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This paper focuses on the perspectives of passengers who were railway users and how railways as a service can be uplifted with technological advancements through the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs). For this purpose, a questionnaire was designed comprised of six sections related to information on socio-economic-demographics, travel, station facilities, train facilities, customer care, and familiarity with and benefits of ICTs. A total of 800 respondents were recruited on trains and in railway stations to collect data through a random sampling technique. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, factor analysis, bivariate correlation analysis, and ordered logistic regression analysis. The three hypotheses tested showed that (i) there is a correlation between socio-demographic factors, train frequency, and satisfaction levels, (ii) satisfaction with station and train facilities and customer care impacts users' travel likelihood with the train service, and (iii) users' familiarity with perceived benefits of ICTs influences passengers' travel likelihood with the train service. The results indicate that the users' satisfaction with attributes of station facilities, train facilities, and customer care and perceptions about ICTs significantly influences their travel frequency with the train service. This study is useful for multiple stakeholders, especially for railway management authorities, to provide inclusive services to passengers and to plan for future transportation, which should be well-equipped with ICTs, well-integrated with other transport modes, and well-connected with optimum stops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractRail models may be simplified at different levels in wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations. This work used delayed detached eddy simulations to analyze and compare the aerodynamic loads (drag, side force, lift, and rolling moment), surface pressure, and flow characteristics around a train model placed on subgrades with three different rail models: no-rail, simplified rail, and realistic rail. The simulations were conducted at a large yaw angle of 60°. The mean aerodynamic characteristics of the car bodies and bogies were similar with the simplified rail model and realistic rail model, while those were completely different without the rail model. The difference in aerodynamic loads between the no-rail model and the realistic rail model was as high as 53.1%, whereas the difference between the simplified and realistic rail models was only 7.7%. And for fluctuating aerodynamic characteristics of the train, there was still differences between the cases with the simplified and realistic models. Further, the rail model significantly impacted the flow (such as the velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, and vorticity) around the train, especially under the train, resulting in significant differences in the aerodynamic loads in time and frequency domains. For accurate and precise measurements of mean aerodynamic loads, incorporating a rail model (with the simplified model being sufficient) can improve accuracy by 48.0% and precision by 66.9%. When focusing on fluctuating aerodynamic loads, using a realistic rail model is essential to accurately capture amplitude-frequency characteristics. The rail model setup recommendations outlined in this work aim to enhance the accuracy and reliability of various wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations related to train aerodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historian Raul Hilberg once observed of death trains: "It's just very regular traffic. Death traffic". Though subtle, his insinuation that this death traffic represented a "new normal" is, in fact, an astute observation of a largely unresearched process whereby Polish railway workers, and locals living near railway tracks, became witnesses to the Holocaust through observing the distinctive new "traffic" flowing by their spaces of home and work. In this case study, therefore, I examine these "death traffic witnesses" to reveal how their experiences highlight a critical reality about genocide in our modern world – its ability to transform relatively banal spaces (in peacetime) into horrific ones when employed for sinister purposes. In this case, those banal spaces are the railways that cut through our modern landscapes as symbols of connection, commerce and transport; their steel rails cutting through backyards and city centres linking even remote villages with major metropolises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is fundamental to ensuring health, well-being, and safety. A particular type of indoor compartment, land transport cabins (LTCs), specifically those of trains and buses, was surveyed. The global rise in commute and in-cabin exposure time gives relevance to the current study. This study discusses indoor climate (IC) in LTCs to emphasize the risk to the well-being and comfort of exposed occupants linked to poor IEQ, using objective assessment and a communication method following recommendations of the CEN-EN16798-1 standard. The measurement campaign was carried out on 36 trips of real-time travel on 15 buses and 21 trains, mainly in the EU region. Although the measured operative temperature, relative humidity, CO2, and VOC levels followed EN16798-1 requirements in most cabins, compliance gaps were found in the indoor climate of these LTCs as per ventilation requirements. Also, the PMV-PPD index evaluated in two indoor velocity ranges of 0.1 and 0.3 m/s showed that 39% and 56% of the cabins, respectively, were thermally inadequate. Also, ventilation parameters showed that indoor air quality (IAQ) was defective in 83% of the studied LTCs. Therefore, gaps exist concerning the IC of the studied LTCs, suggesting potential risks to well-being and comfort and the need for improved compliance