Network Aggregation Process in Multilayer Air Transportation Networks

The air transportation network, one of the common multilayer complex systems, is composed of a collection of individual airlines, and each airline corresponds to a different layer. An important question is then how many airlines are really necessary to represent the optimal structure of a multilayer air transportation system. Here we take the Chinese air transportation network （CATN） as an example to explore the nature of multiplex systems through the procedure of network aggregation. Specifically, we propose a series of structural measures to characterize the CATN from the multilayered to the aggregated network level. We show how these measures evolve during the network aggregation process in which layers are gradually merged together and find that there is an evident structural transition that happened in the aggregated network with nine randomly chosen airlines merged, where the network features and construction cost of this network are almost equivalent to those of the present CATN with twenty-two airlines under this condition. These findings could shed some light on network structure optimization and management of the Chinese air transportation system.

Regulations of Business Licensing for Route of Foreign Air Transport Enterprises

Regulations of Busi- ness Licensing for Route of Foreign Air Transport Enterprises(CCAR- 287),which were passed at the executive meeting of Civil Aviation Ad- ministration of China on May 19,2008,were hereby promulgated and became effective as of July 11,2008.

Application of Nonlinear Triangular Fuzzy Fault Tree Algorithm in Predicting Lithium Battery Air Transport Accidents

The traditional triangular fuzzy fault tree prediction model adopts the linear approximation method.Therefore,the accident prediction error is large.Based on the analysis of the error sources and the fuzzy set,the precise calculation method of the event at the top of the fault tree is given.By using the numerical calculation software,an accurate calculation method of nonlinear triangular fuzzy accident prediction was adopted to predict lithium battery air transport fire accidents,and the fuzzy importance of the cause event was calculated.

Hub-and-Spoke System in Air Transportation and Its Implications to Regional Economic Development——A Case Study of United States

Considerable changes have taken place in commercial passenger air transport since the enactment of the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act in the US and the deregulation of airline networks that has occurred elsewhere. The commercial and operational freedoms have led most of the larger carriers to develop hub-and-spoke networks, within which certain cities or metropolitan areas emerge as key nodes possessing tremendous advantages over other locations in the air transport system. This paper examines the nature of hub-and-spoke operations in air transportation services, and the benefits that accrue to a city or geographical region that is host to an airline hub. In particular, it looks into linkages between the air service hub and local economic development. Four potential types of impact of airports on the regional economy are defined and discussed. As an example, the assessment of the economic impacts of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), a major Delta Airlines hub, is introduced.

Laplacian energy maximizationfor multi-layer air transportation networks

To increase airspace capacity, alleviate flight delay,and improve network robustness, an optimization method ofmulti-layer air transportation networks is put forward based onLaplacian energy maximization. The effectiveness of takingLaplacian energy as a measure of network robustness isvalidated through numerical experiments. The flight routesaddificm optimization model is proposed with the principle ofmaximizing Laplacian energy. Three methods including thedepth-first search （DFS） algorithm, greedy algorithm andMonte-Carlo tree search （MCTS） algorithm are applied tosolve the proposed problem. The trade-off between systemperformance and computational efficiency is compared throughsimulation experiments. Finally, a case study on Chineseairport network （CAN） is conducted using the proposedmodel. Through encapsulating it into multi-layer infrastructurevia k-core decomposition algorithm, Laplacian energymaximization for the sub-networks is discussed which canprovide a useful tool for the decision-makers to optimize therobustness of the air transoortation network on different scales.

A Basic Study of the Forecast of Air Transportation Networks Using Different Forecasting Methods

This research applies network structuring theories to the aviation domain and predicts aviation network growth, considering a flight connection between airports as a link between nodes. Our link prediction approach is based on network structure information, and to improve prediction accuracy, it is necessary to estimate the mechanism of aviation network growth. This research critically evaluates the prediction accuracy of two methods: the receiver operating characteristic curve method (ROC) and the logistic regression method. We propose a four-step method to evaluate the relative predictive accuracy among different link prediction methods. A case study of US aviation networks indicated that the ROC method provided better prediction accuracy compared with the logistic regression method. This result suggests that tuning of the prediction distribution and the regression model coefficients can further improve the accuracy of the logistic regression method.

