Performance Evaluation of a Hybrid Roundabout Using a Microscopic Simulation

Roundabouts are one of the safest types of intersections. There are a number of roundabout types in literature. Each roundabout type is distinguished by some characteristics. To design more efficient junctions, hybrid roundabouts can be created by combining their required characteristics geometrically. In this study, the safety feature of the turbo junction type and the easing up the traffic density feature of the hamburger junction have been combined. Some geometric parameters and layout details of the proposed hybrid roundabout are given, and its performance was simulated in a signalised 4-leg roundabout as the most frequently used intersection in Antalya. The performance of the proposed hybrid roundabout was compared with the status in 2016 and the current status in 2017 and beyond of the roundabout through AIMSUN transport simulation software. In regard to performance analysis, delay time, travel time, speed, density, fuel consumption, number of stops, queuing, carbon emission were analysed for all statuses and compared. In addition, traffic safety analysis has been performed for all statuses and compared. Results show that the overall average performance of the proposed roundabout increases by 40% and 41.8% in comparison with the statutes in 2016, 2017 and beyond, respectively. The proposed roundabout is 41% safer than the status in 2016, and the accident risk is lower by 18.5% than the current status.

Effect of junction type on the vibroacoustic response of a system of plates

Modelling of junctions is one of the most challenging tasks in vibroacoustics, especially for Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA), where the results heavily depend on the damping (DLF) and coupling loss factors (CLF). Also, it is an interesting question to determine that to what extent does the DLF or CLF contribute to the overall vibroacoustic characteristics of a structure? The aim of this paper is to investigate via measurements and SEA simulations the effect of the ratio of DLF and CLF on the response of a system for various junctions, such as riveting, bolting, line and point welding, between two steel plates. Loss matrices are determined experimentally by the Power Injection Method in the 200-1600 Hz frequency range. The simulation was performed in the ESI VA One software by using its analytical CLF formulations and compared to experimental data. For the reference case, a bended plate structure was considered, representing an ideal junction between two subsystems. This was equipped with damping foils to ensure the same weight and then compared to the results from other joints. Results showed that increasing the CLF could be more effective than focusing on increasing the DLF.

Correlated Imaging of the Equine Hyoid Apparatus Using CT, Micro-CT, and Histology

Background: Detailed radiological evaluation of the normal hyoid apparatus by computed tomography (CT) has not yet been conducted. Thus, it is unclear what type of junction connects the different parts of the equine hyoid apparatus.Objectives: To describe the normal CT anatomy of the equine hyoid apparatus, and to determine the junction type that connects the different parts of the hyoid apparatus.Study Design: Combination of retrospective study and prospective cadaver study.Methods: The medical records of horses that underwent head CT scans from 2009 to 2018 were retrieved. Inclusion criteria for the CT scans were visibility of at least two of the four junctions of the hyoid apparatus. CT images were analyzed in three different planes. Additionally, 10 cadaver heads were processed using CT, micro-CT of selected joints, and histology of all joints.Results: CT scans of 200 horses fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The tympanohyoid cartilage consisted of hyaline cartilage. Areas of mineralization within the cartilage were visible on CT scans as early as 2 years of age. The epihyoid was not fused with the stylohyoid in one-third of the horses. All horses younger than 2.5 years showed three ossification centers of the basihyoid, and all horses younger than 1.5 years had a non-fullydeveloped lingual process. In total, 10 of 11 horses between 1.5 and 3 years had separate ossification centers of the lingual process. We found a synchondrosis between the styloid process and the stylohyoid bone. The basihyoid and thyrohyoid, as well as the stylohyoid and epiyhoid were connected by a synostosis in two-thirds of the horses. The remaining parts were connected to one another by synovial joints.Main limitations: The junctions studied by histologic examination were from older horses, therefore growing patterns of different bones could not be totally clarified.Conclusion: The temporohyoid joint is a synchondrosis. The epihyoid is an ossification center of the stylohyoid and fuses with the stylohyoid in two-thirds of horses. The lingual process has a separate ossification center.

Screen-Printed Three-Electrode-Type Sticker Device with Accurate Liquid Junction-Type Reference Electrode

We developed a novel sticker device that can convert any metal or alloy into the working electrode of a three-electrode system, enabling simple and accurate measurement. The sticker, containing a...

Vacant Parking Slot Recognition Method for Practical Autonomous Valet Parking System Using around View Image

The parking assist system (PAS) provides information of parking slots around the vehicle. As the demand for an autonomous system is increasing, intelligent PAS has been developed to park the vehicle without the driver’s intervention. To locate parking slots, most existing methods detect slot markings on the ground using an around-view monitoring (AVM) image. There are many types of parking slots of different shapes in the real world. Due to this fact, these methods either limit their target types or use predefined slot information of different types to cover the types. However, the approach using predefined slot information cannot handle more complex cases where the slot markings are connected to other line markings and the angle between slot marking is slightly different from the predefined settings. To overcome this problem, we propose a method to detect parking slots of various shapes without predefined type information. The proposed method is the first to introduce a free junction type feature to represent the structure of parking slot junction. Since the parking slot has a modular or repeated junction pattern at both sides, junction pair consisting of one parking slot can be detected using the free junction type feature. In this process, the geometrically symmetric characteristic of the junction pair is crucial to find each junction pair. The entrance of parking slot is reconstructed according to the structure of junction pair. Then, the vacancy of the parking slot is determined by a support vector machine. The Kalman tracker is applied for each detected parking slot to ensure stability of the detection in consecutive frames. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method by using manually collected datasets, captured in different parking environments. The experimental results show that the proposed method successfully detects various types of parking slots without predefined slot type information in different environments.