A Unique Pool of Compatible Solutes on Rhodopirellula baltica, Member of the Deep-Branching Phylum Planctomycetes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Filipa d'Avó

Full Text Available The intracellular accumulation of small organic solutes was described in the marine bacterium Rhodopirellula baltica, which belongs to the globally distributed phylum Planctomycetes whose members exhibit an intriguing lifestyle and cell morphology. Sucrose, α-glutamate, trehalose and mannosylglucosylglycerate (MGG are the main solutes involved in the osmoadaptation of R. baltica. The ratio and total intracellular organic solutes varied significantly in response to an increase in salinity, temperature and nitrogen content. R. baltica displayed an initial response to both osmotic and thermal stresses that includes α-glutamate accumulation. This trend was followed by a rather unique and complex osmoadaptation mechanism characterized by a dual response to sub-optimal and supra-optimal salinities. A reduction in the salinity to sub-optimal conditions led primarily to the accumulation of trehalose. In contrast, R. baltica responded to salt stress mostly by increasing the intracellular levels of sucrose. The switch between the accumulation of trehalose and sucrose was by far the most significant effect caused by increasing the salt levels of the medium. Additionally, MGG accumulation was found to be salt- as well as nitrogen-dependent. MGG accumulation was regulated by nitrogen levels replacing α-glutamate as a K(+ counterion in nitrogen-poor environments. This is the first report of the accumulation of compatible solutes in the phylum Planctomycetes and of the MGG accumulation in a mesophilic organism.

Via Baltica Pärnu ümbersõidu trassivalik kulges vaevaliselt / Ester Vilgats

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Vilgats, Ester

2008-01-01

Via Baltica Pärnu ümbersõidu trassivaliku probleeme käsitlevast kohtumisest võtsid osa majandusministeeriumi transpordi asekantsler Eero Pärgmäe, rahandusministri nõunik Riho Sõrmus ja sama ameti europrogrammide osakonna juhataja Urmas Konsap

Feeding adult of Artemia salina (Crustacea-Branchiopoda on the dinoflagellate Gyrodinium corsicum (Gymnodiniales and the Chryptophyta Rhodomonas baltica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rauquírio André Albuquerque Marinho da Costa

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Experiments were carried out on feeding performance and survival rates of adult Artemia salina exposed to no axenic strains of the dinoflagellate Gyrodinium corsicum and of the Chryptophyta Rhodomonas baltica. Filtration rates on R. baltica and G. corsicum varied from 3.35 to 7.14 ml.artemia-1.h-1 and from 2.97 to 15.86 ml.artemia-1.h-1, respectively. The ingestion rates observed for A. salina did not indicate any digestive dysfunction or physiological impairment for organisms fed on G. corsicum and their functional response were similar to those observed for other organisms like copepod fed on different food concentrations. Mortality rates oscillated from 2.5% to 100% when A. salina was fed on R. baltica or G. corsicum, respectively. Highest mortality rates observed for organisms fed on G. corsicum indicated that this dinoflagellate presented a hazard effect on A. salina that was not possible to confirm if it was related to toxin production or to nutritive inadequacy of this dinoflagellate as food for organisms of this species.Experimentos foram desenvolvidos para estudar as taxas de alimentação e de sobrevivência de Artemia salina alimentada com cepas não tóxicas do dinoflagelado Gyrodinium corsicum e da Chryptophyta Rhodomonas baltica. As taxas de filtração sobre R. baltica e G. corsicum variaram entre 3,35 e 7,14 ml.artemia-1.h-1 e 2,97 e 15,86 ml.artemia-1.h-, respectivamente. As taxas de ingestão observadas para A. salina não indicaram disfunção digestiva ou prejuízo fisiológico nos organismos alimentados com G. corsicum, sendo a resposta funcional destes organismos similar a observada em copépodos alimentados com diferentes concentrações de alimento. As taxas de mortalidade de A. salina oscilaram entre 2,5 e 100% quando alimentada com R. baltica e G. corsicum, respectivamente. As maiores taxas de mortalidade observadas para os organismos alimentados com G. corsicum indicam que este dinoflagelado apresenta algum efeito

Passenger arrival and waiting time distributions dependent on train service frequency and station characteristics: A smart card data analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingvardson, Jesper Bláfoss; Nielsen, Otto Anker; Raveau, Sebastián

2018-01-01

Waiting time at public transport stops is perceived by passengers to be more onerous than in-vehicle time, hence it strongly influences the attractiveness and use of public transport. Transport models traditionally assume that average waiting times are half the service headway by assuming random...... Copenhagen Area covering metro, suburban, and regional rail stations thereby giving a range of service headways from 2 to 60 min. It was shown that the proposed mixture distribution is superior to other distributions proposed in the literature. This can improve waiting time estimations in public transport...

77 FR 17121 - RailAmerica, Inc., Palm Beach Rail Holding, Inc., RailAmerica Transportation Corp., RailTex, Inc...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-23

...% of the Class A Common Units of TransRail, giving RailTex a 70% ownership interest in TransRail and control of W&C through TransRail. The MG Principals will retain the Class B Common Units of TransRail... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35605] RailAmerica, Inc...

Timetable Design for Urban Rail Line with Capacity Constraints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Ting Zhu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available To design an efficient and economical timetable for a heavily congested urban rail corridor, a scheduling model is proposed in this paper. The objective of the proposed model is to find the departure time of trains at the start terminal to minimize the system cost, which includes passenger waiting cost and operating cost. To evaluate the performance of the timetable, a simulation model is developed to simulate the detailed movements of passengers and trains with strict constraints of station and train capacities. It assumes that passengers who arrive early will have more chances to access a station and board a train. The accessing and boarding processes of passengers are all based on a first-come-first-serve basis. When a station is full, passengers unable to access must wait outside until the number of waiting passengers at platform falls below a given value. When a train is full, passengers unable to board must wait at the platform for the next train to arrive. Then, based on the simulation results, a two-stage genetic algorithm is introduced to find the best timetable. Finally, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and solution method.

Study on transfer optimization of urban rail transit and conventional public transport

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jie; Sun, Quan Xin; Mao, Bao Hua

2018-04-01

This paper mainly studies the time optimization of feeder connection between rail transit and conventional bus in a shopping center. In order to achieve the goal of connecting rail transportation effectively and optimizing the convergence between the two transportations, the things had to be done are optimizing the departure intervals, shorting the passenger transfer time and improving the service level of public transit. Based on the goal that has the minimum of total waiting time of passengers and the number of start of classes, establish the optimizing model of bus connecting of departure time. This model has some constrains such as transfer time, load factor, and the convergence of public transportation grid spacing. It solves the problems by using genetic algorithms.

The complete plastid genomes of the two 'dinotoms' Durinskia baltica and Kryptoperidinium foliaceum.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behzad Imanian

2010-05-01

Full Text Available In one small group of dinoflagellates, photosynthesis is carried out by a tertiary endosymbiont derived from a diatom, giving rise to a complex cell that we collectively refer to as a 'dinotom'. The endosymbiont is separated from its host by a single membrane and retains plastids, mitochondria, a large nucleus, and many other eukaryotic organelles and structures, a level of complexity suggesting an early stage of integration. Although the evolution of these endosymbionts has attracted considerable interest, the plastid genome has not been examined in detail, and indeed no tertiary plastid genome has yet been sequenced.Here we describe the complete plastid genomes of two closely related dinotoms, Durinskia baltica and Kryptoperidinium foliaceum. The D. baltica (116470 bp and K. foliaceum (140426 bp plastid genomes map as circular molecules featuring two large inverted repeats that separate distinct single copy regions. The organization and gene content of the D. baltica plastid closely resemble those of the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The K. foliaceum plastid genome is much larger, has undergone more reorganization, and encodes a putative tyrosine recombinase (tyrC also found in the plastid genome of the heterokont Heterosigma akashiwo, and two putative serine recombinases (serC1 and serC2 homologous to recombinases encoded by plasmids pCf1 and pCf2 in another pennate diatom, Cylindrotheca fusiformis. The K. foliaceum plastid genome also contains an additional copy of serC1, two degenerate copies of another plasmid-encoded ORF, and two non-coding regions whose sequences closely resemble portions of the pCf1 and pCf2 plasmids.These results suggest that while the plastid genomes of two dinotoms share very similar gene content and genome organization with that of the free-living pennate diatom P. tricornutum, the K. folicaeum plastid genome has absorbed two exogenous plasmids. Whether this took place before or after the tertiary

Uudised : Linnamuusikud Euroraadios. Sumera ja Kremerata Baltica. Vox Clamantis kontserdireisil. Bachi konkurss Saksamaal / Priit Kuusk

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kuusk, Priit, 1938-

2001-01-01

Ans. Linnamuusikud esindab Eestit 29. apr. Euroraadios Põhja- ja Baltimaade muusika õhtul. Kremerata Baltica esines Itaalias ja Saksamaal Sumera teosega "Symphone". 22. apr.-1. maini teeb ans. Vox Clamantis kontsertreisi Prantsusmaale ja Portugali. 11.-21. apr. Saarbrückenis toimunud IV rahvusvahelisest J.S.Bachi klaverikonkursist, kus osales ka kaks eesti pianisti

Tallinna-Berliini raudteeprojekt valmimas / Toivo Tänavsuu

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tänavsuu, Toivo

2002-01-01

Saksa konsultatsioonifirmas PLANCO Consulting GmbH on valmimas Tallinna-Berliini kiirraudteeprojekti Rail Baltica eeluuring. Majandus- ja kommunikatsiooniministeeriumi peaspetsialisti Rein Lõokese kommentaare. Kaart. Poole ööpäevaga Berliini

RailSiTe® (Rail Simulation and Testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Johne

2016-10-01

Full Text Available RailSiTe® (Rail Simulation and Testing is DLR’s rail simulation and testing laboratory (see Figure 1. It is the implementation of a fully modular concept for the simulation of on-board and trackside control and safety technology. The RailSiTe® laboratory additionally comprises the RailSET (Railway Simulation Environment for Train Drivers and Operators human-factors laboratory, a realistic environment containing a realistic train mockup including 3D simulation.

Varsti põrutab rong saja kahekümnega Riiga / Juhan Parts ; interv. Nils Niitra

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Parts, Juhan, 1966-

2007-01-01

Majandus- ja kommunikatsiooniminister vastab küsimustele, mis puudutavad Tallinn-Tartu maantee ehitust, Rail Baltica rajamist, rahvusvahelist reisi- ja kaubarongiühendust, Tartu lennujaama investeeringuid ja doteerimist, Ahhaa teaduskeskuse rahastamist

Paleomagnetic data for Siberia and Baltica in the context of testing some geodynamic models of the formation of the Central Asian Mobile Belt

Science.gov (United States)

Shatsillo, A. V.; Kuznetsov, N. B.; Dronov, A. V.

2017-09-01

The synthesis of the paleomagnetic data for the Siberian (Siberia) and East European (Baltica) platforms shows that since the Early Paleozoic they could have experienced coherent movements as a part of consolidated continental agglomeration (a composite continent), which also includes the Arctida continent. Based on the paleomagnetic data, the relative positions of the Siberia and Baltica during the Ordovician is reconstructed, and a series of paleogeographical reconstructions describing the drift of the composite continent is suggested. The results of the lithologic-facial analysis of the sedimentation settings within the Ordovician basins of the Siberian and East European platforms and paleoclimatic markers are consistent with the suggested configuration and paleogeographical position of the composite continent. The suggested reconstructions and the ages of detrital zircons from the Early Paleozoic complexes of the platform margins and some objects of the Central Asian Mobile Belt (CAMB) reasonably well agree with the hypothesis (Sengör et al., 1993) which interprets the formation of the structure of CAMB Paleozoides as a result of the evolution of the island arc stretching along the margins of Siberia and Baltica.

Juhan Parts : "Ma ei tea, kas Pärnu linnale on vaja "munspaad"" / Juhan Parts ; interv. Kalev Vilgats

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Parts, Juhan, 1966-

2007-01-01

Majandus- ja kommunikatsiooniminister Juhan Parts vastab oma visiidil Pärnusse nii Pärnu ettevõtlust, linna eduvalemit, kohalikku transpordiühendust, Rail Baltica projekti ning Pärnu lennujaama puudutavatele küsimustele. Lisa: CV

Valuing Manggarai Station – Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Rail Link Using Stated Preference Approach

OpenAIRE

Adi, Wahyu Tamtomo

2015-01-01

This study attempts to identify the characteristics and preference of the SHIA airport travelers, estimate the subjective value of in-vehicle time and waiting time by providing choice experiments regarding the available modes in combination with the Airport Rail Link (ARL) service as hypothetical situation, analyze how the values vary according to the socio-demographics of respondents and forecasting the mode sharing and the elasticity based on several scenarios. Five hundred respondents as p...

Uudised : Kremerata Baltica solistid Tallinnas. Jaani Kiriku Oreli Fondis. Edison Classical Music Award 2000 / Heili Vaus-Tamm

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Vaus-Tamm, Heili, 1961-

2000-01-01

8. apr. esinevad Kremerata Baltica kuus liiget kavaga "Gulliver Madriidis". Kontserdikava tutvustus. 13. apr. tuleb kokku Tallinna Jaani Kiriku Oreli Fondi nõukogu, et otsustada, millise firmaga sõlmitakse leping oreli taastamiseks. 4. apr. anti Amsterdamis kätte tänavused Edisoni klassikalise muusika auhinnad parimate plaadistuste eest, s.h. T. Kaljustele

Genome Sequences of Shewanella baltica and Shewanella morhuae Strains Isolated from the Gastrointestinal Tract of Freshwater Fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo, Daniel; Gram, Lone; Dailey, Frank E

2018-06-21

We present here the genome sequences of Shewanella baltica strain CW2 and Shewanella morhuae strain CW7, isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of Salvelinus namaycush (lean lake trout) and Coregonus clupeaformis (whitefish), respectively. These genome sequences provide insights into the niche adaptation of these specific species in freshwater systems. Copyright © 2018 Castillo et al.

A symmetrical rail accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igenbergs, E.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on the symmetrical rail accelerator that has four rails, which are arranged symmetrically around the bore. The opposite rails have the same polarity and the adjacent rails the opposite polarity. In this configuration the radial force acting upon the individual rails is significantly smaller than in a conventional 2-rail configuration and a plasma armature is focussed towards the axis of the barrel. Experimental results indicate a higher efficiency compared to a conventional rail accelerator

Estonija mozhet ostatsja bez uzkoi kolei / Jelizaveta Gavrilova

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Gavrilova, Jelizaveta

2005-01-01

Poola-Leedu-Läti-Eesti raudteeprojekt Rail Baltica on lülitatud Euroopa Komisjoni transpordi prioriteetide hulka. Eesti probleemiks on kujunenud madal koostöövõime infrastruktuuride valduse küsimuses riigi ja erafirma Eesti Raudtee vahel

The Life History of Flabellula baltica Smirnov (Gymnamoebae, Rhizopoda): Adaptations to a Spatially and Temporally Heterogeneous Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fenchel, Tom

2010-01-01

The polymorphic life history of the marine naked amoeba Flabellula baltica was studied. It can be interpreted in terms of adaptations to an environment that is patchy in time and space and it represents trade-off between longevity during starvation and the ability to initiate multiplication soon ...

Iz Berlina v Tampere za neskolko tshasov? / Helga Balode

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Balode, Helga

2002-01-01

Rail Baltica raudtee, mis hakkab reisi- ja kaubaronge teenindama marsruudil Tallinn-Varssavi, läheb maksma miljardeid kroone. Kommenteerivad Soome transpordi- ja kommunikatsiooniministeeriumi nõunik Kai-Peter Mattson, Läti sideministeeriumi raudteeosakonnajuhataja Janis Veidmanis ja Eesti raudteeameti peadirektor Oleg Epner

Rails on Windows

CERN Document Server

Hibbs, Curt

2007-01-01

It's no secret that the entire Ruby onRails core team uses OS X as their preferreddevelopment environment. Becauseof this, it is very easy to findauthoritative information on the webabout using Rails on OS X. But the truthis that Windows developers using Railsprobably outnumber those using otherplatforms. A Windows development environmentcan be just as productive asany other platform. This is a guide to developing with Rubyon Rails under Windows. It won't teachyou how to write Ruby on Rails web applications,but it will show you what toolsto use and how to set them up to createa complete Rail

Electrodynamic wear of rails in high current density rail gun discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, W.T.; Caldwell, S.G.

1984-01-01

Significant advances in high current, high speed power sources, has in recent years allowed rail guns to produce very high velocity (> 10 km/sec) macroscopic particles (> 1/10 grams). A continuing problem is the structural integrity of the components under these loadings and in particular, the rail wear due to the high current density plasma contacts. In this investigation a small bore rail gun (6x5 mm) was used with a 10.6 kjoule capacitor energy source to examine the modes of rail damage. The rails were constructed of 110 copper base material. These rails were used in an uncoated condition and also with plasma sprayed coatings of W and W/WC. The resulting surface wear was characterized by standard metallurgical techniques and analyzed for the various coatings

Impact of the rail-pad multi-discrete model upon the prediction of the rail response

Science.gov (United States)

Mazilu, T.; Leu, M.

2017-08-01

Wheel/rail vibration has many technical effects such as wear of the rolling surfaces, rolling noise, settlement of the ballast and subgrade etc. This vibration is depending on the rail pad characteristic and subsequently, it is important to have an accurate overview on the relation between the rail pad characteristic and the level of the wheel/rail vibration. To this end, much theoretical and experimental research has been developed in the past, and for the theoretical approach the track model, in general, and, particularly, the rail pad model is of crucial importance. Usually, the rail pad model is discrete model one, neglecting the length of the rail pad. This fact is questionable because the sleepers span is only 4 times the rail pad length. Using the rail pad discrete model, the rail response is overestimated when the frequency of the excitation equals the pinned-pinned resonance frequency. In this paper, a multi-discrete model for the rail pad, consisting in many Kelvin-Voigt parallel systems, is inserted into an analytical model of the track. The track model is reduced to a rail taken as infinite Timoshenko beam, discretely supported via rail pad, sleeper and ballast. The influence of the number of Kelvin-Voigt systems of the rail pad model on the rail response is analysed.

Determination of the primary technical parameters of the test bench for controlling the temperature of rails and rail bars of continuous welded rail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tertychnyi Vitalii

2017-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most important factors determining the reliability and safety of operation of the continuous welded rail track is the temperature of the rails. All conditions of laying, repair and maintenance of the track during the entire cycle of rails operation depend on it. The existing rail temperature monitoring method does not take into account a few significant factors and that leads to significant errors in determining the actual temperature of the rail bar. The authors propose a new rail temperature measurement method on a special test bench which maximally simulates possible environmental operating conditions for the rail bars, the profile of the roadway (embankment or cut, as well as the actual spatial latitude and meridian location of the rail slabs. At the bench, the studied rails are fastened with the help of rail braces on half ties, in the ballast bed, with sizes in accordance with the existing reference documents. At the first stage, the most common KB-65 intermediate fastener for the continuous welded rail in Ukraine will be used, while in subsequent stages KPP-5 fastening will be used.

Managing rail service life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Popović

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The service life of rails depends especially on the operational loads and speeds on the railway lines, as well as on the rail maintenance policy. There are multiple aspects of rail maintenance optimization. The following article considers optimisation of rail maintenance activities relating to rail head surface condition in order to reduce corrective work on track geometry, as well as to minimize the overall costs for track maintenance. The objects of this research are issues and challenges related to rail and track maintenance in curves on modern conventional railway lines for mixed traffic.

Rail passengers rights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đurđev Dušanka J.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The legal framework of rail passengers rights is set out in a combination of international and European law: an international measure, the rather unwieldy Uniform Rules concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Passengers and Luggage by Rail, forming part of the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail of 9 May 1980 (as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999 ['CIV'], lays down a basic framework which is then fleshed out by more recent EU legislation, Regulation (EC No 1371/2007 on Rail Passengers ' Rights and Obligations. Regulation 1371/2007/EC on rail passenger rights and obligations sets out minimum quality standards that have to be guaranteed to all passengers on all lines. .

Ethnographies of Waiting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Janeja, Manpreet Kaur; Bandak, Andreas

We all wait – in traffic jams, passport offices, school meal queues, for better weather, an end to fighting, peace. Time spent waiting produces hope, boredom, anxiety, doubt, or uncertainty. Ethnographies of Waiting explores the social phenomenon of waiting and its centrality in human society...... worth the wait?" Waiting thus conceived is intrinsic to the ethnographic method at the heart of the anthropological enterprise. Featuring detailed ethnographies from Japan, Georgia, England, Ghana, Norway, Russia and the United States, a Foreword by Craig Jeffrey and an Afterword by Ghassan Hage...

Some design aspects of a two-stage rail-to-rail CMOS op amp

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gierkink, Sander L.J.; Holzmann, Peter J.; Wiegerink, Remco J.; Wassenaar, R.F.

1999-01-01

A two-stage low-voltage CMOS op amp with rail-to-rail input and output voltage ranges is presented. The circuit uses complementary differential input pairs to achieve the rail-to-rail common-mode input voltage range. The differential pairs operate in strong inversion, and the constant

Preliminary rail access study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The Yucca Mountain site, located on the southwestern edge of the Nevada Test Site, is an undeveloped area under investigation as a potential site for nuclear waste disposal by the US Department of Energy. The site currently lacks rail service and an existing rail right-of-way. If the site is suitable and selected for development as a disposal site, rail service is desirable to the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program because of the potential of rail to reduce number of shipments and costs relative to highway transportation. This preliminary report is a summary of progress to date for activities to identify and evaluate potential rail options from major rail carriers in the region to the Yucca Mountain site. It is currently anticipated that the rail spur will be operational after the year 2000. 9 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs

A Methodology for Long-Term Analysis of Innovative Signalling Systems on Regional Rail Lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luca D'Acierno

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A rail system may be considered a useful tool for reducing vehicular flows on a road system (i.e. cars and trucks, especially in high-density contexts such as urban and metropolitan areas where greenhouse gas emissions need to be abated. In particular, since travellers maximise their own utility, variations in mobility choices can be induced only by significantly improving the level-of-service of public transport. Our specific proposal is to identify the economic and environmental effects of implementing an innovative signalling system (which would reduce passenger waiting times by performing a cost-benefit analysis based on a feasibility threshold approach. Hence, it is necessary to calculate long-term benefits and compare them with intervention costs. In this context, a key factor to be considered is travel demand estimation in current and future conditions. This approach was tested on a regional rail line in southern Italy to show the feasibility and utility of the proposed methodology.

Implications of rail electrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rolader, G.E.; Jamison, K.A.

1990-01-01

A model is developed to investigate possible effects of rail electrodynamics on the performance of railguns. This model describes the oscillatory nature of the rail motion in response to the Lorentz force and the compressive restoration force of material which is behind the rails. In this simple model the rails are found to oscillate with a frequency of β. The rail dynamic behavior induces local electric fields. The authors investigate the significance of these electric fields on stationary particles (lab frame) and on particles moving at the velocity of the plasma/projectile system (projectile frame)

WAITING TIME IN THE WAITING ROOM IN FAMILY PRACTICE AND PATIENT SATISFACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janko Kersnik

2001-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Appointment system shortens the waiting time in the waiting room for the patient and allows better use of time for the doctor. We wanted to examine how long patients are willing to wait in the waiting room, how long they waited at the last visit, patient satisfaction with the last visit, the satisfaction with the length of waiting in the past 12 months and the overall patient satisfaction score for the last 12 months. Appointment system proved to be effective means of organising practice time. Waiting time in the waiting room with appointment system was considerably shorter (mean 18.5 minutes as compared to the waiting time in the practices without appointment system (mean 55.4 minutes, the fact which is reflected also in higher satisfaction with waiting in the waiting room in the past 12 months. Three quarters of patients in practices with appointment system waited standard 20 minutes or less, as opposed to the other practices where only one quarter of patients waited 20 minutes or less.Conclusions: The overall satisfaction with the doctor with the appointment system does not differ in both types of practices. The patients from practices with appointment system evaluated better possibility to get an appointment to suit the patients, but worse help of the doctors’ staff, possibility to get through to the office by phone, the length of time during the consultation and the doctors’ thoroughness.

75 FR 76520 - Tennessee Southern Railroad Company, Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-08

... family by converting two of its subsidiaries from corporations into limited liability companies: (1... Railroad Company, Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot Rail Corp.--Corporate Family... Railroad Company (TSRR), Patriot Rail, LLC (PRL) and its subsidiaries, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC (PRH) and...

Framing Light Rail Projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Mette

2014-01-01

In Europe, there has been a strong political will to implement light rail. This article contributes to the knowledge concerning policies around light rail by analysing how local actors frame light rail projects and which rationalities and arguments are present in this decision-making process....... The article draws on the socio-technical approach to mobilities studies in order to reassemble the decision-making process in three European cases: Bergen, Angers, and Bern. This article provides insights into the political, discursive and material production of light rail mobilities in a European context....... It identifies the planning rationales behind the systems and the policies that have been supportive of this light rail vision. Finally, the article identifies the practical challenges and potentials that have been connected to the different local frames of light rail mobility which can be used in future...

Identification and prioritization of rail squat defects in the field using rail magnetisation technology

Science.gov (United States)

Kaewunruen, Sakdirat

2015-04-01

Inevitably, rail squats and studs are continuing to be a serious problem for railway organisations around the world in the 21st century. They are typically classified as the growth of any cracks that have grown longitudinally through the subsurface and some of the cracks propagating to the bottom of rails transversely, and have branched from initial longitudinal cracks with a depression of rail surface. The horizontal crack, which results in a depression of rail surface, induces increased maintenance level, more frequent monitoring, compromised rail testing (as the crack shields the signal echoes), and possible broken rails. This paper presents field investigations using a magnetised-rail testing device developed by MRX Technologies to identify and prioritise the rail squats. Most of the in situ squats were found on the high rail of the transition (variable-radius curved track), which is associated with rolling contact fatigue (RCF). This investigation highlights the field performance of the MRX's surface crack detection technology in comparison with the traditional ultrasonic method and detailed walking inspection. Visually, it was found in the field that the size of the RCF squats varies from very small to moderate. The predicted crack data were obtained by scanning the magnitised rails. The comparison of the actual crack depths (ultrasonic) and the predicted crack depths (MRX device) shows: • A possible correlation for small RCF/ squat cracks. • Poor interpretation of larger defects and welds. The field assessment also suggests some practical issues required for further development, including the detection of rail spalling, deep transverse crack, welding, and so on.

Waiting for surgery: is waiting bad for anyone or everyone?

Science.gov (United States)

Sutherland, J M; Liu, G; Crump, R T; Karimuddin, A A

2017-12-01

For Canadians, as in many countries, waiting for elective surgery is expected. The duration of the wait raises questions about the maximum amount of time patients should wait for their surgery. The primary objective of this study was to test for a relationship between the length of time patients waited for elective hernia repair surgery and change in patients' self-reported health. This study was based on a prospectively recruited longitudinal cohort of patients waiting for elective hernia repair surgery. Participants completed the PHQ-9, PEG, EQ-5D(3L) generic instruments, and the condition-specific COMI-hernia. Multivariate regression models explored associations between patient-reported outcomes and potential confounders, including age, sex, socio-economic status, and medical comorbidities. There were 118 participants and the modal age group was 61-70 years. The average wait time for participants was 22.5 weeks. There were no relationships between the duration of participants' wait for hernia repair and the change in patients' self-reported health for hernia-specific outcomes or overall health-related quality of life. There are gains in health-related quality of life to be realized by prioritizing symptomatic patients. Participants with greater pre-operative depression, pain, and hernia-related symptoms experienced an improvement in health prior to surgery, though more clarity is needed on the mechanisms that led to improved health. Many countries face problems with wait lists for elective surgery-and few have effective processes for triaging patients. This study shows that duration of time on the wait list was not associated with change in hernia patients' self-reported health.

Bronze railing from Mediana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasić Miloje R.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The hoard containing components of bronze railing was discovered in trench 7 during excavations at Mediana in 2000. Railing consists of cancelli and herms with busts of deities between them. Railing was constructed in such a way that it was possible to disassemble and reassemble it. Three cancelli one fragmented semicancellus cast together with herm and herms, one with bust of Aesculapius and other with bust of Luna. It could be concluded that railing consisted of two segments with passage between them. Male deities were represented on the left segment of the railing and female deities on the right segment. Detailed analysis revealed that Aesculapius as well as Luna bear strong mark of classical Greek and Hellenistic art, which experienced some kind of renaissance in the time of Constantine I. It is very probable that we can recognize the portrait of Faustina, Constantine’s wife in the portrait of Luna. According to the historical events the railing could have been produced before 325 AD when Constantine definitively accepted Christianity at Council of Nicaea. It is difficult to say where the railing had been produced. It had been most probably brought to Mediana during the stay of emperor Julian in Niš in 361. The sculptures found in one room of the villa with peristyle had probably been brought at the same time. The apse of triclinium of this villa had most likely been arranged as small shrine with bronze railing at its entrance. The railing was buried in 378 after battle of Adrianople and invasion of Goths in diocese Dacia.

A low-voltage Op Amp with rail-to-rail constant-gm input stage and a class AB rail-to-rail output stage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Botma, J.H.; Wassenaar, R.F.; Wiegerink, Remco J.

1993-01-01

In this paper a low-voltage two-stage Op Amp is presented. The Op Amp features rail-to-rail operation and has an @put stage with a constant transconductance (%) over the entire common-mode input range. The input stage consists of an n- and a PMOS differential pair connected in parallel. The constant

Rail vehicle dynamics

CERN Document Server

Knothe, Klaus

2017-01-01

This book on the dynamics of rail vehicles is developed from the manuscripts for a class with the same name at TU Berlin. It is directed mainly to master students with pre-knowledge in mathematics and mechanics and engineers that want to learn more. The important phenomena of the running behaviour of rail vehicles are derived and explained. Also recent research results and experience from the operation of rail vehicles are included. One focus is the description of the complex wheel-rail contact phenomena that are essential to understand the concept of running stability and curving. A reader should in the end be able to understand the background of simulation tools that are used by the railway industry and universities today.

Návrh Rail-to-Rail proudového konvejoru v technologii CMOS

OpenAIRE

Hudzik, Martin

2016-01-01

Diplomová práca sa zaoberá návrhom rail-to-rail prúdového konvejora druhej generácie v technológii CMOS. Opisuje princípy funkcie jednotlivých generácii prúdových konvejorov a taktiež základný princíp návrhu prúdového konvejora druhej generácie založeného na operačnom zosilňovači. Venuje sa obvodovému riešeniu vstupného rail-to-rail stupňa a koncového stupňa v triede AB. Cieľom tejto práce je navrhnúť, charakterizovať vlastnosti a vytvoriť topológiu prúdového konvejora druhej generácie s rail...

Sustainable national transport planning: Managing multiple objectives and criteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Anders Vestergaard; Salling, Kim Bang; Leleur, Steen

not included in the CBA. One important part of the assessment is the selection of criteria to be included and this aspect will be examined by an appraisal study of the Rail Baltica corridor. In the study various alternatives are appraised with an explicit consideration of each alternative’s sustainability...... performance....

Design of Low Voltage Low Power CMOS OP-AMPS with Rail-to-Rail Input/Output Swing

OpenAIRE

Gopalaiah, SV; Shivaprasad, AP; Panigrahi, Sukanta K

2004-01-01

A novel input and output biasing circuit to extend the input common mode (CM) voltage range and the output swing to rail-to-rail in a low voltage op-amp in standard CMOS technology is presented. The input biasing circuit uses a Switched Capacitor Based Attenuator (SCBA) approach to establish rail-to-rail common mode input voltage range. And the output biasing circuit uses an Output Driver (OD), with floating bias to give the rail-to-rail swing at output stage. Three different OD schemes in op...

Factors of Perceived Waiting Time and Implications on Passengers’ Satisfaction with Waiting Time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shumin Feng

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In order to explore the influence factors on perceived waiting time, a multiple linear regression model has been used to quantitatively describe the relationship between perceived waiting time and various factors. The model is established with 234 data, which is surveyed with questionnaire at three stops in Harbin, China. The results show that several certain factors (“trip purpose - where to”, “presence of a companion - whether one has a companion or not”, “having a timing device - whether one has a timing device or not”, “riding frequency - how many times one takes one line per week” and “waiting behaviour - what one does while waiting for a bus” have significant influence on perceived waiting time, which confirms previous findings and supports transferability of results. The significance of “waiting mood - howabout the mood while waiting for a bus” and “reserved waiting time - how long one will wait” are confirmed for the first time in this study. In contrast to previous studies, “waiting time interval - for how long in one day” is a negative variable and socioeconomic variables are non-significant. And it is found that the relationship between perceived waiting time and passengers’ satisfaction with the waiting time follows a decreasing exponential distribution. With this model, the variation trend of the section, where passenger satisfaction value is larger than 0 is obviously steeper than the section smaller than 0. Such result proves that passenger mood with short waiting time is more sensitive than with longer waiting time. And the borderline perceived waiting time, distinguishing satisfied from dissatisfied passengers is proven to be 7.87 minutes when assignment interval of satisfaction is (-25.25], when satisfaction is positive (larger than 0, the accuracy being 70.30%, while the accuracy is 82.71% fornegative satisfaction (less than 0.

Two Effective Ways to Implement Wait Time. A Symposium on Wait Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Swift, J. Nathan; And Others

The effects of instructional guides and a wait time feedback device (called a "Wait Timer") on the classroom interaction of middle school science teachers are examined. The Wait Timer, an unobtrusive indicator of wait time, is an automatic device that activates a light when a person speaks. The duration of the light at the end of a…

High speed rails. Fatigue behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duart, J. M.; Pero-Sanz, J. A.; Verdeja, J. I.

2005-01-01

In recent years, passenger train speed and freight train load have increased to enhance efficiency of rail road transportation. These trends have increased the severity of rail service conditions, calling for rails with greater wear resistance, strength and fatigue behaviour. In the United Stated and Europe, track site weld rails are made entirely by aluminothermic process. This work describes the results of experimental study conducted on bending fatigue strength of plain rails and aluminothermic welded rails with preheating procedures (oxipropane and air-induced propane) approved by railways authorities. Compliance with the required fatigue strength shall be ascertained by 4 point pulsating bending test in accordance with European standards by aluminothermic welding in rails. The locati method, based in the empirical Miner's law about the cumulative damage on a fatigue tested material, allows, once known the Wohler curve of the welding process in use to settle the fatigue tensile limit at 50% with only one test. The values obtained at 2.10''6 cycles for plain rails (S f =353 MPa), oxipropane preheated aluminothermic weld rails (S f =225 MPa), and propane-air induced aluminothermic weld rails (S f =210 MPa) are very similar to those resulting from test method stated in the European Standard. From our point of view and due to its ease, speediness and savings, this is the most suitable test to check the quality and compare the aluminothermic processes in use. (Author) 15 refs

Learning to wait

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dungey, Claire Elisabeth; Meinert, Lotte

2017-01-01

enforced through discipline, prepare young people to expect that waiting and enduring hardship will pay off in the end. This expectation makes the status of adulthood particularly vulnerable because the jobs and opportunities that young men learn to wait for often do not come into being by waiting....

Simply rails 2 the ultimate beginner's guide to Ruby on rails

CERN Document Server

Lenz, Patrick

2008-01-01

Want to learn all about Ruby on Rails 2.0, the web application framework that is inspiring developers around the world? The second edition of this practical, hands on book will: show you how to install Ruby on Rails on Windows, Mac, or Linux walk you, step by step, through the development of a Web 2.0 social news application, just like digg.com show you how to test, debug, benchmark, and deploy your Rails application Unlike other Rails books, this book doesn't assume that you are an experienced web developer, or that you've used Ruby before. An entire chapter is devoted to learning Ruby in a fun way, using the interactive Ruby console, so you can follow along at home. You'll be an accomplished Ruby programmer in no time! The example application that the book builds - a user-generated news web site - is built upon with each following chapter, and concepts such as sessions, cookies and basic AJAX usage are gradually introduced. Different aspects of Rails, such as user authentication, session cookies, and automa...

Identification of Shewanella baltica as the most important H2S-producing species during iced storage of Danish marine fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Fonnesbech Vogel, Birte; Venkateswaran, Kasthuri; Satomi, Masataka; Gram, Lone

2005-11-01

Shewanella putrefaciens has been considered the main spoilage bacteria of low-temperature stored marine seafood. However, psychrotropic Shewanella have been reclassified during recent years, and the purpose of the present study was to determine whether any of the new Shewanella species are important in fish spoilage. More than 500 H2S-producing strains were isolated from iced stored marine fish (cod, plaice, and flounder) caught in the Baltic Sea during winter or summer time. All strains were identified as Shewanella species by phenotypic tests. Different Shewanella species were present on newly caught fish. During the warm summer months the mesophilic human pathogenic S. algae dominated the H2S-producing bacterial population. After iced storage, a shift in the Shewanella species was found, and most of the H2S-producing strains were identified as S. baltica. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis confirmed the identification of these two major groups. Several isolates could only be identified to the genus Shewanella level and were separated into two subgroups with low (44%) and high (47%) G+C mol%. The low G+C% group was isolated during winter months, whereas the high G+C% group was isolated on fish caught during summer and only during the first few days of iced storage. Phenotypically, these strains were different from the type strains of S. putrefaciens, S. oneidensis, S. colwelliana, and S. affinis, but the high G+C% group clustered close to S. colwelliana by 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison. The low G+C% group may constitute a new species. S. baltica, and the low G+C% group of Shewanella spp. strains grew well in cod juice at 0 degrees C, but three high G+C Shewanella spp. were unable to grow at 0 degrees C. In conclusion, the spoilage reactions of iced Danish marine fish remain unchanged (i.e., trimethylamine-N-oxide reduction and H2S production); however, the main H2S-producing organism was identified as S. baltica.

Optimization of wheel-rail interface friction using top-of-rail friction modifiers: State of the art

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, M. Roshan; Dasaka, Satyanarayana Murty

2018-05-01

High Speed Railways and Dedicated Freight Corridors are the need of the day for fast and efficient transportation of the ever growing population and freight across long distances of travel. With the increase in speeds and axle loads carried by these trains, wearing out of rails and train wheel sections are a common issue, which is due to the increase in friction at the wheel-rail interfaces. For the cases where the wheel-rail interface friction is less than optimum, as in case of high speed trains with very low axle loads, wheel-slips are imminent and loss of traction occurs when the trains accelerate rapidly or brake all of a sudden. These vast variety of traction problems around the wheel-rail interface friction need to be mitigated carefully, so that the contact interface friction neither ascents too high to cause material wear and need for added locomotive power, nor be on the lower side to cause wheel-slips and loss of traction at high speeds. Top-of-rail friction modifiers are engineered surface coatings applied on top of rails, to maintain an optimum frictional contact between the train wheels and the rails. Extensive research works in the area of wheel-rail tribology have revealed that the optimum frictional coefficients at wheel-rail interfaces lie at a value of around 0.35. Application of top-of-rail (TOR) friction modifiers on rail surfaces add an extra layer of material coating on top of the rails, with a surface frictional coefficient of the desired range. This study reviews the common types of rail friction modifiers, the methods for their application, issues related with the application of friction modifiers, and a guideline on selection of the right class of coating material based on site specific requirements of the railway networks.

Head first rails a learner's companion to ruby on rails

CERN Document Server

Griffiths, David

2009-01-01

Ready to transport your web applications into the Web 2.0 era? Head First Rails takes your programming -- and productivity -- to the max. You'll learn everything from the fundamentals of Rails scaffolding to building customized interactive web apps using Rails' rich set of tools and the MVC framework. By the time you're finished, you'll have learned more than just another web framework. You'll master database interactions, integration with Ajax and XML, rich content, and even dynamic graphing of your data -- all in a fraction of the time it takes to build the same apps with Java, PHP, ASP.NE

Scheduling freight trains in rail-rail transshipment yards

OpenAIRE

Nils Boysen; Erwin Pesch

2008-01-01

Transshipment yards, where gantry cranes allow for an effcient transshipment of containers between different freight trains, are important entities in modern railway systems and facilitate the general shift from point-to-point transport to hub-and-spoke railway systems. Modern rail-rail transshipment yards accelerate container handling, so that multiple smaller trains with equal destination can be consolidated to a reduced number of trains without jeopardizing on time deliveries. An important...

Rail inspection of RCF defects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Popović

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Rail defects due to rolling contact fatigue (RCF threaten the traffic safety around the world. That hazard is more distinct on railways without adequate maintenance strategy. Realization of interoperability of European railway network demands from every infrastructure manager to have a maintenance plan for the infrastructure subsystem. Besides that, this plan includes rail inspection and strategy against RCF defects. This paper emphasizes the importance of rail inspection and early detection of RCF because the most of RCF crack should be removed in rail grinding campaigns (preventive, cyclical and corrective activities during the whole rail service life.

Light rail project in Copenhagen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jonas Lohmann Elkjær; Landex, Alex; Nielsen, Otto Anker

2006-01-01

The need for high class public transport service of the increasing travel across the radial urban structure of the greater Copenhagen region was examined through planning of a light rail. The exact corridor (defined as the Ring 2½ corridor) and alignment of the light rail were documented and the ......The need for high class public transport service of the increasing travel across the radial urban structure of the greater Copenhagen region was examined through planning of a light rail. The exact corridor (defined as the Ring 2½ corridor) and alignment of the light rail were documented...... light rail projects...

The dinoflagellates Durinskia baltica and Kryptoperidinium foliaceum retain functionally overlapping mitochondria from two evolutionarily distinct lineages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keeling Patrick J

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abtract Background The dinoflagellates Durinskia baltica and Kryptoperidinium foliaceum are distinguished by the presence of a tertiary plastid derived from a diatom endosymbiont. The diatom is fully integrated with the host cell cycle and is so altered in structure as to be difficult to recognize it as a diatom, and yet it retains a number of features normally lost in tertiary and secondary endosymbionts, most notably mitochondria. The dinoflagellate host is also reported to retain mitochondrion-like structures, making these cells unique in retaining two evolutionarily distinct mitochondria. This redundancy raises the question of whether the organelles share any functions in common or have distributed functions between them. Results We show that both host and endosymbiont mitochondrial genomes encode genes for electron transport proteins. We have characterized cytochrome c oxidase 1 (cox1, cytochrome oxidase 2 (cox2, cytochrome oxidase 3 (cox3, cytochrome b (cob, and large subunit of ribosomal RNA (LSUrRNA of endosymbiont mitochondrial ancestry, and cox1 and cob of host mitochondrial ancestry. We show that all genes are transcribed and that those ascribed to the host mitochondrial genome are extensively edited at the RNA level, as expected for a dinoflagellate mitochondrion-encoded gene. We also found evidence for extensive recombination in the host mitochondrial genes and that recombination products are also transcribed, as expected for a dinoflagellate. Conclusion Durinskia baltica and K. foliaceum retain two mitochondria from evolutionarily distinct lineages, and the functions of these organelles are at least partially overlapping, since both express genes for proteins in electron transport.

A survey of wheel-rail contact models for rail vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Meymand, Sajjad Z.; Keylin, Alexander; Ahmadian, Mehdi

2016-03-01

Accurate and efficient contact models for wheel-rail interaction are essential for the study of the dynamic behaviour of a railway vehicle. Assessment of the contact forces and moments, as well as contact geometry provide a fundamental foundation for such tasks as design of braking and traction control systems, prediction of wheel and rail wear, and evaluation of ride safety and comfort. This paper discusses the evolution and the current state of the theories for solving the wheel-rail contact problem for rolling stock. The well-known theories for modelling both normal contact (Hertzian and non-Hertzian) and tangential contact (Kalker's linear theory, FASTSIM, CONTACT, Polach's theory, etc.) are reviewed. The paper discusses the simplifying assumptions for developing these models and compares their functionality. The experimental studies for evaluation of contact models are also reviewed. This paper concludes with discussing open areas in contact mechanics that require further research for developing better models to represent the wheel-rail interaction.

