bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relative Entropy-based Energy Efficient Multi-hop Forwarding Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Raghuwanshi Akant K. , Chaudhary Virendra S.
Published: November 2023

Recently, cluster distribution and selection have been made in the most advanced protocols based on Low Power Adaptive Clustering Hierarchical Protocol (LEACH), followed by cluster head election. Conversely, it is not thought that data redundancy is sufficient. This study suggests a modified Leach approach incorporating relative information entropy (Leach-CIE). The relative entropy value of the data’s probability distribution in the node’s two subsequent periods is calculated in conjunction with the close entropy model. The information is then compared with a threshold value to determine the degree of redundancy. The network accomplishes reducing energy consumption by refusing to transmit redundancy data. Instead, a multi-hop routing (MFRCRE) considers its residual energy, the energy consumption of each node in the network during the data transmission phase, by optimizing node forwarding conditions and considering factors such as communication distance and energy consumption. It is proposed to balance the rate—account ratio. The results of the experiments demonstrate that this approach can successfully reduce and balance the energy consumption of network nodes to increase the life of the network.
Design of Multi Input Converter Topology for Distinct Energy Sources
Authors: Gupta Chirag . , Aharwal  Vikas K.
Published: November 2023

Two input energy sources are introduced in the suggested Multi input DC-DC converter topologies. The converters may send power to the load from both the input and output energy sources at the same time. The capacity to execute the buck, boost, and buck-boost modes of operation using the same structure, as well as the ability to transmit power to the load even if any one of the input energy sources fails, are the key advantages of the upgraded converter over the basic design. As a result, the MATLAB/Simulink platform was used to do a full software simulation of the enhanced converter. The state topology of the converter is illustrated independently for the buck, boost, and buck boost operations, indicating the integration of two renewable energy sources. In comparison to current converter topologies that have been published in the literature, the suggested converters offer various advantages such as a lower component count, a compact construction, and efficient energy usage.
Feature Reduction in Classification Tasks using Bio-inspired Optimization Algorithms
Authors: Kulhare Rachna , Veenadhari S
Published: November 2023

In big data, there is a major difficulty that requires data mining to be conducted with elevated data in big technology, which would be gaining a lot of traction nowadays. When it comes to Big Data, feature selection approaches are seen to be a game changer since they can assist minimize the complexity of data, making it simpler to study and translate it into meaningful information. To enhance classification performance, feature selection removes unnecessary and redundant characteristics from the dataset. In this paper, Grey Wolf Approaches based on Quantum leaping neighbor memeplexes termed as QLGWONM is proposed. The result shows that when compared to the some bio-inspired algorithms such as PSO, GWO, ABA, CSA models, the suggested model performed well in terms of accuracy and have accuracy of 100% for Brain Tumor, CNS, Lung dataset and 97.1% for Ionosphere dataset and 99% for NSL-KDD.
Developing a Hybrid model with Shades of Sentiment for Understanding Teenagers’ Academic Distraction Problems
Authors: Patil Monali K. , Chaudhari Nandini , Pawar B. V. , Bhavsar Ram
Published: November 2023

In recent years, many techniques have come up in the field of sentiment analysis. In the field of the medical domain, sentiment analysis has been used for the areas like information retrieval, feedback analysis, dialogue conversation, and review analysis. Psychological analysis through the window of sentiment analysis is still unfolded area. We have designed and developed a hybrid computational model that maps teenagers’ sentiments to their behavioral patterns and academic distraction problems. We have also developed a sentiment shaded lexicon which defines the ontology for various shades of sentiment with the help of Bling Liu’s positive and negative word dictionary. We have used a semantic lexicon-based approach and a rule-based classifier in our hybrid computational model. Rules are applied to user-input text, which teenagers write. We have extracted sentiments expressed in the user input text and we have also achieved to identify academic distraction problems of teenagers. We have computed the performance metrics of the model on 155 samples, randomly collected from teenagers (age group 13-19 years). We have computed accuracy at two stages, first at the sentiment extraction stage and second at the final output level. The error analysis is also presented in this paper. After working on error analysis, our model has achieved an accuracy of 90% for sentiment extraction and 87% for derived academic distraction problems.
ULMFiT Embedding(s) for Context and Extended Gloss Intersection for Marathi Word Sense Disambiguation
Authors: Patil Sandip S. , Bhavsar  R. P. , Pawar B. V.
Published: November 2023

