How Do Governments Support the Development of Public Private Partnerships? Measuring and Comparing PPP Governmental Support in 20 European Countries

Abstract

Taking an institutional perspective, in this article we develop an index of the governmental support for public private partnership (PPP) — a ‘PPP Governmental Support Index’ (GSI) — which aims to measure the extent to which national governments provide an institutional framework that is either conducive or preventive for the introduction and diffusion of PPPs within transport infrastructure and other sectors. First, based on a substantive review of the literature, we define the elements of the PPP GSI, including the policy and political commitment regarding PPPs, the legal and regulatory framework, and the presence/absence of dedicated PPP-supporting arrangements. Second, we calculate the PPP GSI for 20 European countries, cluster them and compare similarities and differences in national governmental support of infrastructure PPPs. Third, we explore the potential link between national institutional index scores and infrastructure PPP activity in the 20 countries. Lastly, we discuss the potential and usefulness of the presented PPP GSI, as well as methodological limitations, and elaborate on how this index might be utilised to strengthen future comparative research on PPP in transport and other sectors.     

Numerical and experimental analysis of bow flare slamming on a Ro–Ro vessel in regular oblique waves

A method for the prediction of slamming loads on ship hulls is presented and validated for a 20-knot, 120-m car carrier. A nonlinear strip theory is used to calculate the relative motions of ship and wave. The relative vertical and roll velocities for a slamming event are given as input to the slamming calculation program, which is based on a generalized two-dimensional Wagner formulation and solved by the boundary element method. The method is fast and robust. Model tests of a car carrier have been carried out in regular head, bow, and bow quartering waves of various heights. Slamming on two panels in the upper part of the bow flare has been studied. It has been found that the water pile-up around the bow due to the forward speed of the vessel significantly increases the slamming pressures. A simplified way of including this effect is presented. When the calculated slamming pressures are corrected for 3D effects, they compare well with the measured data. Since the effect of the wave elevation due to the forward speed and the effect of three-dimensional flow act in opposite directions, excluding both of them produced results that also agreed quite well with the experiments, especially for the most severe slamming events.     

Efficient calculation of slamming pressures on ships in irregular seas

An efficient method for calculation of the slamming pressures on ship hulls in irregular waves is presented and validated for a 290-m cruise ship. Nonlinear strip theory was used to calculate the ship–wave relative motions. The relative vertical and roll velocities for a slamming event were input to the slamming calculation program, which used a two-dimensional boundary element method (BEM) based on the generalized 2D Wagner formulation presented by Zhao et al. To improve the calculation efficiency, the method was divided into two separate steps. In the first step, the velocity potentials were calculated for unit relative velocities between the section and the water. In the next step, these precalculated velocity potentials were used together with the real relative velocities experienced in a seaway to calculate the slamming pressure and total slamming force on the section. This saved considerable computer time for slamming calculations in irregular waves, without significant loss of accuracy. The calculated slamming pressures on the bow flare of the cruise ship agreed quite well with the measured values, at least for time windows in which the calculated and experimental ship motions agreed well. A simplified method for calculation of the instantaneous peak pressure on each ship section in irregular waves is also presented. The method was used to identify slamming events to be analyzed with the more refined 2D BEM method, but comparisons with measured values indicate that the method may also be used for a quick quantitative assessment of the maximum slamming pressures.     

Statistical modelling for ship propulsion efficiency

This paper presents a state-of-the-art systems approach to statistical modelling of fuel efficiency in ship propulsion, and also a novel and publicly available data set of high quality sensory data. Two statistical model approaches are investigated and compared: artificial neural networks and Gaussian processes (GP). The data presented is a publicly available full-scale data set, with a whole range of features sampled over a period of 2 months. We further discuss interpretations of the operational data in relation to the underlying physical system.     

Modification to a Semi-selective Medium for the Isolation and Quantification of the Nematophagous Fungus of Pochonia chlamydosporia

Pochonia chlamydosporia (formerly Verticilli-um chlamydosporium) is a common nematophagousfungus with widespread distribution. Its occur-rence as a facultative parasite of sedentary stagesof endoparasitic nematodes has been well docu-mented[1]. It is thought to be one of the responsi-ble factors for a long-term stable suppression of ce-real cyst nematodes in the UK[2]. The biocontrolpotential of this fungus has been investigated forthe management of plant-parasitic nematodes on arange of agri…     

Time-domain simulation of wave-induced nonlinear motions and loads and its applications in ship design

A nonlinear time-domain formulation for ship motions and wave loads and a nonlinear long-term statistics method are presented and applied to the S175 container ship. The general agreement between model tests and numerical results is very satisfactory. The calculated long-term vertical sagging and hogging moments amidships are comparable to those given by DNV rules. The approach described in this paper can be used as a way of more accurately evaluating extreme wave loads and other nonlinear responses in ship design.