Influence of Governance Context on the Management Performance of Marine Protected Area Networks

In the Philippines, networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are more complex than individual MPAs, primarily due to involvement of multiple governance units. Hence, there is a need to understand the influence of governance context of networks on management performance. We addressed this need indirectly by evaluating the participation of network members and the governance capacity of three MPA networks with varying sizes, histories, and compositions of local governments and constituencies. We defined participation as the involvement of local governments and other stakeholders in decision-making processes. We defined governance capacity as the ability to govern interactions of social, economic, and political processes and dynamics in a political unit. We used qualitative, semi-structured key informant interviews and focus group discussions to ascertain whether participation and governance capacity are influenced by network size, institutional arrangements, and social and political contexts. We found that the sizes of the MPA networks did not affect participation and governance capacity. Instead, participation and capacity were influenced by institutional arrangements and the socioeconomic and political contexts of the local governments involved. We found that less complicated network objectives and systems for engagement, more inclusive membership, better communication, incentive systems, and strong leadership enhanced participation and governance capacity.     

Investigation of pitch motion portion in vertical response at sides of a Tension-Leg Platform

Tendons vertically moor Tension-Leg Platforms (TLPs), thus, a deep understanding of physical tendon stresses requires the determination of the total axial deformation of the tendons, which is a combination of the heave, pitch, and surging responses. The vertical motion of the lateral sides of the TLP is coupled with surge and constitutes a portion of the pitch motion. Tendons are connected to the sides of the TLP; hence, the total displacement of the lateral sides is related to the total deformation of the tendons and the total axial stress. Therefore, investigating the total vertical response at the sides of the TLP is essential. The coupling between various degrees of freedom is not considered in the Response Amplitude Operator (RAO). Therefore, in frequency domain analysis, the estimated vertical RAO is incomplete. Also, in the time domain, only the heave motion at the center of TLP is typically studied; this problem needs to be addressed. In this paper, we investigate the portion of the pitch motion in the vertical response at the sides of the TLP in both the frequency and time domains. Numerical results demonstrate a significant effect of the pitch motion in the vertical motion of the edges of the TLP in some period ranges.     

Fixed‐route taxi system: route network design and fleet size minimization problems

This paper introduces the taxi route network design problem (TXRNDP) for a fixed‐route taxi service operating in Iran and, in similar form, in various other developing countries. The service operates fairly similar to regular transit services in that vehicles are only permitted to follow a certain predetermined route on the network. The service is provided with small size vehicles and main features are that vehicles only depart if full and that there are no intermediate boarding stops. In Iran the service attracts a high modal share but requires better coordination which is the main motivation for the present study. We develop a mathematical programming model to minimize the total travel time experienced by passengers while constraining the number of taxi lines, the trip transfer ratio and the length of taxi lines. A number of assumptions are introduced in order to allow finding an exact rather than heuristic solution. We further develop a linear programming solution to minimize the number of taxis required to serve the previously found fixed‐route taxi network. Results of a case study with the city of Zanjan, Iran, illustrate the resulting taxi flows and suggest the capability of the proposed model to reduce the total travel time, the total waiting time and the number of taxi lines compared to the current taxi operation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vehicle sharing system with fleet sizing and multi-transportation modes under allowable shortages: a hybrid metaheuristic approach

In this paper, a vehicle sharing system with multi-transportation modes and allowable shortage is presented. This model aims to minimize the system's total cost by using optimum locations and number of stations, routes, transportation modes, station capacities for different modes and time between stations balancing. Because of the model's complexity, currently available proprietary software is not able to solve the model in a reasonable computational time, so a hybrid algorithm based on a genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization is presented. The results confirm its efficiency compared with the classic GA and exact solution methods. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis shows the applicability of the proposed algorithm.     

Seismic response of liquid-filled tank with baffles

In thispaper, the effects of a rigid baffle on the seismic response of liquid in a rigid cylindrical tank are evaluated. A baffle is an annular plate which supplies a kind of passive control on the effects of ground excitation. The contained liquid is assumed incompressible, inviscid and has irrotational motion. To estimate the seismic response, the method of superposition of modes has been applied. To analyze the rigid tank response, Laplace＆#39;s equation is considered as the governing equation of the fluid domain, in both time and frequency domains. The boundary element method （BEM） is employed to evaluate the natural modes of liquid in a cylindrical tank. To gain this goal, the fluid domain is divided into two upper and lower parts partitioned by the baffle. Linearized kinematic and dynamic boundary conditions of the free surface of the contained liquid have been considered.     

