At-sea towing of a Mega-Float unit

A huge floating offshore platform (359m long, 60m wide, and 3m deep) was towed into the Pacific Ocean for a validation experiment for a floating airport. Full-scale measurements of towline tension and the bending strain on the upper-deck were made during towing. The measured bending moment agreed well with numerical calculation without taking the draught and towing speed into consideration.     

Short sleep duration,sleep disorders,and traffic accidents

Sleepiness is an important factor in traffic accidents caused by human error. The purpose of this paper is to review a number of studies conducted over the years regarding the effect of the lack of sleep on the incidence of traffic accidents as well as the individual effects of various sleep disorders on accidents. In addition, we discuss recent advances in methods of detecting sleepiness and strategies for preventing traffic accident by using these methods.     

Causality of future and spot grain prices between China and the US: Evidence from soybean and corn markets against the surging import pressure

As the boom of the world grain market phases out, the challenge for Chinese government has gradually moved from retarding grain exports to restraining imports. This study tries to examine the causalities of soybean and corn price movement among the United States (US) future market, Chinese domestic future market and Chinese spot markets. We find that the daily prices of all these three types of grains belong to I(1) series, and there are long-run integrations. Also Chinese soybean future prices adjust more quickly than its spot prices, while Chinese corn future prices adjust slower. This paper finds that the soybean price movement originates from the US future market, then passes through Chinese future market, and finally reaches Chinese spot market, while the corn price movement starts in Chinese spot market, then spreads to the future markets in both China and the US. Finally, this paper also provides some policy implications on how to release the pressure from the grain imports.     

A Review of Four-Wheel Steering Studies from the Viewpoint of Vehicle Dynamics and Control

As the four-wheel steering (4WS) system has great potentials, many researchers' attention was attracted to this technique and active research was made. As a result, passenger cars equipped with 4WS systems were put on the market a few years ago. This report tries to identify the essential elements of the 4WS technology in terms of vehicledynamics and control techniques. Based on the findings of this investigation, the report gives an outline and perspective of the research areas involved.