The development of a model for predicting passenger acceptance of short-haul air transportation systems

Meaningful criteria and methodology for assessing, particularly in the area of ride quality, the potential acceptability to the traveling public of present and future transportation systems were investigated. Ride quality was found to be one of the important variables affecting the decision of users of air transportation, and to be influenced by several environmental factors, especially motion, noise, pressure, temperature, and seating. Models were developed to quantify the relationship of subjective comfort to all of these parameters and then were exercised for a variety of situations. Passenger satisfaction was found to be strongly related to ride quality and was so modeled. A computer program was developed to assess the comfort and satisfaction levels of passengers on aircraft subjected to arbitrary flight profiles over arbitrary terrain. A model was deduced of the manner in which passengers integrate isolated segments of a flight to obtain an overall trip comfort rating. A method was established for assessing the influence of other links (e.g., access, terminal conditions) in the overall passenger trip

Efficient Routing for Disaster Scenarios in Uncertain Networks: A Computational Study of Adaptive Algorithms for the Stochastic Canadian Traveler Problem with Multiple Agents and Destinations

The primary objective of this research is to develop adaptive online algorithms for solving the Canadian Traveler Problem (CTP), which is a well-studied problem in the literature that has important applications in disaster scenarios. To this end, we propose two novel approaches, namely Maximum Likely Node (MLN) and Maximum Likely Path (MLP), to address the single-agent single-destination variant of the CTP. Our computational experiments demonstrate that the MLN and MLP algorithms together achieve new best-known solutions for 10,715 instances. In the context of disaster scenarios, the CTP can be extended to the multiple-agent multiple-destination variant, which we refer to as MAD-CTP. We propose two approaches, namely MAD-OMT and MAD-HOP, to solve this variant. We evaluate the performance of these algorithms on Delaunay and Euclidean graphs of varying sizes, ranging from 20 nodes with 49 edges to 500 nodes with 1500 edges. Our results demonstrate that MAD-HOP outperforms MAD-OMT by a considerable margin, achieving a replan time of under 9 seconds for all instances. Furthermore, we extend the existing state-of-the-art algorithm, UCT, which was previously shown by Eyerich et al. (2010) to be effective for solving the single-source single-destination variant of the CTP, to address the MAD-CTP problem. We compare the performance of UCT and MAD-HOP on a range of instances, and our results indicate that MAD-HOP offers better performance than UCT on most instances. In addition, UCT exhibited a very high replan time of around 10 minutes. The inferior results of UCT may be attributed to the number of rollouts used in the experiments but increasing the number of rollouts did not conclusively demonstrate whether UCT could outperform MAD-HOP. This may be due to the benefits obtained from using multiple agents, as MAD-HOP appears to benefit to a greater extent than UCT when information is shared among agents

Efficient Routing for Disaster Scenarios in Uncertain Networks: A Computational Study of Adaptive Algorithms for the Stochastic Canadian Traveler Problem with Multiple Agents and Destinations

The primary objective of this research is to develop adaptive online algorithms for solving the Canadian Traveler Problem (CTP), which is a well-studied problem in the literature that has important applications in disaster scenarios. To this end, we propose two novel approaches, namely Maximum Likely Node (MLN) and Maximum Likely Path (MLP), to address the single-agent single-destination variant of the CTP. Our computational experiments demonstrate that the MLN and MLP algorithms together achieve new best-known solutions for 10,715 instances. In the context of disaster scenarios, the CTP can be extended to the multiple-agent multiple-destination variant, which we refer to as MAD-CTP. We propose two approaches, namely MAD-OMT and MAD-HOP, to solve this variant. We evaluate the performance of these algorithms on Delaunay and Euclidean graphs of varying sizes, ranging from 20 nodes with 49 edges to 500 nodes with 1500 edges. Our results demonstrate that MAD-HOP outperforms MAD-OMT by a considerable margin, achieving a replan time of under 9 seconds for all instances. Furthermore, we extend the existing state-of-the-art algorithm, UCT, which was previously shown by Eyerich et al. (2010) to be effective for solving the single-source single-destination variant of the CTP, to address the MAD-CTP problem. We compare the performance of UCT and MAD-HOP on a range of instances, and our results indicate that MAD-HOP offers better performance than UCT on most instances. In addition, UCT exhibited a very high replan time of around 10 minutes. The inferior results of UCT may be attributed to the number of rollouts used in the experiments but increasing the number of rollouts did not conclusively demonstrate whether UCT could outperform MAD-HOP. This may be due to the benefits obtained from using multiple agents, as MAD-HOP appears to benefit to a greater extent than UCT when information is shared among agents

