Engine Drivers Research Articles

Theoretical basics of the self-learning system of intelligent locomotive decision support systems

Analysis of works in the field of artificial intelligence allows to make an assumption that today there is a sufficiently developed theoretical basis for the development of intelligent control systems for locomotive control. This will minimize the risks associated with the human factor on the railways. The paper presents the theoretical rationale for the development of a knowledge base for intelligent locomotive control systems. The approach and structure of the self-learning system of intelligent DSS is proposed, the advantage of which is the presence of a fuzzy classifier that works according to the set criteria and determines a fuzzy image of the current train situation. Learning a fuzzy classifier consists in finding a vector K that minimizes the distance between the results of logical inference and experimental data from the sample. The knowledge base is implemented using linguistic variables formalized by methods of fuzzy logic. The use of linguistic values makes it possible to design the base using the usual language of communication, which greatly simplifies both the design process itself and the analysis of the system's performance. Also, the knowledge base has the possibility of constant self-improvement. This happens in two ways. The first is by adding new rules to the knowledge base in case the current situation does not match the existing ones in the base, in which case an additional rule is created and checked for adequacy. The second way is a mechanism for ranking rules in the knowledge base. If the control action of the locomotive driver coincided with the recommendation of DSS in the current situation, then the rating of this recommendation (rule) increases, and in the future the rule selection algorithm will choose one or another control action for the current situation that has the highest rating (that is, it has already been verified several times person). The experiment has shown that the use of intelligent DSS has positive results. On average, the DSS made the correct train control decisions faster than the locomotive driver.

Case Study: Advanced Technology Underpins Efficiency and Climate-Related Goal Gains

_ Today’s gas-compression operators are under increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fortunately, multiple technologies are available that can support that objective while enabling operators to move more gas cost-effectively. Embracing such advancements can positively impact a reduced-carbon future without compromising operational efficiency or profitability. To choose the right technologies for a gas-compression package, it’s critical for operators to have a clear understanding of their business and GHG emissions-related goals. Operators also need clarity concerning the impact of evolving requirements on total cost of ownership (TCO) as well as potential financial ramifications. Producing more gas at a lower cost with lower GHG emissions is possible with new technologies. Operators can support their success by choosing the right engine driver for a gas-compression package based on their unique needs and site conditions. It’s critical to consider an engine’s power density and TCO, as that informs an operator’s selections and can lower a gas-compression package’s operating cost in terms of dollars per thousand cubic feet ($/Mcf) of gas throughput. An engine, such as the Cat G3600 A4 Gen 2, that can deliver a 10% power increase compared to the previous model can allow operators to use fewer engines to perform the same amount of work. This advantage can lower capital requirements, reduce operating expenses, and decrease fuel consumption. Fewer engines operating in the field may also contribute to lower GHG emissions. Modernizing Existing Assets Operators prioritize flexibility, durability, and lower TCO. They can support those objectives by choosing an engine platform that allows performance upgrades across the life of the engine. This enables operators to apply advanced technology in their existing fleet year after year without incurring the substantial cost of purchasing a new engine. Engine upgrade kits offer operators an option to maximize and modernize active assets in a streamlined way, as the upgrades can be applied conveniently and cost-effectively at the time of a scheduled overhaul to minimize disruption. For example, by using an upgrade kit for an A4 Gen 1 engine model referenced above, operators can lower volatile organic compounds up to 32%, formaldehyde up to 24%, carbon monoxide up to 13%, methane emissions up to 33%, and total GHG emissions up to 5% on a grams per brake horsepower-hour (g/bhp-hr) basis* while saving the traditional capital expenditure of a new engine. (*Site conditions: Same power level between the G3600 A4 Gen 1 and Gen 2, 85MN, 905 BTU/scf, 100% load, 25°C ambient, 500-ft altitude.) Such updates are relatively cost neutral when applied as part of a scheduled major overhaul and require minimal or no change to the compression package. This makes upgrade kits a wise choice to ensure equipment keeps pace with industry demands.

