REGULATION OF PRODUCTION OF PARATHYROID HORMONE－RELATED PEPTIDE （PTHrP） AND EXPRESSION OF ITS mRNA IN A HUMANLIVER－DERIVED CE

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The stability of stochastic equilibrium in a two-link transportation network

Most research and applications of network equilibrium models are based on the assumption that traffic volumes on roadways are virtually certain to be at or near their equilibrium values if the equilibrium volumes exist and are unique. However, it has long been known that this assumption can be violated in deterministic models. This paper presents an investigation of the stability of stochastic equilibrium in a two-link network. The stability of deterministic equilibrium also is discussed briefly. Equilibrium is defined to be stable if it is unique and the link volumes converge over time to their equilibrium values regardless of the initial conditions. Three models of route choice decision-making over time are formulated, and the stability of equilibrium is investigated for each. It is shown that even when equilibrium is unique, link volumes may converge to their equilibrium values, oscillate about equilibrium perpetually, or converge to values that may be considerably different from the equilibrium ones, depending on the details of the route choice decision-making process. Moreover, even when convergence of link volumes to equilibrium is assured, the convergence may be too slow to justify the standard assumption that these volumes are usually at or near their equilibrium values. When link volumes converge to non-equilibrium values, the levels at which the volumes stabilize typically depend on the initial link volumes or perceptions of travel costs. Conditions sufficient to assure convergence to equilibrium in two of the three models of route choice decision-making are presented, and these conditions are interpreted in terms of the route choice decision-making process.     

Fundamental Issues in Suspension Design for Heavy Road Vehicles

Heavy road vehicles play an important role in the economy of many countries by providing an efficient means of transporting freight. Such vehicles can also have a significant impact on safety, the infrastructure and the environment. The design of the suspension affects the performance of the vehicle in terms of ride, infrastructure damage, suspension working space, energy consumption, rollover stability, yaw stability, braking and traction. The published literature on suspension design for heavy road vehicles is reviewed. It is found that extensive knowledge exists, but that there are areas where improved understanding is needed. Areas identified as fundamental issues requiring attention include ride discomfort criteria, secondary suspensions, and controllable suspensions. Two issues in particular are examined in detail: suspension tuning and suspension configuration. In the tuning of suspension parameter values for vibration performance, numerical optimisation techniques have been used extensively, but generic tuning strategies have not been widely developed. Modal analysis is proposed as a technique for gaining the insight into vehicle vibration behaviour necessary to enable tuning strategies to be devised. As an example, the technique is applied to the pitch-plane vibration of a tractor-semitrailer. In analyses of new suspension configurations or concepts, comparison with alternative concepts is not always made. Lack of such comparisons makes the selection of an optimum concept difficult. Analysis of alternative concepts using simple mathematical models, and comparison of their performance using common criteria, is advocated for enabling informed selection of an optimum. An example involving two alternative roll control systems is used to demonstrate the issue.     

Improvements in Dynamic Characteristics of Automobile Suspension Systems Part 1. Two-Mass Systems

In a previous paper, [3] the random vibrations of simple linear models of automobile suspension were solved with respect to seat elasticity and human sensitivity to vibrations. The present study uses more realistic linear models taking into account the unsprung mass.

Two configurations of masses are investigated: a two-mass system consisting of a sprung mass and an unsprung mass, and a three-mass system having an additional mass which acts as a vibration absorber. The gain in comfort obtained by lowering the natural frequency of the sprung mass is calculated for various two-mass and three-mass models along with other characteristics such as the dynamic tyre load, spring and damper forces and relative motion of the masses.