The Single Global Currency - Common Cents for Business

As globalization continues, businesses are increasingly importing and exporting from countries with different currencies. To conduct that business, they (whether one or both parties) must pay fees for exchanging one currency for another and they must determine the exchange rate for a particular time. If the transaction is to be conducted over time, they may purchase currency instruments to hedge against currency fluctuation. All of these tasks add up to an average of about 5% of revenue for international businesses. As an increasing number of international businesses understand that these expensive tasks are unnecessary for trade conducted within a monetary union, these businesses are likely candidates to lead the effort to implement a Single Global Currency, to be managed by a Global Central Bank within a Global Monetary Union. In short, a "3-G" world. It's common cents.Single Global Currency, monetary union, dollar, euro, European Monetary Union, Global Central Bank, Global Monetary Union, international monetary system, Bretton Woods, foreign exchange, currency, currency crisis, transaction costs

Accounting for Interaction and Individual Specific Effects in an Analysis of International Air Traveler Preferences

selection decision based on contingency theory. Previous work has focused on main effects without eploring the significance of interaction or individual heterogeneity effects. Contingency theory suggests contextual and individual factors are important in enhancing model predictions. Using conjoint and ordered probit analyses, we find that including interaction and individual specific intercepts alters the impacts of main effect variables. Furthermore, accounting for interaction and individual heterogeneity increases the predictive ability of the preference model for airline travelers

Ride quality evaluation 1: Questionnaire studies of airline passenger comfort

As part of a larger effort to assess passenger comfort in aircraft, two questionnaires were administered: one to ground-based respondents; the other to passengers in flight. Respondents indicated the importance of various factors influencing their satisfaction with a trip, the perceived importance of various physical factors in determining their level of comfort, and the ease of time spent performing activities in flight. The in-flight sample also provided a rating of their level of comfort and of their willingness to fly again. Comfort ratings were examined in relation to (1) type of respondent, (2) type of aircraft, (3) characteristics of the passengers, (4) ease of performing activities, and (5) willingness to fly again

AO* and penalty based algorithms for the Canadian traveler problem

Tezin basılısı İstanbul Şehir Üniversitesi Kütüphanesi'ndedir.The Canadian Traveler Problem (CTP) is a challenging path planning problem on stochastic graphs where some edges are blocked with certain probabilities and status of edges can be disambiguated only upon reaching an end vertex. The goal is to devise a traversal policy that results in the shortest expected traversal length between a given starting vertex and a termination vertex. The organization of this thesis is as follows: In the first chapter we define CTP and its variant SOSP and present an extensive literature review related to these problems. In the second chapter, we introduce an optimal algorithm for the problem, based on an MDP formulation which is a new improvement on AO* search that takes advantage of the special problem structure in CTP. The new algorithm is called CAO*, which stands for AO* with Caching. CAO* uses a caching mechanism and makes use of admissible upper bounds for dynamic state-space pruning. CAO* is not polynomial-time, but it can dramatically shorten the execution time needed to find an exact solution for moderately sized instances. We present computational experiments on a realistic variant of the problem involving an actual maritime minefield data set. In the third chapter, we introduce a simple, yet fast and effective penalty-based heuristic for CTP that can be used in an online fashion. We present computational experiments involving real-world and synthetic data that suggest our algorithm finds near-optimal policies in very short execution times. Another efficient method for sub-optimally solving CTP, rollout-based algorithms, have also been shown to provide high quality policies for CTP. In the final chapter, we com- pare the two algorithmic frameworks via computational experiments involving Delaunay and grid graphs using one specific penalty-based algorithm and four rollout-based algo- rithms. Our results indicate that the penalty-based algorithm executes several orders of magnitude faster than rollout-based ones while also providing better policies, suggest- ing that penalty-based algorithms stand as a prominent candidate for fast and efficient sub-optimal solution of CTP.Declaration of Authorship ii Abstract iii Öz iv Acknowledgments v List of Figures viii List of Tables ix Abbreviations x 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Overview .................................... 1 1.2 The Canadian Traveler Problem ........................ 1 1.2.1 The Discrete Stochastic Obstacle Scene Problem .......... 2 1.3 Literature Review ................................ 3 1.4 Organization of the Thesis ........................... 4 2 An AO* Based Exact Algorithm for the Canadian Traveler Problem 5 2.1 Introduction ................................... 5 2.2 MDP and POMDP Formulations ....................... 6 2.2.1 MDP Formulation and The Bellman Equation ............ 7 2.2.2 Deterministic POMDP Formulation ................. 9 2.3 The CAO* Algorithm ............................. 11 2.3.1 AO Trees ................................ 11 2.3.2 The AO* Algorithm .......................... 14 2.3.3 The CAO* Algorithm ......................... 16 2.4 Computational Experiments .......................... 19 2.4.1 The BAO* and PAO* Algorithms ................... 19 2.4.2 Experimental Setup .......................... 21 2.4.3 Simulation Environment A ...................... 21 2.4.4 Simulation Environment B ....................... 22 2.4.5 Simulation Environment C....................... 24 2.4.6 Simulation Environment D ...................... 25 2.5 Summary and Conclusions ........................... 26 3 A Fast and Effective Online Algorithm for the Canadian Traveler Prob- lem 29 3.1 Introduction ................................... 29 3.2 The DT Algorithm ............................... 30 3.3 Computational Experiments .......................... 32 3.3.1 Environment 1 ............................. 32 3.3.2 Environment 2 ............................. 34 3.4 Conclusions and Future Research ....................... 34 3.4.1 Conclusions ............................... 34 3.4.2 Limitations and Future Research ................... 35 4 A Comparison of Penalty and Rollout-Based Policies for the Canadian Traveler Problem 36 4.1 Introduction ................................... 36 4.2 Algorithms for CTP .............................. 37 4.2.1 Optimism (OMT) ........................... 37 4.2.2 Hindsight Optimization (HOP) .................... 38 4.2.3 Optimistic Rollout (ORO) ....................... 39 4.2.4 Blind UCT (UCTB) .......................... 39 4.2.5 Optimistic UCT (UCTO) ....................... 40 4.3 Computational Experiments .......................... 41 4.3.1 Delaunay Graph Results ........................ 43 4.3.2 Grid Graph Results .......................... 45 4.4 Conclusions and Future Research ....................... 46 4.4.1 Conclusions ............................... 46 4.4.2 Limitations and Future Research ................... 46 A Problem Instances in Simulation Environments C and D 48 Bibliography 5