Lumbar Moment Estimation of Engine Drivers in a Static Sitting Working Position by using Multiple Linear Regression

The paper presents a simpler and more precise model of lumbar moment prediction based on single linear, or multiple linear regression with two predictors. The body mass index (BMI) as the predictor contains two of the most important static anthropometric measures, height and mass, whose separated role in lumbar moment prediction, as well as their mutual relations, have not been sufficiently investigated. This study analysed mass, height, age and BMI as lumbar moment predictors, on a sample of 50 Croatian male engine drivers. Two prediction models were compared: (1) multiple linear regression prediction with mass and height as predictors; (2) single linear regression with mass as the only predictor. Results confirmed the multiple regression model as the best one (R2= 0.9015 with standard error of prediction 1.26), having the mass of the best predictor. Surprisingly, the single regression model with mass as predictor explained only 3.6% of lumbar moment variance less than multiple regression model, with related standard error of prediction 1.46 (mean percentage value of the relative error was only 0.8% higher than at multiple regression model). The obtained findings suggest high prediction potential of mass and height that should be verified on various subject samples.

Efficiency Study Analysis of Electrical Energy in Container Stacking Equipment Rubber Tyred Gantry Crane (RTGC) Using Hybrid Energy Source Method

This research to perform Efficiency Study Analysis Of electrical energy In Container Stacking Equipment Rubber Tyred Gantry Crane (RTGC) Using Hybrid Energy Source Method. RTGC gets power supply from Engine Diesel Generator with capacity of 350 kW. However, Genset power source in RTGC has drawbacks, such as when RTGC condition does not move (stationary) can lead to waste of fuel on diesel engine drivers. the Hybrid Energy Source is one of the technology which combines electrical energy source from generators and batteries, The battery of hybrid system can obtain electric energy saving until 32%, where for the Hoist system 11,72 %, Trolley system 33,63 % dan Gantry system 7,58 %.

Research on seat active noise control of driver's cab ground platform based on far-point secondary sound sources

Driver's cab noise has an impact on the long-term driving environment and physical health of drivers. The locomotive driver's cab has significant low-frequency noise due to structure-borne sound, which is suitable for effective suppression by the active noise control system. However, on the one hand, the seat headrest system hinders the driver's movement space, on the one hand, the active noise control for space zones in the driver's cab has limited noise reduction effect due to the large control area. Therefore, a ground research test platform of driver's cab for active noise control was designed, and its structure and control method were introduced in this study. Based on the near-point seat active noise reduction control system, the coherence of the reference acoustic signal of the chair to the acoustic signal at the driver's left ear is very close with the one on the floor, and both of their active noise reduction in the full frequency band from 50 Hz to 5000 Hz are very close (about 4.5 dB (A)). In order to alleviate the interference of the headrest system installed with secondary sound sources on the driver's operating space, a far-point active noise reduction control system was proposed. The results showed that when two reference microphone signals from the seat back and floor position are used at the same time, the active noise reduction next to the driver's left ear in the full frequency band of 50 Hz to 5000 Hz is 4.0 dB(A), which is still significant. This provides a useful reference for the engineering application of active noise control systems in rail driver's cabs.

Daily trend of blood pressure in staff under conditions of shift work of railway transport

Introduction. The results of the study of features of the daily rhythm of blood pressure in people who constantly work in a rotational shift schedule, arising under the influence of night shift work, are discussed. The purpose of the study was to determine the modifying effect of working night wakefulness on the parameters of the daily rhythm of blood pressure in persons employed in work with a night shift schedule. Materials and methods. The analysis was carried out, in two cohorts of 19 years – 62 years employees of locomotive crews of Russian Railways. The study included drivers, assistant locomotive drivers, for at least 1 year, with night shifts n = 30,566, the number of measurements = 4,497,122, but borderline (high normal) blood pressure. Results. The lowest levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP) were found to be recorded in a cohort of subjects per day with a night shift, the highest – in the general group of workers and in a cohort of subjects per day with a day shift. The daily trend of SBP was characterized by a regular change of phases in all observation groups. In the general group, a subgroup of persons with normotonia, in a cohort of subjects, when working on a day shift, a DECLINE curve of the same type in configuration was formed. Limitations. The representativeness of the sample size was ensured by the participation in the study of employees of locomotive crews with a range of ages of 19-62 years. The limitations of the study are related to the distribution of respondents by gender: there are no female respondents in the sample. Conclusions. Parameters of the daily rhythm of blood pressure sensitively react to changes in working hours. To the greatest extent, changes in the daily rhythm during the hours of night working wakefulness are typical for the indicators of the daily rhythm of diastolic blood pressure.