with the IEQ and ventilation criteria of EN16798-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of hydrogen in heavy-duty vehicles or trains has been suggested as a promising solution to decarbonize the transportation sector. In this study, a one-dimensional engine modeling is employed to evaluate the potential of hydrogen as a fuel for railway applications. A turbocharged diesel engine is simulated as the baseline unit, and the results are validated with experimental data. The same engine is converted to become compatible with hydrogen through some modifications in the turbocharger group and the injection and ignition systems to preserve the performance of the baseline configuration. The findings show that the engine traction power is reduced from 600 to 400 kW, indicating an inferior performance for the hydrogen-fueled engine. The energy consumption of the hydrogen-fueled engine on a real train mission profile is almost two times the diesel version. However, our Life Cycle Assessment analysis with a Well-to-Wheel system boundary shows a 56% reduction in equivalent CO2 emissions for the engine fueled with photovoltaic-based green hydrogen. Substituting diesel with low-carbon hydrogen can decrease the train's carbon footprint from 4.27 to even less than 2 kg CO2 eq./km, suggesting that moderately modified engines are a promising solution for decarbonizing non-feasibly electrified railway sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines Laura Marcus's chapter 'Oedipus Express: Psychoanalysis and the Railways' in her book Dreams of Modernity: Psychoanalysis, Literature, Cinema (2014), which argues that the train and the railway journey are implicated in many of the fundamental principles of Freudian thought, including the Oedipus Complex. Extending Marcus's insights, Ellmann shows how this motif of train-travel resurfaces in Freud's Beyond the Pleasure Principle and his case history of the Rat Man, as well as in Melanie Klein's case history of 'Dick', a four-year-old boy obsessed with trains and stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local trains of Mumbai are one of the most crowded means of public transport, but often preferred by many women due to the provision of exclusive ladies' compartments reserved for women. While these compartments provide women a space safe from sexual assault, conflicts due to class and religious differences arise among the women who occupy this in-between space. Moreover, the continuous use of ladies' compartments leads to the labelling of general compartment as gents, affects the interactions between men and women in different railway spaces, and also configures the public as already segregated according to a binary understanding of gender. Based on the findings from an ethnographic study of women's experiences of using the ladies' compartments, I argue that the provision of segregation gives rise to specific 'mobility practices' in the ladies' compartments. The logic of segregation spills over to other railway spaces, and these can complicate our understanding of mobility as empowering for women travellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adequacy of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in mass transit microenvironments is crucial to the well-being of exposed commuters. By 2050, many developing tropical countries will host even more megacities, which will feature an increase in people mobility and higher occupancy density. The paucity of IEQ studies, the technology gap, and inadequate policy measures to assure safer and sustainable mobility in many developing tropics have reinforced the current study objective. Also, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the IEQ links and risks to health in transport, which, given the climate peculiarities, transport reforms, and huge commuter traffic in Nigeria, inform the study motivation. The indoor air quality (CO2, PM, VOCs, NO2), thermal, acoustic, and visual environments were objectively assessed in train passenger cabins and waiting areas, during 15 trips in the dry and rainy seasons in Nigeria. The results were analyzed by following the IEQ requirements defined in the ISO, CEN, ASHRAE, and SAE standards. The results indicate gaps in the IAQ (inadequate ventilation in 9 trains), defective thermal comfort (9 trains), exceedance in the PM limit (PM10: 47.9–115 μg/m3, PM2.5: 22.5–51.3 μg/m3), noise (Leq range: 64–85 dBA), and low illuminance levels (10 trains), hence the need for IEQ, interventions, stakeholder awareness, and broader IEQ studies on transport cabins in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is fundamental to ensuring health, well-being, and safety. A particular type of indoor compartment, land transport cabins (LTCs), specifically those of trains and buses, was surveyed. The global rise in commute and in-cabin exposure time gives relevance to the current study. This study discusses indoor climate (IC) in LTCs to emphasize the risk to the well-being and comfort of exposed occupants linked to poor IEQ, using objective assessment and a communication method following recommendations of the CEN-EN16798-1 standard. The measurement campaign was carried out on 36 trips of real-time travel on 15 buses and 21 trains, mainly in the EU region. Although the measured operative temperature, relative humidity, CO2, and VOC levels followed EN16798-1 requirements in most cabins, compliance gaps were found in the indoor climate of these LTCs as per ventilation requirements. Also, the PMV-PPD index evaluated in two indoor velocity ranges of 0.1 and 0.3 m/s showed that 39% and 56% of the cabins, respectively, were thermally inadequate. Also, ventilation parameters showed that indoor air quality (IAQ) was defective in 83% of the studied LTCs. Therefore, gaps exist concerning the IC of the studied LTCs, suggesting potential risks to well-being and comfort and the need for improved compliance with the IEQ and ventilation criteria of EN16798-1.