75 FR 55631 - U. S. Rail Corporation-Construction and Operation Exemption-Brookhaven Rail Terminal

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-13

... the proposed construction is to enable U. S. Rail to serve the BRT as a common carrier and to deliver... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35141] U. S. Rail Corporation--Construction and Operation Exemption-- Brookhaven Rail Terminal AGENCY: Surface Transportation...

Performance criteria for EM rail launchers with solid or transition armatures and laminated rails

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, T.E.

1991-01-01

Velocity limitations of EM Rail Launchers with solid armatures due to the velocity skin-effect are assessed for a range of homogeneous materials (copper, aluminium, molybdenum and tungsten). Performance criteria as limited by armature melting in the region adjacent to the rail/armature contact surface and by rail surface melting are deduced analytically based on defined electro-thermal reference conditions. The performance criteria predict the reference transition velocity at which the solid contact surface changes to mainly a melted contact surface which is shown to be a fundamental property of the materials. The paper shows that the critical factors in obtaining a high transition velocity are a relatively high resistivity armature material combined with high temperature rail surface coatings. For example a transition velocity of >2.0 km/s for a molybdenum armature and a tungsten rail surface coating on a copper rail are predicted compared with <0.5 km/s for the aluminium/copper combination frequently used

Rail-induced Traffic in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nan He

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The rapid development of China’s railway has exerted an enormous influence on the intercity passenger transport structure in recent years. However, it has not satisfied the passengers’ travel demand due to induced traffic. This paper is committed to solving such issue, with the aim of satisfying the current travel demand, and of anticipating the demand of the predicted traffic growth over the next 20 to 30 years. The paper has considered the increase in rail passenger kilometres caused by the growth of rail kilometres as rail-induced traffic. Based on the concept and former research of induced traffic, the panel data of 26 provinces and 3 municipalities of China between the year 2000 and 2014 were collected, and the elasticity models (including elasticity-based model, distributed lag model, high-speed rail (HSR elasticity model and rail efficiency model have been constructed. The results show the importance of model formation incorporation of rail-induced traffic. It is better to get the correct value in divided zones with different train frequencies or incorporation rail efficiency in cities or provinces. The lag time and rail types also need to be considered. In summary, the results analysis not only confirms the existence of rail-induced traffic, but also provides substantial recommendations to train operation planning.

Worth the wait? How restaurant waiting time influences customer behavior and revenue

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vries, J.; Roy, Debjit; De Koster, Rene

2018-01-01

In many service industries, customers have to wait for service. When customers have a choice, this waiting may influence their service experience, sojourn time, and ultimately spending, reneging, and return behavior. Not much is known however, about the system-wide impact of waiting on customer

46 CFR 169.329 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 169.329 Section 169.329 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.329 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 177.920 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 177.920 Section 177.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 177.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 127.320 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 127.320 Section 127.320 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENTS Rails and Guards § 127.320 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails must be installed in each passageway and at...

Rail abandonments in the South and their effect on NWPA rail shipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-02-01

The railroad industry will have a very critical role in the eventual shipping of commercial spent fuel and defense high-level waste as provided under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and the 1987 amendments. The transport of spent fuel is expected to be accomplished by rail from 19 of the South's 27 reactor sites to the proposed Yucca Mountain repository or possible monitored retrievable storage facility. The decline in total track availability, however, could significantly impact the federal government's transportation program. Particularly the situation of continuing abandonments may limit rail opportunities at numerous reactor locations. Commercial nuclear reactor sites have the unfortunate problem of not being located on Class I railroad mainline tracks. The reactor sites are generally located in areas with limited rail traffic and thus vulnerable to rail abandonment procedures. The general deregulation of the railroad industry under the Staggers Act of 1980 also assisted in making rail abandonment, through the Interstate Commerce Commission, a rather simple and quick process. The effects of deregulation, however, have provided alternatives to abandonment. In particular, the Staggers Act has led to an enormous surge in the growth of short line and regional railroads. Such railroads have been able to effectively operate rail lines which Class I railroads found unprofitable. The short lines and regionals were also encouraged to competitively negotiate contracts directly with shippers. While these railroads may help reduce the number of abandonment applications, they may also represent higher shipping costs. The South has experienced a great number of abandonments since the 1960's. Many of the abandonments have been significant in length and have affected areas near nuclear plants expected to ship by rail

Wait times in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

MacKinnon, Janice Christine

2017-07-01

A significant barrier to accessing healthcare in Canada is long waiting lists, which can be linked to the way that Medicare was structured. After significant pressure, provincial governments began to address wait times. An example of a successful strategy to reduce wait times for elective surgery is the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative, which saw wait times in the province change from being among the longest in Canada to the shortest.

78 FR 10581 - Rail Vehicles Access Advisory Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-14

... guideway systems (e.g., rapid rail, light rail, commuter rail, and intercity rail). We are establishing a... vehicles that operate on fixed guideway systems (e.g., rapid rail, light rail, commuter rail, and intercity... for their service. We may pay travel expenses for a limited number of persons who would otherwise be...

46 CFR 108.221 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 108.221 Section 108.221 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Construction and Arrangement Rails § 108.221 Storm rails. Each unit must have a storm rail in the following...

49 CFR 214.523 - Hi-rail vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Hi-rail vehicles. 214.523 Section 214.523..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD WORKPLACE SAFETY On-Track Roadway Maintenance Machines and Hi-Rail Vehicles § 214.523 Hi-rail vehicles. (a) The hi-rail gear of all hi-rail vehicles shall be inspected for...

Rail-to-rail low-power fully differential OTA utilizing adaptive biasing and partial feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tuan Vu, Cao; Wisland, Dag T.; Lande, Tor Sverre

A fully differential rail-to-rail Operational Transconductance Amplifier (OTA) with improved DC-gain and reduced power consumption is proposed in this paper. By using the adaptive biasing circuit and two differential inputs, a low stand-by current can be obtained together with reduced power...... consumption. The DC-gain of the proposed OTA is improved by adding a partial feedback loop. A Common-Mode Feedback (CMFB) circuit is required for fully differential rail-to-rail operation. Simulations show that the OTA topology has a low stand-by power consumption of 96μW and a high FoM of 3.84 [(V...

THE BAINITIC STEELS FOR RAILS APPLICATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivo Hlavatý

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Actual trends of worldwide railway transport development are characterized by increasing speed and growth of railway’s axels load. Increasing load together with transverse, longitudinal wheel displacement and braking on the rails results into heavy surface tension. One of many applications for bainitic steel is in railway transport for highly strength and wear resistant rails. Rail steel must be designed to be able to resist plastic deformation, wear, rolling contact fatigue, bending stress and thermal stress during rail welding process and rails resurfacing.

Identification of Shewanella baltica as the most important H2S-producing species during iced storage of danish marine fish

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vogel, Birte Fonnesbech; Venkateswaran, K.; Satomi, M.

2005-01-01

are important in fish spoilage. More than 500 H2S-producing strains were isolated from iced stored marine fish (cod, plaice, and flounder) caught in the Baltic Sea during winter or summer time. All strains were identified as Shewanella species by phenotypic tests. Different Shewanella species were present...... unchanged (i.e., trimethylamine-N-oxide reduction and H2S production); however, the main H2S-producing organism was identified as S. baltica....

Trilobites and biofacies in the Early–Middle Ordovician of Baltica and a brief comparison with the Yangtze Plate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Bergström †

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Baltica except for Baltoscandia was subject to an early Tremadocian immigration of trilobites similar to that on other plates. In Baltoscandia the Olenid biofacies lingered on until it was replaced by the late Tremadocian Ceratopyge biofacies. For the rest of the time (Floian to mid-Darriwilian, Baltoscandia had fairly monotonous lithologies and faunas, constituting a single Asaphid biofacies with lateral variations expressed as differences largely in the relative abundance of species. In the South Urals immigration started in the earliest Tremadocian with fairly rich deep-water faunas. A poorer fauna is known from the Polar Urals. A slightly younger, sparse fauna is known from Paj-Khoj. Over most of the Ural border north of the South Urals there was a further development of first a Ceratopyge biofacies, then an eastern Asaphid biofacies, together with more siliciclastic input to the lithofacies and with fewer asaphids than in Baltoscandia. In the South Urals there was a development in the Darriwilian of a Cheirurid biofacies following the Ceratopyge biofacies. By contrast, the shelf part of the South China Plate shows a development of fifteen biofacies distinguished on the genus level, and the number of species for each biofacies is notably small. The major difference in the pattern of distribution of the biofacies probably reflects the faunal development in rather different climatic conditions, suggesting that the Yangtze block is supposedly positioned rather distant from Baltica, but still close enough to share genera inhabiting the outer shelf.

Determination of rail wear and short-time wear measurements of rails applying radioisotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grohmann, H.D.

1981-01-01

An energetic model has been developed for calculating rail wear. Short-time wear tests on rails after surface activation and following activity measurements showed a good agreement with the calculated values

Waiting for a pacemaker

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Risgaard, Bjarke; Elming, Hanne; Jensen, Gunnar

2012-01-01

AIMS: To determine waiting period-related morbidity, mortality, and adverse events in acute patients waiting for a permanent pacemaker (PPM).METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective chart review of all PPM implantations in Region Zealand, Denmark, in 2009 was conducted. Patients were excluded...... at least one adverse event during the waiting period. The present study indicates that a waiting period is dangerous as it is associated with an increased risk of adverse events. Acute PPMs should be implanted with a 24-h pacemaker implantation service capacity....

Fast rail corrugation detection based on texture filtering

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Jie; Lu, Kaixia

2018-02-01

The condition detection of rails in high-speed railway is one of the important means to ensure the safety of railway transportation. In order to replace the traditional manual inspection, save manpower and material resources, and improve the detection speed and accuracy, it is of great significance to develop a machine vision system for locating and identifying defects on rails automatically. Rail defects exhibit different properties and are divided into various categories related to the type and position of flaws on the rail. Several kinds of interrelated factors cause rail defects such as type of rail, construction conditions, and speed and/or frequency of trains using the rail. Rail corrugation is a particular kind of defects that produce an undulatory deformation on the rail heads. In high speed train, the corrugation induces harmful vibrations on wheels and its components and reduces the lifetime of rails. This type of defects should be detected to avoid rail fractures. In this paper, a novel method for fast rail corrugation detection based on texture filtering was proposed.

Active current management for four-rail railguns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beno, J.H.; Weldon, W.F.

1991-01-01

In this paper a system of auxiliary conductors designed to reduce current density peaks in railgun rails for four-rail, round-bore railguns is described. The effects on rail current density and projectile force are discussed. Railgun cross-sectional designs are presented for round-bore, four-rail railguns which operate at lower peak current densities and develop greater projectile forces than conventional two-rail, round-bore railguns

Rail projects gather steam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-01-15

The global recession hit rail companies hard, as demand for bulk commodities such as coal was affected. But green shoots of recovery are now appearing, with many rail companies announcing new haulage contracts. 3 figs.

Rail Access to Yucca Mountain: Critical Issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halstead, R. J.; Dilger, F.; Moore, R. C.

2003-01-01

The proposed Yucca Mountain repository site currently lacks rail access. The nearest mainline railroad is almost 100 miles away. Absence of rail access could result in many thousands of truck shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Direct rail access to the repository could significantly reduce the number of truck shipments and total shipments. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) identified five potential rail access corridors, ranging in length from 98 miles to 323 miles, in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Yucca Mountain. The FEIS also considers an alternative to rail spur construction, heavy-haul truck (HHT) delivery of rail casks from one of three potential intermodal transfer stations. The authors examine the feasibility and cost of the five rail corridors, and DOE's alternative proposal for HHT transport. The authors also address the potential for rail shipments through the Las Vegas metropolitan area

Rail base corrosion and cracking prevention

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-01

Rail base corrosion combined with fatigue or damage can significantly reduce rail life. Studies were done to examine the relative contribution of damage, corrosion, and fatigue on rail life. The combined effects can be separated into constituent fact...

49 CFR 210.9 - Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. 210.9 Section 210.9 Transportation Other Regulations... locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. A locomotive, rail car, or consist of a...

Undergraduate Certificate in Rail Transportation/Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-05

A shift in the U.S. transportation environment has led to a revival in rail transport, especially in : freight rail1. In the meantime, an aging rail employee demographic presents a severe threat to : sufficient level of individuals equipped to handle...

Ruby on Rails for dummies

CERN Document Server

Burd

2007-01-01

Quickly create Web sites with this poweful tool Use this free and easy programming language for e-commerce sites and blogs If you need to build Web and database applications quickly but you don''t dream in computer code, take heart! Ruby on Rails was created for you, and this book will have you up and running in no time. The Ruby scripting language and the Rails framework let you create full-featured Web applications fast. It''s even fun! Discover how toInstall and run Ruby and RailsUse the RadRails IDECreate a blog with RubyConnect your Web site to a databaseBuild a shopping cartExplore Ruby'

A Current-Mode Common-Mode Feedback Circuit (CMFB) with Rail-to-Rail Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Suadet, Apirak; Kasemsuwan, Varakorn

2011-03-01

This paper presents a current-mode common-mode feedback (CMFB) circuit with rail-to-rail operation. The CMFB is a stand-alone circuit, which can be connected to any low voltage transconductor without changing or upsetting the existing circuit. The proposed CMFB employs current mirrors, operating as common-mode detector and current amplifier to enhance the loop gain of the CMFB. The circuit employs positive feedback to enhance the output impedance and gain. The circuit has been designed using a 0.18 μm CMOS technology under 1V supply and analyzed using HSPICE with BSIM3V3 device models. A pseudo-differential amplifier using two common sources and the proposed CMFB shows rail to rail output swing (± 0.7 V) with low common-mode gain (-36 dB) and power dissipation of 390 μW.

Rail transportation of Fernald remediation waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fellman, R.T.; Lojek, D.A.; Motl, G.P.; Weddendorf, W.K.

1995-01-01

Remediation of the Department of Energy (DOE) Fernald site located north of Cincinnati will generate large quantities of low-level radwaste. This volume includes approximately 1,050,000 tons of material to be removed from eight waste pits comprising Operable Unit 1 (OU-1). The remedial alternative selected includes waste material excavation, drying and transportation by rail to a burial site in the arid west for disposal. Rail transportation was selected not only because rail transportation is safer than truck transportation, but also because of the sheer magnitude of the project and the availability of bulk rail car unloading facilities at a representative disposal site. Based upon current waste quantity estimates as presented in the Feasibility Study for OUI, a fully-loaded 47-car unit train would depart the Fernald site weekly for five years. This paper illustrates the steps taken to obtain agency and public acceptance of the Record of Decision for the remedy which hinged on rail transportation. A preliminary, but detailed, rail transportation plan was prepared for the project to support a series of CERCLA public meetings conducted in late 1994. Some of the major issues addressed in the plan included the following: (1) Scope of project leading to selection of rail transportation; (2) Waste classification; (3) Rail Company overview; (4) Train configuration and rail car selection; (5) Routing; (6) Safety; (7) Prior Notification Requirements (8) Emergency Response. A series of three public meetings identified a number of issues of prime concern to Fernald stakeholders. Following resolution of these issues during the public comment period, a Record of Decision (ROD) approving implementation of the rail transportation strategy was approved pending incorporation of EPA and State of Ohio comments on December 22, 1994

Third degree waiting time discrimination: optimal allocation of a public sector healthcare treatment under rationing by waiting.

Science.gov (United States)

Gravelle, Hugh; Siciliani, Luigi

2009-08-01

In many public healthcare systems treatments are rationed by waiting time. We examine the optimal allocation of a fixed supply of a given treatment between different groups of patients. Even in the absence of any distributional aims, welfare is increased by third degree waiting time discrimination: setting different waiting times for different groups waiting for the same treatment. Because waiting time imposes dead weight losses on patients, lower waiting times should be offered to groups with higher marginal waiting time costs and with less elastic demand for the treatment.

Rail electrodynamics in a plasma armature railgun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rolader, G.E.; Jamison, K.A.; Villecco, R.A.; Graham, F.R.

1991-01-01

A model is developed to investigate rail electrodynamics in a plasma armature railgun. This model describes the rail motion in response to the transitory Lorentz force and the compressive restoration force from the material which is between the rails and the containment structure. In this model the distance between the rails is found to oscillate with a frequency of β. The magnetic field and the dynamic behavior of the rails induce local electric fields. We investigate the significance of these electric fields in the laboratory frame and in the projectile frame. In the lab frame, rail electrodynamics induces local electric fields which have maximums spaced behind the projectile at locations where βt p is an odd multiple of π, where t p is the time since the projectile has passed an axial location on the rails. When the projectile is accelerating, rail dynamics induce electric fields in the projectile frame which have maximums where βt p is an even multiple of π. As the projectile velocity increases, the locations of the peak voltages move farther behind the projectile. For the CHECMATE railgun, calculations indicate that the rail displacement is on the order of 2 mm, the rail velocity is on the order of 50 m/s, and the voltages induced in the projectile frame are on the order of 20--40 V

Rong viib autod ohutult rööbastel Euroopasse / Mirko Ojakivi

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Ojakivi, Mirko

2007-01-01

Helsingi-Rovaniemi reisirongi külge on haagitud autotreiler reisijate autodega. Edelaraudtee juhi Kalvi Pukka väitel on selline idee liikvel olnud ka Edelaraudtees, kuid niisugune teenus õigustab end, kui linnadevaheline kaugus on umbes 600 km. Rail Baltica valmimisel on mõeldav, et rongiga Lätti või Leetu sõites saab kaasa võtta ka auto. Lisa: Rongi autotreilerid

Superconducting augmented rail gun (SARG)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homan, C.G.; Cummings, C.E.; Fowler, C.M.

1986-01-01

Superconducting augmentation consists of a superconducting coil operating in the persistent mode closely coupled magnetically with a normally conducting rail gun. A theoretical investigation of the effect of this system on a rail gun has shown that two benefits occur. Projectile velocities and launch efficiencies increase significantly depending on the magnetic coupling between the rail and augmentation circuits. Previous work evaluated an idealized system by neglecting energy dissipation effects. In this paper, the authors extend the analysis to include the neglected terms and show improved actual launch efficiencies for the SARG configuration. In this paper, the authors discuss details of projectile design in depth and present preliminary results of rail gun performance

Hyperextension in the Caledonian margin of Baltica and its bearing on the structural and metamorphic evolution of Scandinavian Caledonides (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, T. B.

2013-12-01

The Scandinavian segment (~2000 km) of the Caledonian-Appalachian orogen formed by a head-on collision of Baltica and Laurentia. The collision followed rapid (>10 cm/yr) convergence, subduction and closure of the Iapetus Ocean in the Ordovician to the Middle Silurian. The collision culminated in a Himalayan type continental collision at 430 Ma, after which the continental subduction/convergence continued for 20 Myr. The terminal stage was characterized by syn- and post-orogenic extension and exhumation, which produced a template used in opening of the present-day Norwegian Sea. The Scandian collision produced a 'layer-cake' tectono-stratigraphy, but correlation of individual nappe units along strike is not trivial. The vestiges of the Iapetus can, however, be traced along the entire Scandinavian Peninsula and constitute the Iapetus suture. Rocks of assumed Laurentian origin structurally overlie the suture. The outboard units underwent several orogenic events that pre-date the Scandian collision and which took place outboard of Baltica. These will not be discussed further here. The Caledonian passive margin of Baltica was very wide, consisting of non-volcanic hyperextended segments as well as passive volcanic margin domains. Basement-cover pairs, in places with mafic dyke-swarms constitute most of these units. The Baltican and assumed Baltican units below the suture have evidence of diachronous and relatively locally developed pre-Scandian deformation and metamorphic events. In S. Norway large basement-cover units are separated by a melange with numerous solitary mantle peridotites and a number of detrital serpentinites. The melange can be traced along strike across S. Norway. Locally, an island-type ';Celtic' fauna is preserved in detrital serpentinite. Some mantle rocks were structurally emplaced, exhumed, eroded and juxtaposed with continental clastics and crust before the Early Ordovician. The melange was recently interpreted to represent an oceanic to

46 CFR 190.25-10 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 190.25-10 Section 190.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 190.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 72.40-10 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 72.40-10 Section 72.40-10 Shipping COAST... and Guards § 72.40-10 Storm rails. (a) Suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where passengers or crew might have normal access. Storm rails shall be...

46 CFR 92.25-10 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 92.25-10 Section 92.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 92.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

High-strength chromium--molybdenum rails

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Y.E.; Sawhill, J.M. Jr.; Cias, W.W.; Eldis, G.T.

1976-01-01

A laboratory study was conducted with the aim of developing an as-rolled rail of over 100 ksi (689 N/mm 2 ) yield strength. A series of compositions providing both pearlitic and bainitic microstructures was evaluated. A fine pearlitic structure was developed in a 0.73 percent C -- 0.83 percent Mn -- 0.16 percent Si -- 0.75 percent Cr -- 0.21 percent Mo steel by simulating the mill cooling rate of 132-lb/yd (65.5-kg/m) rail. Two 100-ton commercial heats were made of this approximate composition and processed into 132-lb/yd (65.5-kg/m) rail. Samples tested in the laboratory ranged from 109 to 125 ksi (750 to 860 N/mm 2 ) in yield strength. The chromium-molybdenum rails also exhibited excellent fracture toughness and fatigue properties. Sections of the rail were joined by both flash-butt welding and thermite welding. The hardness peaks produced in the flash-butt welds could be reduced by applying either a postweld current or an induction heating cycle. The high-strength chromium-molybdenum rails have been in service for over eight months in curved sections of an ore railway that carries over 55 million gross long tons per year. 7 tables, 18 figs

Computation of wheel-rail contact force for non-mapping wheel-rail profile of Translohr tram

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Yuanjin; Ren, Lihui; Zhou, Jinsong

2017-09-01

Translohr tram has steel wheels, in V-like arrangements, as guide wheels. These operate over the guide rails in inverted-V arrangements. However, the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the guide wheels and guide rails are not always mapped one-to-one. In this study, a simplified elastic method is proposed in order to calculate the contact points between the wheels and the rails. By transforming the coordinates, the non-mapping geometric relationship between wheel and rail is converted into a mapping relationship. Considering the Translohr tram's multi-point contact between the guide wheel and the guide rail, the elastic-contact hypothesis take into account the existence of contact patches between the bodies, and the location of the contact points is calculated using a simplified elastic method. In order to speed up the calculation, a multi-dimensional contact table is generated, enabling the use of simulation for Translohr tram running on curvatures with different radii.

Analysis of rail welding methods for mine rail access with the use of modern technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Usoltsev, A. A.; Shevchenko, R. A.; Kozyrev, N. A.; Kriukov, R. E.; Shishkin, P. E.

2017-09-01

Welded joint zones are weak sections of the railway track for all traffic cases (in the case of high-speed traffic and heavy traffic). In the paper advantages and disadvantages of the basic ways of rails welding, which are widely used today, are considered: electrocontact and aluminothermic. Carefully selected mode of differentially thermally strengthened rails string will allow the process of correction after heat treatment to be minimized and internal residual compressive stresses to be kept. Particular attention should be paid to the method of rails welding, in which after rails welding during their cooling it is offered to perform quasi-isothermal exposure in the temperature range of fine structure formation by passing pulses of alternating electric current through the welded joint maintaining this temperature until the end of the transformation. The use of quasi-isothermal exposure at a temperature of 600 - 650 °C makes it possible to obtain a finely dispersed structure of the welded seam of rails without additional heat treatment.

Rail inspection using noncontact laser ultrasonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Nak Hyeon; Sohn, Hoon; Han, Soon Woo

2012-01-01

In this study, a noncontact laser ultrasonic system is proposed for rail defect detection. An Nd Yag pulse laser is used for generation of ultrasonic waves, and the corresponding ultrasonic responses are measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer. For the detection of rail surface damages, the shape of the excitation laser beam is transformed into a line. On the other hand, a point source laser beam is used for the inspection of defects inside a rail head. Then, the interactions of propagating ultrasonic waves with defects are examined using actual rail specimens. Amplitude attenuation was mainly observed for a surface crack, and reflections were most noticeable from an internal damage. Finally, opportunities and challenges associated with real time rail inspection from a high speed train are discussed

Model for predicting the frequency of broken rails

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Vesković

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Broken rails can cause train delays, trains cancelations and, unfortunately, they are common causes of accidents. This affects planning of a resources, budget and organization of railway track maintenance. Planning of railway track maintenance cannot be done without an estimation of number of rails that will be replaced due to the broken rail incidents. There are many factors that influence broken rails and the most common are: rail age, annual gross tonnage, degree of curve and temperature in the time of breakage. The fuzzy logic model uses acquired data as input variables to predict the frequency of broken rails for the certain rail types on some Sections.

46 CFR 116.920 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 116.920 Section 116.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS CARRYING MORE THAN 150... and Guards § 116.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be installed where necessary...

46 CFR 177.900 - Deck rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) high. (4) While engaged in big game angling, the minimum rail height may be reduced to not less than... section as applicable must be installed when big game angling is not being conducted. (e) Where the... that a higher rail would interfere with the fishing operation and the lower rail would not...

Assessment of Rail Seat Abrasion Patterns and Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

Rail seat abrasion (RSA) of concrete ties is manifested by the loss of material under the rail seat area and, in extreme cases, results in loss of rail clip holding power, reverse rail cant, and gauge widening. RSA was measured in several curves on t...

Applying the polluter-pays principle to rail: Environmental differentiation of rail access charges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pons-Rigat, A.; Turro Calvet, M.; Ubalde Claver, Ll.

2016-07-01

Environmental charges to rail service operators are still at an early stage of implementation in Europe. Current schemes are dissimilar and most of them have a very limited scope or do not provide effective incentives to abate environmental impacts. This is due to several practical difficulties in implementing internalisation pricing schemes in the railway sector. The first difficulty arises from the lack of internalisation in other transport modes and the small competitive margin of railways. Increasing the overall level of rail charges could affect their survival. A second difficulty is due to the uncertainties in the valuation of external costs and in the establishment of the optimal level of charges. On top of that, the imperfect competition in the rail market and its operational and financial rigidities imply that pricing decisions could be unfair and produce undesired demand effects. These difficulties should not prevent, however, advancing towards the application to rail of adequate charging methods for its environmental costs. This paper addresses the problem of setting environmentally differentiated rail charges through an analytical approach. A generalised formulation is developed that sets the level of charges as a function of the degree of internalisation in other modes. Then, the optimal trade-off in the level of differentiation is assessed to extract general guidelines. Based on this, both the derived overall costs and benefits and the impacts on each agent are quantified. (Author)

46 CFR 9.10 - Waiting time.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Waiting time. 9.10 Section 9.10 Shipping COAST GUARD... § 9.10 Waiting time. The same construction should be given the act when charging for waiting time as... for duty the waiting time amounts to at least one hour. ...

Consumer behaviour in the waiting area.

Science.gov (United States)

Mobach, Mark P

2007-02-01

To determine consumer behaviour in the pharmacy waiting area. The applied methods for data-collection were direct observations. Three Dutch community pharmacies were selected for the study. The topics in the observation list were based on available services at each waiting area (brochures, books, illuminated new trailer, children's play area, etc.). Per patient each activity was registered, and at each pharmacy the behaviour was studied for 2 weeks. Most patients only waited during the waiting time at the studied pharmacies. Few consumers obtained written information during their wait. The waiting area may have latent possibilities to expand the information function of the pharmacy and combine this with other activities that distract the consumer from the wait. Transdisciplinary research, combining knowledge from pharmacy practice research with consumer research, has been a useful approach to add information on queueing behaviour of consumers.

A low power and low distortion rail-to-rail input/output amplifier using constant current technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yan; Zhao Yiqiang; Zhang Shilin; Zhao Hongliang

2011-01-01

A rail-to-rail amplifier with constant transconductance, intended for audio processing, is presented. The constant transconductance is obtained by a constant current technique based on the input differential pairs operating in the weak inversion region. MOSFETs working in the weak inversion region have the advantages of low power and low distortion. The proposed rail-to-rail amplifier, fabricated in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS process, occupies a core die area of 75 x 183 μm 2 . Measured results show that the maximum power consumption is 85.37 μW with a supply voltage of 3.3 V and the total harmonic distortion level is 1.2% at 2 kHz. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Rail gun powered by an integral explosive generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, D.R.; Fowler, C.M.

1979-01-01

We propose the use of a rail gun powered by an explosive magnetic flux compression generator built into the rail gun itself in which the rails of the gun are driven together behind the projectile by explosives. The magnetic field established between the rails by an initial current supplied by an external source at the breech of the gun is trapped and compressed by the collapsing rails to accelerate the projectile down the bore of the gun

78 FR 57450 - State Rail Plan Guidance

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-18

... of impact assessment required for the rail infrastructure, facilities, and service improvements contained in State rail plans. Other issues raised by commenters included the importance of involving... to emphasize the importance of preparing State rail plans within the policy and procedural contexts...

Can We Predict Patient Wait Time?

Science.gov (United States)

Pianykh, Oleg S; Rosenthal, Daniel I

2015-10-01

The importance of patient wait-time management and predictability can hardly be overestimated: For most hospitals, it is the patient queues that drive and define every bit of clinical workflow. The objective of this work was to study the predictability of patient wait time and identify its most influential predictors. To solve this problem, we developed a comprehensive list of 25 wait-related parameters, suggested in earlier work and observed in our own experiments. All parameters were chosen as derivable from a typical Hospital Information System dataset. The parameters were fed into several time-predicting models, and the best parameter subsets, discovered through exhaustive model search, were applied to a large sample of actual patient wait data. We were able to discover the most efficient wait-time prediction factors and models, such as the line-size models introduced in this work. Moreover, these models proved to be equally accurate and computationally efficient. Finally, the selected models were implemented in our patient waiting areas, displaying predicted wait times on the monitors located at the front desks. The limitations of these models are also discussed. Optimal regression models based on wait-line sizes can provide accurate and efficient predictions for patient wait time. Copyright © 2015 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Momentum equation for arc-driven rail guns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batteh, J.H.

1984-01-01

In several models of arc-driven rail guns, the rails are assumed to be infinitely high to simplify the calculation of the electromagnetic fields which appear in the momentum equation for the arc. This assumption leads to overestimates of the arc pressures and accelerations by approximately a factor of 2 for typical rail-gun geometries. In this paper, we develop a simple method for modifying the momentum equation to account for the effect of finite-height rails on the performance of the rail gun and the properties of the arc. The modification is based on an integration of the Lorentz force across the arc cross section at each axial location in the arc. Application of this technique suggests that, for typical rail-gun geometries and moderately long arcs, the momentum equation appropriate for infinite-height rails can be retained provided that the magnetic pressure term in the equation is scaled by a factor which depends on the effective inductance of the gun. The analysis also indicates that the magnetic pressure gradient actually changes sign near the arc/projectile boundary because of the magnetic fields associated with the arc current

Handgun waiting periods reduce gun deaths.

Science.gov (United States)

Luca, Michael; Malhotra, Deepak; Poliquin, Christopher

2017-11-14

Handgun waiting periods are laws that impose a delay between the initiation of a purchase and final acquisition of a firearm. We show that waiting periods, which create a "cooling off" period among buyers, significantly reduce the incidence of gun violence. We estimate the impact of waiting periods on gun deaths, exploiting all changes to state-level policies in the Unites States since 1970. We find that waiting periods reduce gun homicides by roughly 17%. We provide further support for the causal impact of waiting periods on homicides by exploiting a natural experiment resulting from a federal law in 1994 that imposed a temporary waiting period on a subset of states. Copyright © 2017 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Queues with waiting time dependent service

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bekker, R.; Koole, G. M.; Nielsen, Bo Friis

2011-01-01

Motivated by service levels in terms of the waiting-time distribution seen, for instance, in call centers, we consider two models for systems with a service discipline that depends on the waiting time. The first model deals with a single server that continuously adapts its service rate based...... derive steady-state waiting-time distributions for both models. The results are illustrated with numerical examples....... on the waiting time of the first customer in line. In the second model, one queue is served by a primary server which is supplemented by a secondary server when the waiting of the first customer in line exceeds a threshold. Using level crossings for the waiting-time process of the first customer in line, we...

Factors associated with self-reported inattentive driving at highway-rail grade crossings.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Shanshan; Khattak, Aemal J

2017-12-01

This research identified factors associated with inattentive driving at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings (HRGCs) by investigating drivers' self-reported inattentive driving experiences and factors pertaining to their socioeconomic, personality, attitudinal, and other characteristics. A random selection of 2500 households in Nebraska received a survey questionnaire designed for licensed motor vehicle drivers; respondents returned 980 questionnaires. Factor analysis identified latent variables evaluating drivers' patience and inclination to wait for trains, attitudes toward new technology, law enforcement or education regarding HRGC safety, and the propensity to commit serious traffic violations at HRGCs. The investigation utilized a structural equation model for analysis. This model indicated that drivers with a higher risk of inattentive driving at HRGCs were: female, younger in age, from households with higher incomes, with shorter tenure (in years) in their current city of residence, more frequently used HRGCs, received less information on safety at HRGCs, had less patience to wait for trains to pass and had less interest in safety improvement technology, law enforcement or safety education at HRGCs. These research findings provide useful information for future research and to policy makers for improving public safety. Additionally, the results are useful for safety educational program providers for targeted program delivery to drivers that are more vulnerable to distracted driving at HRGCs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

'Waiting for' and 'waiting in' public and private hospitals: a qualitative study of patient trust in South Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Paul R; Rokkas, Philippa; Cenko, Clinton; Pulvirenti, Mariastella; Dean, Nicola; Carney, A Simon; Meyer, Samantha

2017-05-05

Waiting times for hospital appointments, treatment and/or surgery have become a major political and health service problem, leading to national maximum waiting times and policies to reduce waiting times. Quantitative studies have documented waiting times for various types of surgery and longer waiting times in public vs private hospitals. However, very little qualitative research has explored patient experiences of waiting, how this compares between public and private hospitals, and the implications for trust in hospitals and healthcare professionals. The aim of this paper is to provide a deep understanding of the impact of waiting times on patient trust in public and private hospitals. A qualitative study in South Australia, including 36 in-depth interviews (18 from public and 18 from private hospitals). Data collection occurred in 2012-13, and data were analysed using pre-coding, followed by conceptual and theoretical categorisation. Participants differentiated between experiences of 'waiting for' (e.g. for specialist appointments and surgery) and 'waiting in' (e.g. in emergency departments and outpatient clinics) public and private hospitals. Whilst 'waiting for' public hospitals was longer than private hospitals, this was often justified and accepted by public patients (e.g. due to reduced government funding), therefore it did not lead to distrust of public hospitals. Private patients had shorter 'waiting for' hospital services, increasing their trust in private hospitals and distrust of public hospitals. Public patients also recounted many experiences of longer 'waiting in' public hospitals, leading to frustration and anxiety, although they rarely blamed or distrusted the doctors or nurses, instead blaming an underfunded system and over-worked staff. Doctors and nurses were seen to be doing their best, and therefore trustworthy. Although public patients experienced longer 'waiting for' and 'waiting in' public hospitals, it did not lead to widespread distrust

Electron emission at the rail surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thornhill, L.; Battech, J.

1991-01-01

In this paper the authors examine the processes by which current is transferred from the cathode rail to the plasma armature in an arc-driven railgun. Three electron emission mechanisms are considered, namely thermionic emission, field-enhanced thermionic emission (or Schottky emission), and photoemission. The author's calculations show that the dominant electron emission mechanism depends, to a great extent, on the work function of the rail surface, the rail surface temperature, the electric field at the rail surface, and the effective radiation temperature of the plasma. For conditions that are considered to be typical of a railgun armature, Schottky emission is the dominant electron emission mechanism, providing current densities on the order of 10 9 A/m 2

78 FR 36017 - MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad-Operation Exemption-Hilco SP Rail, LLC

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-14

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35725] MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad-- Operation Exemption--Hilco SP Rail, LLC MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad (MCM), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption...

Rail-guided robotic end-effector position error due to rail compliance and ship motion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borgerink, Dian; Stegenga, J.; Brouwer, Dannis Michel; Woertche, H.J.; Stramigioli, Stefano

2014-01-01

A rail-guided robotic system is currently being designed for the inspection of ballast water tanks in ships. This robotic system will manipulate sensors toward the interior walls of the tank. In this paper, the influence of rail compliance on the end-effector position error due to ship movement is

Keeping rail on track: preliminary findings on safety culture in Australian rail.

Science.gov (United States)

Blewett, Verna; Rainbird, Sophia; Dorrian, Jill; Paterson, Jessica; Cattani, Marcus

2012-01-01

'Safety culture' is identified in the literature as a critical element of healthy and safe workplaces. How can rail organizations ensure that consistently effective work health and safety cultures are maintained across the diversity of their operations? This paper reports on research that is currently underway in the Australian rail industry aimed at producing a Model of Best Practice in Safety Culture for the industry. Located in rail organizations dedicated to the mining industry as well as urban rail and national freight operations, the research examines the constructs of organizational culture that impact on the development and maintenance of healthy and safe workplaces. The research uses a multi-method approach incorporating quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus groups, interviews and document analysis) methods along with a participative process to identify interventions to improve the organization and develop plans for their implementation. The research uses as its analytical framework the 10 Platinum Rules, from the findings of earlier research in the New South Wales (Australia) mining industry, Digging Deeper. Data collection is underway at the time of writing and preliminary findings are presented at this stage. The research method may be adapted for use as a form of organizational review of safety and health in organizational culture.

Ramsey waits: allocating public health service resources when there is rationing by waiting.

Science.gov (United States)

Gravelle, Hugh; Siciliani, Luigi

2008-09-01

The optimal allocation of a public health care budget across treatments must take account of the way in which care is rationed within treatments since this will affect their marginal value. We investigate the optimal allocation rules for public health care systems where user charges are fixed and care is rationed by waiting. The optimal waiting time is higher for treatments with demands more elastic to waiting time, higher costs, lower charges, smaller marginal welfare loss from waiting by treated patients, and smaller marginal welfare losses from under-consumption of care. The results hold for a wide range of welfarist and non-welfarist objective functions and for systems in which there is also a private health care sector. They imply that allocation rules based purely on cost effectiveness ratios are suboptimal because they assume that there is no rationing within treatments.

Research on Miniature Calibre Rail-Guns for the Mechanical Arm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronggang Cao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Rail-gun should not only be used to military applications, but also can be developed as applications in the civilian aspects of the market. With the development of the electromagnetic launch technology, based on the similarity theory, using the existing rail-gun model to guide the construction of more economical miniature calibre rail-guns, and apply it in some machinery and equipment, this idea will open up a wider rail-gun application space. This article will focus on the feasibility of application of miniature calibre rail-guns in the mechanical arm. This paper designs the schematic diagram, then theoretical analyzes force conditions of the armature in the mechanical arm, calculates the possible range of the current amplitude and so on. The existing rail-gun model can be used to guides design the circuit diagram of the miniature calibre rail-gun. Based on the similarity theory and many simulation experiments, designed the experimental parameters of a miniature rail-gun and analyzed the current, Lorentz force, velocity, and location of the existing rail-gun and miniature rail-gun. The results show that the rail-gun launching technology applied to robot arms is feasibility. The application of miniature calibre rail-guns in the mechanical arm will benefit to the further development of rail-guns.

Flex Cargo Rail. Developing new service, collection and distribution concepts for the transport of freight by rail.; Flex Cargo Rail. Wege zu neuen Bedien-, Sammel- und Verteilkonzepten im Schienengueterverkehr

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kochsiek, Joachim [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Materialfluss und Logistik (IML), Dortmund (Germany). Gruppe Multimodale Logistik

2010-07-01

FlexCargoRail is a concept for self propelled electric freight wagons. This will enhance rail operations on first and last mile. The concept can be integrated in the existing rail system, so migration is possible without any lost investments. Standard components from industry and rail are used to realise the FCR wagon. Motors, transmissions, control and batteries are available and approved. One of the effects is to enhance service for loading terminals. This can become independent from factory siding operation. From the economic point of view, FCR is realisable. This is shown by target costing. Efficiency of FCR is dependent from high frequent use of FCR rail cars and the use of the possibility to shunt also conventional freight wagons with FCR wagons. Migration should be carried out in logistical networks with frequent operations between plants and sidings with a closed wagon pool. (orig.)

A Rails / Django Comparison

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Ruby on Rails (“Rails” is the dominant web programming framework for Ruby and, even outside the Ruby community, is considered the epitome of the latest generation of high-productivity, open source web development tools. Django is one of many competing web development frameworks for Python. It is notable, first, for being highly regarded amongst Python programmers, and second, for being one of the few of the new generation of framework that does not ape Ruby on Rails. Both Rails and Django claim greatly enhanced productivity, compared with more traditional web development frameworks. In this paper, we compare the two frameworks from the point of view of a developer attempting to choose one of the two frameworks for a new project.

Excitation of Surface Electromagnetic Waves on Railroad Rail

Science.gov (United States)

1978-03-31

UMTA's Office of Rail Technology research programs aim to improve urban rail transportation systems safety. This rail-transit research study attempts to develop an onboard, separate and independent obstacle-detection system--Surface Electromagnetic W...

Future Parking Demand at Rail Stations in Klang Valley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Phooi Wai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Klang Valley, Malaysia is currently undergoing a massive development of rail transportation system expansion where the current integrated rail transit system will see new extensions of two MRT lines and an LRT line by year 2020. By year 2017, the first MRT line will be ready to run with 31 new rail stations connected to the current passenger rail network. The existing Park and Ride facilities in Klang Valley are commonly known as being unable to sufficiently cater for the current parking space demand. Therefore, with the expansion of many additional rail stations which are rapidly under construction, there are doubts that the future parking space at rail stations will be able to accommodate the sudden rise of rail passengers. Although the authorities are increasing parking bays at various locations, will the future parking demand at rail stations be sufficient? This paper studies the factors influencing parking demand in terms of population, car ownership, new car registrations and passenger rail ridership and estimating the future parking demand using Linear Regression method. Result shows that the forecasted parking demand at rail stations after the implementation of the first new MRT system in 2017 is 2.7 times more than in 2014.

Characterization of deformed pearlitic rail steel

Science.gov (United States)

Nikas, Dimitrios; Meyer, Knut Andreas; Ahlström, Johan

2017-07-01

Pearlitic steels are commonly used for railway rails because they combine good strength and wear properties. During service, the passage of trains results in a large accumulation of shear strains in the surface layer of the rail, leading to crack initiation. Knowledge of the material properties in this region is therefore important for fatigue life prediction. As the strain is limited to a thin surface layer, very large strain gradients can be found. This makes it very difficult to quantify changes in material behavior. In this study hardness measurements were performed close to the surface using the Knoop hardness test method. The orientation of the pearlitic lamellas was measured to give an overview of the deformed microstructure in the surface of the rail. Microstructural characterization of the material was done by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the changes in the microstructure due to the large deformation. A strong gradient can be observed in the top 50 μm of the rail, while deeper into the rail the microstructure of the base material is preserved.

Rail-to-rail low-power fully differential OTA utilizing adaptive biasing and partial feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tuan Vu, Cao; Wisland, Dag T.; Lande, Tor Sverre

consumption. The DC-gain of the proposed OTA is improved by adding a partial feedback loop. A Common-Mode Feedback (CMFB) circuit is required for fully differential rail-to-rail operation. Simulations show that the OTA topology has a low stand-by power consumption of 96μW and a high FoM of 3.84 [(V...

Vibroacoustical analysis of rail vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Králíček J.

