bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medical Review of Impaired Drivers and Fitness to Drive
Authors: Silverstein Nina M. , Barton Kelli
Published: February 2011

States vary greatly in their approach to licensing and renewal practices and in the use, composition, and function of their medical advisory boards (MABs). For many policies and practices, evidence of their effectiveness is limited or unclear. The objective of this study was to assess stakeholder opinions on current and future directions for Massachusetts to strengthen its MAB and Registry of Motor Vehicles activities regarding medically at-risk drivers. Twenty-three structured, in-depth interviews were conducted on the following topics: immunity for reporting at-risk drivers; mandatory versus voluntary reporting practices; confidentiality for reporters; licensing and renewal practices; vision requirements; counter personnel training; MAB role, composition, and activities; and transition to mobility options. Stakeholders participating in this study included representatives from the state legislature, government agencies, advocacy organizations, the licensing authority, medical communities, driving assessment centers, mobility planners, academic communities, and law enforcement. Results indicated that stakeholders believed Massachusetts was ready for a change in licensing and renewal practices and in the medical review of impaired drivers. With the exception of continued support for voluntary reporting practices, a majority of the respondents disagreed with most of the current practices discussed in the interviews. Recommendations included granting immunity to physicians; strengthening the role, function, and composition of the MAB; developing clear guidelines and standards to report impaired drivers; and training for licensing authority counter personnel.
Aggressive Driving and Safety Campaigns
Authors: Lee Chanyoung , Saxena Meeta , Lin Pei-Sung , Gonzalez-Velez Enrique , Rouse Jeanette W.
Published: February 2011

Aggressive driving is a growing concern in the United States. Often such driving results in crashes that harm both drivers and others. In NCHRP Report 500, “aggressive driving” is defined as “operating a motor vehicle in a selfish, pushy, or impatient manner, often unsafely, that directly affects other drivers.” In other words, aggressive driving includes many unsafe driving behaviors by ordinary drivers. Most previous safety campaigns have used enforcement interventions as the primary means of reducing aggressive driving. Enforcement clearly plays a crucial role in reducing aggressive driving. Limited efforts have been made, however, to enhance awareness of aggressive driving by providing proper education to the public. The Better Driver Campaign plan was developed and executed to address aggressive driving in Florida. The campaign was geared toward promoting awareness of aggressive driving. The education-oriented safety campaign was effective in addressing aggressive driving and was appreciated by the public.
Local Rural Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Case Studies
Authors: Mahgoub Hesham , Skorseth Ken , Marshall Ronald , Selim Ali
Published: February 2011

The main goal of this study was to improve the safety performance of local rural roads in South Dakota by promoting road safety audits (RSAs) and by providing a toolbox of low-cost safety improvement strategies to county highway superintendents and local highway agencies. The study conducted RSAs at 12 selected sites along county highways, city streets, and township roads. RSA projects were selected through South Dakota Local Transportation Assistance Program promotion and commitments from South Dakota local agencies. The study exposed local governments to the concept and practices of road safety analysis. The study also provided a good opportunity for local highway agency staff members to participate and gain experience by working with road safety teams. This paper reports on the procedures and the results of the rural road RSAs and identifies guidelines to conduct RSAs on local rural roads to help local agencies identify, prioritize, and implement safety improvements.
Tax Increment Financing as a Value Capture Strategy in Funding Transportation
Authors: Zhao Zhirong Jerry , Das Kirti Vardhan , Larson Kerstin
Published: February 2011

Value capture strategies apply a benefit principle to public infrastructure investment by creating a mechanism to capture the value created by infrastructure improvements. This paper focuses on one value capture strategy, tax increment financing (TIF), which uses future increases in property taxes generated by infrastructure improvements to finance the initial costs of the development. This paper reviews the history of TIF, its extent of use, and its mechanisms. Then it evaluates the applicability of TIF as a revenue strategy based on four criteria: efficiency, equity, revenue sustainability, and feasibility. Finally, it provides recommendations on how to improve and expand the use of TIF.
Experience with Pass-Through Tolling Agreements in Texas
Authors: Persad Khali R. , Franco Patricia , Walton C. Michael
Published: February 2011

The experience of Texas with pass-through tolling is summarized in this paper. Between August 2005 and October 2007, 13 agreements were authorized by the Texas Transportation Commission, in partnerships with 10 counties, two cities, and one private developer. Total commitment of state funds through 2029 is approximately $1.32 billion. Conceptually, pass-through tolling is similar to shadow tolling as practiced in Europe, but with some differences in Texas. From analysis of the project agreements and interviews with technical staff, it was found that improvements are desirable in four areas: selection of projects, choice of financing mechanism, estimation of project benefits, and training for staff in project financing.
Value of Travel Time Estimation Using Hierarchical Bayesian Mixed Logit Approach
Authors: Yanmaz-Tuzel Ozlem , Ozbay Kaan , Holguin-Veras José
Published: February 2011