Artificial Intelligence Component of the FERODATA AI Engine to Optimize the Assignment of Rail Freight Locomotive Drivers

The optimization of locomotive drivers’ scheduling in rail freight transportation comes as a necessity for minimizing economic expenses and training investments. The Ferodata AI engine, an artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) software module, developed by our team, has integrated a supervised random forest model that automatically assigns conductors to freight transportation orders based on the data about locomotive driver’s tiredness score, distance of the driver to the departure point of a transportation order, driver availability, and circulation history. The model proposed by us obtained very good performance metrics on the train set (accuracy: 95%, AUC: 0.9905) and reasonably good and encouraging performance on the test set (accuracy: 84%, AUC: 0.8357). After rigorous testing and validation on external and larger datasets, the automated optimization of locomotive driver assignments could bring operational efficiency, cost savings, regulatory compliance, and improved safety to scheduled rail freight transports.

Analisis Kompetensi Awak Kapal Penyeberangan di Kawasan Timur Indonesia


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Shipping safety has always been an interesting topic and a focus for all stack holders in the Indonesian sea, river, lake and crossing transportation community. One of the factors that play an important role in supporting shipping safety is the competence of the crew. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the level of competence of crossing crews in Eastern Indonesia in terms of the fulfillment of CMT and CMHBT Certificates as required by STCW Chapter V Regulation V / 2. This research is a type of Normative Research carried out for approximately 8 months on ships operating on the Sheet-Padangbai, Gilimanuk-Ketapang and Bajoe-Kolaka trajectories with a Judgement Sampling system. The data used is in the form of qualitative data based on the results of a survey of the completeness of CMT and CMHBT certificates from the Crossing Ship Crew. The results of this study found that the competence of Crossing Crew in Eastern Indonesia in terms of compliance with CMT and CMHBT Certificates used as research variables was above 80% of the number of crew surveyed. However, the study also found that there was a misperception regarding the obligation to fulfill the CMT certificate required for all crossing crew and the CMHBT certificate which should only be required for the Skipper, Head of the Engine Room, Mualim I, Driver II and other personnel who fit the Muster List on board passenger ships and Roro-passengers are responsible for passenger safety in emergency situations, which in this case is the officer of the ship. In fact, in the field, CMHBT certificates have also been fulfilled by crew members who are not officers. This does not meet the efficiency aspect in the application or shipping safety.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The current state of working conditions in coal mines of Russia

Introduction. In 2021, the largest proportion of workers in the Russian Federation with class 3.1 and higher1 was at coal mining enterprises (79.1%), in coal mines this figure reached 90.4%, which determines the high level of occupational morbidity of miners — more than 150–200 times higher than the average in Russia2.
 The study aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the working conditions of employees of operating coal mines in Russia according to the data of the Federal State Statistics Service in comparison with the indicators of occupational morbidity (on the example of the Rostov region).
 Materials and methods. The authors have carried out the analysis of the data of the FSIS SAWC from 2018 to 2022 for all 57 coal mines operating in Russia during this period in four federal districts (FD) with a total number of jobs (RM) — 17,158, employing 60,699 people. The objects of the study were employees of 12 professions. For an integral assessment of the degree of harmfulness of working conditions of miners, we have calculated the total score of the degree of harmfulness of working conditions. Scientists investigated the occupational morbidity of miners. The experts also compared the established indicators with the data on the FSIS SAWC on the example of enterprises of the Rostov region (with the calculation of Spearman correlation coefficients).
 Results. Working conditions of 13% of miners belong to Class 3.1, 42% — to class 3.2, 35% — to class 3.3 and about 2% — to class 3.4. We have identified the most unfavorable conditions in the professions of tunnellers and longwall miner (721.9 and 717.1 points) — class 3.3–3.4; drivers of electric locomotives, drivers of hoisting installations, electricians, miners (hydraulic fracturing), explosives (500.3, 495.6, 444.3, 436.4 and 407.4 points) — class 3.2–3.3; among mining foremen, fasteners, stemmers, mechanics and lifting drivers (392.9, 333.3, 261.0, 256.8, 157.1 points), class — 3.2–3.1. The leading production factors are: the severity of labor (85.1%), noise (83.3%), aerosols of predominantly fibrogenic action (79.4%). Increased levels of local vibration, unfavorable microclimate and insufficient illumination are recorded at 30–40% of the RM. The authors found that only 2.4% of workplaces exceeded the maximum permissible level (MPL) for general vibration, and 0.3% — in terms of labor intensity. There is no data on infrasound, non-ionizing and ionizing radiation.
 Limitations. The study is limited to data on working conditions and occupational morbidity of coal miners for the period 2018–2022. These limitations allow us to plan further research and expand our understanding of this problem.
 Conclusion. The most unfavorable working conditions we have registered in the Southern Federal District, followed by the Siberian Federal District, Northwestern Federal District, Far Eastern Federal District, which is primarily due to the technologies used and production conditions. Also, scientists have identified underestimation of the degree of harmfulness of working conditions by factors (severity and intensity of work, local vibration, light environment, microclimate), non-accounting of ionizing radiation. The structure of the leading production factors determines the modern structure of occupational morbidity of miners: radiculopathy (39.2%), respiratory diseases (36.7%), diseases from exposure to noise and local vibration (18.2%).
 Ethics. The study did not require the conclusion of the Ethics Committee.

