consumer behaviors. Similar experimental research on profit-maximizing producers is rare. In three field experiments involving commercial agricultural producers in the United States, we detect evidence of anchoring in competitive auctions for conservation contracts related to nutrient and pest management that were worth, on average, nearly $9,000. In these auctions, the value of the starting cost-share bid was randomized to be either 0% or 100%. When the starting value was 100%, final bids were 46% higher, on average. We find weak evidence that experience with conservation contracts may modestly attenuate the anchoring effect.
Psychological predictions of life satisfaction for older persons (the example of charity fund clients)
Authors: Shchukina Mariia A. , Shchirman Lubov A.
Published: June 2022

Background. Life satisfaction in older age is widely studied in connection with family and professional factors. However, the role of non-professional volunteer activity of older people in connection with the peculiarities of personal resource complex (meaningfulness, resilience, proactive coping) has not been studied enough yet. Objective. The study of psychological predictors of life satisfaction in older people (on the example of clients of a charity fund). Design. The study participants were 60 unemployed clients of the charity center aged 65–85 years (µ = 74.8 years), 44 women. 50% of the respondents are not only clients, but also volunteers of the Center. The design of the study is cross-sectional. Life satisfaction in different life spheres was assessed with the “Technique for diagnosing the level of social frustration” by L.I. Wasserman. The supposed personal predictors of life satisfaction were diagnosed by the following methods: “Indicator of coping strategies” by D. Amirkhan (adaptation by N.A. Sirota and V.M. Yaltonsky), “Test of Life Orientations” by D.A. Leontiev, “Test of resilience” by S. Maddi (modification by E.N. Osin and E.I. Rasskazova). Results. Comparative and multiple regression analysis have shown that the level of satisfaction with the life of older people is not as much related to the nature of the family situation, as to an active life position. It is significantly higher with involvement in socially significant volunteer activities and with the productive use of the personal resource complex (meaningfulness, resilience, proactive coping), especially in terms of the belief in the ability to control behavior, relationships with others and the life situation as a whole. Conclusion. The results of the presented study can be used in the practice of Russian gerontopsychology while organizing social assistance to older people on the basis of state and non-profit organizations.
Psychological determinants of aggressive behavior of road passenger transport drivers in the context of their mental states during COVID-19
Authors: Ermolaev Viktor V. , Chetverikova Alena I. , Voroncova Julija , Nasonova Daria K. , Simakov Anton V.
Published: June 2022

Background. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation notes the need to review the measures used to reduce the risks of human factor in driving and to implement a preventive strategy. Objective. The work is aimed at studying the psychological determinants of aggressive behavior of Russian drivers of passenger transportation in the context of their mental states during the COVID-19 period and to clarify the preventive strategy of the Russian Ministry of Labor to reduce the role of the human factor in accidents. Design. The article presents the materials of an empirical study obtained on a sample of professional drivers of Moscow passenger vehicles. The study involved respondents (men) aged 26 to 59 years with work experience from 8 to 40 years. The method of determining the dominant state (DS-8) by L.V. Kulikov; test for measuring poorly realized manifestations of aggression “Hend-test” by E. Wagner; questionnaire Driving Anger Expression Inventory by J.L. Deffenbacher and R.S. Lynch; questionnaire “Dula Dangerous Driving Index” by C.S. Dula were used: Results. It was found that the increase in the aggressiveness of drivers is determined by the intensity of their non-equilibrium mental states, primarily tension states, including those caused by restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion. Total social control, along with continuous video tracking of the driver’s behavior while driving, contributes to the manifestation of aggressive behavior. The specific “cumulative publicity effect”, which is caused by the multiplied combination of total social and personal video control in the workplace, contributes to the need to “dump” the cumulative stress on the object, which in any way prevents the realization of an urgent need. Due to the fact that the ability to self-regulate non-equilibrium mental states plays the most important role in the manifestation of aggressive behavior., A proper method to solve the problem is to develop an individual profile of the dynamics of a non-equilibrium mental state for the driver (“driver’s risk passport”) based on neural network information and analytical data of pre-shift testing. Such an individual passport will make it possible to predict risks when driving passenger transport and can become a reliable tool for implementing a preventive strategy to achieve a zero mortality rate in accidents.
2. Incentives for Executives
Authors: Meeks Geoff , Meeks J. Gay
Published: June 2022

