Cargo Routing Research Articles

Emerging role of gut microbiota extracellular vesicle in neurodegenerative disorders and insights on their therapeutic management

AbstractTargeting gut flora to lower sickness risk is a growing scientific subject. The intricate network of microorganisms (gut microbiota) in the human intestines regulates many physiological systems and may be important for general health. Recent research has shown a dynamic relationship between gut microbiota and central nervous system (CNS). Dysbiosis is key to establishing and progressing human diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Recently, gut microbiota extracellular vesicles (GMEVs) have been suggested as brain‐gut communication carriers. Vesicle components contact immune receptors, initiating neuroinflammatory immune responses and causing neurodegenerative diseases. This study seeks to explain how the gut microbiota and its extracellular vesicles cause or worsen neurodegenerative diseases. We also highlighted recent advances in our understanding of these GMEVs' and cargo's routes, which could be used in drug delivery treatments. This study also examines the current state and potential therapeutic effects of GMEVs on neurodegenerative illnesses.

Integrated aircraft routing and cargo routing problem for combination airlines

The combination airlines operate both passenger aircraft and freighter aircraft to meet passenger and cargo demand. At present, combination airlines employ a sequential approach to allocating their capacity for passenger and cargo demand. Nevertheless, implementing an integrated resource allocation procedure has the potential to improve overall resource allocation efficiency. In this paper, we introduce an integrated model to help combination airlines integrate their aircraft routing and cargo routing decisions to maximize the expected overall profits derived from both passenger and cargo demand. We considered the stochastic nature of passenger baggage and proposed a set of individual chance constraints to ensure the robustness of the integrated solution. We reformulate the chance constraints using piecewise linear approximation to ensure solution efficiency. In addition, we proposed a column-and-row generation based solution approach that removes the through-connection related constraints at the beginning of the solution process and then adds the columns and rows during the iterations as needed. We proved that the proposed column-and-row generation approach can obtain an optimal solution for the LP relaxation problem. The model and the solution approach were tested in a number of scenarios obtained from a major Chinese combination airline. The computational results show that the combination airline can improve their expected profits by integrating capacity allocation. The results also demonstrated that the proposed column-and-row generation solution approach can decrease the solution time of the integrated model. These findings indicate that the model and the solution method are useful and efficient tools for combination airlines when planning their aircraft and cargo routes.

Cargo Route Optimization Using Shortest Path Algorithms: Runtime and Validity Comparison

Cargo Route Optimization Using Shortest Path Algorithms: Runtime and Validity Comparison

Logistics hub location for high-speed rail freight transport with road-rail intermodal transport network.

In this paper, we propose a new freight mode to describe how the designed HSR freight train serve for express delivery. We introduce the functions of the hubs and design the hybrid hub-and-spoke network of road-rail intermodal transportation from the perspective of planners, which features as single allocation rule and configures varying levels of hubs. The problem is accurately described by a mixed integer programming model with the objective to minimize total construction cost and total operation cost. We develop a hybrid heuristic algorithm based on a greedy strategy to obtain the levels of hubs, customer allocation and cargo routing. Taking the example of HSR freight network consisting of 50 cities in China, numerical experiments are conducted on the basis of forecasting data from the real-life express market to obtain the hub location schemes. The validity of the model and the performance of the algorithm are verified.

The investment in the transportation system: Analytical technologies as an important tool for key factors forecasting

This paper takes a new look at the economic potential of investment decisions to optimize the transport system by minimizing the organizational and operational costs of cargo routing. We present a methodology of scenario forecasting based on statistical methods. Its application makes it possible to achieve a result using the optimal trend function. At the same time, correcting additive and multiplicative parameters allows gaining a given accuracy. The precision and the accuracy of the forecasting model were checked by both additional resulting indicators and the distribution of the model residuals. The simulated scenario forecast of freight turnover was used to formulate the conditions of the transport problem within a certain transport system, limited infrastructure, and the capabilities of a particular carrier. The solution to the transport problem with dynamic adjustment of restrictions determined the possibility of altering the number of routes for the transport work plan. Thus, the dynamics of transportation costs with a certain cargo turnover in various scenarios and an adjustable number of routes with changing restrictions on the throughput and carrying capacity of the transport system and a specific transport market entity will have a significant impact on the economic efficiency of the transportation. The findings of the study demonstrated a need for investment analysis of the possible removing some restrictions on throughput and carrying capacity in a certain economic situation, taking into account the development potential of both an entity and the transport system in general.

