Search Results (22)

The medieval epic poem, The Divine Comedy, and Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s prestige drama, Westworld, have more in common than at first meets the eye. Both represent hellish and purgatorial geographies, both physical and psychological. And both share the view that what is regularly considered “perfect liberty”, or the liberty to indulge in any and every desire one wishes to with impunity, is in fact a form of slavery, as argued by Aristotle. Both the denizens in Dante’s Inferno and the guests in Westworld’s park, therefore, are ensnared by their own desires. This article will consider the structure of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy and Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s hit HBO show Westworld, which I will argue takes parts of its structure consciously from Dante’s The Divine Comedy. And though at the outset, the two works of art appear dissimilar, the theologically and philosophically infused medieval Catholic-Italian poetry of Dante and the sensuous, nihilistic, and provocative story-telling of Jonathan Nolan’s recent work on the generation and expression of consciousness, ultimately what they share is similarity in structure and an agreement on the connection between activity, suffering, madness, perfection, consciousness, and freedom of the will from sin. Full article

Output-only methods for modal identification are only strictly valid if a set of requirements are fulfilled regarding both structural and environmental conditions. A particularly challenging effect in wind turbine dynamics is the significant presence of nonlinear damping sources coming from aerodynamic forces and, in offshore applications, hydrodynamic forces on the substructure. In this work, the impact of these terms is firstly discussed in analytical terms, and then the corresponding effect on the performance of the covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification is evaluated on a single-degree-of-freedom model. The analysis is then extended to a full hydro-aeroelastic simulation of a 5 MW floating wind turbine using the open source software OpenFAST, mimicking the structural response in free decay tests and in parked conditions with turbulent wind fields. The results show that output-only identification methods are applicable in these challenging scenarios, but the results obtained must be carefully interpreted, since their dependence on the environmental conditions and motion amplitude imply that they are not directly translated into the structure properties, although still closely related to them. Full article

Reservation parking is a new type of parking that allows users to obtain a parking space for an appropriate time slot by reservation. This paper pioneers a high degree-of-freedom reservation strategy and rules for commercial districts in which users can arbitrarily select parking time slots. The nested logit is applied to build a parking revenue model by analyzing the cost, demand, and price factors sequentially according to the user’s choice behavior. The parking lot price game in the region is dissected and a nonlinear pricing model is proposed for maximizing regional returns. A model validation of a parking lot in an actual commercial area shows that compared to the traditional parking method, the parking lot revenue increased by 69.63% upon the application of this reservation strategy and pricing scheme, while the parking lot traffic increased by 22.4%. This model can provide strong support for reservation parking pricing in commercial areas. In the comparison of scenarios, the scientific validity of this model using dynamic pricing and regional game competition is verified. In the application, a reasonable price scheme can be formulated based on the parking lot traffic, cost, and surrounding parking strategies, which can result in higher parking revenue while providing users with great parking convenience. Full article

Balanced fear supports human rational decision-making and useful behavioral responses. In contrast, overwhelming, persistent, and unbalanced fear can paralyze the individual and result in heightened anxiety, lack of cognitive flexibility, fear-based public compliance and serious mental health issues. Psychobiotics research has established that a healthy microbiome is required for balanced fear and mental health protection via control of fear extinction. The recent COVID-19 pandemic featured daily, persistent, fear-of-a-single-contagion conditioning on a global scale paired with various behavioral mandates (e.g., lockdowns of the healthy, required wearing of face masks in many locations including schools, isolation from environmental microbes and each other through the closure of beaches and parks, and restrictions on social gatherings including access to family members in hospitals and senior-assisted facilities). Such mandates degraded the human microbiome and isolated us from each other and useful environmental microbes. It also ignored the historic role of secondary bacterial pathogens in pandemic deaths. This narrative review examines how the institutional promotion of fear-of-a-single-contagion, lack of balanced risk communication, and appalling disregard of our fundamental nature (as majority-microbial human superorganisms) resulted in problems rather than solutions. This review illustrates that government-public health-media promotion of pervasive fear and microbiome-degrading behaviors: (1) increased public compliance, (2) reduced cognitive flexibility, and (3) increased risk of mental health conditions. However, a portion of the general public chose a healthier path through their increased consumption of microbiome- and immune-supportive supplements and fermented foods during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. For a healthier future, public health must follow the lead of this population to ensure that human freedom, rather than paralyzing fear, dominates our future. Full article