Thermal Neutron Characterization and Dose Modeling of a Plutonium-239/Beryllium Alpha-Neutron Source

Determination of neutron dose can be challenging and requires knowledge of neutron energy and neutron flux. A plutonium-239/beryllium (239PuBe) alpha-neutron source was used to irradiate bacterial samples to create neutron dose response. The goal of this project was to characterize the thermal neutron flux of the 239PuBe alpha-neutron source and model the neutron dose using version MCNPX of the Monte-Carlo N-Particle transport codes. The 37 GBq 239PuBe alpha-neutron source was placed in a neutron “howitzer,” that is, a 2-ft diameter moderating barrel with four radial irradiation ports. Multi-foil activation was used at various distances to determine thermal neutron flux, which was then used to verify a MCNPX code representing the system. Dysprosium thermal foils were used with cadmium covers. The MCNPX code was then adapted for dosimetric modeling. That is, the F5 tally, with a dose function, was used in place of the F4 tally. The four irradiation ports were found to have average thermal neutron fluxes of 5334 ± 829, 2928 ± 451, 1289 ± 199, and 1211 ± 186 neutrons cm-2 s-1 at 3.58, 9.04, 12.8, and 13.7 cm from the 239PuBe alpha-neutron source, respectively. The adapted MCNPX code calculated theoretical total ambient dose equivalent rates of 1717 ± 90.2, 703 ± 37.0, 286 ± 15.0, and 174 ± 9.18 mrem hr-1 at 4, 8, 14, and 18 cm from the 239PuBe alpha-neutron source, respectively. The theoretical direct (uncollided) ambient dose equivalent rates at the same distances were 837 ± 44.0, 272 ± 14.3, 100 ± 5.29, and 63.1 ± 3.32 mrem hr-1, respectively. Rough estimates of the absorbed dose rates were made from the ambient dose equivalent rates and a recommendation of 23.6 cm from the PuBe source was made to achieve an absorbed dose rate of roughly 10 mGy d-1

A Thoughtful Journey Toward Sustainable Choice: Can Mindfulness Enhance Behavior Intent?

abstract: ABSTRACT The tourism industry continues to mature as many consumers are demanding more responsible and sustainable development. Mindfulness has been studied in tourism as a cognitive trait recognized by actively processing information through an acute sensitivity to an individual's environment and openness to new information. Mindfulness has been shown to predict behaviors related to tourism and recreation. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been extensively applied to understand human behavior. Despite TPB's extensive history in the social sciences, researchers continue to incorporate new social factors to explain behavior. This study employs an emerging psychological construct, mindfulness, into the TPB model as an enhancement to conceptual and empirical discrepancies. This study aimed to: (1) understand the presence of mindfulness among those who travel, and (2) test a hypothesized relationship between mindfulness and intent to be sustainable on vacation. The research seeks to answer - does mindfulness add to a traveler's likelihood to behave sustainably in a destination with active sustainable initiatives? The purpose of this study is to showcase emerging consumer traits, like mindfulness, to enhance visitor experiences through sustainability initiatives. A survey research method was employed to provide a broad, generalizable set of findings from a group of people who were planning a trip and may have visited a specific destination. This study partnered with Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau to access such a population. The survey was conducted with a self-administered online survey and 550 completed surveys were obtained. Behavior intention to be sustainable, in any visited destination, was regressed twice to address the research question. The first regression included original TPB independent variables (such as attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control). The second regression added the mindfulness variable. The mindfulness variable was found to be positive and significant in a general context. The model was tested for those who traveled to Sedona and mindfulness and actual behaviors associated with sustainability were strongly related. A traveler's perception of their ability to control behaviors had a significant role when paired with mindfulness. Results suggest the TPB model has availability to incorporate new consumer behavior traits to understand behavior intention.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Community Resources and Development 201