底部薄板附近的水流及泥沙运动特性

通过水槽实验探讨了在饱和来沙条件下底部薄板附近的水流、泥沙运动特性,包括不同薄板高度、与水流不同夹角的安装方向等情况下,单个底部薄板附近的水流结构、泥沙运动规律、底部薄板的导沙特性及其附近的冲淤现象,以及底部薄板群体的导沙特性。试验结果表明,实验使用的薄板的长度对实验结果影响很大,过短的薄板实验根本观察不到薄板前冲刷沟内的沙波运动,而该沙波运动严重影响薄板的导沙效应。底部薄板附近的水流结构具有强烈的三维特性,流场复杂,对于一定的薄板,水流夹角、沙波的运动是影响薄板的导流导沙促淤的主要因素。     

Trading strategies in the market for tankers

This paper introduces a new approach in timing the sale and purchase of ships in the tanker market and examines the performance of this trading strategy over the period January 1976 to September 2004. Based on the long-run cointegration relationship between earnings and price, we establish a trading model which can be used as an indicator of investment or divestment timing decisions. We also perform statistical tests using the bootstrap approach in order to discount the possibility of data snooping biases and test the robustness of our trading models. Our results indicate that trading strategies based on earning-price ratios significantly out-perform buy and hold strategies in the tanker market.     

Performance Potential and Power Consumption of Slow-Active Suspension Systems with Preview

Two possible layouts of a slow-active suspension model are analysed. Optimal control laws for different actuator bandwidths and various amounts of road preview are generated, and estimates of power consumption are made. Higher bandwidth systems (10Hz) require less preview to obtain a given level of performance than those with a lower bandwidth (3Hz) but use more energy in doing so. Similar performance is available from the two systems considered, although the second uses considerably less energy to obtain that performance.     

Biochemical composition of marine sediment from the eastern Weddell Sea (Antarctica): High nutritive value in a high benthic-biomass environment

Within the SCAR's international EASIZ programme, as part of the benthic–pelagic coupling experiment, grain size and organic matter contents in marine surface sediment were measured. Samples were taken during the austral autumn of 2000 from 3 regions in the eastern Weddell Sea: Kapp Norvegia, Four Seasons Bank, and Austasen.In general, sediments were fine sand with a grain size fraction < 200 μm representing more than 40% of the total weight. The sediments from Four Seasons Bank (64 to 107 m depth) were coarser than those from Austasen and Kapp Norvegia (209 to 480 m depth), presumably due to winnowing of fine sediment at shallow depths. Organic carbon (OC) content ranged from 0.25% to 1.2% and constituted 10% to 97% of the total carbon. The samples from Kapp Norvegia presented the highest OC values. Overall, protein (PRT), lipid (LPD), and carbohydrate (CHO) contents were similar to those in sediment from cold regions (e.g., the North Atlantic and the Ross Sea) but higher than those in sediment from other Antarctic and more septentrional regions (e.g., the Ross Sea and the Mediterranean). The difference within the Antarctic is explained through the local conditions in Terra Nova Bay and Kapp Norvegia. In the Antarctic, PRT and LPD carbon were the main contributors to the biopolymeric carbon (BPC). In the eastern Weddell Sea shelf, the BPC accounted for more than 90% of the OC in most of the samples. More than 82% of the total PRT, LPD, and CHO were present in the fraction < 200 μm. This work remarks the existence of sediments with a high nutritional value persistent several weeks after the spring–summer pulse of fresh organic matter. It is also highlighted the high potential availability of these sediments (due to its grain size) for the benthic communities inhabiting this high-latitude continental shelf.     

基于车激动力响应互相关指标的桥梁基础冲刷诊断方法

针对当前桥梁基础冲刷诊断和检测方法过程复杂、成本高且受环境影响大等问题，提出一种基于车激动力响应互相关指标的桥梁基础冲刷诊断方法。该方法通过桥墩和桥跨不同测点的纵向加速度响应自由衰减段信号的互相关分析，建立基础冲刷诊断指标体系，实现冲刷定位和均匀性诊断。首先，依据互相关函数幅值向量置信度判据指标进行基础冲刷初判；然后，通过响应互相关函数幅值向量因子变化率向量进行冲刷定位，再根据横桥向互相关函数幅值变化率向量诊断冲刷均匀性；并通过统计评估方法提高诊断精度；最后，结合1座连续梁桥算例进行多种冲刷工况的数值仿真分析，对所提方法的有效性和适用性进行验证。结果表明：该方法能够很好地实现基础冲刷的定位和均匀性诊断，指标具有较高敏感性；同时具有较好的抗噪性能，通过所提出诊断指标体系的综合使用可消除噪声对诊断结果的干扰。该方法具有诊断结果精度高、过程简便易行、无需进行复杂且误差较大的模态识别、允许试验测试参数和条件适量变化等优点，可嵌入常规桥梁荷载试验同步开展，具有很好的工程应用潜力和实用价值。     

