Wave Number Method for Three-Dimensional Steady-State Acoustic Problems

Based on the indirect Trefftz approach, a wave number method (WNM) is proposed to deal with three-dimensional steady-state acoustic problems. In the WNM, the dynamic pressure response variable is approximated by a set of wave functions, which exactly satisfy the Helmholtz equation. The set of wave functions comprise the exact solutions of the homogeneous part of the governing equations and some particular solution functions. The unknown coefficients of the wave functions can be obtained by enforcing the pressure approximation to satisfy the boundary conditions. Compared with the boundary element method (BEM), the WNM have a smaller system matrix, and is applicable to the radiation problems since the wave functions are independent of the domain size. A 3D acoustic cavity is exemplified to show the properties of the method. The results show that the wave number method is more efficient than the BEM, and it is fairly accurate.     

Effects of built environment on walking at the neighbourhood scale. A new role for street networks by modelling their configurational accessibility?

The hypothesis of this paper is that some features of the built environment, particularly those concerned with the accessibility of the street network, could be associated with the proportion of pedestrians on all trips (modal split) found in different parts of a city. Quantitative analysis (bi-variate correlation and a multiple regression model) was used to establish the association between variables. The study area covered a substantial part of the metropolitan area in Madrid, Spain. Results showed a consistent influence of five particular indexes in the multi-variate model. Not surprisingly for this kind of research, four of them described density and mix of land uses. But perhaps more interestingly, the first one was a measure of the accessibility of the public space network, a less prominent variable in literature to date. This variable is called herein configurational accessibility, calculated using Space Syntax, an urban morphology theory. The relevance of configurational accessibility is probably related to its surprising ability to synthesize global and perceived properties of street networks at the same time. The findings introduce the idea that the configuration of the urban grid can influence the proportion of pedestrians (as a part of total trips in any transport mode) who choose to walk on single-journey trips. The discussion links with the current debate about walkability indexes and the need of empirical support for the chosen variables and also with transport planning. Because the relevance of the street network’s role is not so easy to grasp, inputs from configurational theory and the pedestrian potential underlying this fact are also discussed at the end of the paper.     

地铁车辆段用地集约化设计探讨

为节约城市轨道交通建设用地,结合工程实践经验,分析国内外部分城市车辆段用地指标,从节约土地资源角度研究车辆段工艺设计方案,为地铁车辆段设计特别是用地非常紧张情况下的车辆段工艺设计提供参考。     

A century of evolution of the accessibility concept

The concept of accessibility has acquired numerous meanings along multiple dimensions during the century of its evolution. This essay argues for the salience of two dimensions: application-based and definition-based. In its application, accessibility has incorporated positive and normative dimensions which have varied in prominence over time. In its definition, accessibility has varied between a mode of evaluation incorporating measured mobility and proximity, on the one hand, and a predefined market basket of urbanist improvements to transportation and land use systems, on the other. Advocates of the accessibility shift should emphasize both the measured approach to accessibility and accessibility’s normative side.     

Nonlinear effects from wave-induced maximum vertical bending moment on a flexible ultra-large containership model in severe head and oblique seas

Vertical bending moment (VBM) is of crucial importance in ensuring the survival of vessels in rough seas. With regard to conventional vessels, wave-induced maximum VBM is normally considered to be experienced in head seas. It is conservative to determine the extreme VBM based on either numerical simulations or model tests in long-crested head seas. Extensive model tests have been conducted in head seas with focus on the nonlinear vertical responses in severe seas, and the measured results were compared with numerical calculations for validation. Unexpected phenomena, however, were observed during the model tests of an ultra-large containership. The maximum sagging and hogging VBMs were encountered in oblique seas. Furthermore, the significant wave height used in oblique seas was even smaller than that used in head seas. The nonlinear vertical load effects in oblique seas require further investigations for this particular vessel. Limited experimental results in oblique seas have been reported, in which the lateral responses were always more concerned than the vertical responses. Up to now, rare systematic comparisons of the nonlinear vertical responses between head and oblique seas have been published, especially when the hydroelastic effects are also accounted for. A 13000-TEU ultra-large containership model, which was designed by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), has been tested in the towing tank and the ocean basin at the Marintek center in Trondheim. The experimental results in regular waves are first compared between head and oblique seas. The statistical characteristics of the VBM amidships under nineteen irregular wave conditions are then investigated. Next, the extreme hogging and sagging VBMs are compared under different wave conditions with focus on the extreme hogging VBMs. At the end of the paper, the uncertainties in the experiments are discussed.     

