Effectiveness of traffic light vs. boom barrier controls at road–rail level crossings: A simulator study

Although collisions at level crossings are relatively uncommon occurrences, the potential severity of their consequences make them a top priority among safety authorities. Twenty-five fully-licensed drivers aged between 20 and 50 years participated in a driving simulator study that compared the efficacy, and drivers’ subjective perception, of two active level crossing traffic control devices: flashing lights with boom barriers and standard traffic lights. Because of its common usage in most states in Australia, a stop sign-controlled level crossing served as the passive referent. Although crossing violations were less likely at the level crossings controlled by active devices than at those controlled by stop signs, both kinds of active control were associated with a similar number of violations. Further, the majority (72%) of drivers reported preferring flashing lights to traffic lights. Collectively, results indicate that the installation of traffic lights at real-world level crossings would not be likely to offer safety benefits over and above those provided already by flashing lights with boom barriers. Furthermore, the high rate of violations at passively controlled crossings strongly supports the continued practice of upgrading level crossings with active traffic control devices.     

Analysis of in situ monitored thermal cycling benefits for wireless packaging early reliability evaluation

With the increasing complexity of the power amplifier (PA) module architecture, the probability of a thermally induced stress related failure mechanism increases. To help evaluate the increase in module complexity, a more sophisticated in situ monitored thermal cycle reliability test is available. The module is monitored in real time using a resistance daisy chain methodology designed to provide coverage using resistance feedback throughout the entire hierarchy of the module and carrier board interface. Monitored temperature cycling allows for real time failure feedback and enhanced failure signature information. Further, the testing technique has proven to be a valuable method for capturing the early stages of a module mechanical failure at the temperature extremes. Moreover, statistical evaluation of the failure data (Weibull analysis) is improved and better accuracy of the failures in time (FIT) rate can be determined.     

Transition Metal Oxide Work Functions: The Influence of Cation Oxidation State and Oxygen Vacancies

Transition metal oxides are capable of a wide range of work functions. This quality allows them to be used in many applications that involve charge transfer with adsorbed molecules, for example as heterogeneous catalysts, as charge‐injection layers in organic electronics, and as electrodes in fuel cells. Chemical and structural factors can alter transition‐metal oxide work functions, often making their work functions difficult to control. Little is known about the effects of the cation oxidation state and point defects on the oxide work function. It is necessary to understand how such chemical and structural factors affect work functions in order to controllably tune transition metal oxides for desired applications. Here, a correlation between the oxide work function and cation oxidation state is demonstrated. This correlation is attributed to the change in cation electronegativity with oxidation state. A model is presented that relates the work function to the oxygen deficiency for d⁰ oxides in the limit of dilute oxygen vacancies. It is proposed that the rapid initial decrease in work function, observed for d⁰ oxides, is caused by an increase in the density of donor‐like defect states. It is also shown that oxides tend to have decreased work functions near a metal/metal‐oxide interface as a consequence of the relationship between defects and work function. These insights provide guidelines for tuning transition metal oxide work functions.     

Avalanches on a conical bead pile: scaling with tuning parameters

Uniform spherical beads were used to explore the scaling behavior of a granular system near its critical angle of repose on a conical 3D bead pile. We found two tuning parameters that could take the system to a critical point. The existence of those tuning parameters violates the fundamental assumption of self-organized criticality, which proposed that complex dynamical systems self-organize to a critical point without need for tuning. Our avalanche size distributions were well described by a simple power-law, as is characteristic of a critical point, with the power τ = 1.5 when dropping beads slowly onto the apex of a bead pile from a small height. However, we could also move the system from the critical point using either of two tuning parameters: the height from which the beads fell onto the top of the pile or the region over which the beads struck the pile. As the drop height increased, the system did not reach the critical point yet the resulting distributions were independent of the bead mass, coefficient of friction, or coefficient of restitution. All our apex-dropping distributions for any type of bead (glass, stainless steel, zirconium) showed universality by scaling onto a common curve with τ = 1.5 and σ =?1.0, where 1/σ is the power of the tuning parameter. From independent calculations using the moments of the distribution, we find values for τ = 1.6 ± 0.1 and σ =?0.91 ± 0.15. When beads were dropped across the surface of the pile instead of solely on the apex, then the system also moved from the critical point and again the avalanche size distributions fell on a common curve when scaled similarly using the same values of τ and σ. We also observed that an hcp structure on the base of the pile caused an emergent structure in the pile that had six faces with some fcc or hcp structure; this structure did not affect the distribution of avalanche sizes.     