The chapter explores why, in the words of one major statistical study, ‘even in mergers where bidding shareholders are worse off, bidding CEOs are better off three quarters of the time’. CEOs’ base pay is typically closely correlated with company size, independently of performance. Greater size can be achieved rapidly through M&A, boosting salary. In some cases we discuss, senior executives have been awarded significant bonuses just for completing an acquisition deal – even when the deal made shareholders worse off. Most senior executives in the UK and US face performance-related incentives in the form of bonuses or stock options. M&A creates attractive opportunities to game reported performance measures – through financial engineering and creative accounting (analysed in later chapters). Merger can bring greater security for executives. Eliminating competitors can result in a ‘quieter life’. And in the market for corporate control, the threat of being taken over oneself has been shown to diminish as company size increases. M&A also brings more power, perks, publicity, and prestige. The chapter documents each of these incentives for executives to embark on acquisitions even where they bring no improvement in operating profits.
6. Subsidies for Merging Firms
Authors: Meeks Geoff , Meeks J. Gay
Published: June 2022

The chapter explores ways in which three tax privileges can mean that an acquisition which yields no operating gains (or results in operating losses) can secure increases in post-tax earnings. Debt finance receives privileged treatment in many tax systems: corporation tax is not levied on the portion of profits paid out in interest. A substantial debt-financed merger can therefore reduce the overall tax otherwise payable by the combination. Recently, ‘asymmetric monetary policy’ has reinforced this privilege accorded by the tax system: since the 2008 financial crisis, central banks have manipulated the market for debt so as to hold down interest rates payable by borrowers. Also, mergers can convert income streams into capital gains, which have enjoyed favoured tax rates. Private equity promoters have secured major benefits from the treatment as capital gains of income arising from M&A activities. And cross-border mergers have been used as a method of international tax arbitrage – shifting the acquirer’s profits to a lower tax regime. Illustrations are provided from a range of countries and industries.
7. Private Equity (PE)
Authors: Meeks Geoff , Meeks J. Gay
Published: June 2022

Conglomerate acquirers such as GE are increasingly being supplanted by private equity firms (PE). These are characterised by more powerful performance-related incentives for the PE partners than for the executives we discussed in Chapter 2. They typically also deploy financial engineering of the sort described in Chapters 5 and 6, but with even heavier reliance on borrowing – magnifying the earnings for partners, enjoying the protection from downside risk provided by limited liability, and securing the tax privileges accorded to debt finance. Holding high levels of debt also increases the pressure on the managers of acquired firms to perform well. And, as mentioned in Chapter 6, the private equity partners typically enjoy a further tax privilege – lower (capital gains) tax rates on their profits than on other forms of income. Despite these sources of gain, external PE investors not involved in managing the funds seem to have received returns little different from those on investments in public equity markets – another example of Chapter 1’s theme of disappointing results from M&A programmes. But the promoters of the deals have on average gained considerably – one study reports 23 PE billionaires.
8. Inefficient Mergers in an ‘Efficient’ Market
Authors: Meeks Geoff , Meeks J. Gay
Published: June 2022

This chapter advances a claim which is contentious and at first sight counter-intuitive: that a stock market which is in a certain sense ‘efficient’ can facilitate and stimulate M&A which brings no gain in operating profit for the merging firms, and sometimes losses. It explores different notions of efficiency, drawing on the writings of Tobin and Fama. Incomplete information or misinformation afflict the M&A process in a number of ways. The limited information available to investors in ‘semi-strong efficient’ stock markets can give rise to overreaction and volatility in share prices unwarranted by the variation shown in the subsequent earnings the prices are supposed to reflect. This fosters acquisitions where insiders take advantage of their superior information to buy a target using their own overvalued shares as currency, or to buy a target which is ‘undervalued’ in light of their private information. In neither case need the motive have anything to do with increasing operating profit. Statistical evidence is provided on the excess volatility of share prices. And illustrations are given of acquisitions taking advantage of this volatility.
10. Feedback Loops
Authors: Meeks Geoff , Meeks J. Gay
Published: June 2022

One model of serial acquisition relies on the acquirers enjoying a high price-earnings ratio which enables them to buy targets with lower price-earnings ratios, resulting in high earnings per share ratios which boost the share price and facilitate further mergers. The process can be combined with the creative accounting devices described in Chapter 9. Earnings management and over-optimistic forecasts ahead of a bid inflate the bidder’s share price, enabling it to buy the target more cheaply in a share exchange. Integrating the target into the acquirer’s accounts then offers opportunities to inflate profits reported post-merger – setting the scene for yet another deal on favourable terms. The process is illustrated with reference to the experience of serial acquirers in the UK and the US, some of which ended very badly.
11. Exemplars of Failure
Authors: Meeks Geoff , Meeks J. Gay
Published: June 2022

