Benchmarking airports with specific safety performance measures

The purpose of this paper is to develop safety performance measures and test the measures on data for air traffic management failure events. Failure events are classified by the severity of the consequence of occurrence, resulting in the rate of occurrence in severity categories. The safety measures are standard statistics calculated from this “distribution” for comparison of airport operations by stochastic ordering. For comparisons a benchmark is developed from the aggregation of failure data on a set of comparable airports. Airport performance is then compared with the benchmark using the defined safety measures. The benchmark comparison was implemented with failure data for major airports in Canada from 2005 to 2012. The results show a number of patterns and anomalies and some airports perform poorly in comparison to a class of similar operations. We conclude by suggesting benchmarking safety measures as a natural addition to the information system on aviation safety compiled by a national regulatory body to unravel anomalies such as implementation problems of a safety management system.     

Effect on direct injection naturally aspirated diesel engine characteristics fuelled by pine oil,ceiba pentandra methyl ester compared with diesel

This paper explores the experimental investigation of the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of bio fuels from ceiba pentandra methyl ester (CPME), ceiba pentandra methyl ester-pine oil blends (CPMEP) and pine oil and the results are compared with diesel. In ceiba pentandra seed oil the CPME yield is 92% by using transesterification process with the optimum conditions of 560 rpm, reaction time 58 min, catalyst concentration 13 g and methanol amount 500 ml. The viscosity of CPME is high when compare with diesel. So the low viscosity of pine oil is blended with CPME and it can be directly used in diesel engine without any modification. At different loads the Pine oil, CPME and CPMEP blends were used in direct injection naturally aspirated compression ignition engine. The outcomes exhibited that at full load conditions for CPME and CPMEP blends increased brake specific fuel consumption, and decreased brake thermal efficiency, CO, HC emissions. NOx emissions decreased and smoke emissions are increased on CPME and CPMEP blends, expect B25 blend compared with diesel. The combustion analysis like the heat release rate, peak cylinder pressure, cumulative heat release rate and ignition delay for CPME, CPMEP blends slightly lower and combustion duration higher than diesel and pine oil. At the Same engine operating condition, the engine fuelled with pine oil the values of brake thermal efficiency 4.79%, peak cylinder pressure, heat release rate, cumulative heat release rate and ignition delay are increased. Brake specific fuel consumption, CO, HC, and smoke were 9.46%, 16.66%, 14.89% and 8.33% decreased. However, the NOx emission is 8.29% higher than that of diesel. Experimental fuels up to B50 (50% pine oil and 50% CPME) blends have proved good potential for future energy is needed.     

Evaluating the effects of climate change on road maintenance intervention strategies and Life-Cycle Costs

Climate change has the potential to impact long-term road pavement performance. Consequently, to maintain pavements within the same ranges of serviceability as before, current pavement maintenance strategies need to be re-assessed and, if necessary, changed. Changes in maintenance may lead to different agency costs and user costs as a consequence. This paper commences by defining an assessment procedure, showing how maintenance intervention strategies and Life-Cycle Costs (LCC) may be affected by future climate. A typical Virginia flexible pavement structure and anticipated climate change was used as an example. This example is believed to be representative for a great number of localities in the United States. A method using historical climatic data and climate change projections to predict pavement performance using Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) under current or future climate was introduced. Based on pavement performance prediction, maintenance interventions were planned and optimized. The maintenance effects of three treatments (thin overlay, thin overlay with an intermediate layer, and mill & fill) were considered. A Life-Cycle Cost analysis is reported that used binary non-linear programming to minimize the costs (either agency costs or total costs) by optimizing intervention strategies in terms of type and application time. By these means, the differences in maintenance planning and LCC under current and future climate can be derived. It was found, that for this simplified case study, pavement maintenance and LCC may be affected by climate change Optimized maintenance may improve resilience to climate change in terms of intervention strategy and LCC, compared to responsive maintenance.     

How experience of use influences mass-market drivers’ willingness to consider a battery electric vehicle: A randomised controlled trial

Uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) by consumers could reduce CO₂ emissions from light duty road transport, but little is known about how mass-market consumer drivers will respond to them. Self-Congruity theory proposes that products are preferred whose symbolic meanings are congruent with personal identity. Further, Construal Level theory suggests that only those who are psychologically close to a new product category through direct experience with it can make concrete construals related to their lifestyles; most drivers lack this for EVs. For instance, potential performance benefits of EVs might offset range limitations for consumers who have such direct experience. The effect of direct experience was tested in a randomised controlled trial with 393 mass-market consumer drivers. An experimental group were given direct experience of a modern battery electric vehicle (BEV), and a control group an equivalent conventional car. Despite rating the performance of the BEV more highly than that of the conventional car, willingness to consider a BEV declined after experience, particularly if the range of the BEV considered was short. The participants willing to consider a short-range BEV were those high in self-congruity, for whom the BEV could act as a strong symbol of personal identity.     