Urbanization is a global trend that is expected to continue, and by 2025, it is estimated that almost 60% of the world’s children will live in urban areas. Urban community pocket parks provide a solution to the need for parks in high-density urban communities due to their flexible location, small size, and patchy distribution. This paper aims to examine and optimize the construction of urban community pocket parks from a child’s perspective to encourage children’s participation in these parks. The first step was to conduct a literature review to identify key evaluation indicators for assessing the child-friendliness of pocket parks. Then, the AHP-entropy TOPSIS approach was used to establish an indicator system to effectively evaluate the child-friendliness of pocket parks in urban communities. The system included physical space, cognitive ability, emotional development, environmental perception, and social interaction. Finally, suggestions for optimization were made based on the weighting of influencing factors. The results show that freedom of movement (6.2%) significantly affects the child-friendliness ratings of community pocket parks. Additionally, Hefei residents are not sufficiently influenced by the diversity of play (2.29%) and play facility planning (2.58%) in pocket parks. Therefore, consideration should be given to focusing on the degree of nature adaptation in park construction and renewal projects, as well as understanding children’s perception of nature. Full article

Stereo garage technology can effectively alleviate the problem of parking difficulties, but the safety problems of its actuators, via which the core of stereo parking function can be realized, seriously affect its promotion and further development. In this paper, a two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) parallel lifting actuator for a stereo parking robot is designed by researching the type synthesis of the mechanism based on the screw theory. The limb constrained triangle method, the flexibility of limb constrained triangle, and the failure probability are proposed to determine the final configuration of the parallel lifting actuator. Then, this paper completes the dimensional optimization of the parallel lifting actuator based on the multi-motion performance indexes and kinematic analysis, which improves the safety and stability of the actuator. Finally, this paper verifies the validity of the parallel lifting actuator by establishing a parallel lifting actuator verification model system. By verifying the dynamic characteristics of the model mobile platform under different load conditions, it is proven that the kinematic stability of the mobile platform decreases with the increase of load mass under load conditions. Additionally, through practical application experiment, it is proven that the parallel lifting mechanism can effectively alleviate the parking difficulty problem. Full article

Protected area establishment can be a source of land-use conflicts. National parks are particularly prone to such conflicts as they tend to cover large, sometimes remote, areas, involve many stakeholders, and often constitute an important venue for both tourism and outdoor recreation. Identifying potential conflict issues at an early stage is crucial to prevent further escalation and preserve public support for conservation. This article presents the findings of a nation-wide survey focusing on the establishment of the Central Highland National Park (CHNP) in Iceland, with the aim of identifying such points of contention. The results show that while the establishment of the CHNP enjoys broad public support, concerns over access restrictions are the most common reason for opposition. The majority of respondents support limiting the number of visitors to the area, which can hardly be implemented without conflicting with public access rights, deeply embedded in local culture and uses. In this remote area, access facilitation through road and accommodation development, however, appears very divisive, either seen as providing increased opportunities for the general public to enjoy the area or as threatening the authenticity of travel experiences in a wilderness destination, and paving the way for further developments. It is argued that refraining from building up roads is the most diplomatic way to limit visitor numbers without seriously impairing travel freedom, therefore preserving the wilderness qualities of the area while meeting users’ expectations. Ultimately, this study highlights the importance of public opinion research and stakeholder consultation when planning and managing tourism and outdoor recreation in wilderness settings. Full article

To validate the accuracy and reliability of onboard sensors for object detection and localization for driver assistance, as well as autonomous driving applications under realistic conditions (indoors and outdoors), a novel tracking system is presented. This tracking system is developed to determine the position and orientation of a slow-moving vehicle during test maneuvers within a reference environment (e.g., car during parking maneuvers), independent of the onboard sensors. One requirement is a 6 degree of freedom (DoF) pose with position uncertainty below 5 mm (3σ), orientation uncertainty below 0.3° (3σ), at a frequency higher than 20 Hz, and with a latency smaller than 500 ms. To compare the results from the reference system with the vehicle’s onboard system, synchronization via a Precision Time Protocol (PTP) and system interoperability to a robot operating system (ROS) are achieved. The developed system combines motion capture cameras mounted in a 360° panorama view setup on the vehicle, measuring retroreflective markers distributed over the test site with known coordinates, while robotic total stations measure a prism on the vehicle. A point cloud of the test site serves as a digital twin of the environment, in which the movement of the vehicle is visualized. The results have shown that the fused measurements of these sensors complement each other, so that the accuracy requirements for the 6 DoF pose can be met while allowing a flexible installation in different environments. Full article