Improving the efficiency of weigh in motion systems through optimized allocating truck checking oriented procedure

In the present paper, an effective procedure is proposed to determine the best location(s) for installing Weigh in Motion systems (WIM). The main objective is to determine locations for best performance, defined as the maximum number of once-checked trucks' axle loads and minimizing unnecessary actions. The aforesaid method consists of two main stages, including solving shortest path algorithm and selecting the best location for installing WIM(s). A proper mathematical model has also been developed to achieve objective function. The number of once-checked trucks, unnecessary actions and average installing costs are defined as criteria measures. The proposed procedure was applied in a road network using experimental data, while the results were compared with the usual methods of locating enforcement facilities. Finally, it is concluded that the proposed procedure seems to be more efficient than the traditional methods and local experts' points of view.     

A simulation optimization approach for solving the dual-cycling problem in container terminals

Dual cycling is an operation technique whereby quay cranes perform loading and unloading operations simultaneously in the same ship bay. In this article, a mixed-integer programming model for quay crane dual-cycling scheduling is developed. The model considers the stowage plan of outbound containers and the operation sequence of quay cranes. To solve the model, a heuristic method, called bi-level genetic algorithm, is designed. Meanwhile, a simulation optimization method integrating the intelligent decision mechanism of the optimization algorithm and evaluation function of simulation model is proposed. Numerical experiments indicate that dual cycling can reduce the operation time of quay cranes compared to the method of scheduling loading and unloading separately. Moreover, the model and algorithms developed in this article can tackle quay crane dual-cycling problem efficiently.     

Stockholm congestion charging: an assessment with METROPOLIS and SILVESTER

This paper reviews and compares the performance of two dynamic transportation models – METROPOLIS and SILVESTER – which are used to predict the impacts of congestion charging for Stockholm. Both are mesoscopic dynamic models treating accumulation and dissipation of traffic queues, route choice, modal split and departure time choice. The models are calibrated independently for the baseline situation without charges and applied to forecast the effects of congestion charging. The results obtained from the two models are mutually compared and validated against the actual outcome of the Stockholm congestion charging scheme. Both models successfully predict the outcomes of the congestion charging trial at both aggregate and disaggregate levels. Results of welfare analysis, however, differ substantially due to differences in model specification.     

A multiple correspondence analysis of at‐fault motorcycle‐involved crashes in Alabama

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012, more than 4950 motorcyclists were killed in traffic accidents. Compared to passenger car occupants, mile for mile, motorcyclists are more than 26 times more at risk to dying in crashes. Due to the high fatality rate associated with motorcycle crashes, factors contributing to this type of crash must be identified in order to implement effective safety countermeasures. Given that the available datasets are large and complex, identifying the key factors contributing to crashes is a challenging task. Using multiple correspondence analysis, as an exploratory data analysis technique to determine the dataset structure, we identified the roadway/environmental, motorcycle, and motorcyclist‐related variables influencing at‐fault motorcycle‐involved crashes. This study used the latest available dataset (2009 to 2013) from the Critical Analysis Reporting Environment database to study motorcycle crashes in the state of Alabama. The most significant contributors to the frequency and severity of at‐fault motorcycle‐involved crashes were found to be light conditions, time of day, driver condition, and weather conditions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Innovative detector layout for automated traffic turning volume counting

Because of many advantages, loop detectors are the most common practice for obtaining data to control intersections. However, they have some drawbacks, including the fact that multiple detectors are usually required to monitor a location. The current practice in many cities is to install four consecutive loop detectors per lane, or two at the stop bar and one as an advanced detector. In some cities, there are also departure detectors. All these configurations have some practical problems and do not produce accurate counts especially in shared lanes. In this paper, a new placement configuration for departure detectors is proposed and named the mid‐intersection detector (MID). In this configuration, departure detectors are moved back to the middle of the intersection in such a way that they can be activated by more than one movement at different times. In some cases, departure detectors lack equations for calculating turning movements, a problem solved by MIDs because each movement passes more detectors along its path (without increasing the number of loops), and therefore they can produce more accurate and reliable data for obtaining turning movement counts. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.