On the time dependence of survivability of ROPAX ships

The time dependence of survivability of ROPAX vessels, when sustaining side collision damage in waves, is investigated herein by use of numerical simulations of ship motion and flooding. Conducted research confirms that ROPAX ships characteristically capsize fast, when sustaining damage leading to capsizing. A probabilistic analysis of the survive time after collision damage reveals that even for the most generic damage conditions assumed, the survival time in the case of capsizing remains short, which is characteristic of this type of ship design, disposing the typically large undivided deck to be subject to flooding in higher waves. In a case study, the unconditional survivability in waves, corresponding to survival s-factor of SOLAS regulations, is alternatively assessed with numerical simulations. The estimated survivability proves to be time independent in terms of practical implications. Observed deviations between current SOLAS formulation and simulations, suggest the employment of comprehensive simulation methods when more reliable estimations and assessments of survivability are required.     

An evaluation of the user characteristics of an open access DRT service

The successful provision of Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) in Europe, Australia, UK and the US has been addressed in several substantial studies and projects. The general finding of these studies is that DRT is a suitable transport solution in particular areas and can deliver social inclusion and community building objectives. Existing research confirms that DRT is particularly useful for connecting isolated communities and population groups to essential services such as healthcare and is cost-effective in terms of contributing greatly to community wellbeing. However, many existing DRT services are still not performing to their true potential, and many of them could not be viable as commercial services. The aim of this study is to develop greater understanding of DRT services from the passengers’ perspective using a case study of LinkUp in Tyne and Wear, one of the most successful DRT schemes in the UK. The paper has two key objectives: (a) to critically review, in the context of the detailed case study the general characteristics of the selected DRT scheme; and (b) to analyse and interpret the findings from a detailed survey of users (who are predominately elderly and female) with regard to passenger characteristics, their attitudes and perception of the service and their suggestions for improvement.     

Transportation and land-use preferences and residents’ neighborhood choices: the sufficiency of compact development in the Atlanta region

This paper analyzes the transportation and land-use preference and actual neighborhood choices of a sample of 1,455 residents of metro Atlanta. We develop a stated-preference scale on which desires for neighborhood type are gauged, from preferences for low-density, auto-oriented environments to desires for compact, walkable, and transit-oriented neighborhoods. This scale is then related to desires for change in one’s own neighborhood characteristics after a hypothetical move. If all neighborhood preferences were equally likely to be satisfied, then neighborhood preferences would not be correlated with a desire for change. By contrast, in the current study, stronger preferences for a more walkable environment are associated with greater desire for change in one’s neighborhood characteristics. This suggests an undersupply of compact, walkable, and transit-friendly neighborhood types relative to current demand.

Analyzing voter support for California’s local option sales taxes for transportation

Local and regional governments in the U.S. rely increasingly on voter-approved local option sales taxes (LOSTs) to fund transportation capital investments, maintenance, and operations. LOSTs typically present voters with lists of local transportation projects and programs to be funded by a ¼ to 1 percent sales tax increase. Most research on LOSTs are case studies, which make generalizations about LOSTs difficult. We conducted a comprehensive, multi-jurisdictional analysis of LOST measures in California, the U.S. state with the greatest number of LOST measures. We examined 76 LOST measures put to voters between 1976 and 2016 to assess factors associated with voter support. LOSTs in California are enacted by counties, which we examined in addition to smaller intra-county geographies using both regression models and case studies. We tested several explanatory variables for association with voter support including macroeconomic and political context, planned measure expenditures, voter characteristics, and spatial distribution of proposed projects. We found that funding dedicated to public transit and returned to local jurisdictions predicts support at the county level, and that LOSTs that create new taxes—as opposed to extending or renewing existing taxes—are less popular with voters, all else equal. Our analyses of sub-county geographies revealed that political party affiliation is the strongest predictor of local voter support for LOSTs and that voters living adjacent to funded projects tended to be more supportive of LOSTs.

     

