Tobacco Politics and Electoral Accountability in the United States

This paper investigates whether reputation-building strategies guide U.S. governors’ state cigarette tax choices, and whether the federal cigarette tax influences such behavior. Using 1975-2000 data, we find evidence that governors in states with relatively important agricultural tobacco production and tobacco manufacturing, and which are densely populated by smokers, appear prone to reputation-building. Moreover, lame ducks are more prone to raise the state cigarette tax the lower the federal tax.Agricultural tobacco, cigarette taxation, lobbying, reputation-building; electoral accountability; term limits; federalism

Problems and prospects of non-motorized public transport integration in developing cities

The benefits and costs of the paid category of non-motorized public transport (NMPT) –especially three wheeler cycle rickshaws – have long been a major transport planning problem in many developing cities. Policy measures to restrict or eliminate non-motorized vehicles, especially NMPTs, from urban arterials and other feeder networks have already been implemented in developing cities as diverse as Delhi, Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Surabaya, Beijing and Bogotá. Over the last few years, the government of Bangladesh has implemented policies to phase out non-motorized transport, particularly rickshaws, from the major traffic spines of Dhaka City. The acceptability, rationality and implication of such ‘solutions’ are widely argued in Bangladesh, as well as internationally. The argument is severe in Dhaka, the case study of this research, considering social acceptability, economic response, fuel free eco-friendly characteristics and magnitude of role of rickshaw in sustaining the traffic and mobility needs of citizens. Therefore, rather than simply pursuing policies to eliminate NMPT, a better approach may be to integrate motorized and non-motorized vehicles as complementary rather than competitive forces in meeting the comprehensive demand of Dhaka’s transport. With the backdrop and given the international significance of the problem, this paper will delineate a preliminary framework for the future place of the NMPT-rickshaw and explore the problems as well as opportunities for its sustainable co-existence in a mixed mode transport stream that best meets the network performance needs of Dhaka

Issues and concerns of microscopic calibration process at different network levels : case study of Pacific Motorway

Calibration process in micro-simulation is an extremely complicated phenomenon. The difficulties are more prevalent if the process encompasses fitting aggregate and disaggregate parameters e.g. travel time and headway. The current practice in calibration is more at aggregate level, for example travel time comparison. Such practices are popular to assess network performance. Though these applications are significant there is another stream of micro-simulated calibration, at disaggregate level. This study will focus on such microcalibration exercise-key to better comprehend motorway traffic risk level, management of variable speed limit (VSL) and ramp metering (RM) techniques. Selected section of Pacific Motorway in Brisbane will be used as a case study. The discussion will primarily incorporate the critical issues encountered during parameter adjustment exercise (e.g. vehicular, driving behaviour) with reference to key traffic performance indicators like speed, lane distribution and headway; at specific motorway points. The endeavour is to highlight the utility and implications of such disaggregate level simulation for improved traffic prediction studies. The aspects of calibrating for points in comparison to that for whole of the network will also be briefly addressed to examine the critical issues such as the suitability of local calibration at global scale. The paper will be of interest to transport professionals in Australia/New Zealand where micro-simulation in particular at point level, is still comparatively a less explored territory in motorway management

Large-eddy simulation of physiological pulsatile flow through a channel with double constriction

Pulsatile flow in a 3D model of arterial double stenoses is investigated using a large eddy simulation (LES) technique. The computational domain that has been chosen is a simple channel with a biological-type stenosis formed eccentrically on the top wall. The pulsation was generated at the inlet using the first four harmonics of the Fourier series of the pressure pulse. The flow Reynolds numbers, which are typically suitable for a large human artery, are chosen in the present work. In LES, a top-hat spatial grid-filter is applied to the Navier–Stokes equations of motion to separate the large-scale flows from the sub-grid scale (SGS). The large-scale flows are then resolved fully while the unresolved SGS motions are modelled using a localized dynamic model. It is found that the narrowing of the channel causes the pulsatile flow to undergo a transition to a turbulent condition in the downstream region; as a consequence, a severe level of turbulent fluctuations is achieved in these zones. Transitions to turbulent of the pulsatile flow in the post stenosis are examined through the various numerical results, such as velocity, streamlines, wall pressure, shear stresses and root mean square turbulent fluctuations

Radiation effect on free convection laminar flow along a vertical flat plate with streamwise sinusoidal surface temperature

The effect of thermal radiation on a steady two-dimensional natural convection laminar flow of viscous incompressible optically thick fluid along a vertical flat plate with streamwise sinusoidal surface temperature has been investigated in this study. Using the appropriate variables; the basic governing equations are transformed to convenient form and then solved numerically employing two efficient methods, namely, Implicit finite difference method (IFD) together with Keller box scheme and Straight forward finite difference (SFFD) method. Effects of the variation of the physical parameters, for example, conduction-radiation parameter (Planck number), surface temperature parameter, and the amplitude of the surface temperature, are shown on the skin friction and heat transfer rate quantitatively are shown numerically. Velocity and temperature profiles as well as streamlines and isotherms are also presented and discussed for the variation of conduction-radiation parameter. It is found that both skin-friction and rate of heat transfer are enhanced considerably by increasing the values of conduction radiation parameter, Rd