ALBERT

Beschreibung: Reducing fuel consumption and emissions of aircrafts during taxiing on airport surfaces is crucial to decrease the operating costs of airline companies and construct green airports. At present, relevant studies have barely investigated the influences of the operation environment, such as low visibility and traffic conflict in airports, reducing the assessment accuracy of fuel consumption and emissions. Multiple aircraft ground propulsion systems on airport surfaces, especially the electric green taxiing system, have attracted wide attention in the industry. Assessing differences in fuel consumption and emissions under different taxiing modes is difficult because environmental factors were hardly considered in previous assessments. Therefore, an innovative study was conducted based on practical running data of quick access recorders and climate data: (1) Low visibility and taxiing conflict on airport surfaces were inputted into the calculation model of fuel consumption to set up a modified model of fuel consumption and emissions. (2) Fuel consumption and emissions models under full- and single-engine taxiing, external aircraft ground propulsion systems, and electric green taxiing system could accurately estimate fuel consumption and emissions under different taxiing modes based on the modified model. (3) Differences in fuel consumption and emissions of various aircraft types under four taxiing modes under stop-and-go and unimpeded aircraft taxiing conditions were obtained through a sensitivity analysis in Shanghai Pudong International Airport under three thrust levels. Research conclusions provide support to the airport management department in terms of decision making on taxiway optimization.

Beschreibung: Traffic signs play an important role in traffic management systems. A variety of studies have focused on drivers’ comprehension of traffic signs. However, the travel safety of prospective users, which has been rarely mentioned in previous studies, has attracted considerable attention from relevant departments in China. With the growth of international and interregional travel demand, traffic signs should be designed more universally to reduce the potential risks to drivers. To identify key factors that improve prospective users’ sign comprehension, this study investigated eight factors that may affect users’ performance regarding sign guessing. Two hundred and one Chinese students, all of whom intended to be drivers and none of whom had experience with daily driving after obtaining a license or visits to Germany, guessed the meanings and rated the sign features of 54 signs. We investigated the effects of selected user factors on their sign guessing performance. Additionally, the contributions of four cognitive design features to the guessability of traffic signs were examined. Based on an analysis of the relationships between the cognitive features and the guessability score of signs, the contributions of four sign features to the guessability of traffic signs were examined. Moreover, by exploring Chinese users’ differences in guessing performance between Chinese signs and German signs, cultural issues in sign design were identified. The results showed that vehicle ownership and attention to traffic signs exerted a significant influence on guessing performance. As expected, driver’s license training and the number of years in college were dominant factors for guessing performance. With regard to design features, semantic distance and confidence in guessing were two dominant factors for the guessability of signs. We suggest improving the design of signs by including vivid, universal symbols. Thus, we provide several suggestions for designing more user-friendly signs.

Beschreibung: This study uses data from seven countries with high energy consumption levels in 1997–2016 (i.e., the US, China, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Germany, and France) to establish a panel threshold model and analyze the multiple threshold effects of new energy consumption transformation on economic growth. Research results show the non-linear impact of new energy consumption transformation on economic growth. On the one hand, the transformation of new energy consumption will occasionally bring economic costs, thereby resulting in a negative impact on economic growth. On the other hand, economic cost occasionally disappears, thereby resulting in the positive impact of the transformation of new energy consumption on economic growth. This study proposes that economic cost is affected by the levels of research and development (R&D), economic development, and traditional energy dependence, therefore, we use these three variables as threshold variables. Threshold variable is essential in a panel threshold model. The behavioral varies of model can be predicted when threshold variable is at different ranges of levels. In other words, the behavior of panel threshold model may change as the level of threshold variable changes. In particular, when the R&D level is used as a threshold variable, the impact of new energy consumption transformation on economic growth will change from negative to positive as the level of R&D increases. We present a similar conclusion when the level of economic development is used as a threshold variable. However, when the level of traditional energy dependence is used as the threshold variable, the impact of new energy consumption transformation on economic growth will change from positive to negative as the level of traditional energy dependence increases.