The Sound of Silence: Minorities, Abstention and Democracy

Despite the existence of an extensive literature, no definitive conclusion seems to emerge on the extent to which minorities are guaranteed by democratic rules in political systems. This paper contributes to this debate by proposing a modified Heigselmann and Krauss two-dimensional model of preferences in order to capture the role of abstention on minority representativeness. Regardless of the typology of abstention, simulation results show that voter abstention always benefits minorities.

Evaluation of Pavement Runoff and Driving Safety on Highway Curve Segment

Runoff depth distribution on the concave and circular curve sections is obtained from a two-dimensional numerical simulating model in order to analyze the temporal and spatial variation of the pavement runoff on the curve section. The two-dimensional model verified by the field data can depict the alignment of pavement more accurately as compared to the empirical equation and a one-dimensional model. The runoff on the concave section and circular curve section is compared for the free water drainage and centerline drainage. Results show that a two-dimensional model is essential for the analysis of the centerline drainage. The runoff depth can be controlled by a reasonable curb height and location interval. The drainage type affects the variation of the runoff depth on the nearside lane, and the maximum water depth can be up to more than 80 mm on the concave section and nearly 60 mm on the circular curve section under centerline drainage. Besides the existing hydroplaning results, the runoff depth difference of the wheel trace should be considered to evaluate driving safety. Sideslip will occur when the depth difference becomes more than 6 mm under condition that the runoff depth is less than the tread depth (7 mm). When the runoff depth is more than the tread depth, sideslip will occur once the depth difference exceeds 4 mm.

Development of Integrated Flooding Early Warning and Rainfall Runoff Management Platform for Downtown Area of Shanghai

To enhance the capacity of Shanghai’s drainage network to guard against flooding, this study used data obtained from an urban drainage network and spatial geological information to conduct precise analysis on an area of approximately 31 km2 with various land uses in downtown Shanghai and to establish a two-dimensional model. Based on the two-dimensional model, an integrated urban flooding early warning and rainfall runoff management platform was developed through combining meteorological data and real-time remote sensing data of the drainage network operation. Through precise simulation of the rainstorm runoff process, projection of the scope and magnitude of urban surface runoff hazard impact, issuance of flooding forecasts, and provision of hazard early warning and decision-making support, the developed platform is capable of providing risk assessment of the drainage system and early warning of flooding risk.