A generic class of first order node models for dynamic macroscopic simulation of traffic flows

Node models for macroscopic simulation have attracted relatively little attention in the literature. Nevertheless, in dynamic network loading (DNL) models for congested road networks, node models are as important as the extensively studied link models. This paper provides an overview of macroscopic node models found in the literature, explaining both their contributions and shortcomings. A formulation defining a generic class of first order macroscopic node models is presented, satisfying a list of requirements necessary to produce node models with realistic, consistent results. Defining a specific node model instance of this class requires the specification of a supply constraint interaction rule and (optionally) node supply constraints. Following this theoretical discussion, specific macroscopic node model instances for unsignalized and signalized intersections are proposed. These models apply an oriented capacity proportional distribution of the available supply over the incoming links of a node. A computationally efficient algorithm to solve the node models exactly is included.     

Engine performance and toxic gas analysis of biobutanol-blended gasoline as a vehicle fuel

A comprehensive study evaluating the performance of biobutanol-blended gasoline in passenger cars was conducted because biobutanol is considered a better biofuel than bioethanol as it has no water solubility and it has a higher caloric value, giving it a higher energy value. Several kinds of samples—suboctane gasoline, 8 volume percentage and 16 volume percentage biobutanol—blended gasoline, and a 10 volume percentage MTBE-blended market sample (as the oxygencontaining gasoline)-were tested to evaluate the engine performance in terms of the detergency of the intake valves and combustion chambers, power, emissions, and fuel efficiency. Additionally, the toxicity of the emissions from these biobutanolblended samples was tested in order to assess the viability of biobutanol as one of the competitive potential substitutes for MTBE as an oxygenator in the near future. The results show that biobutanol-blended gasoline samples had relatively better detergency, relatively higher power, and similar levels of emissions compared with those of MTBE-blended gasoline. Formaldehyde was emitted from all of the samples at almost the same levels and within the error range, whereas biobutanolblended gasoline samples emitted approximately three times the amount of acetaldehyde than did the suboctane gasoline. This study shows that biobutanol is one of the best alternative bioalcohol fuels for use in the near future.     

Devising business strategy for railways

This paper presents a case study which tackles a general problem for railway management, namely the formulation of a strategy to improve business financial performance. This is prefaced, in Section 2, by discussion of general principles - concerning the type of information system required, investigations to be conducted and associated measurement needs. The case study, of Section 3, concerns our investigations of VicRail's total business and its constituents. The task of financial improvement is revealed from an assessment of sectors' current cost-recovery positions and the identification of system joint costs. For freight sectors, future traffic prospects, pricing possibilities and the scope for more efficient operations are then considered, and the implications traced for overall deficit reduction and the development of business strategy. The concluding section draws some general lessons for railway managements.A fuller discussion by the authors of the theoretical framework employed, and particularly of the case study application, is contained in a complimentary publication: Improving Railway Financial Performance, published by Gower in January 1985.Transmark is a subsidiary of the British Railways Board, acting as its international consultancy. The authors, who were respectively study director and manager, wish to thank Bernard Warner (an independent consultant), Richard Eccles (of Transmark) and Adrian Balkyn-Rackowe (of British Rail) for their valuable contributions. The study report, titled Rail Cost — Pricing Options, was released by the Minister in April 1981.     

Design and Practice of Cloud Computing Platform for TBM Operation Information北大核心CSCD

The problems of TBM construction data loss, information barriers and absence of data mining have con⁃ strained the advancement of basic technologies in TBM field. Aimed at building a cloud computation platform for TBM operation information, a new concept of 3B, i. e. Born by digit, Born in format and Born to the cloud, was pre⁃ sented, the issues of information acquisition, transmission and storage during TBM operation were solved, and massive heterogeneous information intelligent transmission system and big data warehouse of TBM group were established. A structure model of cloud computation platform was designed by taking Hadoop system as ecosphere, and a cloud computation platform was built to deploy related algorithm, realizing on-line monitoring and data sharing, further⁃ more the data law mining of interaction of rock mass versus TBM machine was conducted based on big data tech⁃ nique, exploring the development direction of the information platform. © 2018, Editorial Office of "Modern Tunnelling Technology". All right reserved.     