Ambiguities in the word meanings makes all the natural language processing (NLP) tasks very difficult, word sense disambiguation (WSD) is used to resolve these ambiguities. Now a day’s NLP-based human assistive systems are in demand, in which machines are expected to resolve word sense ambiguities. Today, due to the availability of machine readable dictionaries knowledge-based WSD approaches have become popular; it explores semantic relations between the contextual features and possible glosses of the given ambiguous word. Inductive transfer learning-based language models have great potential to represent the different semantic features of the word, which can be used in various NLP tasks. Universal language model fine-tuning for text classification (ULMFiT) is a popular transfer learning model used to embed various semantic features in digitally resource scare and morphologically rich language like marathi. In this reported work, the ambiguous words from the Marathi input sentence is extracted and have obtained its possible synset and glosses from IndoWordNet, these glosses are then extended using hypernym and hyponym relations. We have obtained the word embedding of marathi context and extended glosses using ULMFiT model. For the test run, we have crafted the test-bed of 6000 marathi sentences of 280 moderately ambiguous words harvested from marathi websites, which caters for 1200 senses. The winner sense is declared based on the maximum intersection score between the pair of context and gloss embedding. We have obtained the average accuracy up to 57.10% for our dataset.
Formulation and Implementation of Energy Efficient Routing Algorithm for MANET along with Performance Analysis
Authors: Makkar Amandeep , Kumar Mukesh , Taneja Sunil
Published: November 2023

Mobile adhoc network (MANET) is composed of wireless mobile nodes/devices which are moving randomly in infrastructure-less adhoc environments. Topology among mobile nodes is dynamic in nature and keeps on changing regularly. The adhoc environment is open to all the genuine users as well as intruders/attackers. Moreover, the wireless connection between mobile nodes can break at any time on account of mobility of nodes. Also, the mobile notes depend on their battery power, which may go down because of exhaust of battery power. Hence, it is a very complex task to implement energy efficient routing over MANET. While handling energy efficient routing, the optimum utilization of batter power is required. In this research paper, efforts have been carried out to formulate an algorithm for energy efficient routing over MANET. Its performance has been studied through network simulator. The simulations have been carried out by writing self created network scenarios with 20, 60 and 100 mobile nodes. Moreover, analysis of the proposed energy efficient routing protocol has been done with AODV routing protocol by using various performance evaluation metrics viz. packet delivery ratio, normalized routing load, average end to end delay, packet loss, throughput, average energy consumed and average energy left. It was derived from the performance analysis that proposed protocol provides energy efficient routing over MANET and also gives better or almost same performance in comparison to AODV.
Perspectives for the creation of a new type of vaccine preparations based on pseudovirus particles using polio vaccine as an example
Authors: Zhdanov D.D. , Ivin Yu.Yu. , Shishparenok A.N. , Kraevskiy S.V. , Kanashenko S.L. , Agafonova L.E. , Shumyantseva V.V. , Gnedenko O.V. , Pinyaeva A.N. , Kovpak A.A. , Ishmukhametov A.A. , Archakov A.I.
Published: November 2023

Traditional antiviral vaccines are currently created by inactivating the virus chemically, most often using formaldehyde or β-propiolactone. These approaches are not optimal since they negatively affect the safety of the antigenic determinants of the inactivated particles and require additional purification stages. The most promising platforms for creating vaccines are based on pseudoviruses, i.e., viruses that have completely preserved the outer shell (capsid), while losing the ability to reproduce owing to the destruction of the genome. The irradiation of viruses with electron beam is the optimal way to create pseudoviral particles. In this review, with the example of the poliovirus, the main algorithms that can be applied to characterize pseudoviral particles functionally and structurally in the process of creating a vaccine preparation are presented. These algorithms are, namely, the analysis of the degree of genome destruction and coimmunogenicity. The structure of the poliovirus and methods of its inactivation are considered. Methods for assessing residual infectivity and immunogenicity are proposed for the functional characterization of pseudoviruses. Genome integrity analysis approaches, atomic force and electron microscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and bioelectrochemical methods are crucial to structural characterization of the pseudovirus particles.
Serum miR-181a and miR-25 in patients with malignant and benign breast diseases
Authors: Perepechaeva M.L. , Studenikina A.A. , Grishanova A.Yu. , Glushkov A.N. , Polenok E.G. , Bajramov P.V. , Autenshlyus A.I.
Published: November 2023

Breast tumor diseases include a wide range of pathologies that require different approaches to their treatment. MicroRNA (miR) levels, reflecting regulation of the gene expression involved in tumorigenesis, can be diagnostic and prognostic markers of breast diseases. The levels of circulating miR-181a and miR-25 were measured in patients with benign breast diseases (BBD), patients with invasive carcinoma of a nonspecific type (ICNT) and also in conditionally healthy women. Expression of both miRs was higher in patients of both groups as compared to controls; at the same time, the content of serum miR-181a and miR-25 was higher in BBD patients than in ICNT patients. The detected changes may be of interest in the context of precancerous changes in BBD. It seems possible to use them in the future as markers of the pathological process as a part of a large diagnostic panel.
Efeitos do Programa Ensino Integral sobre o desempenho dos alunos no Saeb
Authors: Galvão Fernando Vizotto
Published: November 2023

