Measuring the potential for automobile fuel savings in the US: The impact of obesity

High rates of oil consumption and obesity in the US have become important socioeconomic concerns. While these concerns may seem unrelated at first, growing obesity rates in the US increase fuel consumption by adding passenger weight to vehicles. This paper estimates the additional amount of fuel (i.e., gasoline) consumed annually by noncommercial passenger highway vehicles in the US due to passenger overweight and obesity. The mathematical model presented in this paper estimates that as many as one billion additional gallons of gasoline are consumed each year due to overweight and obesity in the US, accounting for up to 0.8% of the fuel consumed by these vehicles annually. This additional fuel consumption causes carbon dioxide emissions of up to 20 billion pounds or more, accounting for up to 0.5% of the annual carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector.     

Damage Accumulation in Rail Steel under Rolling with Slippage and Its Analysis

Experimental research results of surface damage accumulation in rail steel under rolling with slippage are presented. Hertz contact for two rollers made of rail and wheel steels was realized in the test. The influence of loading regime upon wear of rail is considered. The estimation of characteristics of surface fracture resistance for rail steel is made. The method to predict the life of rail steel under given conditions of regular loading is proposed.     

The need for a structured policy towards reducing human-factor errors in marine accidents

The paper questions why so little attention has been given to the primary control centre of a merchant ship, namely the bridge, when so many accidents at sea are caused by ‘human error’. The paper then suggests that there is a need for a policy which will draw the various threads of the problem together in a form suitable for international discussion and even legislation. The identified areas are those of training, bridge design, psychology and marine traffic discipline.     

Role of filtering and biodeposition by Adamussium colbecki in circulation of organic matter in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

At Terra Nova Bay, the scallop Adamussium colbecki (Smith, 1902) characterises the soft and hard bottoms from 20 to 80 m depth, constituting large beds and reaching high values of density (50–60 individuals/m²) and biomass (120 g/m² DW soft tissues). To assess its role in the organic matter recycling in the coastal ecosystem, its filtering and biodeposition rates were evaluated in laboratory experiments during the austral summer 1993/94. Filtration rates, measured in a flow-through system, were calculated from the difference in particulate organic carbon (POC), nitrogen (PON) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration in inflow and outflow water. Experiments were performed using natural sea water with POC, PON and Chl-a concentrations of about 450 μg/l, 90 μg/l and 2 μg/l, respectively. The biodeposition rate and the biochemical composition of the biodeposits were studied in order to detect how the organic matter is transformed through feeding activity of A. colbecki. At +1°C temperature, the average filtering rate was about 1 l h⁻¹ g⁻¹ (DW soft tissues) in specimens ranging in body mass from 2 to 3 g (DW soft tissues) and 6–7 cm long. The biodeposition rate in 3–8 cm long specimens, ranging from 0.4 to 5.7 g (DW soft tissues), was about 5.65 mg DW/g DW/day, leading to an estimate of Corg flux, through biodeposition by A. colbecki, of about 21 mg C m⁻² day⁻¹ at in situ conditions. Comparison between the biochemical composition of seston and biodeposits shows a decrease of the labile compounds, of the Chl-a/phaeopigments ratio in the biodeposits. The recorded C/N ratio decrease suggests a microbial colonisation in the biodeposits. This study suggests that Adamussium colbecki plays an important role in coupling the material fluxes from the water column to the sea bed, processing about 14% of total Carbon flux from the water column to the sediments, with an assimilation efficiency of 36%.     

编者的话

今年一季度，在全球经济不景气等因素影响下，占汽车总销量30％左右的商用车市场继续低迷。目前这一市场受政策刺激较慢，受经济波动影响仍明显，形势不容乐观。1～3月商用车产销6926万辆和68．31万辆，同比下降438％和6．13％。     

应用Q-DAS CAMERA(R) Concept提升企业精益生产水平基于工业产品质量数据的绩效评价系统开发与运用

Q-DAS CAMERA(R) Concept持柔性和模块化应用,既可以应用于单个工作场所,也可为部门级、工厂级或区域级的综合系统提供解决方案.