Optimizing shipping company operations using business process modelling

In order to identify the elements constituting quality in services, a business process modelling methodology has been applied in the case of a Greek liner shipping company. The company operations have been identified and analysed in order to assess the complete performance of service elements and thereafter identify how to match the service performance against the user requirements. A liner container service within Europe has to compete with the road transport which, in many cases, is an alternative to the sea transportation and not complementary to it. Thus, not only the ship has to be envisaged when aiming to improve quality in services but also the whole chain, namely port authorities, land transportation enterprises, subcontractors, agents, charterers and others. A set of potential improvements within this framework are thus suggested and time and cost (examined in a specific voyage scenario) are measured before and after the implementation of these measures. Very large time and cost savings are observed after the application of the technology improvements, allowing, in fact, the shipping company to even increase the number of round trips per year in the examined route. This indicates that very large benefits can be drawn by analysing and critically adjusting business processes in modern shipping companies.     

History of Stability of Railway and Road Vehicles

Stability of running of vehicles is one of the important design criteria of railway and road vehicles. Railway vehicle stability is based on kinematics as well as contact mechanics. It reaches back to the 19th century and had its first hey-day with the work of Carter and Rocard on stability of locomotives. A rediscovery of their knowledge, which seemed to have been forgotten, was inevitable due to increased vehicle speeds since the early Fifties. — Though investigations on road vehicle stability only began approximately in 1930 with the treatment of the shimmy phenomenon, realistic solutions were available at the same time as for railway vehicles. Besides considering historical aspects we discuss in the paper links which exist between both approaches; open questions are described.     

Dense network traffic models,travel time reliability and traffic management. Ii: Application to network reliability

This paper is the second of a pair of papers discussing two main themes concerning dense network modelling. These themes are: (1) the changing nature of traffic management technology and the underlying objectives behind traffic management practice, and (2) the use of measures of network reliability in models, especially as an element of the evaluation of alternative network configurations. This paper develops and applies the second theme, the use of network reliability concepts in the evaluation of traffic networks, through consideration of variations in travel times, distinction between local street and arterial road networks, and the definition and application of a set of reliability indices that may be used to study different trip movements in a network. It indicates how these indices may be used in appraising different traffic management plans for a dense network of local streets and arterial roads, using a case study application.     

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.     

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。     

La place des modèles de trafic dans les récentes modélisations des impacts environnementaux des transports. Importance de l’explicitation des méthodes et hypothèses

The authors present a recent development in the use of classic travel demand models (TDMs) to environmental impact assessment of transport, far from its initial target. By comparing previous cases found in the literature (Chester, Seoul, Florence, Brisbane and Saint-Etienne) with their present works (Eval-PDU in Nantes), the authors notice that their predecessors tend to be evasive on their use of TDM. Hence, traffic data are little discussed in these works, while their works constitute one of the main stakes in this kind of study. Indeed, the hypotheses for traffic modeling are impacting the next steps of the modeling chain (pollutants emission/dispersion). The importance of this first modeling stage implies that relevant attention has to be brought to their assumptions and input data.     

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.     

Report modal: un problème de réseaux ou une question de services ?

Technical and morphological features of rail networks are very different from road networks. How do they influence modal shift for freight transportation? To what extent does spatial distribution of the industry contribute to the success or the failure of a policy in favour of sustainable development?     

World Maritime University

The issue of quality assurance in higher education is at the top of the agenda of universities throughout the world. For the World Maritime University, an institution with highly international staff and student bodies, a complex base of voluntary funding and isolated from any national or European system of education, the problem of defining quality and instituting a quality management system has been a particularly complex and vital task. Our quality standards are the key to our survival.     

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.