This paper investigates the value of travel time (VOTT) of commuters traveling on toll facilities of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTPK) in a time-of-day pricing system. The methodology proposed to estimate VOTT develops hierarchical Bayesian mixed logit models using travel surveys conducted as part of evaluation studies of PANYNJ and NJTPK facilities. The proposed approach is a novel method for examining commuters' behavior on the basis of flexible model specifications. Empirical results show that travel time, toll, income, and departure time are statistically significant parameters affecting VOTT of commuters on PANYNJ toll facilities. Mean VOTT estimates are found to be about $16.5/h for PANYNJ E-ZPass peak users and about $15.15/h for PANYNJ E-ZPass off-peak users, with standard deviation estimates close to $6.45/h during peak periods and $5.72/h during off-peak hours. Similarly, mean VOTT estimates are found to be around $16.3/h for NJTPK E-ZPass peak users and about $14.79/h for NJTPK E-ZPass off-peak users, with standard deviation estimates close to $5.48/h during peak periods and $4.56/h during off-peak hours.
Comparison of Parking Requirements in Zoning and Form-Based Codes
Authors: Hananouchi Robert , Nuworsoo Cornelius
Published: February 2011

There is growing recognition of the negative effects of rapid suburbanization, also known as urban sprawl, which has dominated the development of urban areas for the past several decades. Both land use and transportation policies have contributed to this form of development, creating communities devoid of nearby services and with a characterless urban form and dependence on automobiles for travel. To address these issues, urban planners, architects, developers, and policy makers are considering form-based codes to guide and regulate urban development that creates complete and compact neighborhoods. Whereas form-based codes address urban form and land use, this study focuses on how parking requirements inhibit or support efforts to reduce urban sprawl and automobile dependency. Form-based codes are growing in popularity, and this paper investigates specifically parking policies in these types of land use regulations. This study finds that parking policies in the Miami 21 form-based code and Duany Plater–Zyberk's SmartCode do not offer a greatly different approach to parking than conventional zoning ordinances. The findings show that these codes have not fully embraced solutions from parking critics to address the issues of urban sprawl and automobile dependency. Both codes include some marginal improvements to existing parking policies but do not maximize the potential form-based codes offer to include more progressive solutions to reduce automobile dependency by limiting excesses in parking requirements. This paper recommends that future form-based codes integrate more progressive parking policy solutions to reduce automobile dependency and urban sprawl.
Multistate Model for Travel Time Reliability
Authors: Guo Feng , Rakha Hesham , Park Sangjun
Published: February 2011

Travel time unreliability is an important characterization of transportation systems. The appropriate modeling and reporting of travel time reliability is crucial for individual travelers as well as management agencies. A novel multistate model is proposed for travel time modeling and reporting. The model advances travel time modeling in two aspects. First, the multistate model provides much improved model fitting as compared with single-mode models. Second and more important, the proposed model provides a connection between travel time distributions and the underlying travel time state. This connection allows for the quantitative evaluation of the probability of each travel time state as well as the uncertainty associated with each state, for example, the probability of encountering congestion at a given time of day and the expected travel time if congestion is experienced. A simulation study was conducted to demonstrate the performance of the model. The proposed model was applied to field data collected at San Antonio, Texas. The variation of the model parameters as a function of time of day was also investigated. The simulation study and field data analysis confirmed the superiority of the multistate model over the state-of-practice single-mode travel time reliability models and for ease of interpretation.
Empirical Results of Effects of Various Causal Factors on Car-Following Behavior
Authors: Kim Taehyung , Lovell David J. , Kim Hyoungsoo , Oh Cheol
Published: February 2011

Experimentation and analysis methodologies for data intended for the development of microscopic car-following models are presented. The data methodology centers on the notion that it is better to sample a varied group of real drivers when the subjects are unaware that an experiment is being conducted. This contrasts with the methods used to calibrate most conventional models. The analysis focuses on determining possible causal factors, beyond the kinematic variables most often used, that could play a role in real traffic. These factors include various human characteristics (e.g., gender and distractions related to in-vehicle conditions like telephoning and vehicle occupancy); traffic and road characteristics (e.g., type of vehicle, congestion level, and location of driving lane); and environmental characteristics (e.g., time of day and weather conditions). The paper shows the magnitudes of the relationships that are discovered and offers suggestions as to how these results might contribute to the development of better models.
Evaluation of Real-Time Parking Information
Authors: Fries Ryan , Chowdhury Mashrur , Dunning Anne , Gahrooei Mostafa Reisi
Published: February 2011

Although parking is an important issue in transportation engineering and planning, little research has examined the use of new parking information technologies in rural communities. The Clemson University campus, in South Carolina, was used as a case study to determine the ability of roadside parking information systems to reduce delay, cut travel time, and manage changing volumes of cars. To examine these effects, a traffic simulation model of the campus was built, calibrated, and validated. The model used a dynamic assignment approach to capture the rerouting of vehicles in response to parking availability information for several key parking lots. It was found that use of roadside parking information systems, such as dynamic message signs, can reduce delay while not significantly affecting volumes, travel times, or speeds. The findings suggested that delay reduction was caused by a decrease in vehicle circulation time.
Optimal All-Stop, Short-Turn, and Express Transit Services under Heterogeneous Demand
Authors: Ulusoy Yavuz Y. , Chien Steven I-Jy , Wei Chien-Hung
Published: February 2011

