The continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone: the problem of delimitation at UNCLOS III

If the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea succeeds in adopting a new Caracas Convention on the Law of the Sea, it is likely to embody detailed provisions on the delimitation of both the continental shelf and the new zone, the exclusive economic zone. In this paper, the most recent draft of these rules—contained in the Revised Single Negotiating Text—is subjected to a detailed and critical scrutiny which leads to the conclusion that the Sixth Session of the Conference still has a great deal of work to do before agreement can be reached on a satisfactory set of rules.     

薄基岩顶板隧道爆破施工围岩稳定性分析

为更有效地进行薄基岩顶板条件下隧道施工安全控制,以某高速公路隧道为工程背景,运用数值模拟的方法,分别研究不同顶板厚度下隧道爆破施工引起的围岩振速分布特征及其对围岩的损伤情况,并进行围岩稳定性分析。结果表明:1)当顶板厚度在5 m及以上时,围岩是稳定的;2)当顶板厚度为3 m时,最危险横断面上基岩顶板内开始产生严重的拉伸裂缝及一些径向裂缝,将形成超挖;3)当顶板厚度≤2 m时,径向裂缝贯穿顶板岩体,围岩稳定性较差,在掌子面后1 m内可能发生塌落、掉块等事故。     

甘泉铁路区间通过能力研究

阐述甘泉铁路车站分布和运量发展情况及货运量增加后区间通过能力不足的问题,介绍甘泉铁路行车组织和区间通过能力计算方法,计算各区间的通过能力,结合近期货物运量500万t、700万t、1000万t三种情况,计算需求通过能力,并给出提高通过能力的具体方案,为下一步货运量的增加做准备。     

沥青玛蹄脂混合料的高温性能影响因素分析

沥青玛蹄脂混合料作为良好的钢桥面铺装层材料,其高温性能一直是关注的焦点,本文基于室内车辙试验研究了其高温性能影响因素,重点分析了荷载和温度、拌合时间及加铺SMA对沥青玛蹄脂混合料的高温性能指标动稳定度的影响规律,为今后玛蹄脂混合料的路用实践提供了借鉴.     

Marine accident analysis for collision and grounding in oil tanker using FTA method

In this study, collision and grounding data registered in GISIS (Global Integrated Shipping Information System) were investigated for oil tankers. The database includes the information of the collision and grounding accidents during the period between 1998 and 2010 in oil tankers. The risk assessments were carried out using fault tree analysis (FTA) programme for the incidents as collision and grounding occurred in oil tankers. In this study, we were able to investigate first the potential problems which cause the collision and grounding accidents have been determined, second, the occurrence of accidents has been shown with causal factors by the FTA method, and, finally, the significance degree of the initial events causing occurrence of accidents have been put forth. Collision in oil tanker resulted in economical loss (81%), pollution (6%) and death or injury (13%). Grounding in oil tanker resulted in economical loss (91%) and pollution (9%). According to the FTA results, the main reason for the accidents originating from human error is as follows: for collision accidents, Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG) violation and the lack of communication between vessels; and for grounding accidents, the interpretation failure of the officer on watch and lack of communication in the bridge resource management.     

Lagrangian flow in the California Undercurrent, an observation and model comparison

During the period 1992–1998, 38 isobaric RAFOS floats were deployed to sample the subsurface flow of the California Undercurrent. The deployments, released over the California continental slope west of San Francisco, have sampled robust year-round poleward subsurface flow associated with the Undercurrent most seasons and the combined inshore current and Undercurrent in winter. Two other types of flow have been seen: a region of weak flow with little net displacement just west of the California Undercurrent, and an active westward propagating eddy field. This eddy field appears to be the primary mechanism for moving floats from the Undercurrent into the ocean interior. The observations and statistics from the RAFOS floats are compared with Lagrangian estimates of particles tracked in a global high resolution ocean simulation in order to evaluate the fidelity of the model along an eastern boundary. The results show that the model reproduces the general character of the flow reasonably well, but underestimates both the mean and eddy energies by a substantial amount.     

地面注汽管线表面散热损失影响因素分析

文中采用Fluent模拟与理论计算结合比较的方法,研究了不同因素对蒸汽管道散热损失的影响规律,并分析了理论计算模型的相对误差.发现增加注汽管线距地面高度,对其散热损失影响较弱;空气温度升高,注汽管道表面散热损失降低;风速和表面发射率对注汽管线表面热损失影响较大;数值模拟结果与理论计算数据相对误差较大.     

Assessment of factors associated with travel time reliability and prediction: an empirical analysis using probabilistic reasoning approach

Significant efforts have been made in modeling a travel time distribution and establishing measures of travel time reliability (TTR). However, the literature on evaluating the factors affecting TTR is not well established. Accordingly, this paper presents an empirical analysis to determine potential factors that are associated with TTR. This study mainly applies the Bayesian Networks model to assess the probabilistic association between road geometry, traffic data, and TTR. The results from this model reveal that land use characteristics, intersection factors, and posted speed limits are directly associated with TTR. Evaluating the strength of the association between TTR and the directly related variables, the log odds ratio analysis indicates that the land use factor has the highest impact (0.83) followed by the intersection factor (0.57). The findings from this study can provide valuable resources to planners and traffic operators in their decision-making to improve TTR with quantitative evidence.     

The Alternative Motor Fuels Act, alternative-fuel vehicles, and greenhouse gas emissions

The corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard is the major policy tool to improve the fleet average miles per gallon of automobile manufacturers in the US. The Alternative Motor Fuels Act (AMFA) provides special treatment in calculating the fuel economy of alternative-fuel vehicles to give manufacturers CAFE incentives to produce more alternative-fuel vehicles. AMFA has as its goals an increase in the production of alternative-fuel vehicles and a decrease in gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This paper examines theoretically the effects of the program set up under AMFA. It finds that, under some conditions, this program may actually increase the production of fuel-inefficient gasoline vehicles, gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.     

Surface street traffic volume and single-family house price

This study investigates the relationship between surface street traffic volume and single-family house prices in a relatively small city in the US. Hedonic price models are estimated using data from 9670 transactions that occurred between January 1998 and March 2011. It is discovered that parcels fronting or adjacent to a high-traffic street sell, on average, at an 8.1% discount compared to similar parcels that are not so situated. Restricting the analysis to parcels on or adjacent to a high-traffic street, house price and traffic volume are found to be negatively related; a doubling of volume from any particular traffic count, ceteris paribus, reduces selling price by an average of 2.1%.