Transport policy and climate change: How to decide when experts disagree

Abstract Transport is the sector with the fastest growth of greenhouse gases emissions in many countries. Accumulation of these emissions may cause uncertain and irreversible adverse climate change impacts. In this context, we use the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to face the question on how to select the best transport policy if the experts have different opinions and beliefs on the occurrence of these impacts. Thus, both the treatment of uncertainty and dissent are examined for the ranking of transport policies. The opinions of experts have been investigated by a means of a survey questionnaire. A sensitivity analysis of the experts’ weights and the criteria’ weights confirms the robus…

Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf on Lampedusa Island

Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf [synonym: Periploca laevigata Labill.] (Apocynaceae – Periplocoideae sensu Endress & Bruyns 2000) is a Mediterranean-Saharan element growing wild in the low and middle Mediterranean basin and descending southwards to the northern and central Sahara. It is found in North Africa (from Morocco to Egypt), southern Spain, Sicily, Malta, Crete, Lebanon and Syria (Ghrabi 2005). In Sicily it is reported only from some Sicilian Islands: Egadi, Pantelleria, Lampedusa and Linosa (Pignatti 1982). In this paper we report some unpublished data and a summary of information of recent publications on P. laevigata subsp. angustifolia made durin…

Floral scent in Iris planifolia (Iridaceae) suggests food reward

Iris species can adopt different pollination strategies to attract their pollinators, generalized shelter-mimicking, specialized deceptive sexual-mimicking or food-rewarding. As attractive stimuli, Iris flowers may use their colours, large-size, symmetry, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, relatively few studies in- vestigated Iris floral olfactory cues in the context of plant-visitor/pollinator interactions. In the present study we combined the identification of the floral volatiles of the nectariferous I. planifolia with insects visiting its flowers to gather data on its biology. Floral volatiles were collected in the natural environment by dynamic headspace and analysed by g…

Il veicolo intelligente: Applicazioni della telematica e dell’elettronica per il miglioramento della sicurezza

BOMBYLIIDAE (Diptera) FROM LAMPEDUSA ISLAND

The authors report new records of Bombyliidae (Diptera) for Lampedusa Island discovered during field investigations carried out for a broader research project in the island. Data are updated to July 2010. Four species of Bombyliidae new for Lampedusa have been found, one of which has not been recorded for Sicilan dipterofauna. The present data bring to 60 the species of Diptera reported for Lampedusa Island.

Transient DC-Arc Voltage Model in the Hybrid Switch of the DTT Fast Discharge Unit

The focus of this work is the transient modelling of the DC-arc voltage on a Hybrid Switch (a mechanical switch in parallel with a static switch) of a key protection component called Fast Discharge Unit (FDU) in the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT). The DTT facility is an experimental tokamak in advanced design and realization phase, which will be built in the ENEA Research Centre in Frascati (Italy). The FDU allows the safe discharge of the Toroidal Field (TF) superconducting magnets when a quench is detected or a failure occurs in the power supply or in the cryogenic system. In this work, the arc conductance of the mechanical By-Pass Switch (BPS) of the Hybrid Switch is modelled using the well…

The Effect of Cycle Time and Offset on Roadside Pollutant Concentrations

Potential Demand of the Carsharing: An Approach for the Determination of the Optimal Fare

TRAFFIC PARAMETERS ESTIMATION TO PREDICT ROAD SIDE POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS USING NEURAL NETWORKS

Design optimization for the quench protection of DTT's superconducting toroidal field magnets

Abstract The paper is focused on the optimal design of Fast Discharge Unit (FDU) for the quench protection of the Toroidal Field (TF) magnets of the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT), an experimental facility under construction in ENEA Frascati Research Centre (Rome, Italy). The FDU is a safety key component that protects the superconducting magnets when a quench is detected through the fast extraction of the energy stored in the magnets by adding a discharge dump resistor (DR) in the TF magnets circuit. A comparison between a fixed DR and a switched variable DR has been implemented by changing resistor parameters and by using multiple current control of the power electronics components …

Random utility approach to re-design passengers interchange nodes

The passengers interchange node is a complex infrastructure, where the user can choose among different modal options to do his/her trip. These transport infrastructures have various terminals (car park, bus stop, metro, light rail, railway, extra-urban and sub urban bus and so on). The passengers, inside interchange node, have to reach these terminals walking often with luggage and for long distances. We calibrated a discrete choice model taking into account attributes able to explain the passenger behaviour by observed flows and generalized least squares technique. Furthermore an ex ante / ex post analysis was carried out in order to design and evaluate measure to incentive modal integrati…