Analysis of common-cause and special-cause variation in the deterioration of transportation infrastructure: A field application of statistical process control for structural health monitoring

We present a statistical process control framework to support structural health monitoring of transportation infrastructure. We contribute an integrated, generally-applicable (to various types of structural response data) statistical approach that links the literatures on statistical performance modeling and on structural health monitoring. The framework consists of two parts: The first, estimation of statistical models to explain, predict, and control for common-cause variation in the data, i.e., changes, including serial dependence, that can be attributed to usual operating conditions. The ensuing standardized innovation series are analyzed in the second part of the framework, which consists of using Shewhart and Memory Control Charts to detect special-cause or unusual events.We apply the framework to analyze strain and displacement data from the monitoring system on the Hurley Bridge (Wisconsin Structure B-26-7). Data were collected from April 1, 2010 to June 29, 2011. Our analysis reveals that, after controlling for seasonal effects, linear trends are significant components of the response measurements. Persistent displacement may be an indication of deterioration of the bridge supports. Trends in the strain data may indicate changes in the material properties, i.e., fatigue, sensor calibration, or traffic loading. The results also show that autocorrelation and conditional heteroscedasticity are significant sources of common-cause variation. Use of the control charts detected 43 possible special-cause events, with approximately 50% displaying persisting effects, and 25% lasting longer than one week. Analysis of traffic data shows that unusually heavy loading is a possible cause of the longest special-cause event, which lasted 11 days.     

M15甲醇汽油与93^#汽油的发动机性能参数

甲醇作为一种代用燃料,可以与汽油混合使用,人们对使用低比例甲醇燃料发动机的性能十分关注。文章对加入M15甲醇汽油和加入93#汽油的发动机分别经过300 h台架强化试验,测试发动机功率、扭矩及油耗率。强化后,2种燃料的动力性能相近,但M15甲醇汽油的燃料消耗量比汽油高出9%。在汽油发动机中,直接使用M15甲醇汽油,除发动机燃料经济性变差外其他基本无变化。     

沥青路面裂缝修补材料技术性能对比研究

通过室内性能试验对5种裂缝修补材料的高温稳定性、低温抗裂性、抗异物嵌入性、耐腐蚀性、抗老化性、抗剪强度与抗拉强度等技术性能进行了对比研究;同时通过野外实体工程对其实际应用效果进行了验证。室内外研究发现：裂缝修补专用材料的各项技术性能均非常理想,修补效果优良,适用于要求较高的高等级沥青路面裂缝修补;加热施工类材料的各种性能虽不及专用材料,但也处于较理想的水平,适用于低等级沥青路面裂缝修补;常温施工类材料的各种性能与修补效果均较差,仅在紧急抢修、低温或雨后、裂缝潮湿等不利条件下可以使用。     

Bus Rapid Transit implementation in Beijing: An evaluation of performance and impacts

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are undergoing rapid development in many countries due to the unique characteristics of this form of mass transit. In China, BRT schemes are being adopted as a key strategy for relieving traffic problems. As a case-study, this paper examines the performance and impacts of BRT in Beijing, the first full-featured BRT system in China. It considers in turn the role of ITS technology in influencing the operational efficiency, technical performance and cost issues associated with BRT. Particular attention is given to the consequent impacts of BRT on travel behaviour change, traffic environment and property development. While some challenges remain, the early performance of BRT suggests that it is one of the key measures for promoting sustainable mobility.     

基于模糊综合评价的农村公路建设项目绩效评价研究

文章根据农村公路的特点和绩效评价要求,建立了农村公路建设项目绩效评价指标体系,并以HW农村公路建设项目为实例,采用模糊综合法对该农村公路建设项目管理绩效进行了评价,其结果可为农村公路建设项目投资与管理提供参考依据。     

混沌加密技术综述

混沌理论是近年来发展较快的非线性科学的重要分支,因其具有非周期、连续宽频带、类噪声和长期不可预测等特点,所以特別适用于保密通信等领域。本文从混沌加密技术的基本原理、发展阶段和特点以及存在的问题对其进行较为全面的分析和总结。