A method of multi-channel reference signals acquiring in broadband ANC

In a flank array on an unmanned underwater vehicle （UUV）, self-generated noise which has broadband and colored spectrum property in frequency and spatial domain is the main factor affecting the performance of weak signal detection, so the technique of adaptive noise cancellation （ANC） as well as physical denoising and active noise cancellation are often used in practice. Because ANC is based on correlations, improvements in performance come from better correlation between reference signals and primary signals. Taking full advantage of the characteristics of flank arrays and the characteristics of information obtained from hydrophones, a new method for reference signal acquisition for adaptive noise cancellation is proposed, in which the multi-channel reference signals are obtained by accurate delaying for a given direction of arrival （DOA） and differencing between adjacent outputs of array elements. The validity of the proposed method was verified through system modeling simulations and lake experiments which showed good performance with little additional computational burden.     

Underwater hydraulic shock shovel control system

The control system determines the effectiveness of an underwater hydraulic shock shovel. This paper begins by analyzing the working principles of these shovels and explains the importance of their control systems. A new type of control system’s mathematical model was built and analyzed according to those principles. Since the initial control system’s response time could not fulfill the design requirements, a PID controller was added to the control system. System response time was still slower than required, so a neural network was added to nonlinearly regulate the proportional element, integral element and derivative element coefficients of the PID controller. After these improvements to the control system, system parameters fulfilled the design requirements. The working performance of electrically-controlled parts such as the rapidly moving high speed switch valve is largely determined by the control system. Normal control methods generally can’t satisfy a shovel’s requirements, so advanced and normal control methods were combined to improve the control system, bringing good results.     

Effects of split injection,oxygen enriched air and heavy EGR on soot emissions in a diesel engine

The effects of split injection, oxygen enriched air, and heavy exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on soot emissions in a direct injection diesel engine were studied using the KIVA-3V code. When split injection is applied, the second injection of fuel into a cylinder results in two separate stoichiometric zones, which helps soot oxidation. As a result, soot emissions are decreased. When oxygen enriched air is applied together with split injection, a higher concentration of oxygen causes higher temperatures in the cylinder. The increase in temperature promotes the growth reaction of acetylene with soot. However, it does not improve acetylene formation during the second injection of fuel. As more acetylene is consumed in the growth reaction with soot, the concentration of acetylene in the cylinder is decreased, which leads to a decrease in soot formation and thus soot emissions. A combination of split injection, a high concentration of oxygen, and a high EGR ratio shows the best results in terms of diesel emissions. In this paper, the split injection scheme of 75.8.25, in which 75% of total fuel is injected in the first pulse, followed by 8°CA of dwell time, and 25% of fuel is injected in the second pulse, with an oxygen concentration of 23% in volume and an EGR ratio of 30% shows a 45% reduction in soot emissions, with the same NOx emissions as in single injection.     

Automatically finding the number of clusters based on simulated annealing

Based on simulated annealing (SA), automatically finding the number of clusters (AFNC) is proposed in this paper to determine the number of clusters and their initial centers. It is a simple and automatic method that combines local search with two widely-accepted global analysis techniques, namely careful-seeding (CS) and distance-histogram (DH). The procedure for finding a cluster is formulated as mountain-climbing, and the mountain is defined as the convergent domain of SA.When arriving at the peak of one mountain, AFNC has found one of the clusters in the dataset, and its initial center is the peak. Then, AFNC continues to climb up another mountain from a new starting point found by CS till the termination condition is satisfied. In the procedure of climbing-up mountain, the local dense region for searching the next state of SA is found by analyzing the distance histogram. Experimental results show that AFNC can achieve consistent performance for a wide range of datasets.     

Helical wire stress analysis of unbonded flexible riser under irregular response

A helical wire is a critical component of an unbonded flexible riser prone to fatigue failure. The helical wire has been the focus of much research work in recent years because of the complex multilayer construction of the flexible riser. The present study establishes an analytical model for the axisymmetric and bending analyses of an unbonded flexible riser. The interlayer contact under axisymmetric loads in this model is modeled by setting radial dummy springs between adjacent layers. The contact pressure is constant during the bending response and applied to determine the slipping friction force per unit helical wire. The model tracks the axial stress around the angular position at each time step to calculate the axial force gradient, then compares the axial force gradient with the slipping friction force to judge the helical wire slipping region, which would be applied to determine the bending stiffness for the next time step. The proposed model is verified against the experimental data in the literature. The bending moment–curvature relationship under irregular response is also qualitatively discussed. The stress at the critical point of the helical wire is investigated based on the model by considering the local flexure. The results indicate that the present model can well simulate the bending stiffness variation during irregular response, which has significant effect on the stress of helical wire.     