Potential demand and cost-benefit analysis of electric cars

In this study an analysis of electric family car performances is carried out. In particular, the aim of this research is to appraise the possibility of introducing electric cars in urban mobility and the evaluation of its economic feasibility. First of all, we determined the potential electric car demand, which was forecasted using a stated preference (SP) analysis. The survey was carried out at the University of Palermo considering a particular target of consumer: ‘the hybrid household’. A logit demand model was calibrated using the SP technique to model the choice between the electric car and the conventional one. In the second part of the work, the economic feasibility of the electric ca…

Fetid odors in Caralluma europaea (Guss.) N.E.Br. (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae): a chemical characterization

An Analytic Hierarchy Process for The Evaluation of Transport Policies to Reduce Climate Change Impacts

Inflorescence scents of Calendula maritima, C. suffruticosa subsp. fulgida, and their hybrid

Premise of research. Hybridization is an important driver of plant evolutionary processes. By attracting the same pollinators to different species, floral scents may be involved in the formation of hybrids and breakdown of species boundaries. In contrast, by attracting a different suite of pollinators to hybrids and their parents, floral scents are believed to contribute to speciation processes initiated by hybridization events. Scents may or may not differ between the hybrids and their parents, but little is known about the scent chemistry of parental species and their hybrids. Methodology. We studied the inflorescence scents of parental Calendula maritima and C. suffruticosa subsp. fulgid…

SUSTAINABLE URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT. A COMPARISON BETWEEN EUROPEAN AND NORTH AFRICAN CITIES

The aim of paper is to carry out a benchmarking analysis among European and North African Cities in order to point out the improvement areas for a Sustainable Urban Public Transport System. The focus is to improve public transport performance, all aspects such as fares, operational effectiveness and attractiveness of the service.

An Analytic Hierachy Process for Ranking Operating Costs of Low Cost and Full Service Airlines

This paper develops an application of the analytic hierarchy process to rank the operating cost components of full service and low cost airlines. It takes into account the financial balance sheets and answers to a questionnaire submitted to the managers of selected airlines. The results suggest that the analytic hierarchy process can be appropriately used to obtain the ranking of the costs taking into account different views: financial, management and operative. Rental, office equipment and other supplies costs show the highest importance in the cost ranking, both for full services and low cost airlines. The robustness of the results is tested by Monte Carlo analysis.

Le specie vegetali italiane presenti nella normativa CITES dell'Unione Europea.

Italian plant species included in the CITES regulation of European Union-This paper presents the checklist of plant species listed by CITES that grow wild in the Italian boundary. For each species a brief description is given including distribution and synonyms beside the most relevant biological characteristics.

A system for wide area travellers to provide infomobility services

SWATHE (System for Wide Area Travellers and Haulers to provide infomobility sErvices) is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Scientific and Technological Research (MIUR). The project, was led by Telespazio and the University of Palermo, it had a duration of three years and the main objective was the study and development of applications based on innovative location techniques (e.g. supported by GPS, EGNOS-TRAN and more, generally, by assisted network systems) for the provision of infomobility services in the framework of the intermodal transportation of goods. The SWATHE project manages the change among transport modes by the seamless monitoring of intermodal transport units. The pr…

Ergonomia e condizioni di lavoro nella postazione di guida di autobus per il trasporto pubblico urbano

Bus Speed Estimation By Neural Networks To Improve The Automatic Fleet Management

In the urban areas, public transport service interacts with the private mobility. Moreover, on each link of the urban public transport network, the bus speed is affected by a high variability over time. It depends on the congestion level and the presence of bus way or no. The scheduling reliability of the public transport service is crucial to increase attractiveness against private car use. A comparison between a Radial Basis Function network (RBF) and Multi layer Merceptron (MLP) was carried out to estimate the average speed, analysing the dynamic bus location data achieved by an AVMS (Automatic Vehicle Monitoring System). Collected data concern bus location, geometrical parameters and tr…

LE SPECIE DELLA FLORA VASCOLARE SICILIANA INCLUSE NELLE NORMATIVE INTERNAZIONALI

Species of sicilian vascular flora included in the international laws. The present paper aims to divulgate the knowledge of the Sicilian flora protected at international level and includes a check-list of the Sicilian vascular flora recorded in international normatives on the protection of nature and biodiversity. For each normative general information is given together with a reference list to further deepen the contents, the aims and the present implementation in Italy.