2007-11-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the vibroacoustical analysis of rail vehicle and is the extension of the previously presented work “Modelování podvozku kolejového vozidla s poddajným rámem”. The vibroacoustical analysis uses the outcomes of the dynamical analysis of rail vehicle bogie i.e. surface velocities of the bogie frame to compute the acoustic power radiated by the bogie frame and forces acting in the bogie-body interface. The radiated power and the force spectra are then used as the excitation to the rail body model in the environment Auto-SEA to compute the interior acoustic quantities.

Complex eigenvalue analysis of railway wheel/rail squeal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR OKE

Squeal noise from wheel/rail and brake disc/pad frictional contact is typical in railways. ... squeal noise by multibody simulation of a rail car running on rigid rails. ... system, traditional complex eigenvalue analysis by finite element was used.

High Speed Rail (HSR) in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-08

announced that it will expand the capacity on its aging high speed line between Tokyo and Osaka, the most heavily traveled intercity rail segment in the...United States, in most of these countries intercity rail travel (including both conventional and high speed rail) represents less than 10% of all...that is sometimes mentioned by its advocates. Intercity passenger rail transport is relatively safe, at least compared with highway travel . And HSR in

Sectional Rail System as Base for a Plate Covering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2015-01-01

The present invention concerns a sectional rail system which is constructed with the known outer rails with U-shaped cross-section and intermediate rails with C-shaped cross-section, and which is peculiar in that each of the retention means of the outer rail includes at least one stop pin which i...

75 FR 17462 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-06

... decision may be purchased by contacting the office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and...-2)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the second quarter 2010 Rail Cost...

Waiting when hospitalised

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ludvigsen, Mette Spliid

2004-01-01

on participating observations during a period of one and a half year. The material is analysed with inspiration from Mattingly's ideas of narrative and time. ConclusionsAlthough waiting times is not a clinically serious problem, the satisfaction levels of patients with the care they receive have become...... increasingly important in today's health care environment. The indicative conclusions form this study suggest that nurses play an important role in ensuring that patients are satisfied and receive quality care when waiting....

Reactions to waiting online by men and women.

Science.gov (United States)

Chebat, Jean-Charles; Salem, Narjes Haj; Poirier, Jean-François; Gélinas-Chebat, Claire

2010-06-01

The goal of the present study was to identify factors which may affect the difference between the actual time participants expected to wait for downloading a web page and the perceived waiting time, i.e., the online waiting-time gap. The findings from an experiment in which the music tempo (fast vs. slow) and waiting-duration information (presence vs. absence) were manipulated showed that sex moderated the relation between the manipulated variables and waiting-time gap; emotional response was more important between the manipulated variables and waiting-time gap than was cognitive response. The type of emotional response with an effect on waiting-time gap varied by sex: pleasure for women and arousal for men. For women, pleasure was affected by their cognitive response, while cognitive response played no significant role for men. For both sexes, information on waiting duration increased the perceived waiting time. This study leads to reconsidering the role of emotional response and sex in evaluating waiting time.

The rail abandonment process: A southern perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-12-01

One factor in evaluating the desirability of rail transport for high-level radioactive wastes or spent fuels is the frequency, or lack thereof, with which railroad and railroad lines have been, and are, abandoned. If DOE makes a decision to use the rail option and a line is subsequently abandoned, the choice results in increased cost, time delays and possibly safety problems: Information is therefore needed prior to the decision-making process to evaluate the desirability of the rail shipping option. One result of the abandonments mentioned herein, as well as other later abandonments, is the creation of a US rail system undergoing an evolutionary process in the 1980s as far-reaching as the changes that occurred when the industry was in its infancy a century and-a-half ago. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors leading to some of these changes by tracing the historical development of the rail abandonment process, with particular emphasis on the rise of regional railroads, their problems in the modern era and current trends in rail abandonments as well as their effects on the southeastern United States

49 CFR 37.79 - Purchase or lease of new rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.79 Section 37.79 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. Each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system making a... system shall ensure that the vehicle is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities...

Can urban rail transit curb automobile energy consumption?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Boqiang; Du, Zhili

2017-01-01

With the rapid development of China's economy and the speed of urbanization, China's automobile sector has experienced rapid development. The rapid development of the automobile sector has increased energy consumption. According to the results of this paper, automobile energy consumption accounted for about 10.73% of total energy consumption in China in 2015, about 3.6 times the proportion a decade ago. With the deterioration of urban traffic conditions, relying on expanding the amount of vehicles and city road network cannot solve the problem. Urban rail transit is energy-saving and less-polluting, uses less space, has large capacity, and secure. Urban rail transit, according to the principle of sustainable development, is a green transportation system and should be especially adopted for large and medium-sized cities. The paper uses the binary choice model (Probit and Logit) to analyze the main factors influencing the development of rail transit in Chinese cities, and whether automobile energy consumption is the reason for the construction of urban rail transit. Secondly, we analyze the influence of urban rail transit on automobile energy consumption using DID model. The results indicate that the construction of urban rail traffic can restrain automobile energy consumption significantly, with continuous impact in the second year. - Highlights: • Investigate the main factors influencing the building of rail transit for Chinese cities. • Analyze the influence of urban rail transit on automobile energy consumption by DID model. • The results indicate that the construction of urban rail traffic can restrain automobile energy consumption significantly.

Two-Dimensional Impact Reconstruction Method for Rail Defect Inspection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Zhao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The safety of train operating is seriously menaced by the rail defects, so it is of great significance to inspect rail defects dynamically while the train is operating. This paper presents a two-dimensional impact reconstruction method to realize the on-line inspection of rail defects. The proposed method utilizes preprocessing technology to convert time domain vertical vibration signals acquired by wireless sensor network to space signals. The modern time-frequency analysis method is improved to reconstruct the obtained multisensor information. Then, the image fusion processing technology based on spectrum threshold processing and node color labeling is proposed to reduce the noise, and blank the periodic impact signal caused by rail joints and locomotive running gear. This method can convert the aperiodic impact signals caused by rail defects to partial periodic impact signals, and locate the rail defects. An application indicates that the two-dimensional impact reconstruction method could display the impact caused by rail defects obviously, and is an effective on-line rail defects inspection method.

Environmental impact assessment of rail infrastructure.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-29

This project resulted in three products: a comprehensive "Sustainable Rail Checklist," a rail planning GIS database, and a web GIS tool that integrates sustainability metrics and facilitates a rapid assessment before a formal NEPA process is implemen...

Three-dimensional rail-current distribution near the armature of simple, square-bore, two-rail railguns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beno, J.H.

1991-01-01

In this paper vector potential is solved as a three dimensional, boundary value problem for a conductor geometry consisting of square-bore railgun rails and a stationary armature. Conductors are infinitely conducting and perfect contact is assumed between rails and the armature. From the vector potential solution, surface current distribution is inferred

77 FR 69769 - Solid Waste Rail Transfer Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-21

...] Solid Waste Rail Transfer Facilities AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Final rules. SUMMARY: These final rules govern land-use-exemption permits for solid waste rail transfer facilities. The... Transportation Board over solid waste rail transfer facilities. The Act also added three new statutory provisions...

76 FR 80448 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-23

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. EP 290 (Sub-No. 5) (2012-1)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the first quarter 2012 rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF...

76 FR 59483 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-26

... the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the fourth quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

The Rail Alignment Environmental Impact Statement: An Update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweeney, R.

2005-01-01

On July 23,2002, the President of the United States signed into law a joint resolution of the United States Congress designating the Yucca Mountain site in Nye County, Nevada, for development as a geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. If the US. Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorizes construction of the repository and receipt and possession of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive at Yucca Mountain, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) would be responsible for transporting these materials to the Yucca Mountain repository as part of its obligation under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Part of the site recommendation decision included the analysis of a nation-wide shipping campaign to the proposed repository site. The ''Final Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada'' (February 2002) (Repository EIS) evaluated the potential impacts of the transportation of 70,000 Metric Tons of Heavy Metal spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from 77 locations around the nation to the potential repository in Nevada over a 24 year shipping campaign. In the Repository EIS, DOE identified mostly rail as its preferred mode of transportation, both nationally and in the State of Nevada. In December 2003, based on public comments and the environmental analyses in the Repository EIS, DOE identified a preference for the Caliente rail corridor in Nevada. On April 8, 2004, DOE issued a Record of Decision (ROD) on the Mode of Transportation and Nevada Rail Corridor for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. In this ROD, the DOE announced that it had decided to select the mostly rail scenario analyzed in the Repository EIS as the transportation mode both on a national basis and in the State of Nevada. Under the mostly rail

49 CFR 37.81 - Purchase or lease of used rail vehicles by public entities operating rapid or light rail systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... entities operating rapid or light rail systems. 37.81 Section 37.81 Transportation Office of the Secretary... operating rapid or light rail systems. (a) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, each public entity operating a rapid or light rail system which, after August 25, 1990, purchases or leases a used rapid or...

Capistrano and the Rails Application Lifecycle

CERN Document Server

Mornini, Tom

2006-01-01

Learn how to make your Rails deployments pain-free with Capistrano! This Short Cut shows you how to use Capistrano to automate the deployment of your Rails applications. It teaches you the basics, but also goes far beyond. It shows you realistic deployment scenarios, including some with complex server farms. It includes a quick reference to Capistrano. As your Rails applications grow, it becomes increasingly important to automate deployment and to keep your development environment well organized. Capistrano is the right tool for the job, and this PDF shows you how to use it effectively.

Electromagnetic acceleration studies with augmented rails

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruo, T.; Fujioka, K.; Nagaoka, K.; Okamoto, A.; Ikuta, K.; Nemoto, K.

1991-01-01

A comparative study of electromagnetic acceleration in the rail-type accelerators with two kinds of rail geometry was carried out experimentally. The accelerators were energized by 200kJ capacitor bank and the weight of loaded projectiles was about 1.3 grams with 10mm x 10mm square bore. The attained velocity was 4.3km/s in the augmented accelerator, while it was 3.8km/s in the classical device. In this paper these differences in attained velocity are briefly discussed. A theoretical understanding of the rail erosion is also described

75 FR 35877 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-23

... available on our Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting...-3)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the third quarter 2010 rail cost...

76 FR 37191 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-24

... our Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the third quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

75 FR 80895 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-23

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the first quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

77 FR 37958 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-25

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the third quarter 2012 rail cost adjustment...

78 FR 37660 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-21

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board approves the third quarter 2013 Rail Cost Adjustment Factor...

78 FR 17764 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-22

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the second quarter 2013 Rail Cost Adjustment...

76 FR 16037 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-22

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the second quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

75 FR 58019 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-23

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the fourth quarter 2010 Rail Cost Adjustment...

Hard-driven rail-gun tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, D.R.; Adams, D.F.; Cummings, C.E.; Fowler, C.M.; Kerrisk, J.F.; Marsh, S.P.; Parker, J.V.

1983-01-01

A number of prototype rail-gun designs have been tested, powered by explosive magnetic flux compression generators. Peak currents as high as 1.3 MA were delivered. Rail guns with 50-mm-thick Kevlar fiberwound structural shells were able to survive these high currents with minimum mechanical damage and were refired after enlarging the bores 0.2 to 0.4 mm to remove arc damage. In some tests, mechanical damage occurred that was apparently caused by the rebound of the gun after firing. Although the Kevlar shells had more than adequate strength, they appeared to lack sufficient stiffness, allowing excessive deflections. The use of a steel structural shell with a Kevlar sleeve was an improvement. Intrusion into the seams of the rail guns and condensation of material from the plasma armature were observed. Improved sealing of seams is indicated. In some cases, we suspect maldistribution of current within the gun; that is, not all the current delivered to the breech of the gun seemed to reach the plasma armature. Experiments are being designed to quantify the effects discussed. Rail guns of advanced design are being fabricated. An 18-g titanium projectile was accelerated to 2.4 km/s in a 16-mm-round-bore, 0.6-m-long gun, 4-6 g polycarbonate projectiles were accelerated to 3.5 km/s in 13-mm-square-bore, 1.2-m-long rail guns. All tests were conducted at atmospheric pressure

Factors affecting commuter rail energy efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-17

The objective of this study is to develop a planninglevel model of commuter rail energy efficiency. The : environmental benefits of commuter rail are often cited as one of the key benefits and motivators for its rapid development as a public trans...

78 FR 71724 - Rail Depreciation Studies

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-29

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board Rail Depreciation Studies AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Notice of OMB Approval of Information Collection. SUMMARY... collection, Rail Depreciation Studies. See 78 FR 18676 (Mar. 27, 2013). This collection, codified at 49 CFR...

77 FR 58910 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-24

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the fourth quarter 2012 rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF...

Analysis of minimum rail size in heavy axle load environment

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-15

The effects of increasing axle loads on rail integrity are examined in this paper. In the present context, rail integrity refers to the prevention and control of rail failures. Rail failures usually occur because cracks or defects develop and grow fr...

Detection method based on Kalman filter for high speed rail defect AE signal on wheel-rail rolling rig

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Qiushi; Shen, Yi; Wang, Yan; Zhang, Xin

2018-01-01

Nondestructive test (NDT) of rails has been carried out intermittently in traditional approaches, which highly restricts the detection efficiency under rapid development of high speed railway nowadays. It is necessary to put forward a dynamic rail defect detection method for rail health monitoring. Acoustic emission (AE) as a practical real-time detection technology takes advantage of dynamic AE signal emitted from plastic deformation of material. Detection capacities of AE on rail defects have been verified due to its sensitivity and dynamic merits. Whereas the application under normal train service circumstance has been impeded by synchronous background noises, which are directly linked to the wheel speed. In this paper, surveys on a wheel-rail rolling rig are performed to investigate defect AE signals with varying speed. A dynamic denoising method based on Kalman filter is proposed and its detection effectiveness and flexibility are demonstrated by theory and computational results. Moreover, after comparative analysis of modelling precision at different speeds, it is predicted that the method is also applicable for high speed condition beyond experiments.

Time while waiting: patients' experiences of scheduled surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Tracey; Teucher, Ulrich C; Casson, Alan G

2014-12-01

Research on patients' experiences of wait time for scheduled surgery has centered predominantly on the relative tolerability of perceived wait time and impacts on quality of life. We explored patients' experiences of time while waiting for three types of surgery with varied wait times--hip or knee replacement, shoulder surgery, and cardiac surgery. Thirty-two patients were recruited by their surgeons. We asked participants about their perceptions of time while waiting in two separate interviews. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we discovered connections between participant suffering, meaningfulness of time, and agency over the waiting period and the lived duration of time experience. Our findings reveal that chronological duration is not necessarily the most relevant consideration in determining the quality of waiting experience. Those findings helped us create a conceptual framework for lived wait time. We suggest that clinicians and policy makers consider the complexity of wait time experience to enhance preoperative patient care. © The Author(s) 2014.

The Homogeneity Research of Urban Rail Transit Network Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Fu-jian

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Urban Rail Transit is an important part of the public transit, it is necessary to carry out the corresponding network function analysis. Previous studies mainly about network performance analysis of a single city rail transit, lacking of horizontal comparison between the multi-city, it is difficult to find inner unity of different Urban Rail Transit network functions. Taking into account the Urban Rail Transit network is a typical complex networks, so this paper proposes the application of complex network theory to research the homogeneity of Urban Rail Transit network performance. This paper selects rail networks of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou as calculation case, gave them a complex network mapping through the L, P Space method and had a static topological analysis using complex network theory, Network characteristics in three cities were calculated and analyzed form node degree distribution and node connection preference. Finally, this paper studied the network efficiency changes of Urban Rail Transit system under different attack mode. The results showed that, although rail transport network size, model construction and construction planning of the three cities are different, but their network performance in many aspects showed high homogeneity.

75 FR 17203 - National Rail Plan

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-05

... Rail Plan AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION... input into the development of the long-range National Rail Plan (NRP) through an open docket. In addition, the notice presents the overall plan design, Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) goals in...

Ceramic Rail-Race Ball Bearings

Science.gov (United States)

Balzer, Mark A.; Mungas, Greg S.; Peters, Gregory H.

2010-01-01

Non-lubricated ball bearings featuring rail races have been proposed for use in mechanisms that are required to function in the presence of mineral dust particles in very low-pressure, dry environments with extended life. Like a conventional ball bearing, the proposed bearing would include an inner and an outer ring separated by balls in rolling contact with the races. However, unlike a conventional ball bearing, the balls would not roll in semi-circular or gothic arch race grooves in the rings: instead, the races would be shaped to form two or more rails (see figure). During operation, the motion of the balls would push dust particles into the spaces between the rails where the particles could not generate rolling resistance for the balls

Rails - Spears and Didion Ranches [ds310

Data.gov (United States)

California Natural Resource Agency — These data are the detections of Virginia rail (Rallus limicola), Sora (Porzana carolina), and California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) from 13 survey points...

Outcome of rail fixator system in reconstructing bone gap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amit Lakhani

2014-01-01

Conclusion: All patients well tolerated rail fixator with good functional results and gap reconstruction. Easy application of rail fixator and comfortable distraction procedure suggest rail fixator a good alternative for gap reconstruction of limbs.

Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stead, M.E.

1994-01-01

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in cooperation with Amtrak, undertook the Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Financial and Implementation Plan study in order to develop a realistic and achievable blueprint for implementation of high speed rail in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor. This report presents a summary of the Price Waterhouse Project Team's analysis and the Financial and Implementation Plan for implementing high speed rail service in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor

Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stead, M.E.

1994-12-31

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in cooperation with Amtrak, undertook the Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Financial and Implementation Plan study in order to develop a realistic and achievable blueprint for implementation of high speed rail in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor. This report presents a summary of the Price Waterhouse Project Team`s analysis and the Financial and Implementation Plan for implementing high speed rail service in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor.

Grinding induced martensite on the surface of rails

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, C.J.; Zhang, Xiaodan; Danielsen, Hilmar Kjartansson

2014-01-01

determined. Two different rail types R260 and R350HT that both had been ground by a grinding train were investigated. The rail sections, studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy, showed that the surface of both types of rails is covered with WELs. The hardness of the WEL is increased compared...

Kinematic analysis on rail development into vacuum vessel for ITER blanket maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakudate, Satoshi; Shibanuma, Kiyoshi

2006-01-01

The vehicle manipulator system for blanket maintenance is used as a main driving mechanism for rail development, and three driving mechanisms d1, d2 (or d2') and d3 are used as cycle sequence of the repeated operations for rail development. This repeated operation can develop the articulated rail into the vacuum vessel. The rail development scenario, kinematic analysis model for rail development without any driving mechanisms in the rail joints, equations defined the angular between two rail links, identification of rail link at repeated operation, numerical analysis results on rail deployment under the forced position control of l i+1 , new rail development scenario using two driving mechanisms d1 and d2''under one cycle sequence of the repeated operations, and rail development test are reported. (S.Y.)

A low-offset low-voltage CMOS Op Amp with rail-to-rail input and output ranges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Holzmann, Peter J.; Wiegerink, Remco J.; Gierkink, Sander L.J.; Wassenaar, R.F.; Stroet, Peter; Stroet, P.M.

1996-01-01

A low voltage CMOS op amp is presented. The circuit uses complementary input pairs to achieve a rail-to-rail common mode input voltage range. Special attention has been given to the reduction of the op amp's systematic offset voltage. Gain boost amplifiers are connected in a special way to provide

Potential scenarios of concern for high speed rail operations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-16

Currently, multiple operating authorities are proposing the : introduction of high-speed rail service in the United States. : While high-speed rail service shares a number of basic : principles with conventional-speed rail service, the operational : ...

The latest technical solutions in rail vehicles drives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzejewski Maciej

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the latest trends and solutions used in the offers of rail vehicles manufacturers. The study is mainly concerned with the technical solutions used in hybrid rail vehicles, whose development has become one of the priorities for the development of rail vehicles in the European Union in recent years. Stricter emissions standards for harmful compounds in the European Union have forced manufacturers to use increasingly sophisticated technology, including hybrid drives and alternative fuels. The products and solutions offered by the major manufacturers on the market, along with their capabilities and future applications are described. The predicted trends in the development of propulsion technology for rail and road-rail vehicles are also indicated in view of the current legislative aspirations among the EU Member States.

Waiting for surgery from the patient perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tracey Carr

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Tracey Carr1, Ulrich Teucher2, Jackie Mann4, Alan G Casson31Health Sciences, 2Department of Psychology, 3Department of Surgery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; 4Acute Care, Saskatoon Health Region, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CanadaAbstract: The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the impact of waiting for elective surgery from the patient perspective, with a focus on maximum tolerance, quality of life, and the nature of the waiting experience. Searches were conducted using Medline, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and HealthSTAR. Twenty-seven original research articles were identified which included each of these three themes. The current literature suggested that first, patients tend to state longer wait times as unacceptable when they experienced severe symptoms or functional impairment. Second, the relationship between length of wait and health-related quality of life depended on the nature and severity of proposed surgical intervention at the time of booking. Third, the waiting experience was consistently described as stressful and anxiety provoking. While many patients expressed anger and frustration at communication within the system, the experience of waiting was not uniformly negative. Some patients experienced waiting as an opportunity to live full lives despite pain and disability. The relatively unexamined relationship between waiting, illness and patient experience of time represents an area for future research.Keywords: wait time, scheduled surgery, patient perspective, literature review

Linear friction welding for constructing and repairing rail for high speed and intercity passenger service rail : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-01

This project developed a solid-state welding process based on linear friction welding (LFW) technology. While resistance flash welding or : thermite techniques are tried and true methods for joining rails and performing partial rail replacement repai...

A 0.8V, 7μA, rail-to-rail input/output, constant Gm operational amplifier in standard digital 0.18μm CMOS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Citakovic, J; Nielsen, I. Riis; Nielsen, Jannik Hammel

2005-01-01

A two-stage amplifier, operational at 0.8V and drawing 7μA, has been integrated in a standard digital 0.18μm CMOS process. Rail-to-rail operations at the input are enabled by complementary transistor pairs with gm control. The efficient rail-to-rail output stage is biased in class AB. The measured...

Acces to railway stations and its potential in increasing rail use

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brons, M.R.E.; Givoni, M.; Rietveld, P.

2008-01-01

The propensity to travel by rail, and not, for example by car, can be considered to be a factor of the rail service offered, the access to it and the characteristics of the population served. Efforts to increase rail use usually focus on the rail service itself while the accessibility of the rail

Assessment of rail long-pitch corrugation

Science.gov (United States)

Valehrach, Jan; Guziur, Petr; Riha, Tomas; Plasek, Otto

2017-09-01

The paper focuses on defects of the running surface of the rail, namely the rail corrugation defect and specifically long-pitch corrugation in curves of small radii. These defects cause a shorter life of the rails, greater maintenance costs and increase the noise and vibration pollution. Therefore, it is very important to understand the formation and development of the imperfection of the rails. In the paper, various sections of railway tracks in the Czech Republic are listed, each of them completed with comparison of defect development, the particular track superstructure, rolling stock, axle load, traffic load etc. Based on performed measurements, defect development has been proved as different on sections with similar (or even same) parameters. The paper assumes that a train velocity is the significant circumstance for defect development rates. Assessment of track section with under sleeper pads, which are expected to be the one of the possible ways to suppress the corrugation defect development, is included in evaluation.

Rail Vehicle Vibrations Control Using Parameters Adaptive PID Controller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muzaffer Metin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, vertical rail vehicle vibrations are controlled by the use of conventional PID and parameters which are adaptive to PID controllers. A parameters adaptive PID controller is designed to improve the passenger comfort by intuitional usage of this method that renews the parameters online and sensitively under variable track inputs. Sinusoidal vertical rail misalignment and measured real rail irregularity are considered as two different disruptive effects of the system. Active vibration control is applied to the system through the secondary suspension. The active suspension application of rail vehicle is examined by using 5-DOF quarter-rail vehicle model by using Manchester benchmark dynamic parameters. The new parameters of adaptive controller are optimized by means of genetic algorithm toolbox of MATLAB. Simulations are performed at maximum urban transportation speed (90 km/h of the rail vehicle with ±5% load changes of rail vehicle body to test the robustness of controllers. As a result, superior performance of parameters of adaptive controller is determined in time and frequency domain.

How to Park Freight Trains on Rail-Rail Transshipment Yards: The Train Location Problem

OpenAIRE

Michael Kellner; Nils Boysen; Malte Fliedner

2010-01-01

In modern rail-rail transshipment yards huge gantry cranes spanning all railway tracks allow for an efficent transshipment of containers between different freight trains. This way, multiple trains loaded with cargo for varying destinations can be consolidated to a reduced number of homogeneous trains, which is an essential requirement of hub-and-spoke railway systems. An important problem during the daily operations of such a transshipment yard is the train location problem, which assigns eac...

Waiting experience in railway environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hagen, M.; Galetzka, Mirjam; Pruyn, Adriaan T.H.

2014-01-01

At railway stations, waiting time is usually an unavoidable aspect of the journey for train passengers. According to the attentional model of time, pleasant surroundings and other forms of distraction reduce perceived waiting time. Not every individual reacts identically in the same surroundings.

The physics of wheel-rail stability

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, B. T. G.

2018-05-01

This article discusses, at a simple level, the dynamics of the wheel-rail interface, which is fundamental to the stability of rail vehicles. The physics underlying this topic deserves to be better known by physicists and physics students, as it underpins such an important part of our technological infrastructure.

The Physics of Wheel-Rail Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, B. T. G.

2018-01-01

This article discusses, at a simple level, the dynamics of the wheel-rail interface, which is fundamental to the stability of rail vehicles. The physics underlying this topic deserves to be better known by physicists and physics students, as it underpins such an important part of our technological infrastructure

Návrh Rail-to-Rail operačního zesilovače v technologii CMOS

OpenAIRE

Cvešper, Stanislav

2016-01-01

Práce se zabývá návrhem rail-to-rail operačního zesilovače ve třídě AB v technologii CMOS I3T25. Práce začíná úvodem do CMOS tranzistorů, následuje rozbor struktur operačního zesilovače, jeho návrh a simulace v návrhovém prostředí Cadence, popsány jsou také různé metody pro minimalizaci napěťové symetrie. Hlavním cílem práce je dosažení rail-to-rail vstupního i výstupního rozsahu operačního zesilovače pracujícího ve třídě AB, s minimální napěťovou nesymetrií, včetně návrhu topologie navrženéh...

49 CFR 174.59 - Marking and placarding of rail cars.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Marking and placarding of rail cars. 174.59... RAIL General Handling and Loading Requirements § 174.59 Marking and placarding of rail cars. No person may transport a rail car carrying hazardous materials unless it is marked and placarded as required by...

Late Ediacaran magnetostratigraphy of Baltica: Evidence for Magnetic Field Hyperactivity?

Science.gov (United States)

Bazhenov, Mikhail L.; Levashova, Natalia M.; Meert, Joseph G.; Golovanova, Inessa V.; Danukalov, Konstantin N.; Fedorova, Natalia M.

2016-02-01

Long-term changes in characteristics of the geomagnetic field may signal evolutionary changes within the Earth's interior. Among these long-term variations, the magnetic field reversal rate is probably the best known and most frequently used parameter to evaluate concomitant changes in the Earth's core. Although the reversal rate is well known for the last 150 Ma and reasonably constrained back to 300 Ma, knowledge of the early Paleozoic and earlier times is limited. Hence, the haunting question is whether the reversal pattern for the last 300 Myr is a good representation of the field behavior over a much longer interval. A paleomagnetic study of Upper Ediacaran sediments from the Zigan Fm. (Baltica in the western South Urals) revealed a high-temperature, dual-polarity component that is of primary origin (Levashova et al., 2013). In this paper, we present the results of a magnetostratigraphic study from the same sections that can be summed up as follows: 1) >30 magnetozones are found in the ca. 110 meters thick composite section of the Zigan Fm.; 2) A similar reversal pattern was reported from Upper Ediacaran sediments from the White Sea coast (North Russia) and SW Siberia but has never been found in clastic rocks of any other age; 3) The reversal pattern in three remote Ediacaran sections could not result from remagnetization or extremely slow sedimentation; 4) The reversal rate in the Late Ediacaran exceeded 20 reversals per million years; 5) The field appears to behave in a bipolar fashion during the period of hyperactivity.

Finite element analysis of rail-wheel interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, F.; Kharlamov, Y.A.; Islam, S.; Khan, A.A.

2006-01-01

Damage mechanisms such as surface cracks, plastic deformation and wear can significantly reduce the service life of railway track and rolling stock. They also have a negative impact on the rolling noise as well as: on the riding comfort. A proper understanding of these mechanisms requires a detailed knowledge of physical interaction between wheel and rail. Furthermore, demands for higher train speeds and increased axle loads implies that the consequences of larger contact. forces between wheel and rail must be thoroughly investigated. Two methods have traditionally been used to investigate the rail-wheel contact, that is the Hertz analytical method and simplified numerical method based on the boundary element (BE) method. These methods rely on a half-space assumption and a linear material model. This paper presents that to overcome these limitations, a tool for FE-based quasistatic wheel-rail contact simulations has been developed. The tool is a library of ANSYS macro routines for configuring, meshing and loading of a parametric wheel-rail model. The meshing is based on measured wheel and rail profiles. The wheel and rail materials in the contact region are treated as elastic-plastic with kinematic hardening. By controlling the values of the configuration parameters, representations of various driving cases can be generated. The quasi-static loads are obtained from train motion. Interaction phenomena such as rolling, spinning and sidling can be included. The modeling tool and a methodology are described in the presented paper. Significant differences in the calculated state between the FE solution and the traditional approaches can be observed. These differences are most significant in situations with flange contact. (author)

The influence of friction coefficient and wheel/rail profiles on energy dissipation in the wheel/rail contact

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Idarraga Alarcon, G.A.; Burgelman, N.D.M.; Meza Meza, J.; Toro, A.; Li, Z.

2015-01-01

This work investigates the energy dissipation in a wheel/rail system through friction work modeling. In order to identify the effect of the friction coefficient on the energy dissipation in the wheel/rail contact, several simulations were performed using a 3D multibody model of a railway vehicle

A Big Data Analysis Approach for Rail Failure Risk Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Jamshidi, Ali; Faghih-Roohi, Shahrzad; Hajizadeh, Siamak; Núñez, Alfredo; Babuska, Robert; Dollevoet, Rolf; Li, Zili; De Schutter, Bart

2017-08-01

Railway infrastructure monitoring is a vital task to ensure rail transportation safety. A rail failure could result in not only a considerable impact on train delays and maintenance costs, but also on safety of passengers. In this article, the aim is to assess the risk of a rail failure by analyzing a type of rail surface defect called squats that are detected automatically among the huge number of records from video cameras. We propose an image processing approach for automatic detection of squats, especially severe types that are prone to rail breaks. We measure the visual length of the squats and use them to model the failure risk. For the assessment of the rail failure risk, we estimate the probability of rail failure based on the growth of squats. Moreover, we perform severity and crack growth analyses to consider the impact of rail traffic loads on defects in three different growth scenarios. The failure risk estimations are provided for several samples of squats with different crack growth lengths on a busy rail track of the Dutch railway network. The results illustrate the practicality and efficiency of the proposed approach. © 2017 The Authors Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.

Structural response of a rail acceleration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, S.Y.

1984-01-01

The transient response of a 0.4 by 0.6 cm rectangular bore rail accelerator was analyzed by a three dimensional finite element code. The copper rail deflected to a peak value of 0.08 mm in compression and then oscillated at an amplitude of 0.02 mm. Simultaneously the insulating side wall of glass fabric base, epoxy resin laminate (G-10) was compressed to a peak value of 0.13 mm and rebounded to a steady state in extension. Projectile pinch or blowby due to the rail extension or compression, respectively, can be identified by examining the time history of the rail displacement. The effect of blowby was most significant at the side wall characterized by mm size displacement in compression. Dynamic stress calculations indicate that the G-10 supporting material behind the rail is subjected to over 21 MPa at which the G-10 could fail if the laminate was not carefully oriented. Results for a polycarbonate resin (Lexan) side wall show much larger displacements and stresses than for G-10. The tradeoff between the transparency of Lexan and the mechanical strength of G-10 for sidewall material is obvious. Displacement calculations from the modal method are smaller than the results from the direct integration method by almost an order of magnitude, because the high frequency effect is neglected. 12 references

Guidance for consignors, rail operators and others involved in the packaging, labelling and carriage of radioactive material by rail. Pt. 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

This document, part of a series of guides for those concerned with the road or rail transportation of dangerous goods, provides detailed recommendations for consignors, rail operators and others involved in the packaging, labelling and carriage of radioactive materials by rail. It covers the relevant legislation and regulations on the carriage of such dangerous goods to assist those involved with compliance. (UK)

Wait too long to talk about kidney disease and you could be waiting for a kidney.

Science.gov (United States)

... Home Current Issue Past Issues Public Service Announcement Kidney Disease Past Issues / Summer 2006 Table of Contents ... Javascript on. Wait too long to talk about kidney disease and you could be waiting for a ...

Plasma treatment of crane rails

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Владислав Олександрович Мазур

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Crane operation results in wear and tear of rails and crane wheels. Renovation and efficiency of these details is therefore relevant. Modern technologies of wheels and rails restoration use surfacing or high-frequency currents treatment. Surface treatment with highly concentrated streams of energy- with a laser beam, plasma jet- is a promising direction.. It is proposed to increase the efficiency of crane rails by means of surface plasma treatment. The modes of treatment have been chosen.. Modelling of plasma jet thermal impact on a solid body of complex shape has been made. Plasma hardening regimes that meet the requirements of production have been defined. Structural transformation of the material in the crane rails on plasma treatment has been investigated. It has been concluded that for carbon and low alloy crane steels the plasma exposure zone is characterized by a high degree of hardened structure dispersion and higher hardness as compared to the hardness after high-frequency quenching. As this takes place phase transformations are both shift (in the upper zone of plasma influence and fluctuation (in the lower zone of the plasma. With high-speed plasma heating granular or lamellar pearlite mainly transforms into austenite. The level of service characteristics of hardened steel, which is achieved in this case is determined by the kinetics and completeness of pearlite → austenite transformation. For carbon and low alloy rail steels plasma hardening can replace bulk hardening, hardening by high-frequency currents, or surfacing. The modes for plasma treatment which make it possible to obtain a surface layer with a certain service characteristics have been defined

Revisiting the reasons for contact fatigue defects in rails

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darenskiy Alexander

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As it is known rail is one of the most significant elements of the whole railway construction. Operation under alternating loads from wheels of the rolling stock and different ambient temperatures lead to appearance and development of rail defects and damages. A great variety of operational factors (freight traffic density, axial loads, traffic speeds, track layout and profile as well as special features of manufacturing and thermal treatment of rails create certain difficulties while identifying reasons for defects and damages. The article deals with an attempt to estimate influence of track layout and lateral forces on appearance of defects and damages in rails on the base of long-term observations of rail operation in Kharkiv Metro. On the basis of the vehicle/track mathematical model which considers structural features of both rolling stock and permanent way in underground systems, the level of lateral forces in curves was calculated. The coefficients of correlation between the track curvature, the level of forces and the amount of defected rails removed were later obtained, that made it possible to determine the dominant factor which may lead to appearance and development of contact fatigue defects in rails laid in curves.

Operations Research Approaches to Asset Management in Freight Rail

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gorman, Michael F.; Harrod, Steven

2011-01-01

This article describes operations research methodologies as they apply to asset management in freight rail. We describe state-of-the-art methods for locomotive, crew, railcar, line and yard planning and management. We conclude with emerging areas of research in rail.......This article describes operations research methodologies as they apply to asset management in freight rail. We describe state-of-the-art methods for locomotive, crew, railcar, line and yard planning and management. We conclude with emerging areas of research in rail....

Investigation of the stresses in rails : Secondary effects associated with the bending of a centrically loaded rail

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolvoort, A.J.; Woestenburg, T.

1982-01-01

The flexural behaviour of a rail under purely vertical load acting in the plane of symmetry is investigated in this paper. For this purpose a rail ofNP 46 standard section was subjected to experimental research with the aid of electrical resistance strain gauges in the Laboratory for Highway and

A CMOS rail-to-rail linear VI-converter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vervoort, P.P.; Vervoort, P.P.; Wassenaar, R.F.

1995-01-01

A linear CMOS VI-converter operating in strong inversion with a common-mode input range from the negative to the positive supply rail is presented. The circuit consists of three linear VI-converters based on the difference of squares principle. Two of these perform the actual V to I conversion,

Improving fatigue performance of rail thermite welds

Science.gov (United States)

Jezzini-Aouad, M.; Flahaut, P.; Hariri, S.; Winiar, L.

2010-06-01

Rail transport development offers economic and ecological interests. Nevertheless, it requires heavy investments in rolling material and infrastructure. To be competitive, this transportation means must rely on safe and reliable infrastructure, which requires optimization of all implemented techniques and structure. Rail thermite (or aluminothermic) welding is widely used within the railway industry for in-track welding during re-rail and defect replacement. The process provides numerous advantages against other welding technology commonly used. Obviously, future demands on train traffic are heavier axle loads, higher train speeds and increased traffic density. Thus, a new enhanced weld should be developed to prevent accidents due to fracture of welds and to lower maintenance costs. In order to improve such assembly process, a detailed metallurgical study coupled to a thermomechanical modelling of the phenomena involved in the thermite welding process is carried out. Obtained data enables us to develop a new improved thermite weld (type A). This joint is made by modifying the routinely specified procedure (type B) used in a railway rail by a standard gap alumino-thermic weld. Joints of type A and B are tested and compared. Based on experimental temperature measurements, a finite element analysis is used to calculate the thermal residual stresses induced. In the vicinity of the weld, the residual stress patterns depend on the thermal conditions during welding as it also shown by litterature [1, 2]. In parallel, X-Ray diffraction has been used to map the residual stress field that is generated in welded rail of types A and B. Their effect on fatigue crack growth in rail welds is studied. An experimental study based on fatigue tests of rails welded by conventional and improved processes adjudicates on the new advances and results will be shown.

Segmented rail linear induction motor

Science.gov (United States)

Cowan, Jr., Maynard; Marder, Barry M.

1996-01-01

A segmented rail linear induction motor has a segmented rail consisting of a plurality of nonferrous electrically conductive segments aligned along a guideway. The motor further includes a carriage including at least one pair of opposed coils fastened to the carriage for moving the carriage. A power source applies an electric current to the coils to induce currents in the conductive surfaces to repel the coils from adjacent edges of the conductive surfaces.

Light Rails to Sustainable Mobility?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Mette

that there is not one overall rationale for implementing light rail, many arguments are evident in various contexts. Furthermore, findings in this paper show that planners, policy makers and other stakeholders shape stories for or against the implementation of light rail through the use of narratives that are linked...... infrastructure projects and urban interventions through the political process and secure the outcome of these projects are recognisable in proportion to the visionary concept....

The literature of the California black rail

Science.gov (United States)

Wilbur, Sanford R.

1974-01-01

Few birds have remained so little known as the California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus). Although first collected in 1859 or before and reported in 1874 (Ridgway 1874), its life history, distribution, and status have remained so obscure that even a sight record of the bird is deemed worthy of a report in some ornithological publications. Because degradation and loss of freshwater and saltwater marshlands in California may be detrimentally affecting the black rail, both the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (1973) and the California Department of Fish and Game (1972) have classified it as rare and worthy of further study. The 84 papers and notes both summarized in this report and included in its bibliography include essentially all that is currently known about the California black rail. Only 11 of these papers consider the life history of this rail in any detail. The rest are distribution notes and some of the more important papers on the closely related eastern black rail (L. j. jamaicensis). The latter are included for comparative purposes, or because they may lend clues to currently unknown facets of the life history of the western race.

Three-dimensional rail cooling analysis for a repetitively fired railgun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, H.P.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on a three-dimensional (3-D) rail cooling analysis for fabrication and demonstration of a stand-alone repetitive fire compulsator driven 9 MJ gun system which has been performed to assure the entire rail can be maintained below its thermal limit for multiple shots. The 3-D rail thermal model can predict the temperature, pressure, and convective heat transfer coefficient variations of the coolant along the 10 m long copper rail. The 9-MJ projectiles will be fired every 20 s for 3 min. Water cooling was used in the model for its high cooling capacity. Single liquid phase heat transfer was assumed in the cooling analysis. For multiple shots, the temperature difference between the rail and the water was enhanced due to accumulated heat in the rail. As a result, the heat removal by water increased from shot-to-shot. The rail temperature initially increased and finally stabilized after a number of shots

Rail inspection system based on iGPS

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Mulan; Wen, Xiuping

2018-05-01

Track parameters include gauge, super elevation, cross level and so on, which could be calculated through the three-dimensional coordinates of the track. The rail inspection system based on iGPS (indoor/infrared GPS) was composed of base station, receiver, rail inspection frame, wireless communication unit, display and control unit and data processing unit. With the continuous movement of the inspection frame, the system could accurately inspect the coordinates of rail; realize the intelligent detection and precision measurement. According to principle of angle intersection measurement, the inspection model was structured, and detection process was given.

49 CFR 213.113 - Defective rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... smooth, bright, or dark, round or oval surface substantially at a right angle to the length of the rail... in the head of the rail as a smooth, bright, or dark surface progressing until substantially at a... head, and extending into or through it. A crack or rust streak may show under the head close to the web...

Attractive Mobile Corridors - The Power of Light Rail Infrastructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Mette; Lassen, Claus

2013-01-01

Light rail is a popular tool in urban development strategies in many European cities. One argument for choosing a rail-based solution is that it signals stability to investors and will attract development and investments in the corridor. The choice of corridor in the various light rail cities...... and redistributes urban space. Furthermore light rail is not only a physical infrastructure but also an infrastructure of power that is carefully planned and designed creating both mental and physical patterns of mobilities and immobilities. Hence it is important to underline that mobility systems, such as light...

Barriers to and enablers for European rail freight transport for integrated door-to-door logistics service. Part 2: Enablers for multimodal rail freight transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewan Md Zahurul ISLAM

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to examine and identify barriers to and enablers for the European rail freight transport services as a transport chain partner along the supply chains in the changing market scenario. The changing market scenario includes, among others, requiring 'door-to-door' rather than 'terminal to terminal' and integrated service, competitive ability to attract non-rail cargo type, changes in the customer requirements (e.g. reliable service and changes in the operational requirements and practices. Using a literature review method, the paper is presented in two parts. The part 1 focuses on the identification of barriers to the European rail freight service by reviewing freight logistics services for global supply chains followed by the current performance of European rail freight transport followed by a discussion on the rail freight market liberalisation in Europe. Then rail freight transport in the Unites States (U.S. is discussed. The research notes that although the background, scope and necessity for reform measures in Europe differ from those of the U.S., some lessons can be learned and the main lesson is that an appropriate reform measure can enhance rail sector competitive ability in Europe. The part 2 of the paper is dedicated to recommend some concrete steps and actions as enablers to remove the barriers identified in the part 1 to develop multimodal rail freight transport. The enablers for multimodal rail freight transport include: •\tEuropean rail freight transport market needs full liberalisation so that incumbent and new entrants can compete freely. •\tThe rail operators need to acquire service (e.g. customer tailored services, door to door service quality offered by road freight operators. •\tThey need to conduct a combination of ‘terminal-to-terminal’ and door-to-door operations, as and when needed; •\tThey must build partnership with freight forwarder or 3PLs to include all types of customers

Method for Predicting Thermal Buckling in Rails

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

A method is proposed herein for predicting the onset of thermal buckling in rails in such a way as to provide a means of avoiding this type of potentially devastating failure. The method consists of the development of a thermomechanical model of rail...

Rail for inspection/maintenance device in TOKAMAK type container of a thermonuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Kenji.