As a major mode choice of commuters, public transit plays an important role in relieving congestion on urban transportation networks. A model is developed for cost-efficient operation that optimizes all-stop, short-turn, and express transit services and the associated frequencies by considering heterogeneous demand. For a transit line with given stations and origin–destination demand, the objective total cost function is optimized by considering a set of constraints that ensure frequency conservation and sufficient capacity subject to operable fleet size. A numerical example is designed that is based on a real-world rail transit line to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the developed model. Results show that optimized integrated service patterns and associated service frequencies significantly reduce total cost.
Railway Capacity Model and Decision Support Process for Strategic Capacity Planning
Authors: Lai Yung-Cheng (Rex) , Shih Mei-Cheng , Jong Jyh-Cherng
Published: February 2011

The demand for railway transportation is expected to increase significantly worldwide and railway agencies are looking for better tools to allocate their capital investments in capacity planning in the best possible way. A capacity model has been developed to evaluate the network capacity of a conventional railway system with predominantly passenger trains. A capacity planning process is presented to help planners enumerate possible expansion options and to determine the optimal network investment plan for meeting future demand. Use of this capacity evaluation tool and capacity planning process will help railway agencies provide satisfactory service to their customers and pleasing returns on shareholder investments.
New Modifications to Bus Network Design Methodology
Authors: Foletta Nicole , Estrada-Romeu Miquel , Roca-Riu Mireia , Martí Pere
Published: February 2011

A new methodology is provided for solving the bus network design problem, covering both network design and frequency setting. Two new bus network design models are created that build on the methodology proposed by Baaj and Mahmassani. A modification considers that commercial speeds of buses vary depending on the aggregated frequency of buses on each street or corridor. A further modification is the updating of route frequencies during route generation. The models were applied to the street network of Barcelona, Spain. Outputs were compared, and it was found that the new models produce bus networks with faster average travel speeds, smaller fleet size, fewer route kilometers, and fewer buses per link than previous methodologies. These results demonstrate that consideration of the variability of bus speeds and required route frequencies during route generation and frequency setting can significantly improve the performance of a bus network.
Policy-Making Tool for Optimization of Transit Priority Lanes in Urban Network
Authors: Mesbah Mahmoud , Sarvi Majid , Currie Graham , Saffarzadeh Mahmoud
Published: February 2011

Transit improvement is an effective way to relieve traffic congestion and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Improvement can be in the form of new facilities or giving on-road priority to transit. Although construction of off-road mass transit is not always viable, giving priority to transit can be a low-cost alternative. A framework is introduced for optimization of bus priority at the network level. The framework identifies links on which a bus lane should be located. Allocation of a lane to transit vehicles would increase the utility of transit, although this can be a disadvantage to auto traffic. The approach balances the impact on all stakeholders. Automobile advocates would like to increase traffic road space, and the total travel time of users and total emissions of the network could be reduced by a stronger priority scheme. A bilevel optimization is applied that encompasses an objective function at the upper level and a mode choice, a traffic assignment, and a transit assignment model at the lower level. The proposed optimization helps transport authorities to quantify the outcomes of various strategies of transit priority. A detailed sensitivity analysis is carried out on the relative weight of each factor in the objective function. The proposed framework can also be applied in the context of high-occupancy-vehicle lanes and heavy-vehicle priority lanes.
Train Timetable Optimizing and Rescheduling Based on Improved Particle Swarm Algorithm
Authors: Meng Xuelei , Jia Limin , Qin Yong
Published: February 2011

A train timetable is the key to organizing railway traffic and determining the inbound and outbound times of trains. The goals for optimizing a timetable are to improve stability (the most important index) and to offer more feasibility for train rescheduling when disruptions occur, with high railway capacity utilization as a prerequisite. Train rescheduling must ensure traffic order and efficiency and adjusts train movements to be consistent with the schedule as much as possible. The two problems have the same basic solution method: to adjust the inbound and outbound times of trains at stations. Timetable stability is defined by focusing on the buffer time distribution for trains in sections and at stations. A timetable optimizing model that takes stability as the optimizing goal and a rescheduling model with minimal summary time as the destination are presented. The particle swarm algorithm is improved and is applied in problem solving as a time-adjusting tool. The algorithm is illustrated by two examples from the Guangzhou-to-Shenzhen section in China. The improved particle swarm algorithm is proved to have real-time adjusting ability, showing its high convergent speed. It is concluded that the algorithm has great global searching ability. The described new method can be embedded in the decision support tool for timetable designers and train dispatchers.
Algorithm for Crew-Scheduling Problem with Bin-Packing Features
Authors: Qiao Wenxin , Hamedi Masoud , Haghani Ali
Published: February 2011

