How do local actions affect VMT? A critical review of the empirical evidence

In this paper, we present a discussion of the challenges for research on the topic of vehicle miles traveled. We then summarize and critique evidence from the US on the association between 14 distinct factors and vehicle miles traveled. Our results quantify how much vehicle miles traveled can be expected to change in response to changes in policy or land use factors, including residential density and land use mix, as well as specific transport policies and programs such as transit improvements, road pricing, and programs aimed at changing people’s travel choices. Overall, though individual studies differ as to exact effect sizes, it is clear that local-level policymakers can take actions that are likely to affect vehicle miles traveled. However, we highlight gaps in the knowledge base at a time when decision makers at the local level are being increasingly called upon to take action to reduce vehicle miles traveled. Variation in effect size based on local context or interaction with related policies and programs has been left largely unexplored. In addition, experimental research designs that can identify causal direction are rare, and appropriate data that quantifies vehicle miles traveled are often lacking.     

Feasibility of using time–space prism to represent available opportunities and choice sets for destination choice models in the context of dynamic urban environments

H?gerstrand??s original framework of time geography and the subsequent time?Cspace prism computational methods form the foundation of a new computational method for potential path areas (PPA) in a realistic representation of dynamic urban environments. In this paper the time?Cspace prism framework is used to assess sensitivity of PPA size to different parameters and to build choice sets for regional destination choice models. We explain the implication of different parameters to choice set formation in a step-wise manner and illustrate not only the complexity of the idea and the high computational demand but also behavioral realism. In this context, this paper tests the feasibility of using constraint-based time?Cspace prism to find the choice sets for a large-scale destination choice model, and identifies a variety of implementation issues. Computational demand is estimated based on a household travel survey for the Southern California Association of Government, and the feasibility of using time?Cspace prisms for destination choice models is assessed with different levels of information on the network and destinations available. The implications of time of day effects and flexibility in scheduling on choice set development due to varying level of service on the network and availability of activity opportunities are discussed and numerically assessed.     

An analysis of the factors influencing differences in survey-reported and GPS-recorded trips

Recent advances in global positioning systems (GPS) technology have resulted in a transition in household travel survey methods to test the use of GPS units to record travel details, followed by the application of an algorithm to both identify trips and impute trip purpose, typically supplemented with some level of respondent confirmation via prompted-recall surveys. As the research community evaluates this new approach to potentially replace the traditional survey-reported collection method, it is important to consider how well the GPS-recorded and algorithm-imputed details capture trip details and whether the traditional survey-reported collection method may be preferred with regards to some types of travel. This paper considers two measures of travel intensity (survey-reported and GPS-recorded) for two trip purposes (work and non-work) as dependent variables in a joint ordered response model. The empirical analysis uses a sample from the full-study of the 2009 Indianapolis regional household travel survey. Individuals in this sample provided diary details about their travel survey day as well as carried wearable GPS units for the same 24-h period. The empirical results provide important insights regarding differences in measures of travel intensities related to the two different data collection modes (diary and GPS). The results suggest that more research is needed in the development of workplace identification algorithms, that GPS should continue to be used alongside rather than in lieu of the traditional diary approach, and that assignment of individuals to the GPS or diary survey approach should consider demographics and other characteristics.     

Galvanic interactions of HE15 /MDN138 & HE15 /MDN250 alloys in natural seawater

HE15 is a heat treatable high strength alloy with excellent machinability find wide applications in aerospace and defence industries. In view of their excellent mechanical properties, workability, machinability, heat treatment characteristics and good resistance to general and stress corrosion cracking, MDN138 & MDN250 have been widely used in petrochemical, nuclear and aerospace industries. The galvanic corrosion behaviour of the metal combinations HE15 /MDN138 and HE15 /MDN250, with 1:1 area ratio, has been studied in natural seawater using the open well facility of CECRI’s Offshore Platform at Tuticorin for a year. The open circuit potentials of MDN138, MDN250 and HE15 of the individual metal, the galvanic potential and galvanic current of the couples HE15 /MDN138 and HE15 /MDN250 were periodically monitored throughout the study period. The calcareous deposits on MDN138 and MDN250 in galvanic contact with HE15 were analyzed using XRD. The electrochemical behaviors of MDN138, MDN250 and HE15 in seawater have been studied using an electrochemical work station. The surface characteristics of MDN138 and MDN250 in galvanic contact with HE15 have been examined with scanning electron microscope. The results of the study reveal that HE15 offered required amount of protection to MDN138 & MDN250.     