One example of work that has a high risk of work in the world of railways is the maintenance of railway facilities. One of the risks posed comes from the noise generated from the maintenance activities carried out. This study used a Soundlevel Meter tool to measure noise intensity in the railway facility maintenance work environment. The measured noise level is the equivalent noise level. This study also seeks to find out the impact and what impact prevention steps have been taken. The equivalent noise level in the work environment, especially in the final test, is 90.82 dB. The impact of noise experienced includes physiological disorders, psychological disorders and social disorders. Common physiological disorders experienced by facility nurses are the appearance of nausea, insomnia and shortness of breath. This feeling of discomfort will diminish and become less and less felt after some time. In the sense of hearing is also not found permanent interference. Psychological disorders can be in the form of discomfort, lack of concentration, insomnia, emotional instability, feelings of irritability to colleagues and superiors, and feeling tired quickly. One form of social disorder that can appear is masking effect, which is a lack of clear communication due to sounds that cover hearing. Noise control carried out is by isolating (separating facility nurses from noise sources), periodic toolbox meetings, administrative arrangements (setting working hours and facility nurses), providing K3 training, routine health checks, and using PPE properly and correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every country's railway heritage is very important, given the fact that it represents an important part of a nation's identity. Romanian has a vast network of railways and rolling stock, from steam locomotives built in Resita in the 1900s, to modern day electric locomotives with asynchronous traction motors built by Softronic Craiova. This article's goal is to showcase the reasons why conserving Romania's railway heritage is important, especially when it comes to locomotives. In this article we will analyse Romania's locomotives and their attributes. The results show us that, although locomotives are an important part of Romania's heritage that the country should be proud of, they are not valued to the fullest extent possible.

In this study, wind tunnel tests were used to study the effect of changes in the length of a wind barrier on the aerodynamic performance of a train with single-sided and double-sided wind barriers. The results showed that in the condition of a doublesided wind barrier, as the length of the wind barrier increased, the pressure change on the windward side of the train was significantly smaller than that of the single-sided wind barrier. When the length of the wind barrier is less than 21.67 H (H is the height of the train), in the condition of the two types of wind barrier, the direction of the side force coefficient is opposite to the direction of the incoming flow. As the length of the wind barrier changes, the drag coefficient with the double-sided wind barrier is obviously more stable than that with the single-sided wind barrier. For the drag coefficient and lift coefficient, under the condition of double-sided wind barrier, when the length of the wind barrier is greater than 23.65 H, the change amplitude is lower than that of the single-sided wind barrier. For the running safety of the train, it is conservative and approximately accurate at the single-sided barrier length of 25.63 H and double-sided barrier length of 23.65 H. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of hydrogen in heavy-duty vehicles or trains has been suggested as a promising solution to decarbonize the transportation sector. In this study, a one-dimensional engine modeling is employed to evaluate the potential of hydrogen as a fuel for railway applications. A turbocharged diesel engine is simulated as the baseline unit, and the results are validated with experimental data. The same engine is converted to become compatible with hydrogen through some modifications in the turbocharger group and the injection and ignition systems to preserve the performance of the baseline configuration. The findings show that the engine traction power is reduced from 600 to 400 kW, indicating an inferior performance for the hydrogen-fueled engine. The energy consumption of the hydrogen-fueled engine on a real train mission profile is almost two times the diesel version. However, our Life Cycle Assessment analysis with a Well-to-Wheel system boundary shows a 56% reduction in equivalent CO2 emissions for the engine fueled with photovoltaic-based green hydrogen. Substituting diesel with low-carbon hydrogen can decrease the train’s carbon footprint from 4.27 to even less than 2 kg CO2 eq./km, suggesting that moderately modified engines are a promising solution for decarbonizing non-feasibly electrified railway sections.