Activity–travel behaviour of non-workers from Bangalore City in India

This paper presents exploratory and statistical analyses of the activity–travel behaviour of non-workers in Bangalore city in India. The study summarises the socio-demographic characteristics as well as the activity–travel behaviour of non-workers using a primary activity–travel survey data collected by the authors. Where possible, the research also compares the analysis findings with the case studies on activity–travel behaviour of non-workers, carried out in developed and developing countries. This gives an opportunity to understand the differences/similarities in the activity–travel behaviour of non-workers across diverse socio-cultural settings. The preliminary exploratory analysis shed light on the differences in activity participation, trip chaining, time-of-day preference for trip departure, and mode use behaviour of non-workers in Bangalore city. Statistical models were developed for investigating the effects of individual and household socio-demographics, land use parameters, and travel context attributes on activity participation, trip chaining, time-of-day choice, and mode choice decisions of non-workers. A few important results of the analysis are the influence of viewing television at home on out-of-home activity participation and trip-chaining behaviour, and the impact of in-home maintenance activity duration on time-of-day choice. Further, based on the findings of the initial analyses, an attempt has been made in this study to develop an integrated model that links time allocation, time-of-day choice, and trip chaining behaviour of non-workers. The study also discusses the implications of the research findings for transportation planning and policy for Bangalore city.     

An integrated solution for lane level irregular driving detection on highways

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) has been widely used in the provision of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) services. Current meter level system availability can fulfill the road level applications, such as route guide, fleet management and traffic control. However, meter level of system performance is not sufficient for the advanced safety applications. These lane level safety applications requires centimeter/decimeter positioning accuracy, with high integrity, continuity and availability include lane control, collision avoidance and intelligent speed assistance, etc. Detecting lane level irregular driving behavior is the basic requirement for these safety related ITS applications. The two major issues involved in the lane level irregular driving identification are accessing to high accuracy positioning and vehicle dynamic parameters and extraction of erratic driving behaviour from this and other related information. This paper proposes an integrated solution for the lane level irregular driving detection. Access to high accuracy positioning is enabled by GNSS and Inertial Navigation System (INS) integration using filtering with precise vehicle motion models and lane information. The detection of different types of irregular driving behaviour is based on the application of a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS). The evaluation of the designed integrated systems in the field test shows that 0.5 m accuracy positioning source is required for lane level irregular driving detection algorithm and the designed system can detect irregular driving styles.     

Can value capture work in a car dependent city? Willingness to pay for transit access in Perth,Western Australia

This paper investigates the impact of transit on urban land markets in the highly car dependent corridors of Perth with a focus on where new fast rail transit services have recently been built. It determines people’s willingness to pay for transit access within different pedestrian catchments for each of the corridors based on hedonic price modelling using land value data on over 460,000 households. The case study uses cross sectional and panel data hedonic price modelling methodology for the calculation of willingness to pay for transit. It finds that land market increases of up to 40% can be achieved, and is particularly relevant to car dependent cities looking to capture the financial and economic value created to build transit extensions or entirely new systems, thus making a strong case for value capture funding of transit projects into car dependent suburbs and the potential for density increases near stations.     

A land use and transportation integration method for land use allocation and transportation strategies in China

In this paper, we will first review literature of the land use and transportation interaction and then develop a new land use allocation methodology called Three Stages-Two-Feedback Method (Integration Method) for both land use allocation and the transportation policy options with a practical implementation. Then we apply this method in an urban general planning project in China with more than 1.2 million populations. In this project, we evaluated three land use allocation strategies and three transportation policy options using two application tools (with and without feedbacks) using this method implemented in a land use planning system UPlan and a transportation planning system Emme. The results show that the use of the feedback method (Application Two) results in a vehicle distance reduction and the increase in the service coverage area of transit bus stops at the same time. Due to the use of transportation accessibility and the congestion measures with a MSA implementation, the accessibility measure shows a convergent process over iterations. This nice feature can be used for alternative comparisons. Future research subjects are also discussed.     

A hierarchical rule-based land use extraction system using geographic and remotely sensed data: A case study for residential uses

Lack of detailed land use (LU) information and of efficient data gathering methods have made modeling of urban systems difficult. This study aims to develop a hierarchical rule-based LU extraction system using very high resolution (VHR) remotely sensed imagery and geographic vector data. Land cover information extracted from remote sensing and several types of geographic data from the study area, City of Fredericton, Canada, are fused into a comprehensive database, in order to develop a sophisticated LU Extraction Expert System (LUEES). This paper illustrates how the proposed LUEES though a case study for residential uses in the study area. Morphological (individual-based) analysis at the building-level is carried out through a step-wise binary logistic regression model, which differentiates residential and non-residential buildings and results in an overall accuracy of 93.1%. The results derived from morphological analysis are then subject to a post-correction process using a spatial arrangement analysis, in order to further mitigate the misclassification issues arising from the morphological analysis. In this regard, Gabriel Graph connectivity examines the spatial structure and arrangements of urban features concerning different LU types. It is found that the spatial arrangement analysis further enhances the residential LU classification accuracy, which gives rise to an overall accuracy of 97.4%. It is believed that, equipped with such a powerful LU data collection tool and resulting detailed/accurate LU data, urban planners/modelers should be able to more reliably and precisely represent/predict economic interactions, activity locations, space and housing developments, business expansion, and trip patterns.