Deterring the dauntless—appraising the effects of naval deterrence against the Somali piracy

This article considers whether the Somali pirates were deterred by the naval task forces between the years 2009 and 2013. By disaggregating data and using previously unpublished records regarding the naval operations, two areas of operations are identified as potential periods of deterrence. The article uses a model of asymmetric deterrence to study the outcomes and equilibria of the navy-pirate interaction. It is found that the naval operations eventually did deter the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, but that this objective was not met in the Somali Basin. It is concluded that the operational focus on the Gulf of Aden coupled with the fact that the area is relatively smaller than the Somali Basin enabled the naval credibility, thus effectively denying the pirates access to the sea. Conversely, limited attention by the naval units and the long Somali southern coast with its open waters impeded naval control in the Somali Basin. In connection to these findings some conclusions regarding naval deterrence are discussed.     

ISM Code implementation: an investigation of safety issues in the shipping industry

Acknowledging that shipping safety continues to be a major topic of interest in the maritime community, the present study attempts to identify the critical factors of International Safety Management (ISM) Code implementation, to identify the dimensions that describe whether the ISM Code has fulfilled its intended purpose as well as to assess their interrelationships. Moreover, the present study aims to explore whether the fulfillment of the Code’s intended purpose is associated with accident reduction. Evidence was drawn from a sample of 63 masters and chief officers who have hands-on onboard experience on ISM Code implementation and data were analyzed through the use of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), correlation analysis, and binomial logistic regression. Findings indicate that the critical factors of ISM Code implementation can be categorized in the crew-related and the company-related dimensions. Also, the fulfillment of the intended purpose of the ISM Code consists of the factors of safety management system efficiency and increased safety, which were also found to be significantly associated with the crew-related dimension of ISM Code implementation. Finally, results showed that both safety management system efficiency and increased safety increase the probability of accident reduction at the highest level.     

Trip misreporting forecast using count data model in a GPS enhanced travel survey

As Global Positioning System (GPS) technology advances, it has been increasingly used to supplement traditional self-reported travel surveys due to its promising features in capturing travel data with better accuracy and reliability. Realizing the limitations of diary-based surveys, this paper presents a study that directly accounts for trip misreporting behavior in trip generation models. Travel data were obtained from prompted-recall assisted GPS survey along with a diary-based survey. Negative Binomial models for count data were developed to accommodate misreporting behavior by introducing interaction effects of the sample-indicator variable with various personal and household variables. The interaction effects indicate how the impacts of the socioeconomic and demographic variables on trip-making vary across the two samples. Assuming that the GPS sample represents the ground truth, the interaction effects actually capture the likelihood and the extent of trip misreporting by detailed personal and household characteristics. The model results reveal significant interaction effects of several personal and household variables, indicating misreporting behavior associated with these attributes. The addition of interaction coefficients to the main effect model represents the real impacts of the independent variables, after compensating for trip misreporting behavior, if any.     

Dolphin Liberation in Korea: Is it Beneficial for Conservation?

The release of captive dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) from South Korean marine parks, which occurred in 2013, 2015, and 2017, is described and evaluated for its usefulness for conservation of coastal ecosystems. The campaign to free the dolphins created a flagship species, uniting the efforts of national government agencies, local government, and NGOs. However, the Korean management agencies framed the release as a species-specific conservation intervention, while the NGOs brought forward welfare-based demands for the curtailment of cetacean captivity. We argue that the release of the Korean dolphins changed the policy climate, to facilitate two major policy changes: revision of anti-whaling regulations to prohibit capture of cetaceans for exhibit, and improvement of regulations for rescue, rehabilitation, and release of stranded marine animals. Tradeoffs between welfare and conservation concerns are described in terms of risk for the management agency, welfare for the animals, and feasibility of a continued commitment to maintain the viability of the dolphin stock in the wild. The release of captive animals to their native range relies on a single-species conservation focus which poses little risk for management agencies but does not guarantee their continued commitment.     

Maritime law issues related to the operation of unmanned autonomous cargo ships

The paper analyses the issue of unmanned autonomous ships from the perspective of international maritime law with a particular focus on crew related conventions and specifically SOLAS, STCW, and MLC. Our primary aim is to identify potential operational difficulties that could deter shipowners from investing or adopting the new technology. Our analysis indicates that there are several areas of ambiguity that would create impediments to a positive investment decision and deter shipowners from adopting the autonomous ship design. With these findings in mind, suggestions are put forward that could alleviate the problems identified.