Continuous control algorithms for conveyer belt routing based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning

Introduction: We consider the problem of routing of piece cargo by a conveyor system. When moving cargo pieces, it is necessary not only to minimize the time of transportation, but also to minimize the energy spent on it. Purpose: Development of a routing algorithm that is adaptive to changes in the topology of the routing graph and is able to optimize the delivery time and the consumed energy. Results: We propose an algorithm based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning that places agents at the vertices of a conveyor network graph and uses a new state value function. The algorithm has two tunable parameters: the length of the path along which the state value function is calculated, and the learning coefficient. Through the selection of parameters, we have revealed that the optimal values are 2 and 1, respectively. An experimental study of the algorithm using a simulation model has shown that it allows to reduce the number of collisions of moving objects to zero, demonstrates stable results for both optimized scores, and also leads to a lower energy consumption compared with the method used as a baseline. Practical relevance: The proposed algorithm can be used to reduce delivery time and energy when managing conveyor systems.

Distribution-Free Approaches for an Integrated Cargo Routing and Empty Container Repositioning Problem with Repacking Operations in Liner Shipping Networks

Cargo (laden container) routing and empty container repositioning are crucial components in liner shipping, which are closely relevant. However, most existing works focus on cargo routing and empty container repositioning separately, which cannot optimize the global shipping cost. In addition, (1) appropriate repacking operations for laden containers can curtail the total handling costs, and (2) the perfect information for uncertain laden and empty container demands may be difficult to obtain due to insufficient historical data. This work investigates an integrated cargo routing and empty container repositioning problem with repacking operations in which only partial information about uncertain laden and empty container demands is known. The objective is to minimize the total costs including repacking operation cost and laden and empty container transportation costs. For the problem, a new chance-constrained programming model based on moment-based ambiguous sets is formulated. Then, four distribution-free solution approaches are adopted to solve the investigated problem. Numerical experiments are conducted to compare the proposed methods.

Problem of Groupage Cargo Routing in the Multicommodity Transport Network with Given Tariffs and Delivery Time Constraints

Problem of Groupage Cargo Routing in the Multicommodity Transport Network with Given Tariffs and Delivery Time Constraints

Integrated aircraft tail assignment and cargo routing problem with through cargo consideration

Traditionally, freight airlines assign individual aircraft to each flight and sequentially determine the cargo itineraries for each order. This may limit the option of cargo itineraries, and lead to mismatches between cargo demands and freighter capacities. To overcome this limitation, we introduce the concepts of through cargo connection and short through cargo connection. A through cargo connection requires cargoes to stay on the same aircraft between two connected flights, and a short through cargo connection is a through connection that needs less time than the standard cargo transshipment time. By considering the through cargo connections and short through cargo connections, we can generate the complete set of all possible cargo itineraries, so as to improve the overall schedule efficiency and robustness, and reduce the cargo ground handling cost. In this paper, two mathematical models (the connection- and string-based models) are proposed to solve the aircraft tail assignment problem (TAP) and cargo routing problem (CRP) simultaneously with through cargo considerations. We developed a column generation framework to solve the LP relaxation of the string-based model, and a diving heuristic with reoptimization strategy to find a good IP solution in a reasonable time. The proposed solution methods are tested using industrial cases from the largest freight airline in China. The computational experiments revealed that the integrated models could bring up to 5.04%∼10.31% profit growth, and the through cargo savings are tripled compared with the baseline solutions. By analyzing the computational performance of two models, we recommend that airlines can apply connection-based model only if the problems are not very large and the computational time is sufficient; otherwise, the string-based model is more robust in terms of problem scales and computational time.

