Comprehensive Risk Evaluation in the Long-Term Operation of Urban Subway Based on Multiple Indices

The reasonable risk evaluation in the long-term operation of urban subway systems is of importance to the public safety and maintenance work of the subway. At present, the risk assessment always depends on a specified single factor which might result in a biased risk result. In order to take more influential factors into account, the multiple indices system is developed for the total risk evaluation in this work. The proposed multiple indices system is established on the basis of the logical structure of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). It is based on the 7 selected factors in which the value of each factor is defined by its risk level and the corresponding weight is determined by the AHP calculation. The result obtained from the case study showed that the total risk levelgot from the proposed method is more reasonable than the traditional single index-based methods.

Evaluation of the Total Quality of Tunnel Contour Using Projection Pursuit Dynamic Cluster Method

Full understanding of the total quality of tunnel contour after smooth blasting is quite a valuable task for accurately assessing the cost and construction rate. The traditional evaluation of tunnel contour quality which is always based on a single index such as the over/underbreak might not be rational enough because the contour quality at specific positions cannot completely stand for that of the total contour. Unreasonable evaluation of contour quality might cause construction delay or overbudget, as well as safety- and stability-related issues or even catastrophic accidents under some specific conditions. In this case, evaluating the total quality of tunnel contour considering all influential factors is of significance to smooth tunnelling. The aim of this paper is to develop a multiple indices system which can represent the total quality of the contour from different aspects, and then, the projection pursuit dynamic cluster (PPDC) method is utilized to quantitatively evaluate the total quality of tunnel contour. The multiple indices are screened using the principal component analysis (PCA) and gray correlation analysis (GCA). The selected 9 indices to form the multiple indices system include the maximum overbreak, average overbreak, maximum underbreak, maximum size of step between two guns, area of overbreak, measured area, rate of overbreak, volume of overbreak, and blast hole utilization factor. The total quality of tunnel contour is quantitatively defined with 5 levels by using the dynamic cluster (DC) analysis. With the obtained values of the 9 indices, the total quality of the tunnel contour could be determined quantitatively according to the calculated projection eigenvalues. The result of the total quality of tunnel contour obtained using the proposed method is much more accordant with the site than that based on a single evaluation index. The proposed method will offer a promising alternative to fully understand the total quality of tunnel contour.

A preliminary analysis of intonation patterns in Ecuadorian Cuencano Spanish

El Cantado Cuencano “Cuencano singing” constitutes the hallmark of Cuencano Spanish: a widely spoken Andean dialect in the Ecuadorian province of Azuay. This colloquially described “singing” makes Cuencano Spanish one of the most distinct dialects of Ecuador. The aim of the present study is to provide a preliminary analysis of intonation patterns from common utterance types in this under documented dialect. A sample of 550 utterances from 11 categories that included declarative statements, yes/no questions, exclamative statements, wh-questions, imperatives, lists, conditionals, tag-questions, interjections, negative statements, and vocatives was collected from five male and five female participants. The tokens were analyzed acoustically and labeled using the Spanish Tones and Break Indices system (Sp_ToBI). Results reveal the presence of a tritonal pitch accent (PA), labeled as L + H* + L and the extensive use of bitonal PAs (namely, L + H*). These three phenomena mark the singing quality of Cuencano Spanish and make it stand out from the dialects of Ecuadorian Spanish.

Green road evaluation system and its progression route -Case study of Hubei province, China

In view of the lack of coordination or guidance of green road concept and relevant evaluation to encourage sustainability, we redefined the concept of green road and its characteristics, and then reviewed some cross-sector targets of various departments related to green development. The history of green road related policies and studies were reviewed, and a green road evaluation indices system were established with 2 broad categories-compulsory and selective. The compulsory category contains 8 indices; and the selective category includes 76 indices, which are divided into 7 categories and 31 subcategories, covering design, construction and operation. In order to improve the evaluation continually, rating principles, grading methods and main reference literature were given. Then we selected 30 indices and design in a questionnaire to trial evaluation, and 11 projects of Hubei province were collected and used for analysis. Finally, based on the long-term and complexity of the evaluation system, we suggest some key improving strategies of green road evaluation in China. The establishment of the green road system is an attempt to bridge the requirements of different departments, and to stimulate the progressing technology to meet various challenges.

Developing the Complex System of Labour Effi ciency Management Indices at Food Retails

The labour effi ciency in food retails can be only evaluated by the system of indices which characterize various aspects of labour management. Developing the system of labour efficiency management includes defi ning the aims and valuation objects, choosing the indices structure, methodology, methods and tools of their measurements. The proposed approach to the development of labour efficiency indices system in food retails is based on the M. Hammer and L. Hershman model which consists of the result indices and factor indices such as time consumption, work quality and cost of merchanting service within standards of a particular trading format of food retails. A list of labour efficiency indices has been made based on the public reports of the leading food retails. To evaluate the indices data, the“Traffi c Light” model is suggested. A number of requirements for making labour efficiency reports have been presented.