950 research outputs found

    Reducing land take and energy use of high-speed railways through the robust design of operations

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    I address the problem of the high capital cost of high-speed railways and the need to reduce their energy use through the design of robust operations at the planning stage. Given the cost structure and benefits of different solutions, reducing the size of termini and maintaining robust operations in and near the termini is identified as a promising option for cost reduction. Two methodologies from manufacturing industry, namely, the Lean principle for cost reduction and the Taguchi method for robust design, are confirmed as suitable tools to realise the objective of improving the design of high-speed railways. I developed a novel approach that combines Lean and Taguchi techniques to deal with characteristic features of high-speed railways, such as the severe requirement for robust operations. Finally, the worth of the combined approach has been demonstrated by means of case studies of current British conventional railway practice, current Japanese high-speed railway operations and the planned High Speed Two (HS2) line. The latter work has shown the possibility of a reduction in the proposed number of platforms at Euston Station, the main terminus of HS2 in London, as well as energy saving for traction

    How WEIRD is Usable Privacy and Security Research? (Extended Version)

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    In human factor fields such as human-computer interaction (HCI) and psychology, researchers have been concerned that participants mostly come from WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) countries. This WEIRD skew may hinder understanding of diverse populations and their cultural differences. The usable privacy and security (UPS) field has inherited many research methodologies from research on human factor fields. We conducted a literature review to understand the extent to which participant samples in UPS papers were from WEIRD countries and the characteristics of the methodologies and research topics in each user study recruiting Western or non-Western participants. We found that the skew toward WEIRD countries in UPS is greater than that in HCI. Geographic and linguistic barriers in the study methods and recruitment methods may cause researchers to conduct user studies locally. In addition, many papers did not report participant demographics, which could hinder the replication of the reported studies, leading to low reproducibility. To improve geographic diversity, we provide the suggestions including facilitate replication studies, address geographic and linguistic issues of study/recruitment methods, and facilitate research on the topics for non-WEIRD populations.Comment: This paper is the extended version of the paper presented at USENIX SECURITY 202

    Measuring the Potential Economic Impact of a Japan–US Free Trade Agreement: Can It Enable the US to Eliminate Its Trade Deficit in Goods with Japan?

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    Japan and the US are two major global trading partners that have at times been at odds regarding each other’s international trade policies. In particular, the ongoing US trade deficit in goods with Japan has been one of the primary disputes between Japan and the US. However, the recent withdrawal of the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) sent a clear signal that the US would take a new approach to international trade issues and has potentially paved the way for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the remaining TPP countries, including Japan. This paper contributes to the debate on the potential economic impact of a Japan–US FTA (JUFTA) by evaluating whether it could enable the US to eliminate its trade deficit in goods with Japan. To do this, we measure the potential impact of a JUFTA using a dynamic Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model. We find that a JUFTA is unlikely to enable the US to eliminate its trade deficit in goods with Japan, although the deficit will certainly decrease as a result

    Economic Impact of the Japan–China–USA Free Trade Agreement on Japan using both Static and Dynamic GTAP Models

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    The Japanese government has been actively involved in so-called mega Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The purpose of this paper is to measure the potential impact of the Japan–China–USA Free Trade Agreement (JCUFTA) on Japan; in particular, on the Japanese agricultural sector using static and dynamic GTAP models. When tariffs are eliminated between Japan, the USA and China, the GDPs of the three countries will all increase, but the impact on the GDPs of the three countries is less than 1% in both static and dynamic models. The results also show that the total value of agricultural production in Japan is expected to decline by more than 10%

    A neonatal case of an elongated soft palate

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    The development of stridor and periodic desaturation in a 2-day-old neonate born at term lead to the suspicion of upper airway obstruction. The patient underwent flexible fiberoptic laryngo-tracheo-bronchoscopy and was diagnosed as having an elongated soft palate and secondary mild pharyngomalacia. Early intervention with high PEEP therapy using nasal CPAP led to improvement in the patient condition
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