O artigo avalia o impacto do Programa Ensino Integral (PEI), implementado pela rede estadual de ensino de São Paulo desde 2012, sobre o desempenho dos estudantes dos anos finais do ensino fundamental nos testes de português e matemática do Sistema de Avaliação da Educação Básica (Saeb). Por meio da aplicação combinada das técnicas de Pareamento por Escore de Propensão e Diferenças em Diferenças, foram obtidas estimativas de impactos positivos do PEI, sendo os impactos de três anos de participação no programa superiores aos impactos de um ano de participação.
Cocotex: estrategia tecnológica para el fortalecimiento de la producción textual
Authors: Castañeda-Moreno Yudy Gisela , Bonilla-Romero Yarleydi Marcela
Published: November 2023

En este artículo se presenta una experiencia que tiene como objetivo fortalecer la competencia comunicativa textual implementando una secuencia didáctica a través de la aplicación móvil “Cocotex”, con los estudiantes del grado tercero del Centro Educativo Rural La Guamala Sede El Cuchuco del municipio de Betulia Antioquia. Se enfoca en una propuesta de investigación científica y tecnológica que considera el desarrollo de nueve sesiones utilizando una aplicación, la cual se diseña desde el entorno de programación App Inventor y se enfoca en mejorar la comprensión y producción de diferentes tipos de textos, además, de preparar al estudiante para la adquisición de habilidades digitales. La investigación se desarrolla a partir del enfoque metodológico cualitativo, el cual permitió realizar descripciones detalladas de las conductas y manifestaciones observadas en la población, se enmarca en el diseño de investigación acción participativa con un alcance de tipo correlacional. Se concluye que los resultados influyeron significativamente, evidenciando la importancia de diseñar y ejecutar el aplicativo como medio innovador y pedagógico para fortalecer la competencia textual; se espera que la propuesta sea una oportunidad para mejorar los currículos y para replantear las estrategias de enseñanza de los docentes.
Experience and Examples of the Implementation of a Circulating Water Management System Using Reagent Flotation
Authors: Ksenofontov B.S. , Kozodaev A.S. , Taranov R.A. , Vinogradov M.S. , Senik E.V.
Published: November 2023

The experience of introducing circulating water systems, both in production processes and transportation, was presented. It was shown that circulating systems, for example, using flotation, can be effective when working with several reagents, including coagulants and flocculants. It was concluded that the obtained cleaning results meet the requirements for the quality of recycled water in the paint and varnish and galvanic industries, as well as in car washing. Promising development was highlighted through the introduction of such circulating systems using a modern range of reagents, small doses of which achieve high technological performance.
Portland Сement Сlinker Production Using Synthetic Fluorite and Graphitic Carbon Based Additives
Authors: Kulikov B.P. , Vasyunina N.V. , Dubova I.V. , Samoylo A.S. , Balanev R.O. , Kutovaya A.S.
Published: November 2023

The efficiency results of synthetic mineralizers based on fluorite and graphite carbon for burning portland cement clinker were presented. Laboratory tests were carried out to obtain portland cement clinker using man-made alkaline mineralizers based on aluminum by-products. Physical and mechanical properties benchmark of test milling cements was carried out. Thermo-grav study results on individual raw slurry and sludge with a synthetic fluorite and graphitic carbon based mineralizers were presented. The oxidation of graphitic carbon in the composition of the mineralizer was analyzed.
Comparative Assessment of the Resistance of the Biological Properties of Soils of the Mountain and Plain Crimea to Gasoline Pollution
Authors: Gaivoronskiy V.G. , Kolesnikov S.I. , Kuzina A.A. , Minnikova T.V. , Kazeev K.Sh.
Published: November 2023

A study was made of the resistance of the biological properties of the main mountain and plain soils of the Crimea to gasoline pollution. It has been established that the soils of the Crimea differ significantly in the resistance of biological properties to gasoline pollution: the most stable are residual-calcareous and southern chernozems, and the least stable are brown forest acidic soils. It was revealed that the resistance of soils to gasoline pollution is determined by the structure and biological activity of the soil. It was determined that the allowable residual content of gasoline (PDOSB) in the soils of the Crimea varies from 0.45% (brown leached red-colored and incompletely developed chernozem) to 0.25% (brown forest acidic soil). It is recommended to use the value of EAPs for Crimean soils to assess and predict possible negative consequences when they are polluted with gasoline.
Electric Separation of Ash and Slag Waste Kashirskaya GRES
Authors: Lavrinenko A.A. , Krylov I.O. , Kunilova I.V.
Published: November 2023