At present, the master cylinder pressure estimation algorithm (MCPE) of electro-hydraulic brake systems (EHB) based on vehicle dynamics has the disadvantages of poor condition adaptability, and there are delays and noise in the estimated pressure; however, the MCPE based on the characteristics of an EHB (i.e., the pressure–position relationship) is not robust enough to prevent brake pad wear. For the above reasons, neither method be applied to engineering. In this regard, this article proposes a MCPE that is based on signal fusion. First, a five-degree-of-freedom (5-DOF) vehicle model that includes longitudinal motion, lateral motion, yaw motion, and front and rear wheel rotation is established. Based on this, an algebraic expression for MCPE is derived, which extends the MCPE from a straight condition to a steering condition. Real vehicle tests show that the MCPE based on the 5-DOF vehicle model can effectively estimate the brake pressure in both straight and steering conditions. Second, the relationship between the hydraulic pressure and the rack position in the EHB is tested under different brake pad wear levels, and the results show that the pressure–position relationship will change as the brake pad is worn down, so the pressure estimated by the pressure–position model based on fixed parameters is not robust. Third, a MCPE based on the fusion the above two MCPEs through the recursive least squares algorithm (RLS) is proposed, in which the pressure-position model can be updated online by vehicle dynamics and the final estimated pressure is calculated based on the updated pressure–position model. Finally, several simulations based on vehicle test data demonstrate that the fusion-based MCPE can estimate the brake pressure accurately and smoothly with little delay and is robust enough to prevent brake pad wear. In addition, by setting the enabling conditions of RLS, the fusion-based MCPE can switch between driving and parking smoothly; thus, the fusion-based MCPE can be applied to all working conditions. Full article

Indirect bridge health monitoring is conducted by running an instrumented vehicle over a bridge, where the vehicle serves as a source of excitation and as a signal receiver; however, it is also important to investigate the response of the instrumented vehicle while it is in a stationary position while the bridge is excited by other source of excitation. In this paper, a numerical model of a stationary vehicle parked on a bridge excited by another moving vehicle is developed. Both stationary and moving vehicles are modeled as spring–mass single-degree-of-freedom systems. The bridges are simply supported and are modeled as 1D beam elements. It is known that the stationary vehicle response is different from the true bridge response at the same location. This paper investigates the effectiveness of contact-point response in reflecting the true response of the bridge. The stationary vehicle response is obtained from the numerical model, and its contact-point response is calculated by MATLAB. The contact-point response of the stationary vehicle is investigated under various conditions. These conditions include different vehicle frequencies, damped and undamped conditions, different locations of the stationary vehicle, road roughness effects, different moving vehicle speeds and masses, and a longer span for the bridge. In the time domain, the discrepancy of the stationary vehicle response with the true bridge response is clear, while the contact-point response agrees well with the true bridge response. The contact-point response could detect the first, second, and third modes of frequency clearly, unlike the stationary vehicle response spectra. Full article

With the concept of Internet-of-Things, autonomous vehicles can provide higher driving efficiency, traffic safety, and freedom for the driver to perform other tasks. This paper first covers enabling technology involving a vehicle moving out of parking, traveling on the road, and parking at the destination. The development of autonomous vehicles relies on the data collected for deployment in actual road conditions. Research gaps and recommendations for autonomous intelligent vehicles are included. For example, a sudden obstacle while the autonomous vehicle executes the parking trajectory on the road is discussed. Several aspects of social problems, such as the liability of an accident affecting the autonomous vehicle, are described. A smart device to detect abnormal driving behaviors to prevent possible accidents is briefly discussed. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic generated a number of changes in the functioning of urban areas all over the world and had a visible impact on the use of green infrastructure, including city parks. The study discusses and compares operation and use of two such parks located in Wellington, New Zealand and Warsaw, Poland by adopting “pandemic urban ethnography”, an approach that includes autoethnography, interviews with users, non-participant observation, and analysis of social media content. As indicated by the findings of the study, the importance of less rigidly designed, multifunctional spaces that give their users freedom of “tactical” adjustments, significantly grows during times of lockdown and “social distancing”. During such a crisis, the management and everyday use of urban parks are highly related to urban policies. The article provides insight into how those policies impact the functional values of green infrastructure confronting it with user-generated adaptations and the landscape design itself. The global health emergency showed how access to green areas becomes a crucial determinant on environmental justice while proving the significance of “tactical pandemic urbanism” as both a design and management method. Full article