In preparation for the final chapter, which outlines a series of reforms designed to secure a higher success rate in M&A, Chapter 11 brings together the strands of the argument so far via two case studies, one from the UK, one from the US. These illustrate most elements of the solution to the mystery which has been developed in earlier chapters. The first case is of the major UK construction company Carillion, whose growth and collapse were analysed by a parliamentary committee that had access to revealing internal documents and participants’ testimony. The second is the (formerly) giant US conglomerate GE, which was constructed with vast numbers of acquisitions - some 1700 over 37 years - only then to be dismantled.
12. Remedies?
Authors: Meeks Geoff , Meeks J. Gay
Published: June 2022

The chapter outlines steps which might be taken to mitigate, though not wholly eliminate, the three problems we have identified in the merger market: misaligned incentives, distorted financial engineering, and asymmetric information. It identifies which authorities or individuals could initiate the changes, ranging from government, central banks, and accounting standard-setters to non-executive directors. And it suggests the means by which change could be achieved – from tax reform, to tighter regulation, to contract redesign. Efficiency gains would not be guaranteed and equity issues could remain. But we do contend that the measures would represent a significant advance of the status quo.
Administrative philosophies in the discourse and decisions of the New Zealand public service: is post-New Public Management still a myth?
Authors: Scott Rodney J , Donadelli Flavia , Merton Eleanor RK
Published: June 2022

New Zealand is frequently cited as the archetypical example of New Public Management (NPM), having gone ‘further and faster’ than other jurisdictions in radically reforming their public service in the late 1980s. These reforms have been credited with significant gains in efficiency and responsiveness, while introducing new challenges. Successive reforms over the past 30 years tinkered with the model without fundamentally altering the underlying paradigm, such that authors refer to the ‘myth of post-NPM in New Zealand’. In 2020, New Zealand repealed and replaced its main public service legislation. By textually analysing government documents, this article explores the different theoretical roots of New Zealand's ongoing administrative reforms and debates the extent of their theoretical coherence. The Act directly dialogues with and draws inspiration from recent academic debates, drawing from a range of sources (such as New Public Governance, Digital Era Governance, and the New Public Service).

Points for practitioners

New Zealand has long been regarded as the purest example of New Public Management (NPM). Legislation passed in 2020 saw New Zealand adopt a range of reforms described in the literature as ‘post-NPM’, while also reaffirming features associated with Traditional Public Administration (TPA). While New Zealand has moved away from a pure NPM model and adopted features associated with Post-NPM, Post-NPM is not a coherent doctrine and it may only be possible to identify administrative doctrines retrospectively. We may be entering a period of ‘New Public Complexity’, where administrative doctrines are blended and layered.
Nonjudgmental Regard of Others: Investigating the Links Between Other-Directed Trait Mindfulness and Prejudice
Authors: Nicol Adelheid A. M. , De France Kalee
Published: June 2022

Although researchers predict that experiencing greater trait mindfulness should be related to less prejudiced attitudes towards others, the evidence has been inconsistent. We suggest that this is due to the narrow operationalizations of mindfulness that have been utilized thus far. Specifically, research to date has relied solely on mindfulness as it pertains to the self. We therefore examined an expanded definition of mindfulness to study the role of nonjudgmental attitudes towards others and its relation with prejudice. Using a new measure of Nonjudgmental Regard towards Others (NRO), the current study found that Ideological Acceptance, or judgments of another’s actions, ideas, and personality, and Emotion Acceptance, or acceptance of another’s emotions and emotional expressions, were independently associated with prejudiced attitudes towards numerous different outgroups such as drug users, people who are overweight, homosexuals, and people with disabilities. Furthermore, they were able to explain variance over and above the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Social Dominance Orientation and Right-Wing Authoritarianism. Having a nonjudgmental regard towards others, not just the self, may be an important component of mindfulness that has not yet been explored.
Polyurethane dispersions prepared from vegetable oil and their application as textile finishes
Authors: Tabasum Shazia , Zia Khalid Mahmood , Parveen Bushra , Shahid Muhammad
Published: June 2022

One of the major challenges facing the polymer industry now is finding sustainable and renewable alternatives to petroleum-based raw materials. To overcome such challenges, these novel water-borne polyurethane dispersions were prepared from bioresources (vegetable oil). Vegetable oil-based polyol is synthesized by epoxidation and hydroxylation methods from vegetable oil. Consequently, polyurethane dispersions are prepared by reacting the vegetable oil-based polyol with isophorone diisocyanate and dimethylol propionic acid to form the polyurethane prepolymer, which further reacts with 1,4-butanediol, and the final product is obtained by the addition of water. Fourier transform infrared analysis is used for the structural confirmation of the prepared vegetable oil-based polyol and polyurethane dispersions. A number of textile tests, including mechanical (tear strength (ASTM 1424) and tensile strength (ASTM D-5034)) and antibacterial, were conducted on poly/cotton plain weave fabrics after applying the synthesized dispersions by pad dry-cure methods. The hemolytic test method was used to check the biocompatibility of the synthesized dispersions. Results reveal that these finishes effectively increase the tensile strength of the treated fabric samples, such as white fabric samples, which show tensile strength values of (248, 255, 268 and 325 N from untreated 240 N) in the warp direction. The biological outcomes show the antibacterial and hemolytic activity of the dispersions are influenced by the presence of natural polyols in the dispersions. These results indicate that covering poly/cotton fabrics with vegetable oil-based polyurethane dispersions improve their tensile strength and antibacterial properties and they can replace petroleum-based polyurethane finishes.
The Reproduction of Shame: Pregnancy, Nutrition and Body Weight in the Translation of Developmental Origins of Adult Disease
Authors: Moore Vivienne , Warin Megan
Published: June 2022

Developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) and epigenetics have expanded understanding of how the environment affects the health of women before and during pregnancy—with lifelong health consequences for the fetus. This has translated to a narrow focus on women’s lifestyle during pregnancy, especially for women classified as obese. In this study, we show that psychosocial harms such as distress or shame felt by pregnant women are rarely countenanced in these endeavors. To demonstrate this, we examine published documents about a large set of trials of lifestyle interventions united through an international consortium. Yet there is now a literature in which pregnant women with large bodies report feeling humiliated and a wider literature on the stigma of obesity. We argue that shame is produced and reproduced through the discursive and material knowledge-making scientific practices of DOHaD translation. Interventions that intensify the shame of large body size in pregnancy may be stressful, and neurophysiological stress pathways are well-known within DOHaD to have consequences for fetal development, so these interventions potentially undermine the very processes they set out to protect. A feminist response may protect women from shame and redirect attention to the social and structural determinants of health.
Female leaders and gendered laws: A long-term global perspective
Authors: Jung Hoyong
Published: June 2022

Leaders do matter in formulating legal foundations that affect society’s path of development. If these laws are gender discriminatory, they hinder the development of groups adversely affected by the system. This study empirically examines the relationship between female leaders and gendered laws in 190 countries between 1970 and 2020. We find that female leaders have been positively associated with enhancing gender equality in the legal system over the past five decades. Their effects on gender equality are heterogeneous, with higher positive impacts when their terms of office are longer. The effects are noticeable both in regions of high economic and social development and high legal gender disparity. Moreover, the results remain robust under multiple specifications of the period. Our findings suggest that individual female leaders can play a crucial role in shaping legal equality between men and women.
Parenting Challenges and Reasons for Not Availing Rehabilitation Services Among Families of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Noori Fathima , Tiwari Shivani , Padickaparambil Sebastian , Pothiyil Dan Isaac
Published: June 2022

Background:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong condition requiring continued rehabilitation services. However, children with ASD who seek rehabilitation services tend to drop out once they enter puberty, because of varying reasons, some of which are unknown. This study intended to explore the reasons for not availing of rehabilitation services in families of adolescents with ASD and the parental challenges in taking care of adolescents with ASD.

Method:

The study followed a descriptive qualitative research design by conducting in-depth interviews with 12 primary caregivers of adolescents with ASD (10 to 19 years; mean age 16.3 years) who were not availing of any direct rehabilitation services. All interviews were conducted by telephone, and data obtained were subjected to thematic analysis.

Results:

The results showed two major themes, viz. reasons for discontinuing the rehabilitation services and parental challenges among primary caregivers of adolescents with ASD, and their corresponding subthemes. The reasons for discontinuation of rehabilitation included financial difficulties, difficulties in handling the child, and a lack of improvement in the child. A few of the parental challenges were disruptive behaviors and associated medical conditions of the child and difficulty in managing changes during adolescence.

Conclusion:

The study revealed several reasons as well as potential barriers to avail rehabilitation services in Indian families of adolescents with ASD. The data further unveil related parenting challenges specific to the Indian context. Further, implications for service providers and policymakers are discussed.
Populism, public opinion, and the mainstreaming of the far right: The ‘immigration issue’ and the construction of a reactionary ‘people’
Authors: Mondon Aurelien
Published: June 2022

While mainstream elite actors with the ability to shape public discourse (politicians, academics, and the media) generally oppose far-right politics, it is widely argued that such politics represent democratic populist grievances, whether cultural or economic: ‘this is what the people want’ and the mainstream should listen. Building on discourse theoretical approaches, this article uses opinion surveys on immigration to argue that rather than following ‘what the people want’, elite actors play an active part in shaping and constructing public opinion and legitimising reactionary politics. This article thus interrogates how public opinion is constructed through a process of mediation, how certain narratives are hyped and others obstructed. What this highlights is that rather than the result of a simple bottom-up ‘democratic’ demand, the rise of the far right must also be studied and understood as a top-down process: public opinion is not only a construction but also an agenda shaper, rather than a simple agenda tester. This article ultimately finds that ‘the people’ can be misrepresented in four principal ways: a people to be followed; a people to be blamed; a people to legitimise reactionary and elitist discourse and politics; and a circumscribed people.
Barriers and facilitators related to self-management of shoulder pain: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis
Authors: O’Shea Aidan , Drennan Jonathan , Littlewood Chris , Slater Helen , Sim Julius , McVeigh Joseph G.
Published: June 2022

