A review of key planning and scheduling in the rail industry in Europe and UK

Planning and scheduling activities within the rail industry have benefited from developments in computer-based simulation and modelling techniques over the last 25 years. Increasingly, the use of computational intelligence in such tasks is featuring more heavily in research publications. This paper examines a number of common rail-based planning and scheduling activities and how they benefit from five broad technology approaches. Summary tables of papers are provided relating to rail planning and scheduling activities and to the use of expert and decision systems in the rail industry.EPSR

A software architecture for autonomous maintenance scheduling: Scenarios for UK and European Rail

A new era of automation in rail has begun offering developments in the operation and maintenance of industry standard systems. This article documents the development of an architecture and range of scenarios for an autonomous system for rail maintenance planning and scheduling. The Unified Modelling Language (UML) has been utilized to visualize and validate the design of the prototype. A model for information exchange between prototype components and related maintenance planning systems is proposed in this article. Putting forward an architecture and set of usage mode scenarios for the proposed system, this article outlines and validates a viable platform for autonomous planning and scheduling in rail

An intelligent framework and prototype for autonomous maintenance planning in the rail industry

This paper details the development of the AUTONOM project, a project that aims to provide an enterprise system tailored to the planning needs of the rail industry. AUTONOM extends research in novel sensing, scheduling, and decision-making strategies customised for the automated planning of maintenance activities within the rail industry. This paper sets out a framework and software prototype and details the current progress of the project. In the continuation of the AUTONOM project it is anticipated that the combination of techniques brought together in this work will be capable of addressing a wider range of problem types, offered by Network rail and organisations in different industries

Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking: 20 Years of Progress

In human addicts, drug relapse and craving are often provoked by stress. Since 1995, this clinical scenario has been studied using a rat model of stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Here, we first discuss the generality of stress-induced reinstatement to different drugs of abuse, different stressors, and different behavioral procedures. We also discuss neuropharmacological mechanisms, and brain areas and circuits controlling stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We conclude by discussing results from translational human laboratory studies and clinical trials that were inspired by results from rat studies on stress-induced reinstatement. Our main conclusions are (1) The phenomenon of stress-induced reinstatement, first shown with an intermittent footshock stressor in rats trained to self-administer heroin, generalizes to other abused drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and alcohol, and is also observed in the conditioned place preference model in rats and mice. This phenomenon, however, is stressor specific and not all stressors induce reinstatement of drug seeking. (2) Neuropharmacological studies indicate the involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, kappa/dynorphin, and several other peptide and neurotransmitter systems in stress-induced reinstatement. Neuropharmacology and circuitry studies indicate the involvement of CRF and noradrenaline transmission in bed nucleus of stria terminalis and central amygdala, and dopamine, CRF, kappa/dynorphin, and glutamate transmission in other components of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system (ventral tegmental area, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens). (3) Translational human laboratory studies and a recent clinical trial study show the efficacy of alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists in decreasing stress-induced drug craving and stress-induced initial heroin lapse

Making the transition: disabled students in Higher Education

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act, (Department for Education and Skills (DES) 2001) gave education providers in the UK legal responsibility to ensure disabled students are not disadvantaged in or excluded from education. The more recent Disability Discrimination Act (Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) 2005) stipulates that public bodies, including universities, need to eliminate discrimination and harassment whilst ensuring that their policies meet the needs of disabled people, promoting equal opportunities. In addition universities are now mandated to embed these regulations in all aspects of their work. Inclusive practice should be anticipatory and should be evident in every aspect of academic life for students (Equality and Human Rights Commission 2009a). Against this backdrop a three year project was undertaken through the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF) at the University of Huddersfield. The project aims were to evaluate perceived satisfaction with the level of support received by disabled students and to improve provision through staff development and dissemination of best practice. This entailed a review of the literature; the design and administration of a self completion questionnaire and face to face interviews with disabled students; a staff survey of knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to disability; the development of staff development activities and resources and a national conference ‘Degrees of Independence’ which was jointly hosted with the University of Huddersfield Student Union. Full details of the project can be found at http://www.hud.ac.uk/tqef/1d.html. This report offers a discussion of the analysis of data from student questionnaires and interviews. Difficulties conducting research with this particular student group emerged whilst attempting to reach a sample of disabled students. Disabled students may choose not to declare their disability to the university and students may have a disability that is unknown to them. We therefore concluded that it was not possible to identify with any certainty the full population of disabled students in the School. Despite these and other challenges three themes emerged as worthy of note and further development: 1. The gap between identification of a disability and the provision of support 2. The unintentional discrimination that may occur where university staff are unaware of the disabled students’ need 3. Preparation for professional practice. Reflection on this project leads to a philosophical re-examination of ‘disability’ in Higher Education