Use of an activity-based diary to collect household travel data

The paper describes the results of a pilot survey that used a one-day activity diary to collect origin-destination data, as opposed to a travel-based diary. The design of the diary is discussed, together with a comparison to a more conventional travel diary. The paper examines the extent to which the activity diary appears to have been capable of collecting good travel data that is at least comparable to travel diary efforts. In addition, a substantial portion of the paper is concerned with a comparison of the retrieval methods for the diaries. Two alternative methods were pilot-tested, one being the use of telephone retrieval and the other being mailback retrieval. Although the pilot test used small samples, the evidence appears to be strong that mailback is preferable to telephone retrieval, while telephone retrieval did not seem capable of providing some of the benefits often ascribed to it.     

Origin–destination table disaggregation using biproportional least squares estimation

This paper describes a group of techniques for disaggregating origin–destination tables for travel forecasting that makes explicit use of observed traffic on a network. Five models within the group are presented, each of which uses nonlinear least-squares estimation to obtain row and column factors for splitting trip totals from and to larger geographical areas into smaller ones. The techniques are philosophically similar to Fratar factoring, although the solution method is quite different. The techniques are tested on a full-sized network for Northfield, MN and are found to work effectively.     

飞机降落冲击荷载作用下高铁隧道动力响应及疲劳损伤研究北大核心CSCD

针对运营期高铁隧道衬砌结构在飞机降落冲击荷载作用下的动力响应规律及疲劳损伤问题,以成自高铁下穿天府机场东二跑道区间隧道为工程背景,采用有限元分析的方法研究隧道动力响应及疲劳损伤规律。结果表明:B747-400型飞机在粗暴着陆后0.05 s时刻动力载荷达到最大值,约为500 kN;在单次粗暴着陆工况下,拱顶位移和受力最大,位移最大峰值为1.58 mm,拉应力最大峰值为437.79 kPa,压应力最大峰值为556.24 kPa,衬砌结构未出现塑性损伤;飞机荷载长期作用下,随着循环次数的增加,结构损伤部位和程度也随之增加,拱顶损伤最突出,其次为边墙,隧道衬砌在上方飞机长期粗暴着陆作用下的疲劳寿命大致为25 a。     

The influence of the Agulhas Current on the adjacent coastal ocean: possible impacts of climate change

The dynamics of the coastal ocean along the southeastern coast of Africa is dominated by a strong and intense western boundary current, the Agulhas Current. With a near-uniform, narrow continental shelf and a steep shelf slope that stabilizes this current, the trajectory of the Agulhas exhibits great stability. The only substantial perturbation occurs with the irregular passage of a Natal Pulse, a soliton meander. The initiation of this meander at the Natal Bight is due to a barotropic instability when the intensity of the landward border of the current exceeds a certain threshold value. This may come about with natural fluctuations in the current or with the adsorption of deep-sea eddies onto the current. Under a climate change scenario of altered wind stress curl over the South Indian Ocean it is conceivable that the threshold for the triggering of a Natal Pulse will occur more frequently. This will lead to a situation where the current axis on average lies further offshore. The possible consequences of such a situation on the rainfall of the coast, on the ecology of estuaries and the coastal ocean, and on the socio-economics of the region is discussed.     

Contracting in highway maintenance and rehabilitation: Are spatial effects important?

Highway agencies around the world strive to improve practices for infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation, using project delivery policies that range from total ‘in-house’ responsibility to complete privatization, with a number of flexible contracting policies such as performance-based contracting, variants of design-build-maintain, and lane rentals among others between these two extremes. In this paper, we present a methodology that duly accounts for underlying spatial effects and estimates the expected cost savings of innovative contracting policies for highway maintenance and rehabilitation relative to in-house execution of these activities. Spatial econometric modeling is used to analyze highway contract data from 49 countries. We also investigate the marginal effects of key explanatory variables on contract cost savings using spatial multipliers. Our findings show that there are significant relationships between cost savings and contract characteristics, and that there is an apparent direct relationship between the average cost savings of contracts in a country and contract average cost savings and contract sizes in neighboring countries.