The traditional crew-scheduling problem is solved with a new bin-packing approach in polynomial time. On the basis of extensive research from the past 40 years, an algorithm that has been proven to be the most efficient for solving most bin-packing problems is selected and modified for application in the crew-scheduling problem. A modified best-fit-decreasing algorithm is proposed and discussed. A case study is conducted with the proposed algorithm and the results are discussed.
Bilevel Highway Route Optimization
Authors: Kang Min Wook , Yang Ning , Schonfeld Paul , Jha Manoj
Published: February 2011

A new bilevel highway route optimization model finds highway alternatives that best improve the existing roadway system while optimizing the alternatives' alignments on the basis of geometric, cost, and operational considerations. The upper level of the bilevel structure represents a decision-making process of system designers in which possible highway alternatives are generated and evaluated. The lower level represents highway users' route choice behavior and evaluates how traffic in an existing road network is redistributed by the new highways. Various highway agency and user-related costs (such as earthwork, right-of-way, and travel time costs) are included in the model's objective function and used as key evaluation criteria. The model is tested with an example to check its capabilities and use in real-world applications. The results show that the model can optimize solutions within a reasonable computation time and that locations of the new highways are sensitive to redistributed traffic in the modified road network as well as to unit costs and other inputs. It is expected that highway planners and designers can greatly benefit from the proposed model, which offers optimized candidate alternatives identified by comprehensive bilevel optimization procedures rather than merely satisfactory alternatives obtained from the trial-and-error process of the traditional approach.
Les didascalies de Léon Balianitès : notes sur le contenu et la date
Authors: Loukaki Marina
Published: February 2011

The titles of eight didaskaliai of Leo Balianites have been preserved, but only six are preserved in the Scorialensis 265 (Y II 10). A summary analysis of these texts provides an overview of the career and personality of this author.
A Grand Entrance of The Facade and Crypt of a Church in the Marmara Sea Walls at Istanbul
Authors: De Zulueta Mavis
Published: February 2011

Une porte à trois entrées s'ouvre dans la muraille maritime à proximité d'Incili Kiosk. Cette structure avait été attribuée à une église dédiée au Christ Philanthropos, ce qui ne correspond pas à la topographie. L'analyse du décor de brique conduit à la dater du 11e ou du 12e siècle. Il pourrait s'agir de la porte d'apparat conduisant au monastère des Manganes.
Jean, logothète du drome au 11e siècle
Authors: Le Léannec-Bavavéas Marie-Thérèse
Published: February 2011

REB 60 2002 France p. 215-220

Marie-Thérèse Le Léannec-Bavavéas, Jean, logothète du drome au 11e siècle. — Cet article rassemble et édite les notes de cinq manuscrits qui ont été déposés dans l'église du Monastère de la Vierge de Skoutari par Jean, logothète du drome, au 11e siècle.
The Effect of Medication-related Support on the Quality of Life of Patients with Vasculitis in Relapse and Remission
Authors: CARPENTER DELESHA M. , KADIS JESSICA A. , DEVELLIS ROBERT F. , HOGAN SUSAN L. , JORDAN JOANNE M.
Published: February 2011

Objective.

Few studies have investigated whether the utility of social support for patients with a relapsing, remitting illness varies by activity level of the disease. Our goal was to determine whether disease status (relapse vs remission) moderates the effect of medication-related support from physicians and partners on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with vasculitis.

Methods.

Patients with vasculitis (n = 228) completed baseline measures of disease status and medication-related support and a 3-month followup measure of HRQOL (RAND 36-item health survey 1.0). We calculated 8 HRQOL dimensions: physical functioning, physical role limitations, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, emotional role limitations, and mental health. Bonferroni-corrected t tests compared the HRQOL of patients in relapse to patients in remission, and multivariate analysis of covariance determined whether disease status moderated the effect of medication-related support from physicians and partners on patient HRQOL. Wilks’ lambda assessed whether the support-by-disease status interaction terms were significant.

Results.

Relapsing patients reported significantly worse quality of life compared with nonrelapsing patients for every HRQOL dimension except physical role limitations. Disease status did not moderate the effect of physician (lambda = 0.48; p = 0.86) or partner (lambda = 1.51; p = 0.16) medication-related support on HRQOL, although greater physician and partner support predicted better HRQOL for all dimensions except bodily pain and vitality.

Conclusion.

Vasculitis patients experience compromised HRQOL but the magnitude of the compromise is greater for patients experiencing a relapse. Medication-related support from physicians and partners is beneficial for patients’ HRQOL regardless of disease status.
Evaluation of an Inter-Professional Educational Intervention to Improve the Use of Arthritis Best Practices in Primary Care
Authors: LINEKER SYDNEY C. , BELL MARY J. , BADLEY ELIZABETH M.
Published: February 2011

Objective.

To describe the evaluation of a community-based continuing health education program designed to improve the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA), and to examine the results by discipline.

Methods.

