Assessment of port economic impacts on regional economy with a case study on the Port of Lisbon

This article presents a method of assessing the economic impacts of ports at both regional level and national level, through application of input–output analysis. To this end, a methodology for data collection is proposed, which combines a top-down with a bottom-up approach which should help in surpassing some of the difficulties commonly faced in port economic impact studies. The presented methodology allows port planners and policymakers to assess the economic significance and geographic reach of port investments. This study considers the economic impacts of the port cluster and the socio-economic significance of port user industries. The several layers of the analysis are kept separate to allow a better grasp of direct and indirect impacts. The proposed methodology is demonstrated in a study of the Port of Lisbon, which confirms the significance of this port to the Portuguese economy, and also demonstrates that the influence of the Port of Lisbon is mostly limited to an area in close proximity to the port. Therefore, results suggest that investments for the development of logistic infrastructures associated with the port should concentrate in the immediate hinterland of the port.     

Numerical Analysis of Stress Concentration in Non-uniformly Corroded Small-Scale Specimens

A numerical evaluation of stress concentrations of corroded plate surfaces of small-scale corroded steel specimens is compared with the experimentally estimated...     

系统识别法在双自由度涡激振动试验研究中应用(英文)

采用系统识别的方法对双自由度圆柱体的涡激振动特性进行了分析研究.试验是在美国麻省理工大学开展,在得到的圆柱体涡激振动轨迹中,由于受到试验条件的影响,如自由液面和水池池底,得到的轨迹并非对称的"8字形".因此首先对原始试验结果进行了分解,得到其傅里叶级数展开形式,然后采用了系统识别的方法对其进行分解,分别得到对称和非对称的试验结果,并认为对称的结果为理想或深海条件下圆柱体的涡激振动轨迹,而在自由液面和水池池底等其他因数的干扰下,产生了非对称的试验结果.     

Geochemical controls on distributions and speciation of As and Hg in sediments along the Gaoping (Kaoping) Estuary–Canyon system off southwestern Taiwan

Surface and box-cored sediments were collected along the Gaoping (formerly spelled Kaoping) Estuary–Canyon system and analyzed for As and Hg contents and speciation, ²¹⁰Pb-based sedimentation rates and various geochemical parameters to elucidate the mechanisms that control natural and anthropogenic inputs of As and Hg from the Gaoping (Kaoping) River (KPR). The contents of As and Hg in surface sediments ranged from 1.84 to 20.7 mg kg^− 1 and from 0.07 to 2.15 mg kg^− 1, respectively, in the estuary and canyon. The concentrations generally decreased from the lower river toward the mixing boundary and then increased toward the estuarine mouth, followed by a slight variation in the canyon. Both As and Hg concentrations correlated strongly with clay, total organic carbon (TOC), Al, Fe and Mn contents in estuarine sediments but not necessary the same cases for canyon surface sediments. The factor analysis of surface sediments shows that the first two factors, which account for 75.6% of the variance, may represent major roles of carriers (clay, Al and Fe–Mn oxides) and TOC in controlling As and Hg distributions, respectively. Accordingly, the spatial patterns of the enrichments of As (1.9–16.2) and Hg (1.8–30.8) with reference to the crust levels follow the individual element's distribution patterns, likely because of deposition variability following inputs from the river. The contents of mobile As and Hg correlated substantially with the contents of both metals that were extracted with 0.1 M HCl. In addition to the major pool in the residual fraction (65–87%), As was relatively abundant in Fe–Mn oxides/hydroxides, whereas Hg was abundant in the organic/sulfide fraction. The deposition and accumulation rates of As and Hg in the canyon clearly decreased as the depth of water increased. The depth distributions of both metals are likely controlled primarily by TOC and Fe–Mn oxides associated factors followed by a contribution from anthropogenic pollution. The metal pollution appears to have increased substantially around 1970, following the economic boom in Taiwan, suggesting that modern sediments in the Gaoping (Kaoping) Canyon were derived from the Gaoping (Kaoping) River (KPR).     