Forecasting road transport energy consumption using artificial neural networks

The focus of this paper is to understand the relationships between road transport sector fuel consumptions and input data. Different kind of input variables have been taken into account: socio-economic data input (as population, industrial production index, fuel price, car registration, income, gross domestic product), and weather input (average temperature, average rain). A comparison among statistical methods (regression models) and artificial neural networks has been carried out, in order to evaluate the accuracy of various models, using statistics indexes (the root mean squared error, the mean absolute error and the correlation coefficient) as forecasting performance measures.

Modelling Airlines Competition on Fares and Frequencies of Service by Bi-level Optimization

Abstract The research aims to understand how airlines make operative decisions on fares and frequencies of service in a competitive envi-ronment. A game approach has been developed to model the airlines’ choices in a duopolistic market. In particular, the short haul market for intercity linkages has been investigated. In this segment the air mode is in competition with other ground modes (i.e. road and high speed rail). A bi-level optimization program has been realized. The variables of model are: fares and frequencies of airlines.

Interspecific variation of inflorescence scents and insect visitors in Allium (Amaryllidaceae: Allioideae)

Allium is a large monocotyledonous genus, with many species of high economic importance. Knowledge of the pollination biology and the chemical ecology of pollination in this genus is far from being complete. We studied flower visitors of some Allium species in their native habitat and how these interaction partners communicate by olfactory cues. Floral volatiles of five Mediterranean species were investigated by dynamic headspace and thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). Floral visitors were observed and captured. The physiological activity of scent components in antennae of flower visitors and congeneric species was tested by gas chromatographic/electroantenno…

Conceptual Design and Modeling of the Toroidal Field Coils Circuit of DTT

Italian Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility is part of the general European programme on the fusion research. Its specific role is to cover the gap on the power exhaust for the future DEMOstration power plant (DEMO). This tokamak will be built and installed in Italy at Frascati ENEA laboratories. The paper describes the Toroidal Field (TF) coils circuit powered by a TF power supply that feeds in series 18 toroidal superconducting magnets and the development of three software models in order to validate the adopted technical solutions in term of maximum voltage and maximum current stress on each power device/component, due to both the operating and fault conditions, and across TF coils.

Toward an urban transport sustainability index: an European comparison

Introduction The aim of paper is to cluster policies of sustainable mobility in order to define an essential set of specific Transport Performance Indicators (TPI). TPIs are standardized measures suitable for analysis in order to appraise the feasibility of a transport policy or an infrastructural project. Data collection of TPIs is a crucial phase, but data detection and monitoring are not standardized at the city level. Thus, there is no a standard for data collection and storing, this aspect makes much difficult to compare different city contexts. This issue is critical and bounds the analysis of built scenarios. A standardized set of transport performance indicators becomes, hence, esse…

An approach for the determination of the optimal fare for the car sharing service

Influence of coordinated traffic lights parameters on roadside pollutant concentrations

Abstract The paper examines the effects of coordinated traffic lights on CO and C 6 H 6 roadside concentrations in an urban area of Palermo in Southern Italy. Traffic loop detectors and one pollution-monitoring are used to collect data for use in DRACULA traffic microsimulator software. CO and C 6 H 6 roadside concentrations associated with varying cycle and offset times of the coordinated traffic lights are estimated using a neural network. Two functions were set up describing the relations of pollutant concentrations in term of cycle and offset time.

Essential oil composition of the fruits of Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf (Apocynaceae – Periplocoideae)

The essential oil of the fruits of Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf (Apocynaceae) from Lampedusa Island was obtained by hydrodistillation and its composition was analysed. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 64 volatile compounds belonging to different classes. The most abundant compounds were nonacosane, heptacosane, hentriacontane and δ-cadinene. Among the volatile compounds identified in the fruits of P. laevigata subsp. angustifolia, 31 are present in other taxa of Apocynaceae, 19 have antimicrobial activity and four are pheromones for the butterfly Danaus chrysippus. The possible ecological role of the volatile compounds found i…

SYRPHIDAE (DIPTERA) FROM LAMPEDUSA ISLAND

Diptera of Lampedusa are poorly known, and the only published data are those of VENTURI (1960) and PISCIOTTA et al. (2008). In the present paper the authors report new records of Syrphidae (Diptera) for Lampedusa island discovered during field investigations carried out for a broader research project in the island. Data are updated to November 2009. Eleven species of Syrphidae new for Lampedusa have been found of which one is new for the Sicilian fauna.