The Getting a Grip on Arthritis©program was based on clinical practice guidelines adapted for the primary care environment (best practices). The program consisted of an accredited inter-professional workshop and 6 months of activities to reinforce the learning. Analyses compared best practice scores derived from responses to 3 standardized case scenarios (early and late RA; moderate knee OA) at baseline and 6 months post-workshop using the ACREU Primary Care Survey.

Results.

In total, 553 primary care providers (nurses/licensed practical nurses 30.9%, rehabilitation professionals 22.5%, physicians 22.5%, nurse practitioners 10.9%, other healthcare providers/non-clinical staff/students 13.1%) attended one of 27 workshops across Canada; 275 (49.7%) completed followup surveys. Best practice scores varied by discipline at baseline (p < 0.05) and improved for all 3 case scenarios, with nurse practitioners and rehabilitation therapists improving the most (p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion.

Results suggest that inter-professional education may be an effective method for dissemination of guidelines and has potential to improve the delivery of arthritis care, particularly when nurse practitioners and rehabilitation therapists are involved in the care of patients.
Predictors of Hip Disease in the Systemic Arthritis Subtype of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: BATTHISH MICHELLE , FELDMAN BRIAN M. , BABYN PAUL S. , TYRRELL PASCAL N. , SCHNEIDER RAYFEL
Published: February 2011

Objective.

Hip involvement occurs in 20%–40% of all cases of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Patients with systemic JIA (sJIA) are affected most frequently. The aim of our study was to investigate the predictors of clinical hip disease and radiographic hip damage in sJIA.

Methods.

The medical records (1997–2007) of all children (n = 98) with sJIA were reviewed. Potential clinical and laboratory predictors were examined at presentation and at 3 and 6 months. To account for censored observations, we used survival analysis.

Results.

During the study period, 59 children met our inclusion criteria. The mean age at diagnosis was 7.8 years. Thirty patients (51%) developed clinical hip disease, with 12 (20%) developing radiographic evidence of hip damage. The median time to develop clinical hip disease was 24 months. Using Kaplan-Meier estimates, 25% of patients develop radiographically evident hip damage within 43 months. At presentation, patients in whom clinical hip disease later developed had polyarthritis (hazard ratio 2.51, p = 0.01), elevated IgG (HR 1.12, p = 0.01) and IgM (HR 2.71, p = 0.02), and higher CHAQ scores (HR 1.65, p = 0.02). At 3 months after disease onset, patients in whom radiographic hip damage later developed had fever (HR 4.78, p = 0.02), polyarthritis (HR 4.63, p = 0.02), and higher CHAQ scores (HR 3.20, p = 0.005). At 6 months, polyarthritis was the strongest predictor of both clinical hip disease and radiographic hip damage.

Conclusion.

Half of patients with sJIA develop clinical hip disease a median time of 24 months from diagnosis. Early identification of predictors of hip disease and damage in patients with sJIA may suggest earlier, more aggressive interventions to prevent joint destruction.
Les armes du dépôt du Cailar (Gard, France) IIIe siècle avant notre ère
Authors: Girard Benjamin , Roure Rejane , Duday Henri , Lenorzer Sandrine , Ciesielski Elsa , Gardeisen Armelle , Cantuel Jean , Creuzieux Aurélien , Py Michel
Published: February 2011

Un gran número de distintos tipos de armas ha sido hallado en el yacimiento arqueológico de Le Cailar (Gard, Francia). Este asentamiento protohistórico está ubicado en el valle bajo del Ródano y fue fundado a mediados, o quizás a inicios, del siglo VI a.C. Le Cailar fue un importante puerto de comercio donde están atestiguadas distintas producciones mediterráneas, en especial vino y cerámica. La relación con la ciudad focense de Massalia fue seguramente intensa. Durante el siglo III a.C., un vasto espacio sagrado fue creado a lo largo de las murallas. En este espacio han sido halladas numerosas armas, otros objetos metálicos y fragmentos de calaveras humanas (cabezas cortadas), así como monedas y fragmentos de huesos animales y de cerámica. Estos elementos arrojan luz sobre las prácticas rituales relacionadas con la guerra durante el siglo III a.C.

[fr] Différents types d’armes ont été retrouvés en grand nombre sur le site du Cailar (Gard, France). Cet établissement protohistorique est situé dans la basse vallée du Rhône et fut fondé au milieu, ou peut-être au début, du VIe s. a.C. Le Cailar fut un important port de commerce où sont attestés différentes productions d’origine méditerranéennes, comme le vin et la céramique. Les relations avec la cité phocéenne de Massalia furent probablement importantes. Au cours du IIIe s. a.C., une vaste aire sacrée fut créée le long des murailles. A l’intérieur de cet espace ont été retrouvés des armes et divers objets métalliques, ainsi que des fragments de crânes humains (têtes coupées), des monnaies et des fragments de céramiques et d’os animaux. Ces éléments permettent d’éclairer les pratiques rituelles liées à la guerre au IIIe s. a.C.
Sobre algunos textos clásicos referentes a la caballería de los celtíberos y al simbolismo de sus armas
Authors: Salinas de Frías Manuel
Published: February 2011

Algunos textos clásicos (Str. 3.3.6 y 4.15; Pol. Fr, 95 y Diod. 3.3.5) muestran la existencia de dos clases de combatientes en los ejércitos celtibéricos: una minoría armada con la panoplia completa, que combatía a caballo, y una mayoría equipada ligeramente. Estas diferencias de armamento reflejan la diferencia social entre la aristocracia y el resto de la población. La comparación con otras aristocracias ecuestres, principalmente la griega y la romana, muestra que la aristocracia celtibérica era principalmente una infantería montada cuyas armas constituían un símbolo de su estatus social. En particular, podemos detectar un simbolismo asociado a la espada.

