The slippery slope of lot consolidation in the Santa Monica Mountains: A program assessment

Abstract

The authors present an assessment of the Coastal Conservancy's efforts to consolidate small, substandard lots in the Santa Monica Mountains. Emphasis is placed on the ‘ ‘lessons learned’ ‘ by the Conservancy in its project experience as those lessons may be applicable to related efforts elsewhere. Finally, alternative means of lot consolidation are suggested. This assessment should be of relevance to other programs nationwide to address the problem of antiquated subdivisions.     

The annual cycle of nanoflagellates in the Central Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay)

The annual cycle of nanoflagellates (NF) including autotrophic (ANF), heterotrophic (HNF) and mixotropic (MNF) flagellates carried out in a temperate sea (Central Cantabrian Sea, southern Bay of Biscay) is presented. Three stations with characteristics ranging from coastal to oceanic conditions were analysed in order to compare NF response to this gradient. Samples were monthly collected at each station at three different depths between February 2002 and December 2002. CTD profiles were also taken at each station. NF were grouped according to their trophic status into ANF, HNF and MNF. Abundance and biomass were determined for each group. The annual cycle showed a general pattern consisting in a maximum in July with secondary maxima in March and October and minimum values in May. ANF were the most important fraction, making a major contribution (nearly 75%) to total NF biomass in all stations. HNF represented over 20% along the cycle, except for a peak in spring found in every station. MNF reached less than 5%, showing low seasonability. Small flagellates (2–5 µm) dominated throughout the cycle. Microplankton community was also analysed in terms of abundance and biomass. A significant positive correlation (r² = 0.49) was obtained between 2–5 µm NF and 10–20 µm HNF–MNF biomasses, suggesting a possible trophic relationship between these groups which should be cautiously taken. No significant relationships were found between microplankton and NF or between nutrients and ANF, indicating that the regulation of NF numbers is complex and probably implicates other groups. In addition to this, the unexpected 2002 Chl a concentration pattern and the misplacing of upwelling events render necessary to perform additional studies to fully understand the precise behaviour of NF in the Cantabrian Sea. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of a NF cycle in a temperate sea that considers all functional groups.     

台电碧海水力发电头水隧道设计及施工实例

碧海水力发电工程头水隧道为台湾东部变质岩地层内施作之水力发电用隧道,位处花莲和平溪右岸之崇山峻岭中,地形条件恶劣,工程初期施工道路尚未全线贯通阶段,采中重型直升机吊挂运补施工用物资、人员及机具,争取工期。工程头水隧道因通水断面净内径仅2.7 m,长度约6.5 km,设计及施工条件严苛,台电公司为缩短工期,选择TBM工法,惟第一承揽厂商遭遇涌水带后,TBM夹埋未能脱困,终至解约。后由另一厂商接手,采传统钻炸工法,顺利拆解TBM并如期贯通,配合排水钢管,导引涌水,并设计自走式钢模,内衬砌浇置速度创台湾水力隧道之新纪录。     

河流峡谷地段地质选线方案研究

研究目的：河流峡谷地段，不良地质极为发育，规模大，又为地下水的排泄区，发育区域性暗河；线路设计同时受技术标准、投资影响；控制选线的因素极为复杂。本文以渝怀线乌江峡谷地质选线研究为例，对经受施工、运营、汶川地震检验，证明合理的地质选线的经验、成果进行研究、归纳、总结，指导类似河流峡谷地段铁路勘察设计工作。研究结论：先期进行河流左、右岸地质选线；峡谷段不良地质极发育，线路方案受地质条件控制，有条件时，线路内移避开沿岸不良地质；线路绕避不良地质困难或代价极高时，只要地质探明，工程措施到位，线路完全可以通过不良地质；根据岩溶发育规律及暗河标高，宏观指导选线，线路最好尽量选择通过岩溶发育安全带。     

百丈隧道穿越流塑状富水破碎带施工措施及其安全性评价

百丈隧道左洞ZK152+433~ZK152+463段穿越流塑状富水破碎带施工时反复出现变形侵限、塌方等情况,给工程施工带来前所未有的挑战。文章详细阐述了施工过程中采取的各种处治措施,总结了不同处治方案和效果,并采用数值分析方法对隧道结构安全性进行了分析。结果表明:(1)对于流塑状富水破碎带,加密超前支护是防止开挖时围岩出现较大变形或者坍塌的最有效措施。百丈隧道流塑状富水破碎带最终采用了每榀钢架(钢架间距50 cm)都打设一环3.5 m长?51自进式锚杆的超前支护方式,即每个断面都有7层超前支护,最终有效控制了开挖后围岩变形,避免衬砌侵限与塌方;(2)对于流塑状富水破碎带,加固围岩尤其是边墙与基底处围岩非常重要,可有效减少开挖过程中衬砌的整体式下沉。采用抛石挤淤+注浆的方式进行边墙与基底围岩加固,其效果比采用单纯注浆方式好得多;(3)对于外部荷载较明确的隧道,采用计算分析结合工程经验的方式确定衬砌支护参数,既能保证隧道结构安全,又使其经济合理;(4)在双车道隧道施工中,采用三台阶法施工,应尽量缩短台阶长度,使初期支护及时封闭成环,从而可以较好地控制围岩变形。     