Effects of Accurate Weather Forecast on Air Transport in Shanghai on March 17 in 2016

From the evening on March 17 to the morning on March 18 in 2016,advection low-cloud and advection fog weather appeared in Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The forecasters on duty accurately forecast the weather process in advance on March 17,which could provide favorable references for each airline to make correct plans for flights and for related control departments to control airspace flow,avoid a large area of flight delay,alternating and returning of flights,and disorder of air traffic order,and ensure the safety and efficiency of air transport in Shanghai.

A Systems-Theoretic Security Model for Large Scale, Complex Systems Applied to the US Air Transportation System

Classical risk-based or game-theoretic security models rely on assumptions from reliability theory and rational expectations economics that are not applicable to security threats. Additionally, these models suffer from serious deficiencies when they are applied to software-intensive, socio-technical systems. A new approach is proposed in this paper that applies principles from control theory to enforce constraints on security threats thereby extending techniques used in system safety engineering. It is applied to identify and mitigate the threats that could emerge in critical infrastructures such as the air transportation system. Insights are provided to assist systems engineers and policy makers in securely transitioning to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS).

Helicopter EMS beyond Trauma: Utilization of Air Transport for Non-Trauma Conditions

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) use in civilian medical transport has its roots in the use of rotor-wing trauma transport in the military setting. Much of the literature and evidence based?on the use of HEMS is therefore related to scene and interfacility transport of injured patients. Regionalization of care and increased understanding of time-criticality of various non-trauma conditions has contributed to growing utilization of HEMS for non-trauma conditions over recent decades. It is common for HEMS to be utilized for a variety of non-trauma situations ranging from neonatal and obstetrics transports to cardiac and stroke transports. The purpose of this review is to overview the use of HEMS for non-trauma, focusing on situations in which there is evidence addressing possible HEMS utility.

Dynamics of air transport networks：A review from a complex systems perspective

Air transport systems are highly dynamic at temporal scales from minutes to years.This dynamic behavior not only characterizes the evolution of the system but also affect the system＇s functioning.Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms is thus fundamental in order to better design optimal air transport networks that benefits companies,passengers and the environment.In this review,we briefly present and discuss the state-of-the-art on time-evolving air transport networks.We distinguish the structural analysis of sequences of network snapshots,ideal for long-term network evolution（e.g.annual evolution）,and temporal paths,preferred for short-term dynamics（e.g.hourly evolution）.We emphasize that most previous research focused on the first modeling approach（i.e.long-term） whereas only a few studies look at high-resolution temporal paths.We conclude the review highlighting that much research remains to be done,both to apply already available methods and to develop new measures for temporal paths on air transport networks.In particular,we identify that the study of delays,network resilience and optimization of resources（aircraft and crew） are critical topics.

Network analysis of Chinese air transport delay propagation

The Chinese air transport system has witnessed an important evolution in the last decade,with a strong increase in the number of flights operated and a consequent reduction of their punctuality.In this contribution,we propose modelling the process of delay propagation by using complex networks,in which nodes are associated to airports,and links between pairs of them are assigned when a delay propagation is detected.Delay time series are analysed through the wellknown Granger Causality,which allows detecting if one time series is causing the dynamics observed in a second one.Results indicate that delays are mostly propagated from small and regional airports,and through flights operated by turbo-prop aircraft,These insights can be used to design strategies for delay propagation dampening,as for instance by including small airports into the system＇s Collaborative Decision Making.

Medical transportation and the contribution of air medical evacuation in isolated mountainous areas of Greece-Case study,Municipality of Agrafa

In every emergency medical situation,access to emergency medical services is an inalienable right of any citizen.The average acceptable time to provide first aid assistance is 60 minutes.In this paper,the possibility of using helicopters for air travel in mountainous areas was examined for the first time for all of Greece and especially for a mountainous and isolated area such as the Municipality of Agrafa.Initially,the time distance-virtual distance,from the hospitals was calculated at the national level of Greece,with an acceptable first contact time of 60 minutes(golden hour),i.e.,less than two hours from the nearest hospital to the incident and back to the hospital and the relevant conclusions are drawn.Then,the case study of Municipality of Agrafa,one of the most mountainous areas in Greece,was examined.The time distance of the settlements from the nearest primary health point,namely the Primary Health Centre(PHC)of West Fragkista,was calculated and the transportation by ground means was compared with the corresponding time by flying means,to investigate the contribution of air transportation or not,of the timely arrival of the patients in the appropriate health structure.Finally,possible helicopter landing locations were identified,using a geographic information system to facilitate the process of air medical transportation in the Municipality of Agrafa.