1996-01-01

A circular rail divided into four arcuate parts for an inspection/maintenance device which runs in a TOKAMAK type container is disposed. Each of the divided rails is supported at the center of the outer surface rotatably by extendable rail supporting shafts. Each of the divided rail is constituted such that it can be contained between limiters disposed at the outer side of the TOKAMAK container when each of the rail support shafts is contracted. With such a constitution, each of the rail support shafts and arcuate rail is contracted and rotated from the outside of the TOKAMAK type container by an actuator. In order to form a circular rail, each of the rail support shafts is extended toward the center of the TOKAMAK type container, and then each of the arcuate rails is rotated into a horizontal state. Then, the joint portions of each of the arcuate rails are connected by using remote controllable locking rods. (I.S.)

49 CFR 38.175 - High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems. 38....175 High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems. (a) All cars for high-speed rail systems, including... monorail systems operating primarily on dedicated rail (i.e., not used by freight trains) or guideway, in...

Field homogeneity improvement of maglev NdFeB magnetic rails from joints.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Y J; Dai, Q; Deng, C Y; Sun, R X; Zheng, J; Chen, Z; Sun, Y; Wang, H; Yuan, Z D; Fang, C; Deng, Z G

2016-01-01

An ideal magnetic rail should provide a homogeneous magnetic field along the longitudinal direction to guarantee the reliable friction-free operation of high temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev vehicles. But in reality, magnetic field inhomogeneity may occur due to lots of reasons; the joint gap is the most direct one. Joint gaps inevitably exist between adjacent segments and influence the longitudinal magnetic field homogeneity above the rail since any magnetic rails are consisting of many permanent magnet segments. To improve the running performance of maglev systems, two new rail joints are proposed based on the normal rail joint, which are named as mitered rail joint and overlapped rail joint. It is found that the overlapped rail joint has a better effect to provide a competitive homogeneous magnetic field. And the further structure optimization has been done to ensure maglev vehicle operation as stable as possible when passing through those joint gaps. The results show that the overlapped rail joint with optimal parameters can significantly reduce the magnetic field inhomogeneity comparing with the other two rail joints. In addition, an appropriate gap was suggested when balancing the thermal expansion of magnets and homogenous magnetic field, which is considered valuable references for the future design of the magnetic rails.

Kinetics of biofilm formation and desiccation survival of Listeria monocytogenes in single and dual species biofilms with Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia proteamaculans or Shewanella baltica on food-grade stainless steel surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Daneshvar Alavi, Hessam Edin; Truelstrup Hansen, Lisbeth

2013-01-01

This study investigated the dynamics of static biofilm formation (100% RH, 15 °C, 48-72 h) and desiccation survival (43% RH, 15 °C, 21 days) of Listeria monocytogenes, in dual species biofilms with the common spoilage bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia proteamaculans and Shewanella baltica, on the surface of food grade stainless steel. The Gram-negative bacteria reduced the maximum biofilm population of L. monocytogenes in dual species biofilms and increased its inactivation during desiccation. However, due to the higher desiccation resistance of Listeria relative to P. fluorescens and S. baltica, the pathogen survived in greater final numbers. In contrast, S. proteamaculans outcompeted the pathogen during the biofilm formation and exhibited similar desiccation survival, causing the N21 days of Serratia to be ca 3 Log10(CFU cm(-2)) greater than that of Listeria in the dual species biofilm. Microscopy revealed biofilm morphologies with variable amounts of exopolymeric substance and the presence of separate microcolonies. Under these simulated food plant conditions, the fate of L. monocytogenes during formation of mixed biofilms and desiccation depended on the implicit characteristics of the co-cultured bacterium.

Do Urban Rail Transit Facilities Affect Housing Prices? Evidence from China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Zhang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Urban rail transit facilities play a critical role in citizen’s social activities (e.g., residence, work and education. Using panel data on housing prices and urban rail transit facilities for 35 Chinese cities for 2002 to 2013, this study constructs a panel data model to evaluate the effect of rail transit facilities on housing prices quantitatively. A correlation test reveals significant correlations between housing prices and rail transit facilities. Empirical results demonstrate that rail transit facilities can markedly elevate real estate prices. Quantitatively, a 1% increase in rail transit mileage improves housing prices by 0.0233%. The results highlight the importance of other factors (e.g., per capita GDP, land price, investment in real estate and population density in determining housing prices. We also assess the effects of expectations of new rail transit lines on housing prices, and the results show that expectation effects are insignificant. These findings encourage Chinese policy makers to take rail transit facilities into account in achieving sustainable development of real estate markets.

Buckling analysis of continuous welded rail track

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van, M.A.

1996-01-01

Continuous welded rail track, compared to jointed track not only reduces maintenance costs, but also increases life time of track components and the comfort of passengers. Since expansion of the rails is hardly possible in CWR-track, a temperature increase will result in high compressive stresses

75 FR 16552 - High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...; Enhancing intercity travel options; Ensuring a state of good repair of key intercity passenger rail assets... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail... selections for the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program. This notice builds on the program...

A novel permanent magnetic rail for HTS levitation propulsion system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, F.; Tang, Y.; Ren, L.; Li, J.

2009-01-01

The Halbach Array has a characteristic advantage that the spatial fundamental field is canceled on one side of the array while the field intensity on the other side is enhanced. So this array could be used in the design of high temperature superconducting permanent magnetic levitation rail to improve the surface magnetic field and levitation force. This paper compared the surface magnetic field of the Halbach Array rail and two conventional levitation rails at first. Then proposed the potential advantages of Halbach Array applied in permanent magnetic rail system. But the Halbach Array rail is mechanical instability. An novel improved Halbach Array rail is proposed in this paper. The new structure combined the advantages of traditional structure and Halbach Array structure, solved the problem of mechanical instability, and carried on the advantage of Halbach Array on the magnetic field distribution at the same time.

Field monitoring of rail squats using 3D ultrasonic mapping technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaewunruen, S.; Ishida, M.

2014-01-01

Rail squats and studs are typically classified as the propagation of any cracks .that have grown longitudinally through the subsurface. Some of the cracks could propagate to the bottom of rails transversely, which have branched from the initial longitudinal cracks with a depression of rail surface. The rail defects are commonly referred to as 'squats' when they were initiated from a damage layer caused by rolling contact fatigue, and as 'studs' when they were associated with a white etching layer caused by the transformation from pearlitic steel due to friction heat generated by wheel sliding or excessive traction. Such above-mentioned rail defects have been often observed in railway tracks catered for either light passenger or heavy freight traffics and for low, medium or high speed trains all over the world for over 60 years except some places such as sharp curves where large wear takes place under severe friction between the wheel flange and rail gauge face. It becomes a much-more significant issue when the crack grows and sometimes flakes off the rail (by itself or by insufficient rail grinding), resulting in a rail surface irregularity. Such rail surface defects induce wheel/rail impact and large amplitude vibration of track structure and poor ride quality. In Australia, Europe, and Japan, rail squats/studs have occasionally turned into broken rails. The root cause and preventive solution to this defect are still under investigation from the fracture mechanics and material sciences point of view. Some patterns of squat/stud development related to both curve and tangent track geometries have been observed and squat growth has been monitored for individual squats using ultrasonic mapping techniques. This paper highlights the field monitoring of squat/stud distribution and its growth. Squat/stud growth has been detected and scanned using the ultrasonic measurement device on a grid applied to the rail surface. The depths of crack paths at each grid node form a

Field monitoring of rail squats using 3D ultrasonic mapping technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaewunruen, S., E-mail: sakdirat.kaewunruen@transport.nsw.gov.au [NSW, Transport, Sydney (Australia); Ishida, M., E-mail: ishida-mk@n-koei.jp [Nippon Koei Co. Ltd., Railway Div., Railway Engineering Dept., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Japan)

2014-11-15

Rail squats and studs are typically classified as the propagation of any cracks .that have grown longitudinally through the subsurface. Some of the cracks could propagate to the bottom of rails transversely, which have branched from the initial longitudinal cracks with a depression of rail surface. The rail defects are commonly referred to as 'squats' when they were initiated from a damage layer caused by rolling contact fatigue, and as 'studs' when they were associated with a white etching layer caused by the transformation from pearlitic steel due to friction heat generated by wheel sliding or excessive traction. Such above-mentioned rail defects have been often observed in railway tracks catered for either light passenger or heavy freight traffics and for low, medium or high speed trains all over the world for over 60 years except some places such as sharp curves where large wear takes place under severe friction between the wheel flange and rail gauge face. It becomes a much-more significant issue when the crack grows and sometimes flakes off the rail (by itself or by insufficient rail grinding), resulting in a rail surface irregularity. Such rail surface defects induce wheel/rail impact and large amplitude vibration of track structure and poor ride quality. In Australia, Europe, and Japan, rail squats/studs have occasionally turned into broken rails. The root cause and preventive solution to this defect are still under investigation from the fracture mechanics and material sciences point of view. Some patterns of squat/stud development related to both curve and tangent track geometries have been observed and squat growth has been monitored for individual squats using ultrasonic mapping techniques. This paper highlights the field monitoring of squat/stud distribution and its growth. Squat/stud growth has been detected and scanned using the ultrasonic measurement device on a grid applied to the rail surface. The depths of crack paths at each

Mock-up tests of rail-mounted vehicle type in-vessel transporter/manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oka, K.; Kakaudate, S.; Fukatsu, S.

1995-01-01

A rail-mounted vehicle system has been developed for remote maintenance of in-vessel components for fusion experimental reactor. In this system, a rail deploying/storing system is installed at outside of the reactor core and used to deploy a rail transporter and vehicle/manipulator for the in-vessel maintenance. A prototype of the rail deploying/storing system has been fabricated for mockup tests. This paper describes structural design of the prototypical rail deploying/storing system and results of the performance tests such as payload capacity, position control and rail deployment/storage performance

Ten years of common-rail injection systems for passenger cars; Gemeine Drucksache. Zehn Jahre Common-Rail-Einspritzsystem fuer Pkw

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hohenthal, M.Y. von

2007-07-15

The future of the diesel engine started in 1997 with the Bosch common rail injection system which provided higher power, higher rotary momentum, lower consumption, lower noise and lower pollutant emissions. Since then, high-pressure common-rail injection systems have become state of the art. (orig.)

Barriers to and enablers for European rail freight transport for integrated door-to-door logistics service. Part 1: Barriers to multimodal rail freight transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewan Md Zahurul ISLAM

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to examine and identify barriers to and enablers for the European rail freight transport services as a transport chain partner along the supply chains in the changing market scenario. The changing market scenario includes, among others, requiring 'door-to-door' rather than 'terminal to terminal' and integrated service, competitive ability to attract non-rail cargo type, changes in the customer requirements (e.g. reliable service and changes in the operational requirements and practices. Using a literature review method, the paper is presented in two parts. The part 1 focuses on the identification of barriers to the European rail freight service by reviewing freight logistics services for global supply chains followed by the current performance of European rail freight transport followed by a discussion on the rail freight market liberalisation in Europe. Then rail freight transport in the Unites States (U.S. is discussed. The research notes that although the background, scope and necessity for reform measures in Europe differ from those of the U.S., some lessons can be learned and the main lesson is that an appropriate reform measure can enhance rail sector competitive ability in Europe. Examining and identifying the barriers in the part 1 (with the pan-Pacific examples of rail freight transports, the part 2 of the paper focuses on recommending clear actions and steps as enablers for the rail freight industry in general and operators in particular. The research in part 1 of the paper finds that: •\tIn many European countries, the rail freight market is not fully liberalised. In such market segment, infrastructure managers do act independently for incumbents and new entrant operators that hamper the progress of building a competitive market; •\tThe rail operators have not yet achieved the service quality (e.g. customer tailored service needed for the modern supply chains; •\tThey operate �

A 0.8V, 7μA, rail-to-rail input/output, constant Gm operational amplifier in standard digital 0.18μm CMOS

OpenAIRE

Citakovic, J; Nielsen, I. Riis; Nielsen, Jannik Hammel; Asbeck, P; Andreani, Pietro

2005-01-01

A two-stage amplifier, operational at 0.8V and drawing 7μA, has been integrated in a standard digital 0.18μm CMOS process. Rail-to-rail operations at the input are enabled by complementary transistor pairs with gm control. The efficient rail-to-rail output stage is biased in class AB. The measured DC gain of the amplifier is 75dB, and the unity-gain frequency is 870kHz with a 12pF, 100kΩload. Both input and output stage transistors are biased in weak inversion.

Simulations of roughness initiation and growth on railway rails

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, X.; Thompson, D. J.; Jones, C. J. C.; Xie, G.; Iwnicki, S. D.; Allen, P.; Hsu, S. S.

2006-06-01

A model for the prediction of the initiation and growth of roughness on the rail is presented. The vertical interaction between a train and the track is calculated as a time history for single or multiple wheels moving on periodically supported rails, using a wavenumber-based approach. This vertical dynamic wheel/rail force arises from the varying stiffness due to discrete supports (i.e. parametric excitation) and the roughness excitation on the railhead. The tangential contact problem between the wheel and rail is modelled using an unsteady two-dimensional approach and also using the three-dimensional contact model, FASTSIM. This enables the slip and stick regions in the contact patch to be identified from the input geometry and creepage between the wheel and rail. The long-term wear growth is then predicted by applying repeated passages of the vehicle wheelsets, as part of an iterative solution.

Prototype Rail Crossing Violation Warning Application Project Report.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-05

This report is the Project Report for the Rail Crossing Violation Warning (RCVW) safety application developed for the project on Rail Crossing Violation Warning Application and Infrastructure Connection, providing a means for equipped connected vehic...

77 FR 17121 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-23

... decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, Department of Transportation. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. [[Page 17122

Multiphysics modeling of a rail gun launcher

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y W Kwon

2016-03-01

Full Text Available A finite element based multiphysics modeling was conducted for a rail gunlauncher to predict the exit velocity of the launch object, and temperaturedistribution. For this modeling, electromagnetic field analysis, heat transferanalysis, thermal stress analysis, and dynamic analysis were conducted fora system consisting of two parallel rails and a moving armature. In particular,an emphasis was given to model the contact interface between rails andthe armature. A contact theory was used to estimate the electric as well asthermal conductivities at the interface. Using the developed model, aparametric study was conducted to understand effects of variousparameters on the exit velocity as well as the temperature distribution in therail gun launcher.

Electric rail gun application to space propulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barber, J.P.

1979-01-01

The paper examines the possibility of using the DC electric gun principles as a space vehicle propulsion system, capable of producing intermediate thrust levels. The application of an electromagnetic launch technique, called the DC electric rail gun, to the space propulsion concept of O'Neill, is examined. It is determined that the DC electric rail gun offers very high projectile accelerations and a very significant potential for reducing the size and mass of a reaction motor for space application. A detailed description of rail gun principles is given and some simple expressions for the accelerating force, gun impedance, power supply requirements, and system performance are discussed

30 CFR 57.9102 - Movement of independently operating rail equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Movement of independently operating rail... NONMETAL MINES Loading, Hauling, and Dumping Traffic Safety § 57.9102 Movement of independently operating rail equipment. Movement of two or more pieces of rail equipment operating independently on the same...

Stochastic nature of series of waiting times

Science.gov (United States)

Anvari, Mehrnaz; Aghamohammadi, Cina; Dashti-Naserabadi, H.; Salehi, E.; Behjat, E.; Qorbani, M.; Khazaei Nezhad, M.; Zirak, M.; Hadjihosseini, Ali; Peinke, Joachim; Tabar, M. Reza Rahimi

2013-06-01

Although fluctuations in the waiting time series have been studied for a long time, some important issues such as its long-range memory and its stochastic features in the presence of nonstationarity have so far remained unstudied. Here we find that the “waiting times” series for a given increment level have long-range correlations with Hurst exponents belonging to the interval 1/2waiting time distribution. We find that the logarithmic difference of waiting times series has a short-range correlation, and then we study its stochastic nature using the Markovian method and determine the corresponding Kramers-Moyal coefficients. As an example, we analyze the velocity fluctuations in high Reynolds number turbulence and determine the level dependence of Markov time scales, as well as the drift and diffusion coefficients. We show that the waiting time distributions exhibit power law tails, and we were able to model the distribution with a continuous time random walk.

A systems approach to reduce urban rail energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González-Gil, A.; Palacin, R.; Batty, P.; Powell, J.P.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • An insightful overview of energy usage in urban rail systems is given. • The principal measures to reduce urban rail energy consumption are appraised. • A methodology is proposed to help implement energy saving schemes in urban rail. • Regenerative braking is shown to offer the greatest energy saving potential. - Abstract: There is increasing interest in the potential of urban rail to reduce the impact of metropolitan transportation due to its high capacity, reliability and absence of local emissions. However, in a context characterised by increasing capacity demands and rising energy costs, and where other transport modes are considerably improving their environmental performance, urban rail must minimise its energy use without affecting its service quality. Urban rail energy consumption is defined by a wide range of interdependent factors; therefore, a system wide perspective is required, rather than focusing on energy savings at subsystem level. This paper contributes to the current literature by proposing an holistic approach to reduce the overall energy consumption of urban rail. Firstly, a general description of this transport mode is given, which includes an assessment of its typical energy breakdown. Secondly, a comprehensive appraisal of the main practices, strategies and technologies currently available to minimise its energy use is provided. These comprise: regenerative braking, energy-efficient driving, traction losses reduction, comfort functions optimisation, energy metering, smart power management and renewable energy micro-generation. Finally, a clear, logical methodology is described to optimally define and implement energy saving schemes in urban rail systems. This includes general guidelines for a qualitative assessment and comparison of measures alongside a discussion on the principal interdependences between them. As a hypothetical example of application, the paper concludes that the energy consumption in existing urban

Singular point analysis during rail deployment into vacuum vessel for ITER blanket maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakudate, Satoshi; Shibanuma, Kiyoshi

2007-05-01

Remote maintenance of the ITER blanket composed of about 400 modules in the vessel is required by a maintenance robot due to high gamma radiation of ∼500Gy/h in the vessel. A concept of rail-mounted vehicle manipulator system has been developed to apply to the maintenance of the ITER blanket. The most critical issue of the vehicle manipulator system is the feasibility of the deployment of the articulated rail composed of eight rail links into the donut-shaped vessel without any driving mechanism in the rail. To solve this issue, a new driving mechanism and procedure for the rail deployment has been proposed, taking account of a repeated operation of the multi-rail links deployed in the same kinematical manner. The new driving mechanism, which is deferent from those of a usual 'articulated arm' equipped with actuator in the every joint for movement, is composed of three mechanisms. To assess the feasibility of the kinematics of the articulated rail for rail deployment, a kinematical model composed of three rail links related to a cycle of the repeated operation for rail deployment was considered. The determinant det J' of the Jacobian matrix J' was solved so as to estimate the existence of a singular point of the transformation during rail deployment. As a result, it is found that there is a singular point due to det J'=0. To avoid the singular point of the rail links, a new location of the second driving mechanism and the related rail deployment procedure are proposed. As a result of the rail deployment test based on the new proposal using a full-scale vehicle manipulator system, the respective rail links have been successfully deployed within 6 h less than the target of 8 h in the same manner of the repeated operation under a synchronized cooperation among the three driving mechanisms. It is therefore concluded that the feasibility of the rail deployment of the articulated rail composed of simple structures without any driving mechanism has been demonstrated

30 CFR 56.9102 - Movement of independently operating rail equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Movement of independently operating rail... MINES Loading, Hauling, and Dumping Traffic Safety § 56.9102 Movement of independently operating rail equipment. Movement of two or more pieces of rail equipment operating independently on the same track shall...

An automated system for rail transit infrastructure inspection.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

This project applied commercial remote sensing and spatial information (CRS&SI) : technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), laser, GIS, and GPS to passenger rail : inspections. An integrated rail inspection system that can be mounted on hi...

The effects of immigration on NHS waiting times.

Science.gov (United States)

Giuntella, Osea; Nicodemo, Catia; Vargas-Silva, Carlos

2018-03-01

This paper analyzes the effects of immigration on waiting times for the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Linking administrative records from Hospital Episode Statistics (2003-2012) with immigration data drawn from the UK Labour Force Survey, we find that immigration reduced waiting times for outpatient referrals and did not have significant effects on waiting times in accident and emergency departments (A&E) and elective care. The reduction in outpatient waiting times can be explained by the fact that immigration increases natives' internal mobility and that immigrants tend to be healthier than natives who move to different areas. Finally, we find evidence that immigration increased waiting times for outpatient referrals in more deprived areas outside of London. The increase in average waiting times in more deprived areas is concentrated in the years immediately following the 2004 EU enlargement and disappears in the medium term (e.g., 3-4 years). Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EVALUATION OF STRAIN-STRESS STATE OF THE RAILS IN THE PRODUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Muravev

2017-01-01

Full Text Available High values of residual stresses is one of the most common reason of breaking lots of metal constructions, including rails. These stresses can reach values of flow limit, especially in the area of faults. Estimation of residual stresses values allows to get information about technical condition of the rail and also allow to avoid abnormal situations So, the aim of the research is creating the model of stress-strain state of the rail, which was hardened in its top and bottom, and to compare modeling results with experimental measurements of stresses and discrepancy of the housing.For creating the model and making evaluations by finite element method we used a program COMSOL. Forces on the top and bottom of the rail cause tension stresses, forces on the web of the rail cause tensile stresses. We compared calculated values of stresses with discrepancy of the housing. The discrepancy of the housing is informative characteristic for estimating the residual stresses according to standards. For experimental measurements we used an acoustic structuroscope SEMA. This structuroscope uses the acoustoelastic phenomenon for measurements. We made measurements of the five rails.According to the calculation results of the model, critical discrepancy of the housing in 2 mm corresponded to the following values of maximum stresses: –54 MPa in the top of the rail, 86 MPa in the web and –62 MPa in the bottom of the rail. Experimental measurements are the following: from –48 MPa to – 64 MPa in the top of the rail, 54 MPa to 93 MPa in the web of the rail, and –59 MPA to –74 MPa in the bottom of the rail. Absolute error was ±5 MPa.Thus we created the model, which allowed to analyze strain-stress state and compare real values of stresses with discrepancy of the housing. Results of the modeling showed coincidence with structure of distribution of residual stresses in five probes of rails. 

Rail renaissance based on strategic market segmentation principles

African Journals Online (AJOL)

rail renaissance, market segmentation, South Africa, state of logistics, ... The modal imbalance is the result of a historical rail investment backlog, with ..... vector that can be thought of as a chromosome in genetic terms, while the values used.

Optimal Placement Method of RFID Readers in Industrial Rail Transport for Uneven Rail Traflc Volume Management

Science.gov (United States)

Rakhmangulov, Aleksandr; Muravev, Dmitri; Mishkurov, Pavel

2016-11-01

The issue of operative data reception on location and movement of railcars is significant the constantly growing requirements of the provision of timely and safe transportation. The technical solution for efficiency improvement of data collection on rail rolling stock is the implementation of an identification system. Nowadays, there are several such systems, distinguished in working principle. In the authors' opinion, the most promising for rail transportation is the RFID technology, proposing the equipping of the railway tracks by the stationary points of data reading (RFID readers) from the onboard sensors on the railcars. However, regardless of a specific type and manufacturer of these systems, their implementation is affiliated with the significant financing costs for large, industrial, rail transport systems, owning the extensive network of special railway tracks with a large number of stations and loading areas. To reduce the investment costs for creation, the identification system of rolling stock on the special railway tracks of industrial enterprises has developed the method based on the idea of priority installation of the RFID readers on railway hauls, where rail traffic volumes are uneven in structure and power, parameters of which is difficult or impossible to predict on the basis of existing data in an information system. To select the optimal locations of RFID readers, the mathematical model of the staged installation of such readers has developed depending on the non-uniformity value of rail traffic volumes, passing through the specific railway hauls. As a result of that approach, installation of the numerous RFID readers at all station tracks and loading areas of industrial railway stations might be not necessary,which reduces the total cost of the rolling stock identification and the implementation of the method for optimal management of transportation process.

Outpatient waiting time in Jos University Teaching Hospital ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Problem Long waiting time for services has been identified as a reason people avoid presenting to for care in African countries. Design Examination of causes for long outpatient waiting time and the effect of measures to reduce waiting time. Setting Outpatient department of the Jos University Teaching Hospital.

A big data analysis approach for rail failure risk assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jamshidi, A.; Faghih Roohi, S.; Hajizadeh, S.; Nunez Vicencio, Alfredo; Babuska, R.; Dollevoet, R.P.B.J.; Li, Z.; De Schutter, B.H.K.

2017-01-01

Railway infrastructure monitoring is a vital task to ensure rail transportation safety. A rail failure could result in not only a considerable impact on train delays and maintenance costs, but also on safety of passengers. In this article, the aim is to assess the risk of a rail failure by

Structural parameter optimization design for Halbach permanent maglev rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, F.; Tang, Y.; Ren, L.; Li, J.

2010-01-01

Maglev rail is an important part of the magnetic levitation launch system. Reducing the manufacturing cost of magnetic levitation rail is the key problem for the development of magnetic levitation launch system. The Halbach permanent array has an advantage that the fundamental spatial field is cancelled on one side of the array while the field on the other side is enhanced. So this array used in the design of high temperature superconducting permanent maglev rail could improve the surface magnetic field and the levitation force. In order to make the best use of Nd-Fe-B (NdFeB) material and reduce the cost of maglev rail, the effect of the rail's structural parameters on levitation force and the utilization rate of NdFeB material are analyzed. The optimal ranges of these structural parameters are obtained. The mutual impact of these parameters is also discussed. The optimization method of these structure parameters is proposed at the end of this paper.

Structural parameter optimization design for Halbach permanent maglev rail

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, F., E-mail: guofang19830119@163.co [R and D Center of Applied Superconductivity, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Tang, Y.; Ren, L.; Li, J. [R and D Center of Applied Superconductivity, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2010-11-01

Maglev rail is an important part of the magnetic levitation launch system. Reducing the manufacturing cost of magnetic levitation rail is the key problem for the development of magnetic levitation launch system. The Halbach permanent array has an advantage that the fundamental spatial field is cancelled on one side of the array while the field on the other side is enhanced. So this array used in the design of high temperature superconducting permanent maglev rail could improve the surface magnetic field and the levitation force. In order to make the best use of Nd-Fe-B (NdFeB) material and reduce the cost of maglev rail, the effect of the rail's structural parameters on levitation force and the utilization rate of NdFeB material are analyzed. The optimal ranges of these structural parameters are obtained. The mutual impact of these parameters is also discussed. The optimization method of these structure parameters is proposed at the end of this paper.

Electron Waiting Times of a Cooper Pair Splitter

Science.gov (United States)

Walldorf, Nicklas; Padurariu, Ciprian; Jauho, Antti-Pekka; Flindt, Christian

2018-02-01

Electron waiting times are an important concept in the analysis of quantum transport in nanoscale conductors. Here we show that the statistics of electron waiting times can be used to characterize Cooper pair splitters that create spatially separated spin-entangled electrons. A short waiting time between electrons tunneling into different leads is associated with the fast emission of a split Cooper pair, while long waiting times are governed by the slow injection of Cooper pairs from a superconductor. Experimentally, the waiting time distributions can be measured using real-time single-electron detectors in the regime of slow tunneling, where conventional current measurements are demanding. Our work is important for understanding the fundamental transport processes in Cooper pair splitters and the predictions may be verified using current technology.

Electron Waiting Times of a Cooper Pair Splitter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Walldorf, Nicklas; Padurariu, Ciprian; Jauho, Antti-Pekka

2018-01-01

Electron waiting times are an important concept in the analysis of quantum transport in nanoscale conductors. Here we show that the statistics of electron waiting times can be used to characterize Cooper pair splitters that create spatially separated spin-entangled electrons. A short waiting time...... between electrons tunneling into different leads is associated with the fast emission of a split Cooper pair, while long waiting times are governed by the slow injection of Cooper pairs from a superconductor. Experimentally, the waiting time distributions can be measured using real-time single......-electron detectors in the regime of slow tunneling, where conventional current measurements are demanding. Our work is important for understanding the fundamental transport processes in Cooper pair splitters and the predictions may be verified using current technology....

Control of rolling contact fatigue on premium rails in revenue service.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

Effective rail maintenance strategies are : essential for controlling rolling contact fatigue : (RCF) and reducing wear of rails under heavy : axle load (HAL) operations. In an effort to : optimize rail maintenance strategies in revenue : service, Tr...

NASTRAN buckling study of a linear induction motor reaction rail

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, J. G.

1973-01-01

NASTRAN was used to study problems associated with the installation of a linear induction motor reaction rail test track. Specific problems studied include determination of the critical axial compressive buckling stress and establishment of the lateral stiffness of the reaction rail under combined loads. NASTRAN results were compared with experimentally obtained values and satisfactory agreement was obtained. The reaction rail was found to buckle at an axial compressive stress of 11,400 pounds per square inch. The results of this investigation were used to select procedures for installation of the reaction rail.

Rail Base Corrosion and Cracking Prevention: Phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

2018-04-09

EWI was engaged by the Federal Railroad Administration to research rail treatments to prevent rail base corrosion in corrosive environments. A coating system was selected in Phase 1 and recommended for field trials. In Phase 2, four railroads sponsor...

Plans for crash-tested wood bridge railings for concrete decks

Science.gov (United States)

Michael A. Ritter; Ronald K. Faller; Barry T. Rosson; Paula D. Hilbrich Lee; Sheila Rimal. Duwadi

1998-01-01

As part of a continuing cooperative research between the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF); the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL); and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), several crashworthy wood bridge railings and approach railing transitions have been adapted for use on concrete bridge decks. These railings meet testing and...

Linear and/or curvilinear rail mount system

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Jackie D. (Inventor); Harris, Lawanna L. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

One or more linear and/or curvilinear mounting rails are coupled to a structure. Each mounting rail defines a channel and at least one cartridge assembly is engaged in the channel. Each cartridge assembly includes a housing that slides within the channel. The housing defines a curvilinearly-shaped recess longitudinally aligned with the channel when the housing is in engagement therewith. The cartridge assembly also includes a cleat fitted in the recess for sliding engagement therealong. The cleat can be coupled to a fastener that passes through the mounting rail and the housing when the housing is so-engaged in the channel. The cleat is positioned in the recess by a position of the fastener.

[Influence of waiting time on patient and companion satisfaction].

Science.gov (United States)

Fontova-Almató, A; Juvinyà-Canal, D; Suñer-Soler, R

2015-01-01

To evaluate patient and companion satisfaction of a hospital Emergency Department and its relationship with waiting time. Prospective, observational study. Hospital de Figueres Emergency Department (Girona, Spain). sociodemographic characteristics, satisfaction level, real and perceived waiting time for triage and being seen by a physician. A total of 285 responses were received from patients and companions. The mean age of the patients and companions (n=257) was 54.6years (SD=18.3). The mean overall satisfaction (n=273) was 7.6 (SD=2.2). Lower perceived waiting time until nurse triage was related to higher overall satisfaction (Spearman rho (ρ)=-0.242, P<.001), and lower perceived waiting time until being seen by physician, with a higher overall satisfaction (ρ=-0.304; P<.001). Users who were informed about estimated waiting time showed higher satisfaction than those who were not informed (P=.001). Perceived waiting time and the information about estimated waiting time determined overall satisfaction. Copyright © 2014 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Home school student visit and introduction to rail transportation and engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-22

This project consisted of hosting local Champaign-Urbana, Illinois home school students for a visit to : the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana- : Champaign (UIUC). Beyond visiting RailTEC, st...

Rail Track Detection and Modelling in Mobile Laser Scanner Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Oude Elberink

2013-10-01

Full Text Available We present a method for detecting and modelling rails in mobile laser scanner data. The detection is based on the properties of the rail tracks and contact wires such as relative height, linearity and relative position with respect to other objects. Points classified as rail track are used in a 3D modelling algorithm. The modelling is done by first fitting a parametric model of a rail piece to the points along each track, and estimating the position and orientation parameters of each piece model. For each position and orientation parameter a smooth low-order Fourier curve is interpolated. Using all interpolated parameters a mesh model of the rail is reconstructed. The method is explained using two areas from a dataset acquired by a LYNX mobile mapping system in a mountainous area. Residuals between railway laser points and 3D models are in the range of 2 cm. It is concluded that a curve fitting algorithm is essential to reliably and accurately model the rail tracks by using the knowledge that railways are following a continuous and smooth path.

Unistuste Rail Baltic - ilus ja kallis / Mikk Salu

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Salu, Mikk, 1975-

2011-01-01

Rail Balticu puhul on tähtsaim küsimus, kas uut raudteeühendust on üldse vaja, mitte aga see, kas tee läheb läbi Tartu või Pärnu. Konsutatsioonifirma AECOM koostatud raportist Rail Balticu tasuvuse kohta

Rail freight transportation concerns of developing economies: A Namibian perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fanny Saruchera

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Although rail transport appears to be well established and outperforming other transport modes in Europe and beyond, in the majority of developing economies it was observed that firms and travellers were, on the contrary, shunning from the rail. Despite considerable infrastructural investments in the African rail systems, the sector has been deteriorating over the years. Objectives: This study identifies the freight rail transportation problems faced by African developing economies, focusing on Namibia, and examines the potential actions and factors for minimising such problems, drawing lessons from some of the developed world’s success stories. Method: The objectives of this study are achieved through a survey of Windhoek-based industrial and logistics firms operating in Namibia. Self-administered survey questionnaires were distributed through the aid of trained research assistants. Results: The study’s results show that some of the reasons of shunning rail transport are a matter of attitude, whereas some are related to operational challenges. The study confirms that the transport mode used and ownership of the freight transport services used can affect the degree of satisfaction for the transportation of goods in Namibia. Conclusion: Namibian industrial and logistics firms avoid using rail, owing to its low level of satisfaction obtained from its use. Besides engaging in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs in rail transport operations, the study contends that rail transport should receive attention similar to that given to other transport modes for African economies such as Namibia to overcome the costs associated with the increasing road congestion.

Reducing wait time in a hospital pharmacy to promote customer service.

Science.gov (United States)

Slowiak, Julie M; Huitema, Bradley E; Dickinson, Alyce M

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 2 different interventions on wait times at a hospital outpatient pharmacy: (1) giving feedback to employees about customer satisfaction with wait times and (2) giving a combined intervention package that included giving more specific feedback about actual wait times and goal setting for wait time reduction in addition to the customer satisfaction feedback. The relationship between customer satisfaction ratings and wait times was examined to determine whether wait times affected customer service satisfaction. Participants were 10 employees (4 pharmacists and 6 technicians) of an outpatient pharmacy. Wait times and customer satisfaction ratings were collected for "waiting customers." An ABCBA' within-subjects design was used to assess the effects of the interventions on both wait time and customer satisfaction, where A was the baseline (no feedback and no goal setting); B was the customer satisfaction feedback; C was the customer satisfaction feedback, the wait time feedback, and the goal setting for wait time reduction; and A' was a follow-up condition that was similar to the original baseline condition. Wait times were reduced by approximately 20%, and there was concomitant increased shift in levels of customer satisfaction, as indicated by the correlation between these variables (r = -0.57 and P customer's wait time. Data from this study may provide useful preliminary benchmarking data for standard pharmacy wait times.

Analysis of emergency department waiting lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Urška Močnik

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Steady increase in the numbers of patients seeking medical assistance has recently been observed at the emergency department of the health center under study. This has led to increases in waiting times for patients. The management of the health center has been considering to implement certain measures to remedy this situation. One proposed solution is to add an additional physician to the emergency department. A computer model was constructed to simulate waiting lines and analyze the economic feasibility of employing an additional physician.Aim: This paper analyzes the waiting lines at the emergency department and performs an economic feasibility study to determine whether adding an additional physician to the department would be economically justified.Methods: Data about waiting times at the emergency department were collected to study the situation. For each patient, the arrival time at the waiting room and the starting and ending times of the examination were registered. The data were collected from 13 June 2011 to 25 September 2011. The sample included data on 65 nightly standbys, nine standbys on Saturdays, and 16 standbys on Sundays. Due to incomplete entries, data for nine weekly standbys and six Saturday standbys were excluded from the sample. Based on the data collected, we calculated the waiting and examination times per patient, average number of patients, average waiting time, average examination time, share of active standby teams in total standby time, and number of patients in different time periods. The study involved 1,039 patients. Using a synthesis method, we designed a computer model of waiting lines and economic feasibility. The model was validated using comparative analysis. A what-if analysis was performed using various computer simulations with various scenarios to consider the outcomes of decision alternatives. We applied economic analysis to select the best possible solution.Results: The research results

Bootstrap for rails

CERN Document Server

Rahman, Syed Fazle

2015-01-01

If you are a web developer who has a basic understanding of Ruby on Rails, this is the book for you. You should definitely have previous knowledge about HTML and how it works. However, CSS and JavaScript knowledge is optional for this book.

Groningen Seaports : An Examination of Public Rail Infrastructure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Droogendijk, Gert

2010-01-01

This report examines the value of the public rail infrastructure of Groningen Seaports, the port authority of Delfzijl and Eemshaven. There is substantial strategic value of public rail infrastructure due to the public good character, the mission of Groningen Seaports, the image of full port

49 CFR 213.343 - Continuous welded rail (CWR).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TRACK SAFETY STANDARDS Train Operations at Track Classes 6 and...) Designation of a desired rail installation temperature range for the geographic area in which the CWR is... installation temperature range when adjusting CWR. (b) Rail anchoring or fastening requirements that will...

77 FR 76169 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-26

....stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public Assistance...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the AAR's proposed rebasing calculations and...

75 FR 53734 - Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot Rail Corp.-Continuance in Control...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

... noncarrier limited liability company that owns not less than 51% of the equity interests in PRH. PRH owns 100% of the stock of Patriot. Patriot is a noncarrier holding company that owns 100% of the stock of six...). Patriot currently controls the following six Class III rail carriers: Tennessee Southern Railroad Company...

LOAD BEARING CAPACITY OF THE GLASS RAILING ELEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeta Šamec

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper some basic physical and mechanical properties of glass as structural material are presented. This research is about specifically manufactured glass railing element that will be a part of a pedestrian bridge construction in Zagreb, Croatia. Load bearing capacity test of the glass railing element is conducted within the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb and obtained experimental results are discussed and compared to the ones provided by the numerical model. Taking into account the behaviour of laminated glass and results of experimental and numerical testing, glass railing element can be regarded as safe.

Improving Patient Satisfaction with Waiting Time

Science.gov (United States)

Eilers, Gayleen M.

2004-01-01

Waiting times are a significant component of patient satisfaction. A patient satisfaction survey performed in the author's health center showed that students rated waiting time lowest of the listed categories--A ratings of 58% overall, 63% for scheduled appointments, and 41% for the walk-in clinic. The center used a quality improvement process and…

Bell inequalities and waiting times

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poeltl, Christina; Governale, Michele [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences and MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140 (New Zealand)

2015-07-01

We propose a Bell test based on waiting time distributions for spin entangled electron pairs, which are generated and split in mesoscopic Coulomb blockade structures, denoted as entanglers. These systems have the advantage that quantum point contacts enable a time resolved observation of the electrons occupying the system, which gives access to quantities such as full counting statistics and waiting time distributions. We use the partial waiting times to define a CHSH-Bell test, which is a purely electronic analogue of the test used in quantum optics. After the introduction of the Bell inequality we discuss the findings on the two examples of a double quantum dot and a triple quantum dot. This Bell test allows the exclusion of irrelevant tunnel processes from the statistics normally used for the Bell correlations. This can improve the parameter range for which a violation of the Bell inequality can be measured significantly.

Review on Selection and Suitability of Rail Transit Station Design Pertaining to Public Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Akabal, Farah Mohd; Masirin, Mohd Idrus Haji Mohd; Abidin Akasah, Zainal; Rohani, Munzilah Md

2017-08-01

Railway has emerged as a fast, convenient, safe, clean, and low-cost alternative to air and road transportation. Many countries have invested in rail transportation. In America, Europe and Asia, large investments are planned for rail transportation. This is because congestion problems can be reduced with the introduction of rail transportation. Rail transportation involves several components which are important to ensure the smooth and safe delivery of services such as locomotives, rail stations and railway tracks. Rail transit stations are places where trains stop to pick-up and drop-off passengers. Stations are vital for many to enable them to engage in work and social commitments. This paper focuses only on the rail transit station as it is one of the important components in rail transportation. It is also considered as a key public meeting place and space for interactions in a community. The role of rail transit station and the requirements of a good rail transit station are also described in this paper. Steps in selecting the location of rail transit station include the function and facilities in rail transit station are discussed with reference to best practices and handbooks. Selection of the appropriate rail transit station locations may help users indirectly. In addition, this paper will also elucidate on the design considerations for an efficient and effective rail transit station. Design selections for the rail transit station must be balanced between aesthetic value and functional efficiency. The right design selection may help conserve energy, assure and facilitate consumers even thought a rail transit station plays a smaller role in attracting consumers compared to a shopping complex or a residential building. This will contribute towards better and greener building for a green transportation facility. Thus, with this paper it is expected to assist the relevant authority to identify important elements in the selection and determination of suitable

Mechatronic modeling of real-time wheel-rail contact

CERN Document Server

Bosso, Nicola; Gugliotta, Antonio; Somà, Aurelio

2013-01-01

Real-time simulations of the behaviour of a rail vehicle require realistic solutions of the wheel-rail contact problem which can work in a real-time mode. Examples of such solutions for the online mode have been well known and are implemented within standard and commercial tools for the simulation codes for rail vehicle dynamics. This book is the result of the research activities carried out by the Railway Technology Lab of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Torino. This book presents work on the project for the development of a real-time wheel-rail contact model and provides the simulation results obtained with dSpace real-time hardware. Besides this, the implementation of the contact model for the development of a real-time model for the complex mechatronic system of a scaled test rig is presented in this book and may be useful for the further validation of the real-time contact model with experiments on a full scale test rig.

Patients' perceptions of waiting for bariatric surgery: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Deborah M; Temple Newhook, Julia; Twells, Laurie K

2013-10-18

In Canada waiting lists for bariatric surgery are common, with wait times on average > 5 years. The meaning of waiting for bariatric surgery from the patients' perspective must be understood if health care providers are to act as facilitators in promoting satisfaction with care and quality care outcomes. The aims of this study were to explore patients' perceptions of waiting for bariatric surgery, the meaning and experience of waiting, the psychosocial and behavioral impact of waiting for treatment and identify health care provider and health system supportive measures that could potentially improve the waiting experience. Twenty-one women and six men engaged in in-depth interviews that were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis between June 2011 and April 2012. The data were subjected to re-analysis to identify perceived health care provider and health system barriers to accessing bariatric surgery. Thematic analysis identified inequity as a barrier to accessing bariatric surgery. Three areas of perceived inequity were identified from participants' accounts: socioeconomic inequity, regional inequity, and inequity related to waitlist prioritization. Although excited about their acceptance as candidates for surgery, the waiting period was described as stressful, anxiety provoking, and frustrating. Anger was expressed towards the health care system for the long waiting times. Participants identified the importance of health care provider and health system supports during the waiting period. Recommendations on how to improve the waiting experience included periodic updates from the surgeon's office about their position on the wait list; a counselor who specializes in helping people going through this surgery, dietitian support and further information on what to expect after surgery, among others. Patients' perceptions of accessing and waiting for bariatric surgery are shaped by perceived

Top-of-Rail lubricant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alzoubi, M. F.; Fenske, G. R.; Erck, R. A.; Boparai, A. S.