ERGONOMICS AS A SAFETY FACTOR IN THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY

Railway transport is a huge energetic system, the functioning of which is determined by the coordinated work of thousands of employees of various specialties, including dispatchers and locomotive drivers. In the "man-technical system-production environment" system, a person is the "weakest link", determining the reliability and safety of the system's functioning as a whole. Studies show that the driver's work in conditions of high-speed traffic involves a high level of stress on the nervous analyzers, as well as the functions of memory and attention, which leads to their rapid fatigue. The level of fatigue obtained as a result of the work shift is unacceptable for most workers, monitoring the level of functional reliability of the worker can be an effective means of combating accumulated fatigue. The problems of ensuring the normal life of workers in dangerous professions in modern social and industrial conditions are caused primarily by the intense influence of negative social, professional and other factors that cause the development of adverse mental states and overstrain of psychophysiological functions. All this creates stressful situations, both in society in general and for every person. Of course, in addition to the above-mentioned stresses, an important place in the activity of a human operator is occupied by professional stress, which is constantly present. The systemic impact of stress has both an immediate and remote nature. Experimental studies have established that it reduces the level of functional reliability of the "human operator". Such states include, first of all, fatigue, stress and borderline states (between health and illness). Such indicators can be an indicator of high danger of such a relevant phenomenon for the transport industry as sudden ischemic death. A distinction is made between the slow and operational components of performance, while the slow (trend) does not change for a long time (month, years), and the operational (functional state) changes in the form of "peaks", "declines" or a relatively flat "plateau" during hours. It follows from this that in order to maintain the appropriate level of safety of the transport process, it is necessary to implement control of the level of efficiency of railway operators, including its trending part, taking into account the presence of constant stresses today. It is necessary to conduct monitoring as a prediction of early diagnosis of changes in the functional state of operators, and therefore the state of professional reliability. Keywords: safety, ergonomics, diagnostics, professional reliability, level of functional reliability, trend component.

ERGONOMICS AS A SAFETY FACTOR IN THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY

Railway transport is a huge energetic system, the functioning of which is determined by the coordinated work of thousands of employees of various specialties, including dispatchers and locomotive drivers. In the "man-technical system-production environment" system, a person is the "weakest link", determining the reliability and safety of the system's functioning as a whole. Studies show that the driver's work in conditions of high-speed traffic involves a high level of stress on the nervous analyzers, as well as the functions of memory and attention, which leads to their rapid fatigue. The level of fatigue obtained as a result of the work shift is unacceptable for most workers, monitoring the level of functional reliability of the worker can be an effective means of combating accumulated fatigue. The problems of ensuring the normal life of workers in dangerous professions in modern social and industrial conditions are caused primarily by the intense influence of negative social, professional and other factors that cause the development of adverse mental states and overstrain of psychophysiological functions. All this creates stressful situations, both in society in general and for every person. Of course, in addition to the above-mentioned stresses, an important place in the activity of a human operator is occupied by professional stress, which is constantly present. The systemic impact of stress has both an immediate and remote nature. Experimental studies have established that it reduces the level of functional reliability of the "human operator". Such states include, first of all, fatigue, stress and borderline states (between health and illness). Such indicators can be an indicator of high danger of such a relevant phenomenon for the transport industry as sudden ischemic death. A distinction is made between the slow and operational components of performance, while the slow (trend) does not change for a long time (month, years), and the operational (functional state) changes in the form of "peaks", "declines" or a relatively flat "plateau" during hours. It follows from this that in order to maintain the appropriate level of safety of the transport process, it is necessary to implement control of the level of efficiency of railway operators, including its trending part, taking into account the presence of constant stresses today. It is necessary to conduct monitoring as a prediction of early diagnosis of changes in the functional state of operators, and therefore the state of professional reliability. Keywords: safety, ergonomics, diagnostics, professional reliability, level of functional reliability, trend component.

