Applying a Mediated Negotiation Framework to Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Conflict is intrinsic to coastal zone management, yet relatively few peer-reviewed studies have examined how coastal managers might apply conflict resolution processes in the coastal zone management (CZM) context. The authors believe that many of these disputes can be addressed by using a structured mediation model that involves face-to-face negotiation with a broad range of stakeholders to build consensus-based agreements for integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). To explore this further, the article examines four questions. First, it examines how CZM literature characterizes conflict and conflict resolution. Second, it looks at how essential principles from the field of alternative dispute resolution and environmental mediation can be best employed in the ICZM context. In particular, it explores the various elements of a stepwise agreement building model, a mediated negotiation process model the authors use in practice that bases its success on a foundation of four principles: representation, participation, legitimacy, and accountability. Next, it details three essential tools used in this process, stakeholder analysis, joint factfinding, and single-text negotiation, that the authors believe to be promising for developing and adopting stable, well-informed, and implementable agreements for ICZM. Finally, the article examines how these structuring principles and process strategies have been used in two recent case studies regarding the management of the San Francisco estuary and its tributaries.     

Path planning and collision avoidance for autonomous surface vehicles II: a comparative study of algorithms

Journal of Marine Science and Technology - Artificial intelligence is an enabling technology for autonomous surface vehicles, with methods such as evolutionary algorithms, artificial potential...     

Large motion mountain biking dynamics

A bond graph model of a mountain bike and rider is created to develop baseline predictions for the performance of mountain bikes during large excursion maneuvers such as drops, jumps, crashes and rough terrain riding. The model assumes planar dynamics, a hard-tail (front suspension only) bicycle and a rider fixed to the bicycle. An algorithm is developed to allow tracking of a virtual tire-ground contact point for events that separate the wheels from the ground. This model would be most applicable to novice mountain bikers who maintain a nearly rigid relationship between their body and the bicycle as opposed to experienced riders who are versed in controlling the bicycle independent of the body. Simulations of a steep drop are performed for various initial conditions to qualitatively validate the predictions of the model. Results from this model are to be compared to experimental data and more complex models in later research, particularly models including a separate rider. The overarching goals of the research are to examine and understand the dynamics and control of interactions between a cyclist and mountain bike. Specific goals are to understand the improvement in performance afforded by an experienced rider, to hypothesize human control algorithms that allow riders to perform manoeuvres well and safely, to predict structural bike and body forces from these maneuvers and to quantify performance differences between hard-tail and full suspension bicycles.     

Finite Element Simulation of Processes Involving Moving Heat Sources. Application to Welding and Surface Treatment

IntroductionAwiderangeofweldingorsurfacetreatmentprocessesinvolvetheuseofaheatsourcemovingataconstantspeedoverthesurfaceofthecomPonent.ThreedimensionalcomPutationofresidualstressesanddistortionsinducedbythiskindofprocesses,usingtheusualfiniteelementmethod,needsveryrefinedmeshesinordertocorrectlydescribethepropertiesandstressgradientsintheheataffCctCdzonealongthepathoftheheatsource.Inthispaper,wediscussthedifferentnumericalaPproaches,imPlementedinSYSWELD@software,whichcanbeusedtodorealisti…     

Westward moving waves or eddies (Storms) on the Subtropical/Azores Front near 32.5°N? Interpretation of the Eulerian currents and temperature records at moorings 155 (35.5°W) and 156 (34.4°W)

Three Argos buoy-years of Lagrangian data in westward-moving cyclonic eddies, or Storms, near 32.5°N, together with hydrographic measurements, have shown that Storms move westward at nearly 3 km day⁻¹. Water in eddies can be trapped and moved westward by advection within the eddy or by phase propagation of the eddy pattern, so we cannot say that the flow field (or Eulerian mean) is 3 km day⁻¹ westward. Two moorings (155 and 156) deployed in the Storm Corridor have provided a further 8 instrument-years of Eulerian data. The temperature and current records confirmed that two Storms a year passed each mooring over the 2-year measurement period. As expected, there is a lag of 1.3 month at mooring 155 (which is 102 km to the west of mooring 156) with respect to conditions at mooring 156. The progressive vector diagrams (PVDs) derived from the current meter records exhibit fairly regular X (east or zonal) and Y (north or meridional) displacement scales that repeat with semi-annual periodicity (SAP). The dominant current signal is the north component of the SAP, which reaches an amplitude of 18 cm s⁻¹ for the upper layer or near surface current record (242-m depth). The geostrophic north component values derived from altimetry were in good agreement with the upper layer current meter measurements. The large north component amplitude was not interpreted as evidence for Rossby Waves but rather due to the passage of nine eddies (eight complete) of alternate sign (cyclonic, anticyclonic) passing the mooring rigs during the 2-year deployment period. The Y scale shows that the near surface characteristic or mean maximum azimuthal speed is about 35 cm s⁻¹ for cyclonic eddies or Storms, and that this value is reduced to 4 cm s⁻¹ at 1400-m depth. The residual or mean Eulerian currents range from 8 cm s⁻¹ for the upper layer currents to 1 cm s⁻¹ for the deeper currents at 1400-m depth and are predominantly westward. Simple theoretical considerations and idealised numerical simulations show that the mean westward Eulerian current depends markedly on whether the eddy centres pass to the north or south of the rigs. This raises the question as to what do we mean by Eulerian residual currents, even for relatively long records (2 years). It is shown that the strong near surface westward current (6 km day⁻¹) measured at mooring 155 is largely due to a westward-moving eddy field with variable centre offsets. The magnitude of the near surface east–west component of flow was estimated as eastward at 2 cm s⁻¹. The north–south component of mean flow was southward at 2 cm s⁻¹. The deeper records gave a weak westward flow of 1 cm s⁻¹ but did not show a significant southward component for the mean Eulerian flow field. 7.4 float-years of Lagrangian ALACE data in the Subtropical Front region near 740 dbar gave mean east–west flows that were <0.5 cm s⁻¹. Overall, it is shown that the eddy structures propagate westward mainly by phase propagation (i.e. a westward-moving pattern with no westward advection for the current meter to measure), though plane Rossby Wave dynamics appeared inappropriate. Theoretical and modeling considerations show that a speed of 3-km day⁻¹ westward is too large a value for the self-advection of eddies due to the beta effect.     

A simple vehicle dispatching policy with non-stationary stochastic arrival rates

This paper provides an impulsive stochastic control approach to the vehicle dispatching problem with non-stationary and stochastic arrival rates. Both necessary and sufficient conditions for optimal dispatches are given with proofs given in appendices. It is shown by means of examples that stationary solutions previously considered are a special case of the theory outlined here. In addition, a discussion of other dispatching rules is included in the conclusion together with their effect on the mathematical optimality of vehicle dispatching.     

Nonlinear pricing on private roads with congestion and toll collection costs

Nonlinear pricing (a form of second-degree price discrimination) is widely used in transportation and other industries but it has been largely overlooked in the road-pricing literature. This paper explores the incentives for a profit-maximizing toll-road operator to adopt some simple nonlinear pricing schemes when there is congestion and collecting tolls is costly. Users are assumed to differ in their demands to use the road. Regardless of the severity of congestion, an access fee is always profitable to implement either as part of a two-part tariff or as an alternative to paying a toll. Use of access fees for profit maximization can increase or decrease welfare relative to usage-only pricing for profit maximization. Hence a ban on access fees could reduce welfare.