Economic Significance of High Speed Rail

The successes of existing high speed rail systems; the Shinkansen in Japan and TGV in France, have been widely reported. This paper presents evidence of the benefits of HSR as reported by studies carried out on the existing high speed rail systems. There are many benefits attributed to high speed rail systems which can be broadly classified into: Social/Public benefits; Economic benefits and Environmental benefits. While widely reported and evident, there has however been very little research carried out to quantify the benefits to the respective countries in which HSR has been introduced. Although limited, the available research does suggest a positive net benefit to the economy as a whole

Economic Significance of High Speed Rail

The successes of existing high speed rail systems; the Shinkansen in Japan and TGV in France, have been widely reported. This paper presents evidence of the benefits of HSR as reported by studies carried out on the existing high speed rail systems. There are many benefits attributed to high speed rail systems which can be broadly classified into: Social/Public benefits; Economic benefits and Environmental benefits. While widely reported and evident, there has however been very little research carried out to quantify the benefits to the respective countries in which HSR has been introduced. Although limited, the available research does suggest a positive net benefit to the economy as a whole

The first ever episode of non-specific low back pain: advancing knowledge of lay definitions, causal theories and attributions

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonLow back pain is a major health and socio-economic problem in Western countries. It is important therefore to learn more about its cause for prevention. To date, research has focused upon identifying risk factors that play a role in recurrent episodes of low back pain to further knowledge for secondary prevention. It can be argued however that it is more important to prevent the very first episode of low back pain from occurring by learning about the primary causative mechanisms. The aim of this thesis therefore is to advance theories about the possible causes of the first ever episode of low back pain for primary prevention. The qualitative, in-depth interview study presented in this thesis approaches the study of the first ever episode of low back pain, its antecedents and causal attributions from the perspective of subtle realism. Thirty participants presenting to NHS hospital physiotherapy and medical outpatient clinics were recruited for interview. The interview data were transcribed verbatim, and the data managed and analysed using Framework, a method developed by the National Centre for Social Research. The study’s findings advance knowledge about the possible role of psychological distress involving loss, anger, low mood and social withdrawal, and ‘pushing worries to the back of the mind’ in the genesis of non-specific symptoms including low back pain. If confirmed by further research, preventive strategies may need to address the perception that low back pain is not a stress-related condition and gender differences in the conceptualisation of stress. An area for new research is a perceived disposition to physical activity since childhood and a lifestyle described as active before the first ever episode of low back pain. Lay definitions of ‘real’ low back pain may assist the design of this research.Brunel University Research Initiative and Enterprise Fun

Establishing Fare Elasticity Regimes for Urban Passenger Transport: Time- Based Fares for Concession and Non-Concession Markets Segmented by Trip Length

The missing ingredient in many operational studies of public transport patronage prediction is a matrix of direct and cross fare elasticities which relate to specific fare classes within a choice set of fare class opportunities. This paper uses a heteroskedastic extreme value choice model to relax the constant variance assumption of the multinomial logit model so that empirically realistic cross elasticities can be obtained. A combined stated preference and revealed preference data set collected in Newcastle (New South Wales) in 1995 is used to obtain a matrix of direct and cross elasticities which reflects the market environment in which individuals, entitled to concession and nonconcession travel by public transport for short and long trips, make choices while benefiting by a richer understanding of how travellers respond to fare profiles not always observed in real markets, but including fare profiles which are of interest as potential alternatives to the current market offerings. The primary aim is to determine the sensitivity of Newcastle residents to the introduction of time-based bus fares. The four types of time-based bus fares proposed and studied are the 1 hour ticket, 4 hour ticket, day ticket and weekly ticket. The elasticities obtained from the study indicate the level of switching between ticket types and between the car and bus modes for any given change in fare levels or types

How are Urban Bus Fleets Performing in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions? The Australian Experience

The transport sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Although the bus operator is a small player in the emissions stakes, the entire life cycle emissions from the manufacture of buses and diesel fuel is a significant contributor to CO2.The consequences of the move from manual to automatic buses is that we are seeing a noticeable increase in emissions, even though automatic transmissions are themselves becoming increasingly more environmentally friendly. This paper reviews the evidence in Australia based on a 1998 survey of over 1400 buses. The challenge is to find ways of reducing CO2 emissions of automatic buses as they replace manual buses in similar operational contexts without increasing the amount of emissions

Parents’ experiences of neonatal care in England

With the greater need for specialist neonatal care in England over the last decade, increased attention has been given to developing and implementing quality measures to ensure that babies and their families receive the highest quality care. Patient experience is recognised as a key measure of quality, therefore it is essential to assess parents’ experiences of neonatal services to understand how these can be improved. In this paper we detail findings from the second large scale survey of parents’ experiences of neonatal care carried out in England in 2014, focusing on results that highlight aspects of family-centred care: information sharing; communication; support; and involvement. The results reveal great variations between individual units, as well as highlight key areas in which units could improve to provide family-centred care. This includes parents being able to speak to their doctor more, as well as receiving important information to understand their baby’s condition, and about support services available. Positively, many parents felt they were able to visit their baby as much as they wanted and were involved in their day-to-day care, which are fundamental to parents forming a bond with their baby. The survey is a rich data source that provides neonatal units in England with results that allow them to focus improvement efforts on what matters most to those using their services. It also enables neonatal units to evaluate how they are performing on key standards of care, supporting them in striving for clinical best practice