A robust,data-driven methodology for real-world driving cycle development

This paper develops a robust, data-driven Markov Chain method to capture real-world behaviour in a driving cycle without deconstructing the raw velocity–time sequence. The accuracy of the driving cycles developed using this method was assessed on nine metrics as a function of the number of velocity states, driving cycle length and number of Markov repetitions. The road grade was introduced using vehicle specific power and a velocity penalty. The method was demonstrated on a corpus of 1180 km from a trial of electric scooters. The accuracies of the candidate driving cycles depended most strongly on the number of Markov repetitions. The best driving cycle used 135 velocity modes, was 500 s and captured the corpus behaviour to within 5% after 1,000,000 Markov repetitions. In general, the best driving cycle reproduced the corpus behaviour better when road grade was included.     

石灰岩质碎石最大干密度理论计算方法研究

文章通过推证两粒级石灰岩质碎石最大干密度公式,并结合压碎效应及材料变异性对混合料最大干密度的影响分析,得出了三种粒级石灰岩质碎石以任意比例掺配时的混合料最大干密度的一般求法,为石灰岩质碎石最大干密度问题的求解提供方法依据。     

Experiments and thermal-electrical analysis of buss bar and relay assemblies in junction blocks

A junction block (or electrical distribution box) is electrical equipment that has been densely assembled from components such as buss bars, relays, and fuses to control the electric current flow in vehicles. Joule heat is generated in these parts as a result of electrical bulk resistance and electrical contact resistance. The generation of heat increases due to the complex behavior of modern vehicle electronic systems. Overheated parts can be damaged during operation due to thermal energy. The thermal assessment of a junction block is an important issue in automobile development. We suggest a methodology to simulate the transient temperature distribution of buss bars and electrical relays in a junction block. A finite element formulation of a coupled electro-thermal problem, which includes the effect of Joule heating, is introduced to the simulation. Finite element analysis (FEA) and experiments at the component level of buss bars and relays are conducted to investigate the thermal performance of a junction block. To verify the accuracy of the FEA procedure, the temperature history obtained by FEA is compared with the results obtained from experiments. The thermal-electric analysis of a typical junction block assembly is also discussed.     

Increase of metro line capacity by optimisation of track circuit length and location: In a distance to go system

The signalling system affects the type of service that can be provided on any particular railway line. The aims set when it comes to designing these systems to operate a railway line are: to ensure safety of operation and to ensure flexible and efficient running. When building a line capacity optimisation algorithm, it must reach a compromise solution between two parameters: minimise the interval between trains and keep journey time as low as possible. This paper aims to describe the algorithm developed between METRO DE MADRID and CITEF (Railway Technology Research Centre of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid – UPM) that allows the capacity of an underground line equipped with ATP Distance To Go systems to be studied and optimised. This algorithm facilitates the tasks of signalling design and optimisation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

路面强度的非破坏评估

准备充分和及时的养护计划或根据交通量的需求进行公路升级,都需要对现有路面能力及路面可服务性进行评估。使用动态荷载非破坏方法,收集大量的路面结构情况现场信息,方便快捷,能节约成本,数据可信度也很高。     

Hydrography and biogeochemistry of the north western Bay of Bengal and the north eastern Arabian Sea during winter monsoon

The north eastern Arabian Sea and the north western Bay of Bengal within the Indian exclusive economic zone were explored for their environmental characteristics during the winter monsoons of 2000 and 2001 respectively. The two regions were found to respond paradoxically to comparable intensities of the atmospheric forcing. There is an asymmetry in the net heat exchange of these two basins with atmosphere because of the varying thickness of barrier layer. During winter, the convective mixing in the Arabian Sea is driven by net heat loss from the ocean, whereas the Bay of Bengal does not contribute to such large heat loss to the atmosphere. It appears that the subduction of high saline Arabian Sea water mass is the mechanism behind the formation of a barrier layer in the northeast Arabian Sea; whereas that in the Bay of Bengal and the southeast Arabian Sea are already established as due to low saline water mass. The weak barrier layer in the Arabian Sea yields to the predominance of convective mixing to bring in nitrate-rich waters from the deeper layers to the surface, thereby supporting enhanced biological production. On the other hand, the river discharge into the Bay of Bengal during this period results in the formation of a thick and stable barrier layer, which insulates vertical mixing and provide oligotrophic condition in the Bay.     

pH variability and CO2 induced acidification in the North Sea

A coupled carbonate system–marine ecosystem–hydrodynamic model is used to simulate the temporal and spatial variability in pH across the southern North Sea as it relates to the environmental and biological processes affecting CO₂, namely, photosynthesis and respiration, riverine boundary conditions and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Annual pH ranges are found to vary from < 0.2 in areas of low biological activity to > 1.0 in areas influenced by riverine signals, consistent with observations and previous studies. It is shown that benthic, as well as pelagic, activity is an important factor in this variability. The acidification of the region due to increased fluxes of atmospheric CO₂ into the marine system is calculated and shown to exceed, on average, 0.1 pH units over the next 50 years and result in a total acidification of 0.5 pH units below pre-industrial levels at atmospheric CO₂ concentrations of 1000 ppm. The potential for measurable changes in biogeochemistry are demonstrated by simulating the observed inhibition of pelagic nitrification with decreasing pH. However, we conclude that there is a lack of knowledge of how acidification might affect the complex interaction of processes that govern marine biogeochemical cycles and a consequent need for further research and observations.     

