Simplified p-norm-like constraint LMS algorithm for efficient estimation of underwater acoustic channels

Underwater acoustic channels are recognized for being one of the most difficult propagation media due to considerable difficulties such as: multipath, ambient noise, time-frequency selective fading. The exploitation of sparsity contained in underwater acoustic channels provides a potential solution to improve the performance of underwater acoustic channel estimation. Compared with the classic l ₀ and l ₁ norm constraint LMS algorithms, the p-norm-like (l _p ) constraint LMS algorithm proposed in our previous investigation exhibits better sparsity exploitation performance at the presence of channel variations, as it enables the adaptability to the sparseness by tuning of p parameter. However, the decimal exponential calculation associated with the p-norm-like constraint LMS algorithm poses considerable limitations in practical application. In this paper, a simplified variant of the p-norm-like constraint LMS was proposed with the employment of Newton iteration method to approximate the decimal exponential calculation. Numerical simulations and the experimental results obtained in physical shallow water channels demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method compared to traditional norm constraint LMS algorithms.     

PIV study of the effect of piston position on the in-cylinder swirling flow during the scavenging process in large two-stroke marine diesel engines

A simplified model of a low speed large two-stroke marine diesel engine cylinder is developed. The effect of piston position on the in-cylinder swirling flow during the scavenging process is studied using the stereoscopic particle image velocimetry technique. The measurements are conducted at different cross-sectional planes along the cylinder length and at piston positions covering the air intake port by 0, 25, 50 and 75 %. When the intake port is fully open, the tangential velocity profile is similar to a Burgers vortex, whereas the axial velocity has a wake-like profile. Due to internal wall friction, the swirl decays downstream, and the size of the vortex core increases. For increasing port closures, the tangential velocity profile changes from a Burgers vortex to a forced vortex, and the axial velocity changes correspondingly from a wake-like profile to a jet-like profile. For piston position with 75 % intake port closure, the jet-like axial velocity profile at a cross-sectional plane close to the intake port changes back to a wake-like profile at the adjacent downstream cross-sectional plane. This is characteristic of a vortex breakdown. The non-dimensional velocity profiles show no significant variation with the variation in Reynolds number.     

Small-Scale Sicilian Fisheries: Opinions of Artisanal Fishers and Sociocultural Effects in Two MPA Case Studies

Marine resource management and related stakeholder conflicts have been clearly defined in recent decades as pressing issues worldwide. This article provides a comparative study of the management regimes of the Gulf of Castellammare Fishery Reserve and the Egadi Islands Marine Reserve in Sicily, Italy. What managers in these two reserves have neglected to include in management is a social science evaluation scheme to ensure the development of more effective overall management. This is a significant problem in both Italy and the rest of the Mediterranean, where few sociocultural and economic studies have been conducted. Using data collected with standard anthropological field methods, analysis was conducted on how artisanal fishers are impacted by reserves, the extent of their knowledge regarding regulations, their opinions on management, and demographics. The results indicate that while fishers in the two case studies are all aware of the marine reserves where they fish, most fishers are not well informed of the associated regulations. Fishers feel alienated from the management process, and would feel more comfortable with reserve managers and regulations if they were involved in management. The article concludes by showing how such data could help to develop more useful and practical management practices in both these and other MPAs with similar problems.     

Random regret minimization or random utility maximization: an exploratory analysis in the context of automobile fuel choice

Interest in alternative behavioural paradigms to random utility maximization (RUM) has existed ever since the dominance of the RUM formulation. One alternative is known as random regret minimization (RRM), which suggests that when choosing between alternatives, decision makers aim to minimize anticipated regret. Although the idea of regret is not new, its incorporation into the same discrete choice framework of RUM is very recent. This paper is the first to apply the RRM‐model framework to model choice amongst durable goods. Specifically, we estimate and compare the RRM and RUM models in a stated choice context of choosing amongst vehicles fuelled with petrol, diesel and hybrid (associated with specific levels of fuel efficiency and engine capacity). The RRM model is found to achieve a marginally better fit (using a non‐nested test of differences) than its equally parsimonious RUM counterpart. As a second contribution, we derive a formulation for regret‐based elasticities and compare utility‐based and regret‐based elasticities in the context of stated vehicle type choices. We find that in the context of our choice data, mean estimates of elasticities are different for many of the attributes and alternatives. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A dynamic route choice model for public transport networks with boarding queues

Abstract

The concepts of optimal strategy and hyperpath were born within the framework of static frequency-based public transport assignment, where it is assumed that travel times and frequencies do not change over time and no overcrowding occurs. However, the formation of queues at public transport stops can prevent passengers from boarding the first vehicle approaching and can thus lead to additional delays in their trip. Assuming that passengers know from previous experience that for certain stops/lines they will have to wait for the arrival of the 2nd, 3rd, …, k-th vehicle, they may alter their route choices, thus resulting in a different assignment of flows across the network. The aim of this paper is to investigate route choice behaviour changes as a result of the formation and dispersion of queues at stops within the framework of optimal travel strategies. A new model is developed, based on modifications of existing algorithms.     

