Search

This paper presents in two pieces a user-centered problem-solving process for the healthcare system based on design thinking. It outlines the approach, the mindset and a toolset for implementation. It also proposes a model for integrating design thinking into health professions education. Teachers should be sensitized to include approaches to promote design thinking in education, training, and patient education. A special focus of the article is the training of teachers as multipliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents in two pieces a user-centered problem-solving process for the healthcare system based on design thinking. It outlines the approach, the mindset and a toolset for implementation. It also proposes a model for integrating design thinking into health professions education. Teachers should be sensitized to include approaches to promote design thinking in education, training, and patient education. A special focus of the article is the training of teachers as multipliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ensure efficient operation of freight vehicles, information about individual carriers and their freight during transportation must be available to different stakeholders of railway operation. Under the topic of an “intelligent freight car", this paper illustrates the use of sensors for instant detection and assessment of different conditions of vehicle movement and operation. Based on special railway requirements, concepts for flat spot detection, freight loading as well as shunting impacts are discussed. In addition, the paper outlines necessary telematics for positioning and communication, which are important for the implementation of compact telematics. The investigations took place as part of the research project Smart Rail Cargo (compact retrofittable telematics system for intelligent freight cars) within the framework of the funding program “Central Innovation Programme for SMEs" of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ballast quality influences the opposing behavior of renewal and maintenance costs, the sum of which makes up an important part of the life cycle costs of the railway superstructure. The optimal ballast quality results from the minimum of costs. Finding them requires the clarification of three basic questions: First, how is the quality of the ballast defined? Second: What influence does the ballast quality have on maintenance? Third, what is the relationship to life cycle costs? The present paper contains a method for answering these three questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rail wear is easy to measure, but the calculation of the permissible wear (al loss of cross section) is a challenge. Only in a few mechanical engineering fields is a strength analysis in a corrosive environment with simultaneously loss of cross section necessary. Part 1 shows an approach of the probabilistic calculation of the acting loads with a modern lifetime calculation is presented, which allows a more differentiated dimensioning of the permissible rail wear with knowledge of local load distribution processes. This requires a good database, which Switzerland now can use after a longtime of preparation. An overview is given of the distribution of guiding forces, modules of subsoil as well as the changes of load distribution in the overall network. Part 1 concludes with the presentation of the calculation tool and exemplary results. Part 2 of the paper will present the key functionality - the differentiated load mapping - as well the potential reduction of rail exchange in SBB's network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In railway systems, timetables and infrastructure are key components for satisfying transport needs. In order to find a feasible configuration that satisfies the complex set of requirements, numerous timetables and track topologies have to be evaluated. Therefore, there is an immense need for automatic timetable and track topology design. This paper discusses the concept of creating abstraction layers based on a data model to support and simplify these designs. It uses different state-of-the-art models and combines them so that all aspects of railway operation are included. Using this method, a layer model has been developed that was inspired by the OSI Reference Model and takes current developments such as the UIC RailTopoModel into consideration. Possible applications of such a layer model are the automatic generation of timetables and track topologies, as well as entrance data for synchronous railway simulations for capacity evaluation, and a universal representation of a railway network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to calculate, simulate, and optimize the energy demand of train runs, the running resistances have to be modeled. Mostly, simplified - e.g. the Davis equation - or approximated formulas for part resistances are used. This also applies for the aerial resistance: for cw value, effective surface area, air density, and relative air speed, either approximate or norm values are used in general. Contrariwise, aerodynamic investigations show that the aerial resistance does not decay with the cosine of the increasing yaw angle as the use of relative air speed indicates; in contrast, the aerial resistance increases up to a yaw angle of 60°. In this paper, a numerical model including this phenomenon is presented; moreover, wheel flange contact occurrence as consequence of side wind forces is discussed. The presented case studies confirm that the wind and its yaw angle may have a relevant influence on the energy demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asset Management is nowadays more and