Question concerning causes of the failure and evaluation of the condition of the arch-gravity dam at the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP

Two versions of possible causes of the failure at the Sayano-Shushenskoe HPP are examined: one concerning the possibility of the transfer of force from the dam onto the structure of the machine room, and the other concerning limiting vibrations of the No. 2 generating set, which were supposedly recorded prior to the failure.     

Alternate plans and characteristics of design solutions for water-development works under construction at the No. 2 Zagorskaya pumped-storage power plant

Alternate plans and characteristics of design solutions for water-development works under construction at the No. 2 Zagorskaya pumped-storage power plant (PSPP) are described.     

Boguchany HPP — A start-up project of Russian power engineering

Construction of the fourth stage of the cascade of HPP on the Angara River is resuming.     

Safety problems of water-development works designed for land reclamation

A safety declaration is a fundamental document assuring the safety of water-development works, their correspondence to safety criteria, the design, and active technical regulations and rules.     

Water-table variation in a sloping aquifer due to random recharge

Variation in the level of the water table is closely linked with recharge. Therefore, any uncertainty associated with the recharge rate is bound to affect the nature of the water-table fluctuation. In this note, a ditch-drainage problem of a sloping aquifer is considered to investigate the effect of uncertainty in the recharge rate on water-table fluctuation. The rate of recharge is taken as an exponentially decaying function with its decay constant as a Gaussian random variable. Expressions for the first two moments of the water-table height, i.e. mean and standard deviation, are presented. By using these expressions, the effect of uncertainty in the recharge rate on the water-table fluctuation has been analyzed with the help of a numerical example.     

An Econometric Analysis of U.S. Antidumping Sunset Review Decisions

This paper is the first comprehensive analysis of the U.S. antidumping sunset review process required under WTO commitments. The econometric models study determinants of decisions by three U.S. actors: the petitioning industry, the Department of Commerce (DOC), and the International Trade Commission (ITC). Domestic industries facing potential vigorous competition seem to use sunset reviews to maintain current high domestic profits. U.S. governmental institutions use criteria broadly consistent with their legal obligations. Exports involving Chinese firms may face negative bias in the ITC process. JEL no. F1, F13     

Macroeconomic factors of growth of Russian cities and town planning policy objectives

This paper was prepared for the 70th birthday of Oleg Sergeevich Pchelintsev, but he did not live to see it in print. For memorials of O.S. Pchelintsev, see www.demoscope.ru Nos 243–244 of April 17–30, 2006. The paper analyzes the channels and ways by which macroeconomic policy impacts the development of urban settlement and individual groups of cities. Its findings are used to validate new directions and measures of urban policy     

The investment policy of the railroad sector under reform

The feasibility of the railroad sector reaching its long-term development goals and developmental factors and limitations are analyzed against the background of structural changes in the sector. Investment policy, investment attraction mechanisms under limited financial resources, the principles of development of regional investment policies, and regional investment programs and projects are discussed. The sector’s internal development reserves during its investment policy are analyzed.