1. A medical apparatus for determining the concentration distribution of sonically dispersive elements within a subject, the medical apparatus comprising:
a memory for storing machine executable instructions;
a processor for executing the machine executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions cause the processor to:
receive shear wave data, wherein the shear wave data is descriptive of the propagation of shear waves within the subject for at least two frequencies;
determine a mechanical property of the subject using the shear wave data;
determine a power law relationship between the at least two frequencies and the mechanical property; and
determine the concentration distribution of the sonically dispersive elements within the subject using the power law relationship and calibration data.
2. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medical apparatus further comprises a medical imaging system, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions cause the processor to acquire the shear wave data using the medical imaging system.
3. The medical apparatus of claim 2,
wherein the medical imaging system is an ultrasound system,
wherein the ultrasound system is arranged to acquire ultrasound data,
wherein the ultrasound system is arranged to determine the shear wave data by tracking speckle patterns in the ultrasound data.
4. The medical apparatus of claim 2, wherein the medical imaging system is a magnetic resonance imaging system,
wherein the magnetic resonance imaging system is arranged to acquire magnetic resonance elastography data,
wherein the magnetic resonance imaging system is arranged to determine the shear wave data using the magnetic resonance elastography data.
5. The medical apparatus of claim 2,
wherein the medical apparatus further comprises a vibration system arranged to induce the shear waves in the subject,
wherein execution of the machine executable instructions cause the processor to cause shear waves in the subject using the vibration system.
6. The medical apparatus of claim 5, wherein the vibration system comprises one of an ultrasound transducer or a mechanical actuator.
7. The medical apparatus of claim 5,
wherein the vibration system comprises a high intensity focused ultrasound system,
wherein the high intensity focused ultrasound system is operable for inducing the shear waves using sonic radiation force.
8. The medical apparatus of claim 5, wherein the vibration system is operable to generate shear waves with a frequency of 10 Hz to 1000 Hz.
9. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shear wave data, the mechanical property, the power law relationship, and the concentration distribution of the sonically dispersive elements have a two-dimensional spatial dependence.
10. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further cause the processor to perform an operation selected from the group consisting of storing the concentration distribution of the sonically dispersive elements in the memory, displaying the concentration distribution of the sonically dispersive elements on a display, sending the concentration distribution of the sonically dispersive elements to a computer system via a computer network, and combinations thereof.
11. The medical apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, wherein execution of the machine executable instructions further cause the processor to generate the calibration data by modeling the scattering of shear waves by the sonically dispersive elements as a function of shear wave frequency andor sonically dispersive element size.
12. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mechanical property selected from the group consisting of elasticity, viscosity, propagation, attenuation, and the dispersion relation.
13. A computer program product comprising machine executable instructions for execution by a processor controlling a medical apparatus, the medical apparatus arranged to to determine the concentration distribution of sonically dispersive elements within a subject, wherein execution of the instructions cause the processor to:
receive shear wave data, wherein the shear wave data describes the propagation of shear waves within the subject for at least two frequencies;
determine a mechanical property of the subject using the shear wave data at each of the at least two frequencies;
determine a power law relationship between the at least two frequencies and the mechanical property; and
determine the concentration distribution of the sonically dispersive elements within the subject using the power law relationship and calibration data.
14. A method of determining the concentration distribution of sonically dispersive elements within a subject, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
receiving shear wave data, wherein the shear wave data describes the propagation of shear waves within the subject for at least two frequencies;
determining a mechanical property of the subject using the shear wave data at each of the at least two frequencies;
determining a power law relationship between the at least two frequencies and the mechanical property; and
determining the concentration distribution of the sonically dispersive elements within the subject using the power law relationship and calibration data.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
measuring a calibration power law relationship as a function of the concentration distribution of dispersive elements; and
determining the calibration data empirically using the calibration power law relationship.
16. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shear wave data, the mechanical property, the power law relationship, and the concentration distribution of the sonically dispersive elements have a three-dimensional spatial dependence.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A railway car capable of cost-effective commercial shipment of semi-trucks comprising:
a support surface for carrying the semi-trucks;
a first pair of upstanding side posts spaced a distance from each end of the railway car;
a plurality of intermediate upstanding side posts disposed between the first pairs of side posts along each side of the railway car;
a pair of upstanding sidewalls connected to the first and intermediate side posts;
a roof extending between the sidewalls; and
a pair of end doors pivotably supported proximate the first side posts and movable about pivot axes substantially coplanar with the sidewalls of the railway car between a closed position and an open position where edges of the doors in the open position do not extend beyond an end of the railway car.
2. A railway car in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least four semi-trucks can be transported end-to-end on the floor of the railway car.
3. A railway car in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least six semi-trucks can be transported on the floor of the railway car in a piggy-back arrangement.
4. A railway car in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first side posts on a side of the railway car are coplanar with the intermediate side posts on the same side of the railway car.