The advantage of electrical separation in the processing of classified ash and slag as the main separation operation was substantiated. It was recommended to switch to electrical separation as the first technological operation and carry out the entire cycle of ash and slag processing using dry methods due to their economic benefits compared to wet ones. It was emphasized that dry methods do not require the reagents and do not lead to subsequent secondary pollution of the environment. The possibility of obtaining iron-containing and aluminosilicate products for construction and other industries was confirmed.
Reduction of Carbon Monoxide Emissions into the Atmosphere When Burning Fuel Oil in Technological Thermal Power Plants
Authors: Pilyaeva O.V. , Shepelev I.I. , Golovnykh N.V. , Zhukov E.I.
Published: November 2023

An effective method and device for additional heating of fuel oil used in the production of soda ash as fuel in soda drum dryers has been developed. It is concluded that the use of a high-frequency induction unit mounted on the fuel oil supply line in the thermal power equipment of soda ash drum dryers provides an increase in the temperature of fuel oil from 60 to 98 °С, a reduction in its specific consumption by 15.7 % and a reduction in carbon monoxide emissions into the atmosphere from 0.20 to 0.024 g /s.
Assessment of the Source of Anthropogenic Pollution Impact on the Hydro-chemical Runoff of the Main Ore Elements (Using the Example of Dumps at the Altai Mining and Processing Plant, Alei Сatchment)
Authors: Puzanov A.V. , Baboshkina S.V. , Rozhdesvenskaya T.A. , Gorbachev I.V. , Balykin S.N. , Saltykov S.V.
Published: November 2023

The content of the main ore and associated elements in the material of the tailings of the Altai mining and processing plant, in the snow cover and surface waters of the dumps, as well as in the water filtrates of the dump material was studied. It was detected that the concentration of Cu in the substrates of the dumps of the Altai mining and processing plant varies from 970 to 7350 mg/kg and exceeds the background values of the copper content in the soils of Northwestern Altai up to 1000 times, the Pb content varies. from 850 to 2800 mg/kg and exceeds the background value up to 500 times, Zn – up to 200 times (content from 350 to 12170 mg/kg), Cd – up to 100 times. It was recorded that the Pb content in pound surface water on of tailings dumps exceeds the MPC of hazardous substances 2.5 times and is 79 μg/l, Cu – 52 times (52.3 mg/l), Zn – 250 times (254 mg/l), Cd – 940 times (0.94 mg/l). It was identified that in liquid media – lysimetric, surface and snow waters of the Altai mining and processing plant tailings pond – the ratio of pollutant concentrations to background and standards norms (Russian and foreign) is higher for more labile and easily leachable elements – cadmium and zinc. In solid components (substrates, snow dust), the concentrations of copper and lead noticeably exceed the background, clarke and standard concentrations.
The Content of Pollutants in the Melt Water of the Snow Polygon (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk)
Authors: Mikaliov M.V.
Published: November 2023

The results of monitoring the dynamics of the release of pollutants into the environment with meltwater from the snow landfill were presented. The concentrations of pollutants in water at the beginning and end of the active melting period were identified. The concentrations of pollutants were found to exceed background values for heavy metals. The concentrations of pollutants in meltwater at the beginning and end of the period of active melting were analyzed. At the end of the period, a decrease in the concentration of most pollutants was detected, with the exception of some of them, such as Fe, the concentration of which was 17 times higher, which is associated with the high iron content in the waste layer of the landfill. A significant increase in the concentration of pollutants was detected at the site of sedimentation of sludge in the swamp ditch.
Development, results and prospects of the spring durum wheat breeding in Russia (post-Soviet states)
Authors: Malchikov P. N. , Myasnikova M. G.
Published: November 2023

The article outlines a brief historical background on the introduction to cultivation, distribution and breeding of spring durum wheat in the steppe and forest-steppe regions of Eurasia (the countries of the former USSR: Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan). The approaches and methodology for improving durum wheat during certain scientific selection periods are given. The features of the selection program implementation and the breeding scale expansion during the creation of breeding stations at the beginning of the XX century, after the end of the Great Patriotic War, in the second half of the XX century, and at present are considered. A characteristic according to the main features and properties of varieties created in different periods is given. The achievements of the classical breeding method by comparing old and new varieties are analyzed. The efficiency and rate of wheat selection by periods in different regions of Russia is estimated. The results and methods of breeding for yield, resistance to drought, leaf diseases (Stagonospora nodorum Berk., Septoria tritici (Roeb. et Desm.), Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoemaker, Pyrenophora tritici repentis (Died.) Drechs., Fusarium sp., Puccinia titicina Eriks., Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks., Blumeria graminis (DC.) f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal), grain pathogens Ustilago tritici (Pers.) Rostr.) and pathogens causing darkening of the corcule and endosperm (Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoemaker, Alternaria tenuis (Nees et Fr.), Аlternaria triticina (Prasada & Prabhu)), pests (Cephus pygmeus Lens, Osinosoma frit L., Mayetiola destructor (Say)), grain quality (protein content, amount of yellow pigments, dough rheology, sprouting resistance) and end products are presented. The prospects for the molecular marker application for a number of traits in breeding in the near future are given.
Estimation of genetic components, heterosis and combining ability of elite Pakistani wheat varieties for yield attributing traits and stripe rust response
Authors: Ahmed M. S. , Qamar M. , Waqar S. , Naeem A. , Javaid R. A. , Tanveer S. K. , Hussain I.
Published: November 2023