In this article I discuss the continuity and changes of displays of temple and shrine treasures (kaichō) in the Meiji and Taisho periods. I estimate the number and features of kaichō in these periods primarily using articles in the Yomiuri shinbun and Shinano mainichi shinbun newspapers. I discuss the ways that these displays intersected with aspects of the Meiji period, including changing laws and the expansion of a convenient transportation network. The newspaper articles are also an excellent source of information regarding the practice of these displays, including the functions of confraternities, continued attraction of sideshows (misemono), and use of these displays to pray for victory in Japan's modern wars and the repose of its war dead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question that initiated this investigation concerns Sigmund Freud’s inability to bring himself to leave Vienna during the years before and, then, the days after the Nazi annexation and invasion of Austria in March 1938. Why did Freud delay the decision to escape until it was almost too late? To try and understand such near-fatal immovability, my essay explores two models of mobility: the first is the convoluted folktale, legend, or chronicle of the Wandering Jew; the second is what I call ‘Freud’s train connections’, that is, his theoretical thinking about and personal experience of trains and railroad journeys. However, since Freud’s encounters with the Wandering Jew and his train connections intersect at several junctures, my discussion does not (and indeed cannot) keep them strictly or neatly apart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability and effectiveness of a high-speed train’s operation depend heavily on the traction drive system. The purpose of this project was to construct an electromechanical connection model for a bullet train. The model contains the gear-to-gear connection, the differential output of the transmission, which circuits similar to those found in motors, and indirect power management. The purpose of this research is to investigate how modern railroad systems have implemented locomotive driving safety assistance technologies in order to get a deeper understanding of the effects that technological progress has on train operators. The purpose of this study is to learn how technological developments have altered the job of train operators. We will investigate the feasibility, compatibility, and potential consequences of introducing innovative technologies into established workflows. We will look at how well it works with current technologies, too. The current investigation has the authority to look at these issues. The ultimate goal of this project is to improve railway operations by providing essential insights for guaranteeing a balance between technological progress and human skill. The ultimate purpose of the project is to enhance the efficiency and security of railway operations. This may be achieved by strengthening the effectiveness and security of railway operations. In addition, the high-speed train model is simulated numerically to maintain that steady rate of travel, and grip, while slowing. The study determined that the stator current is the result of the interaction between the fundamental frequency and the higher harmonics of the rotational frequency. Furthermore, both frequencies can be detected even when traveling at a constant speed. Despite this, unless the rotation frequency is increased, they are often not visible. During traction, the root-mean-square (RMS) values of the rotor and stator currents are lower than that during braking. There is a significant rise in current when the wheels and brakes are first applied. The RMS value of the current lowers dramatically as grip and braking improve. As a result, it is essential to carefully consider how the change may influence the reliability of the system.

Passengers spend considerable periods of time in shared transit spaces, relying on smartphones and laptops for work. However, these displays are limited in size and ergonomics compared to typical multi-monitor setups used in the office, impairing productivity. Augmented Reality (AR) headsets could provide large, flexible virtual workspaces during travel, enabling passengers to work more efficiently. This paper investigates the factors affecting how passengers choose to layout virtual displays in car, train, subway and plane environments, studying the affordances of each mode of transport and the presence of others. Results from our experiment showed: significant usage of the physical environment to align displays; strong social effects meant avoiding placing displays over other passengers or their belongings; and use of displays for shielding oneself from others. Our findings show the unique challenges posed by the mode of transport and presence of others on the use of AR for mobile productivity in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the "performative" aspect of graffiti on Russian trains during the late 1990s and early 2000s. "Performative" here refers to Judith Butler's understanding of performance as comprised of repeated acts without an essential "core." Graffiti on trains proliferated in Russia at the turn of the millennium through Russian writers' repetition of imagery from books, magazines, and videos from the United States. This recurrent mimicry is shared with the history of public art in Russia, which was also characterized by collective and programmatic transnational performance. Drawing on archival material including books, magazines, films, photographs, and interviews with former writers, the article charts the history of art on trains in Russia over the past century. I argue that performativity links graffiti, street art, and public art in Russia in a manner that renders these categories mutually informing and inextricable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activities undertaken during everyday commutes have often been studied to prove the inherent value of travel time to the commuters. Women commuters using the ladies' compartments of the Mumbai local trains use this time to eat and share food, shop, chitchat, and watch sitcoms on their phones. Undertaken in a gender-segregated space, these activities make women's mobility an avenue for the performance of their femininities. Thus, while the association between masculinity and mobility stands questioned, what merits enquiry is whether mobility for women is premised on their effective performance of hegemonic femininities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural arches are culturally valued rock landforms common in sedimentary rocks of the Colorado Plateau and additionally occur broadly around the world. Recent notable collapses of some of these landforms have highlighted the need to better understand the mechanics of their failure. While environmentally driven weathering has been the focus of most previous studies of arch collapse, comparably little attention has been given to anthropogenic vibration sources and how these often slight- to moderate-magnitude shaking events might steadily weaken arches over time. We collected 12–15 months of continuous ambient vibration data from arches and nearby bedrock in both anthropogenically ‘noisy’ and ‘quiet’ locations and used these datasets to develop an annual model of arch peak ground velocity based on magnitude-cumulative frequency distributions. Working from these models, we added vibration events of varying magnitude or frequency of occurrence, informed by field data, imitating arch vibration in response to different anthropogenic activities such as helicopter flights or induced earthquakes. We then applied subcritical fracture mechanics principles to predict annual crack growth rates in an idealized arch under these different vibration conditions. Our results demonstrate that in a single year, cracks grow minimally longer (∼1%) in ‘noisy’ environments than in areas not experiencing anthropogenic vibration energy. Few (1+) 30-s moderate-magnitude events (∼15 mm/s) or many (>37,000) 30-s low-magnitude events (∼2 mm/s) cause markedly increased crack growth. Our approach provides a valuable new framework for assessing the range and frequency of occurrence of vibrations experienced by an arch, and for predicting arch damage. Our results, in turn, yield important new outputs applicable in support of conservation management of these and similar landforms world-wide under exposure to a range of human-induced vibration activity.