Objective

The objective of this review was to identify barriers and facilitators related to self-management from the perspectives of people with shoulder pain and clinicians involved in their care.

Data sources

CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Embase, ProQuest Health, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from inception to March 2022.

Review methods

A meta-aggregative approach to the synthesis of qualitative evidence was used. Two independent reviewers identified eligible articles, extracted the data, and conducted a critical appraisal. Two reviewers independently identified and developed categories, with validation by two further researchers. Categories were discussed among the wider research team and a comprehensive set of synthesized findings was derived.

Results

Twenty studies were included. From the perspective of patients, three synthesized findings were identified that influenced self-management: (1) support for self-management, including subthemes related to patient-centred support, knowledge, time, access to equipment, and patient digital literacy; (2) personal factors, including patient beliefs, patient expectations, patient motivation, pain, and therapeutic response; and (3) external factors, including influence of the clinician and therapeutic approach. From the perspective of clinicians, two synthesized findings were identified that influenced self-management: (1) support for self-management, including education, patient-centred support, patient empowerment, time, and clinician digital literacy; and (2) preferred management approach, including clinician beliefs, expectations, motivation, therapeutic approach, and therapeutic response.

Conclusion

The key barriers and facilitators were patient-centred support, patient beliefs, clinician beliefs, pain, and therapeutic response. Most of the included studies focused on exercise-based rehabilitation, and therefore might not fully represent barriers and facilitators to broader self-management.
Supporting Health and Medical Decision Making: Findings and Insights from Fuzzy-Trace Theory
Authors: Reyna Valerie F. , Edelson Sarah , Hayes Bridget , Garavito David
Published: June 2022

Theory—understanding mental processes that drive decisions—is important to help patients and providers make decisions that reflect medical advances and personal values. Building on a 2008 review, we summarize current tenets of fuzzy-trace theory (FTT) in light of new evidence that provides insight regarding mental representations of options and how such representations connect to values and evoke emotions. We discuss implications for communicating risks, preventing risky behaviors, discouraging misinformation, and choosing appropriate treatments. Findings suggest that simple, fuzzy but meaningful gist representations of information often determine decisions. Within minutes of conversing with their doctor, reading a health-related web post, or processing other health information, patients rely on gist memories of that information rather than verbatim details. This fuzzy-processing preference explains puzzles and paradoxes in how patients (and sometimes providers) think about probabilities (e.g., “50-50” chance), outcomes of treatment (e.g., with antibiotics), experiences of pain, end-of-life decisions, memories for medication instructions, symptoms of concussion, and transmission of viruses (e.g., in AIDS and COVID-19). As examples, participation in clinical trials or seeking treatments with low probabilities of success (e.g., with antibiotics or at the end of life) may indicate a defensibly different categorical gist perspective on risk as opposed to simply misunderstanding probabilities or failing to make prescribed tradeoffs. Thus, FTT explains why people avoid precise tradeoffs despite computing them. Facilitating gist representations of information offers an alternative approach that goes beyond providing uninterpreted “neutral” facts versus persuading or shifting the balance between fast versus slow thinking (or emotion vs. cognition). In contrast to either taking mental shortcuts or deliberating about details, gist processing facilitates application of advanced knowledge and deeply held values to choices.

Highlights

Fuzzy-trace theory (FTT) supports practical approaches to improving health and medicine. FTT differs in important respects from other theories of decision making, which has implications for how to help patients, providers, and health communicators. Gist mental representations emphasize categorical distinctions, reflect understanding in context, and help cue values relevant to health and patient care. Understanding the science behind theory is crucial for evidence-based medicine.
Canine and feline in situ mammary carcinoma: A comparative review
Authors: Burrai Giovanni P. , Baldassarre Valeria , Brunetti Barbara , Iussich Selina , Maniscalco Lorella , Mariotti Francesca , Sfacteria Alessandra , Cocumelli Cristiano , Grieco Valeria , Millanta Francesca , Paciello Orlando , Papparella Serenella , Rasotto Roberta , Romanucci Mariarita , Zappulli Valentina
Published: June 2022