2000-07-14

Analysis of the volatile and semivolatile fractions collected after use of the TOR lubricant indicated that other than contaminants in the collection laboratory, no compounds on the EPA's Target Compound Lists (Tables 2 and 5) were detected in these fractions. The data of these qualitative analyses, given in the various tables in the text, indicate only the relative amounts of the tentatively identified compounds. The authors recommend that quantitative analysis be performed on the volatile and semivolatile fractions to allow confirmation of the tentatively identified compounds and to obtain absolute amounts of the detected compounds. Additionally, the semivolatile fraction should be analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify compounds that are not chromatographable under the temperature program used for determination of semivolatile compounds. Introducing the top-of-rail (TOR) lubricant into the wheel/rail interface results in a reduction of almost 60% of lateral friction force over the forces encountered under dry conditions. This reveals good potential for energy savings, as well as wear reduction, for railroad companies. In TOR lubrication, an increase in the angle of attack and axle load results in increased lateral friction and rate of lubricant consumption. The most efficient TOR lubricant quantity to be used in the wheel/rail interface must be calculated precisely according to the number of cars, axle loads, train speed, and angle of attack.

LeRC rail accelerators: test designs and diagnostic techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zana, L.M.; Kerslake, W.R.; Sturman, J.C.; Wang, S.Y.; Terdan, F.F.

1984-01-01

The feasibility of using rail accelerators for various in-space and to-space propulsion applications was investigated. A 1 meter, 24 sq mm bore accelerator was designed with the goal of demonstrating projectile velocities of 15 km/sec using a peak current of 200 kA. A second rail accelerator, 1 meter long with a 156.25 sq mm bore, was designed with clear polycarbonate sidewalls to permit visual observation of the plasma arc. A study of available diagnostic techniques and their application to the rail accelerator is presented. Specific topics of discussion include the use of interferometry and spectroscopy to examine the plasma armature as well as the use of optical sensors to measure rail displacement during acceleration. Standard diagnostics such as current and voltage measurements are also discussed. 15 references

Waiting list in a public health facility in Santiago, Chile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Letelier

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction Waiting lists are a well-known problem in public healthcare systems worldwide. For instance, England had over one million people in waiting lists for elective surgical procedures in 2000. Spain had over 360 000 patients in surgical waiting lists in 2007. Chile has been trying to manage waiting times through the GES (Explicit Guarantees in Healthcare plan, which was established by the Chilean government in 2005. Waiting lists for the guaranteed-care diseases in the GES plan had 380 000 patients at the beginning of 2010, and that number was reduced to zero in 2011. Internationally, there are some descriptive studies about waiting lists that focus on variables such as waiting times and number of patients in the list. In Chile, however, this type of study is lacking. Purpose This study aims to describe the characteristics of waiting lists for medical specialties between April and October 2011. It also aims to identify the components of management models in public healthcare centers, and to identify and analyze waiting-time frames of patients referred to a secondary or tertiary healthcare public center from a public primary healthcare center. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study of the waiting list for first-time consultations for medical specialties was carried out. Referred patients were described and grouped using indicators of access to healthcare and waiting time between April and October 2011. Each consultation request or referral of a new patient was included in the waiting list and analyzed. Results There were 15 935 requests for consultations; 5 717 requests were resolved, and 8 544 were not (54% of the total requests for consultation. There was a mean waiting time of 498 days for non-resolved requests for consultation, and a mean of 141 days for resolved requests. The specialties in highest demand were orthopedic surgery and ophthalmology. The main waiting-list management processes were referral and reception of requests

36 CFR 1192.175 - High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., monorails and systems. 1192.175 Section 1192.175 Parks, Forests, and Public Property ARCHITECTURAL AND... TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Other Vehicles and Systems § 1192.175 High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems. (a... steel-wheel-on-steel-rail technology, and monorail systems operating primarily on dedicated rail (i.e...

Material Evaluation of an Elastomer, Epoxy and Lightweight Concrete Rail Attachment System for Direct Fixation Light Rail Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Swarner, Benjamin R.

Sound Transit plans to extend its current light rail system, which runs along the I-5 corridor in Seattle, Washington, across the I-90 Homer Hadley floating bridge as part of a project to connect the major city centers in the region. But, no light rail has ever crossed a floating bridge due to several unique engineering challenges. One of these challenges is attaching the rails to the existing bridge deck without drilling into the bridge pontoons. This research program was developed to test and analyze a direct fixation method that uses lightweight concrete plinths and an elastomer-epoxy system to attach the rails to the bridge deck. The elastomer used was a two-part, pourable elastomer with cork particles intermixed to alter the mechanical properties of the material. A lightweight concrete mixture was analyzed for use in the plinths, and system tests investigated the system response under tensile, compressive and shear loading. The shear response of the system was examined further under varying loading conditions including different surface preparations, elastomer thicknesses, strain-rates and after freeze-thaw conditioning. Experimental data was examined for trends based on these parameters to best characterize the system, and the elastomer was evaluated in the context of modern elastomer research.

Evaluating autonomous acoustic surveying techniques for rails in tidal marshes

Science.gov (United States)

Stiffler, Lydia L.; Anderson, James T.; Katzner, Todd

2018-01-01

There is a growing interest toward the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) for acoustic surveying of secretive marsh bird populations. However, there is little information on how ARUs compare to human surveyors or how best to use ARU data that can be collected continuously throughout the day. We used ARUs to conduct 2 acoustic surveys for king (Rallus elegans) and clapper rails (R. crepitans) within a tidal marsh complex along the Pamunkey River, Virginia, USA, during May–July 2015. To determine the effectiveness of an ARU in replacing human personnel, we compared results of callback point‐count surveys with concurrent acoustic recordings and calculated estimates of detection probability for both rail species combined. The success of ARUs at detecting rails that human observers recorded decreased with distance (P ≤ 0.001), such that at of human‐recorded rails also were detected by the ARU, but at >75 m, only 34.0% of human‐detected rails were detected by the ARU. To determine a subsampling scheme for continuous ARU data that allows for effective surveying of presence and call rates of rails, we used ARUs to conduct 15 continuous 48‐hr passive surveys, generating 720 hr of recordings. We established 5 subsampling periods of 5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 min to evaluate ARU‐based presence and vocalization detections of rails compared with each of the full 60‐min sampling of ARU‐based detection of rails. All subsampling periods resulted in different (P ≤ 0.001) detection rates and unstandardized vocalization rates compared with the hourly sampling period. However, standardized vocalization counts from the 30‐min subsampling period were not different from vocalization counts of the full hourly sampling period. When surveying rail species in estuarine environments, species‐, habitat‐, and ARU‐specific limitations to ARU sampling should be considered when making inferences about abundances and distributions from ARU data. 

77 FR 65937 - Pioneer Railcorp-Continuation in Control Exemption-Rail Switching Services, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-31

... control of Rail Switching Services, Inc. (RSS), upon RSS's becoming a Class III rail carrier. \\1\\ Pioneer states that it owns 100% of the common stock of its 17 Class III rail carrier subsidiaries: West Michigan...--Continuation in Control Exemption--Rail Switching Services, Inc. Pioneer Railcorp (Pioneer) and its...

Common rail technology for future low emission diesel vehicles; Common Rail Technologie fuer zukuenftige Diesel Fahrzeuge mit niedrigen Emissionswerten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoeppe, D.; Bercher, P.; Guerrassi, N.; Spadafora, P.

2004-07-01

The diesel fuel injection equipment will remain a key element for diesel engine technology evolution. Achieving emission targets at competitive prices has been and will continue to be a major technical challenge to the engine manufacturer. Delphi is continuously developing its common rail system and its components to fulfill future stricter emission legislation while simultaneously improving performance on noise, fuel consumption and power output. This paper will describe the latest developments that delphi introduced into the market in their common rail system to comply with future legislative emission targets. Further, a novel common rail injector will be presented, that uses a revolutionary, direct acting operating principle, where the nozzle is directly operated by a piezo actuator, without the use of a servo-hydraulic flow circuit. The superior performance of this injector concept will be shown, especially in minimum quantity capability as well as multiple injection performance. The direct acting operating principle allows rapid opening and closing of the injector, without compromising pilot quantity capability. The emission benefit obtained by such opening and closing behavior will be shown. Finally, based on the findings discussed, the paper will conclude on key features of future common rail systems. (orig.)

Hybrid rail gun electromagnetic accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, K.W.; Hachen, H.; Lee, A.; Legh, G.; Lin, T.; Mattay, S.; Wipf, S.

1983-01-01

Theoretical and experimental investigations on hybrid rail accelerators are presented. It is shown that the side surface areas and in some cases sabots of the projectile can be used to provide substantial amount of additional thrust. Moreover, it is shown that in most cases examined, external magnetic fields can be conveniently incorporated in the accelerator designs to supplement the rail-induced fields. Total thrusts in excess of 10 MN for kilogram-sized projectiles can in principle be established with driving currents of the order of 1 MA. No obvious stress limitations are foreseen. The percentages of thrust from external magnetic fields are sufficiently high that the use of which should be encouraged. The increased flexibility in the projectile shapes available permits the use of the proposed hybrid electromagnetic launcher technology in a variety of new areas, such as thrust boosts in conventional chemical rockets and other similar applications. Furthermore, the additional thrust obtained from the use of side surface areas greatly increases the maximum permissable thrust otherwise limited by material strength considerations. Thrust analyses for projectiles in several hybrid rail accelerator designs are discussed. Some laboratory experimental observations are presented

MASH Test 3-11 on the T131RC Bridge Rail

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-01

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) currently uses the TxDOT Type T101RC Bridge Rail, : a steel post and beam bridge rail anchored to the top of concrete curbs. The T101RC Bridge Rail is : 27 inches in height and can be anchored to the top of ...

Paleomagnetism of Devonian dykes in the northern Kola Peninsula and its bearing on the apparent polar wander path of Baltica in the Precambrian

Science.gov (United States)

Veselovskiy, Roman V.; Bazhenov, Mikhail L.; Arzamastsev, Andrey A.

2016-04-01

Mafic dykes and large alkaline and carbonatite intrusions of Middle-Late Devonian age are widespread on the Kola Peninsula in NE Fennoscandia. These magmatic rocks are well characterized with petrographic, geochemical and geochronological data but no paleomagnetic results have been reported yet. We studied dolerite dykes from the northern part of the Peninsula and isolated three paleomagnetic components in these rocks. A low-temperature component is aligned along the present-day field, while a major constituent of natural remanent magnetization is an intermediate-temperature component (Decl. = 79.6°, Inc. = 78.5°, α95 = 5,9°, N = 17 sites) that is present in most Devonian dykes but is found in some baked metamorphic rocks and Proterozoic dykes too. Finally, a primary Devonian component could be reliably isolated from two dykes only. Rock-magnetic studies point to presumably primary low-Ti titanomagnetite and/or pure magnetite as the main remanence carriers but also reveal alteration of the primary minerals and the formation of new magnetic phases. The directions of a major component differ from the Middle Paleozoic reference data for Baltica but closely match those for the 190 ± 10 Ma interval recalculated from the apparent polar wander path of the craton. We assume that this Early Jurassic component is a low-temperature overprint of chemical origin. The main impact of the new results is not to mid-Paleozoic or Early Mesozoic times but to much older epochs. Analysis of paleomagnetic data shows that the directionally similar remanences are present in objects with the ages ranging from 500 Ma to 2 Ga over entire Fennoscandia. Hence we argue that an Early Jurassic remagnetization is of regional extent but cannot link it to a certain process and a certain tectonic event. If true, this hypothesis necessitates a major revision of the APWP for Baltica over a wide time interval.

Wavenumber-domain separation of rail contribution to pass-by noise

Science.gov (United States)

Zea, Elias; Manzari, Luca; Squicciarini, Giacomo; Feng, Leping; Thompson, David; Arteaga, Ines Lopez

2017-11-01

In order to counteract the problem of railway noise and its environmental impact, passing trains in Europe must be tested in accordance to a noise legislation that demands the quantification of the noise generated by the vehicle alone. However, for frequencies between about 500 Hz and 1600 Hz, it has been found that a significant part of the measured noise is generated by the rail, which behaves like a distributed source and radiates plane waves as a result of the contact with the train's wheels. Thus the need arises for separating the rail contribution to the pass-by noise in that particular frequency range. To this end, the present paper introduces a wavenumber-domain filtering technique, referred to as wave signature extraction, which requires a line microphone array parallel to the rail, and two accelerometers on the rail in the vertical and lateral direction. The novel contributions of this research are: (i) the introduction and application of wavenumber (or plane-wave) filters to pass-by data measured with a microphone array located in the near-field of the rail, and (ii) the design of such filters without prior information of the structural properties of the rail. The latter is achieved by recording the array pressure, as well as the rail vibrations with the accelerometers, before and after the train pass-by. The performance of the proposed method is investigated with a set of pass-by measurements performed in Germany. The results seem to be promising when compared to reference data from TWINS, and the largest discrepancies occur above 1600 Hz and are attributed to plane waves radiated by the rail that so far have not been accounted for in the design of the filters.

Evaluating autonomous acoustic surveying techniques for rails in tidal marshes

Science.gov (United States)

Stiffler, Lydia L.; Anderson, James T.; Katzner, Todd

2018-01-01

There is a growing interest toward the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) for acoustic surveying of secretive marsh bird populations. However, there is little information on how ARUs compare to human surveyors or how best to use ARU data that can be collected continuously throughout the day. We used ARUs to conduct 2 acoustic surveys for king (Rallus elegans) and clapper rails (R. crepitans) within a tidal marsh complex along the Pamunkey River, Virginia, USA, during May–July 2015. To determine the effectiveness of an ARU in replacing human personnel, we compared results of callback point‐count surveys with concurrent acoustic recordings and calculated estimates of detection probability for both rail species combined. The success of ARUs at detecting rails that human observers recorded decreased with distance (P ≤ 0.001), such that at 75 m, only 34.0% of human‐detected rails were detected by the ARU. To determine a subsampling scheme for continuous ARU data that allows for effective surveying of presence and call rates of rails, we used ARUs to conduct 15 continuous 48‐hr passive surveys, generating 720 hr of recordings. We established 5 subsampling periods of 5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 min to evaluate ARU‐based presence and vocalization detections of rails compared with each of the full 60‐min sampling of ARU‐based detection of rails. All subsampling periods resulted in different (P ≤ 0.001) detection rates and unstandardized vocalization rates compared with the hourly sampling period. However, standardized vocalization counts from the 30‐min subsampling period were not different from vocalization counts of the full hourly sampling period. When surveying rail species in estuarine environments, species‐, habitat‐, and ARU‐specific limitations to ARU sampling should be considered when making inferences about abundances and distributions from ARU data. 

Colour Consideration for Waiting areas in hospitals

Science.gov (United States)

Zraati, Parisa

2012-08-01

Colour is one the most important factors in the nature that can have some affects on human behaviour. Many years ago, it was proven that using colour in public place can have some affect on the users. Depend of the darkness and lightness; it can be vary from positive to negative. The research will mainly focus on the colour and psychological influences and physical factors. The statement of problem in this research is what is impact of colour usually applied to waiting area? The overall aim of the study is to explore the visual environment of hospitals and to manage the colour psychological effect of the hospital users in the waiting area by creating a comfortable, pleasant and cozy environment for users while spend their time in waiting areas. The analysisconcentrate on satisfaction and their interesting regarding applied colour in two private hospital waiting area in Malaysia.

Ultrasound waiting lists: rational queue or extended capacity?

Science.gov (United States)

Brasted, Christopher

2008-06-01

The features and issues regarding clinical waiting lists in general and general ultrasound waiting lists in particular are reviewed, and operational aspects of providing a general ultrasound service are also discussed. A case study is presented describing a service improvement intervention in a UK NHS hospital's ultrasound department, from which arises requirements for a predictive planning model for an ultrasound waiting list. In the course of this, it becomes apparent that a booking system is a more appropriate way of describing the waiting list than a conventional queue. Distinctive features are identified from the literature and the case study as the basis for a predictive model, and a discrete event simulation model is presented which incorporates the distinctive features.

California statewide model for high-speed rail

OpenAIRE

Outwater, Maren; Tierney, Kevin; Bradley, Mark; Sall, Elizabeth; Kuppam, Arun; Modugala, Vamsee

2010-01-01

The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) have developed a new statewide model to support evaluation of high-speed rail alternatives in the State of California. This statewide model will also support future planning activities of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The approach to this statewide model explicitly recognizes the unique characteristics of intraregional travel demand and interregional travel demand. A...

Policy issues of transporting spent nuclear fuel by rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spraggins, H.B.

1994-01-01

The topic of this paper is safe and economical transportation of spent nuclear fuel by rail. The cost of safe movement given the liability consequences in the event of a rail accident involving such material is the core issue. Underlying this issue is the ability to access the risk probability of such an accident. The paper delineates how the rail industry and certain governmental agencies perceive and assess such important operational, safety, and economic issues. It also covers benefits and drawbacks of dedicated and regular train movement of such materials

RAIL TRAFFIC VOLUME ESTIMATION BASED ON WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luka Lazarević

2015-08-01

Full Text Available European transport policy, defined in the White Paper, supports shift from road to rail and waterborne transport. The hypothesis of the paper is that changes in the economic environment influence rail traffic volume. Therefore, a model for prediction of rail traffic volume applied in different economic contexts could be a valuable tool for the transport planners. The model was built using common Machine Learning techniques that learn from the past experience. In the model preparation, world development indicators defined by the World Bank were used as input parameters.

Advancing high-speed rail policy in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

This report builds on a review of international experience with high-speed rail projects to develop recommendations for a High-speed rail policy framework for the United States. The international review looked at the experience of Korea, Taiwan, Chin...

Rail assembly for use in a radioactive environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watts, R.E.

1989-01-01

An improved rail assembly and method of construction thereof is disclosed herein that is particularly adapted for use with a crane trolley in a hot cell environment which is exposed to airborne and liquidborne radioactive contaminants. The rail assembly is generally comprised of a support wall having an elongated, rail-housing recess having a floor, side wall and ceiling. The floor of the recess is defined at least in party by the load-bearing surface of a rail, and is substantially flat, level and crevice-free to facilitate the drainage of liquids out of the recess. The ceiling of the recess overhangs and thereby captures trolley wheels within the recess to prevent them from becoming dislodged from the recess during a seismic disturbance. Finally, the interior of the recess includes a power track having a slot for receiving a sliding electrical connector from the crane trolley. The power track is mounted in an upper corner of the recess with its connector-receiving groove oriented downwardly to facilitate the drainage of liquidborne contaminants and to discourage the collection of airborne contaminants within the track

To the question of modeling of wheels and rails wear processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.V. Myamlin

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose. There is a need of wear process modeling in the wheel-rail system. This is related to the fact that the wear processes in this system are absolutely different in the initial and final stages. The profile change of rail and, especially, of the wheels caused by the wear significantly affects the rolling stock dynamics, traffic safety and the resource of the wheels and rails. Wear modeling and the traffic safety evaluation requires the accounting of the low frequency component forces (including the modeling of transitional areas affecting the wheel on the side of the rail and carriage in motion of rolling stock, so the statistical analysis is not possible. Methodology. The method of mathematical modeling of the wheel set and the rail interaction was used during the research conducting. Findings. As a result of the modeling of the wheel set motion on the rail track, the mathematic model with 19 freedom degrees was obtained. This model takes into account the axle torque and studies wheels constructions as the components of the mechanical systems, consisting of a hub and tire. Originality. The mathematic model allows evaluating the wear degree of the wheels and rails when using on the rolling stock not only all-metal wheel sets, but also compound ones with the use of spring wheels and independent rotation of semi-axes with the wheels. Practical value. The development of the improved mathematical model of freight car wheel set motion with differential rotation of the wheels and compound axles allows studying the wear processes of wheels and rails.

Parental satisfaction with paediatric care, triage and waiting times.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick, Nicholas; Breen, Daniel T; Taylor, James; Paul, Eldho; Grosvenor, Robert; Heggie, Katrina; Mahar, Patrick D

2014-04-01

The present study aims to determine parental and guardian's perceptions of paediatric emergency care and satisfaction with care, waiting times and triage category in a community ED. A structured questionnaire was provided to parents or guardians of paediatric patients presenting to emergency. The survey evaluated parent perceptions of waiting time, environment/facilities, professionalism and communication skills of staff and overall satisfaction of care. One hundred and thirty-three completed questionnaires were received from parents of paediatric patients. Responses were overall positive with respect to the multiple domains assessed. Parents generally considered waiting times to be appropriate and consistent with triage categories. Overall satisfaction was not significantly different for varying treatment or waiting times. Patients triaged as semi-urgent were of the opinion that waiting times were less appropriate than urgent, less-urgent or non-urgent patients. On the basis of the present study, patient perceptions and overall satisfaction of care does not appear to be primarily influenced by time spent waiting or receiving treatment. Attempts made at the triage process to ensure that semi-urgent patients have reasonable expectations of waiting times might provide an opportunity to improve these patients' expectations and perceptions. © 2014 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

77 FR 65446 - Turtle Creek Industrial Railroad, Inc.-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Consolidated Rail...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-26

... common carrier providing interstate rail service, primarily for Dura-Bond, without first obtaining... Industrial Railroad, Inc.--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Consolidated Rail Corporation Turtle Creek... Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) and to operate approximately 9.8 miles of rail line between milepost 0...

75 FR 51160 - Swanson Rail Transfer, L.P.-Lease and Operation Exemption-BDB Company

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-18

... truck-rail transfer facility on the property and provide associated rail common carrier services. \\1... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35399] Swanson Rail Transfer, L.P.--Lease and Operation Exemption--BDB Company Swanson Rail Transfer, L.P. (SRT), a noncarrier...

The Effects of Immigration on NHS Waiting Times

OpenAIRE

Giuntella, Osea; Nicodemo, Catia; Vargas-Silva, Carlos

2015-01-01

This paper analyses the effects of immigration on waiting times in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Linking administrative records from the Hospital Episode Statistics (2003-2012) with immigration data drawn from the UK Labour Force Survey, we find that immigration reduced waiting times for outpatient referrals and did not have significant effects on waiting times in Accident and Emergency (A&E) and elective care. These results are explained by the fact that immigration increases...

The wheel-rail contact friction influence on high speed vehicle model stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirosław DUSZA

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Right estimating of the coefficient of friction between the wheel and rail is essential in modelling rail vehicle dynamics. Constant value of coefficient of friction is the typical assumption in theoretical studies. But it is obvious that in real circumstances a few factors may have significant influence on the rails surface condition and this way on the coefficient of friction value. For example the weather condition, the railway location etc. Influence of the coefficient of friction changes on high speed rail vehicle model dynamics is presented in this paper. Four axle rail vehicle model were built. The FASTSIM code is employed for calculation of the tangential contact forces between wheel and rail. One coefficient of friction value is adopted in the particular simulation process. To check the vehicle model properties under the influence of wheel-rail coefficient of friction changes, twenty four series of simulations were performed. For three curved tracks of radii R = 3000m, 6000m and  (straight track, the coefficient of friction was changed from 0.1 to 0.8. The results are presented in form of bifurcation diagrams.

Large scale implementation of guided wave based broken rail monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Francois A.; Loveday, Philip W.; Long, Craig S.

2015-03-01

A guided wave ultrasound system has been developed over the past 17 years to detect breaks in continuously welded rail track. Installation of the version 4 system on an 840 km long heavy duty freight line was conducted between January 2013 and June 2014. The system operates in pitch - catch mode with alternate transmit and receive transducers spaced approximately 1km apart. If the acoustic signal is not received at the receive station an alarm is triggered to indicate a break in the rail between the transmit station and the receive station. The system is permanently installed, powered by solar panels and issues broken rail alarms using the GSM network where available, and digital radio technology in other areas. A total of 931 stations were installed and the entire length of rail is interrogated every fifteen minutes. The system operates reliably although some problems involving unreliable GSM communication and theft of solar panels have been experienced. In the first two months of operation four broken rails were detected and train operation was halted temporarily for repairs.

Waiting time distribution in M/D/1 queueing systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iversen, Villy Bæk; Staalhagen, Lars

1999-01-01

The well-known formula for the waiting time distribution of M/D/1 queueing systems is numerically unsuitable when the load is close to 1.0 and/or the results for a large waiting time are required. An algorithm for any load and waiting time is presented, based on the state probabilities of M/D/1...

The boarding experience from the patient perspective: the wait.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shan; Milne, Leslie; Yun, Brian; Walsh, Kathleen

2015-11-01

We sought to better understand the experience of being a boarder patient. We conducted a qualitative study between March and August 2012 to examine the experience of boarding in an urban, teaching hospital emergency department (ED). We included boarder patients and selected patients based on a convenience sample. Interviews were semistructured, consisting of eight main open-ended questions. Interviews were transcribed; codes were generated and then organised into categorises and subsequently into one theme. We concluded analysis when we achieved thematic saturation. Our institutional review board approved this study. Our final sample included 18 patients. The average age was 62.3 years. Patients characterised waiting as central to their experience as a boarder patient. One patient stated, "Well if you have to wait for a bed you have to wait for a bed, it's terrible." Three categories exemplified this waiting experience: (1) there was often lack of communication; (2) patients experienced frustration during this waiting period; and yet (3) patients often differentiated the experience of waiting from the care they were receiving. Being a boarder patient was characterised as a waiting experience associated with poor communication and frustration. However, patients may still differentiate their feelings towards the wait from those towards the medical care they are receiving. Our data add more reason to eradicate the practice of ED boarding. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

An investigation on the desired properties of friction modifiers for slippery rails

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Z.; Arias Cuevas, O.

2009-01-01

The adhesion level between wheel and rail has been since the beginning of railway a crucial parameter in the design and operation of rail vehicles. In the last decades, many railway organizations have suffered from low adhesion problems as consequence of the increased exploitation of the rail

Atlanta Rail Yard Study: Evaluation of local-scale air pollution ...

Science.gov (United States)

Intermodal rail yards are important nodes in the freight transportation network, where freight is organized and moved from one mode of transport to another, critical equipment is serviced, and freight is routed to its next destination. Rail yard environments are also areas with multiple sources of air pollutant emissions (e.g., heavy-duty vehicles, locomotives, cranes), which may affect local air quality in residential areas nearby. In order to understand emissions and related air quality impacts, two field studies took place over the time span of 2010-2012 to measure air pollution trends in close proximity to the Inman and Tilford rail yard complex in Atlanta, GA. One field study involved long-term stationary monitoring of black carbon, fine particles, and carbon dioxide at two stations nearby the rail yard. In addition, a second field study performed intensive mobile air monitoring for a one month period in the summer of 2012 at a roadway network surrounding the rail yard complex and measured a comprehensive array of pollutants. Real-time mobile particulate measurements included particle counts, extinction coefficient, black carbon via light-absorption and particle incandescence, and particle composition derived by aerosol mass spectrometry. Gas-phase measurements included oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and air toxics (e.g., benzene). Both sets of measurements determined detectable local influence from rail yard-related emissions.

A 72-dB-SNDR rail-to-rail successive approximation ADC using mismatch calibration techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yan; Hua Siliang; Wang Donghui; Hou Chaohuan

2012-01-01

When the voltage of an analog input signal is equal to the supply voltage, it is difficult for a conventional successive approximation ADC to correctly convert the analog signal into digital signal. This paper introduces an improved successive approximation ADC, which can convert the rail-to-rail input range and reduce sampling time through a track-and-hold circuit. Comparator offset cancellation and capacitor self-calibration techniques are used in this ADC. Measurement results show that the peak SNDR of this ADC reaches 72 dB and the signal effective bandwidth is up to 1.25 MHz. It consumes 1 mW in the test, and the figure of merit is 123 fJ/conversion-step. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Development and application of resilient wheels in urban rail transit vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan WEN

Full Text Available Urban rail transit vehicles have been more and more attractive to people as a kind of fast, comfortable, energy-saving, environmental protection and safe transportation. But because of the vehicle noise and vibration, urban rail vehicles also face severe challenges. The research of resilient wheels has been continuously developed and improved. Based on the review of development background and structure sorts of resilient wheels, the advantages of resilient wheels are described, and the research status of noise and vibration reducing, infinite element strength analysis, vehicle dynamic analysis and the wheel-rail wear of resilient wheels are discussed. Taking the low-floor LRVs (light rail vehicles in domestic and overseas as example, the development and application of the resilient wheels in city rail transit is described, and the application prospects of the resilient wheels in LRVs in domestic and the future research direction of elastic wheel are discussed.

Semi-supervised rail defect detection from imbalanced image data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hajizadeh, S.; Nunez Vicencio, Alfredo; Tax, D.M.J.; Acarman, Tankut

2016-01-01

Rail defect detection by video cameras has recently gained much attention in both
academia and industry. Rail image data has two properties. It is highly imbalanced towards the non-defective class and it has a large number of unlabeled data samples available for semisupervised learning

Procedure and applications of combined wheel/rail roughness measurement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dittrich, M.G.

2009-01-01

Wheel-rail roughness is known to be the main excitation source of railway rolling noise. Besides the already standardised method for direct roughness measurement, it is also possible to measure combined wheel-rail roughness from vertical railhead vibration during a train pass-by. This is a different

Train Dwell Time Models for Rail Passenger Service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

San Hor Peay

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, more studies had been conducted about train dwell time as it is a key parameter of rail system performance and reliability. This paper draws an overview of train dwell time models for rail passenger service from various continents, namely Asia, North America, Europe and Australia. The factors affecting train dwell time are identified and analysed across some rail network operators. The dwell time models developed by various researches are also discussed and reviewed. Finally, the contributions from the outcomes of these models are briefly addressed. In conclusion, this paper suggests that there is a need to further study the factors with strong influence upon dwell time to improve the quality of the train services.

Market size and vertical structure in the rail way industry

OpenAIRE

Matsushima, Noriaki; Mizutani, Fumitoshi

2011-01-01

We provide a theoretical framework to discuss the relation between market size and vertical structure in the railway industry. The framework is based on a simple downstream monopoly model with two input suppliers, labor forces and the rail infrastructure firm. The operation of the downstream firm (i.e., the train operating firm) generates costs on the rail infrastructure firm. We show that the downstream firm with a larger market size is more likely to integrate with the rail infrastructure f...

High pressure common rail injection system modeling and control.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, H P; Zheng, D; Tian, Y

2016-07-01

In this paper modeling and common-rail pressure control of high pressure common rail injection system (HPCRIS) is presented. The proposed mathematical model of high pressure common rail injection system which contains three sub-systems: high pressure pump sub-model, common rail sub-model and injector sub-model is a relative complicated nonlinear system. The mathematical model is validated by the software Matlab and a virtual detailed simulation environment. For the considered HPCRIS, an effective model free controller which is called Extended State Observer - based intelligent Proportional Integral (ESO-based iPI) controller is designed. And this proposed method is composed mainly of the referred ESO observer, and a time delay estimation based iPI controller. Finally, to demonstrate the performances of the proposed controller, the proposed ESO-based iPI controller is compared with a conventional PID controller and ADRC. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phase I development of an aesthetic, precast concrete bridge rail.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

Precast concrete bridge rail systems offer several advantages over traditional cast-in-place rail designs, including reduced construction : time and costs, installation in a wide range of environmental conditions, easier maintenance and repair, impro...

Waiting Online: A Review and Research Agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Gerard; Valverde, Mireia

2003-01-01

Reviews 21 papers based on 13 separate empirical studies on waiting on the Internet, drawn from the areas of marketing, system response time, and quality of service studies. The article proposes an agenda for future research, including extending the range of research methodologies, broadening the definition of waiting on the Internet, and…

Practical reporting with Ruby and Rails

CERN Document Server

Berube, David

2008-01-01

Business intelligence and real time reporting mechanisms play a major role in any of today s forward looking business plans. With many of these solutions being moved to the Web, the popular Rails framework and its underlying Ruby language are playing a major role alongside web services in building the reporting solutions of tomorrow. Practical Reporting with Ruby and Rails is the first book to comprehensively introduce this popular framework, guiding readers through a wide ranging array of features. Note this isn t a staid guide to generating traditional reports, but rather it shows you how th

MCDA and Risk Analysis in Transport Infrastructure Appraisals: the Rail Baltica Case

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ambrasaite, Inga; Barfod, Michael Bruhn; Salling, Kim Bang

2011-01-01

This paper sets out a decision support system (DSS), COSIMA, involving the combination of cost-benefit analysis and multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) for transport infrastructure appraisals embracing both economic and strategic impacts. However, some shortcomings appear in the methodology re...

VHA Support Service Center Electronic Wait List (EWL)

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The goal of the Electronic Wait List (EWL) is to provide care to the patient as quickly as possible. To facilitate this goal, patients may be placed on a Wait List...

Rail transport systems approach

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book shows how the systems approach is employed by scientists in various countries to solve specific problems concerning railway transport. In particular, the book describes the experiences of scientists from Romania, Germany, the Czech Republic, the UK, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland. For many of these countries there is a problem with the historical differences between the railways. In particular, there are railways with different rail gauges, with different signaling and communication systems, with different energy supplies and, finally, with different political systems, which are reflected in the different approaches to the management of railway economies. The book’s content is divided into two main parts, the first of which provides a systematic analysis of individual means of providing and maintaining rail transport. In turn, the second part addresses infrastructure and management development, with particular attention to security issues. Though primarily written for professionals involved...

In-Service Performance and Costs of Methods to Control Urban Rail System Noise

Science.gov (United States)

1979-12-01

This study evaluates the acoustic and economic effectiveness of five methods of controlling wheel/rail noise and vibration on urban rail transit systems, namely: rail grinding, wheel truing, resilient wheels, ring-damped wheels, and welded vs. jointe...

The experimental determination of the relationship between the energising time of the common rail injector and the set fuel quantity and rail pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietras Dariusz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the issue of experimentally determining the relationship between the energising time of the common rail electromagnetic injector and the set fuel quantity and rail pressure. Experimental studies according to the assumed methodology were made on a test bench enabling the dynamic flow rate measurement of the injector. The fuel system mounted on the test bench was controlled by the laboratory CI engine control unit based on the original concept of one of the authors of the article. The results of the experimental studies have made it possible to determine many of the characteristics of the fuel flow rate depending on the specified rail pressure and the energising time of the injector. An analysis was then performed followed by extrapolation of the obtained results. The data obtained from these analyses are the basis for the development of the energising time control algorithm based on a set fuel quantity and rail pressure.

Highway-Rail Crossings Inventory Data

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — The entire National Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory is available in three separate downloadble files. There is a file of all current Public-at-Grade crossings. There...

Parental strategies for assisting children to wait.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuskelly, Monica; Jobling, Anne; Gilmore, Linda; Glenn, Sheila

2006-09-01

This study examined parents' behaviours as they waited with their child. Children were presented with an attractively wrapped gift and then asked not to touch it until the experimenter returned from finishing some work in another room. Three parent groups and their children participated in the study - parents of children with Down syndrome, parents of children with intellectual disability from another cause, and parents of children who were developing typically. There were no significant differences between children in how long they were able to wait before touching the gift. The data from the first two groups were combined for all analyses after it was established that there were no significant differences between them. There were few significant differences between parents of a child with intellectual disability and comparison parents. The former group were more likely to be classified as Authoritarian than were comparison parents, however with one exception, parenting style was unrelated to the strategies parents used in the waiting situation. Very few parents in either group used the opportunity to teach or explicitly praise effective waiting strategies in their children.

Simulation and Measurement of Wheel on Rail Fatigue and Wear

OpenAIRE

Dirks, Babette

2015-01-01

The life of railway wheels and rails has been decreasing in recent years. This is mainly caused by more traffic and running at higher vehicle speed. A higher speed usually generates higher forces, unless compensated by improved track and vehicle designs, in the wheel-rail contact, resulting in more wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) damage to the wheels and rails. As recently as 15 years ago, RCF was not recognised as a serious problem. Nowadays it is a serious problem in many countries a...

Shock and vibration environments for large shipping containers on rail cars and trucks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnuson, C.F.; Wilson, L.T.

1977-06-01

The purpose of this study was to provide definitions of shock and vibration environment to which fissile material shipping containers may be exposed during normal shipment by truck and rail cars. The definitions of vibration, shock superimposed on vibration and rail coupling shock result from existing data. The dependence of shock environment, from rail coupling operations, on parameters like cargo weight and shock attenuation couplers was also studied using spring-mass models. These studies show that for rail cars equipped with standard draft gear, the cargo response decreases with increased cargo weight until the springs bottom out. For rail cars equipped with shock attenuation couplers, cargo weight has little effect on cargo response. The study also shows the importance of matching couplers and tiedown stiffnesses to decrease the cargo response. Vibration and shock data samples have been obtained during truck shipment of heavy cargo and the data will be presented in subsequent reports. Similar data need to be obtained for rail shipment of heavy cargo and during rail coupling operations with heavy cargo

Modelling of contact problems involved in ensuring the safety of rail transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward Rydygier

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Mathematical modelling aids diagnostics the track and rolling stock, as it often for technical reasons it is not possible to obtain a complete set of measurement data required to diagnose the rail and wheel deformation caused by the impact of a rail vehicle on the track. The important issue in a railway diagnostics is to study the effects of contact wheel and rail. Diagnostics investigations of track and rolling stock have a fundamental role in ensuring the safety of transport of passengers and goods. The aim of the study presented in the paper was to develop simulation methods of mathematical modelling of the wheel-rail system useful in the diagnostics of the track and a railway vehicle. Methods: In the paper two ways of modelling were presented and discussed. One of these ways is the method which consists in reducing the contact issue to field issue and solving the identification of the field source in 2-D system. Also presented a different method designed on the basis of the methods using one period energy concept. This method is adapted for modelling the dynamics of the contact wheel-rail for the normal force. It has been shown that the developed modelling methods to effectively support the study on the effects of mechanical and thermal of contact wheel-rail and contribute to the safety of operations.  Results and conclusions:  In the case of field sources identifications two specific issues were examined: the issue of rail torsion and the identification of heat sources in the rail due to exposure the rolling contact wheel-rail. In the case of the method using one period energy concept it was demonstrated the usefulness of this method to the study of energy processes in the contact wheel-rail under the normal periodic force. The future direction of research is to establish cooperation with research teams entrusted with the diagnostic measurements of track and rolling stock.  

Heuristics for no-wait flow shop scheduling problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kewal Krishan Nailwal

2016-09-01

Full Text Available No-wait flow shop scheduling refers to continuous flow of jobs through different machines. The job once started should have the continuous processing through the machines without wait. This situation occurs when there is a lack of an intermediate storage between the processing of jobs on two consecutive machines. The problem of no-wait with the objective of minimizing makespan in flow shop scheduling is NP-hard; therefore the heuristic algorithms are the key to solve the problem with optimal solution or to approach nearer to optimal solution in simple manner. The paper describes two heuristics, one constructive and an improvement heuristic algorithm obtained by modifying the constructive one for sequencing n-jobs through m-machines in a flow shop under no-wait constraint with the objective of minimizing makespan. The efficiency of the proposed heuristic algorithms is tested on 120 Taillard’s benchmark problems found in the literature against the NEH under no-wait and the MNEH heuristic for no-wait flow shop problem. The improvement heuristic outperforms all heuristics on the Taillard’s instances by improving the results of NEH by 27.85%, MNEH by 22.56% and that of the proposed constructive heuristic algorithm by 24.68%. To explain the computational process of the proposed algorithm, numerical illustrations are also given in the paper. Statistical tests of significance are done in order to draw the conclusions.

Used fuel rail shock and vibration testing options analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ross, Steven B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Best, Ralph E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Klymyshyn, Nicholas A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Jensen, Philip J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Maheras, Steven J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-09-25

The objective of the rail shock and vibration tests is to complete the framework needed to quantify loads of fuel assembly components that are necessary to guide materials research and establish a technical basis for review organizations such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A significant body of experimental and numerical modeling data exists to quantify loads and failure limits applicable to normal conditions of transport (NCT) rail transport, but the data are based on assumptions that can only be verified through experimental testing. The test options presented in this report represent possible paths for acquiring the data that are needed to confirm the assumptions of previous work, validate modeling methods that will be needed for evaluating transported fuel on a case-by-case basis, and inform material test campaigns on the anticipated range of fuel loading. The ultimate goal of this testing is to close all of the existing knowledge gaps related to the loading of used fuel under NCT conditions and inform the experiments and analysis program on specific endpoints for their research. The options include tests that would use an actual railcar, surrogate assemblies, and real or simulated rail transportation casks. The railcar carrying the cradle, cask, and surrogate fuel assembly payload would be moved in a train operating over rail track modified or selected to impart shock and vibration forces that occur during normal rail transportation. Computer modeling would be used to help design surrogates that may be needed for a rail cask, a cask’s internal basket, and a transport cradle. The objective of the design of surrogate components would be to provide a test platform that effectively simulates responses to rail shock and vibration loads that would be exhibited by state-of-the-art rail cask, basket, and/or cradle structures. The computer models would also be used to help determine the placement of instrumentation (accelerometers and strain gauges

Methodology for Analysis, Modeling and Simulation of Airport Gate-waiting Delays

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jianfeng

This dissertation presents methodologies to estimate gate-waiting delays from historical data, to identify gate-waiting-delay functional causes in major U.S. airports, and to evaluate the impact of gate operation disruptions and mitigation strategies on gate-waiting delay. Airport gates are a resource of congestion in the air transportation system. When an arriving flight cannot pull into its gate, the delay it experiences is called gate-waiting delay. Some possible reasons for gate-waiting delay are: the gate is occupied, gate staff or equipment is unavailable, the weather prevents the use of the gate (e.g. lightning), or the airline has a preferred gate assignment. Gate-waiting delays potentially stay with the aircraft throughout the day (unless they are absorbed), adding costs to passengers and the airlines. As the volume of flights increases, ensuring that airport gates do not become a choke point of the system is critical. The first part of the dissertation presents a methodology for estimating gate-waiting delays based on historical, publicly available sources. Analysis of gate-waiting delays at major U.S. airports in the summer of 2007 identifies the following. (i) Gate-waiting delay is not a significant problem on majority of days; however, the worst delay days (e.g. 4% of the days at LGA) are extreme outliers. (ii) The Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) experience the highest gate-waiting delays among major U.S. airports. (iii) There is a significant gate-waiting-delay difference between airlines due to a disproportional gate allocation. (iv) Gate-waiting delay is sensitive to time of a day and schedule peaks. According to basic principles of queueing theory, gate-waiting delay can be attributed to over-scheduling, higher-than-scheduled arrival rate, longer-than-scheduled gate-occupancy time, and reduced gate

76 FR 77716 - Alternate Passenger Rail Service Pilot Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-14

...-0108; Notice No. 2] RIN 2130-AC19 Alternate Passenger Rail Service Pilot Program AGENCY: Federal... rule is in response to a statutory mandate that FRA complete a rulemaking proceeding to develop a pilot... enactment of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The final rule develops this pilot...

Rail deployment and storage procedure and test for ITER blanket remote maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakudate, S.; Shibanuma, K.