Implications of COVID-19 on the US container port distribution system: import cargo routing by Walmart and Nike

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implications of COVID-19 on container import flows via the US port distribution system. We employ statistics collected for more than 21 US ports and for more than 550,000 container shipments by Walmart and Nike to identify trends and potential shifts in the US port distribution system. Results unveil different changes in distribution channels during the pandemic era, between aggregated port level and industry level. These differences are specific to firms and could be explained by the origin of flows, carrier selection to transport cargos and US port/inland distribution systems. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the different role played by ports for industries (retailers, footwear and apparel) and shows that the ability to adapt supply chains to a major disruption remains subject to the initial choices on the location of production, on carrier choices and on port/inland distribution networks.

Development of “green” hydrogen energy in the European part of the Russian Federation

The development of hydrogen energy in the Russian Federation has been interfered by a number of serious problems and issues connected with the innovative nature of this sector of economics. The problems include lack of experience in production, storage and transportation of “green” hydrogen. The development results within the Concept for the development of hydrogen energy present the Russian Federation as the largest exporter of hydrogen by 2050. The Concept estimates the future hydrogen production volumes to be as high as 200,000 tons by 2024, from 2 to 12 million ton by 2035 and from 15 to 50 million ton by 2050. Currently, there are projects on producing “green” hydrogen through electrolysis of water at hydroelectric stations. Moreover, there are different methods of hydrogen storage used in the Russian Federation. However, there is no transportation infrastructure for “green” hydrogen. Therefore, in order to build up transportation infrastructure the authors use economic calculations to consider and actualize the routes for transportation of the “green” hydrogen. To evaluate the profitability the infrastructure and the routes were created for transporting the “green” hydrogen as the export raw material produced in the Niznekamskya HES (Naberezhnye Chelny, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia) to the EU countries. The authors consider waterways, land routes and pipelines for delivering the “green hydrogen” as the transportation facilities and the cargo routes. They evaluate the indicators which characterize the “green” hydrogen transportation by means of waterway, railway and automobile transport and pipelines. The authors estimate the comparative payback periods for the hydrogen transportation by means of waterway, railway and automobile transport and pipelines along their main routes according to the hydrogen market price.

Multi‐objective optimization of the maritime cargo routing and scheduling problem

AbstractThis paper addresses the multi‐objective maritime cargo routing and scheduling problem, in which the delivery of bulk products from pickup to delivery ports is served by a heterogeneous fleet of vessels. A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is formulated to simultaneously minimize total operation costs, the scheduling makespan, and delays in selected deliveries. The model accounts for several real features, such as time windows, capacity of the vessel's compartments, and ports requirements. A fuzzy weighted max–min method was applied to solve the problem. Two heuristics were developed to effectively handle the complex generated MILP models during the solution process. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the optimization approach using real‐life instances provided by a fertilizer company. Finally, a case study shows that the developed model and algorithmic framework are flexible and effective in coping with real problems, incorporating specific business rules from different companies.

MODEL OF THE MUTUAL INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS AND ENERGY RATIONING ON TRAIN TRACTION IN RAILWAY LOGISTICS

The article deals with the issues of environmental taxation of carbon dioxide emissions by the countries of the European Union and the methodology for calculating the amount of emissions by regulatory documents of Ukraine. It is established that our country's methodology is not adapted to real operating conditions under the influence of cross-border carbon taxation and the "Emissions Trading System". A mathematical model of the impact of power generating stations of states and their contribution to the overall energy balance of the country on the environmental cost and mass emissions of 1 kWh of electricity generation is proposed. The amount of electricity losses during its transportation from the power plant to the electric moving warehouse is determined and is taken into account in the total amount of deductions for the "Emissions Trading System" for DC and AC railway networks. Schemes of transit and local cargo routes are considered on the basis of a real fleet of traction rolling stock of Railways and a network of logistics lines. The passport characteristics of locomotives are analyzed and the amount of emissions and deductions during operation at Rated mode and idle speed is determined. Specific norms for selected routes and train conditions are calculated. The total costs, their cost and the amount of emissions and taxation of selected routes are determined, and rational economic and environmental logistics lines of train traffic are determined on their basis.