Predictive Optimized Model on Money Markets Instruments With Capital Market and Bank Rates Ratio

The money market and the capital market of the Indian financial markets have a symbiotic relationship in the development of the Indian economy. The nature and the characteristics of the markets differ to a large extent as the money market ensures liquidity in the system through the monetary policy by the regulators; capital markets propel and act as the engine driver for the economy in the long term. Therefore, the final throughput of the economy is the aggregation of the output of both the markets. Does that imply that the development of both markets is parallel in nature or is any one superior to the other or are they competitors? To understand the influence of one over the other the research was undertaken through a correlation matrix and time series model. A predictive model was further constructed for predicting the volume of money market instrument on the basis of fourteen days historical.

Leveraging connected vehicle platooning technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of train fleeting under moving blocks

This paper leverages emerging highway vehicle platooning technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of fleeting trains at minimum headways under moving blocks. The research aims to better understand how closely following trains respond to different throttle and brake control algorithms, and, using insights gained from automobile and truck platooning technology, develop improved train control algorithms balancing fuel efficiency and train headway. To do so, a detailed multi-train performance simulator is developed to evaluate following train control algorithms and then adapt highway vehicle platooning control methods to the heavy haul freight rail domain. Five following train control algorithms under two different communication topologies are formulated to more intelligently consider information on the status of the train ahead when specifying throttle or brake settings for each following train. With string stability, following trains attenuate the actions of preceding trains and each successive train requires less aggressive acceleration and braking rates to maintain headways. The simulation results suggest that certain families of control laws are better than others at managing train separation and fuel consumption within train fleets. The results of this research will allow industry practitioners to develop improved locomotive driver advisory and semi-autonomous adaptive train cruise control systems for the operation of fleets of trains under moving blocks, and railroad operators to make more informed decisions regarding the potential fuel efficiency and capacity benefits of these systems.

Method for Determining the Body's Level of Protection According to Oxidant Status in Assessing the Influence of Industrial Risk Factors on Health.

This work aims at improving the quality of health assessments, specifically under the influence of occupational risk factors. For this purpose, additional informative indicators are utilized in prognostic and diagnostic models. The models are used to characterize the level of body protection based on oxidative status. A quantitative method is proposed to assess the body's level of protection by means of the levels of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity, which characterize the body's oxidative status. A mechanism is developed for integrating the proposed method into prognostic and diagnostic decision rules. The developed rules are in the form of mathematical models used to synthesize hybrid fuzzy decision rules, which are then used to quantify the level of body protection (LBP) against external risk factors, based on the use of protection level functions in terms of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity. A mechanism for embedding LBP into predictive and diagnostic decision rules has been proposed. The proposed method is used to predict the occurrence and development of coronary heart disease in railroad locomotive drivers. It was found that to improve the predicting and diagnosing of diseases caused by external pathogenic factors, quantitative assessments of LBP, determined by oxidative status, can be implemented. It has been established that the use of the protection level indicator in predictive decision rules makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the prediction while simultaneously increasing its accuracy.

To the substantiation of charge air parameters on different operating modes of diesel engines of diesel locomotives

A numerical method is proposed for quantitative assessment of the specific effective air consumption and the influence of atmospheric air temperature on the working process of a diesel engine, taking into account various modes of its operation. The dynamics of changes in the values of the coefficients of excess air and filling the cylinder with a fresh air charge over the period of the diesel operating process is substantiated depending on the temperature of the outside and charge air, as well as the position of the locomotive driver’s controller, obtained in the form of tabular data and graphical dependencies. The possibilities of increasing the fuel efficiency of operating diesel engines up to 5 - 10 percent through quantitative and qualitative regulation of coolant temperatures or through throttling, heating and cooling of charge air are formulated. It is recommended to continue research to improve the quality of the operating process of supercharged transport diesel engines by substantiating the air characteristics of such diesel engines and their subsequent combination with diesel locomotive and fuel characteristics under partial load conditions and, especially, at low ambient temperatures.