Asymmetry of Columbia River tidal plume fronts

Columbia River tidal plume dynamics can be explained in terms of two asymmetries related to plume-front depth and internal wave generation. These asymmetries may be an important factor contributing to the observed greater primary productivity and phytoplankton standing crop on the Washington shelf. The tidal plume (the most recent ebb outflow from the estuary) is initially supercritical with respect to the frontal internal Froude number F_R on strong ebbs. It is separated from the rotating plume bulge by a front, whose properties are very different under upwelling vs. downwelling conditions. Under summer upwelling conditions, tidal plume fronts are sharp and narrow (< 20–50 m wide) on their upwind or northern side and mark a transition from supercritical to subcritical flow for up to 12 h after high water. Such sharp fronts are a source of turbulent mixing, despite the strong stratification. Because the tidal plume may overlie newly upwelled waters, these fronts can mix nutrients into the plume. Symmetry would suggest that there should be a sharp front south of the estuary mouth under summer downwelling conditions. Instead, the downwelling tidal plume front is usually diffuse on its upstream side. Mixing is weaker, and the water masses immediately below are low in nutrients. There is also an upwelling–downwelling asymmetry in internal wave generation. During upwelling and weak wind conditions, plume fronts often generate trains of non-linear internal waves as they transition from a supercritical to a subcritical state. Under downwelling conditions, internal wave release is less common and the waves are less energetic. Furthermore, regardless of wind conditions, solition formation almost always begins on the south side of the plume so that the front “unzips” from south to north. This distinction is important, because these internal waves contribute to vertical mixing in the plume bulge and transport low-salinity water across the tidal plume into the plume bulge.F_R and plume depth are key parameters in distinguishing the upwelling and downwelling situations, and these two asymmetries can be explained in terms of potential vorticity conservation. The divergence of the tidal outflow after it leaves the estuary embeds relative vorticity in the emerging tidal plume water mass. This vorticity controls the transition of the tidal plume front to a subcritical state and consequently the timing and location of internal wave generation by plume fronts.     

Fine sediment deposits in shelf seas

From field observations it appears that the top layer of a shelf bottom in general exhibits an intricate geographical pattern of sediment formations. Sediments of different composition are confined in distinct regions. This contradicts the idea that current and wave forces stir up bottom sediment and disperse it in a random way over the shelf; the dispersal process is counteracted by sorting mechanisms. In this paper the bottom patterns of fine cohesive sediments are considered. A specific sorting mechanism is studied which may explain the patchy structure of fine sediment deposits. It is shown that fine sediments can be trapped in bottom deposits which contain a fine sediment fraction high enough to prevent pore water motion in the shelf bed. This mechanism opposes sediment dispersal away from existing deposits. It may also explain the formation or the preservation of mud patches, even in regions where the bottom shear stress is relatively high.     

Fatigue life prediction of welded stiffened 350WT steel plates

The propagation of fatigue cracks under constant amplitude cyclic loading was studied in welded stiffened steel plates. The residual stresses in the stiffened plates were measured using the neutron diffraction strain-scanning technique. A finite element model of the stiffened plate was constructed to simulate the residual stresses by an uncoupled thermal and thermo-mechanical analysis. Both the finite element model and the neutron diffraction measurements indicated that in general the residual stresses were tensile near the welded stiffeners and compressive between the stiffeners and ahead of the starter notch tip. Fatigue testing indicated that the fatigue crack growth rates of the stiffened plates were in general lower than that of a corresponding unstiffened plate, especially near the notch tip where compressive residual stresses existed. Both the finite element method and Green's function predicted the fatigue crack growth rates with reasonable accuracy.     

GPS-based speed collection method for road traffic noise mapping

One of the most difficult and expensive tasks in making noise pollution maps is the collection and processing of the data needed to create acoustic models. In the case of road traffic noise maps, obtaining speed data for light and heavy vehicles a problem that has usually been avoided by using a road’s speed limit or by making assumptions based on experience from similar road types. Here global positioning systems-based techniques are applied for acquiring vehicle speed data and adapted to fulfill the requirements of noise prediction models.     

L’intégration territoriale des gares sur lignes à grande vitesse en France : une approche typologique

Construction of high-speed railway lines (Lignes à Grande Vitesse — LGV in French) in France and in other European countries has brought considerable changes in railway accessibility for the areas linked to this fast transport network. The new stations on the high-speed lines take maximum advantage of such relational gains. However, mass transit access to these stations often constitutes a problem. Their locations, which are frequently exurban, are not determined by considerations involving efficient mass transit service links, and especially railway links. This situation creates difficulties for prior and subsequent passenger travel, and it means that the local players have to develop new access routes of variable quality. The present article puts forward a quality analysis covering territorial integration of high-speed railway stations via typology of the interactions between these new service points and the established stations in central locations. In a context marked by the increasing burdens placed on local authorities regarding financing for new high-speed railway infrastructures, we examine whether these changes in the players’ roles encourage enhanced consideration as to positioning of high-speed railway stations in relation to accessibility criteria for mass transit.     

Designing a non-linear tracking controller for vehicle active suspension systems using an optimization process

In this paper, a new non-linear tracking controller for vehicle active suspension systems is analytically designed using an optimization process. The proposed scheme employs a realistic non-linear quarter-car model, which is composed of a hardening spring and a quadratic damping force. The control input is the external active suspension force and is determined by minimizing a performance index defined as a weighted combination of conflicting objectives, namely ride quality, handling performance and control energy. A linear skyhook model with standard parameters is used as the reference model to be tracked by the controller. The robustness of the proposed controller in the presence of modeling uncertainties is investigated. The performed analysis and the simulation results indicate that both vehicle ride comfort and handling performance can be improved using the minimum external force when the proposed non-linear controller is engaged with the model. Meanwhile, a compromise between different objectives and control energy can easily be made by regulating their respective weighting factors, which are the free parameters of the control law.