Analysis of New Nitinol Ingot Qualities

New ingot qualities, processed by optimized vacuum arc remelting (VAR), optimized vacuum induction melting followed by VAR and VAR followed by electron beam remelting, were compared with standard quality. Finished components as well as diamond-shaped samples representing a typical dimension of self-expanding stents were produced using Nitinol tubing drawn from the new ingot qualities. Metallographic longitudinal sections were prepared and analyzed to determine inclusion size and distributions of the various ingot qualities. Radial force and uniaxial tensile tests were used to determine the mechanical properties of fully processed material and tubing, respectively. Transformation temperatures of tubing as delivered from supplier and processed stents were measured by differential scanning calorimetry and deformation-and-free-recovery testing. Finally, fatigue tests were performed on diamond-shaped samples to evaluate the strain-life characteristics of the new ingot qualities. Results of this study are compared to ADMEDES historical data from standard Nitinol materials to gain an assessment of the new improved ingot qualities with regard to the production of Nitinol vascular implants. The latest developments in Nitinol ingot quality are highlighted and the results of the comparison from technical point of view are shown.     

Exploring hierarchical multidimensional data with unified views of distribution and correlation

Data analysts explore data by inspecting features such as clustering, distribution and correlation. Much existing research has focused on different visualisations for different data exploration tasks. For example, a data analyst might inspect clustering and correlation with scatterplots, but use histograms to inspect a distribution. Such visualisations allow an analyst to confirm prior expectations. For example, a scatterplot may confirm an expected correlation or may show deviations from the expected correlation. In order to better facilitate discovery of unexpected features in data, however, a combination of different perspectives may be needed. In this paper, we combine distributional and correlational views of hierarchical multidimensional data. Our unified view supports the simultaneous exploration of data distribution and correlation. By presenting a unified view, we aim to increase the chances of discovery of unexpected data features, and to provide the means to explore such features in detail. Further, our unified view is equipped with a small number of primitive interaction operators which a user composes to facilitate smooth and flexible exploration.     

Dauerhaftigkeit und mechanische Stabilität von Terrassendielen bei erhöhter Temperatur – Ein Werkstoffvergleich: WPC,thermisch modifiziertes Holz und Massivholz

This article deals with the differences in the long-term durability and thermal stability under load of terrace deckings from various materials. The tested materials were deckings made of wood, thermally modified timber (TMT), and wood–polymer–composites (WPC). For the determination of the test temperatures for component testing according to EN 310, the surface temperatures of the decks during a normal hot summer day were measured. A cyclic test according to EN 321 was applied to all decking materials. Afterwards the component testing was repeated. All wooden samples reveal considerable cracks, some were twisted, and few were even broken. In particular regarding the optical appearance, wood decks show advantages against the TMT decks. Some WPC decks show very fine cracks on the face, which were additionally analyzed by means of X-ray computed tomography (CT). Except for the WPC deck with higher wood content, no WPC deck revealed significant changes after the cyclic test. The CT analysis was also suitable to find cracks inside the materials and illustrate them. Thus, the whole damage inside a sample could be characterized by calculating a kind of error pattern. No considerable cracks or failures could be observed on the WPC decks.     

Discomfort of seated persons exposed to low frequency lateral and roll oscillation: Effect of seat cushion

The discomfort caused by lateral oscillation, roll oscillation, and fully roll-compensated lateral oscillation has been investigated at frequencies between 0.25 and 1.0 Hz when sitting on a rigid seat and when sitting on a compliant cushion, both without a backrest. Judgements of vibration discomfort and the transmission of lateral and roll oscillation through the seat cushion were obtained with 20 subjects. Relative to the rigid seat, the cushion increased lateral acceleration and roll oscillation at the lower frequencies and also increased discomfort during lateral oscillation (at frequencies less than 0.63 Hz), roll oscillation (at frequencies less than 0.4 Hz), and fully roll-compensated lateral oscillation (at frequencies between 0.315 and 0.5 Hz). The root-sums-of-squares of the frequency-weighted lateral and roll acceleration at the seat surface predicted the greater vibration discomfort when sitting on the cushion. The frequency-dependence of the predicted discomfort may be improved by adjusting the frequency weighting for roll acceleration at frequencies between 0.25 and 1.0 Hz.