In big cities, the metro lines usually face great pressure caused by huge passengers demand, especially during peak hours. When disruptions occur, passengers accumulate quickly at stations. It is of great importance for dispatchers to take passenger flow control into consideration for the traffic management to ensure passengers’ safety and to maintain their satisfaction. This paper proposes an integrated disruption management model, which incorporates train rescheduling and passenger flow control. In this model, the train services can be short-turned, cancelled and rerouted, while the number of passengers entering a station is managed by controlling the station gates with consideration of the capacities of platforms and trains. Moreover, the number of passengers arriving at a station is calculated according to the origin-destination matrices. The objectives are to recover the train operation to the original timetable as soon as possible and to minimize the waiting time of passengers outside the stations. With the interaction between train services, passengers and station gates, an iterative metaheuristic approach is proposed to solve the integrated disruption management problem. Based on the data of a Beijing metro line, numerical experiments are conducted to test the proposed algorithm. The results demonstrate the importance of integrated disruption management and the effectiveness of our solution method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every country's railway heritage is very important, given the fact that it represents an important part of a nation's identity. Romanian has a vast network of railways and rolling stock, from steam locomotives built in Resita in the 1900s, to modern day electric locomotives with asynchronous traction motors built by Softronic Craiova. This article's goal is to showcase the reasons why conserving Romania's railway heritage is important, especially when it comes to locomotives. In this article we will analyse Romania's locomotives and their attributes. The results show us that, although locomotives are an important part of Romania's heritage that the country should be proud of, they are not valued to the fullest extent possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UA_L-DoTT (University of Alabama’s Large Dataset of Trains and Trucks) is a collection of camera images and 3D LiDAR point cloud scans from five different data sites. Four of the data sites targeted trains on railways and the last targeted trucks on a four-lane highway. Low light conditions were present at one of the data sites showcasing unique differences between individual sensor data. The final data site utilized a mobile platform which created a large variety of viewpoints in images and point clouds. The dataset consists of 93,397 raw images, 11,415 corresponding labeled text files, 354,334 raw point clouds, 77,860 corresponding labeled point clouds, and 33 timestamp files. These timestamps correlate images to point cloud scans via POSIX time. The data was collected with a sensor suite consisting of five different LiDAR sensors and a camera. This provides various viewpoints and features of the same targets due to the variance in operational characteristics of the sensors. The inclusion of both raw and labeled data allows users to get started immediately with the labeled subset, or label additional raw data as needed. This large dataset is beneficial to any researcher interested in machine learning using cameras, LiDARs, or both. The current dataset is publicly available at UA_L-DoTT.

