| 1. |
- Nelldal, Bo-Lennart, 1946-, et al.
(author)
-
VEL-Wagon: Implementation and migration strategy : Versatile, Efficient and Longer Wagon for European TransportationEC Grant agreement no: 265610 Deliverable 5.2
- 2012
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- AbstractIn this report VEL-wagon has been analysed from the economic point of view, both as a part of an inter-modal train and as a part of an inter-modal transport chain. Also in D3.1 “Study on railway business for VEL-Wagon and target costs” economic calculations has been presented. In this report further analysis has been done with KTH and University of Žilina cost-models and some final conclusions will be presented. Also the wagon cost model has been further developed.In the wagon cost model the cost and mass breakdown of the VEL Wagon in its basic version (80 ft, 22.5 tonnes/axle) as well as potential versions (90 ft, 22.5 or 25 tonnes/axle). To compare their relative efficiencies, the cost and mass model is also applied to modern, existing container wagons of 2-, 4-, and 6-axle configuration.The economic analysis of VEL-wagon shows that VEL-wagon in most cases is more efficient than other existing wagons when operating trains between the inter-modal terminals. The fact the wagon can transport 4 TEU on 2 bogies makes it more efficient than a 6-axle 80 ft wagon. But even more important is the flexibility to mix unit loads of different length on one wagon i.e. 20 ft and 40 ft containers. This makes it much more efficient than a 4-axle 60 ft wagon. It is also possible to load swap-bodies of 7.15-7.82 m length much more flexible than on existing wagons. The only case when VEL-wagon is not the best is transports of very heavy loaded unit loads, but this is not a common case. Cost for operating VEL-wagon has been calculated for Sweden, Germany and Slovakia. And in all these countries VEL-wagon is more efficient than other existing wagons on the market. The VEL-wagon has also been evaluated in a total inter-modal transport chain including terminal handling and feeder transports of the loading units. The distance for break-even-point to direct road transport has been calculated. That is important because there is a rank size rule that means the shorter distances the bigger volumes are available on the market. The VEL-wagon itself loaded with 4 TEU may shorten the break-even point with approximately 50 km for a typical inter-modal transport chain in Sweden compared with a 25,25m truck loading 3 TEU. In Sweden there are experiments with a 32m long truck which can load 4 TEU or haul two trailers. This will push break-even-point to 100 km longer distances. In Europe there are discussions to make the trucks longer than the ordinary 18 m. If Megatrucks with 25,25 will be introduced the break-even point will be pushed to 150 km longer distances. But the result of this depends not only of the weight but also of the weight.In long term there is a risk if 45 ft container will grow and axle load of 25 tonnes will be implemented in a wider network. A wagon with higher axle load seems to be easier to construct and build than a longer wagon because of the geometrical infrastructure parameters.VEL-wagon means “Versatile, Efficient and Longer Wagon for European Transportation”. The question is, does the result of the project fulfil the original target? Theoretically, the wagon has been constructed in the project. As a matter of fact, during the project time, also a real 80 ft wagon with 4 axles has been built by Tatravagonka, which is almost fulfils the requirements. It has the right length for 4 TEU but is approximately 10 cm too high to transport high-cube containers in some countries. But it has a high payload and allows flexible loading schemes of unit loads of different length. VEL-Wagon also received the “Green Corridor best project award” in Sweden 12-12-12 among 31 exhibitors.
|
|
| 2. |
- Pinto, Patrícia, et al.