Review of Maritime Transportation Air Emission Pollution and Policy Analysis

The study of air emission in maritime transportation is new, and the recognition of its importance has been rising in the recent decade. The emissions of CO2, SO2, NO2 and particulate matters from maritime transportation have contributed to climate change and environmental degradation. Scientifically, analysts still have controversies regarding how to calculate the emissions and how to choose the baseline and methodologies. Three methods are generally used, namely the 'bottom up' approach, the 'top down' approach and the STEEM, which produce very different results, leading to various papers with great uncertainties. This, in turn, results in great difficulties to policy makers who attempt to regulate the emissions. A recent technique, the STEEM, is intended to combine the former two methods to reduce their drawbacks. However, the regulations based on its results may increase the costs of shipping companies and cause the competitiveness of the port states and coastal states. Quite a few papers have focused on this area and provided another fresh perspective for the air emission to be incorporated in maritime transportation regulations; these facts deserve more attention. This paper is to review the literature on the debates over air emission calculation, with particular attention given to the STEEM and the refined estimation methods. It also reviews related literature on the economic analysis of maritime transportation emission regulations, and provides an insight into such analysis. At the end of this paper, based on a review and analysis of previous literature, we conclude with the policy indications in the future and work that should be done. As the related regulations in maritime transportation emissions are still at their beginning stage in China, this paper provides specific suggestions on how China should regulate emissions in the maritime transportation sector.

Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of Real Air Plasma in Wide Range of Temperature and Pressure

Air plasma has been widely applied in industrial manufacture. In this paper, both dry and humid air plasmas＇ thermodynamic and transport properties are calculated in temperature 300 100000 K and pressure 0.1-100 atm. To build a more precise model of real air plasma, over 70 species are considered for composition. Two different methods, the Gibbs free energy minimization method and the mass action law method, are used to deternfinate the composition of the air plasma in a different temperature range. For the transport coefficients, the simplified Chapman-Enskog method developed by Devoto has been applied using the most recent collision integrals. It is found that the presence of CO2 has almost no effect on the properties of air plasma. The influence of H2O can be ignored except in low pressure air plasma, in which the saturated vapor pressure is relatively high. The results will serve as credible inputs for computational simulation of air plasma.

Precipitation Chemistry and Corresponding Transport Patterns of Influencing Air Masses at Huangshan Mountain in East China

One hundred and ten samples of rainwater were collected for chemical analysis at the summit of Huangshan Mountain, a high-altitude site in East China, from July 2010 to June 2011. The volume-weighted-mean （VWM） pH for the whole sampling period was 5.03. SO2- and Ca2＋ were the most abundant anion and cation, respectively. The ionic concentrations varied monthly with the highest concentrations in winter/spring and the lowest in summer. Evident inter-correlations were found among most ions, indicating the common sources for some species and fully mixing characteristics of the alpine precipitation chemistry. The VWM ratio of [SO]-]/[NO3] was 2.54, suggesting the acidity of rainwater comes from both nitric and sulfuric acids. Compared with contemporary observations at other alpine continental sites in China, the precipitation at Huangshan Mountain was the least polluted, with the lowest ionic concentrations. Trajectories to Huangshan Mountain on rainy days could be classified into six groups. The rainwater with influencing air masses originating in Mongolia was the most polluted with limited effect. The emissions of Jiangxi, Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces had a strong influence on the overall rain chemistry at Huangshan Mountain. The rainwater with influencing air masses from Inner Mongolia was heavily polluted by anthropogenic pollutants.

