A multioutput cost function for the services of Spanish ports' infrastructure

A long run multioutput cost function for the infrastructure services of Spanish ports is estimated using 286 observations on 26 ports during 11 years. Cargo specific marginal costs and the degree of economies of scale and scope are calculated up to a port level. Results show that liquid bulk and non-containerised general cargo present the lowest and largest marginal cost, respectively. Increasing returns to scale are present in general and for each and every port. A scope analysis indicates that port specialisation is not appropriate from the viewpoint of infrastructure.     

Coastal Crisis: The Failure of Coastal Management in the Spanish Mediterranean Region

It is a fact that coastal zones in the Mediterranean are becoming progressively more seriously degraded. Instrumental to the phenomenon in Spain is the evident failure of the coastal management that the institutions have pursued for over three decades, both under the old, state-centralized model, and the new organizational model with the political division of land into autonomous regions. This failure can in part be explained not only by the inadequate tools the administration possesses to address the dynamism and complexity of the new economic activities that have sprung up along the coast, but also by incoherent sectoral policies. Finally, there has been no all-encompassing political strategy capable of dealing with coastal communities' demands for development and the need for the protection of ecosystems and their natural resources. All this has resulted not only in a deterioration of the area, but also in the discrediting of actions implemented by the institutions, and their plans and programs being perceived as an obstacle to economic development.     

An Alert System for Beach Hazard Management in the Balearic Islands

A real-time beach hazard level associated with nearshore hydrodynamics is presented in this article. The suitability of the discussed alert system is illustrated via its application to fifteen beaches in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean Sea) providing nearshore safety conditions for beach safety manager. The system provides daily forecasts of nearshore wave conditions using the deep water wave forecasts. The shallow water wave data (wave height, period, and direction) together with the morphology of the site (presence of bars, capes, beach type, etc.) are used to define a hazard level (low, medium, and high) associated with local conditions. The resulting hazard level is transmitted via SMS to lifeguards and local authorities for real-time beach management. The low computational cost of this system after the initial implementation and subsequent calibration results in a very suitable approach for beach management in order to mitigate risks related to local hydrodynamics.     

Seasonal changes in the positional importance of components in the trophic flow network of the Chesapeake Bay

Community-level processes may shape food web structure. In this paper, a graph theoretical study of the weighted trophic flow network of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem shows how important are positions in the energy (carbon) transport system. The positional importance of components is compared to the quantity of energy flowing through them. We suggest that the congruence between important network positions and large flows refers to the larger role of trophic interactions in community control. A seasonal dynamical analysis of the network has led us to the conclusion that winter is the season when the importance of predation is the highest.     

Seasonal changes in wildlife use of motorway crossing structures and their implication for monitoring programmes

Multiple factors determine the use and effectiveness of wildlife passages and crossings installed in new roads as mitigation measures against the barrier effect. It is unknown whether factors such as seasonality determine the use of these structures. This analyses the seasonality of structure used by vertebrates. Forty-eight transverse structures crossing the A-52 motorway in north-western Spain are studied during the summer and winter of 2002–03. The use of structures by terrestrial vertebrates was monitored by tracks left in marble dust and photographic systems, and comparisons carried out by means of generalized lineal methods for count data. Structural factors mostly determined the differential use of passage types by species but seasonal changes were detected both in the intensity of use and in passage selection by some species.     

交通事故有关的侵权(渎职)官司

因交通事故而引发的道路管理者侵权(渎职)官司正变得越来越普遍。介绍了加州和美国的与交通事故有关的侵权(渎职)官司的定义、认定、索赔和实例,详细指出了加州运输部在项目开发和运营养护工作中有效避免侵权(渎职)官司的具体策略。     

Accelerating convergence of the Frank-Wolfe algorithm

We consider the Frank-Wolfe algorithm in the context of the traffic assignment problem. The slow-convergence characteristics close to the optimum solution of this popular approach are well known. Several proposals have improved on the original method by modifying the search direction. We propose modifying the step size, which leads to very significant improvements in efficiency.     

Prediction of Wheel/Rail Profile Wear

The alteration in wheel and rail profiles due to wear involves considerable vehicle and track-maintenance costs, and influences the loading capacity of the rails, as well as the operation safety and riding comfort of the vehicles. In the past twenty years a vehicle dynamics, contact mechanics and tribology based research work has emerged which is also recently continuous in an international scale, and this research is more and more intensive. Parallel to the growing possibilities of computer based analyses, several algorithms and numerical procedures have been elaborated, as well as measurement based experiments have been carried out to establish the reliable prediction of wear-caused wheel and rail profile alterations and to maximise the mileage performance by selecting the optimum vehicle system parameters for running gears operating on a selected railway line or a whole network under specified -in general inherently stochastic - traffic conditions. This paper takes an attempt to introduce the extended sphere of problems of wheel and rail wear prediction, as well as the latest results reflecting the present state of the art.     

Changing the timing of activities in resolving Scheduling Conflicts

Following the growing interest in the characterisation and modelling of activity scheduling and re-scheduling behaviour, this paper reports the results of a study on the resolution of activity scheduling conflicts. Using empirical data collected through an Internet survey, the modification of the timing of pre-planned activities to accommodate a new activity in the schedule was analysed. Schedule adjustment was studied using a parametric hazard model. The results indicate that the characteristics of the activities involved are the most important factors influencing the process of schedule change. Several correlations among schedule modifications were found. Harry Timmermans is a Professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology. He is also Director of the Urban Planning Group and the European Institute of Retailing and Services Studies. Tomás Ruiz is a Lecture and researcher at the Technical University of Valencia (Spain). Prior to his employment with the University, Dr. Ruiz was a consultant at Estudios, Proyectos y Planificación S.A.     

Speed management via in-car devices: effects,implications, perspectives

The objectives of this paper are to identify in-vehicle systems for speed management that have been or are being developed, and to suggest recommendations for the implementation of systems that will effectively influence driving speeds and thereby significantly increase safety. The best safety effect is expected from an "intelligent" gas pedal, more specifically the automatic speed limiter. However, in terms of user acceptance, this system is least liked, although, acceptance seems to improve after it has been tried out. Nonetheless, the final goal for implementation should be a mandatory speed limiter system, starting with voluntary usage supported with educational measures. A period of car producers' standardisation of ISA-systems should be followed by legislation prescribing that all new vehicles are to be fitted with the system. Finally, some questions regarding further research are outlined.