Acceleration noise and level of service of urban roads - A case study

Capacity measurement of roads under mixed traffic conditions as prevailing in India is ambiguous as it varies with time, composition of traffic and roadway encroachments. High incidence of slow moving vehicles and tricycles adds to the problem. Volume - capacity ratio appears to be an inadequate measure of defining level of service under mixed traffic situations. An attempt is made in this paper to explore the possibility of presenting unconventional parameters like standard deviation of speed, co-efficient of variation of speed and acceleration noise as possible measures of level of service. Tentative ranges of acceleration noise are proposed in association with flow and speed to explain level of service of urban roads catering to mixed traffic. The results are based on a study conducted in Madras, a major metropolitan city of India.     

Effect of capacity concentration on highway corridor performance

This paper investigates, through use of analytical models, the effects of capacity concentration on highway corridor performance. It concludes that when highways operate at a fixed total capacity, decreasing the highway spacing can increase the average travel time because highways will become more congested. When highways operate below capacity, decreasing the spacing is usually beneficial as it tends to reduce trip length when accessing highways, and allows a greater percentage of travel to be completed on highways instead of arterials.     

Subsidy and public transit performance: A factor analytic approach

The need to measure and evaluate transit system performance has led to the development of numerous performance indicators. However, depending upon the indicator, we oftentimes reach different conclusions regarding transit system performance. The research reported in this paper uses factor analytic methods to generate a set of underlying attributes (factors) that capture the performance of public transit systems in Indiana. Similar to what is reported in the literature, this study finds three attributes that best describe transit system performance: efficiency, effectiveness, and overall performance. Based upon systemsÕ factor scores, the study finds that systems scoring highly on one attribute generally perform well on the remaining attributes. Further, there is an inverse relationship between system performance and subsidies, a finding that supports performance based subsidy allocations.     

既有线提速改造铺架工程施工组织研究

铁路铺架工程施工组织涉及施工方法、进度安排、铺架程序、技术组织措施等。既有线提速改造铺架工程施工组织特点是质量标准高、施工干扰大、配合协调多、施工环节多、线长点多、安全不定因素多。浙赣铁路电气化提速改造工程铺架第三标段施工组织首先确定了工程施工总体方案,无缝线路采用一次性铺设和换铺法施工,大型养路机械起拨道养护,同时配备小型养护机械,简支梁采用架桥机分片架设。施工总体方案下设各绕行区段施工方案和主要分项工程施工方案。施工组织设计包括施工组织机构设置、施工队伍安排、主要施工机械配置、工程运输组织方案、施工进度安排、质量保证措施等。     

麦哲伦海峡介绍及航法

麦哲伦海峡地处南美大陆南端,连接大西洋和太平洋,是南美大陆东西海岸间的重要海上通道。船舶航经麦哲伦海峡与绕行合恩角相比,不仅距离缩短近270n mile,而且合恩角全年风浪较大,冬季常有流冰存在,对于小型船舶和空载船舶航行比较困难,从经济性和安全性上考虑,航经麦哲伦海峡无疑是比较好的选择。     

Air pollution from ships: Recent developments

All developments on air pollution by ships are fairly recent. Annex VI of the international Marpol-convention, regulating the emissions of CFCs, Halons, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from cargoes, emissions from incinerators and exhaust gas emissions from engines (NO_x and SO_x) entered into force in May 2005. The International Maritime Organization is currently discussing an upgrade of the air pollution issues covered by Annex VI and some that are not in Annex VI, such as greenhouse gas emissions. CO₂ is the most important greenhouse gas emitted by ship. Fuel consumption by the world merchant fleet is expected to grow to between 250–300 million tons per year with corresponding CO₂ emissions of 800–960 million tons per year. In Western Europe land based measures have reduced sulphur emissions substantially, leaving shipping as an important remaining source of these emissions. Average sulphur content of heavy fuel oils is 3%, with a limit of 4.5% imposed by Annex VI. Both the Baltic- and the North Sea have the status of SO_x emission control area, limiting sulphur content to 1.5%.     

Investment strategies in market uncertainty

The nature of the global economy is one of dynamic change. Shipping is a service industry with its demand related to changes in international trade levels and patterns. As a consequence shipping is subject to sometimes unpredictable swings in demand so that the operator is required to make strategic planning decisions while navigating through boom or bust environments. While boom economies generate rising freight rates which are welcomed and encourage investment, ship operators may also have to face falling freight demand and declining freight rates that may have significant impact on profitability, often falling to uneconomic levels for extended periods. In such a period of uncertainty and declining profitability management will make operational decisions to reduce costs. However, shipping lines operate in a market environment so any decisions made to rationalize the trade may have significant long-term competitive implications. For example, traditional micro economic theory might suggest that the prudent strategy to adopt would be to close down the operation and reopen when the market conditions improve. In a world of certainty or when costs of taking this action are zero, this would be a valid strategy. However, because of fear of competitors taking up a line's market share if the shipping company exits, even temporarily, this strategy cannot be valued simply in terms of shut-down and start-up costs. A further consideration is the fact that standard capital budgeting techniques, such as Net Present Value (NPV), cannot incorporate the flexibility to respond to new information and strategic responses explicitly into their investment analysis. This paper will demonstrate the use of Real Option Analysis (ROA) to provide guidelines for decisions about closing operations in adverse market conditions.     

黄陵洞大桥水平转体施工关键技术研究

黄陵洞大桥为主跨152m的上承式拱桥，拱肋为劲性钢管骨架混凝土箱形结构。从施工工艺和受力角度对磨心、磨盖的制作方式进行了重点阐述，并着重介绍了该桥转体施工中钢管骨架的受力性能和混凝土徐变带来的影响，对转体施工脱架索力的控制、劲性骨架施工受力和变形监测、劲性骨架箱拱温度效应进行了分析。