Spatiotemporal Variations and Regional Transport of Air Pollutants in Two Urban Agglomerations in Northeast China Plain

Characteristics of air pollution in Northeast China(NEC) received less research attention in the past comparing to other heavily polluted regions in China.Spatiotemporal variations of six criteria air pollutants(PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, O3 and CO) in Central Liaoning Urban Agglomeration(CLUA) and Harbin-Changchun Urban Agglomeration(HCUA) in NEC Plain were analyzed in this study based on three-year hourly observations of air pollutants and meteorological variables from 2015 to 2017.The results indicated that the annual mean concentrations of air pollutants are generally higher in the middle and southern regions in NEC Plain and lower in the northern region.Megacities such as Shenyang, Harbin and Changchun experience severe air pollution, with a three-year averaged air quality index(AQI) larger than 80, far exceeding the daily AQI standard at the first-level of 50 in China.The annual mean PM and SO2 concentrations decrease most significantly in NEC urban agglomerations from 2015 to 2017, followed by CO and NO2, while O3 shows a slight increasing trend.All the six pollutants exhibit obvious seasonal and diurnal variations, and these variations are dictated by local emission and meteorological conditions.PM2.5 and O3 concentrations in NEC urban agglomerations strongly depend on wind conditions.High O3 concentrations at different cities usually occur in presence of strong winds but are independent on wind direction(WD), while high PM2.5 is usually accompanied by weak winds and poor dispersion condition, and sometimes also occur when the northerly or southerly winds are strong.Regional transport of air pollutants between NEC urban agglomerations is common.A severe haze event on November 1–4, 2017 is examined to demonstrate the role of regional transport on pollution.

The higher air temperature was closely associated with higher ambulance transports due to heat stroke in elderly Japanese

To investigate the link between higher air temperature and ambulance transports due to heat stroke, especially in elderly subjects, using daily data in Sai-tama prefecture in August, 2010, Japan. We obtained daily data of air temperature in Saitama prefecture in August, 2010, Japan from Japan Meteorological Agency. Number of ambulance transports due to heat stroke was also used by Saitama prefecture official website. The effect of high air temperature on am-bulance transports due to heat stroke was evaluated. A total of 1688 ambulance transports due to heat stroke was observed in Saitama prefecture in August, 2010, Japan. Seven hundred and twenty one subjects (42.7%) were over the age of 65. Mean air temperature, the highest air temperature and day light hours were significantly associated with ambulance transports due to heat stroke in total subjects (mean air temperature: r = 0.749, p < 0.0001) and the over the age of 7. In addition, by separate analysis as classified by age groups, the correlation coefficient between ambulance transports due to heat stroke and mean air temperature was the highest in subjects with over 65. However, the lowest air temperature was not cor-related with ambulance transports due to heat stroke. Higher air temperature was closely associated with higher ambulance transports due to heat stroke using daily data in Saitama prefecture in August, 2010, Ja-pan, especially in elderly subjects.

Seasonal Variations of Terrestrial OC Sources in Aerosols over the East China Sea: The Influence of Long-Range Air Mass Transport

Aerosols represent an important source of terrestrial organic carbon(OC)from the East Asian continent to the China marginal seas,thus their provenance and transport play important roles in the global carbon cycle.Fifty samples of total suspended particle were collected seasonally from the nearshore Huaniao Island(HNI)in East China Sea(ECS)from April 2018 to January 2019;and they were analyzed for total organic carbon(TOC)content and stable carbon isotope(δ^(13)C),as well as terrestrial bio-markers including n-alkanes(C_(20)-C_(33)),n-alkanols(C_(20)-C32)and n-fatty acids(n-FAs,C_(20)-C30),to distinguish the seasonal variabili-ties of terrestrial OC sources and reveal the influence of the long-range air mass transport on these sources.The TOC-δ^(13)C values(range from−27.3‰to−24.3‰)and molecular distributions of terrestrial biomarkers both suggested that terrestrial OC contribu-tions to aerosols had significant seasonal variations.The source indices of terrestrial biomarkers(e.g.,Fossil%=82.8%for n-alkanes)revealed that the fossil fuel OC contributions,including coal burning and vehicular emission,were higher in winter,mainly because of the long-range air mass transport from the north of the East Asian continent.The terrestrial plant OC contributions were higher in summer(e.g.,Wax%=32.4%for n-alkanes),likely due to local vegetation sources from HNI and East Asian continental air masses.Cluster analysis of air mass backward-trajectories clearly showed that transport pathway plays an important role in determining the organic constituents of aerosols in China marginal seas.A comparison of these terrestrial OC contributions from different air mass origins suggested that fossil fuel OC showed less variations among various air mass origins from northern China in winter,while terrestrial plant OC sources from northern and southern China in summer contributed more than that from the air masses transported through the ECS.These results provided a basis for future quantification of terrestrial OC from different origins in marine aerosols,by combining biomarker index and carbon isotopes.