Optimal control of the heave motion of marine cable subsea-unit systems

One of the key problems associated with subsea operations involving tethered subsea units is the motions of support vessels on the ocean surface which can be transmitted to the subsea unit through the cable and increase the tension. In this paper, a theoretical approach for heave compensation is developed. After proper modelling of each element of the system, which includes the cable/subsea-unit, the onboard winch, control theory is applied to design an optimal control law. Numerical simulations are carried out, and it is found that the proposed active control scheme appears to be a promising solution to the problem of heave compensation

Guidelines for typology definition of European physical assets for earthquake risk assessment

It is an essential step in urban earthquake risk assessment to compile inventory databases of elements at risk and to make a classification on the basis of pre-defined typology/taxonomy definitions. Typology definitions and the classification system should reflect the vulnerability characteristics of the systems at risk, e.g. buildings, lifeline networks, transportation infrastructures, etc., as well as of their sub-components in order to ensure a uniform interpretation of data and risk analyses results. In this report, a summary of literature review of existing classification systems and taxonomies of the European physical assets at risk is provided in Chapter 2. The identified main typologies and the classification of the systems and their sub-components, i.e. SYNER-G taxonomies, for Buildings, Utility Networks, Transportation Infrastructures and Critical Facilities are presented in Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively.JRC.G.5-European laboratory for structural assessmen

Guidelines for deriving seismic fragility functions of elements at risk: Buildings, lifelines, transportation networks and critical facilities

The objective of SYNER-G in regards to the fragility functions is to propose the most appropriate functions for the construction typologies in Europe. To this end, fragility curves from literature were collected, reviewed and, where possible, validated against observed damage and harmonised. In some cases these functions were modified and adapted, and in other cases new curves were developed. The most appropriate fragility functions are proposed for buildings, lifelines, transportation infrastructures and critical facilities. A software tool was also developed for the storage, harmonisation and estimation of the uncertainty of fragility functions.JRC.G.5-European laboratory for structural assessmen

Landslide Hazards : Geotechnical Aspects and Management Policies

The landslides that frequently occur in the hilly areas in Jordan, particularly along the roads and highway routes during the years of intense rainfalls, resulted in a substantial increase in the cost of projects and delay in their completion, in addition to the deportation of people affected or endangered by landslides from their homes. The paper discusses the common characteristics of the landslide-prone areas in Jordan as well as the main causes of slides and their consequences. It discusses the role of site investigation and monitoring systems in reducing the hazard intensity as well as the total cost of construction. Classification of landslideprone areas, according to the level of risk and cost of prevention/mitigation measures into prohibitive, restricted and regulated areas is suggested. This classification aims at controlling the construction activities in the areas susceptible to landslides risks. The different components of landslide risk management are defined and discussed with the suggestion of establishing a National Hazard Management Board to be responsible for drafting of landslides risk management policies

An overview on safety issues related to hydrogen and methane blend applications in domestic and industrial use

The share of electrical energy hailing from renewable sources in the European electricity mix is increasing. The match between renewable power supply and demand has become the greatest challenge to cope with. Gas infrastructure can accommodate large volumes of electricity converted into gas whenever this supply of renewable power is larger than the grid capacity or than the electricity demand. The Power-to-Gas (P2G) process chain could play a significant role in the future energy system. Renewable electric energy can be transformed into storable hydrogen via electrolysis and subsequent methanation. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the required technical adaptations of the most common devices for end users such as heating plants, CHP systems, home gas furnaces and cooking surfaces, wherever these are fuelled with methane and hydrogen blends in variable percentages by volume. Special attention will be given to issues related to essential safety standards, firstly comparing existing Italian and European regulations in this regard, and secondly highlighting the potential need for legislation to regulate the suitability of hydrogen methane blends. Finally, a list of foreseeable technical solutions will be provided and discussed thoroughly

Steps in Metagenomics: Let’s Avoid Garbage in and Garbage Out

Is metagenomics a revolution or a new fad? Metagenomics is tightly associated with the availability of next-generation sequencing in all its implementations. The key feature of these new technologies, moving beyond the Sanger-based DNA sequencing approach, is the depth of nucleotide sequencing per sample.1 Knowing much more about a sample changes the traditional paradigms of “What is the most abundant?” or “What is the most significant?” to “What is present and potentially sig­nificant that might influence the situation and outcome?” Let’s take the case of identifying proper biomarkers of disease state in the context of chronic disease prevention. Prevention has been deemed as a viable option to avert human chronic diseases and to curb health­care management costs.2 The actual implementation of any effective preventive measures has proven to be rather difficult. In addition to the typically poor compliance of the general public, the vagueness of the successful validation of habit modification on the long-term risk, points to the need of defining new biomarkers of disease state. Scientists and the public are accepting the fact that humans are super-organisms, harboring both a human genome and a microbial genome, the latter being much bigger in size and diversity, and key for the health of individuals.3,4 It is time to investigate the intricate relationship between humans and their associated microbiota and how this relationship mod­ulates or affects both partners.5 These remarks can be expanded to the animal and plant kingdoms, and holistically to the Earth’s biome. By its nature, the evolution and function of all the Earth’s biomes are influenced by a myriad of interactions between and among microbes (planktonic, in biofilms or host associated) and the surrounding physical environment. The general definition of metagenomics is the cultivation-indepen­dent analysis of the genetic information of the collective genomes of the microbes within a given environment based on its sampling. It focuses on the collection of genetic information through sequencing that can target DNA, RNA, or both. The subsequent analyses can be solely fo­cused on sequence conservation, phylogenetic, phylogenomic, function, or genetic diversity representation including yet-to-be annotated genes. The diversity of hypotheses, questions, and goals to be accomplished is endless. The primary design is based on the nature of the material to be analyzed and its primary function

Privatization with Government Control: Evidence from the Russian Oil Sector

Governments that privatize state industries often retain control over key distribution assets. While there are many examples of this form of partial privatization, to our knowledge there are no substantial quantitative studies of how governments use their control under these circumstances. In this paper we argue that the Russian government privatization of the oil sector during 1994-2003 is a useful case study because the federal government privatized oil production but retained monopoly control rights over the transport of crude onto world markets. Based on a simple analysis of the costs and benefits of control and ownership, we argue that that in these circumstances the federal government would use its control over transport capacity to provide privileged access to those companies over which it has influence. We find that in 2003 this is indeed the case and that this system detracted from economic efficiency. In particular, private and regionally owned companies had to be much more productive than companies over which the federal government (the state) had influence to receive comparable access to world markets; state-influence companies had preferential access to routes with more capacity; and, the allocation of route capacity was sensitive to transport costs only in the state-influence sector.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57206/1/wp826 .pd