A framework for determining energy use in rural food delivery services: capturing system interdependencies through an agent-based discrete-event approach

Abstract Food e-commerce has seen significant growth over the past decade that accelerated after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last-mile transportation and logistics are widely considered the most expensive and least efficient portion of the supply chain and have multiple important energy trade-offs such as cargo capacity and consumer density. Last-mile transportation energy use in rural areas is underrepresented in the literature. This study proposes a hybrid agent-based and discrete event model framework for evaluating the last-mile transportation energy use of van- and car-based food delivery services in a rural community, based on meal-kit and grocery delivery operations, respectively. This framework quantifies last-mile energy use in rural areas, and is demonstrated here using a neighborhood outside of Austin, TX as an analytical testbed. The study focuses on the effects of consumer density, cargo limitations, and vehicle speed. For the conditions examined with this framework, diesel delivery vans use more total energy than passenger cars for the same trip, though a van delivering four orders uses less energy per-order than a car delivering one order. However, there are trade-offs between vehicle type and mileage, cargo capacity, route density, and speed that are particularly important for delivery services operating in rural areas. This framework can be used by service providers to assess route-specific trade-offs for each vehicle and gauge which is preferable for given operating conditions or to evaluate the energy, and thus also cost, impact of expanding their services to rural areas.

Possibilities of Using Inland Navigation to Improve Efficiency of Urban and Interurban Freight Transport with the Use of the River Information Services (RIS) System—Case Study

Inland navigation is hardly ever used to transport cargo in cities. In most urban areas, it is performed almost exclusively via road transport, with the virtual exclusion of rail and inland transport. Research and implementation projects in several European cities have shown that employing inland navigation is a viable alternative for road transport in urban areas. The research involved a case study of transporting the same number of 40-foot containers by inland waterway and road and then comparing the results in terms of transport time, transport costs, and carbon dioxide emissions between two metropolitan areas in Poland. The article shows that River Information Services (RIS) system can contribute to improving freight transport efficiency not only on longer routes, but also in urban and inter-urban conditions. The findings were that inland shipping is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but transport takes much longer and is not always possible due to insufficient waterway infrastructure. The paper can be used as a road map to proceed with new approach to planning urban and inter-urban logistics, with the use of inland navigation supported by the RIS system. The study delivers evidence that the main benefits of using RIS for urban logistics are: optimization of the cargo route, improved supervision and control of cargo transport, optimization of inter-branch transport, optimization of the use of fleet, more efficient use of technical infrastructure of waterways, combination of many recipients/senders into one transport, and reduction of administrative barriers.

ClCd and ClCf act redundantly at the trans-Golgi network/early endosome and prevent acidification of the Golgi stack.

The trans-Golgi network/early endosome (TGN/EE) serves as the central hub in which exocytic and endocytic trafficking pathways converge and specificity of cargo routing needs to be achieved. Acidification is a hallmark of the TGN/EE and is maintained by the vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) with support of proton-coupled antiporters. We show here that ClCd and ClCf, two distantly related members of the Arabidopsis Cl- channel (ClC) family, colocalize in the TGN/EE, where they act redundantly, and are essential for male gametophyte development. Combining an inducible knockdown approach and in vivo pH measurements, we show here that reduced ClC activity does not affect pH in the TGN/EE but causes hyperacidification of trans-Golgi cisternae. Taken together, our results show that ClC-mediated anion transport into the TGN/EE is essential and affects spatiotemporal aspects of TGN/EE maturation as well as its functional separation from the Golgi stack.