5. A railway car in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first side posts are positioned inward of the end of the railway car by a distance sufficient to enable the doors to open by pivoting about their outer edges without interfering with an adjacent car.
6. A railway car in accordance with claim 1, wherein the semi-trucks have a pair of inner rear wheels and pair of outer rear wheels and an inner and an outer chock track extend longitudinally on said support surface for securing the wheels relative to the support surface, the inner track positioned to be at least partially beneath one of the inner wheels of the semi-trucks and the outer chock track positioned to be at least partially beneath one of the outer wheels of the semi-trucks.
7. A railway car in accordance with claim 1, wherein a roller is attached to at least one of the end doors and extends at least partially beyond a bottom edge of the end door, the roller contacting a support member when the door is in either the open or closed position, the roller and support member effective to provide support for the door in either the open or closed position.
8. A railway car in accordance with claim 1, wherein the end doors are pivotably attached to the first end posts with hinges, the hinges each comprising a non-metallic bushing.
9. A railway car in accordance with claim 1, wherein the railway car comprises two units having an articulation therebetween.
10. A railway car in accordance with claim 9, wherein a reinforced bridge plate extends across an articulation between units of the railway car to allow the semi-trucks to be transported thereacross.
11. A railway car for transporting vehicles, said car comprising:
an interior defined by a single support surface for supporting the vehicles, a pair of upstanding sidewalls attached to side posts extending along each side of the railway car, and a roof extending between the sidewalls;
at least one cross support member extending between the sidewalls on opposite sides of the railway car, the cross support member constraining the sidewalls so that racking of the sidewalls remains within acceptable limits without an upper deck; and
a pair of end doors for selectively enclosing an end of said railway car, the end doors being movable about pivot axes disposed proximate lateral edges thereof between a closed position in which the doors substantially enclose an end of the car, and an open position permitting access to the interior of the car, wherein the end doors in their open positions do not extend beyond an end of the railway car.
12. A railway car for transporting vehicles in accordance with claim 11 wherein each of the end doors in their open positions are substantially coplanar with the sidewalls on the respective sides of the railway car.
13. A railway car for transporting vehicles in accordance with claim 11 wherein semi-trucks can be transported end-to-end on the support surface of the railway car.
14. A railway car for transporting vehicles in accordance with claim 11 wherein semi-trucks can be transported on the floor of the railway car in a piggy-back arrangement.
15. A railway car for transporting vehicles in accordance with claim 11 wherein first side posts are positioned inward of an end of the railway car by a distance sufficient to enable the doors to open by pivoting about their outer edges without interfering with an adjacent car.
16. A method of transporting semi-trucks in an enclosed interior of a railway car having a single support surface for supporting the vehicles, the method comprising:
providing the railway car with end doors disposed proximate at least one end of the railway car, the end doors selectively operable between open and closed positions by pivoting about axes disposed proximate edges thereof;
moving the end doors to their open positions to provide access to the interior of the railway car, the end doors in their open positions not extending beyond the end of the railway car;
loading semi-trucks into the interior of the railway car; and
closing the end doors to enclose the semi-trucks within the interior of the railway car.
17. A method of transporting semi-trucks according to claim 11, including the step of providing a support surface for the semi-trucks, a pair of upstanding sidewalls generally extending on longitudinal sides of the railway car, and a roof extending between the sidewalls to enclose the railway car.
18. A method of transporting semi-trucks according to claim 17, including reducing racking of the sidewalls of the railway car with at least one brace member extending between the sidewalls located on opposite sides of the railway car.
19. A method of transporting semi-trucks according to claim 17, wherein the semi-trucks comprise a pair of first pair of wheels spaced apart by a first dimension and a second pair of wheels spaced apart by a second dimension, wherein inner and outer chock tracks are provided on the support surface of the railway car, the method including:
aligning one of the first pair of wheels with the inner chock tracks and one of the second pair of wheels with the outer chock tracks;
chocking one of the first pair of wheels relative to the inner chock tracks; and
chocking one of the second pair of wheels relative to the outer chock tracks.
20. A method of transporting semi-trucks having a pair of first pair of wheels spaced apart by a first dimension and a second pair of wheels spaced apart by a second dimension in an enclosed interior of a railway car, the railway car having a support surface for the semi-trucks with inner and outer chock tracks thereon, a pair of upstanding sidewalls generally extending on longitudinal sides of the railway car, and a roof extending between the sidewalls to enclose the railway car, end doors disposed proximate at least one end of the railway car, the end doors selectively operable between open and closed positions, the method comprising:
moving the end doors to their open positions to provide access to the interior of the railway car, the end doors in their open positions not extending beyond the end of the railway car;
loading semi-trucks into the interior of the railway car;
aligning one of the first pair of wheels with the inner chock tracks and one of the second pair of wheels with the outer chock tracks;
chocking one of the first pair of wheels relative to the inner chock tracks;
chocking one of the second pair of wheels relative to the outer chock tracks; and
closing the end doors to enclose the semi-trucks within the interior of the railway car.