Carcinoma in situ of the breast is a well-known entity in humans. In veterinary medicine, particularly in canine and feline mammary literature, there is no agreement whether the term in situ should be used to indicate a specific carcinoma histotype or the noninvasive status of a carcinoma of any histotype. Moreover, in the most recent histologic classification of mammary tumors published by the Davis-Thompson Foundation, it is suggested to abandon the term carcinoma in situ given the lack of standardized criteria defining this entity, replacing it with epitheliosis or ductal/lobular hyperplasia with severe atypia. This publication presents a critical review of the term in situ in human and veterinary medicine considering the evolution of the term over the years and its heterogeneous use by different authors, including variations in immunohistochemical markers for classification. This review aims to point out the lack of uniformity in the nomenclature and classification issues in veterinary medicine regarding the use of the term in situ, laying the ground for a process of standardization in future publications.
Solving the Curb Space Puzzle Through the Development of a Curb Space Allocation Tool
Authors: Pochowski Alek L. , Crim Stephen , Liu Like , Trask Lake , Sherman Baker Christine , Woodworth Sarah , Klion Jessica
Published: June 2022

With new modes and technologies including ride-hail apps, e-commerce deliveries, and the revolution in micromobility services changing the transportation landscape at the curbside, jurisdictions like Arlington County, Virginia, have sought to develop tools to reconsider the allocation of curb space to provide the greatest economic and societal benefit to users of the transportation system. While other jurisdictions and researchers have developed a theoretical approach to allocating curb space under the premise that on-street parking is unlikely to provide the greatest economic or societal benefit, Arlington County sought to create a tool that allocates curb space with demand constraints and data relevant to the context of Arlington County. The developed curb space allocation tool uses six modules: (i) ride-hailing services, (ii) commercial loading, (iii) on-street parking, (iv) transit service, (v) micromobility, and (vi) non-transportation uses (parklets/streateries), which are all capable of being updated as new data or models become available. The tool uses each module to estimate the demand for each mode and then allocates the curb space to maximize the economic or societal value (number of people served). As a result of this work, Arlington County has developed the foundation for a tool that provides a mechanism for determining the optimal allocation of curb space given a block’s existing or proposed land uses and transportation services and has identified gaps in research and available data to enhance the tool’s usability.
Application of Emerging Data Sources for Pedestrian Safety Analysis in Charlotte, NC
Authors: Hamilton Ian , Kersavage Kristin , Porter R.J. , Gayah Vikash , Sanchez Josie , Smith Keith , Tan Carol , Eigen Ana Maria
Published: June 2022

Pedestrian safety is a growing concern for transportation planners and safety engineers at both local and state levels. Continued advancements in data availability, data integration abilities, and analysis methodologies offer new opportunities to identify factors influencing pedestrian safety and to quantify their effects to inform data-driven road safety management. The main objective of this study was to spatially integrate Highway Safety Information System data with multijurisdictional and emerging datasets to analyze two measures of pedestrian safety performance in Charlotte, NC: (1) the severity of a pedestrian crash that has occurred, and (2) the probability that a pedestrian crash will occur on a given roadway segment. To accomplish the objectives, the study explored several high-priority research topics in safety data and analysis, including pedestrian exposure analysis and probe data integration. The research team developed a pedestrian count model to predict pedestrian volumes at locations without pedestrian counts and integrated speed information from probe data to supplement other roadway and contextual transportation data available from several agencies. Pedestrian exposure at a given intersection was found to be significantly influenced by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, employment, land use, sidewalk presence, transit access, and roadway and intersection characteristics. The project team identified numerous significant factors that influenced pedestrian crash severity and probability, including outputs from the pedestrian exposure model, observed vehicle speeds, traffic volumes, intersection proximity, and other crash-related factors. The results could be used to identify locations that are more susceptible to pedestrian safety issues.
Weather-Based Lane-Change Microsimulation Parameters for Safety and Operational Performance Evaluation of Weaving and Basic Freeway Segments
Authors: Das Anik , Ahmed Mohamed M.
Published: June 2022