Transient Electrical Behaviour of the TF Superconducting Coils of Divertor Tokamak Test Facility During a Fast Discharge

The paper is focused on the electromagnetic analysis of the Toroidal Field (TF) superconducting coils of the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT) when electrical transients occur in the TF coils system: for example, during the operations of the Fast Discharge Units (FDUs) and considering also, the simultaneous occurrence of a fault condition. During the FDU intervention, a transient voltage excitation lasting few microseconds occurs at the TF coil terminals and it electrically stresses the insulations of TF coils itsef. To investigate the voltage distribution across, inside and between different Double Pancakes (DPs) of each TF coil, a lumped parameters circuital model has been developed an…

Caralluma europaea on Lampedusa Island

The paper deals with the Ecology of Caralluma europaea (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoidae) in its type locality.

Essential oils composition of two Sicilian cultivars of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae) fruits (prickly pear).

The essential oils composition of the skin, pulp and seeds from fruits of two Sicilian cultivars of Opuntia ficus-indica (cv. Sanguigna and cv. Surfarina) has been obtained by hydrodistillation and the possible antioxidant, antimicrobial and semiochemical roles have been investigated comparing the data with those reported in the literature. The presence of antioxidants and antimicrobials found in this study increases the spectrum of compounds that have beneficial properties in O. ficus-indica. In addition, several compounds identified in this study have been reported to influence the behaviour of Ceratitis capitata, a phytophagous pest which causes severe damages to several crops including …

Integrazione della rete tramviaria nel sistema dei trasporti della città di Palermo

Analisi del mercato dei velivoli e dei fattori che influenzano la scelta

Lo studio mira da un lato a comprendere quali fattori tecnico-economici influenzano la scelta di un aeromobile da parte delle compagnie aeree; dall’altro si vuole identificare quali aeromobili hanno più inciso sul trasporto commerciale mondiale dal dopoguerra ad oggi. L’indicatore scelto per fare questa analisi è stato il Revenue Passenger Kilometers, che ognuno di questi modelli ha realizzato dalla sua entrata in servizio sino alla fine del 2003. Per ottenere questo risultato sono stati considerati i dati relativi alle caratteristiche tecniche medie dei diversi aeromobili considerando un ciclo operativo medio tipico. I risultati finali di questo studio hanno collocato al primo posto il Boe…

Predicting roadside CO and NO2 concentrations using Instrumented City facility and Neural Networks

Electrophysiological and behavioural responses of the housefly to “sweet” volatiles of the flowers of Caralluma europaea (Guss.) N.E. Br.

In sapromyiophilous plants, up to date, long range attraction of fly pollinators has been thoroughly investigated and attributed to ‘‘fetid’’ floral compounds, while the ‘‘sweet’’ floral scent fraction has not been spe- cifically investigated and its role has received little atten- tion. The aim of the present study was to verify if terpenoids, which are the main compounds of the floral bouquet of Caralluma europaea, play a role in the attrac- tion of its pollinator Musca domestica. Terpinolene, a- terpinene and linalool, described as the three main volatiles of the flowers of C. europaea, were evaluated in electro- physiological investigations and blends of these com- pounds as well as the…

A GIS Approach for the Integration of the Transit Network with the Road Public Transport in the Metropolitan Area of Palermo.

THE ROLES OF PLANT VOLATILES AND THEIR POTENTIAL USE AS FLY ATTRACTANTS

The essential oils composition of the skin, pulp and seeds from fruits of two Sicilian cultivars of Opuntia ficus-indica (cv. Sanguigna and cv. Surfarina has been obtainedby hydrodistillation and the possible semiochemical roles have been investigated comparing the data with those reported in the literature. Several compounds identified in this study have been reported to influence the behaviour of Ceratitis capitata, a phytophagous which causes severe damages to severalcrops including O. ficus-indica and the kairomonal activity of the odour of the fruits seems provided by a blend of compounds found in the various matrices analysed. In sapromyiophilous plants, up to date, long range attract…