SEARCH AND JUSTIFICATION OF WAYS TO INCREASE THE UNITIZED CARGO TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY

Purpose. Identification and methodological substantiation of ways to increase the unitized cargo transportation efficiency, which would increase the trucking company profits and the manufacturer quality customer service. Methodology. In the course of the research the following methods were used: the method of theoretical generalization and systematization to determine the peculiarities of formation of the rational routes of cargo transportation in different conditions; the analytical method to determine the factors influencing the feasibility of adopting a certain strategy of the trucking company to improve the transportation efficiency; comparison to analyze strategies to increase the cargo transportation efficiency of the trucking company when using routes of different types. Findings. The relationship between the organizational structure effectiveness of the production enterprise management and the probable problems in choosing the type of route for goods delivery to customers is defined. The authors proved that the efficiency of unitized cargo transportation depends on a well-defined strategy of increasing the road transport efficiency. Based on the conducted research the influence of economic and organizational factors on expediency of the decision concerning rational strategy of transportation efficiency maintenance is estimated. Three types of strategies are proposed, the content of which is reflected in the receipt of additional profit by the transport company from the production enterprise, when using pendulum routes by saving its resources (return of returnable packaging) and by finding cargo on the way back, as well as using delivery-assembling routes while minimizing fines for late goods delivery. The dependence visualization of the amount of the trucking company profit on the type of strategy adopted allows us to assess the prospects for the introduction of certain types of freight vehicles routes. Originality. Methodical approaches to ways substantiation of the trucking company profit increase, choosing their rational route according to the efficiency increase strategy of unitized cargo transportations from the manufacturer to clients have received further development. Practical value. The obtained results are aimed at improving the methodological approaches to optimizing the unitized cargo routes, based on the choice of two types of routes in certain conditions, the first is the pendulum route with simultaneous receipt of applications for goods delivery, the second – the delivery-assembling routes, taking into account fines for late delivery.

A Multi-Stage Approach for Empty Container Repositioning Under Coordination Among Liner Carriers

This paper studies the empty container repositioning (ECR) problem considering the exchange of slots and empty containers among liner shipping companies. It is common for an individual shipping company to seek an optimal solution for ECR and cargo routing to maximize its own benefits. To achieve cooperation among shipping companies, a multi-stage solution strategy is proposed. With the inverse optimization technique, the guide leasing prices of slots and empty containers among shipping companies are derived considering the schedule of vessels and cargo routing. Based on the guide leasing price, a cooperative model is formulated to minimize the total cost, which includes the transportation cost for laden containers, the inventory holding cost, the container leasing cost, and the repositioning cost. All the involved shipping companies are expected to follow the best solution of ECR and cargo routing to achieve a cooperative and stable optimum. A real-world shipping network operated by three liner shipping companies is used as a case study with promising numerical results.

A mixed wholesale-option-contract to fix the demand imbalance between substitutable air cargo routes: A cooperative game approach

In this study, we consider a capacity allocation problem with an airline that sells cargo routes to multiple freight forwarders. The airline faces the problem whereby its fixed capacity from one route cannot cover the sum of freight forwarders’ orders (hot-selling routes), while the freight forwarders’ total orders from the substituting route are much less than its capacity (underutilized routes). To solve this imbalance problem, a sequential cooperative game is performed between the airline and the freight forwarders in which they agree that the airline assigns an amount in the underutilized routes proportional to the forwarder’s order from the hot-selling routes. In this game, the players’ payoffs are the expected profit from using a mixed-wholesale-option contract between the airline and the freight forwarders. The model solution shows that the demand in the underutilized routes follows self-replicating distributions. In addition, the mixed wholesale-option model is compared with the pure wholesale and pure option-contract models, and the results reveal that the mixed model provides the highest allocations in the underutilized routes, leading to a better demand balance among the substitutable routes.

РАСПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ РЕСУРСОВ В АВТОДОРОЖНОМ КОМПЛЕКСЕ: МЕХАНИЗМ ВОЗВРАТА ИНВЕСТИЦИЙ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ НОВОКУЗНЕЦКА)

The procedure for selecting the mechanism of return on investment in infrastructure projects implemented in the road complex with the use of public-private partnership (PPP) mechanisms is proposed. The procedure contains an algorithm for adjusting routes to determine the amount of expected effective demand. The algorithm for adjusting cargo delivery routes eliminates the subjectivity of the estimates obtained and the possibility of manipulating the parameters of PPP projects when determining the expected effective demand for travel. To determine the effectiveness of the proposed procedure in this paper, a comparison is made with the method of calculating the value of the expected effective demand by the method of expert assessments. The problem is solved on the example of the project to improve the technical level and operational condition of the Novokuznetsk Ring Road.