Splash zone lowering analysis of a large subsea spool piece

Lifting operation though the wave splash zone is challenging. Careful numerical analysis in the design phase is needed to minimize associated risks. This study addresses numerical modeling and analysis of the splash zone lowering of a large subsea spool. A typical offshore construction vessel is used for the operation. The objective is to compare the effects from different numerical methods and parameters on the allowable sea states and the operability. These methods and parameters include wave short-crestedness, shielding effects from the vessel, wave direction and wave seed number. A coupled numerical model of the spool-vessel system is established in SIMO program, which is a simulation tool for marine operations. Slamming and submergence-dependent loads on the spool during the transient lowering process are calculated. A large number of time-domain simulations has been performed to derive the allowable sea states. The operational criteria for assessment of the sea states include slack sling, snap loads in wires and clearance between spool and the vessel. Operability analysis of the operation at one reference site in the Barent Sea is established using 50-year hindcast data. The influences from different methods on the allowable sea states and the operability are compared and discussed in detail.     

Analysis of yellow-light running at signalized intersections using high-resolution traffic data

Many accidents occurring at signalized intersections are closely related to drivers’ decisions of running through intersections during yellow light, i.e., yellow-light running (YLR). Therefore it is important to understand the relationships between YLR and the factors which contribute to drivers’ decision of YLR. This requires collecting a large amount of YLR cases. However, existing data collection method, which mainly relies on video cameras, has difficulties to collect a large amount of YLR data. In this research, we propose a method to study drivers’ YLR behaviors using high-resolution event-based data from signal control systems. We used 8 months’ high-resolution data collected by two stop-bar detectors at a signalized intersection located in Minnesota and identified over 30,000 YLR cases. To identify the possible reasons for drivers’ decision of YLR, this research further categorized the YLR cases into four types: “in should-go zone”, “in should-stop zone”, “in dilemma zone”, and “in optional zone” according to the driver’s location when signal turns to yellow. Statistical analysis indicates that the mean values of approaching speed and acceleration rate are significantly different for different types of YLR. We also show that there were about 10% of YLR drivers who cannot run through intersection before traffic light turns to red. Furthermore, based on a strong correlation between hourly traffic volume and number of YLR events, this research developed a regression model that can be used to predict the number of YLR events based on hourly flow rate. This research also showed that snowing weather conditions cause more YLR events.     

浅析中小企业融资难的原因与对策

中小企业在我国的经济和社会发展中发挥着巨大作用，但其融资难也是一个亟待解决的问题。中小企业无论在内源融资还是外源融资中都面临着种种制约，究其原因，有自身管理的问题，也与政府、资本市场、金融机构和信用担保体系等外部因素有关。只有国家、金融机构、企业和社会各界携手努力，才能有效地解决中小企业融资难的问题。     

基于线性诱导的公路隧道入口区域交通安全优化研究

为达到驾驶人早发现隧道洞门、早适应环境变化、早决策驾驶行为的目的，通过分析隧道入口区域行车环境下的视距视区与交通安全问题，借鉴常见的线条形视线诱导设施（如反光环、反光条、弹性交通柱等），构建隧道线性诱导系统，并提出基于线性诱导的隧道入口区域改善方法。另外，通过室内模拟试验，采集白天与夜间环境下注视点的位置数据； 将注视区域分为5类，并分析注视点在各区域的视觉转移特性，评价隧道入口区域改善前后的效果。结果表明： 1）隧道线性诱导系统具备形式多样、较大尺寸、可以勾勒轮廓、发光分散等特点，同时可以以低成本提升隧道光环境的安全性。2）隧道入口区域改善前，驾驶人的注视点以较大概率出现在前方近处。3）改善后，驾驶人的注视点以较大的概率出现在前方远处，表明改善方案使得驾驶人的视距充足； 改善后注视点在主要分布区域的注视概率变动比改善前更为缓和，表明驾驶人的视区变化得到缓解。     

Time domain approach for coupled cross-flow and in-line VIV induced fatigue damage of steel catenary riser at touchdown zone

Existing VIV prediction approaches for steel catenary riser (SCR) typically employ truncation model without considering the interaction between the SCR and soil, and only allow for cross-flow (CF) VIV. In this study, a time domain approach accounting for the SCR-soil interaction is proposed to predict the CF and in-line (IL) VIV induced fatigue damage of a SCR at touchdown zone (TDZ). The hydrodynamic force resulting from the vortex shedding is modeled using the forced oscillation test data of a rigid cylinder and an empirical damping model, which are defined as functions of the non-dimensional dominant frequency and amplitude of the SCR response. Due to the coupling effect, the IL VIV force is magnified based on the CF VIV amplitude. By combining a linear hysteretic interaction model with a trench shape model, some particular phenomena during the vertical SCR-soil interaction are captured and qualitatively discussed, while for the horizontal direction, the seabed is simplified as nonlinear spring model. Based on these models, parametric studies are conducted to broaden the understanding of the sensitivity of VIV induced fatigue damage to the seabed characteristic. The results indicate trench depth, vertical and lateral stiffness, and clay suction are significantly affect the VIV induced maximum fatigue damage at TDZ.