Data assimilation with the Ensemble Kalman Filter and the SEIK filter applied to a finite element model of the North Atlantic

Currently there are different approaches to filter algorithms based on the Kalman filter. One of the most used filter algorithms is the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF). It uses a Monte Carlo approach to the filtering problem. Another approach is given by the Singular Evolutive Extended Kalman (SEEK) and Singular Evolutive Interpolated Kalman (SEIK) filters. These filters operate explicitly on a low-dimensional error space which is represented by an ensemble of model states. The EnKF and the SEIK filter have been implemented within a parallel data assimilation framework in the Finite Element Ocean Model FEOM. In order to compare the filter performances of the algorithms, several data assimilation experiments are performed. The filter algorithms have been applied with a model configuration of FEOM for the North Atlantic to assimilate the sea surface height in twin experiments. The dependence of the filter estimates on the represented error subspace is discussed. In the experiments the SEIK algorithm provides better estimates than the EnKF. Furthermore, the SEIK filter is much cheaper in terms of computing time.     

Dynamics of suprabenthos-zooplankton communities around the Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean): Influence of environmental variables and effects on the biological cycle of Aristeus antennatus

Dynamics of suprabenthos and zooplankton were analyzed in two areas located in the NW (off Sóller harbour) and S (off Cabrera Archipelago) of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean) at depths ranging between 135–780 m. Four stations situated respectively at 150 m (shelf-slope break), and at bathyal depths of 350, 650 and 750 m were sampled at bi-monthly intervals during six cruises performed between August 2003 and June 2004. Suprabenthos showed maximum biomass in both areas from late spring to summer (April to August), while minimum biomass was found in autumn (September–November). Though variable, temporal dynamics of zooplankton showed peaks of biomass in late winter and summer (February and June), while minimals occurred in autumn (August–September) and, at bathyal depths, in April. Suprabenthos (abundance; MDS analyses) showed a sample aggregation as a function of depth (3 groups corresponding to the shelf-slope break, upper slope — over 350 m; and the middle, deeper part of the slope — over 650–750 m), without any separation of hauls by season. By contrast, zooplankton samples were separated by season and not by depth. There was evidence of three seasonal groups corresponding to summer (June 2004–August 2003), autumn–winter (September and November 2003, February 2004), and spring (April 2004), being especially well established off Sóller. In general, suprabenthos was significantly correlated with the sediment variables (e.g. total organic matter content (% OM), potential REDOX), whereas zooplankton was almost exclusively dependent on Chl a at the surface, which suggests two different food sources for suprabenthos and zooplankton. The increase of suprabenthos abundance in April–June was paralleled by a sharp increase (ca. 2.8 times) in the %OM on sediment during the same period, coupled ca. 1–2 months of delay with the peak of surface Chl a recorded in February–March (from satellite imagery data). Suprabenthos biomass was also correlated with salinity close to the bottom, suggesting a link between suprabenthos abundance and changes in the oceanographic condition of water masses close to the bottom. It is suggested that a higher suprabenthos biomass recorded off Sóller in comparison to that off Cabrera in June could, in turn, be related to a seasonal inflow of Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) in April–June in this area at mid bathyal depths (350–650 m). This trend would be based on: 1) it was evident only at mid-slope depths between 350–750 m, coinciding with the LIW distribution, and 2) it was not recorded among zooplankton (collected throughout the water column). The possible effect of the fluctuations of suprabenthos and zooplankton on higher trophic levels has been explored studying the diet and food consumption rates of the red shrimp Aristeus antennatus, as indicator species by its dominance in bathyal communities. A. antennatus increased its food consumption from February to April–June 2004 off Sóller, which in the case of large (CL > 40 mm) specimens was found in both areas. In addition, there was a shift of diet from winter to spring–early summer. In this last period, A. antennatus preyed upon euphausiids and mesopelagic decapods and fish, while benthos (e.g. polychaetes and bivalves) decreased in the diet. This indicates an increase in the food consumption and probably in the caloric content of the diet in pre-spawning females in April–June 2004, which is synchronized with the period when gonad development begins in A. antennatus females (May–June). Anyway, macrozooplankton, and not suprabenthos, is crucial as a high energetic food source in the coupling between food intake and reproduction in the red shrimp.