[fr] Un certain nombre de textes d’auteurs anciens (Str. 3.3.6 y 4.15; Pol. Fr, 95 y Diod. 3.3.5) attestent l’existence de deux catégories de combattants dans les armées celtibères : une minorité dotée de la panoplie complète et combattant à cheval; une majorité équipée à la légère. Ces différences dans l’armement reflètent la différenciation sociale entre l’aristocratie et le reste de la population. La comparaison avec d’autres aristocraties équestres, notamment celles des sociétés grecque et romaine, montre que l’aristocratie celtibère était principalement une infanterie montée dont les armes constituaient le symbole de son statut social. On peut en particulier mettre en évidence un symbolisme associé à l’épée.
Remote Electro-Analytical Laboratory
Authors: Satsangee Soami , Mohd Rehan , Gandhi Ratnanjali
Published: February 2011

Remote Laboratories are web based distance learning laboratories that have immense potential to disseminate technology in the area of practical science. These laboratories can be accessed through Internet.

In the present paper, we will be discussing our experiences in setting up a remote analytical laboratory at our center. Further, we will discuss remote experiments in the area of electro-analytical chemistry & colorimetry and their role in strengthening the system of science education.
A Remote Lab Experiments Improved Model
Authors: Riman Chadi Fouad , El Hajj Ali , Mougharbel Imad
Published: February 2011

Remote Laboratory Experimentation (RLE) is a technique used in modern engineering laboratories to help academic researchers and students perform laboratory experiments remotely through the internet. Due to the lack of well specified requirements for RLE, many RLE implementation models exist with different characteristics, using different technologies, and without a consistent set of services. In this work, the services provided by some recent RLE implementations models are identified, these services are analyzed, and specifications of a general improved model are concluded.
Three Online Neutron Beam Experiments Based on the iLab Shared Architecture
Authors: DeLong Kimberly , Harward V. Judson , Bailey Philip , Hardison James , Kohse Gordon , Ostrocsky Yakov
Published: February 2011

Students at MIT have traditionally executed certain experiments in the containment building of the MIT nuclear reactor as part of courses in Nuclear Engineering and the third year laboratory course for Physics majors. A joint team of faculty and research staff from the MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (MIT-NRL) and MITâ??s Center for Educational Computing Initiatives have implemented online versions of three classic experiments; (a) a determination of MIT reactor coolant temperature through measurement of thermal neutron velocity, (b) a demonstration of the DeBroglie relationship of the kinetic energy and momentum of thermal neutrons and study of Bragg diffraction through a single copper crystal at various orientations, and (c) a measurement of beam depletion using a variety of shielding filters. These online experiments were implemented using the LabVIEW® virtual instrumentation package and the interactive version of the iLab Shared Architecture (ISA). Initial assessment of the online experiments indicates that they achieve comparable educational outcomes to traditional versions of the labs executed in the reactor containment building.
Interactive Lab to Learn Radio Astronomy, Microwave & Antenna Engineering at the Technical University of Cartagena (Spain)
Authors: Gómez-Tornero José Luis , Cañete-Rebenaque David , Quesada-Pereira Fernando Daniel , Álvarez-Melcón Alejandro
Published: February 2011

An initiative carried out at the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT, Spain) to encourage students and promote the interest for Scientific and Engineering Culture between society is presented in this contribution. For this purpose, a long-term project based on the set-up of an interactive laboratory surrounding a small Radio Telescope (SRT) system has been carried out. The main novelty is that this project is entirely being developed by students of last courses of our Telecommunication Engineering Faculty, under the supervision of four lecturers. This lab offers the possibility to remotely control the SRT, and it provides a set of multimedia web-based applications to produce a novel, practical, multidisciplinary virtual laboratory to improve the learning and teaching processes in related sciences and technologies.
Remote Laboratory Java Server Based on JACOB Project
Authors: Bisták Pavol , Folvar Pavol
Published: February 2011

Remote laboratories play an important role in the educational process of engineers. This paper deals with the structure of remote laboratories. The principle of the proposed remote laboratory structure is based on the Java server application that communicates with Matlab through the COM technology for the data exchange under the Windows operating system. Java does not support COM directly so the results of the JACOB project are used and modified to cope with this problem. In laboratories for control engineering education a control algorithm usually runs on a PC with Matlab that really controls the real plant. This is the server side described in the paper in details. To demonstrate the possibilities of a remote control a Java client server application is also introduced. It covers communication and offers a user friendly interface for the control of a remote plant and visualization of measured data.
A Practical Approach to Detection and Analysis of Time-Varying Waveform
Authors: Liu Jing Bo , Zhao Gui Fen
Published: February 2011