2003-01-01

A concept of rail-mounted vehicle manipulator system has been developed to apply to the maintenance of the ITER blanket composed of ∼400 modules in the vacuum vessel. The most critical issue of the vehicle manipulator system is the feasibility of the deployment and storage of the articulated rail, composed of eight rail links without any driving mechanism in the joints. To solve this issue, a new driving mechanism and procedure for the rail deployment and storage has been proposed, taking account of the repeated operation of the multi-rail links deployed and stored in the same kinematical manner. The new driving mechanism, which is different from those of a usual articulated manipulator or 'articulated boom' equipped with actuators in every joint for movement, is composed of three external mechanisms installed outside the articulated rail, i.e. a vehicle traveling mechanism as main driver and two auxiliary driving mechanisms. A simplified synchronized control of three driving mechanisms has also been proposed, including 'torque-limit control' for suppression of the overload of the mechanisms. These proposals have been tested using a full-scale vehicle manipulator system, in order to demonstrate the proof of principle for rail deployment and storage. As a result, the articulated rail has been successfully deployed and stored within 6 h each, less than the target of 8 h, by means of the three external driving mechanisms and the proposed synchronized control. In addition, the overload caused by an unexpected mismatch of the synchronized control of three driving mechanisms has also been successfully suppressed less than the rated torque by the proposed 'torque-limit control'. It is therefore concluded that the feasibility of the rail deployment and storage of the vehicle manipulator system has been demonstrated

Optimal energy management of urban rail systems: Key performance indicators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González-Gil, A.; Palacin, R.; Batty, P.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An overall picture of urban rail energy use is provided. • Performance indicators are developed for urban rail system energy optimisation. • A multi-level methodology for assessing energy efficiency measures is presented. - Abstract: Urban rail systems are facing increasing pressure to minimise their energy consumption and thusly reduce their operational costs and environmental impact. However, given the complexity of such systems, this can only be effectively achieved through a holistic approach which considers the numerous interdependences between subsystems (i.e. vehicles, operations and infrastructure). Such an approach requires a comprehensive set of energy consumption-related Key Performance Indicators (KEPIs) that enable: a multilevel analysis of the actual energy performance of the system; an assessment of potential energy saving strategies; and the monitoring of the results of implemented measures. This paper proposes an original, complete list of KEPIs developed through a scientific approach validated by different stakeholders. It consists of a hierarchical list of 22 indicators divided into two levels: 10 key performance indicators, to ascertain the performance of the whole system and complete subsystems; and 12 performance indicators, to evaluate the performance of single units within subsystems, for example, a single rail vehicle or station. Additionally, the paper gives a brief insight into urban rail energy usage by providing an adequate context in which to understand the proposed KEPIs, together with a methodology describing their application when optimising the energy consumption of urban rail systems

Comparison of experimental and theoretical reaction rail currents, rail voltages, and airgap fields for the linear induction motor research vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, D. G.

1977-01-01

Measurements of reaction rail currents, reaction rail voltages, and airgap magnetic fields in tests of the Linear Induction Motor Research Vehicle (LIMRV) were compared with theoretical calculations from the mesh/matrix theory. It was found that the rail currents and magnetic fields predicted by the theory are within 20 percent of the measured currents and fields at most motor locations in most of the runs, but differ by as much as a factor of two in some cases. The most consistent difference is a higher experimental than theoretical magnetic field near the entrance of the motor and a lower experimental than theoretical magnetic field near the exit. The observed differences between the theoretical and experimental magnetic fields and currents do not account for the differences of as much as 26 percent between the theoretical and experimental thrusts.

Energy efficiency and reliability solutions for rail operations and facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

The objectives of the study included examining energy consumption of : the facilities comprising the three major rail yards on the New Haven Rail Line as : well as platform stations and identifying energy efficiency and cost savings : opportunities f...

Rail-suicide prevention: Systematic literature review of evidence-based activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, Emma; Kolves, Kairi; De Leo, Diego

2017-09-01

Rail-related suicide is a relatively rare but extremely lethal method of suicide that can have far-reaching consequences. The aim of the systematic literature review was to analyze the existing literature on the effectiveness of rail-suicide prevention activities. Databases used were Scopus, Medline, and ProQuest. The search terms used were "suicid*," "prevent*," "rail*," or "train." English-language studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1 January 1990 and 30 April 2015 that presented an overview of rail-related suicide prevention activities and included an analysis of effectiveness were used. We retrieved 1,229 results in the original search with nine papers presenting empirical evidence. Three studies in the review analyzed the effectiveness of platform screen doors and another three analyzed the installation of blue lights, two papers analyzed the effectiveness of suicide pits, and one included the influence of media reporting guidelines. Platform screen doors, suicide pits, blue lights, and improved media guidelines all have the potential to reduce rail-related suicide events and deaths. The review was restricted to English-language peer-reviewed papers published within the chosen time period. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Maternity waiting homes in Rural Health Centers of Ethiop: The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Conclusions: It is necessary to prepare guidelines for the establishment and management of waiting homes as well as set up admission and discharge criteria and to initiate quality control mechanisms. Keywords: Maternity waiting homes, waiting homes, prenatal care, intention to stay postpartum, postpartum care, Ethiopia, ...

Laser vibrometer measurement of guided wave modes in rail track

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Loveday, PW

2014-11-01

Full Text Available ) in the laboratory and on an operational rail track (with S-4 60-SAR profile) and example results are presented in this section. The measurements 5 were performed using a Polytec PSV-400-M2-20 high frequency scanning vibrometer 6 equipped with the VD-09 velocity...Hz on operational rail track and to identify the modes that are capable of 16 propagating large distances. 17 18 KEYWORDS: Semi-analytical finite element method; modes of guided wave 19 propagation; laser vibrometer measurement; rail track 20 PACs...

Causal analysis of passenger train accidents on freight rail corridors.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-01

A number of economic, technical and political factors have limited the development of new, dedicated, very-high-speed rail systems in North America. Consequently, most, near-term development of improved or expanded passenger rail service in the U.S. ...

Energy study of rail passenger transportation. Volume 2. Description of operating systems. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henderson, C.; Ellis, H. T.; Wilhelm, J. P.

1979-08-01

The rail passenger systems of the US are described in terms of selected physical, operating, and economic characteristics, and relates services rendered to energy usage and costs. Rail passenger transportation exists in 4 distinct forms: intercity railroads, suburban railroads, heavy-rail transit, and light-rail transit. Each form varies in technical equipment, design of facilities, operating practices, size of systems. Specific data for the national rail passenger network and the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco regions and the Washington Metropolitan area transit authority are presented.

Study on Rail Profile Optimization Based on the Nonlinear Relationship between Profile and Wear Rate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianxi Wang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a rail profile optimization method that takes account of wear rate within design cycle so as to minimize rail wear at the curve in heavy haul railway and extend the service life of rail. Taking rail wear rate as the object function, the vertical coordinate of rail profile at range optimization as independent variable, and the geometric characteristics and grinding depth of rail profile as constraint conditions, the support vector machine regression theory was used to fit the nonlinear relationship between rail profile and its wear rate. Then, the profile optimization model was built. Based on the optimization principle of genetic algorithm, the profile optimization model was solved to achieve the optimal rail profile. A multibody dynamics model was used to check the dynamic performance of carriage running on optimal rail profile. The result showed that the average relative error of support vector machine regression model remained less than 10% after a number of training processes. The dynamic performance of carriage running on optimized rail profile met the requirements on safety index and stability. The wear rate of optimized profile was lower than that of standard profile by 5.8%; the allowable carrying gross weight increased by 12.7%.

Rail Trails and Property Values: Is There an Association?

Science.gov (United States)

Hartenian, Ella; Horton, Nicholas J.

2015-01-01

The Rail Trail and Property Values dataset includes information on a set of n = 104 homes which sold in Northampton, Massachusetts in 2007. The dataset provides house information (square footage, acreage, number of bedrooms, etc.), price estimates (from Zillow.com) at four time points, location, distance from a rail trail in the community, biking…

wait and wipe

African Journals Online (AJOL)

and wipe strategy” as an alternative to circumcision for HIV prevention. In this paper, we argue that waiting for ten minutes and wiping with a dry cloth does not prevent men from becoming infected by HIV. We ... HIV infected despite having reported no sex or 100% condom .... In a qualitative study conducted in Kenya, men.

A new solution method for wheel/rail rolling contact.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jian; Song, Hua; Fu, Lihua; Wang, Meng; Li, Wei

2016-01-01

To solve the problem of wheel/rail rolling contact of nonlinear steady-state curving, a three-dimensional transient finite element (FE) model is developed by the explicit software ANSYS/LS-DYNA. To improve the solving speed and efficiency, an explicit-explicit order solution method is put forward based on analysis of the features of implicit and explicit algorithm. The solution method was first applied to calculate the pre-loading of wheel/rail rolling contact with explicit algorithm, and then the results became the initial conditions in solving the dynamic process of wheel/rail rolling contact with explicit algorithm as well. Simultaneously, the common implicit-explicit order solution method is used to solve the FE model. Results show that the explicit-explicit order solution method has faster operation speed and higher efficiency than the implicit-explicit order solution method while the solution accuracy is almost the same. Hence, the explicit-explicit order solution method is more suitable for the wheel/rail rolling contact model with large scale and high nonlinearity.

Deviation rectification for dynamic measurement of rail wear based on coordinate sets projection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Chao; Ma, Ziji; Li, Yanfu; Liu, Hongli; Zeng, Jiuzhen; Jin, Tan

2017-01-01

Dynamic measurement of rail wear using a laser imaging system suffers from random vibrations in the laser-based imaging sensor which cause distorted rail profiles. In this paper, a simple and effective method for rectifying profile deviation is presented to address this issue. There are two main steps: profile recognition and distortion calibration. According to the constant camera and projector parameters, efficient recognition of measured profiles is achieved by analyzing the geometric difference between normal profiles and distorted ones. For a distorted profile, by constructing coordinate sets projecting from it to the standard one on triple projecting primitives, including the rail head inner line, rail waist curve and rail jaw, iterative extrinsic camera parameter self-compensation is implemented. The distortion is calibrated by projecting the distorted profile onto the x – y plane of a measuring coordinate frame, which is parallel to the rail cross section, to eliminate the influence of random vibrations in the laser-based imaging sensor. As well as evaluating the implementation with comprehensive experiments, we also compare our method with other published works. The results exhibit the effectiveness and superiority of our method for the dynamic measurement of rail wear. (paper)

Deviation rectification for dynamic measurement of rail wear based on coordinate sets projection

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chao; Ma, Ziji; Li, Yanfu; Zeng, Jiuzhen; Jin, Tan; Liu, Hongli

2017-10-01

Dynamic measurement of rail wear using a laser imaging system suffers from random vibrations in the laser-based imaging sensor which cause distorted rail profiles. In this paper, a simple and effective method for rectifying profile deviation is presented to address this issue. There are two main steps: profile recognition and distortion calibration. According to the constant camera and projector parameters, efficient recognition of measured profiles is achieved by analyzing the geometric difference between normal profiles and distorted ones. For a distorted profile, by constructing coordinate sets projecting from it to the standard one on triple projecting primitives, including the rail head inner line, rail waist curve and rail jaw, iterative extrinsic camera parameter self-compensation is implemented. The distortion is calibrated by projecting the distorted profile onto the x-y plane of a measuring coordinate frame, which is parallel to the rail cross section, to eliminate the influence of random vibrations in the laser-based imaging sensor. As well as evaluating the implementation with comprehensive experiments, we also compare our method with other published works. The results exhibit the effectiveness and superiority of our method for the dynamic measurement of rail wear.

Children's preferences concerning ambiance of dental waiting rooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Panda, A; Garg, I; Shah, M

2015-02-01

Despite many advances in paediatric dentistry, the greatest challenge for any paediatric dentist is to remove the anxiety related to a dental visit and have a child patient to accept dental treatment readily. Minor changes made in the waiting room design can have a major effect on the way any child perceives the upcoming dental experience. This study was carried out to determine children's preferences regarding the dental waiting area so as to improve their waiting experience and reduce their preoperative anxiety before a dental appointment. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using survey methodology. A questionnaire designed to evaluate children's preferences regarding the waiting room was distributed to new paediatric patients, aged between 6 and 11 years of age, attending an outpatient dental facility and was completed by 212 children (127 males, 85 females). The analyses were carried out on cross-tables using Phi (for 2×2 tables) or Cramer's V (for larger than 2×2 tables) to assess responses to the questionnaire items across age groups and gender. A majority of children preferred music and the ability to play in a waiting room. They also preferred natural light and walls with pictures. They preferred looking at an aquarium or a television and sitting on beanbags and chairs and also preferred plants and oral hygiene posters Repetious. The results obtained from this study may help the dental team decide on an appropriate design of their paediatric waiting room so as to make children comfortable in the dental environment and improve delivery of health care.

Canadian Consensus on Medically Acceptable Wait Times for Digestive Health Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William G Paterson

2006-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Delays in access to health care in Canada have been reported, but standardized systems to manage and monitor wait lists and wait times, and benchmarks for appropriate wait times, are lacking. The objective of the present consensus was to develop evidence- and expertise-based recommendations for medically appropriate maximal wait times for consultation and procedures by a digestive disease specialist.

Effect of emergency physician burnout on patient waiting times.

Science.gov (United States)

De Stefano, Carla; Philippon, Anne-Laure; Krastinova, Evguenia; Hausfater, Pierre; Riou, Bruno; Adnet, Frederic; Freund, Yonathan

2018-04-01

Burnout is common in emergency physicians. This syndrome may negatively affect patient care and alter work productivity. We seek to assess whether burnout of emergency physicians impacts waiting times in the emergency department. Prospective study in an academic ED. All patients who visited the main ED for a 4-month period in 2016 were included. Target waiting times are assigned by triage nurse to patients on arrival depending on their severity. The primary endpoint was an exceeded target waiting time for ED patients. All emergency physicians were surveyed by a psychologist to assess their level of burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. We defined the level of burnout of the day in the ED as the mean burnout level of the physicians working that day (8:30 to the 8:30 the next day). A logistic regression model was performed to assess whether burnout level of the day was independently associated with prolonged waiting times, along with previously reported predictors. Target waiting time was exceeded in 7524 patients (59%). Twenty-six emergency physicians were surveyed. Median burnout score was 35 [Interquartile (24-49)]. A burnout level of the day higher than 35 was independently associated with an exceeded target waiting time (adjusted odds ratio 1.54, 95% confidence interval 1.39-1.70), together with previously reported predictors (i.e., day of the week, time of the day, trauma, age and daily census). Burnout of emergency physicians was independently associated with a prolonged waiting time for patients visiting the ED.

Moderate alcohol consumption and waiting time to pregnancy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhl, Mette; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Grønbaek, Morten

2001-01-01

BACKGROUND: Recent research indicates that even a moderate consumption of alcohol in women trying to become pregnant is associated with longer waiting time to pregnancy. The findings, though, are based upon few observations. METHODS: Self-reported data on alcohol intake and waiting time to pregna...

Enhancing outpatient clinics management software by reducing patients’ waiting time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iman Almomani

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Summary: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA gives great attention to improving the quality of services provided by health care sectors including outpatient clinics. One of the main drawbacks in outpatient clinics is long waiting time for patients—which affects the level of patient satisfaction and the quality of services. This article addresses this problem by studying the Outpatient Management Software (OMS and proposing solutions to reduce waiting times. Many hospitals around the world apply solutions to overcome the problem of long waiting times in outpatient clinics such as hospitals in the USA, China, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan. These clinics have succeeded in reducing wait times by 15%, 78%, 60% and 50%, respectively. Such solutions depend mainly on adding more human resources or changing some business or management policies. The solutions presented in this article reduce waiting times by enhancing the software used to manage outpatient clinics services. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used to understand current OMS and examine level of patient’s satisfaction. Five main problems that may cause high or unmeasured waiting time have been identified: appointment type, ticket numbering, doctor late arrival, early arriving patient and patients’ distribution list. These problems have been mapped to the corresponding OMS components. Solutions to the above problems have been introduced and evaluated analytically or by simulation experiments. Evaluation of the results shows a reduction in patient waiting time. When late doctor arrival issues are solved, this can reduce the clinic service time by up to 20%. However, solutions for early arriving patients reduces 53.3% of vital time, 20% of the clinic time and overall 30.3% of the total waiting time. Finally, well patient-distribution lists make improvements by 54.2%. Improvements introduced to the patients’ waiting time will consequently affect patients’ satisfaction and improve

Wait times for gastroenterology consultation in Canada: The patients’ perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Paterson, WG; Barkun, AN; Hopman, WM; Leddin, DJ; Paré, P; Petrunia, DM; Sewitch, MJ; Switzer, C; van Zanten, S Veldhuyzen

2010-01-01

Long wait times for health care have become a significant issue in Canada. As part of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology’s Human Resource initiative, a questionnaire was developed to survey patients regarding wait times for initial gastroenterology consultation and its impact. A total of 916 patients in six cities from across Canada completed the questionnaire at the time of initial consultation. Self-reported wait times varied widely, with 26.8% of respondents reporting waiting less than two weeks, 52.4% less than one month, 77.1% less than three months, 12.5% reported waiting longer than six months and 3.6% longer than one year. One-third of patients believed their wait time was too long, with 9% rating their wait time as ‘far too long’; 96.4% believed that maximal wait time should be less than three months, 78.9% believed it should be less than one month and 40.3% believed it should be less than two weeks. Of those working or attending school, 22.6% reported missing at least one day of work or school because of their symptoms in the month before their appointment, and 9.0% reported missing five or more days in the preceding month. A total of 20.2% of respondents reported being very worried about having a serious disease (ie, scored 6 or higher on 7-point Likert scale), and 17.6% and 14.8%, respectively, reported that their symptoms caused major impairment of social functioning and with the activities of daily living. These data suggest that a significant proportion of Canadians with digestive problems are not satisfied with their wait time for gastroenterology consultation. Furthermore, while awaiting consultation, many patients experience an impaired quality of life because of their gastrointestinal symptoms. PMID:20186353

Towards decision support for waiting lists: an operations management view.

Science.gov (United States)

Vissers, J M; Van Der Bij, J D; Kusters, R J

2001-06-01

This paper considers the phenomenon of waiting lists in a healthcare setting, which is characterised by limitations on the national expenditure, to explore the potentials of an operations management perspective. A reference framework for waiting list management is described, distinguishing different levels of planning in healthcare--national, regional, hospital and process--that each contributes to the existence of waiting lists through managerial decision making. In addition, different underlying mechanisms in demand and supply are distinguished, which together explain the development of waiting lists. It is our contention that within this framework a series of situation specific models should be designed to support communication and decision making. This is illustrated by the modelling of the demand for cataract treatment in a regional setting in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands. An input-output model was developed to support decisions regarding waiting lists. The model projects the demand for treatment at a regional level and makes it possible to evaluate waiting list impacts for different scenarios to meet this demand.

Delphi's new direct acting common rail injection system; Das neue Direct Acting Common Rail System von Delphi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoeppe, Detlev; Zuelch, Stefan; Geurts, Derk; Gris, Christian; Jorach, Rainer W. [Delphi Diesel Systems, Europe (United Kingdom)

2009-07-01

With the serial start of the Direct Acting Common Rail injection system with 2.000 bar Delphi Diesel Systems could supplement its product portfolio with a valuable component. In Delphi's directly propelled Common Rail injector, the Injection needle directly is set in operation with the help of a piezo-ceramic actuator instead of only controlling this with a conventional servo-hydraulic circuit indirectly. This enables a fast opening and closing of the nozzle needle possible independently from the rail pressure. The process of injection is controllable accurately at any time with the again developed two-stage needle movement amplifier. The additionally in the injector integrated fuel storage works as a 'Rail in the Injector' and improves the quality particularly during multiple injection. The injector completely works leakage-free and thereby helps to reach the future CO{sub 2} targets. The use of piezo-actuators as driving force behind the directly working injector leads to a set of requirements to the electronics. A control electronics was developed in order to head optimally the Direct Acting Injector. The sum of all advantages of the Direct Acting of CR systems enables lowest emissions with simultaneously small fuel consumption while new dimensions are reached with power density and engine torque. The authors of the contribution under consideration report on the construction, on the work principle of the Direct Acting CR system and on its performance characteristics as a basis for the premium diesel engine.

75 FR 51158 - BDB Company-Acquisition Exemption-Consolidated Rail Corporation

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-18

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35398] BDB Company--Acquisition Exemption--Consolidated Rail Corporation BDB Company (BDB), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire from Consolidated Rail Corporation a parcel of land...

Reducing pharmacy wait time to promote customer service: a follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Slowiak, Julie M; Huitema, Bradley E

2015-01-01

The present study had 3 objectives: (1) to evaluate the effects of 2 different interventions (feedback regarding customer satisfaction with wait time and combined feedback and goal setting) on wait time in a hospital outpatient pharmacy; (2) to assess the extent to which the previously applied interventions maintained their effects; and (3) to evaluate the differences between the effects of the original study and those of the present follow-up study. Participants were 10 employees (4 pharmacists and 6 technicians) of an outpatient pharmacy. Wait times and customer satisfaction ratings were collected for "waiting customers." An ABCB within-subjects design was used to assess the effects of the interventions on both wait time and customer satisfaction, where A was the baseline (no feedback and no goal setting); B was the customer satisfaction feedback; and C was the customer satisfaction feedback, the wait time feedback, and the goal setting for wait time reduction. Wait time decreased after baseline when the combined intervention was introduced, and wait time increased with the reintroduction of satisfaction feedback (alone). The results of the replication study confirm the pattern of the results of the original study and demonstrate high sensitivity of levels of customer satisfaction with wait time. The most impressive result of the replication is the nearly 2-year maintenance of lower wait time between the end of the original study and the beginning (baseline) of the replication.

Risk of transporting plutonium dioxide and liquid plutonium nitrate by truck and rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, L.D.; Hall, R.J.

1976-07-01

Results are summarized of the risk assessments of shipping PuO 2 powder and liquid Pu nitrate by truck and rail in the U.S. In the analysis method used, the system is described, potential release sequences are identified and evaluated (fault tree used), and the system risk is assessed. It is concluded that: there is little difference in risk in shipping PuO 2 by rail and by truck; there also is little change in risk in shipping PuO 2 by rail and by truck; there also is little change in risk for liquid shipment; the vermiculite loss is somewhat less important in rail shipment; and the response of the L-10 container to crush is more important in rail transport

The economic effects of high speed rail investment

OpenAIRE

de Rus, Ginés

2008-01-01

The allocation of traffic between different transport modes follows transport user decisions which depend on the generalized cost of travel in the available alternatives. High Speed Rail (HSR) investment is a government decision with significant effects on the generalized cost of rail transport; and therefore on the modal split in corridors where private operators compete for traffic and charge prices close to total producer costs (infrastructure included). The rationale for HSR investment is...

A Preliminary Review of Fatigue Among Rail Staff

OpenAIRE

Jialin Fan; Andrew P. Smith

2018-01-01

Background: Fatigue is a severe problem in the rail industry, which may jeopardize train crew's health and safety. Nonetheless, a preliminary review of all empirical evidence for train crew fatigue is still lacking. The aim of the present paper is, therefore, to provide a preliminary description of occupational fatigue in the rail industry. This paper reviews the literature with the research question examining the risk factors associated with train crew fatigue, covering both papers published...

Surface crack formation on rails at grinding induced martensite white etching layers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Carsten Jørn; Fæster, Søren; Dhar, Somrita

2017-01-01

The connection between profile grinding of rails, martensite surface layers and crack initiation has been investigated using visual inspection, optical microscopy and 3D X-ray computerized tomography. Newly grinded rails were extracted and found to be covered by a continuous surface layer...... of martensite with varying thickness formed by the grinding process. Worn R350HT and R200 rails were extracted from the Danish rail network as they had transverse bands resembling grinding marks on the running surface. The transverse bands were shown to consist of martensite which had extensive crack formation...... at the martensite/pearlite interface. The cracks in R350HT propagated down into the rail while those in the soft R200 returned to the surface causing only very small shallow spallation. The transverse bands had the same shape, size, orientation, location and periodicity which would be expected from grinding marks...

Moderate alcohol consumption and waiting time to pregnancy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhl, Mette; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Grønbæk, Morten

2001-01-01

BACKGROUND: Recent research indicates that even a moderate consumption of alcohol in women trying to become pregnant is associated with longer waiting time to pregnancy. The findings, though, are based upon few observations. METHODS: Self-reported data on alcohol intake and waiting time...... to pregnancy (0-2, 3-5, 6-12 and >12 months) was used for 39 612 pregnant women, recruited to the Danish National Birth Cohort within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy from 1997 to 2000. Main outcome measures were odds ratios (OR) for a prolonged waiting time to pregnancy according to alcohol intake. RESULTS......: In nulliparous women neither moderate nor high alcohol intake was related with longer waiting time to pregnancy compared with a low intake. In parous women, a modest association was seen only among those with an intake of >14 drinks per week (subfecundity OR 1.3; 95% confidence interval 1.0-1.7). Women who...

Space, place and (waiting) time: reflections on health policy and politics.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheard, Sally

2018-02-19

Health systems have repeatedly addressed concerns about efficiency and equity by employing trans-national comparisons to draw out the strengths and weaknesses of specific policy initiatives. This paper demonstrates the potential for explicit historical analysis of waiting times for hospital treatment to add value to spatial comparative methodologies. Waiting times and the size of the lists of waiting patients have become key operational indicators. In the United Kingdom, as National Health Service (NHS) financial pressures intensified from the 1970s, waiting times have become a topic for regular public and political debate. Various explanations for waiting times include the following: hospital consultants manipulate NHS waiting lists to maintain their private practice; there is under-investment in the NHS; and available (and adequate) resources are being used inefficiently. Other countries have also experienced ongoing tensions between the public and private delivery of universal health care in which national and trans-national comparisons of waiting times have been regularly used. The paper discusses the development of key UK policies, and provides a limited Canadian comparative perspective, to explore wider issues, including whether 'waiting crises' were consciously used by policymakers, especially those brought into government to implement new economic and managerial strategies, to diminish the autonomy and authority of the medical professional in the hospital environment.

Fuel Savings and Aerodynamic Drag Reduction from Rail Car Covers

Science.gov (United States)

Storms, Bruce; Salari, Kambiz; Babb, Alex

2008-01-01

The potential for energy savings by reducing the aerodynamic drag of rail cars is significant. A previous study of aerodynamic drag of coal cars suggests that a 25% reduction in drag of empty cars would correspond to a 5% fuel savings for a round trip [1]. Rail statistics for the United States [2] report that approximately 5.7 billion liters of diesel fuel were consumed for coal transportation in 2002, so a 5% fuel savings would total 284 million liters. This corresponds to 2% of Class I railroad fuel consumption nationwide. As part of a DOE-sponsored study, the aerodynamic drag of scale rail cars was measured in a wind tunnel. The goal of the study was to measure the drag reduction of various rail-car cover designs. The cover designs tested yielded an average drag reduction of 43% relative to empty cars corresponding to an estimated round-trip fuel savings of 9%.

Depredation of the California Ridgway’s rail: Causes and distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Casazza, Michael L.; Overton, Cory T.; Bui, Thuy-Vy D.; Takekawa, John Y.; Merritt, Angela M.; Hull, J.M.

2016-01-01

We studied the causes of mortality for the California Ridgway’s rail at multiple tidal marshes in the San Francisco Bay Estuary, California. We radio-marked 196 individual rails and examined the evidence from 152 recovered California Ridgway’s rail mortalities from our radio-marked sample and determined plausible cause of death from a wide array of evidence. We also included 10 additional California Ridgway’s rail mortalities (unmarked) that we encountered during our normal field operations. We assigned a likely cause of death to 130 of the recoveries, of which 127 were determined to be caused by predation. Of those, 103 could be divided into class of cause (avian or mammalian), and avian predators were responsible for 64% of those events. Primary predators identified include domestic or feral cats, red fox, owl, and northern harrier. We did find seasonal differences between avian and mammalian predation rates, with higher proportions of avian predation in the winter and early spring. Time of day and tide height

Advertising Emergency Department Wait Times

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott G. Weiner

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Advertising emergency department (ED wait times has become a common practice in the UnitedStates. Proponents of this practice state that it is a powerful marketing strategy that can help steerpatients to the ED. Opponents worry about the risk to the public health that arises from a patient withan emergent condition self-triaging to a further hospital, problems with inaccuracy and lack of standarddefinition of the reported time, and directing lower acuity patients to the higher cost ED setting insteadto primary care. Three sample cases demonstrating the pitfalls of advertising ED wait times arediscussed. Given the lack of rigorous evidence supporting the practice and potential adverse effects tothe public health, caution about its use is advised

The British Columbia Nephrologists' Access Study (BCNAS) - a prospective, health services interventional study to develop waiting time benchmarks and reduce wait times for out-patient nephrology consultations.

Science.gov (United States)

Schachter, Michael E; Romann, Alexandra; Djurdev, Ognjenka; Levin, Adeera; Beaulieu, Monica

2013-08-29

Early referral and management of high-risk chronic kidney disease may prevent or delay the need for dialysis. Automatic eGFR reporting has increased demand for out-patient nephrology consultations and in some cases, prolonged queues. In Canada, a national task force suggested the development of waiting time targets, which has not been done for nephrology. We sought to describe waiting time for outpatient nephrology consultations in British Columbia (BC). Data collection occurred in 2 phases: 1) Baseline Description (Jan 18-28, 2010) and 2) Post Waiting Time Benchmark-Introduction (Jan 16-27, 2012). Waiting time was defined as the interval from receipt of referral letters to assessment. Using a modified Delphi process, Nephrologists and Family Physicians (FP) developed waiting time targets for commonly referred conditions through meetings and surveys. Rules were developed to weigh-in nephrologists', FPs', and patients' perspectives in order to generate waiting time benchmarks. Targets consider comorbidities, eGFR, BP and albuminuria. Referred conditions were assigned a priority score between 1-4. BC nephrologists were encouraged to centrally triage referrals to see the first available nephrologist. Waiting time benchmarks were simultaneously introduced to guide patient scheduling. A post-intervention waiting time evaluation was then repeated. In 2010 and 2012, 43/52 (83%) and 46/57 (81%) of BC nephrologists participated. Waiting time decreased from 98(IQR44,157) to 64(IQR21,120) days from 2010 to 2012 (p = management associated with improved access to nephrologists in BC. Improvements in waiting time was most marked for the highest priority patients, which suggests that benchmarks had an influence on triaging behavior. Further research is needed to determine whether this effect is sustainable.

Effects of anchoring and arc structure on the control authority of a rail plasma actuator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Young-Joon; Gray, Miles; Sirohi, Jayant; Raja, Laxminarayan L

2017-01-01

Experiments were conducted on a rail plasma actuator (RailPAc) with different electrode cross sections (rails or rods) to assess methods to improve the actuation authority, defined as the impulse generated for a given electrical input. The arc was characterized with electrical measurements and high-speed images, while impulse measurements quantified the actuation authority. A RailPAc power supply capable of delivering  ∼1 kA of current at  ∼100 V was connected to rod electrodes (free-floating with circular cross-section) and rail electrodes (flush-mounted in a flat plate with rectangular cross-section). High-speed images show that the rail electrodes cause the arc to anchor itself to the anode electrode and transit in discrete jumps, while rod electrodes permit the arc to transit smoothly without anchoring. The impulse measurements reveal that the anchoring reduces the actuation authority by  ∼21% compared to a smooth transit, and the effect of anchoring can be suppressed by reducing the gap between the rails to 2 mm. The study further demonstrates that if a smooth transit is achieved, the control authority can be increased with a larger gap and larger arc current. In conclusion, the actuation authority of a RailPAc can be maximized by carefully choosing a gap width that prevents anchoring. Further study is warranted to increase the RailPAc actuation authority by introducing multiple turns of wires beneath the RailPAc to augment the induced magnetic field. (paper)

Pricing in M/M/1 queues when cost of waiting in queue differs from cost of waiting in service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Görkem Sarıyer

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Service providers can adjust the entrance price to the state of the demand in real life service systems where the customers' decision to receive the service, is based on this price, state of demand and other system parameters. We analyzed service provider's short and long term pricing problems in unobservable M/M/1 queues having the rational customers, where, for customers, the unit cost of waiting in the queue is higher than unit cost of waiting in the service. We showed that waiting in the queue has a clear negative effect on customers’ utilities, hence the service provider's price values. We also showed that, in the short term, monopolistic pricing is optimal for congested systems with high server utilization levels, whereas in the long term, market capturing pricing is more profitable.

Development of rail access to the proposed repository site at Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Standish, P.N.; Seidler, P.E.; Andrews, W.B.; Shearin, G.

1991-01-01

In accordance with the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendment Act of 1987, Yucca Mountain was designated as the initial site to be investigated as a potential repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The Yucca Mountain site is an undeveloped area located on the southwestern edge of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The site currently lacks rail service or an existing right-of-way. If the Yucca Mountain site is found suitable for the repository, rail service is considered desirable by the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) program because of the potential of rail transportation to reduce (1) costs and (2) number of shipments, relative to highway transportation. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a study to determine (1) that there are alignments for a potential rail line from existing mainline railroads to Yucca Mountain and (2) that these are consistent with present rail design standards and are acceptable relative to environmental and land access considerations

Bubble propagation on a rail: a concept for sorting bubbles by size

Science.gov (United States)

Franco-Gómez, Andrés; Thompson, Alice B.; Hazel, Andrew L.; Juel, Anne

We demonstrate experimentally that the introduction of a rail, a small height constriction, within the cross-section of a rectangular channel could be used as a robust passive sorting device in two-phase fluid flows. Single air bubbles carried within silicone oil are generally transported on one side of the rail. However, for flow rates marginally larger than a critical value, a narrow band of bubble sizes can propagate (stably) over the rail, while bubbles of other sizes segregate to the side of the rail. The width of this band of bubble sizes increases with flow rate and the size of the most stable bubble can be tuned by varying the rail width. We present a complementary theoretical analysis based on a depth-averaged theory, which is in qualitative agreement with the experiments. The theoretical study reveals that the mechanism relies on a non-trivial interaction between capillary and viscous forces that is fully dynamic, rather than being a simple modification of capillary static solutions.

Setting wait times to achieve targeted left-without-being-seen rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Jared; Batt, Robert J; Soremekun, Olanrewaju A

2014-04-01

Although several studies have demonstrated that wait time is a key factor that drives high leave-without-being-seen (LWBS) rates, limited data on ideal wait times and impact on LWBS rates exist. We studied the LWBS rates by triage class and target wait times required to achieve various LWBS rates. We conducted a 3-year retrospective analysis of patients presenting to an urban, tertiary, academic, adult emergency department (ED). We divided the 3-year study period into 504 discrete periods by year, day of the week, and hour of the day. Patients of same triage level arriving in the same bin were exposed to similar ED conditions. For each bin, we calculate the mean actual wait time and the proportion of patients that abandoned. We performed a regression analysis on the abandonment proportion on the mean wait time using weighted least squares regression. A total of 143,698 patients were included for analysis during the study period. The R(2) value was highest for Emergency Severity Index (ESI) 3 (R(2) = 0.88), suggesting that wait time is the major factor driving LWBS of ESI 3 patients. Assuming that ESI 2 patients wait less than 10 minutes, our sensitivity analysis shows that the target wait times for ESI 3 and ESI 4/5 patients should be less than 45 and 60 minutes, respectively, to achieve an overall LWBS rate of less than 2%. Achieving target LWBS rates requires analysis to understand the abandonment behavior and redesigning operations to achieve the target wait times. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Longer wait times affect future use of VHA primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Edwin S; Liu, Chuan-Fen; Hernandez, Susan E; Augustine, Matthew R; Nelson, Karin; Fihn, Stephan D; Hebert, Paul L

2017-07-29

Improving access to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a high priority, particularly given statutory mandates of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act. This study examined whether patient-reported wait times for VHA appointments were associated with future reliance on VHA primary care services. This observational study examined 13,595 VHA patients dually enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare. Data sources included VHA administrative data, Medicare claims and the Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP). Primary care use was defined as the number of face-to-face visits from VHA and Medicare in the 12 months following SHEP completion. VHA reliance was defined as the number of VHA visits divided by total visits (VHA+Medicare). Wait times were derived from SHEP responses measuring the usual number of days to a VHA appointment with patients' primary care provider for those seeking immediate care. We defined appointment wait times categorically: 0 days, 1day, 2-3 days, 4-7 days and >7 days. We used fractional logistic regression to examine the relationship between wait times and reliance. Mean VHA reliance was 88.1% (95% CI = 86.7% to 89.5%) for patients reporting 0day waits. Compared with these patients, reliance over the subsequent year was 1.4 (p = 0.041), 2.8 (p = 0.001) and 1.6 (p = 0.014) percentage points lower for patients waiting 2-3 days, 4-7 days and >7 days, respectively. Patients reporting longer usual wait times for immediate VHA care exhibited lower future reliance on VHA primary care. Longer wait times may reduce care continuity and impact cost shifting across two federal health programs. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Parking Space Occupancy at Rail Stations in Klang Valley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Phooi Wai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The development of Klang Valley Integrated Rapid Transit system in Klang Valley, Malaysia has been quickly gaining momentum during the recent years. There will be two new MRT lines (MRT Line 1 and MRT Line 2 and one new LRT line (LRT Line 3 extended from the current integrated rail transit system by year 2020 with more than 90 new rail stations. With the substantial addition of potential rail passengers, there are doubts whether the existing Park and Ride facilities in Klang Valley are able to accommodate the future parking space demand at rail stations. This research studies the parking occupancy at various Park and Ride facilities in Klang Valley namely Taman Jaya, Asia Jaya, Taman Paramount, Taman Bahagia and Kelana Jaya by applying the non-conventional method utilizing Google Earth imageries. Results showed that the parking occupancy rate at these LRT stations were 100% or more before the commencement of LRT extension (Kelana Jaya and Ampang Lines in 2016 and in the range of 36% to 100% after the commencement of LRT extension due to the additionally built car parks and changes in parking pattern with dispersed passenger traffic.

Waiting Endurance Time Estimation of Electric Two-Wheelers at Signalized Intersections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei Huan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper proposed a model for estimating waiting endurance times of electric two-wheelers at signalized intersections using survival analysis method. Waiting duration times were collected by video cameras and they were assigned as censored and uncensored data to distinguish between normal crossing and red-light running behavior. A Cox proportional hazard model was introduced, and variables revealing personal characteristics and traffic conditions were defined as covariates to describe the effects of internal and external factors. Empirical results show that riders do not want to wait too long to cross intersections. As signal waiting time increases, electric two-wheelers get impatient and violate the traffic signal. There are 12.8% of electric two-wheelers with negligible wait time. 25.0% of electric two-wheelers are generally nonrisk takers who can obey the traffic rules after waiting for 100 seconds. Half of electric two-wheelers cannot endure 49.0 seconds or longer at red-light phase. Red phase time, motor vehicle volume, and conformity behavior have important effects on riders’ waiting times. Waiting endurance times would decrease with the longer red-phase time, the lower traffic volume, or the bigger number of other riders who run against the red light. The proposed model may be applicable in the design, management and control of signalized intersections in other developing cities.

Waiting endurance time estimation of electric two-wheelers at signalized intersections.

Science.gov (United States)

Huan, Mei; Yang, Xiao-bao

2014-01-01

The paper proposed a model for estimating waiting endurance times of electric two-wheelers at signalized intersections using survival analysis method. Waiting duration times were collected by video cameras and they were assigned as censored and uncensored data to distinguish between normal crossing and red-light running behavior. A Cox proportional hazard model was introduced, and variables revealing personal characteristics and traffic conditions were defined as covariates to describe the effects of internal and external factors. Empirical results show that riders do not want to wait too long to cross intersections. As signal waiting time increases, electric two-wheelers get impatient and violate the traffic signal. There are 12.8% of electric two-wheelers with negligible wait time. 25.0% of electric two-wheelers are generally nonrisk takers who can obey the traffic rules after waiting for 100 seconds. Half of electric two-wheelers cannot endure 49.0 seconds or longer at red-light phase. Red phase time, motor vehicle volume, and conformity behavior have important effects on riders' waiting times. Waiting endurance times would decrease with the longer red-phase time, the lower traffic volume, or the bigger number of other riders who run against the red light. The proposed model may be applicable in the design, management and control of signalized intersections in other developing cities.

BIM Interoperability Limitations: Australian and Malaysian Rail Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenley Russell

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Building information modelling (BIM is defined as a process involving the generation and management of digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. The purpose of interoperability in integrated or “open” BIM is to facilitate the information exchange between different digital systems, models and tools. There has been effort towards data interoperability with development of open source standards and object-oriented models, such as industry foundation classes (IFC for vertical infrastructure. However, the lack of open data standards for the information exchange for horizontal infrastructure limits the adoption and effectiveness of integrated BIM. The paper outlines two interoperability issues for construction of rail infrastructure. The issues are presented in two case study reports, one from Australia and one from Malaysia. The each case study includes: a description of the project, the application of BIM in the project, a discussion of the promised BIM interoperability solution plus the identification of the unresolved lack of interoperability for horizontal infrastructure project management. The Moreton Bay Rail project in Australia introduces general software interoperability issues. The Light Rail Extension project in Kuala Lumpur outlines an example of the integration problems related to two different location data structures. The paper highlights how the continuing lack of data interoperability limits utilisation of integrated BIM for horizontal infrastructure rail projects.

Evaluating the attractiveness of a new light rail extension: Testing simple change and displacement change hypotheses.

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Carol M; Brown, Barbara B; Tribby, Calvin P; Tharp, Doug; Flick, Kristi; Miller, Harvey J; Smith, Ken R; Jensen, Wyatt

2016-01-01

Many communities in the United States have been adding new light rail to bus-predominant public transit systems. However, there is disagreement as to whether opening light rail lines attracts new ridership or merely draws ridership from existing transit users. We study a new light rail line in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, which is part of a complete street redevelopment. We utilize a pre-test post-test control group quasi-experimental design to test two different measures of ridership change. The first measure is calculated from stops along the light rail route; the second assumes that nearby bus stops might be displaced by the rail and calculates ridership change with those stops included as baseline. Both the simple measure (transit use changes on the complete street light rail corridor) and the "displacement" measure (transit use changes in the one-quarter mile catchment areas around new light rail stops) showed significant ( p rail bus users. In particular, the displacement analysis discredits a common challenge that when a new light rail line opens, most passengers are simply former bus riders whose routes were canceled in favor of light rail. The study suggests that light rail services can attract additional ridership to public transit systems. In addition, although pre-post control-group designs require time and effort, this project underscores the benefits of such quasi-experimental designs in terms of the strength of the inferences that can be drawn about the impacts of new transit infrastructure and services.

Social exclusion and high speed rail: The case study of Spain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pagliara, F.; Menicocci, F.; Vassallo, J.M.; Gomez, J.

2016-07-01

Very few contributions in the literature have dealt with the issue of social exclusion related to High Speed Rail systems. The objective of this manuscript is to understand what are the factors excluding users from choosing High Speed Rail services considering as case study Spain. For this purpose, a Revealed Preference survey was employed in November and December 2015. A questionnaire was submitted to users of the Spanish transport systems travelling for long distance-journeys. The aim was that of investigating their perception of High Speed Rail system and the factors inhibiting passengers or excluding them from its use. Data about their socioeconomic characteristics were collected as well. The main result of the survey has been that a relationship between social exclusion and High Speed Rail in Spain is present, especially in terms of geographical exclusion. (Author)

USDOE Top-of-Rail Lubricant Project; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohumad F. Alzoubi; George R. Fenske; Robert A. Erck; Amrit S. Boparai

2002-01-01

Lubrication of wheel/rail systems has been recognized for the last two decades as a very important issue for railroads. Energy savings and less friction and wear can be realized if a lubricant can be used at the wheel/rail interface. On the other hand, adverse influences are seen in operating and wear conditions if improper or excessive lubrication is used. Also, inefficiencies in lubrication need to be avoided for economic and environmental reasons. The top-of-rail (TOR) lubricant concept was developed by Texaco Corporation to lubricate wheels and rails effectively and efficiently. Tranergy Corporation has been developing its SENTRAEN 2000(trademark) lubrication system for the last ten years, and this revolutionary new high-tech on-board rail lubrication system promises to dramatically improve the energy efficiency, performance, safety, and track environment of railroads. The system is fully computer-controlled and ensures that all of the lubricant is consumed as the end of the train passes. Lubricant quantity dispensed is a function of grade, speed, curve, and axle load. Tranergy also has its LA4000(trademark) wheel and rail simulator, a lubrication and traction testing apparatus. The primary task of this project was collecting and analyzing the volatile and semivolatile compounds produced as the lubricant was used. The volatile organic compounds were collected by Carbotrap cartridges and analyzed by adsorption and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The semivolatile fraction was obtained by collecting liquid that dripped from the test wheel. The collected material was also analyzed by GC/MS. Both of these analyses were qualitative. The results indicated that in the volatile fraction, the only compounds on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund List of Analytes detected were contaminants either in the room air or from other potential contamination sources in the laboratory. Similarly, in the semivolatile fraction none of the detected

South Africa’s freight rail reform: A demand-driven perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan H. Havenga

2014-11-01

Full Text Available During the 20th century, freight transport in South Africa was employed to attain politicoeconomic ideals, resulting in the overprotection of rail and overregulation of road transport. Increasing industry pressure, combined with the international deregulation trend, led to deregulation in 1988. Myopia resulted in a rail investment hiatus and exponential growth in high-value, long-distance road transport, causing excessive logistics and externality costs for the country. The aim of this study was to propose a freight rail reform agenda based on, (1 lessons from past freight transport policy efforts and (2 the results of freight transport market segmentation driven by models developed over the past two decades. For the study, freight flows were modelled by disaggregating the national input–output model into 372 origin–destination pairs and 71 commodity groups, followed by distance decay gravitymodelling. Logistics costs were calculated by relating commodity-level freight flows to the costs of fulfilling associated logistical functions. The standard management approach of founding strategy development on market-driven segmentation provides a neutral input to steer rail reform discussions in South Africa. Market segmentation points to a dualistic rail reform agenda, enabling both a profit-driven core and a development-driven branch line network. Freight flow insights are steering the policy reform debate towards long-term freight strategy development and optimal freight logistics network design.

