T_H1 AND T_H2 CELL ANTIGEN RECEPTORS IN EXPERIMENTAL LEISHMANIASIS

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The Offshore Wind Power Debate: Views from Cape Cod

Wind power resources on the eastern U.S. continental shelf are estimated to be over 400 GW, several times the electricity used by U.S. eastern coastal states. The first U.S. developer proposes to build 130 large (40 story tall) wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, just outside Massachusetts state waters. These would provide 420 MW at market prices, enough electricity for most of Cape Cod. The project is opposed by a vigorous and well-financed coalition. Polling shows local public opinion on the project almost equally divided. This article draws on semistructured interviews with residents of Cape Cod to analyze values, beliefs, and logic of supporters and opponents. For example, one value found to lead to opposition is that the ocean is a special place that should be kept natural and free of human intrusion. One line of argument found to lead to support is: The war in Iraq is problematic, this war is “really” over petroleum, Cape Cod generates electricity from oil, therefore, the wind project would improve U.S. security. Based on analysis of the values and reasoning behind our interview data, we identify four issues that are relevant but not currently part of the debate.     

Developments in UK shipping: the tonnage tax

The new UK Government, elected in May 1997, came to power with a commitment to reverse the decline of the UK shipping industry and enhance the employment prospects of UK seafarers. The Government commissioned Lord Alexander of Weedon to investigate the case for a tonnage tax. In this paper, the economic arguments for supporting the UK shipping industry are reviewed. There is some evidence that the UK holds a comparative advantage in world markets in key sectors of the shipping industry and on-shore maritime related activities, but is being undermined by lower foreign taxes. In the absence of government support, the UK shipping industry is likely to continue to decline, and, by further reducing the supply of qualified UK ex-seafarers, put at risk the successful on-shore activities. Various measures that might be used to support a national shipping industry, e.g. a tonnage tax, are considered. The paper concludes by discussing the likely impact of the tonnage tax on the UK's shipping industry.     

Perspectives on railway track geometry condition monitoring from in-service railway vehicles

This paper presents a view of the current state of monitoring track geometry condition from in-service vehicles. It considers technology used to provide condition monitoring; some issues of processing and the determination of location; how things have evolved over the past decade; and what is being, or could/should be done in future research. Monitoring railway track geometry from an in-service vehicle is an attractive proposition that has become a reality in the past decade. However, this is only the beginning. Seeing the same track over and over again provides an opportunity for observing track geometry degradation that can potentially be used to inform maintenance decisions. Furthermore, it is possible to extend the use of track condition information to identify if maintenance is effective, and to monitor the degradation of individual faults such as dipped joints. There are full unattended track geometry measurement systems running on in-service vehicles in the UK and elsewhere around the world, feeding their geometry measurements into large databases. These data can be retrieved, but little is currently done with the data other than the generation of reports of track geometry that exceeds predefined thresholds. There are examples of simpler systems that measure some track geometry parameters more or less directly and accurately, but forego parameters such as gauge. Additionally, there are experimental systems that use mathematics and models to infer track geometry using data from sensors placed on an in-service vehicle. Finally, there are systems that do not claim to measure track geometry, but monitor some other quantity such as ride quality or bogie acceleration to infer poor track geometry without explicitly measuring it.     

Establishment of a Dredged Material Disposal Site in the Exclusive Economic Zone: New Zealand

Disposal options for muddy dredged material, especially if lightly contaminated, is an issue facing many countries, particularly if environmental protection and adherence to the Protocols of the London Dumping Convention is a regulatory requirement. For the case of the oceanic islands of New Zealand, disposal of muddy dredged material has become an issue for the prime city of Auckland. Accordingly, it has been necessary to investigate a suitable marine disposal site outside of the territorial seas in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Ideal properties for such a disposal site include a near flat surface on the continental shelf, with sediments of similar textural characteristics to the material being disposed, a site of non-critical benthic ecology, water depths sufficient to enable the disposal site to be monitored (as required under the London Dumping Convention), a site experiencing low shelf currents, not affected by significant wave agitation, and a site not of cultural significance. The approach for site establishment and gaining consent for disposal activities is reviewed. Preliminary investigations supporting a proposed site on the continental shelf in the EEZ are presented.     

Developments in UK shipping: the tonnage tax

The new UK Government, elected in May 1997, came to power with a commitment to reverse the decline of the UK shipping industry and enhance the employment prospects of UK seafarers. The Government commissioned Lord Alexander of Weedon to investigate the case for a tonnage tax. In this paper, the economic arguments for supporting the UK shipping industry are reviewed. There is some evidence that the UK holds a comparative advantage in world markets in key sectors of the shipping industry and on-shore maritime related activities, but is being undermined by lower foreign taxes. In the absence of government support, the UK shipping industry is likely to continue to decline, and, by further reducing the supply of qualified UK ex-seafarers, put at risk the successful on-shore activities. Various measures that might be used to support a national shipping industry, e.g. a tonnage tax, are considered. The paper concludes by discussing the likely impact of the tonnage tax on the UK's shipping industry.     

通过风险管理、计和加固来减少公路桥梁的地震易损性

过去几十年间历次大地震造成的人员和巨大财产损失凸现出减少公路系统地震灾害风险的必要性。结合历次震害经验教训,基于联邦公路署多个地震研究项目的最新成果,表明通过一个整合的风险评估和设计／加固过程,可以更好的达到减少地震灾害的目的。     

Exploring public transport sustainability with neutrosophic logic

Sustainable transportation is a significant component of overall sustainable development. Increasingly, evaluation and decision-making with respect to major complex projects (for example, transportation and land use projects), a multiple attribute perspective is taken. This paper illustrates a multiple attribute decision-making approach for selecting sustainable public transportation systems under uncertainty, that is, with partial or incomplete information represented by single-valued neutrosophic sets (SVNSs). A SVNS is a generalization of a classical set, a fuzzy set, and an intuitionistic fuzzy set. Here, SVNSs and SVNS connectives are illustrated in the context of a ‘Public Transit Sustainable Mobility Analysis Tool’ (PTSMAT) which involves a composite (multiple attribute) sustainability index. A case study of PTSMAT is provided for the UBC Corridor study in Vancouver, Canada. As expected, similar results are obtained to the original study, though the neutrosophic formalism opens a wide range of possibilities for recognition of uncertainty in sustainability assessment.     

The British port transport industry part 2. Employment, working practices and productivity

The abolition of the national Dock Labour Scheme presented with the oppurtunity radically to transform their cargo handling operations. Port employers have seized this oppurtunity and introduced radical changes to workforce compositions, their skills, work practices, and employee relations. The main factor behind these changes has been the desire of operation to minimize labour costs and maximize labour utilization in order to amintain traffic volume and competitive advantage. The short-term effect has been to improve productivity and profitablity(at least for the major port authorities), but it has also produced iinstablity in employee relations ans may in the long term prove counter productive>     

The British port transport industry Part 1. Operational structure, investment and competition

Abolition of the National Dock labour Scheme in July 1989 has intensified competition in Britian's ports and allowed the major port authorities and other port operators to restructure their operations and develop new investment plans. But the result has been to add to excess capacity in the industry and to porduce a 'zero-sum' process of traffic redistribution between Britain's driven largely by customer demands for lower charges.