The article considers increasing the speed of freight delivery by rail using the existing capacity, infrastructure and resources. Possible options and technologies to speed up the delivery of freight are analyzed on the basis of experience of other countries. A mathematical solution to the optimization problem is proposed – achieving a certain level of service with minimal costs associated with the downtime of handling facilities. The purpose of the study is to determine to what extent such characteristics as transit time, queueing time for loading of goods, etc., can change during the transition from conventional freight transportation to high-speed one. Mathematical simulation methods were used to estimate the change in the characteristics of freight transportation when the speed increases. Freight transportation was considered as a mathematical queuing system (QS). Accordingly, the characteristics of two QSs with the same intensity of the order workflow and different intensities of the service workflow at a service are compared. That is, the characteristics of movement of freight trains in the transition from regular traffic to high-speed traffic are compared. The formulas proposed in the paper will allow to study the dependence of the number of freight trains and the downtime of handling facilities on the intensity of the service workflow, i.e. on the speed of movement. It will also allow to determine intensity of a service workflow which is necessary to achieve the given average time which an order stays in system, i.e. to find the speed of freight traffic required to achieve the given average trip time. Conducting this research will allow to conclude about advantages or disadvantages of transportation by high-speed freight trains in comparison with conventional freight trains and expediency of their introduction on certain sites.

Controlling friction and wear of rolling stock wheels and rails is a very urgent task for railway workers and scientists in many countries of the world, including Ukraine. The use of lubrication of the wheel-rail friction pair is rather a promising way to solve this problem, and the success of the solution depends significantly on the choice of an effective lubricant. The article considers the results of study of Locolub ECO and Tramlub F 234 MOD 2 greases, taking into account the prospects for their use in locomotive wheel flange lubricators that are operated in the Ukrainian railway. The results of laboratory and operational tests of these greases in comparison with the currently used Relsol lubricant are presented and analyzed. Quite high tribological characteristics of Locolub and Tramlub lubricants and their compliance with the operating conditions of rolling stock, wheel flange lubricators and track lubricators are noted. Based on the results of operational tests, recommendations are given on the prospects for the use of the studied lubricants in the Ukrainian railway transport.

In this paper I address the question of whether the existing ethical regulations of clinical research ensure protection and well-being of human subjects. Drawing on ethnographic data gathered in Berlin, Germany, I show that German institutions which are meant to ensure the ethical validity of clinical research cannot address posed issues. It appears that these institutions (Berlin Ethik-Kommission in particular) only evaluate research protocols and do not consider the broad spectrum of processes and interactions involved in clinical research. The experience of professional human subjects, as well as the consideration of the every-day life in a clinic, shows that there is much more to clinical trials. The argument of this paper is that the inability of institutions to address protection of human subjects originates from the bureaucratic logic of their organization. Drawing on Bauman’s (1992) argument that the bureaucratic machine is characterized by separation between morality and purpose, with the example of Berlin Ethik-Kommission, I argue that the bureaucratic machine cannot be sensitive to morality and ethics, even if these are its main purposes.

The use of various types of plastic lubricants (such as LZ-TsNII, ZhRO, etc.) in the axle boxes of locomotives, cars and track machines in the Ukrainian railway network causes technological inconveniences at the stage of procurement, supply and regulation of this process, moreover, their operational capabilities do not quite satisfy modern operating conditions of axle boxes of the railway rolling stock. The paper proposes to solve this problem by using a single brand of modern multi-purpose lubricant on lithium complex basis (k-Li) – MZT – in axle boxes of all types of railway rolling stock. The presented results of the comparative analysis of the physical and chemical properties of the mentioned lubricants demonstrate that the MZT lubricant completely meets the operating conditions of the axle bearings and can provide their high-quality lubrication under any conditions of operation. The tribological studies of lubricants on frictional testing machines, with simulation of their operation with rolling friction and sliding friction, demonstrated that anti-wear, antifriction and anti-cuffing properties of the MZT lubricant are much better than those of LZ-TsNII and ZhRO lubricants. It has been found out that the properties of the MZT lubricant are most effectively used under high load in friction pairs. The paper presents the results of testing the MZT lubricant in the actual conditions of operation of locomotives, railway cars and multiple unit rolling stock, which demonstrated its high efficiency and operation capacity.

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