A Measuring Method About the Bullet Velocity in Electromagnetic Rail Gun

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianming LIU

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The operating principle of electromagnetic rail gun by store capacitor was analyzed. A simulation model about the bullet velocity in the electromagnetic rail gun was built. The results of computer simulation experiment showed the relationships between the bullet velocity and the capacitor charging voltage and the pellet mass. By ten coil targets, a new kind of measuring method for the bullet velocity in electromagnetic rail gun was presented. The results of the actual experiment were analyzed. The improving method for measuring bullet velocity was put forward.

SU-F-P-20: Predicting Waiting Times in Radiation Oncology Using Machine Learning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joseph, A; Herrera, D; Hijal, T; Kildea, J; Hendren, L; Leung, A; Wainberg, J; Sawaf, M; Gorshkov, M; Maglieri, R; Keshavarz, M

2016-01-01

Purpose: Waiting times remain one of the most vexing patient satisfaction challenges facing healthcare. Waiting time uncertainty can cause patients, who are already sick or in pain, to worry about when they will receive the care they need. These waiting periods are often difficult for staff to predict and only rough estimates are typically provided based on personal experience. This level of uncertainty leaves most patients unable to plan their calendar, making the waiting experience uncomfortable, even painful. In the present era of electronic health records (EHRs), waiting times need not be so uncertain. Extensive EHRs provide unprecedented amounts of data that can statistically cluster towards representative values when appropriate patient cohorts are selected. Predictive modelling, such as machine learning, is a powerful approach that benefits from large, potentially complex, datasets. The essence of machine learning is to predict future outcomes by learning from previous experience. The application of a machine learning algorithm to waiting time data has the potential to produce personalized waiting time predictions such that the uncertainty may be removed from the patient’s waiting experience. Methods: In radiation oncology, patients typically experience several types of waiting (eg waiting at home for treatment planning, waiting in the waiting room for oncologist appointments and daily waiting in the waiting room for radiotherapy treatments). A daily treatment wait time model is discussed in this report. To develop a prediction model using our large dataset (with more than 100k sample points) a variety of machine learning algorithms from the Python package sklearn were tested. Results: We found that the Random Forest Regressor model provides the best predictions for daily radiotherapy treatment waiting times. Using this model, we achieved a median residual (actual value minus predicted value) of 0.25 minutes and a standard deviation residual of 6.5 minutes

SU-F-P-20: Predicting Waiting Times in Radiation Oncology Using Machine Learning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joseph, A; Herrera, D; Hijal, T; Kildea, J [McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Hendren, L; Leung, A; Wainberg, J; Sawaf, M; Gorshkov, M; Maglieri, R; Keshavarz, M [McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Waiting times remain one of the most vexing patient satisfaction challenges facing healthcare. Waiting time uncertainty can cause patients, who are already sick or in pain, to worry about when they will receive the care they need. These waiting periods are often difficult for staff to predict and only rough estimates are typically provided based on personal experience. This level of uncertainty leaves most patients unable to plan their calendar, making the waiting experience uncomfortable, even painful. In the present era of electronic health records (EHRs), waiting times need not be so uncertain. Extensive EHRs provide unprecedented amounts of data that can statistically cluster towards representative values when appropriate patient cohorts are selected. Predictive modelling, such as machine learning, is a powerful approach that benefits from large, potentially complex, datasets. The essence of machine learning is to predict future outcomes by learning from previous experience. The application of a machine learning algorithm to waiting time data has the potential to produce personalized waiting time predictions such that the uncertainty may be removed from the patient’s waiting experience. Methods: In radiation oncology, patients typically experience several types of waiting (eg waiting at home for treatment planning, waiting in the waiting room for oncologist appointments and daily waiting in the waiting room for radiotherapy treatments). A daily treatment wait time model is discussed in this report. To develop a prediction model using our large dataset (with more than 100k sample points) a variety of machine learning algorithms from the Python package sklearn were tested. Results: We found that the Random Forest Regressor model provides the best predictions for daily radiotherapy treatment waiting times. Using this model, we achieved a median residual (actual value minus predicted value) of 0.25 minutes and a standard deviation residual of 6.5 minutes

Advertising emergency department wait times.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiner, Scott G

2013-03-01

Advertising emergency department (ED) wait times has become a common practice in the United States. Proponents of this practice state that it is a powerful marketing strategy that can help steer patients to the ED. Opponents worry about the risk to the public health that arises from a patient with an emergent condition self-triaging to a further hospital, problems with inaccuracy and lack of standard definition of the reported time, and directing lower acuity patients to the higher cost ED setting instead to primary care. Three sample cases demonstrating the pitfalls of advertising ED wait times are discussed. Given the lack of rigorous evidence supporting the practice and potential adverse effects to the public health, caution about its use is advised.

Advertising Emergency Department Wait Times

Science.gov (United States)

Weiner, Scott G.

2013-01-01

Advertising emergency department (ED) wait times has become a common practice in the United States. Proponents of this practice state that it is a powerful marketing strategy that can help steer patients to the ED. Opponents worry about the risk to the public health that arises from a patient with an emergent condition self-triaging to a further hospital, problems with inaccuracy and lack of standard definition of the reported time, and directing lower acuity patients to the higher cost ED setting instead to primary care. Three sample cases demonstrating the pitfalls of advertising ED wait times are discussed. Given the lack of rigorous evidence supporting the practice and potential adverse effects to the public health, caution about its use is advised. PMID:23599836

System diagnosis using finite memory observers: Common Rail application; Diagnostic des systemes a l'aide d'observateurs a memoire finie: application au Common Rail

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graton, G.

2005-12-15

The aim of this work was to propose a fault detection method on the high pressure direct injection system (called Common Rail system) set up on Diesel vehicles. The importance of the fault detection procedure implementation was highlighted thanks to the description of the stakes (lowers consumption, reduction in the pollutant emissions and sound, increase of performances) and constraints dependent on Common Rail (high pressure, high frequency, gas oil lubrication, high precision machining, standards EURO respect,...) but also through a listing of failures which can occur on Common Rail. A synthesis on the different diagnosis methods of systems contributed to select a fault detection method with expected performances (detection of fault beginning, detection speed, isolation and characterization of detected fault and minimizing false alarm and bad detections). After a detailed study (properties, sequential formulations and sensitivity study) of the selected detection method (finite memory observers) and a modeling of the Common Rail various bodies behavior, the algorithm of detection was tested on three different models of the system Common Rail. Moreover, the comparison between the finite memory observer and a Luenberger observer and a Kalman filter allow to appreciate the residual robustness degree. Obtained results allow to conclude on good detection of actuator and sensor faults. (author)

Investigating the lubricity and electrical insulation caused by sanding in dry wheel–rail contacts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arias-Cuevas, O.; Li, Z.; Lewis, R.

2009-01-01

The adhesion (or available friction) in the wheel–rail contact is the most important parameter for the braking and traction operation of rail vehicles. Since the beginning of railway transportation, sanding from the locomotive has been a common practice to enhance the wheel–rail adhesion. In recent

Indication criteria for cataract extraction and gender differences in waiting time.

Science.gov (United States)

Smirthwaite, Goldina; Lundström, Mats; Albrecht, Susanne; Swahnberg, Katarina

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate national indication criteria tool for cataract extraction (NIKE), a clinical tool for establishing levels of indications for cataract surgery, in relation to gender differences in waiting times for cataract extraction (CE). Data were collected by The Swedish National Cataract Register (NCR). Eye clinics report to NCR voluntarily and on regular basis (98% coverage). Comparisons regarding gender difference in waiting times were performed between NIKE-categorized and non-NIKE-categorized patients, as well as between different indication groups within the NIKE-system. All calculations were performed in spss version 20. Multivariate analyses were carried out using logistic regression, and single variable analyses were carried out by Student's t-test or chi square as appropriate. Gender, age, visual acuity and NIKE-categorization were associated with waiting time. Female patients had a longer waiting time to CE than male, both within and outside the NIKE-system. Gender difference in waiting time was somewhat larger among patients who had not been categorized by NIKE. In the non-NIKE-categorized group, women waited 0.20 months longer than men. In the group which was NIKE-categorized, women waited 0.18 months longer than men. It is reasonable to assume that prioritizing patients by means of NIKE helps to reduce the gender differences in waiting time. Gender differences in waiting time have decreased as NIKE was introduced and there may be a variety of explanations for this. However, with the chosen study design, we could not distinguish between effects related to NIKE and those due to other factors which occurred during the study period. © 2013 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Structural analysis of the ITER Divertor toroidal rails

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Viganò, F., E-mail: Fabio.Vigano@LTCalcoli.it [L.T. Calcoli SaS, Piazza Prinetti 26/B, 23807 Merate (Italy); Escourbiac, F.; Gicquel, S.; Komarov, V. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St. Paul lez Durance (France); Lucca, F. [L.T. Calcoli SaS, Piazza Prinetti 26/B, 23807 Merate (Italy); Merola, M. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St. Paul lez Durance (France); Ngnitewe, R. [L.T. Calcoli SaS, Piazza Prinetti 26/B, 23807 Merate (Italy)

2013-10-15

The Divertor is one of the most technically challenging components of the ITER machine, which has the main function of extracting the power conducted in the scrape-off layer while maintaining the plasma purity. There are 54 Divertor cassettes installed in the vacuum vessel (VV). Each cassette body (CB) is fastened on the inner and outer concentric Divertor toroidal rails. The comprehensive assessment (in accordance with the Structural Design Criteria for ITER In-vessel Components: ITER SDC-IC) of the Divertor toroidal rails has been performed during design activity based on performing of thermal and stress analyses at operating conditions of neutron stage of ITER operation. This paper outlines the engineering aspects of the ITER Divertor toroidal rails and focuses on some critical regions of the present design highlighted by the performed structural assessment. The structural assessment has been performed with help of using Finite Element (FE) Abaqus code and based on criteria given by ITER SDC-IC.

Waiting for Merlot: anticipatory consumption of experiential and material purchases.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Amit; Killingsworth, Matthew A; Gilovich, Thomas

2014-10-01

Experiential purchases (money spent on doing) tend to provide more enduring happiness than material purchases (money spent on having). Although most research comparing these two types of purchases has focused on their downstream hedonic consequences, the present research investigated hedonic differences that occur before consumption. We argue that waiting for experiences tends to be more positive than waiting for possessions. Four studies demonstrate that people derive more happiness from the anticipation of experiential purchases and that waiting for an experience tends to be more pleasurable and exciting than waiting to receive a material good. We found these effects in studies using questionnaires involving a variety of actual planned purchases, in a large-scale experience-sampling study, and in an archival analysis of news stories about people waiting in line to make a purchase. Consumers derive value from anticipation, and that value tends to be greater for experiential than for material purchases. © The Author(s) 2014.

A REVIEW OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL PLAN IN JAVA ISLAND: A COMPARISON WITH EXISTING MODES OF TRANSPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eko Hartono

2013-05-01

It can be concluded that journey time and fare of the high-speed rail is very competitive to the air transport in Jakarta-Surabaya corridor. The journey time to travel from Jakarta to Surabaya is 4 hours and 19 minutes by high-speed train and 4 hours and 40 minutes by air. Based on the benchmarking analysis, the suitable fare for the high-speed rail should be 70% of the air transport. This study predicted that 61% of air passenger, 18% of conventional rail passenger and 12% of bus passenger will switch to the high-speed rail service in 2020. In total, the high-speed rail will have 24% of market share for the passenger transport and becomes the second largest market share after road transport (52%. The conventional rail and air transport have 14% and 9% of total market share to travel from Jakarta to Surabaya and vice versa. The high-speed rail development reduces carbon emissions caused by transportation systems in Java Island. It has been calculated that there are 2.542 million tonnages of CO2 per annum without introducing high-speed rail, however, the CO2 emissions decrease to 1.694 million tonnages per annum if the high-speed rail is developed in Java Island. Generalized cost of the high-speed rail is higher than road and conventional rail. However, it is lower than air transport. Keywords: Java high-speed rail, HSR Comparison, modal share, journey time

Shock and vibration environments encountered during normal rail transportation of heavy cargo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnuson, C.F.

1982-08-01

This study was conducted to obtain vibration and superimposed shock data during normal rail shipment of heavy cargo. The data were obtained during a regularly scheduled rail shipment of a 45-tonne (50-ton) cargo which consisted of an empty spent-fuel container, its supporting structure, and associated hoisting devices. The shipment was made over rail lines which are operated by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company between Denver, Colorado and Albuquerque, New Mexico. The instrumented rail car was equipped with 0.38-m (15-in.) hydraulic end-of-car coupling devices. The 99 percentile levels of vibration acceleration amplitudes and single degree-of-freedom superimposed shock response spectra for the longitudinal, transverse, and vertical axes are presented

49 CFR 210.29 - Operation standards (moving locomotives and rail cars).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... cars). 210.29 Section 210.29 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued... REGULATIONS Inspection and Testing § 210.29 Operation standards (moving locomotives and rail cars). The operation standards for the noise emission levels of moving locomotives, rail cars, or consists of...

Waiting Lists for Radiation Therapy: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Singer Peter A

2001-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Why waiting lists arise and how to address them remains unclear, and an improved understanding of these waiting list "dynamics" could lead to better management. The purpose of this study is to understand how the current shortage in radiation therapy in Ontario developed; the implications of prolonged waits; who is held accountable for managing such delays; and short, intermediate, and long-term solutions. Methods A case study of the radiation therapy shortage in 1998-99 at Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Relevant documents were collected; semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with ten administrators, health care workers, and patients were conducted, audio-taped and transcribed; and relevant meetings were observed. Results The radiation therapy shortage arose from a complex interplay of factors including: rising cancer incidence rates; broadening indications for radiation therapy; human resources management issues; government funding decisions; and responsiveness to previous planning recommendations. Implications of delays include poorer cancer control rates; patient suffering; and strained doctor-patient relationships. An incompatible relationship exists between moral responsibility, borne by government, and legal liability, borne by physicians. Short-term solutions include re-referral to centers with available resources; long-term solutions include training and recruiting health care workers, improving workload standards, increasing compensation, and making changes to the funding formula. Conclusion Human resource planning plays a critical role in the causes and solutions of waiting lists. Waiting lists have harsh implications for patients. Accountability relationships require realignment.

Ballistic Rail Gun Soft Recovery Facility

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Ballistic Rail Gun Soft Recovery Facility accommodates a 155mm Howitzer, fired horizontally into a 104-foot long water trough to slow the projectile and recover...

Wait watchers: the application of a waiting list active management program in ambulatory care.

Science.gov (United States)

de Belvis, Antonio Giulio; Marino, Marta; Avolio, Maria; Pelone, Ferruccio; Basso, Danila; Dei Tos, Gian Antonio; Cinquetti, Sandro; Ricciardi, Walter

2013-04-01

This study describes and evaluates the application of a waiting list management program in ambulatory care. Waiting list active management survey (telephone call and further contact); before and after controlled trial. Local Health Trust in Veneto Region (North-East of Italy) in 2008-09. Five hundred and one people on a 554 waiting list for C Class ambulatory care diagnostic and/or clinical investigations (electrocardiography plus cardiology ambulatory consultation, eye ambulatory consultation, carotid vessels Eco-color-Doppler, legs Eco-color-Doppler or colonoscopy, respectively). Active list management program consisting of a telephonic interview on 21 items to evaluate socioeconomic features, self-perceived health status, social support, referral physician, accessibility and patients' satisfaction. A controlled before-and-after study was performed to evaluate anonymously the overall impact on patients' self-perceived quality of care. The rate of patients with deteriorating healthcare conditions; rate of dropout; interviewed degree of satisfaction about the initiative; overall impact on citizens' perceived quality of care. 95.4% patients evaluated the initiative as useful. After the intervention, patients more likely to have been targeted with the program showed a statistically significant increase in self-reported quality of care. Positive impact of the program on some dimensions of ambulatory care quality (health status, satisfaction, willingness to remain in the queue), thus confirming the outstanding value of 'not to leave people alone' and 'not to leave them feeling themselves alone' in healthcare delivery.

Research of the Resistance of Contact Welding Joint of R65 Type Rail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kęstutis Dauskurdis

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In the article the R65 type rail joints that were welded by resistance welding are analysed. Survey methodology of the research consists of the following parts: visual inspection of welded joint, ultrasonic rail inspection, hardness test of upper part of the rail, fusion area research, the measurement hardness test of heat-softened area, the measurement microhardness test, microstructure research of the welded joint, impact strength experiments, chemical analysis of welded joint, wheel-rail interaction research using the finite element method (FEM. The results of the research are analysed and the quality of weld is evaluated. The conclusion is based on the results of this research.

19 CFR 123.91 - Electronic information for rail cargo required in advance of arrival.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... identification number will be a unique number to be assigned by CBP upon the implementation of the Automated... implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment); (8) The place where the rail carrier takes possession of... being shipped by rail; (10) Container numbers (for containerized shipments) or the rail car numbers; and...

Research on the Common Rail Pressure Overshoot of Opposed-Piston Two-Stroke Diesel Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Lu

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The common rail pressure has a direct influence on the working stability of Opposed-Piston Two-Stroke (OP2S diesel engines, especially on performance indexes such as power, economy and emissions. Meanwhile, the rail pressure overshoot phenomenon occurs frequently due to the operating characteristics of OP2S diesel engines, which could lead to serious consequences. In order to solve the rail pressure overshoot problem of OP2S diesel engines, a nonlinear concerted algorithm adding a speed state feedback was investigated. First, the nonlinear Linear Parameter Varying (LPV model was utilized to describe the coupling relationship between the engine speed and the rail pressure. The Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR optimal control algorithm was applied to design the controller by the feedback of speed and rail pressure. Second, cooperating with the switching characteristics of injectors, the co-simulation of MATLAB/Simulink and GT-Power was utilized to verify the validity of the control algorithm and analyze workspaces for both normal and special sections. Finally, bench test results showed that the accuracy of the rail pressure control was in the range of ±1 MPa, in the condition of sudden 600 r/min speed increases. In addition, the fuel mass was reduced 76.3% compared with the maximum fuel supply quantity and the rail pressure fluctuation was less than 20 MPa. The algorithm could also be appropriate for other types of common rail system thanks to its universality.

The British Columbia Nephrologists’ Access Study (BCNAS) – a prospective, health services interventional study to develop waiting time benchmarks and reduce wait times for out-patient nephrology consultations

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Early referral and management of high-risk chronic kidney disease may prevent or delay the need for dialysis. Automatic eGFR reporting has increased demand for out-patient nephrology consultations and in some cases, prolonged queues. In Canada, a national task force suggested the development of waiting time targets, which has not been done for nephrology. Methods We sought to describe waiting time for outpatient nephrology consultations in British Columbia (BC). Data collection occurred in 2 phases: 1) Baseline Description (Jan 18-28, 2010) and 2) Post Waiting Time Benchmark-Introduction (Jan 16-27, 2012). Waiting time was defined as the interval from receipt of referral letters to assessment. Using a modified Delphi process, Nephrologists and Family Physicians (FP) developed waiting time targets for commonly referred conditions through meetings and surveys. Rules were developed to weigh-in nephrologists’, FPs’, and patients’ perspectives in order to generate waiting time benchmarks. Targets consider comorbidities, eGFR, BP and albuminuria. Referred conditions were assigned a priority score between 1-4. BC nephrologists were encouraged to centrally triage referrals to see the first available nephrologist. Waiting time benchmarks were simultaneously introduced to guide patient scheduling. A post-intervention waiting time evaluation was then repeated. Results In 2010 and 2012, 43/52 (83%) and 46/57 (81%) of BC nephrologists participated. Waiting time decreased from 98(IQR44,157) to 64(IQR21,120) days from 2010 to 2012 (p = management associated with improved access to nephrologists in BC. Improvements in waiting time was most marked for the highest priority patients, which suggests that benchmarks had an influence on triaging behavior. Further research is needed to determine whether this effect is sustainable. PMID:23988113

Rail security : some actions taken to enhance passenger and freight rail security, but significant challenges remain : testimony before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate

Science.gov (United States)

2004-03-23

Passenger and freight rail services are important links in the nation's transportation system. Terrorist attacks on passenger and/or freight rail services have the potential to cause widespread injury, loss of life, and economic disruption. The recen...

Appraisal on Rail Transit Development: A Review on Train Services and Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Nordin, Noor Hafiza binti; Masirin, Mohd Idrus Haji Mohd; Ghazali, Mohd Imran bin; Azis, Mohd Isom bin

2017-08-01

The ever increasing problems faced by population around the world have made demands that transportation need to be improved as an effective and efficient communication means. It is considered as a necessity especially when rapid development and economic growth of a country is the agenda. Among the transportation modes being focused as critical facilities are the bus system, rail system, road network, shipping system and air transportation system. Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In Malaysia, the railway network has evolved tremendously since its inception in the early 19th century. It has grown proportionally with the national development. Railway network does not only mean for rural transportation, but it also considered as a solution to urban congestion challenges. Currently, urban rail transit is the most popular means of urban transportation system especially as big cities such as Kuala Lumpur. This paper presents the definition of rail transportation system and its role in urban or sub-urban operation. It also describes the brief history of world railway transportation including a discussion on Malaysian rail history perspective. As policy and standard are important in operating a railway system, this paper also illustrates and discusses some elements which have an impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of train operation. Towards the end, this paper also shares the importance of railway safety based on real case studies around the world. Thus, it is hoped that this paper will enable the public to understand the rail transit development and appreciate its existence as a public transportation system.

Uptake and loss of 134Cs and 60Co by the Baltic bivalve Macoma Baltica under laboratory conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, S.

1982-01-01

In order to predict the radiological impact on man via harvestable sea food products, it is essential to make a critical evaluation of the transfer routes and the rates on which radionuclides are transferred through the aquatic food chains. In the Baltic, the bivalve Macoma Baltica comprises a main food item for fish species of commercial interest, such as flounder. The accumulation and release of Cs-134 and Co-60 by Macoma was experimentally investigated. The nuclides were added to the water and the activity content of the bivalves was determined at regular intervals. The uptake was quite rapid, 40 per cent (Cs) and 55 per cent (Co) respectively of the final steady state was obtained after 24 hours. The subsequent release was rapid as well, 50 per cent (Cs) and 40 per cent (Co) respectively of the accumulated activity was lost within 6 days. The experiments demonstrated that the major intake route following short-term releases of activity will be from the water column. The close connection between activity in water and organism can thus be used for predictive purposes without the complication of radionuclide uptake from contaminated sediments. (Author)

Reduction of Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue in Mass Transit Rail Operators.

Science.gov (United States)

Haynes, Ajeenah L

2017-08-01

Sleep and work schedules differ considerably between rail workers and the broader U.S. workforce. Due to extended work hours and night shift schedules, train and engine service workers who operate passenger trains or move freight are most vulnerable to fatigue. This article addresses the need for comprehensive fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) for rail operators. Using a transactional ergonomic perspective, FRMS are discussed with a focus on fatigue education and administrative controls to reduce feelings of tiredness, low motivation, poor concentration, and low physical activity among mass transit rail operators. Recommendations for intervention implementation and evaluation are provided.

idRHa+ProMod - Rail Hardening Control System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferro, L

2016-01-01

idRHa+ProMod is the process control system developed by Primetals Technologies to foresee the thermo-mechanical evolution and micro-structural composition of rail steels subjected to slack quenching into idRHa+ Rail Hardening equipments in a simulation environment. This tool can be used both off-line or in-line, giving the user the chance to test and study the best cooling strategies or letting the automatic control system free to adjust the proper cooling recipe. Optimization criteria have been tailored in order to determine the best cooling conditions according to the metallurgical requirements imposed by the main rail standards and also taking into account the elastoplastic bending phenomena occurring during all stages of the head hardening process. The computational core of idRHa+ProMod is a thermal finite element procedure coupled with special algorithms developed to work out the main thermo-physical properties of steel, to predict the non-isothermal austenite decomposition into all the relevant phases and subsequently to evaluate the amount of latent heat of transformation released, the compound thermal expansion coefficient and the amount of plastic deformation in the material. Air mist and air blades boundary conditions have been carefully investigated by means of pilot plant tests aimed to study the jet impingement on rail surfaces and the cooling efficiency at all working conditions. Heat transfer coefficients have been further checked and adjusted directly on field during commissioning. idRHa+ is a trademark of Primetals Technologies Italy Srl (paper)

idRHa+ProMod - Rail Hardening Control System

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro, L.

2016-03-01

idRHa+ProMod is the process control system developed by Primetals Technologies to foresee the thermo-mechanical evolution and micro-structural composition of rail steels subjected to slack quenching into idRHa+ Rail Hardening equipments in a simulation environment. This tool can be used both off-line or in-line, giving the user the chance to test and study the best cooling strategies or letting the automatic control system free to adjust the proper cooling recipe. Optimization criteria have been tailored in order to determine the best cooling conditions according to the metallurgical requirements imposed by the main rail standards and also taking into account the elastoplastic bending phenomena occurring during all stages of the head hardening process. The computational core of idRHa+ProMod is a thermal finite element procedure coupled with special algorithms developed to work out the main thermo-physical properties of steel, to predict the non-isothermal austenite decomposition into all the relevant phases and subsequently to evaluate the amount of latent heat of transformation released, the compound thermal expansion coefficient and the amount of plastic deformation in the material. Air mist and air blades boundary conditions have been carefully investigated by means of pilot plant tests aimed to study the jet impingement on rail surfaces and the cooling efficiency at all working conditions. Heat transfer coefficients have been further checked and adjusted directly on field during commissioning. idRHa+ is a trademark of Primetals Technologies Italy Srl

HRTPO strategic campaign and vision plan for passenger rail : phase 1 overview.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-17

SUBJECT: : TEMS (Transportation Economics & Management Systems, Inc.), the consultant specializing in : passenger rail planning, was secured by the HRTPO and its partner DRPT to evaluate the potential : passenger rail service alternative defined by t...

Built spaces and features associated with user satisfaction in maternity waiting homes in Malawi.

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Nathalie; Gruits, Patricia; Oppel, Eva; Shao, Amie

2018-07-01

To assess satisfaction with maternity waiting home built spaces and features in women who are at risk for underutilizing maternity waiting homes (i.e. residential facilities that temporarily house near-term pregnant mothers close to healthcare facilities that provide obstetrical care). Specifically we wanted to answer the questions: (1) Are built spaces and features associated with maternity waiting home user satisfaction? (2) Can built spaces and features designed to improve hygiene, comfort, privacy and function improve maternity waiting home user satisfaction? And (3) Which built spaces and features are most important for maternity waiting home user satisfaction? A cross-sectional study comparing satisfaction with standard and non-standard maternity waiting home designs. Between December 2016 and February 2017 we surveyed expectant mothers at two maternity waiting homes that differed in their design of built spaces and features. We used bivariate analyses to assess if built spaces and features were associated with satisfaction. We compared ratings of built spaces and features between the two maternity waiting homes using chi-squares and t-tests to assess if design features to improve hygiene, comfort, privacy and function were associated with higher satisfaction. We used exploratory robust regression analysis to examine the relationship between built spaces and features and maternity waiting home satisfaction. Two maternity waiting homes in Malawi, one that incorporated non-standardized design features to improve hygiene, comfort, privacy, and function (Kasungu maternity waiting home) and the other that had a standard maternity waiting home design (Dowa maternity waiting home). 322 expectant mothers at risk for underutilizing maternity waiting homes (i.e. first-time mothers and those with no pregnancy risk factors) who had stayed at the Kasungu or Dowa maternity waiting homes. There were significant differences in ratings of built spaces and features between the

Waiting in the surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Fry, F

1994-07-01

The concise Oxford English Dictionary defines 'dilemma' as an argument forcing one to choose one of two alternatives, both of which are unfavourable. This is a situation that frequently confronts the general practitioner. This paper will present one practitioner's view on the subject of patients waiting to see the doctor.

Waiting narratives of lung transplant candidates.

Science.gov (United States)

Yelle, Maria T; Stevens, Patricia E; Lanuza, Dorothy M

2013-01-01

Before 2005, time accrued on the lung transplant waiting list counted towards who was next in line for a donor lung. Then in 2005 the lung allocation scoring system was implemented, which meant the higher the illness severity scores, the higher the priority on the transplant list. Little is known of the lung transplant candidates who were listed before 2005 and were caught in the transition when the lung allocation scoring system was implemented. A narrative analysis was conducted to explore the illness narratives of seven lung transplant candidates between 2006 and 2007. Arthur Kleinman's concept of illness narratives was used as a conceptual framework for this study to give voice to the illness narratives of lung transplant candidates. Results of this study illustrate that lung transplant candidates expressed a need to tell their personal story of waiting and to be heard. Recommendation from this study calls for healthcare providers to create the time to enable illness narratives of the suffering of waiting to be told. Narrative skills of listening to stories of emotional suffering would enhance how healthcare providers could attend to patients' stories and hear what is most meaningful in their lives.

Waiting Narratives of Lung Transplant Candidates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria T. Yelle

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Before 2005, time accrued on the lung transplant waiting list counted towards who was next in line for a donor lung. Then in 2005 the lung allocation scoring system was implemented, which meant the higher the illness severity scores, the higher the priority on the transplant list. Little is known of the lung transplant candidates who were listed before 2005 and were caught in the transition when the lung allocation scoring system was implemented. A narrative analysis was conducted to explore the illness narratives of seven lung transplant candidates between 2006 and 2007. Arthur Kleinman’s concept of illness narratives was used as a conceptual framework for this study to give voice to the illness narratives of lung transplant candidates. Results of this study illustrate that lung transplant candidates expressed a need to tell their personal story of waiting and to be heard. Recommendation from this study calls for healthcare providers to create the time to enable illness narratives of the suffering of waiting to be told. Narrative skills of listening to stories of emotional suffering would enhance how healthcare providers could attend to patients’ stories and hear what is most meaningful in their lives.

Estimating bus passenger waiting times from incomplete bus arrivals data

OpenAIRE

McLeod, F.N.

2007-01-01

This paper considers the problem of estimating bus passenger waiting times at bus stops using incomplete bus arrivals data. This is of importance to bus operators and regulators as passenger waiting time is a key performance measure. Average waiting times are usually estimated from bus headways, that is, time gaps between buses. It is both time-consuming and expensive to measure bus arrival times manually so methods using automatic vehicle location systems are attractive; however, these syste...

Review on Malaysian Rail Transit Operation and Management System: Issues and Solution in Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Masirin, Mohd Idrus Mohd; Salin, Aminah Mohd; Zainorabidin, Adnan; Martin, David; Samsuddin, Norshakina

2017-08-01

In any context, operation and management of transportation systems are key issues which may affect both life quality and economic development. In large urban agglomerations, an efficient public transportation system may help abate the negative externalities of private car use such as congestion, air and noise pollution, accident and fuel consumption, without excessively penalizing user travel times or zone accessibility. Thus, this study is conducted to appraise the Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system, which are considered important as there are many issues and solution in integration of the services that need to be tackled more conscientiously. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the most important issues on integration of services and rail transit system in Malaysian and how to solve or reduce these problems and conflicts. In this paper, it consists of the historical development of rail transit construction in Malaysia. This paper also attempts to identify the important issues related to rail transit services and integration in Malaysian rural rail operation and management system. Comparison is also conducted with other countries such as UK, France, and Japan. Finally, a critical analysis is presented in this paper by looking at the possible application for future Malaysian rail transit operation system and management, especially focusing on enhancing the quality of Malaysian rural rail transit. In conclusion, this paper is expected to successfully review and appraise the existing Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system pertaining to issues & solution in integration. It is also hoped that reformation or transformation of present service delivery quality of the rail transit operation and management will enable Malaysia to succeed in transforming Malaysian transportation system to greater heights.

Rail Brake System Using a Linear Induction Motor for Dynamic Braking

Science.gov (United States)

Sakamoto, Yasuaki; Kashiwagi, Takayuki; Tanaka, Minoru; Hasegawa, Hitoshi; Sasakawa, Takashi; Fujii, Nobuo

One type of braking system for railway vehicles is the eddy current brake. Because this type of brake has the problem of rail heating, it has not been used for practical applications in Japan. Therefore, we proposed the use of a linear induction motor (LIM) for dynamic braking in eddy current brake systems. The LIM reduces rail heating and uses an inverter for self excitation. In this paper, we estimated the performance of an LIM from experimental results of a fundamental test machine and confirmed that the LIM generates an approximately constant braking force under constant current excitation. At relatively low frequencies, this braking force remains unaffected by frequency changes. The reduction ratio of rail heating is also approximately proportional to the frequency. We also confirmed that dynamic braking resulting in no electrical output can be used for drive control of the LIM. These characteristics are convenient for the realization of the LIM rail brake system.

Protocol to Exploit Waiting Resources for UASNs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li-Ling Hung

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The transmission speed of acoustic waves in water is much slower than that of radio waves in terrestrial wireless sensor networks. Thus, the propagation delay in underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASN is much greater. Longer propagation delay leads to complicated communication and collision problems. To solve collision problems, some studies have proposed waiting mechanisms; however, long waiting mechanisms result in low bandwidth utilization. To improve throughput, this study proposes a slotted medium access control protocol to enhance bandwidth utilization in UASNs. The proposed mechanism increases communication by exploiting temporal and spatial resources that are typically idle in order to protect communication against interference. By reducing wait time, network performance and energy consumption can be improved. A performance evaluation demonstrates that when the data packets are large or sensor deployment is dense, the energy consumption of proposed protocol is less than that of existing protocols as well as the throughput is higher than that of existing protocols.

Study on improving rail energy efficiency (E2) : best practices and strategies

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-23

A recent Volpe Center report [1] for the Federal Railroad Administrations (FRA) Rail Energy, Environment, and Engine (E3) Technology research and development program reviewed rail industry best practices (BPs) and strategies for improving energy e...

Neutron measurement of residual stresses in a used railway rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webster, P.J.; Low, K.S.; Mills, G.; Webster, G.A.

1990-01-01

The high resolution neutron diffraction technique has been applied to determine, non-destructively, the residual stress distribution developed in the head of a railway rail after normal service. Measurements were made, using the neutron strain scanner at the Institute Laue Langevin, Grenoble, on a transverse slice of rail 12mm thick taken from a section of straight track. The rail head was scanned in the three principal orientations in a series of parallel traverses sufficiently close to enable a two-dimensional matrix of data to be accumulated and vertical, transverse and longitudinal residual stress contours to be drawn. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and unique characteristics of the neutron technique to determine nondestructively and continuously the residual stresses inside engineering components

Planning, Investment, Construction and Operation of Rail Transit in Beijing

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2012-01-01

In Beijing, the rail transit firstly came into existence in the mid 1960s and was officially put into operation for civil use in the early 1980s. It has entered a period of rapid development since 2001, with thanks to the coming of the Olympic Games in 2008, and has been playing a more and more important role in the passenger transport of Beijing since then on, as a key part of the public transportation. Based on a resume on the evolution of rail transit development in Beijing, this paper analyzes the mechanism of policy-making, the mode of investment and financing, the procedure of construction, and the management of operation of rail transit, all of which ensure its rapid development and effective performance.

49 CFR 172.820 - Additional planning requirements for transportation by rail.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... identify a point of contact (including the name, title, phone number and e-mail address) on routing issues... Additional planning requirements for transportation by rail. (a) General. Each rail carrier transporting in... materials transported (instead of only highway route controlled quantities of Class 7 materials) and for all...

Passenger Rail Car Egress -- TRB Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

The Federal Railroad Administrations (FRA) Office of Railroad Policy and Development is exploring how to enhance regulations that address the safe, timely, and effective emergency evacuation of occupants from passenger rail vehicles in various eme...

Long Term Land Use Effects of New Rail Investment: Lessons from San Diego

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David A. King

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In recent decades, U.S. cities have invested in rail transit for reasons beyond supplying alternatives to driving. Increasingly, rail investments are specifically promoted to reshape the built environment for property-led economic development. In these cases, new investment in rail transit is claimed to facilitate particular types of land use changes, mostly in the form of dense multi-family residential and mixed-use developments. Although rail’s effects on land use are widely claimed, scholarly evaluations offer mixed results. This paper examines two potential reasons for these mixed results. First, as most empirical examinations tend to be conducted shortly after new transit investment opens analysis is often criticized on the basis that short time frames may not allow land use changes to materialize. The second is that rail investment often includes changes to local zoning and land use regulations, creating opportunities for types of development that were previously outlawed. This paper evaluates these two critiques through an analysis of long-term land use effects associated with new rail transit service in San Diego, California. The results suggest that even after three decades of development cycles, rail transit has not led to consistent regulatory patterns of increased density or new mixed-use development.

Does mercury contamination reduce body condition of endangered California clapper rails?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackerman, Joshua T.; Overton, Cory T.; Casazza, Michael L.; Takekawa, John Y.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Keister, Robin A.; Herzog, Mark P.

2012-01-01

We examined mercury exposure in 133 endangered California clapper rails (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) within tidal marsh habitats of San Francisco Bay, California from 2006 to 2010. Mean total mercury concentrations were 0.56 μg/g ww in blood (range: 0.15–1.43), 9.87 μg/g fw in head feathers (3.37–22.0), 9.04 μg/g fw in breast feathers (3.68–20.2), and 0.57 μg/g fww in abandoned eggs (0.15–2.70). We recaptured 21 clapper rails and most had low within-individual variation in mercury. Differences in mercury concentrations were largely attributed to tidal marsh site, with some evidence for year and quadratic date effects. Mercury concentrations in feathers were correlated with blood, and slopes differed between sexes (R 2 = 0.58–0.76). Body condition was negatively related to mercury concentrations. Model averaged estimates indicated a potential decrease in body mass of 20–22 g (5–7%) over the observed range of mercury concentrations. Our results indicate the potential for detrimental effects of mercury contamination on endangered California clapper rails in tidal marsh habitats. - Highlights: ► We examined mercury in endangered California clapper rails within tidal marshes. ► Differences in mercury concentrations were largely attributed to tidal marsh site. ► Mercury concentrations in blood, feathers, and eggs were considered elevated. ► Body condition was negatively related to mercury concentrations. ► Results indicate detrimental effects of mercury on endangered clapper rails. - Mercury contamination in endangered California clapper rails was influenced by tidal marsh site and increased mercury resulted in reduced bird body condition.

Inferring ecological relationships from occupancy patterns for California Black Rails in the Sierra Nevada foothills

Science.gov (United States)

Richmond, Orien Manu Wright

The secretive California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus ) has a disjunct and poorly understood distribution. After a new population was discovered in Yuba County in 1994, we conducted call playback surveys from 1994--2006 in the Sierra foothills and Sacramento Valley region to determine the distribution and residency of Black Rails, estimate densities, and obtain estimates of site occupancy and detection probability. We found Black Rails at 164 small, widely scattered marshes distributed along the lower western slopes of the Sierra Nevada foothills, from just northeast of Chico (Butte County) to Rocklin (Placer County). Marshes were surrounded by a matrix of unsuitable habitat, creating a patchy or metapopulation structure. We observed Black Rails nesting and present evidence that they are year-round residents. Assuming perfect detectability we estimated a lower-bound mean Black Rail density of 1.78 rails ha-1, and assuming a detection probability of 0.5 we estimated a mean density of 3.55 rails ha-1. We test if the presence of the larger Virginia Rail (Laterallus limicola) affects probabilities of detection or occupancy of the smaller California Black Rail in small freshwater marshes that range in size from 0.013-13.99 ha. We hypothesized that Black Rail occupancy should be lower in small marshes when Virginia Rails are present than when they are absent, because resources are presumably more limited and interference competition should increase. We found that Black Rail detection probability was unaffected by the detection of Virginia Rails, while, surprisingly, Black and Virginia Rail occupancy were positively associated even in small marshes. The average probability of Black Rail occupancy was higher when Virginia Rails were present (0.74 +/- 0.053) than when they were absent (0.36 +/- 0.069), and for both species occupancy increased with marsh size. We assessed the impact of winter (November-May) cattle grazing on occupancy of California Black

How Tolerable is Delay? Consumers' Evaluations of Internet Web Sites After Waiting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dellaert, B.G.C.; Kahn, B.

1998-01-01

How consumers’ waiting times affect their retrospective evaluations of Internet Web Sites is investigated in four computer-based experiments. Results show that waiting can but does not always negatively affect evaluations of Web Sites. Results also show that the potential negative effects of waiting

Demand forecast for rail shipment of radioactive material in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, G.C.; Cashwell, J.W.

1981-01-01

A summary of the market potential for radioactive material (in millions of ton-miles) is presented in tabular form. These include the following: milled uranium ore; mill tailings; natural uranium hexafluoride; enriched uranium hexafluoride; fresh fuel, spent fuel; low-level waste; transuranic waste; and high-level waste. The maximum realistic market share for rail carriers is always less than these values because of the lack of rail access to some shipping and receiving facilities, small material quantities which could most easily move by other modes, short shipping distances for certain transport segments and greater operational convenience of other modes for some material categories. While market share and revenues for radioactive material are presently small, rail carriers appear to have a market advantage for milled uranium ore, transuranic waste and high-level waste. The potential for a significantly increased market share exists for spent fuel and uranium hexafluoride. While more fresh fuel and low-level waste can be transported by rail, it is unlikely that rail market share for radioactive materials (RAM) in general will rise to the potential maximum because many of these materials have historically been moved by truck and transported in frequent, small shipments

Simultaneous in-bore rail and insulator spectra from a railgun plasma armature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keefer, D.; Sedghinasah, A.; Crawford, R.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on absolute spectral radiance measurements obtained simultaneously at the rail and insulator surface of the UTSI 1 cm square-bore railgun. The emission spectra were obtained through the use of quartz optical fibers which penetrated both the rail and the insulator walls. The spectral characteristics of the rail and insulator emission are quite similar but differ significantly in magnitude. A detailed plasma radiation model was used to analyze these spectra. In order to obtain reasonable agreement between the model predictions and the experimental spectra, it was necessary to assume that these existed a broadband absorbing layer at the insulator surface. This result suggests a new physical model of the plasma armature in which insulator ablation leads to significant 3-dimensional flow and affects the shape of the current emission pattern on the rail surfaces

Radiological mapping of Mumbai-Chatrapur (Odisha) rail route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patra, R.P.; Patil, S.S.; Murali, S.; Singh, Rajvir; Pradeepkumar, K.S.