The power quality has attracted considerable attention from both utilities and users due to the development of sensitive electronic equipment in power system network. A novel method for detecting and localizing power quality disturbance based on wavelet neural network is presented. The wavelet transform is established on decomposition of a signal according to time-scale using basis functions with adaptable scaling properties known as multiresolution analysis. The wavelet transform expands a signal not in terms of a trigonometric polynomial but by wavelets, generated using transition and dilation of a fixed wavelet function. The feature obtained from wavelet transform coefficients are inputted into the neural network for power quality disturbance pattern recognition. The improved network algorithm is utilized to complete the network structure initialization. The fundamental component of the signal is estimated to extract the mixed information using wavelet network, and then the disturbance is acquired by subtracting the fundamental component. The simulation results show that the proposed method is more sensitive to signal singularity, and achieves better performance over traditional method.
Self-Tuning Information Fusion Wiener Smoother for ARMA Signals
Authors: Liu Jin Fang , Deng Zi Li
Published: February 2011

For the multisensor autoregressive moving average (ARMA) signals, based on the modern time series analysis method, a self-tuning information fusion Wiener smoother is presented when both model parameters and noise variances are unknown. The principle is that substituting the estimators of unknown parameters and noise variances into the corresponding optimal fusion Wiener smoother will yield a self-tuning fuser. Further, applying the dynamic error system analysis (DESA) method, it is rigorously proved that the self-tuning fused Wiener smoother converges to the optimal fused Wiener smoother in a realization, i.e. it has asymptotic optimality. A simulation example shows its effectiveness.
Semi-Supervised Learning Classifier System Based on Bayes
Authors: Li Guo Qiang , Zou Hua , Yang Fang Chun
Published: February 2011

The high interpretability and the extraordinary evolvability of learning classifier system make it the optimal choice to build an adaptive intelligent system, and UCS is one of its branches, which is especially designed for the supervised learning tasks. However usually there is a huge amount of unlabeled data that are helpful for the increasing of its accuracy. Hence we use the EM algorithm in Semi-supervised learning as a reference, and proposed a Semi-Supervised Classifier system (SUCS) based on Bayes inference. The experiments we did using the UCI dataset showed that SUCS performed a much better accuracy than UCS by use of only a small number of labeled data and a large number of unlabeled data.
Shift Quality and Optimal Control of an Uninterrupted Shift Transmission Based on Overrunning Mechanism
Authors: Liu Yan Wei , Zhao Ke Gang , Huang Xiang Dong , Yang Rong Shan
Published: February 2011

Working principle of an uninterrupted shift transmission (UST) based on overrunning mechanism and its driveline dynamic model, as well as shift control strategy are studied. For shift quality optimization, the throttle control parameters are calculated based on simplex method and genetic algorithm. Using the control strategy and optimized parameters, simulation results show that jerks and clutch slip during shift are controlled well, satisfactory shift quality is obtained without power flow interruption.
Sidescan Sonar Image Super Resolution Based on Sparse Representation
Authors: Ma Li Yong , He Xi Li , Huang Zi Shen
Published: February 2011

With the rapid development of autonomous underwater vehicles, image produced from sidescan sonar mounted on these vehicles has attracted more and more attention. Many general super resolution approaches can not get satisfied results after applying to sidescan sonar image for its low levels of contrast. Compressive sensing theory suggested that high resolution image can be recovered from low resolution image with sparse representation. After training two dictionaries for high resolution and low resolution image patches, the sparse representation of given low resolution image can be applied to the dictionary of high resolution patch to get super resolution result image. Sparse representation based image super resolution approach applied to sidescan sonar image is discussed.
Simulation about Bionic Push of Amphibious Vehicle
Authors: Jing Zhi Sheng , Liu Yun , Tu Shan Chao , Li Feng , Qin Guo Wei
Published: February 2011

The traditional method of propulsion of Amphibious vehicles in water has tracked the water, propeller and waterjet propulsion. But the propulsive efficiency is very low, the maximum not more than 30%. Biological methods used to promote, through the million years of evolution, its power utilization of the highest, the best way. Bionic propulsion system designed in this paper consists of two umbrella-shaped wing plate in the large travel agency travel back and forth, driven by a straight line, Carried out along the longitudinal reciprocating motion of vehicles in the water under the influence of backward movement of the wing disk automatically open, resulting in tension on the vehicle forward, Forward movement of the wing disc automatically shut down to reduce the flow resistance. In this way, amphibious vehicles, with the wing disc back and forth movement, has been the role of forward traction, so that forward movement of vehicle. In this paper, the same wing disc, wing disc at different angles, different velocity simulation of the situation. Come forward to promote strength and speed, angle of the curve. To promote the device provides the basis for the physical design and manufacture.
A Novel TDM Approach for Dedicated Bus Lanes Guaranteeing Bus Priority
Authors: Dong Hong Zhao , Zhao Yu Ting , Ma Shuai
Published: February 2011

