On appropriate microstate descriptions in entropy modelling

Using an information-theoretic approach to entropy modelling, expressions for the possible number of microstates are derived from the sets of choices available to households and firms in given location/transport planning situations. In planning applications, the urban space is usually subdivided into discrete zones, and various classes of householders and firms are grouped into separate activities. Nevertheless, the location sites within zones may vary considerably in accessibility, price and quality, and amenity v. cost trade-offs between location and travel many differ markedly between individuals within the same activity group. The inclusion of such variations within a random utility framework is demonstrated to be equivalent to maximizing entropy with the microstates disaggregated to the level where these variations occur. Using constraints based on spatial conditions, observed behaviour and planning policy, entropy maximization is used to determine the most probable macrostate according to each choice set specification. The resulting distributions are compared and their revelance discussed.     

Design of ferrite magnet CFSM to improve speed response of EPS system

This paper deals with the speed response characteristic of the concentrated flux synchronous motor (CFSM) using ferrite magnets for the electric power steering (EPS) system. To analyze the response characteristic of the CFSM, an analytical method using the electromechanical undamped natural frequency and damping ratio based on the transfer function is proposed. By using the method, the speed response according to the variations of the shape of the permanent magnets (PMs) and rotor core is analyzed. It was analyzed under the conditions of the constant volume of the PMs as well as the constant diameter of the rotor. By using the proposed analysis method, the improved model is desgined based on the initial model fulfilling the required specifications. Finally, the torque and speed response characteristics of two motors are simulated through the finite element analysis (FEA) and MATLAB Simulink.     

Lifting Capability and Stress Analyses of the Crane System for a Large-Sized Tactical Wrecker

A large-sized tactical wrecker is a special-purpose vehicle that lifts and tows tactical vehicles and heavy loads. It consists of a crane, a post structure, outriggers and a suitable chassis truck, and during its initial design, the structural safety and tipping stability should be preemptively examined in terms of the layout of these components. This paper proposes computer-aided engineering (CAE) methods to evaluate the maximum lifting capacity of the wrecker and the structural safety of its crane during the initial design. The analytical model for the large-sized wrecker is constructed with 236 degrees of freedom by combining the crane system developed using the ADAMS macros with the dynamic model of large chassis truck with an axle suspension. The design parameters for the wrecker model that influence the tipping stability are selected, and then the maximum lifting loads with the corresponding changes are calculated. This parametric study shows that the characteristics of the boom and the layout of the outriggers greatly affect the maximum lifting capacity. Finite element (FE) analyses of the 1st stage boom and the 3rd stage boom show the stresses under the maximum overturning moment condition are within the allowable strength.     

Comparison of inter‐city bi‐modal split models

Using data collected from rail and air passengers on two inter‐city routes in the U.K., seven different model formulations were set up and tested in order to ascertain the most appropriate model format. As a result of the work carried out, it is concluded that a simple Entropy‐type model based on the theoretical work of A. G. Wilson and utilising a linear generalised cost function is the most suitable. Other useful parameters emerging from the work are perceived values of travel time, and a weighting factor for night travel.     

Book review

Modern Transport Geography. Edited by R. S. Hoyle and R. D. Knowles on behalf of the Transport Geography Study Group of the Institute of British Geographers. (London: Belhaven, 1992.) [Pp.276.] £15–99 (Paperback). ISBN 1 852 93158 2; £45·00 (Hardback). ISBN 1 852 93157 4.     

Vehicle distance estimation using a mono-camera for FCW/AEB systems

For robust vision-based forward collision warning (FCW) and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems, not only reliable detection performance including high detection rate and low false positives but also accurate measurement output of a target vehicle is required. Especially, in order to reduce false alarm or activation of FCW/AEB systems, the systems require the precise measurement output of a target object, such as position, velocity, acceleration, and time-to-collision (TTC). In this study, we developed a measurement estimation algorithm of a target vehicle using a monocular camera. This method estimates two cases of vehicle widths for a target vehicle by using the detected lane information and a pin-hole camera model. After that, the position, velocity, acceleration, and TTC of a target vehicle are estimated by using a Kalman filter for the each estimated vehicle width. To improve robustness, the both estimation results using the detected lane information and the pinhole camera model are fused. This estimation algorithm was evaluated and compared with the state-of-the-art technology. As a result, the proposed measurement output estimation method can improve the performance of the FCW/AEB systems.     

Ontology-based approach for legal provision retrieval

In this paper, we present an ontology-based approach for legal provision retrieval. The approach aims at assisting the man who knows little about legal knowledge to inquire appropriate provisions. Legal ontology and legal concept probability model are main functional components in our approach. Legal ontology is extracted from Chinese laws by the natural language processing (NLP) techniques. Legal concept probability model is built from corpus, and the model is used to bridge the gap between legal ontology and natural language inquiries.     

Mining evolving association rules for e-business recommendation

Association analysis is an effective data mining approach capable of unveiling interesting associations within a large dataset. Although widely adopted in e-business areas, it still has many difficulties when applied in practice. For instance, there is a mismatch between the static rules discovered and the drifting nature of the user interests, and it is difficult to detect associations from a huge volume of raw user data. This paper presents an effective approach to mine evolving association rules in order to tackle these problems. It is followed by a recommendation model based on the evolving association rules unveiled. Experimental results on an online toggery show that it can effectively unveil people’s shifting interests and make better recommendations accordingly.     

Effects of Injection Timing on Transient Performance of A Regulated Two-Stage Turbocharged Diesel Engine with Turbine Bypass Valve

The object of this paper is to reduce soot emissions under typical 5s transient conditions of constant speed and increasing torque. And effects of fuel injection timing on combustion and emissions parameters were experimentally and numerically studied in a regulated two-stage turbocharged diesel engine with a turbine bypass valve (TBV). The test results indicated that: the smaller TBV opening could improve deterioration of smoke emissions and BSFC at medium and heavy loads. Afterward, the full-stage injection timing (FSIT) strategies (delaying injection timing during the entire transient process) could reduce soot and NO_X emissions simultaneously. However, when TBV opening became larger, smoke emissions and BSFC were deteriorated gradually. Moreover, the sectional-stage injection timing (SSIT) strategies (advancing injection timing from 10 % load to a preset load and delaying injection timing from the preset load to 100 % load) could markedly reduce soot emissions by 75.8 % with TBV opening 20 %; the degradation of fuel consumption could be effectively suppressed. Finally, coupling the SSIT strategies with the TBV control strategies could significantly improve the transient performance.