Ship inspection support system using a product model

 Recently, the significance of ship inspections has been increasingly recognized because sea pollution and safety problems are occurring more and more frequently. However, current ship inspections rely on the experience of the workers. Therefore, it is difficult to understand, and hence to improve, the state of ship inspections. In this paper, ship inspection is directed into three stages (plan, do, and check), and the configurations of a total system to support ship inspections are discussed. A prototype system for the “plan” and “do” stages is developed. This is realized by organizing the information that relates to inspection, and defining data models for damage and inspection states. Then the proposed system is integrated with a shipbuilding computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) system so that the ship's structural information can be used effectively. In addition, functions to calculate the damage-finding probability, and functions to generate information about damage and the inspection state are introduced. Therefore, in the planning stage, as inspector can execute a virtual ship inspection, and then the damage-finding probability of each hull part and oversight areas are calculated automatically. Further, by carrying this system into an inspection, an inspector can generate damage information and inspection information simply and easily. Some examples of the proposed system are shown at the end of the paper. Received: November 12, 2001 / Accepted: January 30, 2002     

THE CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF CRUDE BILE ON HUMAN PANCREATIC CANCER CELL LINES

Thebileacidswereconfirmedasnonspecificcytotoxicsubstanceswhichplayveryimportantro1einpathophysiologyofextrahepaticcholesta-sis[la.Invitrostudieshadprovedthatthebileacidscouldcausechronicandacuteinjuryofpancreaticductalepitheliumactingasaninitiatorofpancre-atitist2i.Thepancreaticcancerisamajorworld-widepublichealthproblernandremainsasignifi-cantclinica1challenge.Atthetimeofdiagnosis,about7o%ofpancreaticcancerpatientsmanifestobstructivejaundicewhichcanresultinprogressiveliverdysfunctionandculmin…     

Development of behavioral context addressable loggers in the shell for travel-activity analysis

This study attempts to develop a small, portable travel-activity measuring instrument that requires no entry from respondents. Conventional surveys have collected identification information such as facility type, transport mode, and activity content through the operation of instruments, questionnaires, etc. However, these complicated surveys burden the respondents and rely on their memory, often leading to recording omissions or incorrect records. We propose a method for estimating behavioral contexts using BCALs (Behavioral Context Addressable Loggers in the Shell), a wearable, behavioral context information-measuring instrument, for re-estimating label information such as facility type and transport mode from ecological and environmental sensors based on learning models. The numerical values observed by these sensors differed greatly among locations or means of transportation, revealing the high possibility of automatic identification of locations and means of transportation using BCALs.     

Analysis of dynamic decision-making in a bicycle-sharing auction using a dynamic discrete choice model

For clarifying the usefulness and practical issues of a tradable permit system empirically, we implemented a tradable permit system for a bicycle-sharing service in Yokohama city, Japan. We analyzed both travel and transaction behavior within this system. Many activity factors, such as the amount of free time in each day, home location and travel mode to the bicycle port, were shown to affect the transaction of tradable permits. The results of the pilot program indicated that inefficient allocation of tradable permits occurred when participants postponed their decision-making because of uncertainty. To determine the reason for this effect and the contributing factors, we created a dynamic discrete choice model to describe the choice results and timing. The estimation result indicated that the option value of postponing decision-making caused the transactions to be performed at the last minute, and that this effect blocked the liquidity of the permits trade. In addition, because the result reveals that there was heterogeneity in the time discount factor, the initial allocation of permits was found to be important for efficient allocation.

     

NJ1型机车用IPM牵引逆变器

介绍智能功率模块（ＩＰＭ）的主要技术特点，阐述ＮＪ１型机车用ＩＰＭ牵引逆变器的主要技术参数、主电路和控制电路工作原理以及逆变器结构设计特点。最后给出试验结果分析。     

Benefit incidence of urban ring road — Theory and case study of the Gifu ring road

This study aims at measuring the benefit incidence of each socio-economic sector in each zone by using a benefit measurement model and a simple socio-economic model, especially discussing the absentee landowners' share of the total benefit from the viewpoint of the degree of the city's openness or stickliness. The case study is on the ring road construction being undertaken in Gifu City, Japan.     

Study of a simple sensor for stress history measurements of a structural member using a piezoelectric element

This paper describes a stress sensor using a piezoelectric element which was developed to monitor features of the stress history of a structural member. The sensor is 90 mm long, 60 mm wide, and 25 mm thick. A stress-level meter can turn on and off different colored light-emitting diodes (LED) according to the changes in a stress level. A stress-level cross counter can display the number of cycles which exceeds a specified stress level during a monitoring period. The sensor is bonded onto a structural member using an adhesive agent. In order to see the performance of the prototype sensor, experiments were carried out using a fatigue-testing machine. The sensor was bonded onto a smooth specimen and multiple repeated stresses were applied to that specimen. There were three main findings. (1) The sensor can operate under a stress range from −150 MPa to 150 MPa, and a frequency from 0.05 Hz to 5 Hz. (2) The stress-level meter can turn the lights of the LED on and off accurately under any stress amplitude and frequency. (3) When the stress frequency is 1 Hz or less, the stress-level cross counter can count accurately the number of cycles which exceed the predetermined stress levels. Received: February 25, 2000 / Accepted: April 11, 2000     

Behavioral monitoring of public transport users through a mobile communication system

There are various activities now taking place in ITS research and development in Japan. Advanced information and communication technologies have been applied to improve public transport systems, as well as automated highway systems. In the first part of this paper, we show three examples of public transport systems recently developed in ITS environment. These transport systems are operated in local cities and towns in Japan: the travel information system for tram users in Hiroshima, the demand responsive bus system in Nakamura and the co‐operative use of electric vehicle in Ebina. In the second part of the paper, we explain how we have monitored individual passenger on public transport using cellular phones for location positioning. Location positioning technology for mobile object is essential for the operation and management of ITS supported public transport systems. Furthermore, such accurate and detailed positioning data can be utilized for travel behaviour analysis in demand modeling. The mobile instrument and monitoring systems shown in this paper can be combined with any of the case studies of ITS application to public transport systems.     

Transferability of standardized regres Person-based approach sion model applied to person-based trip generation

In this paper, the transferability of person-based standardized regression models is analysed using two large-scale origin-destination household surveys with data collected in two Brazilian cities, Sa~o Paulo and Bauru. The models are specified in terms of dummy variables linked to socio-economic attributes which are considered relevant. A model, having home-based daily trips as a dependent variable, is calibrated according to data from the Sa~o Paulo Metropolitan Area and transferred to Bauru, and vice-versa. The transferability of the models is evaluated using the Wald test, which is an objective test applicable to two samples presenting different variances. According to the test, only standardized regression models are transferable. In addition, the performance of the models to estimate the number of trips generated in every zone of the urban areas is verified. The results indicate that the performance of standardized regression models is equivalent to the locally calibrated model.     

Origin-destination matrices estimation model using automatic vehicle identification data and its application to the Han-Shin expressway network

The Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) system was recently installed in expressway networks in Japan. License plate numbers of passing vehicles are monitored through roadside AVI cameras and then recognized. This paper shows the formulation of origin and destination (OD) matrices estimation model using the observed data with the AVI system. The results of license plate matching between a pair of AVI cameras are involved as the input variables. The formulated model is a least squares model and yields to the linear transformation of the partly observed OD matrices. The model is applied to the Kobe corridor line in the Han-Shin expressway network. It is found that the estimated OD matrix is consistent with the one using the previous mail survey. The proposed estimation method is expected to investigate the day-to-day fluctuations of OD patterns in the expressway network.