more migrated into the Cloud. The obvious rationale behind that is the cheap cost structure, high availability and high scalability. When migrating asset management from a traditional on-premises infrastructure into the cloud it is not sufficient just to install the software in virtual servers. The cloud platforms of the various vendors offer services that completely differ from traditional IT hardware. However, the new features provide opportunities to design and operate new cost-effective and more powerful solutions for asset management. The paper first presents the solution elements required for asset management in the cloud, such as short and longterm storage, databases, computing capacity, and control and orchestration. In the second part, the solution elements are combined into architectural patterns that bring out the added value of cloud native asset management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper discusses the application of Life Cycle Assessment on three different types of rail track (ballasted track with wooden sleepers, concrete sleepers and concrete sleepers with under sleeper pads) used within the Austrian rail network. A comparison is carried out between the environmental impacts of these superstructure configurations throughout their whole life cycle. This includes production, installation, removal and maintenance as well as disposal. The functional unit is defined as the “provision of 1 km double track for a year". Additional parameters are determined to ensure a reasonable comparability. The results show that the prolongation of service life caused by under sleeper pads reduces the environmental impact per year significantly. Thus, this type of superstructure can be considered the most environmentally friendly, whereas wooden track shows the highest environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a proposal for a simplistic reference system for railways, which is intended to promote a common basic operational understanding and contribute to operational interoperability. Railways are obtained in quite constrained and discrete space leading to an incomparity with that of a road or pedestrian system as a person cannot participate in its operation as an individual. Beginning with a simplified railway system, which includes simplified vehicles and elements of infrastructure, individual vehicle movements are analyzed in a fictive environment. In this case, it is determined that an extensive infrastructure need is required for an individual driving behavior. To run a railway system under good economical conditions, control and signaling technology is in use. Taking this into consideration a simplistic reference system can be defined, in that substantial system characteristics and functional aims are considered. This allows a delimitation of railway against other transport systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deutsche Bahn AG and the German Railway Industry Association (VDB) are going to build up a quality partnership in the development of railway vehicles and have for this purpose signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Based on the target to improve the whole development process within the scope of purchasing projects this paper describes the layout of a quality engineering structured in the three levels of principles, systematics and methods. The single elements of this quality engineering will be introduced, the advantages of its application for the participants of railway and railway industry which are involved in the process will be pointed out. Finally the paper is concluded by the next steps leading up to the installation of quality engineering as a regular procedure of Deutsche Bahn AG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High dynamic range (HDR) allows to capture an enormous range of luminance values. But in the near future the consumers will not have appropriate displays to see the quality difference. To improve the picture quality for SDR as well as HDR displays a new method is described in this paper. The basic idea is to analyse each luminance value for its relevance in the image and discard unimportant ones. This "virtual aperture" will be processed on the whole image and on image sections. Finally the tone mapping result will be composed with the corrected chrominance values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Bombardier long-distance double deck trains for SBB, which belong supplier internally to the TWINDEXX platform, allow for the first time for increased curve speed of double-deck trains. This is provided by the bogie-integrated roll compensation system FLEXX Tronic WAKO. FLEXX Tronic WAKO comprises the tilt function, the active lateral suspension and the crosswind function. This paper describes the activities needed for homologation and product validation. The differences with regard to a conventional vehicle are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regardless of whether climate, resources, or expenses are your concern - it is inevitably to save fossil fuels, if industrial furnaces and kilns are under discussion. The "tools" for that can be placed into a virtual "tool cabinet". In the upper drawers we can put the most rigorous tools like the omitting of complete thermal processes. Unfortunately, those are applicable not too often. In the middle drawers there are tools, which in most cases are useful, like the different methods to reduce heat losses. Down in the tool cabinet, we find tools, that make necessary thinking across borders of processes, like cogeneration schemes. In the paper, all the drawers of the tool cabinet will be opened and looked at. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]