Comparative analysis of vehicle brake data in the ministry of transport test on the roller brake tester and on flat ground

This study performs a comparison between what occurs when braking on a Ministry of Transport (MOT) brake tester and on flat ground. The tire pressure is changed, but the other parameters remain constant. The results from this research and from the in-depth comparative study conducted by the mechanical engineering staff in the mechanical laboratory at the Miguel Hernández University in Elche have led to the following main conclusions: By varying the tire pressure, false results can be obtained with the MOT brake tester, which means that, if the tires are inflated at a low pressure but the brakes are in good condition, the vehicle will not pass the MOT. Conversely, if the brakes are in poor condition but the tire pressure is higher than what is recommended by the manufacturer, a false pass is produced. This article shows that the MOT brake testing equipment is often wrong and inexact, and the data and graphs presented prove that the tire pressure is a determining factor when assessing the condition of brakes.     

An investigation of passenger interchange and train standing time at LRT stations: (i) Alighting,boarding and platform distribution of passengers

The train standing-time at a station is a determinant of the line capacity and the necessary fleet-size. Its determination is usually based on the assumption that boarding and alighting is uniform at all doors of a train. Uniform boarding and alighting is conceivable if passengers distribute themselves uniformly on station platforms while waiting for trains. The validity of the uniformity assumptions is tested using data from two stations (one CBD, one suburban) of the Calgary, Alberta LRT system. It is shown that passenger distribution on the platform, alighting and boarding is not uniform and is closely related to the location of platform access points. Some strategies that will encourage uniformity are discussed. However, procedures that can estimate the standing time for non-uniform boarding and alighting need to be developed.     

Overturning Stability of Three Wheeled Motorized Vehicles

Three wheeled motorized vehicles are a major mode of public transport in many countries. These vehicles are prone to overturning even during normal turning and obstacle avoidance maneuvers. This paper presents a parametric analysis of a mathematical model of the vehicle and evolves guidelines for improving the overturning stability in terms of vehicle geometry and suspension properties.

Differential equations governing the dynamic behavior of the vehicle are derived on the basis of a six degree of freedom model. The vehicle response to variations in steering, engine power and braking inputs is then numerically simulated. The effects of vehicle geometry and elasto-damping suspension coefficients on the vehicle stability are presented. The results indicate an optimum position of the center of gravity where the vehicle is most stable. While stiffer suspensions favour stability, there exists an optimum value of suspension damping for which the minimum wheel load is a maximum.     

A system dynamics approach to land use/transportation system performance modeling Part I: Methodology

This paper presents a system dynamics approach to simultaneous land use/transportation system performance modeling. A model is designed based on the causality functions and feedback loop structure between a large number of physical, socioeconomic, and policy variables. The model consists of 7 sub‐models: population, migration of population, household, job growth‐employment‐land availability, housing development, travel demand, and traffic congestion level. The model is formulated in DYNAMO simulation language, and tested on a data set from Montgomery County, MD. In Part I: Methodology, the overall approach and the structure of the model system is discussed and the causal‐loop diagrams and major equations are presented. In Part II: Application, the model is calibrated and tested with data from Montgomery County, MD. Least square method and overall system behavior are used to estimate the model parameters. The model is fitted with the 1970–80 data and validated with the 1980–1990 data. Robustness and sensitivities with respect to input parameters such as birth rate or regional economy growth are analyzed. The model performance as a policy analysis tool is examined by predicting the year by year impacts of highway capacity expansion on land use and transportation system performance. While this is a first attempt in using dynamic system simulation modeling in simultaneous treatment of land use and transportation system interactions, and model development and application are limited due to data availability, the results indicate that the proposed method is a promising approach in dealing with complex urban land use/transportation modeling.