The economic impacts appraisal for the transport sector due to climate change policies

Traffic Parameters Estimation to Predict Road Side Pollutant Concentrations using Neural Networks

The analysis aims to evaluate which is the most important among traffic parameters (flows, queues length, occupancy degree, and travel time) to forecast CO and C6H6 concentrations. The study area was identified by Notarbartolo Road and bounded by Liberta Street and Sciuti Street in the urban area of Palermo in Southern Italy. In this area, various loop detectors and one pollution-monitoring site were located. Traffic data related to the pollution-monitoring site immediately near the road link were estimated by Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO) traffic microsimulator software using as input the flows measured by loop detectors on other links of road network. Traffic and weather data were u…

Metaboliti secondari in Caralluma europaea

Volatile constituents of Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill.

Essential Oil Composition of Alluaudia procera and in Vitro Biological Activity on Two Drug-Resistant Models

Drug resistance is a major obstacle in antibiotic and antitumor chemotherapy. In response to the necessity to find new therapeutic strategies, plant secondary metabolites including essential oils (EOs) may represent one of the best sources. EOs in plants act as constitutive defenses against biotic and abiotic stress, and they play an important role in the pharmacology for their low toxicity, good pharmacokinetic and multitarget activity. In this context, natural products such as EOs are one of the most important sources of drugs used in pharmaceutical therapeutics. The aim of this paper was to identify the chemical composition of the essential oil of Alluaudia procera leaves, obtained by hy…

Latent Class Approach to Estimate the Willingness to Pay for Transit User Information

The aim of analysis is to understand how unreliable information influences user behaviour and how much it discourages public transport use. For this purpose, a Stated Preference Survey was carried out in order to know the preferences of public transport users relating to information needs and uncertainty on the information provided by Advanced Traveller Information System (ATIS). The perceived uncertainty is defined as information inaccuracy. In our study, we consider- ed the difference between forecasted or scheduled waiting time at the bus stop and/or metro station provided by ATIS, and that experienced by user, to catch the bus and/or metro. A questionnaire was submitted to an appropriat…

Modelling strategic alliances in the wide-body long range aircraft market

Abstract The wide-body long-range aircrafts market is characterized by increasing rivalry between Airbus and Boeing. One of the factors that drive their strategic behaviour is technological. We propose a technology indicator to identify conditions under which the aircraft companies have incentives to join a coalition. For this, we provide measurement of the side-payments necessary to sign a strategic alliance aimed at reducing technological barriers in the market. The results suggest that the existence of side-payments guarantees the stability of a strategic alliance if the gap in the technological level between the firms is high, or competition is through prices. For monopoly, a strategic …

Riorganizzazione delle aziende di trasporto pubblico in un mercato liberalizzato

Conceptual Design and Modeling of Fast Discharge Unit for Quench Protection of Superconducting Toroidal Field Magnets of DTT

The paper deals with the modelling and simulation of a Fast Discharge Unit (FDU) for quench protection of the Toroidal Field (TF) magnets of the Divertor Tokamak Test, an experimental facility under design and construction in Frascati (Italy). The FDU is a safety key component that protects the superconducting magnets when a quench is detected through the fast extraction of the energy stored in superconducting magnets by adding in the TF magnets a dump (or discharge) resistor. In the paper, two different configurations of dump resistors (fixed and variable respectively) have been analysed and discussed. As a first result, it is possible to underline that the configuration with variable dump…

Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera Nymphalidae) larvae feeding on Caralluma europaea (Guss.) N.E.Br. (Asclepiadaceae) in Lampedusa Island.

Dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide: so similar yet so different in evoking biological responses in saprophilous flies

Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) are used by saprophilous insects to locate breeding sites (decaying organic matter), and by brood-site deceptive flowers to attract such insects. However, little is known about the relative importance of these two compounds in eliciting electrophysiological and behavioral responses in the insects. Here, we compared the relative attractiveness of DMDS and DMTS to saprophilous flies in field choice experiments and tested whether potential differences in field responses can be explained by differences in electrophysiological antennal responses to these compounds. Field experiments revealed that the attractiveness of a mixture of these co…

The Perceived Uncertainty and Information Needs of Public Transport Users

Essential oils composition of Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf (Apocynaceae – Periplocoideae)