The Soviet system of institutional care and upbringing of children in the western regions of Ukraine after World War II

This research constitutes a relatively new area which has emerged from the previous study on the Soviet system of institutional care and upbringing of children, in particular, an established system of orphanages in the western regions of Ukraine after World War II. It should be noted that the issue of dealing with street children was of a significant political and ideological value and required considerable financial investments.Importantly, there is evidence that the problem of child homelessness has played a pivotal role for many years. Since, not every child in Ukraine had the opportunity to grow up in a favorable family environment as well as stabilize their family housing situations or home life. By and large, push-pull factors that contribute to child neglect and social orphanhood are multi-faceted; these factors include poverty of families, economic difficulties as well as deprivations from basic human needs. Therefore, the Soviet system of institutional care and upbringing of children established various education institutions, in particular, secondary boarding schools and orphanages.Overall, the social care system of the 40-50s of the twentieth century has much resemblance with the current situation in Ukraine (in the context of Russo-Ukrainian War), including a new wave of orphans. In those times, children who lost their parents or could not get in contact with them; children from low-income families; children from one-parent families were sent to orphanages. They were kept there until they received incomplete secondary or even comprehensive education. Moreover, it was noted that the category of special orphanages included boarding houses for disabled children – the blind, the deaf-and-dumb. Namely, since 1945 there were 4 such boarding houses in the western regions of Ukraine. The author’s focus revolves around the problem of the-then Soviet society’s education system, which facilitated both educational process management and developing labor skills in orphanages. Upon turning 16, children, when leaving orphanages, were given a referral for employment in state and public enterprises, institutions and organizations. At the same time, they were given a chance to continue their studies in educational institutions of the labor reserves system, they could proceed with their vocational education and training for craft apprentice and train engine drivers, vocational (plants and factories) schools, whilst disabled pupils were transferred to homes of disabled people. The entire system of vocational training in orphanages was primarily focused on unskilled workers.Noteworthy, the conveniences and facilities of post-war orphanages and boarding schools left much to be desired. Assessing orphanages’ amenities and quality of life, it is worth mentioning that in the post-war years of the twentieth century, children who were living outside the normal boundaries of family like the others, experienced a shortage in basic needs. Most people were malnourished, were living in poor conditions and were wearing out pre-war outfit and shoes. For children, who survived the famine and experienced occupation sufferings, vagrancy and begging, the orphanage served as a secured shelter.

Improvement of Train Traffic Control Technology Based on Abstract Modelling of Operational Processes

Purpose. The main goal of the work is to improve the process of controlling transport units (trains) on the basis of abstract modelling of operational processes, which will allow the operational dispatching apparatus to respond in a timely manner to constantly changing train conditions. Methodology. In order to ensure the rhythmic and uniform movement of trains of all categories along railway lines, train dispatchers, based on their experience, together with locomotive dispatchers and train locomotive drivers, constantly monitor the operational train condition and develop a strategy for the movement of trains along railway sections. This approach is quite energy-consuming in terms of human resources due to excessive nervous tension. As a result of this shortcoming and mistakes made, there are unproductive downtime at railway stations and, in some cases, a significant reduction in sectional speed, which in turn directly affects the industry's profitability and the quality of passenger service, including high-speed traffic. The basis for making management decisions on operational train conditions is automated systems and personal experience of professionals. In this regard, it is advisable to form a model that will reproduce the optimal train operation plan by predicting the main indicators. Findings. In the course of the scientific and applied research, the predictor of collision of trains of different categories with station and inter-train intervals was determined, which can later become the basis of a powerful module of the operational decision support system. Originality. The paper proposes an approach to improving the process of managing transport units based on abstract modelling of operational processes, which, unlike existing approaches, allows the implementation of a high-speed intelligent decision support system for railway dispatching with the possibility of self-adaptation. Practical value. The implementation of the proposed approach in the form of an automated software system will further increase the profitability of the railway industry in the freight and passenger traffic sector.

High Performance Convertible Coleopter Drones

This paper opens with an historical overview of efforts to develop micro-, mini-, and organic aerial vehicles (MAVs and OAVs) in the 1990’s. Although conceived during WWII, coleopters would not see serial production for 60 years. The paper continues with programmatic aspects of hovering coleopter development of the 1990’s and describes the technical motivations behind in-flight conversion from hover-mode to missile-mode flight and the record-setting XQ-138 family of convertible coleopters. As the first commercially successful family of such aircraft, the XQ-138 was taken from initial concept through configuration design, detailed design, patenting, prototyping, proof-of-concept, production, flight testing, qualification, and eventually high rate production, all with private funding. The paper lists basic engineering drivers, covers fundamental sizing methods, presents weight fraction data, and describes flight test procedures, locations, conditions, and results. High-speed flight test data show the stock aircraft achieving speeds in excess of 164 mph (263 kph) with endurances in excess of an hour at that speed with a special dash-optimized version reaching 288 mph (463 kph) for a few minutes. Videos from flight testing and live-fire exercises are shown at Redstone Arsenal, Eglin Air Force Base, and Fort Benning test ranges under extreme conditions. The paper concludes with an assessment of civil and military variants for a variety of military missions and commercial uses.