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple food and major source of dietary calories in Pakistan. Improving wheat varieties with higher grain yield and disease resistance is a prime objective. The knowledge of genetic behaviour of germplasm is key. To achieve this objective, elite wheat varieties were crossed in 4 by 3, line × tester design, and tested in 2019 in a triplicate yield trial to estimate genetic variance, general and specific combining ability, mid-parent heterosis and stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis L.). High grain 3358 kg·ha–1 was recorded in F1 hybrid (ZRG-79 × PAK-13). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant genotypic variance in grain yield. Broad sense heritability (H2) was recorded in the range of 28 to 100 %. General combining ability (GCA) significant for grain yield in parents except FSD-08 and PS-05 was recorded, while specific combining ability (SCA) was recorded to be highly significant for grain yield only in two crosses (ZRG-79 × NR-09 and ZRG-79 × PAK-13). Mid-parent heterosis was estimated in the range of –28 to 62.6 %. Cross combinations ZRG-79 × PAK-13 depicted highly significant mid-parent heterosis (62.6 %). Highly significant correlation was observed among spike length, spikelets per spike, plant height and 1000-grain weight. Rust resistance index was recorded in the range of 0 to 8.5. These findings suggest exploitation of GCA for higher grain yield is important due to the presence of additive gene action and selection in the filial generations will be effective with improved rust resistance, while cross combinations ZRG-79 × PAK-13 high GCA are best suited for hybrid development.
Germline-restricted chromosomes of the songbirds
Authors: Borodin P. M.
Published: November 2023

Germline-restricted chromosomes (GRCs) are present in the genomes of germline cells and absent from somatic cells. A GRC is found in all species of the songbirds (Passeri) and in none of the other bird orders studied to date. This indicates that GRC originated in the common ancestor of the songbirds. The germline-restricted chromosome is permanently absent from somatic cells of the songbird, while female germline cells usually contain two copies of GRC and male ones have one copy. In females, GRCs undergo synapsis and restricted recombination in their terminal regions during meiotic prophase. In males, it is almost always eliminated from spermatocytes. Thus, GRC is inherited almost exclusively through the maternal lineage. The germline-restricted chromosome is a necessary genomic element in the germline cells of songbirds. To date, the GRC genetic composition has been studied in four species only. Some GRC genes are actively expressed in female and male gonads, controlling the development of germline cells and synthesis of the proteins involved in the organization of meiotic chromosomes. Songbird species vary in GRC size and genetic composition. The GRC of each bird species consists of amplified and modified copies of genes from the basic genome of that species. The level of homology between GRCs of different species is relatively low, indicating a high rate of genetic evolution of this chromosome. Transmission through the maternal lineage and suppression of the recombination contribute significantly to the accelerated evolution of GRCs. One may suggest that the rapid coordinated evolution between the GRC genes and the genes of the basic genome in the songbirds might be responsible for the explosive speciation and adaptive radiation of this most species-rich and diverse infraorder of birds.
Interactions between Travel Behaviour, Accessibility and Personal Characteristics
Authors: Simma A , Axhausen K.W.
Published: November 2023

This paper explores the impacts of personal characteristics and the spatial structure on travel behaviour, especially mode choice. The spatial structure is described among other things by accessibility measures. The models are estimated using structural equation modelling (SEM). The models are based on the 1992 Upper Austrian travel survey and the Upper Austrian transport model. The results highlight the key roles of car ownership, gender and work status in explaining the observed level and intensity of travel. The most important spatial variable is the number of facilities which can be reached by a household. The municipality based variables and the accessibility measures have rather little explanatory power. The reasons for this low explanatory power are considered. Although the findings in this study indicate that the spatial structure is not a decisive determinant of traffic, the results provide useful hints for possible policy alternatives.
The Economic Impact of Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Germany
Authors: Schade Burkhard , Rothengatter Werner
Published: November 2023

The economic assessment of the Environmentally Sustainable Transportation (EST) scenarios developed throughout this paper are part of Phase 3 of the overall project, which is on social and economic assessment and on devising packages of instruments that - if implemented - would result in attaining EST. 

Two methods were chosen for the assessment of the scenarios: a qualitative evaluation based on a simplified cybernetic model (SCM) and a system dynamics model (SDM).