Application of Chinese Characters in the Design and Construction of the Badaling Great Wall Station of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway北大核心CSCD

The new Badaling tunnel is the longest tunnel on the under-construction Beijing-Zhangjiakou highspeedrailway, with the Badaling Great Wall station to be built in the tunnel. This station, which is under the Badaling Great Wall historic site, is the world’s largest underground high-speed railway station with the most complicated structure and the largest overburden and excavation area. It is therefore a representative project for China’s highspeed railway development strategy, supporting infrastructure facilities for the Beijing Horticultural Expo 2019 and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and it is important that it be of high quality and completed safely. In the de-sign and construction of the station, the glyphs of the Chinese characters of "中",”国”,”人”and”品”are used, re-spectively, along the station route, in the rescue and evacuation mode, auxiliary adit and partial excavation, which is a way to successfully integrate the art of Chinese characters into tunnel engineering. © 2018, Editorial Office of "Modern Tunnelling Technology". All right reserved.     

Application of Vertical Freezing Technique in the Deep-buried Mountain Railway Tunnel北大核心CSCD

The strata of Chengershan tunnel is mainly consist of the slightly cemented tertiary sandstone, the tun⁃ nel body passes through F 2 fault core zone. Geological disasters of mud outburst, sand gushing and extrusion of work face occurred several times during tunnel construction, so the risks are very high. In view of the core zone of F 2 fault with high pressure and abundant water, a variety of construction schemes were compared and analyzed in terms of technology, feasibility and safety, and vertical freezing technique was used for stratum reinforcement in the railway tunnel for the first time, furthermore the freezing scheme and tunnel support measures were studied, providing refer⁃ ence and guidance for similar tunnel construction.Mountain railway tunnel; Fault zone; Tertiary sandstone; Vertical freezing technique; Application © 2018, Editorial Office of "Modern Tunnelling Technology". All right reserved.     

Reducing car dependence in the heart of Europe: lessons from Germany,Austria, and Switzerland

Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, and Zurich – the largest cities in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – have significantly reduced the car share of trips over the past 25 years in spite of high motorisation rates. The key to their success has been a coordinated package of mutually reinforcing transport and land-use policies that have made car use slower, less convenient, and more costly, while increasing the safety, convenience, and feasibility of walking, cycling, and public transport. The mix of policies implemented in each city has been somewhat different. The German cities have done far more to promote cycling, while Zurich and Vienna offer more public transport service per capita at lower fares. All five of the cities have implemented roughly the same policies to promote walking, foster compact mixed-use development, and discourage car use. Of the car-restrictive policies, parking management has been by far the most important. The five case study cities demonstrate that it is possible to reduce car dependence even in affluent societies with high levels of car ownership and high expectations for quality of travel.     

The hydraulic performance and structural integrity of A-Jack armour layer

A-Jacks are concrete armor units that are used in both open channel and coastal applications.In open channel applications,they are used for bank and toe protection,flow and grade control,bridge pier scour protection,energy dissipation,and habitat.These small units may be fabricated in standard block machines.In coastal applications,A-Jacks are used in breakwaters,jetties,revetments,and habitat development.Coastal units are generally much larger and more robust than the small open channel units.This paper focuses on coastal applications and in particular,combines results on three topics:(1)recent hydraulic model studies,(2)alternative fabrication methods,and(3)bundle placement construction methods.Hydraulic models studies were conducted that examined the standard random and uniform placement methods,and also the bundle placement method.In bundle placement,3~20 A-Jacks are banded together,lifted with a spreader bar,and placed as a single crane pick.This significantly decreases installation time during construction.It also provides a more hydraulically stable placement technique.The hydraulic model tests examined the bundle stability in random waves for cases where the binding remains in tack and is removed.The geometry of A-Jacks enables a variety of fabrication techniques.One option is to fabricate the A-Jacks as two pieces using flat forms and then grout the two pieces together.Flat forms may be used in conventional block machines for A-Jacks sizes up to 1.3 m.Larger sizes may be wet cast in flat forms or gang forms.The A-Jacks geometry has been recently modified to increase grouting efficient and strength.Large A- Jacks may also be cast in a single piece using "clam shell" type forms.     

Empowering professional women in the Maritime World: the WMU contribution

Promoting the increased participation of women in the economic fabric of developing countries is a fundamental goal of the United Nations. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the World Maritime University (WMU) are working to bring about a sustained change in gender imbalance in the maritime sector, to bring the skills and expertise of women to bear on a vital global industry. This report details WMU’s strategies to date, the conference held by WMU in April 2008, Empowering Professional Women in the Maritime World, and the Conference Declaration and Resolution supported by members of the IMO Technical Cooperation at its 58^th session in June 2008.     

Simulation of unsteady free-surface flow around a ship hull using a fully coupled multi-phase flow method

An accurate, efficient algorithm for solving free surface flows around ship hulls is described. Accuracy is achieved using a compressive advection discretization which maintains a sharp free surface interface representation without relying on a small time step. Efficiency is obtained using a solution algorithm which implicitly couples velocity, pressure, and volume fractions. The algorithm has been implemented in a computational fluid dynamics code called CFX and is validated by means of a comparisonwith experimental data of benchmark cases in both steady and transient conditions.