The essential oil of roots, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits of Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Apocynaceae) from Lampedusa Island has been obtained by hydrodistillation and its composition analysed. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 86 volatile compounds. Branches showed the higher diversity with 57 compounds followed by fruits with 33, roots with 23, flowers with 16 and leaves with six compounds, respectively. In the matrices examined three constituents, heneicosane, docosane and tricosane are in common, although with different percentages. At least the most abundant compounds found in the matrices have been reported to have several biologica…

I Velivoli che hanno Influenzato il Mercato Aeronautico Commerciale

Lo studio mira a identificare quali aeromobili hanno più inciso sul trasporto commerciale mondiale dal dopoguerra ad oggi. L’indicatore scelto per fare questa analisi è stato il Revenue Passenger Kilometers, che ognuno di questi modelli ha realizzato dalla sua entrata in servizio sino alla fine del 2003. Per ottenere questo risultato sono stati considerati i dati relativi alle caratteristiche tecniche medie dei diversi aeromobili considerando un ciclo operativo medio tipico. I risultati finali di questo studio hanno collocato al primo posto il Boeing 747 con un significativo margine rispetto agli altri modelli; infine è stato sottolineato il netto vantaggio, in termini di RPK complessivi, c…

Chemical Composition, In Vitro Antitumor and Pro-Oxidant Activities of Glandora rosmarinifolia (Boraginaceae) Essential Oil

The biological properties of essential oils have been demonstrated in the treatment of several diseases and to enhance the bioavailability of other drugs. In natural habitats the essential oils compounds may play important roles in the protection of the plants as antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, insecticides and also against herbivores by reducing their appetite for such plants or by repelling undesirable others. We analyzed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry the chemical composition of the essential oil of aerial parts of Glandora rosmarinifolia (Ten.) D.C. Thomas obtained by hydrodistillation and verified some biological activities on a panel of hepatocellular carcinoma cell …

Phytochemical profile and insecticidal activity of Drimia pancration (Asparagaceae) against adults of Stegobium paniceum (Anobiidae)

Chemical and spectroscopic investigation of the bulbs of Drimia pancration resulted in the isolation of one known flavonol (1), never isolated from this plant species, and of three previously described steroidal saponins (2–4), but whose configuration at their stereogenic centres was not clearly determined. By mean of 1H NMR, 13C NMR, nuclear overhauser effects (NOE) and two-dimensional NMR spectra the full stereochemical structures of compounds 2–4 were proved and all the 1H and 13C signals were assigned. Furthermore, the methanol and butanol extracts of D. pancration were tested against adults of Stegobium paniceum beetles. Despite the non-significant results regarding the repellent activ…

Sustainable Mobility Planning in the Tourist Centres: the Estimation of Transport Demand.

This paper on sustainable mobility planning in tourist centers is from the proceedings of 14th international Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment in the 21st Century, which was held in Malta in 2008. The authors focus on estimating the potential non-motorized transport demand and to design the supply of sustainable modes of transportation, including public transit, bicycling and walking. The authors use the tourist area of San Vito Lo Capo, the famous historical and swimming center of Sicily, as a case example. They conducted a stated preference survey in June-July 2006 to evaluate the potential demand of non-motorized transport modes, primarily bicycling, then calibrated a mul…

An Analytic Hierarchy Process for The Evaluation of Transport Policies to Reduce Climate Change Impacts

Transport is the sector with the fastest growth of greenhouse gases emissions, both in developed and in developing countries, leading to adverse climate change impacts. As the experts disagree on the occurrence of these impacts, by applying the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), we have faced the question on how to form transport policies when the experts have different opinions and beliefs. The opinions of experts have been investigated by a means of a survey questionnaire. The results show that tax schemes aiming at promoting environmental-friendly transport mode are the best policy. This incentives public and environmental-friendly transport modes, such as car sharing and car pooling.