In the assessment with the simplified cybernetic model, a conservative baseline has been chosen in order to start with a scenario that incorporates some pessimistic views of the industry. The aim is to show that, even in this case, an economic disaster will not occur. 

The System Dynamics Model ESCOT was designed to consider the ecological and technical aspects of a transition towards sustainable transportation. It is important that ESCOT considers not only first round effects but also secondary effects, which makes it a powerful instrument for the assessment of such large ecological changes.

The economic assessment of environmentally sustainable scenarios shows that the departure from car and road freight oriented transport policy is far from leading to an economic collapse. The effects concerning economic indices are rather low, even though the measures proposed in the EST-80% scenario designate distinct changes compared to today’s transport policy. The impacts on some economic indicators, however, are clearly negative. With an expansion of the time period for the transition in the EST-50% scenario we derived even more encouraging results than for EST-80%.
Investigation of Driver Comprehension of Traffic Information on Graphical Congestion Display Panels using a Driving Simulator
Authors: Richards Andy , McDonald Mike , Fisher Granville , Brackstone Mark
Published: November 2023

In the UK, the Highways Agency has been investigating the use of Graphical Congestion Display Panels (GCDPs) to display real-time congestion and journey time information relevant to drivers on sections of the trunk road network. A GCDP can potentially display a greater detail of traffic information than traditional Variable Message Signs (VMS). The research described in this paper has investigated driver comprehension of information that may be contained in such signs with a view to establishing prototype design guidelines. A key objective of this concept study was to design and undertake laboratory research to examine whether the content of traffic information messages displayed by the GCDPs could be readily understood, by using a simple driving simulator as a subject workload task.

Sixty subjects participated in the simulator-based study and twenty sign designs were tested, with each sign classified as belonging to one of several different generic types with the best signs recommended to be taken forward for further research and testing. Two methods of measurement were used: verbal responses of the subjects to questions whilst driving the simulator and a written questionnaire after the experiment to record more detailed opinions. Although no single best sign design was identified, the research found that some sign design types were clearly more successful than others.
Equilibrium traffic assignment on large Virtual Networks: Implementation issues and limits for multi-modal freight transport
Authors: Jourquin Bart , Limbourg Sabine
Published: November 2023

Multi-Modal freight models are traditionally built following the well known “four steps model” in which generation, distribution, modal-split and assignment are seen as separated modules. An alternative approach, now implemented in some software, is to represent the multi-modal network by means of a “mono-modal” one, in which each particular transport operation (loading or unloading operation, transhipments ...) is represented by a dedicated “virtual link”, that represents a specific operation in the transportation chain. This approach, promoted by several authors, often referenced to as “super networks” or “virtual networks”, is proven to give interesting results, but has the drawback to generate much larger networks than the pure geographic representation of the studied area. It has also some kind of “hidden trap”, linked to transport distances, that will be presented in this paper and that can only be solved using appropriate assignment techniques. This paper presents some results obtained on a large multi-modal network, using different equilibrium assignment algorithms, in order to test their ability to give an appropriate solution to the “distance trap”. It however concludes that the implementation of classical equilibrium assignment techniques leads to solutions that are barely different from the one obtained by a simple all-or-nothing assignment, opening the way to alternative multi-flow solutions.
Innovative Approaches to Option Generation
Authors: Jones Peter , Kelly Charlotte , May Anthony , Cinderby Steve
Published: November 2023

Central and local governments often employ sophisticated modelling and appraisal procedures to ensure that the transport strategies and schemes that are selected for implementation meet policy objectives and are economically efficient. But relatively little effort has been made by the profession to develop methods to assist with the generation of appropriate and innovative options which form the core inputs to this whole process. The paper first summarises UK local authority views about the importance of option generation and their current ability to develop suitable options. It then provides an overview of methods that have been used in a variety of disciplines and policy areas to generate options. Some mainly represent or package existing knowledge, while others encourage ‘outside-the-box’ thinking, with the aim of developing solutions that have not previously been thought of. Methods range from those that are highly quantitative and replicable, to others that are qualitative and much more subjective in nature. Four option generation tools developed as part of the DISTILLATE project are described and illustrated with case study examples. Two apply at the strategic level; one is designed to assist in selecting packages of measures that contribute to an urban transport/land use strategy, while the other assists in identifying accessibility problems experienced by different population groups, and in generating a range of potential solutions. The other two apply at the scheme level and are more participatory in nature; they deal with streetspace allocation and with the improvement of community spaces.
A Long-Distance Travel Demand Model for Europe
Authors: Rich Jeppe , Mabit Stefan L.
Published: November 2023