Robust design optimization of the dynamic responses of a tracked vehicle system

This paper presents the robust design optimization of the dynamic responses of a heavy military tracked vehicle system. The tracked vehicle model addressed in this study has 954 degrees of freedom and consists of 189 bodies in total: 37 bodies for the chassis, such as sprockets, road wheels, road arms, etc.; 76 track link bodies for each track subsystem; 36 revolute joints; and 152 bushing elements. The design objectives were to minimize the maximum vertical acceleration of the hull and its variance while satisfying the wheel travel constraints for torsion bars and the hydro-pneumatic suspension units within ±1σ ranges. To avoid the difficulty of the design sensitivity analysis and to overcome the numerical noise, a progressive meta-model technique was employed in the optimization process. First, space-filling methods were used to determine the minimum number of sample points. Second, the simultaneous kriging method was used to construct the initial meta-models, and the augmented Lagrange multiplier (ALM) method was then used to solve the robust design problems of the meta-models. Third, the new design results were added to the analysis results for the initial sample points, and the meta-models were updated automatically. Next, the optimizer resolved the robust design problems of the updated meta-models. These processes were repeated until the convergence tolerances were satisfied. The robust design optimization of the tracked vehicle system, with 11 random design variables, was solved in only 26 analyses, including 12 analyses for the initial meta-models and 14 analyses added during the iterative optimization process.     

Reduction of emissions with propane addition to a diesel engine

Recent studies on dual-fuel combustion in compression-ignition (CI) engines, also known as diesel engines, fall into two categories. In the first category are studies focused on the addition of small amounts of gaseous fuel to CI engines. In these studies, gaseous fuel is regarded as a secondary fuel and diesel fuel is regarded as the main fuel for combustion. The objectives of these studies typically involve reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions by using gaseous fuel as a partial substitution for diesel fuel. However, the addition of gaseous fuel raises the combustion temperature, which increases emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x). In the second category are studies focused on reactivity-controlled compression-ignition (RCCI) combustion. RCCI combustion can be implemented by early diesel injection with a large amount of low-reactivity fuel such as gasoline or gaseous fuel. Although RCCI combustion promises lower NO_x and PM emissions and higher thermal efficiency than conventional diesel combustion, it requires a higher intake pressure (usually more than 1.7 bars) to maintain a lean fuel mixture. Therefore, in this study, practical applications of dual-fuel combustion with a low air-fuel ratio (AFR), which implies a low intake pressure, were systemically evaluated using propane in a diesel engine. The characteristics of dualfuel combustion for high and low AFRs were first evaluated. The proportion of propane used for four different operating conditions was then increased to decrease emissions and to identify the optimal condition for dual-fuel combustion. Although the four operating conditions differ, the AFR was maintained at 20 (? approximately equal to 0.72) and the 50% mass fraction burned (MFB 50) was also fixed. The results show that dual-fuel combustion can reduce NO_x and PM emissions in comparison to conventional diesel combustion.     

Application of warm forming aluminum alloy parts for automotive body based on impact

Aluminum alloys are important technological materials for the application on lightweight design and development of vehicle body. The research works for characterizing warm forming behavior of aluminum alloys have generally reported. However, there were few researches focused on the flow behavior of warm forming aluminum alloy parts for the energy absorbing performance during crash. The tensile stress-strain response for warm forming AA5182 specimens tested under the strain rates of 0.0015 s^?1, 0.015 s^?1, 0.15 s^?1 and 1.5 s^?1 are presented in this paper. The data were fit to the Johnson-Cook constitutive model for the simulation of frontal impact. The energy absorbing performance of warm forming AA5182 parts were analyzed. The results show the higher flow stresses and lower fractured strain of warm forming aluminum alloy parts with the strain rate increasing. The flow stresses of warm forming aluminum alloy parts are insensitive to strain rate, while the fractured strain and elongation are sensitive to strain rate. The intrusion displacement of the warm forming aluminum alloy parts is appropriate for the satisfaction of vehicle body design avoiding the excessive deformation for the injury of passenger or the failure of frontal door opening. The feasibility of warm forming aluminum alloy parts is verified with the analysis of energy absorbing performance, stiffness and modal of vehicle body.     

Improved optimal controller for start-up of amt trucks in consideration of driver’s intention

A linear-quadratic optimal controller is proposed for vehicle start-up, which is designed as a linear feedback form of the states and the measured (estimated) disturbances. The requirements of less friction loss and less driveline shock are represented by the weighting matrices of the cost function. The driver’s intension is also considered and the controller gains are adjusted on-line accordingly. The designed control strategy is tested on a complete powertrain simulation model. Through large amount of simulations, it is verified that the system is robust to the variations of driving conditions, such as variation of vehicle mass and road grade. It is also shown that the control performance is influenced greatly by the estimation error of engine torque and clutch torque, and the acceptable level of mean estimation error is about ±10%.     

Optimal fuel-cut driving method for better fuel economy

Eco-drive methods are being applied in modern passenger cars in the form of LCD displays showing real-time fuel consumption rates. The eco-drive is one of the most promising methods to enhance the fuel economy of vehicles. The ecodrive method can be made more effective by using the fuel-cut function. The fuel is not injected when the driver does not depress the gas pedal of a vehicle with engine speeds higher than approximately 1,500 rpm above the mid-vehicle speed range. This function is known as the fuel-cut function, and almost every modern vehicle is equipped with this function. The fuel-cut is most frequently activated on downhill sections of highway. Therefore, the CO₂ exhausted from the vehicle can be zero in this downhill section. In this study, the fuel-cut function is simulated with CRUISE of AVL to find the most effective driving pattern in downhill sections. Simulations with the CRUISE software showed that the lower limit of the vehicle speed for fuelcut should be raised to improve fuel economy on steeper downhill sections. The fuel economy can be optimized when the fuelcut coasting and reacceleration is completed in the downhill part of the road. The simulation result was also compared to previous test results. Fuel consumption was reduced by approximately 4% in both the experimental and simulated results for the West Coast Highway in South Korea.