The influence of Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS) on public transport demand

Antitumor Mechanism of the Essential Oils from Two Succulent Plants in Multidrug Resistance Leukemia Cell

Drug resistance remains a major challenge in the treatment of cancer. The multiplicity of the drug resistance determinants raises the question about the optimal strategies to deal with them. Essential oils showed to inhibit the growth of different tumor cell types. Essential oils contain several chemical classes of compounds whose heterogeneity of active moieties can help prevent the development of drug resistance. In the present paper, we analyzed, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry the chemical composition of the essential oil of the leaves of Kalanchoe beharensis obtained by hydrodistillation and compared the chemical composition of its essential oil with that of Cyphostemma juttae.…

Essential Oils of Chiliadenus Lopadusanus (Asteraceae)

The essential oils from the leaves and flowers of Chiliadenus lopadusanus growing on Lampedusa Island were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. The major component was camphor (39.4% in the leaves and 24.0% in the flowers), followed in the leaves by torreyol (6.7%), t-cadinol (5.2%) and 1,8-cineole (3.8%), while in the flowers by t-cadinol (15.2%), t-muurolol (5.1%) and torreyol (4.5%). Among the compounds identified, several seem to play a role in antibacterial, antifungal, allelopathic and spasmolytic activity. In addition, several compounds identified in this study seem to influence the attraction of Megachile ( Eutricharaea) apicalis (Megachilidae) and Halictus ( Selado…

The Effect of Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS) on public transport demand and its uncertainty

Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATISs) include a broad range of advanced computer and communication technologies. These systems are designed to provide transit riders pre-trip and real-time information, to make better informed decisions regarding their mode of travel, planned routes and travel times. ATISs include in-vehicle displays, terminal or wayside based information centres, information by phone or mobile and internet. In this article, a Stated Preference survey has been carried out in order to know the preferences of public transport’s customers related to different ATISs and their willingness to pay in Palermo. An ordered probit demand model has been calibrated to determine …

Studio preliminare sul polline di due Apocynacae: Caralluma europaea (Guss.) N. E. Brown (Asclepiadoideae) e Periploca laevigata subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf (Periplocoideae).

Cost benefits analysis of electric vehicles

Floral volatiles in a sapromyiophilous plant and their importance in attracting house fly pollinators

Floral scent in sapromyiophilous plants often consists of complex blends with not only fetid (e.g., sulfides) but also sweet (e.g., terpenoids) volatile organic compounds and a recent study suggests that both groups of compounds are involved in pollinator attraction. However, little is known about the number and identity of compounds involved in pollinator attraction in these deceptive plants that mimic breeding sites of fly pollinators. In the present paper, we studied flower volatiles of sapromyiophilous Periploca laevigata and their capability to elicit biological responses in one of the pollinator species, Musca domestica. Floral volatiles were collected by dynamic headspace and analyse…

L'accessibilità dei Trasporti Pubblici come Strumento per Vincere L’esclusione Sociale

Un GIS per la localizzazione ottimale degli stalli riservati ai veicoli commerciali per la distribuzione urbana delle merci

Electrophysiological and behavioral studies to test attractants semiochemicals for Stegobium paniceum L. (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)

Stegobium paniceum (L.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), the drugstore beetle, is one of the major pests for a wide variety of dry and durable stored agricultural products. Females of S. paniceum produce a sex pheromone, (2S,3R,1'R)-Stegobinone, that attracts males. Nevertheless, trapping experiments using the synthetic sex pheromone in many cases showed low levels of captures, perhaps because of isomerization of the pheromone compound in ambient conditions. To date, very few brands of commercially S. paniceum pheromone are available in the market. In this study, we evaluated in electrophysiological (EAG) and behavioral bioassays (two-choice olfactometer), the response of S. paniceum male and femal…

Essential oil of Cyphostemma juttae (Vitaceae): Chemical composition and antitumor mechanism in triple negative breast cancer cells

The genus Cyphostemma (Planch.) Alston (Vitaceae) includes about 150 species distrib- uted in eastern and southern Africa and Madagascar. Some species are used in traditional medicine and their biological activities, including antiproliferative effects against cancer cell lines, have been demonstrated. To date no investigations on Cyphostemma essential oils have been carried out. Essential oils, which play important roles in plant defenses have been demonstrated to be active in the treatment of several human diseases and to enhance bioavability of other drugs. The aim of this paper was to identify the chemical composition of the essential oil of the leaves of Cyphostemma juttae (Dinter &amp…

Forecasting modelling of the fuel cell vehicles’ environmental impact in Sicily

Floral scent in a sexually deceptive Ophrys orchid: from headspace collections to solvent extractions

