Bulk carrier economics: the impact of design

The objective of this thesis was to find how design impacts a bulk carrier’s earnings and costs. Foreship BlueTech Ltd. was interested in finding out how they could improve their design in order to increase the earnings of shipowners. This thesis was done by conducting a literature review. Furthermore, in order to gain a deeper understanding, specialists were interviewed, and the large database of RS Platou, a leading ship broking company, was used to gain market information of the industry. In order to find out how design impacts bulk carrier economics, all costs and means of earnings were identified. The costs include capital costs, operating costs and voyage costs. A shipowner can earn money by time chartering, voyage chartering or by chartering only the vessel. The actual earnings depend on the costs and the vessel’s ability to carry cargo. The study showed that, of the identified costs, design has the biggest impact on voyage and capital costs. Voyage costs can be lowered by improving fuel consumption. By creating a lighter, easy to manufacture design, the capital costs can be lowered. Maintenance related costs are also affected by the design. If the bulk carrier is used for over 10 years, the cost of maintenance increases significantly. Earnings are largely defined by the costs; the lower the costs, the higher the earnings. The design has a big impact on a bulk carriers earning capacity. By maximizing hold volume and the ability to carry cargo, the bulk carrier’s earning capacity rises. As a result of the study, it is recommended that Foreship BlueTech Ltd. should focus on creating designs that maximize hold capacity and the ability to carry car-go with minimum fuel consumption. These are largely determined in the design phase, and it is very hard to make improvements later on. It was also found that depending on the intended operating life of the vessel, the design should focus on different aspects to lower the costs.Lopputyön tavoitteena oli tutkia kuinka designilla voidaan vaikuttaa kuivarahtilaivan tuottamiin kuluihin ja tuloihin. Foreship BlueTech Oy oli kiinnostunut kehittämään heidän laivakonseptiaan parantaakseen asiakkaidensa ansioita. Työssä käytetty tutkimusmenetelmä oli kirjallisuustutkimus. Siinä tehtyjä löydöksiä täydennettiin haastattelemalla alan asiantuntijoita. Markkina-analyyseissä käytettiin RS Platoun, johtavan maailmanlaajuisen laivavälittäjän, laajaa tietokantaa. Ennen suunnittelun vaikutuksen tutkimista, kaikki kulut sekä ansaintatavat tun-nistettiin ja määriteltiin. Kulut voitiin jakaa pääomakustannuksiin, käyttökustan-nuksiin sekä matkakustannuksiin. Laivanvarustamon yleisimmät ansaintatavat ovat aikarahtaus, matkarahtaus sekä rahtaus ilman miehistöä. Laivan todelliset tulot riippuivat paljolti kuluista sekä aluksen lastinkantokyvystä. Määritetyistä kuluista suurin vaikutus suunnittelulla oli matka- sekä pääomakus-tannuksiin. Matkakustannuksia voitiin alentaa parantamalla laivan polttoainetaloudellisuutta. Pääomakustannuksiin pystyttiin vaikuttamaan suunnittelemalla kevyempi, helposti rakennettava laiva. Käyttökustannuksista huoltokuluihin pystyttiin myös vaikuttamaan ennaltaehkäisevällä suunnittelulla. Etenkin jos laivan käyttöikä ylitti 10 vuotta, jonka jälkeen huoltokulut nousivat merkittävästi, pystyttiin suunnittelulla vaikuttamaan huoltokuluihin. Kulut määrittivät pitkälti kuivarahtilaivan tulot; mitä pienemmät kulut, sitä suuremmat tulot. Työssä todettiin että suun-nittelulla on suuri merkitys kuivarahtilaivan ansaintakykyyn. Maksimoimalla ruu-matilavuus ja lastinkantokyky, laivan ansaintakyky kasvoi. Työn tuloksena voidaan sanoa että Foreship BlueTech Oy:n tulisi keskittyä laiva-konsepteissaan maksimoimaan ruumatilavuus sekä lastinkantokyky, minimoiden polttoainekulutus. Nämä asiat määritetään suunnitteluvaiheessa ja niihin on vai-kea tehdä parannuksia myöhemmin. Todettiin myös että laivan suunniteltu elinikä sekä käyttötarkoitus osaltaan määrittävät mihin asioihin suunnittelussa tulisi keskittyä

Bone mineral density of the proximal femur after hip resurfacing arthroplasty: : 1-year follow-up study

Peer reviewe

AAV2-VEGF-B gene therapy failed to induce angiogenesis in ischemic porcine myocardium due to inflammatory responses

