Vessel traffic service systems: cost-recovery alternatives

This paper investigate cost-recovery alternatives for US federally-operated vessel traffic service (VTS) systems. These include those currently used or have been used by VTS and 'VTS-like' systems and other feasible, but not used herefore, alternatives, a federal trust and a federal VTS user-fee structure. Three federal trust funds exist whose waterway-related earmarked revenues could also be earmarked for VTS systems. A federal VTS user-fee structure while raising revenue to finance VTS systems is not expected to be detrimental to the competitiveness of VTS ports nor to the vessel operators that call if their cost-savings exceed fees paid.     

Public transport policy in Canada and the United States: Developing political commitment from the federal government

The United States federal government has been involved in public transport funding for over 40 years, whereas in Canada the federal government has little history of urban public transport policy. In that context, over the past 10 years, Canada has made significant progress in developing new federal commitments for public transport. Critical as these developments have been, however, they do not represent a true National Transit Strategy, which needs to be permanent, predictable and comprehensive. This claim is supported by economic analysis which suggests that Canadian government investment in transit is significantly below the optimal level.     

基础设计中的可靠度评估

阐述基于可靠度理论的基础设计的评估。首先总结具有结构抗力和荷载效应2个基础变量的结构可靠度基本理论。结构抗力的不确定性可以由统计学上的平均值和变异系数（cov或）Ω来描述。变异系数指变量的标准差和平均值的比值。敏感度分析的结果显示结构抗力的变异系数（ΩR）在其应用范围之内时,在分析结构可靠度方面扮演着相当重要的角色。基于这些阐述,在预先指定的风险水平（pf）上ΩR一定有其上限。当结构抗力呈正态分布的时候,这个极限ΩR独立于荷载效应随机性,和安全指数β成反比。安全指数可以定义为在标准正态分布区间极限状态到原点之间的最小距离。在这个极限ΩR之下,结构可以在预定风险水平之下安全工作。中心安全系数（FS）可以由结构抗力和荷载效应的变异系数根据平方关系求得。然而,一些情况下结构抗力为非正态分布的情况并不少见。因此,等效正态分布的概念可以用来得到非正态分布结构抗力的ΩR极限。地质方面的随机变量可能是正态分布,也可能是非正态分布,结构抗力中基本变量之间的关系可能是线性也可能是非线性,或者非常复杂以致于结构抗力只能通过有限元分析才能得到。在此情况下,随机数可以通过蒙特卡洛模拟技术获得。拟合的结构抗力的分布可以在随机试验的基础上通过配合度检验确定。现实中,土壤的力学特性不是各向同性的,同样也不能认为是单一材料的,它们的不确定性是不可以被忽略的。简便的设计方式认为不确定参数是常数,并且通过使用定值的安全系数来确定结构截面,设计原则没有将土壤参数对安全系数的影响考虑进去。参考计算出来的失效概率表明,确定值的安全系数法无法保证足够的安全。因此,在某种情况下,安全系数大于等于3,对于结构容许承受能力,并不能认为太保守。     

On the feasibility of the optical steering wheel sensor: Modeling and control

This paper discusses the development of a system model for the wireless steering wheel angle sensor and steering wheel system for the evaluation of the steer by wire system in a vehicle dynamic system. The steering wheel sensor is a wireless, contact-less sensor utilizing an optical medium for angle detection. The optical medium is operated based on a photodiode and photo-detector head. A reflecting disc or code-wheel, working similar to a compact disc, is used to reflect the light from the photodiode back to the photo-detector. The beam is reflected based on the content in the reflective disc to measure the relative angle through a micro-controller. The proposed wireless steering sensor and steer by wire system is modeled using the Matlab/Simulink and their performance is investigated to evaluate the steering response, vehicle dynamics, and steering feel of the system. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed system is discussed based on the developed model and simulation results.     