Sexually deceptive orchid flowers use visual, tactile and olfactory cues of female insects in order to attract males of one or a few closely related species as pollinators. Ophrys L. is the most species-rich genus of sexually deceptive orchids in the Mediterranean Basin. Despite Ophrys pollinated by Andrena male bees use alkanes and mainly alkenes with specific double-bond positions as key signals that trigger pseudocopulatory behavior, some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with low molecular weight were found as long-range attractants non-eliciting copulatory behavior. Since floral scents in Ophrys have been extensively studied by solvent extractions here we aimed to understand which flor…

I sistemi ITS per la sicurezza dei veicoli

Headspace Volatile Composition of the Flowers of Caralluma europaea N.E.Br. (Apocynaceae)

The volatile constituents of the flowers of Caralluma (Apteranthes) europaea (Guss.) N.E. Br. (Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae) from Lampedusa Island were analyzed by headspace method. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 41 compounds. The main components were, among the monoterpenoids, terpinolene (23.3%), a-terpinene (19.1%) and linalool (18.4%), whereas, among the carbonylic compounds the major constituents were heptanal (2.0%), octanoic acid (2.4%) and hexanoic acid (1.7%). It is worth to mention the presence of a nitrogen containing compound, indole (0.8%) and of a sulphur containing compound, dimethylsulphide (t). The compounds found in the flowers of C. europea…

Latent Class Model to Test the Preferences Heterogeneity in the Perceived Information by Public Transport Users

The aim of analysis is to understand as not reliable information influence the user behaviour and how much disincentive the public transport use. For this purpose, a Stated Preference Survey has been carried out in order to know the preferences of public transport users related to information needs and uncertainty on the information provided by Advanced Traveller Information System (ATIS). The perceived uncertainty is defined as the information accuracy. In our study, it was considered the difference between forecasted or scheduled waiting time at the bus stop and/or metro station provided by ATIS, and experienced one by user, to catch the bus and/or metro respectively. A questionnaire has …

The quality of life in urban areas: mobility and social exclusion.

The social exclusion is described as the process that progressively marginalizes individuals, groups and communities from the labor market and from the access to basic services for health, education and transport. The ability to access to (in a spatial sense of the term) the job, the education, the health services and other services is a key factor of social inclusion. Accessibility is important, not only because facilitates the achievement of a regular job, stable and profitable, but also because it is part of the social capital, the latter ensures the social relationships that form a safety margin of the poor people. Accessibility is increasingly recognized as a key element of a sustainab…

Predicting Real-Time Roadside CO and NO2 Concentrations using Neural Networks

A GIS approach to optimal localization of reserved parking spaces for urban freight distribution

Essential Oil Composition of Stems and Fruits of Caralluma europaea N.E.Br. (Apocynaceae)

The essential oil of the stems and fruits of Caralluma europaea (Guss.) N.E.Br. (Apocynaceae) from Lampedusa Island has been obtained by hydrodistillation and its composition analyzed. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 74 volatile compounds, of which 16 were aromatic and 58 non-aromatic. Stems and fruits contained 1.4% and 2.7% of aromatic compounds respectively, while non-aromatic were 88.3% and 88.8%. Non-aromatic hydrocarbons were the most abundant compounds in both organs, followed by fatty acids. Data showed differences in the profiles between stems and fruits which shared only eighteen compounds; stems accounted for 38 compounds while fruits for 53. Fruits …

POTENTIAL DEMAND AND PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF DOOR TO DOOR DIAL A RYDE SYSTEMS

The paper aims to provide a framework for the preliminary design of dial a ride system. In this context we have carried out a stated preference survey to evaluate the potential demand of service, taking into account a sample of citizens with limited disability to move. Thus, we have submitted a questionnaire to users of some clinics of Palermo, considering in the choice competitive scenario the dial a ride system. Furthermore a multinomial logit model has been calibrated. Finally a preliminary design of service has been proposed.

ATIS: Advanced Traveller Information System in public transport

Dimorphism in inflorescence scent of dioecious wild grapevine

Abstract Wild grapevine ( Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris ) is the dioecious ancestral form of grapevine, from which the domesticated cultivars have derived ( V. vinifera subsp. vinifera ). Little is known about the floral scent compounds of wild grapevine that is considered as being partly insect pollinated. The knowledge of volatiles released by male and female inflorescence may contribute to the understanding of the pollination biology of this endangered taxon. Inflorescence scents of male and female individuals were collected by dynamic headspace and analysed by thermal desorption-GC/MS. A total of 17 compounds of C5-branched chain alcohols, aliphatics, aromatics, and terpenoids were i…