To solve the efficiency issue of dedicated bus lanes (DBL), a time division multiplexing (TDM) method of DBL is proposed that the general vehicle can share DBL and avoid collision with the bus according to its GPS location. To harmonize the running of the bus and the general vehicle, a method is raised to divide space segment and time slice of DBL. At last, the PARAMICS simulating experiment shows the proposed DBL multiplexing approach could not only ensure bus priority but also promote the higher traffic speed, the lower traffic density and the shorter delay time of downstream intersection than before.
Simulation of Railway Network Based on Cellular Automaton Model with Conflict Resolution
Authors: Wang Yang Peng , Zhou Yong Hua , Wu Pin , Chen Jia Jie
Published: February 2011

Cellular automata (CA) models are the idealization of physical systems with assumed discrete space and time and a finite number of discrete state transition of cells. Utilizing the CA model, we can capture and reveal the dynamics of railway traffic system. In this paper, the improved CA models are proposed to demonstrate the dynamic behavior of trains with conflict resolution. We propose the CA models to simulate the railway traffic network in the moving-block system, and reschedule trains by applying such two scheduling strategies as FCFS (first come first served) and FLFS (first leave first served). We analyze the relationship between the total delay and time interval of departure utilizing the proposed models. The simulation results demonstrate the rational conclusion that FLFS can cause less delay than FCFS. The proposed models can facilitate finding which plan can achieve the maximum transport efficiency for the railway network.
Space Camera Dynamic Image Quality Measurement and Evaluation
Authors: Su Wei Hua , Zhang Xiao Hui
Published: February 2011

By using analysis of the infinity image of the space camera, we intend to obtain the curve of the dynamic modulation transfer function. We extract the pixel gray values at the image edge which distribute as a knife-edge function, and make differential calculation and Fourier transformation of it, and then we can obtain the dynamic MTF curve of the optical system. The value of the curve at the Nyquist frequency is the most important parameter that reflects the image quality. We add push-scanning imaging and environmental effects to the static MTF of space camera and compare the MTF value with the dynamic MTF at Nyquist frequency. The comparison result can help us verify the accuracy of the calculating results and the feasibility of our method.
Stabilizing Q-Parameterized Regulator Design for Discrete-Time Switched Bimodal Systems
Authors: Wu Zhi Zheng
Published: February 2011

This paper considers a regulation problem for discrete-time switched bimodal linear systems. First, a set of observer-based -parameterized stabilizing controllers for the switched system is constructed. Then, a regulator synthesis method is proposed based on solving a set of linear matrix inequalities which is derived from a regulation condition for the switched system. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method.
A Novel Variable PRI Waveform Selection Method for Radar Target Tracking
Authors: Wang Bing , Zhang Hao , Meng Hua Dong
Published: February 2011

In this paper, a novel adaptive waveform selection method is proposed for radar target tracking. In order to minimize the target state estimation MSE (Mean Square Error) on each tracking step, we adjust the PRI (Pulse Recurrence Interval) and pulse width of the emission signal with the constraint of average power. In this method, the position measurement CRLB (Cramer-Rao Lower Bound) is used to define the observation noise power, and then the relationship between the tracking performance and the waveform parameters is established to decide the optimal PRI. Simulations show that this method can improve the tracking accuracy effectively and dynamically.
State Estimation and Stability Analysis of Networked Control Systems with Multi-Quantized Output Feedback
Authors: Xie Lin Bo , Huang Fang , Liu He Guang
Published: February 2011

This paper is concerned with closed-loop stability analysis and dynamic quantization parameters design of discrete-time networked control systems (NCSs) with noise disturbance. First, based on the Lyapunov function, two state invariant regions of estimation error system and plant system are constructed. The quadratically attractive conditions of the two systems are obtained by using the proposed invariant region sequence, respectively. Second, a quantized control strategy is presented by dynamically adjusting the scaling parameters of logarithmic quantizers. Moreover, the connection of quadratic stability between the plant system and the estimation error system is also given.
Studies on Electron Transfer Properties of Oligomeric Porphyrin
Authors: Xu Zhong , Wang Quan Fu , Li Ning , Zhao Jian Wei
Published: February 2011

Following the previous study [Chemistry Letters 2007, 10, 1278.] on specific electron transport pathway in porphyrin, the electron transfer through oligomeric porphyrin molecular wires was studied in this work using first principle density function theory and non-equilibrium Green’s function calculations. The effects of chain length on the transportation behavior were discussed in terms of the electronic structures and transmission spectra. Through the analysis of spatial distribution of molecular frontier orbit we found that with the chain length increased, the whole delocalization of molecular frontier orbit enlarged, so e-transitivity became better. The results demonstrated that the frontier orbital energy gap decreased when the chain length increased, so that it should be conductive to electronic transmission. We presumed that the oligomeric porphyrin can be used to make moleculer electronic devices.