2014-01-01

The radiation mapping at various stations along Mumbai-Chatrapur rail route was carried out using GM, Plastic scintillator and NaI(Tl) based detectors. It has been observed that the average radiation level during the entire Mumbai-Chatrapur rail route was 63.8±6.l nSv h -1 and the maximum dose rate was 94.5±12.7 nSv h -1 and 103.2±10.2 nSv h -1 near Secunderabad and Chatrapur station respectively. The elevated radiation level at few locations was mainly due to the presence of terrestrial radiation i.e. naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) viz., Thorium ( 232 Th) and Potassium ( 40 K) present in the environment. The spectral analysis led to confirming the presence of 232 Th and 40 K at the places. The main aim of the work was to generate the country wide baseline radiological data along selected important rail routes that could be used for radiological impact assessment. The results reported in this work would be helpful to provide valuable/useful reference data during the impact assessment at different locations

APPLICATION OF NFC TECHNOLOGY IN PASSENGER RAIL TRANSPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henryk KOMSTA

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the possibility of the application of the NFC technology as a system of selling tickets in passenger rail transport. The NFC (Near Field Communication technology is a wireless and contactless technology of transmission of radio data over short distances (max. 5 cm. This technology is very similar to the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification technology. It is assumed that this technology will spread rapidly and that already in 2015 around 85% of the payments in the EU will be made via mobile phones. This paper presents a research of passenger interest in this method of payment for tickets in the passenger rail transport in Slovakia. Further, an analysis of the applications of the NFC technology as a system of selling tickets in passenger rail transport, including the protection of data in mobile phones, the processes in case of losing a mobile phone and ensuring the communication between both parties was presented in the article. The last part of this analysis shows the possibility of purchasing tickets regardless of the carrier and the transport type.

78 FR 17996 - MCM Rail Services LLC-Petition for Retroactive Exemption-In Sparrows Point, Md.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-25

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35707] MCM Rail Services... regarding a petition for an operation exemption submitted by MCM Rail Services LLC (MCM) regarding 12 miles of rail line in Sparrows Point, Md. (the Line). DATES: MCM's supplemental information is due by April...

Challenging "Waiting for Superman"

Science.gov (United States)

Bruhn, Molle

2014-01-01

A group of New York City public school teachers, angry about the depiction of public schools in 'Waiting for Superman," decide to make their own film about the realities of the current education reform movement. They persevered even though they had no budget when they started and lacked a background in filmmaking. "The Inconvenient Truth…

Chances of late surgery in relation to length of wait lists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Levy Adrian R

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The proportion of patients who undergo surgery within a clinically safe time is an important performance indicator in health systems that use wait lists to manage access to care. However, little is known about chances of on-time surgery according to variations in existing demand. We sought to determine what proportion of patients have had late coronary bypass surgery after registration on wait lists of different size in a network of hospitals with uniform standards for timing of surgery. Methods Using records from a population-based registry, we studied wait-list times prospectively collected in a cohort of patients registered on wait lists for coronary artery bypass grafting procedures. We compared the number of weeks from registration to surgery against target access times established for three urgency groups. The chances of undergoing surgery within target time have been evaluated in relation to wait-list size at registration and the number of surgeries performed without registration on a wait list. Results In 1991–2001, two in three patients were at risk of late surgery when registered on wait lists for isolated coronary bypass procedures in British Columbia, Canada. Although urgent patients had never seen a wait list with clearance time exceeding one week, the odds of on-time surgery were reduced by 25%, odds ratio [OR] = 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65–0.87 for every additional operation performed without registration on a list. When the wait list at registration required a clearance time of over one month, semi-urgent patients had 51% lower odds of on-time surgery as compared to lists with clearance time less than one week, OR = 0.49 (95%CI 0.41–0.60, after adjustment for age, sex, comorbidity, calendar period, hospital and week on the list. In the non-urgent group, the odds were 69% lower, OR = 0.31 (95%CI 0.20–0.47. Every time an operation in the same hospital was performed without registration on a

Evolving diesel common rail technology for future low emission standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoeppe, D.; Bercher, P.; Guerrassi, N.; Spadafora, P. [Delphi Diesel Systems, Paris (France)

2005-07-01

The Diesel fuel injection equipment will remain a key element for Diesel engine technology evolution. Achieving emission targets at competitive prices has been and will continue to be a major technical challenge to the engine manufacturer. Delphi is continously developing its Common Rail System and its components for fulfill future stricter emission legislation while simultaneously improving performance on noise, fuel consumption and power output. The outstanding and unique injector concept combined with innovative control strategies has largely contributed to the improvement of exhaust emission and performance, consumption and NVH over the lifetime of Diesel vehicles. Recently, Euro 4 common rail applications have been introduced on several applications by adding further capability such as multiple injection, small-injected quantity control and improved atomization. This papers will describe the latest Common Rail System developments that Delphi will introduce into the market to comply with future legislative emission targets. Further, a novel common rail injector will be presented, that uses a revolutionary, direct acting operating principle, where the nozzle is directly operated by a piezo actuator, without the use of a servo-hydraulic flow circuit. The superior performance of this injector concept will be shown, especially with regard to it's near square rate injection shape, minimum quantity capability as well as multiple injection performance. The direct acting operating principle allows rapid opening and closing of the injector, without compromising pilot quantity capability. The emission benefit obtained by such opening and closing behavior will be shown. Finally, based on the findings discussed, the papers will conclude on key features of future common rail systems. (orig.)

Environmental risk analysis of hazardous material rail transportation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saat, Mohd Rapik, E-mail: mohdsaat@illinois.edu [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1243 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Werth, Charles J.; Schaeffer, David [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1243 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Yoon, Hongkyu [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123 (United States); Barkan, Christopher P.L. [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1243 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

2014-01-15

Highlights: • Comprehensive, nationwide risk assessment of hazardous material rail transportation. • Application of a novel environmental (i.e. soil and groundwater) consequence model. • Cleanup cost and total shipment distance are the most significant risk factors. • Annual risk varies from $20,000 to $560,000 for different products. • Provides information on the risk cost associated with specific product shipments. -- Abstract: An important aspect of railroad environmental risk management involves tank car transportation of hazardous materials. This paper describes a quantitative, environmental risk analysis of rail transportation of a group of light, non-aqueous-phase liquid (LNAPL) chemicals commonly transported by rail in North America. The Hazardous Materials Transportation Environmental Consequence Model (HMTECM) was used in conjunction with a geographic information system (GIS) analysis of environmental characteristics to develop probabilistic estimates of exposure to different spill scenarios along the North American rail network. The risk analysis incorporated the estimated clean-up cost developed using the HMTECM, route-specific probability distributions of soil type and depth to groundwater, annual traffic volume, railcar accident rate, and tank car safety features, to estimate the nationwide annual risk of transporting each product. The annual risk per car-mile (car-km) and per ton-mile (ton-km) was also calculated to enable comparison between chemicals and to provide information on the risk cost associated with shipments of these products. The analysis and the methodology provide a quantitative approach that will enable more effective management of the environmental risk of transporting hazardous materials.

Environmental risk analysis of hazardous material rail transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saat, Mohd Rapik; Werth, Charles J.; Schaeffer, David; Yoon, Hongkyu; Barkan, Christopher P.L.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Comprehensive, nationwide risk assessment of hazardous material rail transportation. • Application of a novel environmental (i.e. soil and groundwater) consequence model. • Cleanup cost and total shipment distance are the most significant risk factors. • Annual risk varies from $20,000 to $560,000 for different products. • Provides information on the risk cost associated with specific product shipments. -- Abstract: An important aspect of railroad environmental risk management involves tank car transportation of hazardous materials. This paper describes a quantitative, environmental risk analysis of rail transportation of a group of light, non-aqueous-phase liquid (LNAPL) chemicals commonly transported by rail in North America. The Hazardous Materials Transportation Environmental Consequence Model (HMTECM) was used in conjunction with a geographic information system (GIS) analysis of environmental characteristics to develop probabilistic estimates of exposure to different spill scenarios along the North American rail network. The risk analysis incorporated the estimated clean-up cost developed using the HMTECM, route-specific probability distributions of soil type and depth to groundwater, annual traffic volume, railcar accident rate, and tank car safety features, to estimate the nationwide annual risk of transporting each product. The annual risk per car-mile (car-km) and per ton-mile (ton-km) was also calculated to enable comparison between chemicals and to provide information on the risk cost associated with shipments of these products. The analysis and the methodology provide a quantitative approach that will enable more effective management of the environmental risk of transporting hazardous materials

SQUEEZING EFFECT OF RAIL LOADED BY SEMI-SLEEPERS HAVING L-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. N. Sukhodoev

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The paper considers a problem on introduction of a conception and regularities of “squeezing effect of a rail loaded non centrally by semi-sleepers having L-shaped cross-section” exemplified by belt-type tramway. Its advantages are ensured by doubled non centrally loaded foundations these are semi-sleepers. Semi-sleeper of L-shape cross-section is a lever of L-shape form, transforming a vertical load into horizontal ones and foundation squeezing. Properties of two semi-sleepers being doubled, orientated to each other and non centrally loaded have been used in order to create a positive effect. A horizontal force creates squeezing and it is revealed as a component of a vertical load during displacements which functionally depend on foundation squeezing. These dependences demonstrate that strength and deformation properties of earth foundation of vertical direction are used for creation of horizontal properties of sleeper vertical shoulder.The paper studies mechanics pertaining to a squeezing effect of a rail loaded by semi-sleepers having L-shaped cross-section. It has been established that the rail squeezing effect results from squeezing process executed in two mutually perpendicular directions (reduction of cross-sectional area by load of a rail wheel with spacers if they are set inside of a sleeper-mechanism on an elastic foundation.Methodology for calculation of parameters on the rail reduction effect is considered as a tool for handling of applied problems on belt-type tramways. Results of the proposed rail reduction effect in problem statement for elastic conditions, with unchanged cross-sectional dimension of a rail line and introduction of correction ratio coefficients due to new initial load data have recommended for practical application as reliable values.The paper has revealed a proportional dependence of the rail reduction effect according to strength on the resultant value of reaction pressure, eccentricity difference of the

Waiting time for cataract surgery and its influence on patient attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Frank Wan-kin; Fan, Alex Hoi; Wong, Fiona Yan-yan; Lam, Philip Tsze-ho; Yeoh, Eng-kiong; Yam, Carrie Ho-kwan; Griffiths, Sian; Lam, Dennis Shun-chiu; Congdon, Nathan

2009-08-01

To characterize willingness to pay for private operations and preferred waiting time among patients awaiting cataract surgery in Hong Kong. This was a cross-sectional survey. Subjects randomly selected from cataract surgical waiting lists in Hong Kong (n = 467) underwent a telephone interview based on a structured, validated questionnaire. Data were collected on private insurance coverage, preferred waiting time, amount willing to pay for surgery, and self-reported visual function and health status. Among 300 subjects completing the interview, 144 (48.2%) were 76 years of age or older, 177 (59%) were women, and mean time waiting for surgery was 17 +/- 15 months. Among 220 subjects (73.3%) willing to pay anything for surgery, the mean amount was US$552 +/- 443. With adjustment for age, education, and monthly household income, subjects willing to pay anything were less willing to wait 12 months for surgery (OR = 4.34; P = 0.002), more likely to know someone having had cataract surgery (OR = 2.20; P = 0.03), and more likely to use their own savings to pay for the surgery (OR = 2.21; P = 0.04). Subjects considering private cataract surgery, knowing people who have had cataract surgery, using nongovernment sources to pay for surgery, and having lower visual function were willing to pay more. Many patients wait significant periods for cataract surgery in Hong Kong, and are willing to pay substantial amounts for private operations. These results may have implications for other countries with cataract waiting lists.

Respiratory viral RNA on toys in pediatric office waiting rooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Pappas, Diane E; Hendley, J Owen; Schwartz, Richard H

2010-02-01

Toys in pediatric office waiting rooms may be fomites for transmission of viruses. Eighteen samples were taken from office objects on 3 occasions. Samples were tested for presence of picornavirus (either rhinovirus or enterovirus) on all 3 sample days; in addition, January samples were tested for respiratory syncytial virus and March samples were tested for influenza A and B. In addition, 15 samples were obtained from the sick waiting room before and after cleaning. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect picornavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza A or B virus. Finally, 20 samples were obtained from the fingers of a researcher after handling different toys in the sick waiting room, and samples were then obtained from all the same toys; all samples were tested for picornavirus by polymerase chain reaction. Viral RNA was detected on 11 of 52 (21%) of toys sampled. Ten of the positives were picornavirus; 1 was influenza B virus. Three (30%) of 10 toys from the new toy bag, 6 of 30 (20%) in the sick child waiting room, and 2 of 12 (17%) in the well child waiting room were positive. Six (40%) of 15 toys in the sick waiting room were positive for picornaviral RNA before cleaning; after cleaning, 4 (27%) of 15 were positive in spite of the fact that RNA was removed from 4 of 6 of the original positives. Three (15%) of 20 toys in the sick waiting room were positive for picornaviral RNA, but RNA was not transferred to the fingers of the investigator who handled these toys. About 20% of the objects in a pediatric office may be contaminated with respiratory viral RNA, most commonly picornavirus RNA. Cleaning with a disinfectant cloth was only modestly effective in removing the viral RNA from the surfaces of toys, but transfer of picornaviral RNA from toys to fingers was inefficient.

Heart Surgery Waiting Time: Assessing the Effectiveness of an Action.

Science.gov (United States)

Badakhshan, Abbas; Arab, Mohammad; Gholipour, Mahin; Behnampour, Naser; Saleki, Saeid

2015-08-01

Waiting time is an index assessing patient satisfaction, managerial effectiveness and horizontal equity in providing health care. Although heart surgery centers establishment is attractive for politicians. They are always faced with the question of to what extent they solve patient's problems. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors influencing waiting time in patients of heart surgery centers, and to make recommendations for health-care policy-makers for reducing waiting time and increasing the quality of services from this perspective. This cross-sectional study was performed in 2013. After searching articles on PubMed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Ovid, Magiran, IranMedex, and SID, a list of several criteria, which relate to waiting time, was provided. Afterwards, the data on waiting time were collected by a researcher-structured checklist from 156 hospitalized patients. The data were analyzed by SPSS 16. The Kolmogorov Smirnov and Shapiro tests were used for determination of normality. Due to the non-normal distribution, non-parametric tests, such as Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney were chosen for reporting significance. Parametric tests also used reporting medians. Among the studied variables, just economic status had a significant relation with waiting time (P = 0.37). Fifty percent of participants had diabetes, whereas this estimate was 43.58% for high blood pressure. As the cause of delay, 28.2% of patients reported financial problems, 18.6% personal problem and 13.5% a delay in providing equipment by the hospital. It seems the studied hospital should review its waiting time arrangements and detach them, as far as possible, from subjective and personal (specialists) decisions. On the other hand, ministries of health and insurance companies should consider more financial support. It is also recommend that hospitals should arrange preoperational psychiatric consultation for increasing patients' emotionally readiness.

49 CFR 214.525 - Towing with on-track roadway maintenance machines or hi-rail vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... or hi-rail vehicles. 214.525 Section 214.525 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... SAFETY On-Track Roadway Maintenance Machines and Hi-Rail Vehicles § 214.525 Towing with on-track roadway maintenance machines or hi-rail vehicles. (a) When used to tow pushcars or other maintenance-of-way equipment...

An Evaluation of the Low-Carbon Effects of Urban Rail Based on Mode Shifts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Chen

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Urban rail is widely considered to be a form of low-carbon green transportation, but there is a lack of specific quantitative research to support this. By comparing the mode, distance, and corresponding energy consumption of residents before and after the opening of rail transit, this paper establishes a carbon reduction method for rail transit. A measurement model takes the passenger carbon emissions before the line is opened as the baseline and compares them with the standard after the opening, determining the carbon emissions reduction. The model requires a combination of a large amount of research data, transit smart card data, and GIS network measurement tools as measured data and parameters. The model is then applied to rail transit lines that have opened in Beijing in recent years. The emissions reductions of four different routes are estimated and the carbon emissions reduction effect of rail transit is evaluated.

System and prospects of China's intercity rail transit technology

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Ming

2018-06-01

City clusters and metropolitan areas in China are flourishing in the midst of the deepening urbanization in the country, thereby resulting in the emergence of intercity rail transit. Intercity railways connect mainline and urban railways for an integrated regional transportation system that underpins and leads the development of city clusters and metropolitan areas. This study explores the development mode and service characteristics of intercity rail transit, as well as proposes overviews on this system and prospects of its future technology in China.

Passenger train emergency systems : development of prototype railEXODUS software for U.S. passenger rail car egress.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), is sponsoring a research program, which includes investigation of the applicability of time-based egress performance requirements to U.S. passenger rail cars. Th...

Waiting time and the psychosocial consequences of false-positive mammography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heleno, Bruno M.; Siersma, Volkert; Brodersen, John

2015-01-01

Background: There is wide variation in the psychosocial response to false-positive mammography. We aimed to assess whether women having to wait longer to exclude cancer had increased psychosocial consequences that persisted after cancer was ruled out. Findings: We selected women with false......-positive mammography (n = 272), screened for breast cancer in Copenhagen and Funen (Denmark) over a 1-year period. We measured psychosocial consequences immediately before women attended their recall visit and 1, 6, 18 and 36 months after women received their final diagnosis. After women were told that cancer had been...... ruled out, adverse psychosocial consequences decreased with time. We found no statistically significant differences between women who had cancer ruled out immediately at the recall visit (waiting time of 0) and women who had to wait longer before cancer was ruled out (waiting times 1-30, 30...

Experimental investigation into the fault response of superconducting hybrid electric propulsion electrical power system to a DC rail to rail fault

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan, S.; Jones, C. E.; Munro, R.; Norman, P.; Galloway, S.; Venturumilli, S.; Sheng, J.; Yuan, W.

2017-12-01

Hybrid electric propulsion aircraft are proposed to improve overall aircraft efficiency, enabling future rising demands for air travel to be met. The development of appropriate electrical power systems to provide thrust for the aircraft is a significant challenge due to the much higher required power generation capacity levels and complexity of the aero-electrical power systems (AEPS). The efficiency and weight of the AEPS is critical to ensure that the benefits of hybrid propulsion are not mitigated by the electrical power train. Hence it is proposed that for larger aircraft (~200 passengers) superconducting power systems are used to meet target power densities. Central to the design of the hybrid propulsion AEPS is a robust and reliable electrical protection and fault management system. It is known from previous studies that the choice of protection system may have a significant impact on the overall efficiency of the AEPS. Hence an informed design process which considers the key trades between choice of cable and protection requirements is needed. To date the fault response of a voltage source converter interfaced DC link rail to rail fault in a superconducting power system has only been investigated using simulation models validated by theoretical values from the literature. This paper will present the experimentally obtained fault response for a variety of different types of superconducting tape for a rail to rail DC fault. The paper will then use these as a platform to identify key trades between protection requirements and cable design, providing guidelines to enable future informed decisions to optimise hybrid propulsion electrical power system and protection design.

No-waiting dentine self-etch concept-Merit or hype.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xue-Qing; Pucci, César R; Luo, Tao; Breschi, Lorenzo; Pashley, David H; Niu, Li-Na; Tay, Franklin R

2017-07-01

A recently-launched universal adhesive, G-Premio Bond, provides clinicians with the alternative to use the self-etch technique for bonding to dentine without waiting for the adhesive to interact with the bonding substrate (no-waiting self-etch; Japanese brochure), or after leaving the adhesive undisturbed for 10s (10-s self-etch; international brochure). The present study was performed to examine in vitro performance of this new universal adhesive bonded to human coronal dentine using the two alternative self-etch modes. One hundred and ten specimens were bonded using two self-etch application modes and examined with or without thermomechanical cycling (10,000 thermal cycles and 240,000 mechanical cycles) to simulate one year of intraoral functioning. The bonded specimens were sectioned for microtensile bond testing, ultrastructural and nanoleakage examination using transmission electron microscopy. Changes in the composition of mineralised dentine after adhesive application were examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Both reduced application time and thermomechanical cycling resulted in significantly lower bond strengths, thinner hybrid layers, and significantly more extensive nanoleakage after thermomechanical cycling. Using the conventional 10-s application time improved bonding performance when compared with the no-waiting self-etch technique. Nevertheless, nanoleakage was generally extensive under all testing parameters employed for examining the adhesive. Although sufficient bond strength to dentine may be achieved using the present universal adhesive in the no-waiting self-etch mode that does not require clinicians to wait prior to polymerisation of the adhesive, this self-etch concept requires further technological refinement before it can be recommended as a clinical technique. Although the surge for cutting application time to increase user friendliness remains the most frequently sought conduit for advancement of dentine bonding

Cooled electronic system with thermal spreaders coupling electronics cards to cold rails

Science.gov (United States)

Chainer, Timothy J; Gaynes, Michael A; Graybill, David P; Iyengar, Madhusudan K; Kamath, Vinod; Kochuparambil, Bejoy J; Schmidt, Roger R; Schultz, Mark D; Simco, Daniel P; Steinke, Mark E

2013-07-23

Liquid-cooled electronic systems are provided which include an electronic assembly having an electronics card and a socket with a latch at one end. The latch facilitates securing of the card within the socket or removal of the card from the socket. A liquid-cooled cold rail is disposed at the one end of the socket, and a thermal spreader couples the electronics card to the cold rail. The thermal spreader includes first and second thermal transfer plates coupled to first and second surfaces on opposite sides of the card, and thermally conductive extensions extending from end edges of the plates, which couple the respective transfer plates to the liquid-cooled cold rail. The thermally conductive extensions are disposed to the sides of the latch, and the card is securable within or removable from the socket using the latch without removing the cold rail or the thermal spreader.

Passenger flow analysis of Beijing urban rail transit network using fractal approach

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaohong; Chen, Peiwen; Chen, Feng; Wang, Zijia

2018-04-01

To quantify the spatiotemporal distribution of passenger flow and the characteristics of an urban rail transit network, we introduce four radius fractal dimensions and two branch fractal dimensions by combining a fractal approach with passenger flow assignment model. These fractal dimensions can numerically describe the complexity of passenger flow in the urban rail transit network and its change characteristics. Based on it, we establish a fractal quantification method to measure the fractal characteristics of passenger follow in the rail transit network. Finally, we validate the reasonability of our proposed method by using the actual data of Beijing subway network. It has been shown that our proposed method can effectively measure the scale-free range of the urban rail transit network, network development and the fractal characteristics of time-varying passenger flow, which further provides a reference for network planning and analysis of passenger flow.

Life-cycle assessment of high-speed rail: the case of California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chester, Mikhail; Horvath, Arpad

2010-01-01

The state of California is expected to have significant population growth in the next half-century resulting in additional passenger transportation demand. Planning for a high-speed rail system connecting San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento as well as many population centers between is now underway. The considerable investment in California high-speed rail has been debated for some time and now includes the energy and environmental tradeoffs. The per-trip energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other emissions are often compared against the alternatives (automobiles, heavy rail, and aircraft), but typically only considering vehicle operation. An environmental life-cycle assessment of the four modes was created to compare both direct effects of vehicle operation and indirect effects from vehicle, infrastructure, and fuel components. Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and SO 2 , CO, NO X , VOC, and PM 10 emissions were evaluated. The energy and emission intensities of each mode were normalized per passenger kilometer traveled by using high and low occupancies to illustrate the range in modal environmental performance at potential ridership levels. While high-speed rail has the potential to be the lowest energy consumer and greenhouse gas emitter, appropriate planning and continued investment would be needed to ensure sustained high occupancy. The time to environmental payback is discussed highlighting the ridership conditions where high-speed rail will or will not produce fewer environmental burdens than existing modes. Furthermore, environmental tradeoffs may occur. High-speed rail may lower energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions per trip but can create more SO 2 emissions (given the current electricity mix) leading to environmental acidification and human health issues. The significance of life-cycle inventorying is discussed as well as the potential of increasing occupancy on mass transit modes.

Measurement and calculation of magnetic fields associated with rail-gun currents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerrisk, J.F.; Fowler, C.M.; Peterson, D.R.

1983-01-01

The magnetic field associated with current flow in the rails of a rail gun has been measured. The test used a magnetic flux-compression generator and a 1.2-m-long rail gun to accelerate a 4.2-g arc-driven projectile to 3.5 km/s; peak current was 900 kA. Magnetic field probes, consisting of two-turn coils 6.4 mm in diam, were located at two axial locations along the rails. Probe 3, at 0.60 m from the breech, was 28 mm from the center of the bore, and Probe 4, at 0.85 m from the breech, was 19 mm from the center of the bore. Two-dimensional calculations of the field at the probe locations were done assuming that when current starts to flow at an axial location, it is distributed on the rail surface as in the high-frequency limit. When the projectile and arc are two to three times the transverse probe separation beyond the probe, the measured field should be approximately two-dimensional. Probe signals indicate that the projectile was traveling at 3.2 km/s when it passed Probe 4. At this velocity, the projectile should be three transferse probe separations (about 60 mm) from the axial probe location in about 20 μS. Allowing for a 40-mm arc length adds about 15 μS. With these assumptions, the measured field should approach the two-dimensional limit in about 35 μS. However, about 100 μS were required. The results from Probe 3 are similar. The cause of this delay is uncertain at this time; two possibilities that are being investigated are that the arc is much longer than expected or that current flow in the rails at these axial locations is less than that measured at the breech because of spurious arcs

In-Service Performance and Costs of Methods for Control of Urban Rail System Noise : Experimental Design

Science.gov (United States)

1976-05-01

This report presents an experimental design for a project to evaluate four techniques for reducing wheel-rail noise on urban rail transit systems: (a) resilient wheels, (b) damped wheels, (c) wheel truing, and (d) rail griding. The design presents th...

Distribution and habitat use of king rails in the Illinois and Upper Mississippi River valleys

Science.gov (United States)

Darrah, Abigail J.; Krementz, David G.

2009-01-01

The migratory population of the king rail (Rallus elegans) has declined dramatically during the past 40 years, emphasizing the need to identify habitat requirements of this species to help guide conservation efforts. To assess distribution and habitat use of king rails along the Illinois and Upper Mississippi valleys, USA, we conducted repeated call-broadcast surveys at 83 locations in 2006 and 114 locations in 2007 distributed among 21 study sites. We detected king rails at 12 survey locations in 2006 and 14 locations in 2007, illustrating the limited distribution of king rails in this region. We found king rails concentrated at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, an adjacent private Wetlands Reserve program site, and B. K. Leach Conservation Area, which were located in the Mississippi River floodplain in northeast Missouri. Using Program PRESENCE, we estimated detection probabilities and built models to identify habitat covariates that were important in king rail site occupancy. Habitat covariates included percentage of cover by tall (> 1 m) and short (wetlands that were characterized by high water-vegetation interspersion and little or no cover by woody vegetation. Our results suggest that biologists can improve king rail habitat by implementing management techniques that reduce woody cover and increase vegetation-water interspersion in wetlands.

An Investigation into the Non-bulk Rail Freight Transport in Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hadi Ghaderi

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In the last decade freight transport has gained further momentum in Australia, partly through significant demand growth at both domestic and international levels and partly as the result of Australia's long term need for infrastructure decision making. Amongst the freight task, non-bulk freight is the fastest growing freight task in Australia and is forecast to grow much faster than the rate of population growth and the average national GDP growth. However, rail's share in the non-bulk market has declined significantly in the last four decades. This study therefore provides an insight into the efficiency and operational management issues facing by the Australian non-bulk rail sector by focusing on three areas; the level of track compatibility and the relevant operational issues, the demographics of non-bulk freight in Australia and the current status of intermodal terminals in relation to rail connectivity and location. As the result, a more detailed understanding of the current shortages in the Australian non-bulk rail freight sector is achieved and managerial implications are provided.

On-rail solution for autonomous inspections in electrical substations

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Bruno P. A.; Ferreira, Rafael A. M.; Gomes, Selson C.; Calado, Flavio A. R.; Andrade, Roberto M.; Porto, Matheus P.

2018-05-01

This work presents an alternative solution for autonomous inspections in electrical substations. The autonomous system is a robot that moves on rails, collects infrared and visible images of selected targets, also processes the data and predicts the components lifetime. The robot moves on rails to overcome difficulties found in not paved substations commonly encountered in Brazil. We take advantage of using rails to convey the data by them, minimizing the electromagnetic interference, and at the same time transmitting electrical energy to feed the autonomous system. As part of the quality control process, we compared thermographic inspections made by the robot with inspections made by a trained thermographer using a scientific camera Flir® SC660. The results have shown that the robot achieved satisfactory results, identifying components and measuring temperature accurately. The embodied routine considers the weather changes along the day, providing a standard result of the components thermal response, also gives the uncertainty of temperature measurement, contributing to the quality in the decision making process.

Thermal stress measurement in continuous welded rails using the hole-drilling method

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Xuan; Lanza di Scalea, Francesco; Fateh, Mahmood

2016-04-01

The absence of expansion joints in Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) has created the need for the railroad industry to determine the in-situ level of thermal stresses so as to prevent train accidents caused by rail buckling in hot weather and by rail breakage in cold weather. The development of non-destructive or semi-destructive methods for determining the level of thermal stresses in rails is today a high research priority. This study explores the known hole-drilling method as a possible solution to this problem. A new set of calibration coefficients to compute the relieved stress field with the finer hole depth increments was determined by a 3D Finite Element Analysis that modeled the entire hole geometry, including the mechanics of the hole bottom and walls. To compensate the residual stress components, a linear relationship was experimentally established between the longitudinal and the vertical residual stresses of two common sizes of rails, the 136RE and the 141RE, with statistical significance. This result was then utilized to isolate the longitudinal thermal stress component in hole-drilling tests conducted on the 136RE and 141RE thermally-loaded rails at the Large-scale CWR Test-bed of UCSD's Powell Research Laboratories. The results from the Test-bed showed that the hole-drilling procedure, with the appropriate residual stress compensation, can indeed estimate the in-situ thermal stresses to achieve a +/-5°F accuracy of Neutral Temperature determination with a 90% statistical confidence, which is the desired industry gold standard.

Minimizing makespan for a no-wait flowshop using genetic algorithm

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This paper explains minimization of makespan or total completion time .... lead to a natural reduction of the no-wait flow shop problem to the travelling sales- ... FCH can also be applied in real time scheduling and rescheduling for no-wait flow.

The Psychosocial Influences of Waiting Periods on Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagao, Noriko; Tsuchiya, Aya; Ando, Sae; Arita, Mizue; Toyonaga, Takashi; Miyawaki, Ikuko

This study aimed to clarify psychosocial influences of waiting periods on patients undergoing endoscopic submucosal dissection for cancer at an advanced medical care facility in Japan. Subjects were consenting patients hospitalized from 2009 to 2010. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered about patients' characteristics, disease and stage, and waiting period. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze free statements and interview data. Subjects included 154 patients with an average wait period of 46.28 days for admission. Qualitative analysis revealed the following wait period perceptions. For calmness, results indicated (1) no anxiety, (2) relief based on doctors' positive judgment, (3) whatever happens/no choice, and (4) trust in doctor. For uneasiness, perceptions included (1) the sooner, the better/eagerly waiting, (2) anxiety and concern, and (3) emotional instability. Four waiting period coping types were identified: (1) making phone inquiries, (2) busy and forgot about the medical procedure, (3) relief from anxiety, and (4) unable to function well in daily life. Patients need to be educated about cancer progression and provided an estimated wait time. They also require more information about how to manage daily life such as monitoring factors from the nursing domain including physical condition, digestive symptoms, diet, and exercise.

A highly successful model? The rail franchising business in Britain

OpenAIRE

Jupe, Robert E.; Funnell, Warwick N.

2017-01-01

A crucial feature of rail privatisation in Britain was franchising. Passenger services were franchised in competitive bidding processes to train operators which were meant to function with declining subsidy. The paper adopts the framework of social cost-benefit analysis to examine rail privatisation's impact on three key groups; consumers, producers and the government. It establishes that privatisation did not achieve all the supposed benefits. Further, franchising only appears to be profitab...

Shorter Perceived Outpatient MRI Wait Times Associated With Higher Patient Satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Holbrook, Anna; Glenn, Harold; Mahmood, Rabia; Cai, Qingpo; Kang, Jian; Duszak, Richard

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to assess differences in perceived versus actual wait times among patients undergoing outpatient MRI examinations and to correlate those times with patient satisfaction. Over 15 weeks, 190 patients presenting for outpatient MR in a radiology department in which "patient experience" is one of the stated strategic priorities were asked to (1) estimate their wait times for various stages in the imaging process and (2) state their satisfaction with their imaging experience. Perceived times were compared with actual electronic time stamps. Perceived and actual times were compared and correlated with standardized satisfaction scores using Kendall τ correlation. The mean actual wait time between patient arrival and examination start was 53.4 ± 33.8 min, whereas patients perceived a mean wait time of 27.8 ± 23.1 min, a statistically significant underestimation of 25.6 min (P perceived wait times at all points during patient encounters were correlated with higher satisfaction scores (P perceived and actual wait times were both correlated with higher satisfaction scores. As satisfaction surveys play a larger role in an environment of metric transparency and value-based payments, better understanding of such factors will be increasingly important. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rail Engineering and Education Symposium Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-26

The objective of this project is to develop curricular materials for the Rail Engineering and Education : Symposia held in the summers of 2012 and 2014. : Description of Activities : The main approach to accomplish the activity is to develop and deli...

Immersive visualization of rail simulation data.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

The prime objective of this project was to create scientific, immersive visualizations of a Rail-simulation. This project is a part of a larger initiative that consists of three distinct parts. The first step consists of performing a finite element a...

49 CFR 174.84 - Position in train of loaded placarded rail cars, transport vehicles, freight containers or bulk...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... CARRIAGE BY RAIL Handling of Placarded Rail Cars, Transport Vehicles and Freight Containers § 174.84 Position in train of loaded placarded rail cars, transport vehicles, freight containers or bulk packagings... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Position in train of loaded placarded rail cars...

49 CFR 174.82 - General requirements for the handling of placarded rail cars, transport vehicles, freight...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... rail cars, transport vehicles, freight containers, and bulk packages. 174.82 Section 174.82... Placarded Rail Cars, Transport Vehicles and Freight Containers § 174.82 General requirements for the handling of placarded rail cars, transport vehicles, freight containers, and bulk packages. (a) Unless...

Parameters Studies on Surface Initiated Rolling Contact Fatigue of Turnout Rails by Three-Level Unreplicated Saturated Factorial Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaochuan Ma

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Surface initiated rolling contact fatigue (RCF, mainly characterized by cracks and material stripping, is a common type of damage to turnout rails, which can not only shorten service life of turnout but also lead to poor running safety of vehicle. The rail surface initiated RCF of turnouts is caused by a long-term accumulation, the size and distribution of which are related to the dynamic parameters of the complicated vehicle-turnout system. In order to simulate the accumulation of rail damage, some random samples of dynamic parameters significantly influencing it should be input. Based on the three-level unreplicated saturated factorial design, according to the evaluation methods of H, P and B statistic values, six dynamic parameters that influence the rail surface initiated RCF in turnouts, namely running speed of vehicle, axle load, wheel-rail profiles, integral vertical track stiffness and wheel-rail friction coefficient, are obtained by selecting 13 dynamic parameters significantly influencing the dynamic vehicle-turnout interaction as the analysis factors, considering four dynamic response results, i.e., the normal wheel-rail contact force, longitudinal creep force, lateral creep force and wheel-rail contact patch area as the observed parameters. In addition, the rail surface initiated RCF behavior in turnouts under different wheel-rail creep conditions is analyzed, considering the relative motion of stock/switch rails. The results show that the rail surface initiated RCF is mainly caused by the tangential stress being high under small creep conditions, the normal and tangential stresses being high under large creep conditions, and the normal stress being high under pure spin creep conditions.

Poster - 26: Electronic Waiting Room Management for a busy Cancer Centre

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kildea, John; Hijal, Tarek [McGill University Health Center (Canada)

2016-08-15

We describe an electronic waiting room management system that we have developed and deployed in our cancer centre. Our system connects with our electronic medical records systems, gathers data for a machine learning algorithm to predict future patient waiting times, and is integrated with a mobile phone app. The system has been in operation for over nine months and has led to reduced lines, calmer waiting rooms and overwhelming patient and staff satisfaction.

Poster - 26: Electronic Waiting Room Management for a busy Cancer Centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kildea, John; Hijal, Tarek

2016-01-01

We describe an electronic waiting room management system that we have developed and deployed in our cancer centre. Our system connects with our electronic medical records systems, gathers data for a machine learning algorithm to predict future patient waiting times, and is integrated with a mobile phone app. The system has been in operation for over nine months and has led to reduced lines, calmer waiting rooms and overwhelming patient and staff satisfaction.

The clinical impact of the couch top and rails on IMRT and arc therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulliam, Kiley B; Howell, Rebecca M; Followill, David; Luo, Dershan; Kry, Stephen F; White, R Allen

2011-01-01

The clinical impact of the Varian Exact Couch on dose, volume coverage to targets and critical structures, and tumor control probability (TCP) has not been described. Thus, we examined their effects on IMRT and arc therapy. Five clinical prostate patients were planned with both 6 MV eight-field IMRT and 6 MV two-arc RapidArc techniques using the Eclipse treatment planning system. These plans neglected treatment couch attenuation, as is a common clinical practice. Dose distributions were then recalculated in Eclipse with the inclusion of the Varian Exact Couch (imaging couch top) and the rails in varying configurations. The changes in dose and coverage were evaluated using the dose-volume histograms from each plan iteration. We used a TCP model to calculate losses in tumor control resulting from not accounting for the couch top and rails. We also verified dose measurements in a phantom. Failure to account for the treatment couch and rails resulted in clinically unacceptable dose and volume coverage losses to the targets for both IMRT and RapidArc. The couch caused average prescription dose losses (relative to plans that ignored the couch) to the prostate of 4.2% and 2.0% for IMRT with the rails out and in, respectively, and 3.2% and 2.9% for RapidArc with the rails out and in, respectively. On average, the percentage of the target covered by the prescribed dose dropped to 35% and 84% for IMRT (rails out and in, respectively) and to 18% and 17% for RapidArc (rails out and in, respectively). The TCP was also reduced by as much as 10.5% (6.3% on average). Dose and volume coverage losses for IMRT plans were primarily due to the rails, while the imaging couch top contributed most to losses for RapidArc. Both the couch top and rails contribute to dose and coverage losses that can render plans clinically unacceptable. A follow-up study we performed found that the less attenuating unipanel mesh couch top available with the Varian Exact couch does not cause a clinically

Analysis and modeling of rail maintenance costs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Ali Bakhshi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Railroad maintenance engineering plays an important role on availability of roads and reducing the cost of railroad incidents. Rail is of the most important parts of railroad industry, which needs regular maintenance since it covers a significant part of total maintenance cost. Any attempt on optimizing total cost of maintenance could substantially reduce the cost of railroad system and it can reduce total cost of the industry. The paper presents a new method to estimate the cost of rail failure using different cost components such as cost of inspection and cost of risk associated with possible accidents. The proposed model of this paper is used for a real-world case study of railroad transportation of Tehran region and the results have been analyzed.

The impact of texting on driver behaviour at rail level crossings.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Kristie L; Lenné, Michael G; Salmon, Paul M; Stanton, Neville A

2018-05-21

A driver text messaging in the vicinity of a rail level crossing represents the merging of a high-risk, high-workload driving environment with a highly distracting secondary task. In this simulator study, we examined how texting impacts driver behaviour on approach to actively controlled urban rail level crossings. Twenty-eight participants drove a series of simulated urban routes containing rail level crossings, while sending text messages and while driving without performing a secondary task. At half of the crossings, drivers were required to respond to the crossing warnings as a train approached. Results revealed that texting on approach to rail level crossings had a detrimental impact on a range of driver behaviour measures. Specifically, texting more than doubled the amount of time spent with eyes off the forward roadway, resulting in drivers spending more than half of their approach time to rail level crossings looking away from the road. This lack of visual attention to the roadway was associated with a range of decrements in driving that may be indicative of a loss of situation awareness, including increased brake reaction time to the crossing warnings and a reduction in lateral position control. The findings have safety implications, not only for urban level crossings, but also for passive level crossings where no warnings are present to re-orient the distracted driver's attention toward an approaching train. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimising radiation outcomes, scheduling patient waiting lists for maximum population tumour control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebert, M.A.; Jennings, L.; Kearvell, R.; Bydder, S.

2011-01-01

Full text: Delays in the commencement of radiotherapy, possibly due to resource constraints, are known to impact on control-related outcomes. We sought an objective solution for patient prioritisation based on tumour control probability (TCP). With a utilitarian objective for maximising TCP in a population of M patients, with patient i waiting a time between diagnosis and treatment of Ti and a mean wait time of TMean, the optimisation problem is as shown. A linear-quadratic/Poissonian model for cell survival/TCP was considered including cell doubling during the wait time. Solutions to several distributions of patient population characteristics were examined together with the expected change in TCP for the population and individuals. An analytical solution to the optimisation problem was found which gives the optimal wait time for each patient as a function of the distribution of radiobiological characteristics in the population. This solution does not allow a negativity constraint on an individual's optimised waiting time so a waiting list simulation was developed to enforce that. Optimal wait time distributions were calculated for situations where patients are allocated distinct diagnostic groups (sharing radiobiological parameters) and for a (log-normal) distribution of doubling times in the population. In order to meet the utilitarian objective, the optimal solutions require patients with rapid cell doubling times to be accelerated up the waiting list at the expense of those with slowly proliferating tumours. The net population benefit however is comparable to or greater then the expected benefit from beam intensity modulation or dose escalation.

Free Rail Tickets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reinau, Kristian Hegner; Harder, Henrik; Nielsen, Thomas Thomas Alexander Sick

2017-01-01

This article explores the potential of Bluetooth and WiFi sensor network tracking to estimate the flow of passengers on rails. The article shows that this technology makes it possible to estimate the relative flow in the network, even when used in a setup with a minimum of sensors on selected...... railway stations, and also how free tickets influence the relative flow on routes in the network. This paper presents the first contribution where Bluetooth and WiFi tracking data has been used to estimate the impact of free tickets on railways in Denmark....

49 CFR 214.521 - Flagging equipment for on-track roadway maintenance machines and hi-rail vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... maintenance machines and hi-rail vehicles. 214.521 Section 214.521 Transportation Other Regulations Relating... WORKPLACE SAFETY On-Track Roadway Maintenance Machines and Hi-Rail Vehicles § 214.521 Flagging equipment for on-track roadway maintenance machines and hi-rail vehicles. Each on-track roadway maintenance machine...

Public views on a wait time management initiative: a matter of communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruni, Rebecca A; Laupacis, Andreas; Levinson, Wendy; Martin, Douglas K

2010-08-05

Many countries have tried to reduce waiting times for health care through formal wait time reduction strategies. Our paper describes views of members of the public about a wait time management initiative--the Ontario Wait Time Strategy (OWTS) (Canada). Scholars and governmental reports have advocated for increased public involvement in wait time management. We provide empirically derived recommendations for public engagement in a wait time management initiative. Two qualitative studies: 1) an analysis of all emails sent by the public to the (OWTS) email address; and 2) in-depth interviews with members of the Ontario public. Email correspondents and interview participants supported the intent of the OWTS. However they wanted more information about the Strategy and its actions. Interview participants did not feel they were sufficiently made aware of the Strategy and email correspondents requested additional information beyond what was offered on the Strategy's website. Moreover, the email correspondents believed that some of the information that was provided on the Strategy's website and through the media was inaccurate, misleading, and even dishonest. Interview participants strongly supported public involvement in the OWTS priority setting. Findings suggest the public wanted increased communication from and with the OWTS. Effective communication can facilitate successful public engagement, and in turn fair and legitimate priority setting. Based on the study's findings we developed concrete recommendations for improving public involvement in wait time management.

[Waiting time for the first colposcopic examination in women with abnormal Papanicolaou test].

Science.gov (United States)