(author)
-
Patient satisfaction with ultrasound, whole-body CT and whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI for pre-operative ovarian cancer staging : a multicenter prospective cross-sectional survey
- 2024
-
In: International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. - 1048-891X.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background In addition to the diagnostic accuracy of imaging methods, patient-reported satisfaction with imaging methods is important. Objective To report a secondary outcome of the prospective international multicenter Imaging Study in Advanced ovArian Cancer (ISAAC Study), detailing patients’ experience with abdomino-pelvic ultrasound, whole-body contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), and whole-body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (WB-DWI/MRI) for pre-operative ovarian cancer work-up. Methods In total, 144 patients with suspected ovarian cancer at four institutions in two countries (Italy, Czech Republic) underwent ultrasound, CT, and WB-DWI/ MRI for pre-operative work-up between January 2020 and November 2022. After having undergone all three examinations, the patients filled in a questionnaire evaluating their overall experience and experience in five domains: preparation before the examination, duration of examination, noise during the procedure, radiation load of CT, and surrounding space. Pain perception, examination-related patient-perceived unexpected, unpleasant, or dangerous events (‘adverse events’), and preferred method were also noted. Results Ultrasound was the preferred method by 49% (70/144) of responders, followed by CT (38%, 55/144), and WB-DWI/MRI (13%, 19/144) (p<0.001). The poorest experience in all domains was reported for WB-DWI/ MRI, which was also associated with the largest number of patients who reported adverse events (eg, dyspnea). Patients reported higher levels of pain during the ultrasound examination than during CT and WB-DWI/MRI (p<0.001): 78% (112/144) reported no pain or mild pain, 19% (27/144) moderate pain, and 3% (5/144) reported severe pain (pain score >7 of 10) during the ultrasound examination. We did not identify any factors related to patients' preferred method.for diagnosing malignant ovarian tumors3 but has rarely been used for pre-operative ovarian cancer work-up.4–7 In 2022, the results of a prospective single-unit study indicated that ultrasound might be an alternative to CT and whole-body diffusion-weighted (WB-DWI)/ MRI for ovarian cancer work-up and prediction of tumor resectability.8 In the recently published European Society of Gynecological Oncology/European Society of Medical Oncology/European Society of Pathology (ESGO/ESMO/ESP) consensus conference recommendations on ovarian cancer, ultrasound is suggested to be an effective alternative to CT, MRI and PET-CT to assess tumor extent and tumor resectability in the pelvis and abdomen.2 In addition to diagnostic accuracy and costs of an imaging method, patient acceptance and preference are important before an imaging test is implemented in clinical practice.9 10 Although there is evidence regarding patients’ experience of and satisfaction with ultrasound,11 12 CT,13–17 and WB-DWI/MRI,16 18–20 little is known about how these three imaging modalities compare when applied in the same patient. Many factors can influence a patient’s experience with an imaging examination—for example, preparation for, and duration of, the examination; use of contrast agent (especially iodinated contrast agent); radiation dose (which depends on the duration of radiation exposure, distance from the radiation source, and physical shielding); noise, feeling of claustrophobia, and occurrence of unexpected unpleasant or dangerous events (adverse events).21–25 The aim of this study is to report a secondary outcome of the prospective, multicentric Imaging Study in Advanced ovArian Cancer (ISAAC Study)—namely, patients’ experience with ultrasound, CT, and WB-DWI/MRI for pre-operative estimation of the extent of ovarian cancer.
|
|
| 3. |
- Swaminathan, Swarna, 1975, et al.
(author)
-
Rck2 is required for reprogramming of ribosomes during oxidative stress
- 2006
-
In: Molecular Biology of the Cell. ; 17:3, s. 1472-1482
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rck2 is a mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase in yeast implicated in translational regulation. rck2Delta mutants are mildly sensitive to oxidative stress, a condition that causes dissociation of actively translating ribosomes (polysomes). In rck2Delta cells, polysomes are lost to an even higher degree than in the wild-type upon stress. Cells overexpressing the catalytically inactive rck2-kd allele are highly sensitive to oxidative stress. In such cells, dissociation of polysomes upon stress was instead greatly delayed. The protein synthesis rate decreased to a similar degree as in wild-type cells, however, indicating that in rck2-kd cells, the polysome complexes were inactive. Array analyses of total and polysome-associated mRNAs revealed major deregulation of the translational machinery in rck2 mutant cells. This involves transcripts for cytosolic ribosomal proteins and for processing and assembly of ribosomes. In rck2Delta cells, weakly transcribed mRNAs associate more avidly with polysomes than in wild-type cells, whereas the opposite holds true for rck2-kd cells. This is consistent with perturbed regulation of translation elongation, which is predicted to alter the ratio between mRNAs with and without strong entry sites at ribosomes. We infer that imbalances in the translational apparatus are a major reason for the inability of these cells to respond to stress.
|
|