Therapeutic angiogenesis induced by gene therapy is a promising approach to treat patients suffering from severe coronary artery disease. In small experimental animals, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have shown good transduction efficacy and long-term transgene expression in heart muscle and other tissues. However, it has been difficult to achieve cardiac-specific angiogenic effects with AAV vectors. We tested the hypothesis whether AAV2 gene transfer (1 x 10(13) vg) of vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B186) together with immunosuppressive corticosteroid treatment can induce long-term cardiac-specific therapeutic effects in the porcine ischemic heart. Gene transfers were delivered percutaneously using direct intramyocardial injections, improving targeting and avoiding direct contact with blood, thus reducing the likelihood of immediate immune reactions. After 1- and 6-month time points, the capillary area was analyzed, myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) was measured with radiowater positron emission tomography ([O-15]H2O-PET), and fluorodeoxyglucose ([F-18]FDG) uptake was used to evaluate myocardial viability. Clinical chemistry and immune responses were analyzed using standard methods. After 1- and 6-month follow-up, AAV2-VEGF-B186 gene transfer failed to induce angiogenesis and improve myocardial perfusion and viability. Here, we show that inflammatory responses attenuated the therapeutic effect of AAV2 gene transfer by significantly reducing successful transduction and long-term gene expression despite the efforts to reduce the likelihood of immune reactions and the use of targeted local gene transfer methods.</p

Ultrasound Backscatter Imaging Provides Frequency-Dependent Information on Structure, Composition and Mechanical Properties of Human Trabecular Bone

The strength as well as the acoustic properties of trabecular bone are determined by its structure and composition. Consequently, tissue structure and compositional properties also affect the ultrasound propagation in bone. The diagnostic potential of ultrasound has not been fully exploited in clinical quantitative ultrasound devices. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of quantitative ultrasound pulse-echo imaging, conducted over a broad range of frequencies (1 to 5 MHz), to predict the mechanics, composition and microstructure of trabecular bone. Ultrasound reflection and backscatter parameters correlated significantly with the ultimate strength of the trabecular bone and the bone volume fraction (r = 0.76-0.90, n = 20, p < 0.01). Ultrasound backscatter associated significantly (independently of bone structure or mineral content) with the collagen content of the bone matrix (r = 0.75, r = 0.66, p < 0.01). Interestingly, the applied ultrasound frequency seemed to relate the sensitivity of ultrasound backscatter to different properties of trabecular bone. At frequencies ranging from 1 to 3.5 MHz, the ultrasound backscatter associated significantly with the tissue mechanical and structural parameters. At 5 MHz, the composition of the bone matrix was a more significant determinant of the measured backscatter. This study provides useful information for optimizing the use of pulse-echo measurements, and thereby further emphasizes the diagnostic potential of the ultrasound backscatter measurements of trabecular bone

Ultrasonic characterization of human trabecular bone microstructure

New quantitative ultrasound (QUS) techniques involving ultrasound backscattering have been introduced for the assessment of bone quality. QUS parameters are affected by the transducer characteristics, e.g. frequency range, wave and pulse length. Although frequency-dependent backscattering has been studied extensively, understanding of the ultrasound scattering phenomenon in trabecular bone is still limited. In the present study, the relationships between QUS parameters and the microstructure of human trabecular bone were investigated experimentally and by using numerical simulations. Speed of sound (SOS), normalized broadband ultrasound attenuation (nBUA), average attenuation, integrated reflection coefficient (IRC) and broadband ultrasound backscatter (BUB) were measured for 26 human trabecular bone cylinders. Subsequently, a high-resolution microCT system was used to determine the microstructural parameters. Moreover, based on the sample-specific microCT data, a numerical model for ultrasound propagation was developed for the simulation of experimental measurements. Experimentally, significant relationships between the QUS parameters and microstructural parameters were demonstrated. The relationships were dependent on the frequency, and the strongest association (r = 0.88) between SOS and structural parameters was observed at a centre frequency of 5 MHz. nBUA, average attenuation, IRC and BUB showed somewhat lower linear correlations with the structural properties at a centre frequency of 5 MHz, as compared to those determined at lower frequencies. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the variation of acoustic parameters could best be explained by parameters reflecting the amount of mineralized tissue. A principal component analysis demonstrated that the strongest determinants of BUB and IRC were related to the trabecular structure. However, other structural characteristics contributed significantly to the prediction of the acoustic parameters as well. The two-dimensional numerical model introduced in the present study demonstrated good agreement with the experimental measurements. However, further studies with the simulation model are warranted to systematically investigate the relation between the structural parameters and ultrasound scattering