In Europe, approximately 50% of all passenger kilometres come from trips beyond 100 km according to matrices developed in the TRANSTOOLS project. This accounts for an even larger share of CO2 emissions due to a higher modal share of air transport. Therefore long-distance trips are increasingly relevant from a political and environmental point of view. The paper presents the first tour-based long-distance travel demand model for passenger trips in and between 42 European countries. The model is part of a new European transport model developed for the European Commission, the TRANSTOOLS II model, and will serve as an important tool for transport policy analysis at a European level. The model is formulated as a nested logit model and estimated based on travel diary data with segmentation into business, private, and holiday trips. We analyse the estimation results and present elasticities for a number of different level-ofservice variables. The results suggest that the perception of both travel time and cost varies with journey length in a non-linear way. For car drivers and car passengers, elasticities increase with the length of the journey, whereas the opposite is true for rail, bus, and air passengers – a fact that reflects a change in substitutability. Moreover, elasticities differ significantly by trip purpose with private trips having the highest and holiday trips the lowest elasticities.
The Effect of Shared Planning by Road Transport Firms and Shipping Companies on Performance in the Intermodal Transport Chain: the Case of Ro-Ro Short Sea Shipping
Authors: López-Navarro Miguel Ángel
Published: November 2023

In recent years short sea shipping, and specifically the so-called motorways of the sea, have increasingly become the focus of attention in the area of European Union transport policy. As an intermodal alternative to door-to-door unimodal road transport, the success of short sea shipping is dependent on properly functioning interaction among agents in the chain, particularly shipping companies and road transport firms. Taking the road transport firm perspective, this study aims to evaluate the extent to which shared planning between agents explains the firm’s performance in the context of the intermodal relationship, and explores the key antecedents for shared planning in this context. The research hypotheses were tested on a sample of 106 relationships between shipping companies and road transport firms. Our study contributes to the literature on intermodality and short sea shipping by providing evidence on how shared planning positively benefits the road transport firm performance. The results also demonstrate that two factors––namely, trust in the shipping company and the road transport firm’s involvement through adaptations to the partner––largely determine shared planning.
Stability analysis of activity-based models: case study of the Tel Aviv transportation model
Authors: Bekhor Shlomo , Kheifits Leonid , Sorani Michael
Published: November 2023

The Tel Aviv activity based model structure is similar to other activity based models described in the literature. The model run is supposed to converge to the equilibrium between generated tours and corresponding level of service (LOS) data. However, individual tour generation uses random draws for various choices (activity, time of day, destination, and mode). This introduces simulation errors, which combined with population sampling and limited precision of static traffic assignments, prevents the convergence of the model results. This paper analyses the above uncertainty sources on the basis of multiple model runs conducted for this study. Three averaging procedures are investigated and compared. Practical considerations regarding setting up the averaging procedures required for obtaining stable model results are discussed.
Using ensembles of decision trees to predict transport mode choice decisions: Effects on predictive success and uncertainty estimates
Authors: Rasouli Soora , Timmermans Harry J.P.
Published: November 2023

The application of activity-based models of travel demand to planning practice has triggered interest in issues that potentially improve the accuracy and/or usefulness of model forecasts. The limited knowledge of uncertainty propagation in complex stochastic model systems has put uncertainty analysis high on the research agenda to differentiate between simulation error and policy effects. Focusing on transport mode choice, this paper draws attention to the use of model ensembles, which has hardly been explored in travel demand forecasting. Prior studies predicting transport mode choice has typically relied on a single equation, relating observed transport mode choices to a set of personal and contextual variables. The estimated single model is then assumed to apply to all individuals. This paper explores the idea of replacing a single equation/representation with an ensemble of model predictions, using the decision tree formalism. Potentially, ensembles better capture the notion that travellers may use different heuristics in their transport mode decisions. The aim of the study is to investigate whether the use of a model ensemble of different decision heuristics will reduce the error/uncertainty in predicting transport mode decisions. Results of the study, conducted in the Rotterdam region, The Netherlands, suggest that the accuracy of predicting transport mode choice is improved, albeit non-monotonically, with increasing ensemble size. Simultaneously, the uncertainty related to these predictions is decreasing. Finally, it is shown that the importance of the selected explanatory variables co-varies with ensemble size. Estimation results tend to become stable in this study with an ensemble size of approximately 20 decision trees.
Modelling observed and unobserved factors in cycling to railway stations: application to transit-oriented-developments in the Netherlands
Authors: La Paix Puello Lissy , Geurs Karst
Published: November 2023