On the issue of taking into account new factors in the pathogenesis of occupational hearing loss (on the example of transport workers)

Introduction. In the period from 2013 to 2021, industrial enterprises saw a reduction in jobs that did not meet sanitary and hygienic requirements for the level of exposure to noise, vibration, illumination, microclimate parameters and electromagnetic fields on the workers' bodies. However, the proportion of unfavorable workplaces that do not meet the standards for noise levels remains the largest, which determines the peculiarities of the structure of the occupational pathology of workers in the Russian Federation: professional pathology of the hearing organ - professional sensorineural hearing loss - remains in the first place. The transport industry is among the sectors of the economy with the most significant indicators of occupational diseases exceeding the average Russian indicator. The study aims to analyze additional causes of pathogenetic significance in the development of professional hearing loss using the example of employees of the driving professions of railway transport and flight professions of civil aviation aircraft. Materials and methods. We have analyzed the state of the auditory function in members of locomotive crews of JSC Russian Railways for 2017-2021 according to the Territorial Administration of Rospotrebnadzor for Railway Transport and persons of flight professions of civil aviation aircraft of the Russian Federation for 2010-2020 according to the data of the Federal Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology. Results. Professional sensorineural hearing loss prevails in the structure of occupational morbidity of railway and aviation transport workers. Despite the absence of excess in-cabin noise levels, the leading professional group for hearing loss in railway transport are locomotive drivers and assistants, in civil aviation - aircraft commanders and co-pilots. The complexity of the professional activities of persons of these professions, a high degree of responsibility for the safety of transportation of passengers and cargo, readiness to act in non-standard conditions, loads on visual and auditory analyzers, create a high degree of labor intensity that causes chronic stress. The factor of chronic stress causes a violation of adaptive mechanisms and causes a number of complex neuro-reflex and neurohumoral shifts in the body, as a result of which labor intensity need to consider as a pathogenetically significant factor in the development of professional sensorineural hearing loss. Conclusions. Chronic sensorineural hearing loss is a priority occupational disease in persons of driving and flying professions, it is registered even in persons working in conditions of regulatory levels of industrial noise and a high degree of labor intensity. It is necessary to discuss the possibility of including labor intensity indicators as an additional etiological, pathogenetically significant factor in the expert criteria for establishing the connection of hearing loss with professional activity.

Attitudes of Drivers towards Electric Vehicles in Kuwait

Although researchers have started to examine the landscape of electric vehicles (EVs) around the world, very little research has examined this phenomenon in Kuwait. In addition, limited research has explored it among drivers. Kuwait constitutes a very promising market for EVs because there is a need to lower GHG emissions and improve the air quality in Kuwait. This study therefore explored the attitudes of conventional car internal combustion engine (ICE) drivers towards EVs in Kuwait, particularly identifying attributes, features, enablers, and barriers of EVs that are considered important by potential consumers in Kuwait. This study utilized a mixed method approach in terms of quantitative data and qualitative data from a sample of 472 drivers to accomplish the main objectives of this study. The study showed that more than half of participants would buy an EV within the next 3 years, and they would buy if several conditions were met. That includes a cheaper purchase price with the assistance of policies controlled by the government along with the availability of suitable infrastructure for EVs relating to charging stations, fast lanes, and free parking spaces. More than 40% of participants would also seriously start thinking about buying an EV if the gas/fuel prices increased by between 50 and 199%. More than 40% of participants thought that EVs are safe in relation to fire and car crashes. Furthermore, approximately half of participants would pay 6–20% more for an EV that is both environmentally friendly and much quicker than gasoline cars. In addition, participants would also prefer EVs over gasoline cars in the future for their environmental, economic, and technological values. More importantly, the study yielded many significant findings, such as the demanded and preferred features of EVs and reflections on the readiness of the Kuwaiti market.