Productivity assessment of African seaports with biased technological change

Abstract

This paper analyses the productivity of a representative sample of African seaports from 2002 to 2008. Productivity scores are decomposed, based on the Luenberger productivity indicator, and the nature of technological change is analysed. The paper finds that Nigerian seaports are the most efficient, followed by Angola and Mozambique. Discussions of the results as well as related policy implications are provided.     

What are the determinants of the willingness to share rides in pooled on-demand services?

Transportation - Simulation studies suggest that pooled on-demand services (also referred to as Demand Responsive Transport, ridesharing, shared ride-hailing or shared ridesourcing services) have...     

The Importance of Brokers in Collaborative Marine Ecosystem-Based Management of Social Ecological Systems

Abstract

Practitioners play a critical yet largely unexamined role in translating collaborative, ecosystem-based management (EBM) for social-ecological systems from theory to practice. We paired mental models and social network analytical methods and applied them to two cases of marine EBM in Rhode Island and New York, focusing on practitioners themselves, to understand the relationship between practitioners’ mental models of marine ecosystems and the extent and nature of collaboration within each network. Mental models analysis was used to assess the comprehensiveness and balance of practitioners’ mental models, and social network analysis was used to assess the role and influence of practitioners within each network. A comparative statistical analysis was then performed to understand the relationship between mental models and network measures. Research revealed a statistically significant correlation between practitioners’ mental model comprehensiveness and practitioners’ influence within the network. In other words, practitioners with comprehensive mental models of the ecosystem for which they were planning were found to act as “brokers,” connecting those who were not otherwise connected, bridging jurisdictions, sectors, and disciplines. Results underscore the importance of brokers in achieving the collaborative and integrated goals of EBM and suggest the need for greater attention to practitioners’ role in EBM implementation.     

免疫抑制因子对宫颈癌患者来源的树突状细胞的体外作用

目的　观察白细胞介素 10 (IL 10 )及血管内皮生长因子 (VEGF)对宫颈癌患者来源的树突状细胞 (DC)的体外抑制作用。方法　培养宫颈癌患者自体DC的小牛血清体系中加入粒 -巨噬细胞集落刺激因子 (GM CSF)、IL 4和肿瘤坏死因子 α(TNF α) ;流式细胞术检测免疫表型 ;甲基噻唑蓝法 (MTT)法检测异体混和淋巴细胞反应 (MLR)和细胞毒实验 ;酶联免疫吸附实验 (ELISA)法检测培养细胞上清液中IL 10和VEGF含量。结果　 10例宫颈癌患者外周血单个核细胞培养 10d后 ,获得 (40± 2 0 ) %的DC ,此类DC共刺激分子的表达减低 ,刺激自体T细胞杀伤癌细胞能力不足 ,分泌IL 10及VEGF的含量却升高。结论　IL 10和VEGF抑制了宫颈癌患者自体DC的功能。     

无车日活动公众参与的引导策略及信息传递

为了制定引导公众意识与行为转变的策略,尤其是对无车日的规划以及为将其应用于其他可持续性城市交通措施中提供指南.介绍了几种有关引导公众对于公共交通与其他可持续性交通方式的意识与行为转变的策略,重点介绍了公众目前与将来可以使用的可持续性交通方式,以及公众尤其是决策者对于城市交通问题的态度及其对于可持续性交通解决方案(如步行、骑自行车与使用公共交通工具等)的看法.最后,提出媒体是提高公众对于可持续性交通活动意识的有效渠道.     

轨枕间距对钢轨波磨的影响

主要研究轨枕间距对钢轨波磨发展的影响。研究小半径曲线内轨的小矢跨比波磨。这些出现问题的曲线段属于西班牙毕尔巴鄂区域的地铁轨道,铺设着混凝土道床和两层STEDEF型支承垫层。当初始轨枕间距为1000mm时,仅有92万组轮对通过后所测得的波磨深度峰-峰值已经达到0.42mm。随后更换产生波磨的钢轨,比较列车通过时轨枕上方和轨间中部的内轨垂向、横向加速度。当轨枕间距为1000mm时,轨间中部出现频率为204和244Hz的强烈响应,在轨枕上方却未出现。在相邻轨枕中间铺设一个轨枕,使轨枕间距变为500mm,钢轨波磨停止发展。该结论是根据2年的观测结果得到的。     

Public regulation and passengers importance in port infrastructure costs

Because ports are conceived and designed mainly to be the transfer point of various types of freight, passengers tend to be forgotten in the analysis of port costs. In this paper first we investigate the importance of passengers in port infrastructure costs by means of a multi-output cost function estimated from 20 annual observations (1986-2005) for 26 Spanish Port Authorities. Results show that, although a passenger weights on average less than one tenth of a ton, he or she represents as much as two tons of solid bulk and about three tons of containerized general cargo in terms of marginal costs. Secondly, we compare the marginal costs of different cargoes with their price caps established by law. Results suggest that some type of second best pricing is induced by present regulation.     

Hub location in the South-Atlantic airline market: A spatial competition game

The paper analyzes the airlines’ hub location problem through a spatial competition game played in two stages. First, airlines sequentially choose the location of their hub and second, they compete offering direct or connecting services between each city-pair. Different outcomes in the first stage will affect competition in the second, and as a consequence, the market share that airlines can obtain.Given actual demand patterns, results of the model are applied to the South-Atlantic airline market. We study the subgame perfect equilibriums obtained as a result of competition in each city-pair to anticipate where airlines will probably locate their hubs once an “open skies” policy is adopted in this market.     

The impact of compliance measures on the operation of a bus system: The case of Transantiago

In a regulated bus system operated by private companies, pecuniary incentives can be of primary importance to ensure the quality of the operation and the level of service, especially when there are only a few companies and basically no competition among them. The case of Transantiago, in the capital city of Chile, provides a good example of this. The very ambitious Transantiago project, implemented in 2007 in Santiago, integrated the bus and the subway systems, changing the route structure of the bus services, introducing a common and integrated fare system and electronic payment device, and tendering the operation of approximately 4,600 buses (which by the launch of the system in February 2007 had increased to 5600) to 10 private companies replacing some 4000 small operators which owned 8000 buses. In the beginning, the system faced huge difficulties. Operators' revenue formula basically consisted of a fixed payment, which changed slightly with the actual patronage. This quickly turned out to be a problem, and as technological support became available (several months after the launch), compliance measures were implemented, directly affecting the operators' revenue. The first measure considered the seat/standing places per hour of the buses in operation, for each company, and compared it to the theoretical figure. As a result, buses operating during peak hours increased from 4600 to 5600 in just two months. Subsequent indexes included service frequency and regularity, as well as effective bus-km, aggregated by company first and later by service. This paper shows how the successive implementation of these performance indexes had an impact on the operation of Transantiago in the first years, discusses the difficulties faced to implement them and highlights the importance of technological support to make possible the application of adequate compliance measures.