At present, high-speed rail is used only as a mode of passenger transport. Yet, the acceleration of logistics and freight transport flows could be compatible with high-speed rail capabilities. This article examines the experiences, literature and prospects of high-speed rail for freight. It uses three hypotheses to evaluate the development of freight high-speed rail services in Europe. The arti...

Currently most modern dc rapid transit systems around the world use running rails or a negative rail as the negative return circuit for the dc traction current. These rails are intentionally kept ungrounded from ground (earth) by using insulating material between the rail and earth to minimize dc stray current. This configuration of return current rail develops varying voltage with respect to g...

The primary mechanisms playing a role in the dynamic wheel–rail response to rail weld irregularities in a ballasted track are pointed out. The concept of P1 and P2 forces for metallurgical rail welds, introduced in a first paper [1] concerning the present research, is further elaborated. The dynamic wheel–rail response is simulated for a number of geometrical rail weld measurements. Results sho...

In 2014, more than 43 cities in China were racing to construct their urban rail systems (including metro and light rail systems), recognizing that an urban rail system will be a good solution to the tough problems that they are faced with, including traffic congestion and PM2.5 air pollution. On 22 August 2012, the first electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) energy storage-type rail vehicle in...

Cutaneous melanocytic lesions, commonly known as moles, are mostly benign; however, some of them are malignant melanomas, the most fatal form of skin cancer. Because the survival rate of melanoma is inversely proportional to the thickness of the tumor, early detection is vital to the treatment process. Many dermatologists have advocated the development of computer-aided diagnosis systems for ea...

The effect of track geometry on vehicle vibration is a major concern in high-speed rail (HSR) operation from the perspectives ride comfort and safety. However, how to quantitatively characterize relation between them remains problem be solved quality assessment. By using fractal analysis, this paper studies detailed correlation surface alignment irregularities car body vertical lateral accelera...

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...

OBJECTIVES To examine the effect of an advanced practice nurse (APN) intervention on restrictive side rail usage in four nursing homes and with a sample of 251 residents. A secondary question explored the association between restrictive side rail reduction and bed-related falls. DESIGN Pre- and posttest design. SETTING Four urban nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS All nursing home residents pres...

Davies, Ronnie M., George L. Gerstein, and Stuart N. Baker. Measurement of time-dependent changes in the irregularity of neural spiking. J Neurophysiol 96: 906–918, 2006. First published March 22, 2006; doi:10.1152/jn.01030.2005. Irregularity of firing in spike trains has been associated with coding processes and information transfer or alternatively treated as noise. Previous studies of irregu...

The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 is widely perceived to have deregulated the U.S. freight rail industry. Yet substantial rail traffic remains potentially subject to regulatory rate intervention, and in the Post-Staggers era regulators have developed a detailed and expanding regulatory framework for rail shipments. This regulatory framework embodies elements of traditional public utility regulation...