It is well recognized that adverse weather conditions have significant negative impacts on safety and mobility of transportation systems. Microsimulation modeling has emerged as a cost-effective tool to quantify the safety and operational effects arising from adverse weather. Developing a realistic microsimulation model necessitates adjusting driving behavior models through trajectory-level data. This study contributes a methodology to update lane-change parameters to develop weather-specific microsimulation models based on different freeway facilities, and ultimately evaluate the safety and operational performance of the roadways. Representative parameters in various weather and facility types were extracted using an automated process. As part of the comprehensive assessment of the adjusted parameters, a weaving section and a basic freeway segment on Interstate 80 in Wyoming were identified as potential candidates. The safety and operational analyses were conducted using VISSIM. Various simulation scenarios were designed based on the field traffic flow data. The safety analysis using three surrogate measures of safety including time-to-collision, deceleration rate to avoid collision, and post encroachment time revealed that adverse weather generated a higher number of conflicts than did clear weather for both facilities. The operational analysis suggested that adverse weather produced lower average speed and higher total travel time and delay than clear weather. The demonstrated methodology could be used in assessing various connected vehicle applications associated with lane change in microsimulation from safety and operational perspectives and could be adopted by transportation agencies to develop weather-based microsimulation models.
Topological Approach for Optimizing Railroad Freight Network Restoration after Disruptions
Authors: Wu Fei , Schonfeld Paul M. , Ayyub Bilal , Kim Myungseob
Published: June 2022

A topology-based method is proposed for optimizing the restoration sequence of damaged components in a disrupted rail freight network. Formulated as a demand-weighted average of reciprocal shortest path lengths, network efficiency is used as an indicator of overall connectivity for origin–destination (OD) pairs having freight demand. With the fixed demand matrix, a given network configuration, and a given disruption scenario, the cumulative loss of network efficiency during the restoration process is computed for each evaluated restoration sequence, using network efficiency values in intermediate network states as well as the duration of each restoration phase (i.e., restoration plus access time). This cumulative loss is treated as a measure of post-disruption network resilience, and is minimized with a simple genetic algorithm (GA) that finds the corresponding optimized restoration sequence, which also determines the optimized restoration schedule. The proposed method is demonstrated in a synthesized numerical case of a small network and a disruption scenario. The GA can find the globally optimal restoration sequence relatively fast, with its effectiveness further verified through exhaustive enumeration for three additional disruption scenarios. Sensitivity analysis results indicate that higher topological centrality and freight throughput of damaged nodes or disruption-induced isolation of some nodes are responsible for higher minimized loss of cumulative efficiency. The optimized restoration sequence tends to prioritize nodes and adjacent links with relatively high freight throughput in normal operation.
Estimating Freeway Lane-Level Traffic State with Intelligent Connected Vehicles
Authors: Liu Xiaobo , Zhang Ziming , Miwa Tomio , Cao Peng
Published: June 2022

This paper proposes a methodology for estimating lane-level traffic state for freeways by fusing data from intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) with fixed detector data (FDD) and probe vehicle data (PVD). With microscopic vehicle trajectories of ICVs and their surrounding vehicles, the proposed methodology integrates a multilane traffic flow model into the data assimilation framework based on extended Kalman filter (EKF), in which traffic measurement models are formulated for ICV data, PVD, and FDD, respectively, to fit their different characteristics. Simulation experiments are conducted to test the performance of the proposed methodology with various penetration rates of ICVs, using a set of simulated ICV data based on the Next Generation SIMulation (NGSIM) data sets. The results demonstrate that by utilizing only 3% to 5% ICVs in the mixed traffic, the proposed methodology could produce an accurate estimate of lane-level traffic speed and a reasonable estimate of lane-level traffic density.
Factors Affecting Demand Consolidation in Urban Air Taxi Operation
Authors: Ale-Ahmad Haleh , Mahmassani Hani S.
Published: June 2022

Urban air taxi (UAT) is envisioned as a point-to-point, (nearly) on-demand, and per-seat operation of passenger-carrying urban air mobility (UAM) in its mature state. A high flight load factor has been identified as one of the influential components in the successful operation of UAT. However, the uncertainties in demand, aircraft technology, and concept of operations have raised doubts about the viability of UAT. This study examines the impacts of exogenous parameters, such as demand intensity, demand spread, and ground speed, in addition to design parameters, including aerial speed, maximum acceptable delay, and reservations on average load factor and rate of rejected requests. The dynamic and stochastic problem of UAT fleet operation is studied by implementing a dynamic framework that aims to provide a solution to the problem via a discrete-event simulation. The results highlight the significance of demand spread, ground speed, and maximum acceptable delay in demand consolidation. Therefore, to ensure a high aircraft load factor, the UAT operator should specify the maximum acceptable delay and reservation time window given the demand pattern and ground-based transportation in the network.
Accelerated Pavement Testing Validation of a Pavement Response Model Using Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis Software: Two Case Studies
Authors: Kaseer Fawaz , Greene James , Choubane Bouzid
Published: June 2022