Typically, mode choice behaviour is studied as a function of observed travel factors. Given the importance of unobservable factors on choice behaviour, this paper deviates from this approach. We analysed cycling as mode choice to access railway stations, incorporating latent variables and psychometric data to capture relatively intangible factors that influence mode choice. Such factors are not observable, but can manifest themselves through adjustable indicators. The database used for this paper contains 12000 observations of journeys carried out in the Rotterdam – The Hague area in the Netherlands, covering thirty-five railway stations. In addition to using a traditional binary logit model, we estimated three hybrid choice models for access mode choice. These hybrid choice models represented observed and unobserved factors simultaneously, including the train users’ perception of connectivity, attitude towards station environment and perceived quality of bicycle facilities. The results show that both attitudes and observable travelrelated elements are important in the decision to cycle to the station or not. Variations in these perceptions and attitudes significantly affect the bicycle-train share. At the same time, improvements in unguarded bicycle parking facilities may increase the number of people who cycle to the train station more than improvements in guarded bicycle parking would. Moreover, the availability of the parking facilities is crucial during rush hours. Another conclusion is that transport strategies to encourage bicycle-train use must be implemented by station type, i.e. measures to encourage bicycle access at larger stations. Further research would develop a hybrid choice model for egress, and a stated choice experiment would compare these results.
On the effect of the built environment and preferences on non-work travel: Evidence from Japan
Authors: Parady Giancarlos Troncoso , Chikaraishi Makoto , Takami Kiyoshi , Ohmori Nobuaki , Harata Noboru
Published: November 2023

This study uses data from the 4th Nationwide Person Trip Survey to analyse the relation between the built environment, modal access preference at residential location and travel behaviour in Japan. By estimating random parameter count models, significant statistical associations were found between the built environment and preferences with non-work trip frequency by mode. Furthermore the effect of population density, car ownership and some access preference traits were found to be heterogeneous for some modes. Since most of the recent literature has focused largely on North-American and European cities, this study contributes to the existing body of literature by examining the role of the built environment and individual preferences on travel behaviour in the context of Japanese cities, and sheds some light on existing heterogeneity in the effects of some factors related to travel behaviour.
Beyond instrument: smartphone app and sustainable mobility
Authors: Schwanen Tim
Published: November 2023

The rise of smartphones and mobile applications (apps) is of major importance to multiple recent innovations in sustainable urban mobility, including car sharing schemes and real-time information provision in public transport, as well as the recent surge in urban cycling. Yet, exactly how apps feature in these innovations and trends remains largely unclear. This paper argues that this lack of understanding reflects not only the rapid pace of developments in apps and their technical functionalities but also gaps in academics’ conceptualization of the nature of apps and their effects. Too easily and often are apps seen as mere instruments for the realisation of human-centred goals and intentions, or are their capacities and effects assumed to emerge from the webs of relations in which apps and smartphones are enmeshed. An alternative conceptualisation is therefore proposed, one that is informed principally by the object-oriented approach developed by philosopher Graham Harman. After summarising some of Harman’s original concepts and developing his account of power, the paper elaborates a series of ideas and recommendations about how the developed conceptual framework can be deployed in empirical research on the interactions between apps and physical mobility in the city.
Quantifying the impact of adverse weather conditions on road network performance
Authors: Snelder Maaike , Calvert Simeon
Published: November 2023

Adverse weather conditions regularly lead to severe congestion and large travel time delays on road networks all over the world. Different climate scenarios indicate that in the future adverse weather conditions are likely to become more frequent, last longer and will be more extreme. Although climate mitigation measures are being taken, it remains important to investigate how adverse weather events will affect the performance of the road network in the future. The main objective of this paper is to give an overview of how the impact of adverse weather conditions and adaptation measures on road network performance can be quantified. A literature review has been performed to show what is empirically known about the impact of adverse weather conditions on the road network performance. Furthermore, available methods to quantify the impact of adverse weather conditions and adaptation measures on the road network performance for future situations are reviewed. As an example, a case study for the municipality of Rotterdam has been carried out that shows how a combination of models can be used to analyse which links in the road network are most vulnerable for increasingly severe local weather related disturbances. The results of the case study allow local authorities to decide whether or not they need to take adaptation measures.
Modelling travel time reliability in public transport route choice behaviour
Authors: Swierstra Andele B. , Nes Rob Van , Molin Eric J.E.
Published: November 2023

The implementation of travel time reliability (TTR) in route choice behaviour is still not very common in transport models, especially not in a public transport context. The reasons probably are that it is difficult to measure and that there is no agreement how it best can be represented in utility functions. Typically, it is represented by a standard deviation, however, particularly in public transport choices it is more likely that travellers think about the consequences of unreliability in travel times in terms of buffer times. This paper contributes to the literature by comparing five different model specifications of TTR in public transport route choices that are either based on standard deviations or on buffer time indicators. The models are estimated from choices observed in a stated choice experiment. To address heterogeneity, a latent class model is estimated. The results suggest that the reliability buffer time indicator outperforms the standard deviation indicator. Furthermore, the reliability buffer time parameter is only statistically significant in two of the four classes. The other two classes are particularly sensitive to making transfers and to low frequencies of public transport services, suggesting different strategies to deal with TTR.