High Performance ACC System Based on Sensor Fusion with Distance Sensor, Image Processing Unit, and Navigation System

Curve sensors used in first generation “Adaptive Cruise Control” systems (ACC) are based on steering angle sensors, lateral accelerometers or yaw rate sensors. The disadvantage of these curve sensors is that they do not have any preview characteristics. This leads in many driving situations to misinterpretations by the ACC system, e.g. wrong path assignments of vehicles ahead because of non-constant curve radii particularly in the beginning and ending of curves. The consequence is that the ACC car brakes due to vehicles in adjacent lanes or it ignores relevant obstacles. In the following a second generation ACC system will be presented whose curve sensor is realized by a real time image processing system with the support of a GPS-based navigation system. This multi-sensor fusion system is now suitable for collision avoidance and stop and go applications.     

Phytoplanktonic nutrient utilisation and nutrient signature in the Southern Ocean

The separation in Southern Ocean provinces of silicate excess at nitrate exhaustion and of nitrate excess at silicate exhaustion was already introduced by Kamykowski and Zentara (Kamykowski, D., Zentara, S.J., 1985. Nitrate and silicic acid in the world ocean: patterns and processes. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 26, 47–59; and Kamykowski, D., Zentara, S.J., 1989. Circumpolar plant nutrient covariation in the Southern Ocean: patterns and processes. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 58, 101–111) and our investigations of the silicate to nitrate uptake ratios confirm the earlier distinction. Oligotrophic antarctic waters mainly exhibit proportionally higher silicate removal what induces a potential for nitrate excess. The nitrogen uptake regime of such areas is characterised by low absolute as well as specific nitrate uptake rates throughout. Maximal values did not exceed 0.15 μM d⁻¹ and 0.005 h⁻¹, respectively. Corresponding f-ratios ranged from 0.39 to 0.86. This scenario contrasts strikingly to the more fertile ice edge areas. They showed a drastic but short vernal increase in nitrate uptake. Absolute uptake rates reached a maximum value of 2.18 μM d⁻¹ whereas the maximal specific uptake rate was 0.063 h⁻¹. In addition to an optimal physical environment for bloom development, accumulation of ammonium stimulated nitrate uptake in a direct or indirect way. Since ammonium build-up in surface waters traces enhanced remineralisation, release of other essential compounds during degradation of organic matter might have been the main trigger. This peak nitrate utilisation during early spring led to the observed potential for silicate excess. With increasing seasonal maturity the nitrate uptake became inhibited by the presence of enhanced ammonium availability (up to 8% of the inorganic nitrogen pool), however, and after a short period of intensive nitrate consumption the uptake rates drop to very low levels, which are comparable to the ones observed in the area of nitrate excess at silicate exhaustion.     

利用AGM求解粘弹性地基刚性梁的非线性控制微分方程（英文）

In the present paper a vibrational differential equation governing on a rigid beam on viscoelastic foundation has been investigated. The nonlinear differential equation governing on this vibrating system is solved by a simple and innovative approach, which has been called Akbari-Ganji’s method(AGM). AGM is a very suitable computational process and is usable for solving various nonlinear differential equations. Moreover, using AGM which solving a set of algebraic equations, complicated nonlinear equations can easily be solved without any mathematical operations.Also, the damping ratio and energy lost per cycle for three cycles have been investigated. Furthermore, comparisons have been made between the obtained results by numerical method(Runk45) and AGM. Results showed the high accuracy of AGM. The results also showed that by increasing the amount of initial amplitude of vibration(A), the value of damping ratio will be increased, and the energy lost per cycle decreases by increasing the number of cycle. It is concluded that AGM is a reliable and precise approach for solving differential equations. On the other hand, it is better to say that AGM is able to solve linear and nonlinear differential equations directly in most of the situations. This means that the final solution can be obtained without any dimensionless procedure.Therefore, AGM can be considered as a significant progress in nonlinear sciences.     

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.     

Discourse of maritime forms (Check lists)

Check lists represent a very important tool within the International Safety Management Code, aimed at the regular and thorough assessment of the safety on board ships along with the operation of their parent companies. There seems to be only a few academic articles studying the communicative and rhetorical aspects of these maritime forms explaining why they are written in the way they are, especially in the light of their users who constitute a specific discourse community. The structure of a sample of representative lists is presented, as these check lists do not differ from the forms used by other European shipping companies. After interviews with the seafarers (deck and engine officers) to whom the check lists were administered, the conclusion was reached that they prefer short and unambiguous forms. In addition, a correlation about the language competence of the crew members on board ship was found: the simpler the discourse of the check list, the lower the responsibility of the crew member on board. Further, investigation into these complex language patterns focuses on the practical benefits.     

Examination of relationships between urban form,household activities,and time allocation in the Atlanta Metropolitan Region

A substantial body of research is focused on understanding the relationships between socio-demographics, land-use characteristics, and mode specific attributes on travel mode choice and time-use patterns. Residential and commercial densities, inter-mixing of land uses, and route directness in conjunction with transportation performance characteristics interact to influence accessibility to destinations as well as time spent traveling and engaging in activities. This study uniquely examines the activity durations undertaken for out-of-home subsistence; maintenance, and discretionary activities. Also examined are total tour durations (summing all activity categories within a tour). Cross-sectional activities are obtained from household activity travel survey data from the Atlanta Metropolitan Region. Time durations allocated to weekdays and weekends are compared. The censoring and endogeneity between activity categories and within individuals are captured using multiple equations Tobit models.The analysis and modeling reveal that land-use characteristics such as net residential density and the number of commercial parcels within a kilometer of a residence are associated with differences in weekday and weekend time-use allocations. Household type and structure are significant predictors across the three activity categories, but not for overall travel times. Tour characteristics such as time-of-day and primary travel mode of the tours also affect traveler’s out-of-home activity-tour time-use patterns.     

半生走来一生缘

我的名字叫克劳士·克鲁兹菲尔德（ClausKruetzfeldt），在68岁的今天，回想37年来和中国的联系，我写一点自己的经历。[第一段]     

Confidence bounds on structural reliability estimations for offshore platforms

Second-order estimates to measure platform reliability are generated and used to provide an additional space to select safety margins appropriate to the owner's perception or for risk-averse managers. The aleatory and epistemic uncertainties in the parameters of an offshore platform are explicitly considered in the reliability analysis and the platform structural reliability becomes a random variable, assessing then the beneficial effects of a reduction on these uncertainties. One of these benefits is for risk-aversive managers who often demand additional room to make conservative decisions regarding reliability estimations. Proposed here is a procedure to generate the frequency diagram of platform reliability with the use of confidence bounds to support reliability and cost decisions based on percentiles instead of mean values. The concepts are illustrated through a typical offshore platform in Mexico. The frequency diagram of the platform reliability index is built for several alternative designs and three levels of epistemic uncertainty. The results may be applied for decision making on new designs and also on the assessment and optimal inspection, retrofit, and decommissioning of existing platforms.     

利用铜镍合金防护套保护飞溅区高温提升管

对于海上结构物而言。其所处的飞溅区是腐蚀最为严重的区域，而铜镍合金已经在该区域的海上结构物防护中获得了成功。其中合金400（N04400，NiCu7030）的应用历史最长