Maglev Vehicle/Guideway Vertical Random Response and Ride Quality

Summary The research and development (R & D) of maglev technology had made a great progress in China since the early 1980s. Especially, a 35 km-long Shanghai high-speed maglev railway employing the German Transrapid system began to be constructed on March 1, 2001. Based on the Transrapid system, the paper develops a 10-degree-of-freedom model of maglev vehicle running over three types of guideways with constant speed. Random guideway irregularities are discussed and taken into account for simulation of the vehicle response and for evaluation of the ride comfort. Using the direct time integration method and the discrete fast Fourier transform (DFFT), random responses of the maglev vehicle-guideway systems are obtained and analyzed. Numerical results show that the resonant frequency of car body acceleration response is 0.5-1 Hz, and there is a 2.2 Hz periodic vibration due to the periodic configuration of rigid piers when the maglev vehicle travels over the elevated-beam guideway. The car body acceleration power spectral density (PSD) curves meet well the ride quality criterion of the urban tracked aircushion vehicle (UTACV) and the maximum acceleration of car body is less than 0.05 g. Moreover, the Sperling ride index values are less than 2.5 as long as the operational speed is less than 450 km/h. It is concluded that the maglev vehicle ride quality is quite well.     

Traffic noise and traffic light control

An optimal control problem of traffic light duration is considered. The traffic noise level is introduced as a state variable in a dynamical optimization problem. A closed loop control system is designed which influences the green duration of the lights according to the equivalent noise level. Real time considerations lead to sub-optimal control implementation. This control policy decreases the noise levels at intensive traffic intersections. The traffic lights adapt their duration according to the noise pollution. Simulation and experimental results are discussed.     

Measure of productivity loss due to road traffic accidents in Thailand

As one of the top countries with the highest casualties per capita in road traffic accidents, Thailand needs to raise public awareness about the economic loss from road traffic crashes. This paper calculates the value of productivity loss due to road traffic accidents in Thailand in 2017. Extensive data collection and analyses enable to compute income losses over time in case of fatalities, permanent disabilities as well as major and minor injuries. The results reveal that, at the end of 2017, the total amount of productivity loss caused by road traffic accidents alone was approximately 121 billion Baht (45 billions for fatalities, 7 for disabilities, 67.5 for serious injuries and 1.5 for slight injuries), or close to 0.8% of the country's GDP, which is very significant. At-risk age groups are determined in each case and we see that the 16–25 age group is bearing the highest burden in all types of accidents. Future policies can then be targeted to types of casualties and to a specific public.     

Modelling rain effects on risk‐taking behaviours of multi‐user classes in road networks with uncertainty

This paper proposes a new travel time reliability‐based traffic assignment model to investigate the rain effects on risk‐taking behaviours of different road users in networks with day‐to‐day demand fluctuations and variations in travel time. A generalized link travel time function is used to capture the rain effects on vehicle travel times and road conditions. This function is further incorporated into daily demand variations to investigate those travel time variations arising from demand uncertainty and rain condition. In view of these rain effects, road users' perception errors on travel times and risk‐taking behaviours on path choices are incorporated in the proposed model with the use of a logit‐based stochastic user equilibrium framework. This new model is formulated as a variational inequality problem in terms of path flows. A numerical example is used to illustrate the application of the proposed model for assessment of the rain effects on road networks with uncertainty.     

利用AGM求解粘弹性地基刚性梁的非线性控制微分方程（英文）

In the present paper a vibrational differential equation governing on a rigid beam on viscoelastic foundation has been investigated. The nonlinear differential equation governing on this vibrating system is solved by a simple and innovative approach, which has been called Akbari-Ganji’s method(AGM). AGM is a very suitable computational process and is usable for solving various nonlinear differential equations. Moreover, using AGM which solving a set of algebraic equations, complicated nonlinear equations can easily be solved without any mathematical operations.Also, the damping ratio and energy lost per cycle for three cycles have been investigated. Furthermore, comparisons have been made between the obtained results by numerical method(Runk45) and AGM. Results showed the high accuracy of AGM. The results also showed that by increasing the amount of initial amplitude of vibration(A), the value of damping ratio will be increased, and the energy lost per cycle decreases by increasing the number of cycle. It is concluded that AGM is a reliable and precise approach for solving differential equations. On the other hand, it is better to say that AGM is able to solve linear and nonlinear differential equations directly in most of the situations. This means that the final solution can be obtained without any dimensionless procedure.Therefore, AGM can be considered as a significant progress in nonlinear sciences.