A time-space network-based model for transportation service optimization of China Railway Express

This paper describes the development and optimization plans for the China Railway Express(CR Express).As a new type of international land transport organization,CR Express has emerged with the continuous expansion of China toward European investment and trade,and in particular,has expanded with the continuous progress of the One Belt and One Road(OBOR)initiative.In addition to improving the service quality of CR Express,the operating costs must be reduced for developing“smart railways”that serve“smart cities”.We propose a dualobjective-based function mathematical optimization model;the satisfaction of the cargo owner is considered,and the timeliness,transportation capacity,and goods category constraints of CR Express transportation are designed.Moreover,we present the normalized equivalent method of the two-objective function of the model.Finally,a case study is conducted against the background of certain trains in the western corridor of CR Express to validate the effectiveness of the model and research methods proposed in this study.

Collective decision-making and spatial patterns in orientation of an endemic ungulate on the Tibetan Plateau

Group living animals form striking aggregation patterns and display synchronization,polarization,and collective intelligence.Though many col-lective behavioral studies have been conducted on small animals like insects and fish,research on large animals is still rare due to the limited availability of field collective data.We used drones to record videos and analyzed the decision-making and behavioral spatial patterns in orienta-tion of Kiang(Tibetan wild ass,Equus kiang).Leadership is unevenly distributed among Kiang,with the minority initiating majority behavior-shift decisions.Decisions of individual to join are driven by imitation between group members,and are largely dependent on the number of members who have already joined.Kiang respond to the behavior and position of neighbors through different strategies.They strongly polarize when moving,therefore adopting a linear alignment.When vigilant,orientation deviation increases as they form a tighter group.They remain scattered while feeding and,in that context,adopt a side-by-side alignment.This study reveals partially-shared decision-making among Kiang,whereby copying neighbors provides the wisdom to thrive in harsh conditions.This study also suggests that animals'spatial patterns in orientation depend largely ontheirbehavioral states inachieving synchronization.