Coal generates almost 40% of the world's electricity with 80 countries throughout the world using coal power. An inherent part of this generation is the rail transport of coal in uncovered cars, often up to a mile long. Existing studies document the subsequent increments of PM2.5 to the near-rail populations, which typically include a large number of economically disadvantaged residents and/or people of color. However, to date there is no assessment of the health implications of this stage in the use of coal. The present study quantifies such impacts on a region in the San Francisco Bay Area. The analysis shows important effects on mortality, hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory disease, asthma exacerbation, work loss, and days of restricted activity. Several of these outcomes exhibited a one to six percent increase over baseline. As such, it delineates the implications for the global effects of the transport of coal. • Coal is transported to export terminals and power plants by uncovered rail cars. • The transport results in significant emissions of PM2.5 in dense urban populations. • A novel approach to measure PM2.5 in the San Francisco Bay Area was developed. • An impact assessment revealed significant increases in mortality and morbidity. • The results indicate important global impacts on economically disadvantaged populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The train is a mode of public transportation that is in great demand by the Indonesian people. PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) as a train operator in Indonesia has many routes, one of which is the Argo Parahyangan train. Argo Parahyangan train is one of the leading trains in the business of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) which is one of the company's largest revenues. Argo Parahyangan train had the highest number of passengers in 2019 in the 2017-2019 period as an intercity and interprovincial train. However, due to various factors, the Argo Parahyangan train has experienced a drastic decrease in the number of passengers in 2020 until now. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the factors that caused the decline in the number of passengers on the Argo Parahyangan train. The research method used is a qualitative research method and the data used are primary data obtained from PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) regarding data on the volume of passengers on the Argo Parahyangan train in the last 5 years as well as the company's internal regulations. The results of this study are the biggest factors that affect the decrease in the number of passengers for the Argo Parahyangan train, namely from the policies implemented by PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) regarding the travel rules for the Argo Parahyangan train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Industrialisation and technological innovations, extending into ever new areas, have forced many social changes. The human environment has transformed into a busy, built-up space full of diverse stimuli with an accelerated rhythm of life. The world has become more accessible, to be experienced not only by the chosen few. Mobility and the often nomadic nature associated with it have turned out to be the hallmarks of the 20th and 21st centuries. Polish theatre collectives also participate in all these processes, reaching a wide audience through various routes and means of transport (train, ship, barge) in a spirit of inclusion and democratisation. It can be said that by leaving the stationary building, artists and creators have mastered land and water, conquering new and sometimes virgin territory for the art of theatre. The article recalls and presents the activities of just a few of them – Reduta, Cricot, the Polish Academic Theatre, the Mazovian Land Theatre and ephemeral initiatives – Jerzy Przeździecki’s amateur floating stage and the multimedia barge whose activities were initiated by the author of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trains played a key role in the biggest typhus pandemic in history, which in 1915-1922 affected Central and Eastern Europe as well as North Asia, claiming the lives of at least several million victims. As the only effective means of transport for groups such as troops or refugees, the railways were conducive to the spread of the disease, but, on the other hand, they were also used to fight it. One of the forms of using the railways during the epidemic was disinfecting-bathing trains, to which the present article is devoted. It features three aspects of the functioning of such trains. First, their origins, detailed technical description and the history of the development of the Polish anti-typhus rolling stock. Secondly, the operation of the trains in conditions of constant structural shortages -- characteristic of the first, wartime years of the Second Polish Republic -- and the related issue of the effectiveness of the campaign. Thirdly, an attempt to present the functioning of the trains in the broad context of the fight against infectious disease epidemics from that period and suggestions of their possible interpretation in the light of anthropology and biopolitics. The article is largely based on the hitherto unpublished archive documents of the Sanitary Authority of the Supreme Command of the Polish Army and the Government Commissioner for the Red Cross. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Braking time in a moving train at standard speeds has become a critical variable that increasingly concerns the industry. The present paper discusses the possible option of temperature variation to cut down the response time of the whole pneumatic braking system in a train installation. A pneumatic system, considered equivalent to the system existing in a real train, was experimentally analyzed to account for the time and characteristics of a sonic pressure wave moving in the pipes. The available system behavior was compared for two different air temperatures. The obtained results point to a relevant temperature effect on the pressure wave transmission, which may promote time or distance shortening in a standard braking process. Although in the experimental campaign only two initial temperatures could be set, the study shows a possible research path for future improvements. A parallel theoretical calculation corrected by the effect of the relevant elements in the pipes was performed to allow a comparison with the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the relationship between William James's radical empiricism and Gilles Deleuze's transcendental empiricism by considering how dominant technologies of locomotion and travel in their respective historical times influenced their thinking and the style of their prose. Highlighting the imagery of trains and ground movement in James and planes and flight in Deleuze, I suggest that each constructs an empiricism that resonates with and reacts to the emerging forms of mass movement in his own time. The essay serves as an invitation to read James and Deleuze together with attention to the aesthetic qualities of their writing and as united in an ongoing project of honing philosophy to the pace of its time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]