PMM tests in a circulating water channel and nonlinear analysis

As a result of frequent marine disasters leading to the loss of human life and pollution of vast areas of the ocean, ship manoeuvrability has become a very important characteristic of ship design. Among several recent experimental techniques to determine ship manoeuvrability, the most popular is captive model testing using a planar motion mechanism (PMM). This article describes some tests, analyses, and results of PMM tests in a circulating water channel (CWC) using a model of a training ship. The hydrodynamic forces and moments acting on a model of the training ship Shioji Maru in pure yawing motion were measured, and hydrodynamic derivatives were obtained using two different methods of analysis: singular value decomposition (a least-squares fit method) and Fourier analysis. Derivatives obtained from the tests were used to simulate the turning trajectory of the actual ship, and these were compared with the results of sea trials. The results indicate that both methods of analysis yield fairly similar derivatives. The simulation results were also found to be a close match with the trial results. Received: February 7, 2002 / Accepted: May 14, 2002 Address correspondence to: K. Shoji (shoji@ipc.tosho-u.ac.jp)     

The role of children’s independent mobility and social media use for face-to-face social interaction with friends

Transportation - Social interaction with friends is an important contributor to children’s well-being, but how transport affects this is rarely studied. For two or more children (not of the...     

膨胀石墨吸油特性的研究

通过对不同形态和填充密度的膨胀石墨(EG)进行的毛细吸附实验，着重研究了EG的比表面积和填充密度对吸油特性的影响．实验结果表明：细颗粒状EG样品的比表面积从O．624m^2／g到34．20m^2／g显著变化时，对柴油吸附率的改善并不显著；与细颗粒状EG样品相比，大颗粒蠕虫状样品具有更高的吸附率；填充密度的变化对A级重油吸附率有显著影响．     

Persuasive communication aimed at public transportation-oriented residential choice and the promotion of public transport

In this study, we developed a persuasive communication program to induce public-transport-oriented residential (PTOR) choice. We implemented an experiment that targeted students from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, who were in the process of changing their residential location. These students were randomly assigned to four groups: the first group was a control group; the second group received an information brochure about apartment flats typically used by students in Tsukuba city; the third group received a brochure identical to the one given to the second group, except that it also included information about the level of bus service for every flat; and the fourth group was provided with a leaflet that provided motivation for PTOR choice, in addition to the brochure used for the third group. The residential locations were investigated 5 months after the intervention. There was a significant difference between the control group and the third and fourth groups. The ratio of PTOR choice in the group with the information was twice as high as that for the control group. Furthermore, the persuasive message also increased PTOR choice. Additionally, the target groups’ frequency of bus use from home or the university was significantly high compared with the control group.     

Limits to resources, economic growth and happiness

Terrible scenario for the future aspect of our society was issued by “The Limits to Growth”. Basic problems that we confront are the restricted natural resources and the environment. Regarding the resources, the overall average of the reserve/production ratio is predicted to fall below 10 years by 2040. Aggressive developments of mines based on the sense of urgency for metal resources cause strong confliction with the environment and the people living there. Resultantly, urban mine becomes more realistic than before. From the view point of ecological foot print, 5.3 globes are needed if all the people living in the world attain the affluent life same as USA. On the other hand, it is clear that we can get larger utility by smaller goods if our scale of satisfaction is reduced. We have to notice that happiness is our ultimate purpose, economy and industry are intermediate, and natural resources support the all from the basis.     

Basic studies on accuracy management systems based on estimating welding deformations

Accuracy management concerns various aspects of all assembly industries, e.g., final product quality, manufacturing efficiency, and manufacturing costs. In the near future, accuracy management will be even more important in manufacturing systems because of mechanization and automation. This paper considers the concept of computer-aided accuracy management systems, which are based on the concept of integrated manufacturing systems. We propose two management systems, accuracy planning and accuracy estimation, and concentrate on accuracy planning. A model of welding deformations and an easy estimation method for such deformations by computer analysis using the finite element method (FEM) are described. A prototype system based on the accuracy management concept was implemented in the authors' integrated manufacturing systems, and some examples of estimating welding deformations are given here. Translation of an article that appeared in the Journal of The Society of Naval Architects of Japan, vol. 181 (1997): The original article won the SNAJ prize, which is awarded annually to the best papers selected from the SNAJ Journal, JMST, or other quality journals in the field of naval architecture and ocean engineering.     

Studies on the block positioning metrics system for the hull erection stage

In ship hull production, the accuracy of management activities is extremely important. The block positioning operation in the erection stage is a key process in such management. The quality of the block positioning determines not only the accuracy of the final hull, but also the productivity and cost at the erection stage. We have previously proposed the basic concepts of computer-aided accuracy management. Accuracy management activities consist of "accuracy planning activities" and "accuracy measurement activities." Accuracy measurement activities involve checking and coping with inaccuracy. We have also proposed a system of accuracy measurement metrics: one is accuracy for completion (e.g., straightness, flatness), and the other is accuracy for construction (e.g., the relative joint shapes of each part). This paper explains the detailed accuracy metrics for a block positioning operation in the erection stage. The quality of the block positioning operation is estimated by this system: the accuracy of the completed hull can be evaluated by the concept of tolerance, and the accuracy of the construction process can be evaluated by the concept of labor costs. The prototype of this accuracy metrics system is then implemented. This metrics system is combined with the optimization software program iSIGHT to decide the best block positioning process. Then some examples of the block position optimizing process are shown. Received: November 2, 2001 / Accepted: December 6, 2001     

The effect of governmental subsidies and the contractual model on the publicly-owned bus sector in Japan

The publicly-owned municipal bus sector that provides local transport in Japan is in a difficult situation because of operating deficits, inefficient operations and management, and budgetary constraints of expanding subsidies, and thus, it needs to be restructured to improve efficiency. This paper investigates the impact of subsidies and contractual settings on the cost structure of the publicly-owned bus sector in Japan. A trans-log cost function has been estimated by pooling cross-sectional data of 527 observations over the time period of 1990-2006 for a cross-section of 31 publicly-owned transport companies in Japan. Our analytical results confirm that governmental subsidies to this sector negatively affect the cost structure, while the contractual model may have a positive impact. We also discuss the implications of these results for Japan’s public transport policy.     

THE MIB-1 PROLIFERATION INDEX AND MICROVESSEL COUNT IN EARLY GASTRIC CANCER: ASSOCIATION WITH LYMPH NODE METASTASIS

Ki-67 antigen['J, which can be detected usingthe MIBl antibody['J, is a cell proliferation associ-ated nuclear antigen present in all stages of the cellcycle except G,, and thus the proliferation indexdetermined by MIB--1 reflects the cell proliferation.Recently, proliferative activity as evaluated usingthe MIB -l proliferation index (MIB-1 PI) hasbeen shown to be a prognostic factor in several tu-mors[3J. Tumors with low angiogenic activity havea reduced risk of recurrence and metastas…