Accelerated pavement testing (APT) provides valuable information concerning the short- and long-term performance and life expectancy of pavement structures in a very short period as compared to full-scale field tests. Pavement modeling can produce early, reliable, and beneficial guidance that can be used to design and implement future APT experiments or extend the experimental results to similar materials and structures. Combining actual APT experimental data with well-calibrated models can provide complete and thorough investigations while saving agencies time and resources. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and accuracy of the 3D-Move Analysis Software (three-dimensional finite element software [3D FE]) in calculating pavement responses through a comparison with measured pavement responses and distresses from previous APT experiments using the Florida Department of Transportation heavy vehicle simulator (HVS). 3D-Move uses a continuum-based finite-layer approach to calculate pavement responses under various loading conditions. Results indicated that pavement responses, specifically longitudinal horizontal (tensile) strains at the bottom of the asphalt layer and transverse horizontal (tensile) strains at the surface of the asphalt layer, calculated by 3D FE are relatively similar to those measured in APT experiments. The calculated impact of the asphalt mixture properties, loading level, loading temperature, and the distance (offset) from the tire edge on pavement responses was consistent with those measured in HVS testing. Therefore, 3D FE analysis can be effectively used to compare the relative cracking performance of asphalt mixtures and aid in designing practical APT experiments and extending the results to similar asphalt mixtures and pavement structures.
Evaluating Cost Savings from Truck Caravanning
Authors: Liatsos Vasileios , Giampouranis Dimitrios , Golias Mihalis , Mishra Sabyasachee , Hourdos John , Nalim Razi , Frohlich Mark T. , Nicholas Clayton
Published: June 2022

Truck platooning and related autonomous vehicle coordination concepts have been proposed as sustainable ways to increase profits and improve service quality. Recently the concept of truck caravanning, a hybrid truck platooning with only one truck driver required per platoon, has been proposed in the literature. This paper describes the research effort in developing a model that can estimate the cost savings of truck caravanning. The motivation of the proposed model is to investigate if substantial monetary savings exist to justify the initial capital investment (both in equipment and infrastructure) required for the implementation of the truck caravanning concept. A linear programming model is developed and used to evaluate different size networks. Results from numerical experiments indicate that a caravan size of four trucks or greater is needed for significant cost savings to be achieved and that driver compensation is the most critical factor dictating profitability.
Developing a Disaster Chain Method to Evaluate Transportation Systems: A Pilot Study of Predicting Debris Blockages in Disaster-Response Road Systems
Authors: Ke Siao-Syun , Hsu Chih-Hao
Published: June 2022

Suitable transportation systems are vital for the functioning of urban areas. Such systems connect all major locations, including residential and commercial locations, in these areas. The effectiveness of the response of an urban area to an earthquake depends on the road system in the area. A feasible and efficient approach to evaluating the capacity of road systems to allow safe and efficient emergency transportation for affected residents in the aftermath of an earthquake should be developed. Ground transportation systems are vulnerable to earthquakes. For example, ground motion in the 1994 Northridge, 1995 Kobe, 1999 Chi-Chi, and 2018 Hokkaido earthquakes caused severe damage to urban roads and bridges. Moreover, for areas with a high building density that are prone to high-intensity earthquakes, it is important to be able to estimate the risk of road blockage caused by collapsed buildings. In the present study, a disaster impact chain was established to evaluate the probability and effects of buildings collapsing in an earthquake. This chain was used as the basis for a road blockage model and for the formulation of suitable procedures and methods for earthquake response. The results of this study indicate that buildings in strong-motion zones are severely damaged by high-intensity earthquakes. Falling debris from these buildings can lead to the blockage of rescue roads, delaying the transport of injured individuals to hospital after an earthquake. The results of this study can aid authorities in making decisions related to transportation system management during earthquake disasters.
Evaluation of Steel Bridge Details for Susceptibility to Constraint-induced Fracture
Authors: Coletti Domenic A. , Ream Anthony P. , Chavel Brandon W.
Published: June 2022

Historically, reports of significant problems associated with details featuring intersecting welds in steel bridges have been rare. However, there have been several notable cases involving constraint-induced fracture (CIF). CIF is a particular concern since it can occur in a brittle fashion, suddenly and without warning (different from other types of problems, such as corrosion or fatigue crack growth, for example). CIF generally occurs in details that feature a high degree of constraint (leading to a high level of stress triaxiality), in combination with high levels of tensile stress (particularly from residual stresses) and the presence of a notch-like or crack-like planar discontinuity approximately perpendicular to the primary flow of tensile stress. Details subject to a high degree of constraint often feature the intersection of two or three welded structural elements. The distinction between “intersecting welds” and “constraint resulting from the intersection of welded structural elements” is important. This paper summarizes the findings and recommendations of a recently completed report reflecting the current state of knowledge about CIF in steel bridges. The report is based on a review of previous research, industry practices, and the input of a panel of steel bridge industry experts. It provides a review of the fundamental principles of CIF and presents a general procedure for evaluating steel bridge details for susceptibility to CIF, including examples of assessments of commonly used steel bridge details.