The Mediterranean Sea, coastal and deep-sea signatures of climatic and environmental changes

At great scales of time and space, the dynamics of the Mediterranean Sea, a concentration basin, are mainly linked to its freshwater budget. This budget is subject to evolutions due to man's use of freshwater and to climatic changes affecting precipitation and/or evaporation. Marine dynamics and Atlantic, atmospheric and terrestrial inputs are strong constraints for the geochemical behaviour of the Mediterranean Sea. From measurements made during the last decades in the deep western water, it appeared that temperature, salinity, nutrients and trace metal concentrations were changing with time. In spite of its depth, the Mediterranean Sea looks like a coastal ocean, according to its coast length, watershed and number of inhabitants and to its fast response to climatic and environmental changes. The changes discovered in deep homogeneous waters are signatures of evolutions occurred in the surface layer. But in this layer and particularly in coastal waters, climatic and/or environmental trends may be masked by seasonal and interannual variabilities of not only physical and chemical characteristics but also climatic forcing or anthropic inputs. Analyses of river runoff, atmospheric inputs or climatic trends together with marine evolutions indicate constraints concerning probable changes in the coastal sea and/or in the surface water and processes involved at the interfaces. Moreover, changes observed in coastal or deep-water constitute new constraints for the modelling of the marine circulation and the transfer of matter.     

俄罗斯“雄鹰号”新一代高速电动车组（待续）

“雄鹰号”高速电动车组的研制成功,标志着俄罗斯从此跻身世界高速列车生产国行列,本文详细介绍了“雄鹰号”的开发背景、设计思想、布置方案以及主要部件和系统的结构型式和技术性能等。     

WTO与交通企业发展

刘光溪:入世谈判过程本身具有重大意义 入世谈判的过程对于中国经济的发展、中国经济体制改革的深化是一个巨大的教育过程.这次谈判不光是经济和贸易的交锋,还是两种文化、两种理念的碰撞,对中华民族价值取向、理性思维将产生深远的影响.     

基于GIS的道路热区鉴别方法

基于地理信息系统以及热区基本模型,研究了道路热区的鉴别方法。该方法对道路网依据一定优先权进行合并以获取道路基本单元,模拟了交通事故的空间分布,并采用Monte Carlo法定义各道路基本单元交通事故数阈值,通过检验道路基本单元的空间邻近性得到热区,并对上海世博园周边道路热区进行了鉴别。分析结果表明:道路网经合并后,不规则道路基本单元的百分比由41.5%下降到14.8%;世博园周边共有84个仅涉及车辆、33个涉及行人的热区,与实际相符。可见,该方法能有效鉴别道路危险区域。     

An Active Pantograph with Shaped Frequency Response Employing Linear Output Feedback Control

In pantographs used for current collection on high speed electric trains it is desirable to minimise the fluctuations in the contact force between the collector head and the catenary. A simple two-mass linear model is employed for the pantograph and the design of the proposed control system is based on the input admittance at low frequencies. Frequency shaping is incorporated in the performance index, and a simple dynamic controller is employed to achieve optimality in an equivalent transformed system, while minimising the number of feedback quantities to be measured. A significant reduction in the average contact force appears possible.     

Full scale measurements at magnus

The environmental and structural monitoring system on Magnus tower was designed making use of experience from previous monitoring systems on West Sole, Forties and Buchan. The paper describes the measuring systems adopted together with their calibration procedures and independent checks.

The major results in terms of environmental conditions and platform response are discussed. They are compared with the Forties results and standard design procedures. Deterministic and spectral extreme conditions are considered. Where applicable, comparisons are made with other published results.

Finally, the principal conclusions of the measurement programme are presented and discussed. These refer particularly to structural dynamics, coefficients for the Morison equation and appropriate methods of application of wave loading to a deep water structure.     

Estimation of fatigue damage and extreme response for a jack-up platform

Results from four different methods for stochastic dynamic response analysis of a proposed jack-up platform are compared. This structure exhibits both significant dynamic amplification and non-linear transfer of sea elevation into load effects. Both estimation of extreme response and fatigue damage are considered. The most complex procedure based on time-domain simulation and step-by-step integration is employed as a benchmark for assessment of three simplified methods. The simplifications consist of various types of linearization in conjunction with transfer function approximations. Applicability of the methods to structures with increasingly non-linear behaviour and dynamic amplification is briefly discussed.     

Rule-based optimization of midship structures

A rule-based overall design methodology for midship structures of small inland waterways vessels is presented. It is shown how the designer, under conflicting requirements, can select the optimum design by using a combined objective function with priority factors assigned to individual design criteria. The concept of optimization, in large-scale structural design problems, is extended to the local members (the stiffening elements) of the ship structure, so that the stiffeners can be specified by their actual dimensions instead of section moduli. The effects of price-structure (labour rate to material price ratio) and the choice of type of stiffener on design are investigated. Standard sections and optimized fabricated sections are taken as the alternative options for selecting the stiffeners. Conversion of exact mathematical optimum solutions into production-oriented designs is also demonstrated in a series of practical applications of the proposed method.     

The privatization of United Kingdom seaports

The background is described to U.K. port administration and the implementation of the Conservative Goverment's privatization policy is reivewed. The objectives of privatization and the ways in which it has been achieved with trust and municipal port authorities are discussed. The paper goes on to discuss the difficulties encountered in privatizing statutory undertakings and concludes by examining the benefits port managers claim have arisen from the introduction of teh policy.     

Recent trends in ship conversion: an overview

A survey of more than 250 ship conversions between 1980 and 1990 is presented. Conversions are defined as jumboizations of hulls, changes of missions of ship with or without major structural changes, and major reconstruction of cruise liners and passenger ferries. From reports publishd in maritime journals, a database has been established, allowing for analysis of various ratios, principal particulars, and mission changes. Whenever available, evolution of conversion cost and duration over time as well as age, country of build, and converting shipyard are considered. Conclusions are drawn from comparisons of our database with the world fleet. Finally trends in the ship conversion market are discussed.