Large earthquakes are followed by a sequence of aftershocks. Therefore, a reasonable prediction of damage potential caused by mainshock (MS)–aftershock (AS) sequences is important in seismic risk assessment. This paper comprehensively examines the interdependence between earthquake intensity measures (IMs) and structural damage under MS–AS sequences to identify optimal IMs for predicting the MS–AS damage potential. To do this, four categories of IMs are considered to represent the characteristics of a specific MS–AS sequence, including mainshock IMs, aftershock IMs (i.e., IM^MS and IM^AS, respectively), and two newly proposed IMs through taking an entire MS–AS sequence as one nominal ground motion (i.e., IM₁^MS–AS), or determining the ratio of IM^AS to IM^MS (i.e., IM₂^MS–AS), respectively. The single-degree-of-freedom systems with varying hysteretic behaviors are subjected to 662 real MS–AS sequences to estimate structural damage in terms the Park–Ang damage index. The intensities in terms of IM^MS, IM^AS, and IM₁^MS–AS are correlated with the accumulative damage of structures (i.e., DI₁^MS–AS). Moreover, the ratio (i.e., DI₂^MS–AS) of the AS-induced damage increment to the MS-induced damage is related to IM₂^MS–AS. The results show that IM₂^MS–AS exhibits significantly better performance than IM^MS, IM^AS, and IM₁^MS–AS for predicting the MS–AS damage potential, due to its high interdependence with DI₂^MS–AS. Among the considered 22 classic IMs, Arias intensity, root-square velocity, and peak ground displacement are respectively the optimal acceleration-, velocity-, and displacement-related IMs to formulate IM₂^MS–AS. Finally, two empirical equations are proposed to predict the correlations between IM₂^MS–AS and DI₂^MS–AS in the entire structural period range. Full article

In this paper, an optimal semisubmersible platform is sought considering two key geometry variables: the diameter of the outer cylinders and their radial distance from the platform centre. The goal is to identify a platform configuration able to most efficiently contrast the combined wind-wave action, keeping the platform dimensions as small as possible. The amplitude of the Response Amplitude Operator (RAO) peaks and the integral area of the RAOs in a range of excited frequencies for the selected degrees of freedom are chosen as targets to be minimised. Through an efficient frequency domain simulation approach, we show that upscaling techniques proposed in the literature may lead to overdesigned platforms and that smaller and more performing platforms can be identified. In particular, the optimised platform shows a reduction of about 51% in parked and 54% in power production of the heave RAO peak, and a reduction of about 37% in parked and 50% in power production of the pitch RAO. Full article

An excellent parking system can affect the willingness of the elderly to drive an automobile for travel and for participating in social activities. However, few studies have examined the requirement of width of current parking spaces for the elderly and which factors influenced the selection of wider or narrower parking space by older participants. Two studies have been carried out in order to fill gaps for these issues. The first one examined minimum width by having 130 individuals aged 60+ alight into parking spaces of different widths. The results showed that most older individuals needed wider-than-standard parking spaces. Some potential demographic factors were also examined by one-way analyses of variance. The second study was conducted to estimate the factors affecting selection of parking spaces that were wider or narrower than the standard. Based on analysis of data by a logistic regression model, the result presented that the selection was mainly affected by age, types of aids, driving experience, body mass index (BMI) and health condition. Finally, we propose a new concept of parking system, which will help older people with different needs to park safely and smoothly. These studies will promote the ability of governments to design more effective parking spaces to enhance freedom for older adults. Full article