Effect of a drag-reducing polymer solution ejection on tip vortex cavitation

Experiments regarding the modification of the foil geometry and/or active or passive mass injection in the vortex core have been performed to investigate the possibility of inhibiting tip vortex cavitation. The ejection at very low flow rates of drag-reducing polymer solutions at the tip of hydrofoils and propeller blades has demonstrated effectiveness as a tip vortex cavitation inhibitor. This paper reports the results obtained with an elliptical hydrofoil, of 8cm maximum chord and 12cm haif-span, operating at Reynolds numbers, of =10⁶, much larger than those previously reported in the literature. Lift coefficients and critical cavitation numbers were determined for a variety of flow and polymer solution ejection conditions. Tangential and axial components of the mean velocity as well as velocity fluctuations along the vortex path were also measured. At 12.5 m/s free stream velocity and a variety of angles of attack, the ejection of a 500 ppm aqueous solution of a drag-reducing polymer at a flow rate of about 5 cm³/s leads to a decrease of up to 30% in the cavitation number. This occurs without modification of the lift coefficient and, hence, of the midspan bound circulation of the foil. Moreover, water injection does not cause any appreciable change in the cavitation numbers. The tangential velocity profiles along the vortex path during polymer ejection indicate that the potential region remains the same, while the viscous core dimension increases, and the maximum tangential velocity decreases substantially as compared to the no ejection or water ejection experiments. Thus, the pressure coefficients at the vortex axis are smaller than for the no ejection or water ejection cases and cause the reduction of the critical cavitation numbers. It is speculated that this inhibition effect is due only to swelling of the polymer solution when exiting the ejection orifice.List of symbols a core radius (distance to the vortex axis for maximum tangential velocity) - C ₁ lift coefficient - c _max maximum chord - Cp pressure coefficient at the vortex axis - Cp _min minimum pressure coefficient at the vortex axis - d _e diameter of the ejection port - m ejection flow rate - P reference pressure - P _v vapor pressure - V free stream velocity - V _a axial velocity - V _t tangential velocity - v _r radial component of the velocity resulting from jet swelling - x downstream distance from the tip of the foil - y, r distance to the vortex axis - angle of attack - r difference between the swollen jet and the ejection port radii - boundary layer thickness - tip vortex intensity - _d ( _de ) desinent cavitation number (with ejection) - _i ( _ie ) inception cavitation number (with ejection) - _ii normal stresses - viscosity - v kinematic viscosity - p specific mass     

Creating synthetic baseline populations

To develop activity-based travel models using microsimulation, individual travelers and households must be considered. Methods for creating baseline synthetic populations of households and persons using 1990 census data are given. Summary tables from the Census Bureau STF-3A are used in conjunction with the Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS), and Iterative Proportional Fitting (IPF) is applied to estimate the proportion of households in a block group or census tract with a desired combination of demographics. Households are generated by selection of households from the associated PUMS according to these proportions. The tables of demographic proportions which are exploited here to make household selections from the PUMS may be used in traditional modeling. The procedures are validated by creating pseudo census tracts from PUMS samples and considering the joint distribution of the size of households and the number of vehicles in the households. It is shown that the joint distributions created by these methods do not differ substantially from the true values. Additionally the effects of small changes in the procedure, such as imputation of additional demographics and adding partial counts to the constructed demographic tables are discussed in the paper.     

A Mathematical Model for Driver Steering Control, with Design, Tuning and Performance Results

A mathematical model for the steering control of an automobile is described. The structure of the model derives from linear optimal discrete time preview control theory but it is non-linear. Its parameter values are obtained by heuristic methods, using insight gained from the linear optimal control theory. The driver model is joined to a vehicle dynamics model and the path tracking performance is demonstrated, using moderate manoeuvring and racing speeds. The model is shown to be capable of excellent path following and to be robust against changes in the vehicle dynamics. Application to the simulation of manoeuvres specified by an ideal vehicle path and further development of the model to formalise the derivation of its parameter values and to put it to other uses are discussed.     

Force Control of a Semi-Active Damper

Two strategies are investigated for controlling a semi-active damper to track a prescribed force demand signal: (i) 'open loop' control, using a model of the damping force versus velocity characteristics; and (ii) force feedback (closed loop) control.

The damping characteristics and switching transients of a prototype damper were measured, and used to develop a mathematical model of the dynamics of the damper. The two control strategies were investigated using an idealised (constant velocity) test. Their performance was also simulated and measured under realistic operating conditions using the Hardware-in-the-Loop testing method.

Open loop damper control was generally found to give superior performance to force feedback control, due to its smaller phase lag at high frequencies.     

A STUDY OF SEROTONERGIC NEURONS ON PATHWAY FROM THE MEDULLARYRAPHE NUCLEI TO THE CEREBELLAR CORTEX IN THE KITTEN BY USING FLU

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Reducing the climate change impacts of aviation by restricting cruise altitudes

Two of the ways in which air travel affects climate are the emission of carbon dioxide and the creation of high-altitude contrails. One possible impact reduction strategy is to significantly reduce the formation of contrails. This could be achieved by limiting the cruise altitude of aircraft. If implemented, this could severely constrain air space capacity, especially in parts of Europe. In addition, carbon emissions would likely be higher due to less efficient aircraft operation at lower cruise altitudes. This paper describes an analysis of these trade-offs using an air space simulation model as applied to European airspace. The model simulates the flight paths and altitudes of each aircraft and is here used to calculate emissions of carbon dioxide and changes in the journey time. For a one-day Western European traffic sample, calculations suggest annual mean CO₂ emissions would increase by only 4% if cruise altitudes were restricted to prevent contrail formation. The change in journey time depended on aircraft type and route, but average changes were less than 1 min. Our analysis demonstrates that altitude restrictions on commercial aircraft could be an effective means of reducing climate change impacts, though it will be necessary to mitigate the increased controller workload conflicts that this will generate.