Deployment Of Facilities Research Articles

Integrated charging infrastructure planning and charging scheduling for battery electric bus systems

• Integrated optimization of charging infrastructure and charging scheduling. • A two-phase optimization framework is proposed to solve the integrated problem. • Uncertainties in bus energy consumption and vehicle travel time are considered. • A novel rolling horizon approach is proposed to tackle real-time charging scheduling. Studies on the electric bus system planning problem have typically focused exclusively on either the deployment of charging infrastructure or the scheduling of charging events; few have examined the impact of charging facility deployment on charging activities. Considering the interdependence of system design and operational strategies, this study proposes a two-phase optimization framework for charging infrastructure planning and charging scheduling for battery electric bus systems. An integrated optimization model is first developed to simultaneously optimize charger deployment, on-board battery capacity, and charging schedules. A charging scheduling model is further proposed and a rolling horizon approach is utilized in the second phase to optimize the real-time charging scheduling of electric buses. Compared to existing electric bus system planning methods, the proposed integrated model can reduce the total system cost by 19.5%. In addition, compared to uncontrolled charging, the proposed rolling horizon-based charging strategy can reduce the total charging cost by 68.3%.

14C in tree rings in the vicinity of the nuclear facility deployment areas

14C is naturally and artificially occurred radionuclide presented in atmosphere. 14C is produced during the operation of a nuclear reactor of any type, enters the atmosphere and became a part of carbon cycle. The article presents the results of measuring the concentration of 14C in the tree rings of 10 pines in the area of the Beloyarsk NPP (BelNPP) and the Institute of Nuclear Materials (INM), Zarechny. The sampling site, located 1200 m east of the INM, was selected based on long-term observations of meteorological parameters. The measurements were carried out using the accelerator mass spectrometer of the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Novosibirsk. The influence of the operation of nuclear installations on the concentration of 14C in the atmospheric air is demonstrated. The range of values for the concentration of carbon-14 in the sample ranged from 116.0 ± 4.4 to 192.0 ± 8.5 pMC.

Hierarchical Optimization of Charging Infrastructure Design and Facility Utilization

This study proposes a bi-level optimization program to represent the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure design and utilization management problem with user-equilibrium (UE) decisions. The upper level aims to minimize total facility deployment costs and maximize the revenue generated from EV charging collections, while the lower level aims to minimize the EV users’ travel times and charging expenses. An iterative technique is implemented to solve the bi-level mixed-integer non-linear program that generates theoretical lower and upper bounds to the bi-level model and solves it to global optimality. A set of conditions are evaluated to show the convergence of the algorithm in a finite number of iterations. The numerical results, based on three demand levels, indicate that the proposed bi-level model can effectively determine the optimal charging facility location, physical capacity, and demand-responsive pricing scheme. The average charging price in medium demand level is increased by 38.21% compared to the lower level demand due to the surge in charging needs and highly utilized charging stations.

Analysis of the Evacuation Time based on the Desk Spacing Used by Internet Computer Gaming Facility Providers

This study aims to measure changes in the evacuation time with respect to the desk spacing used by internet computer gaming facility providers using an evacuation simulation program and to analyze the results. Currently, the “Special Act on the Safety Management of Multi-Use Businesses” only regulates the width of the internal evacuation passage. There is no regulation on the width of the evacuation space as determined by the arrangement of furniture in internet computer gaming facilities. Considering this, the evacuation times for evacuation passage widths of 190, 210, 230, and 260 cm were compared and analyzed considering various variables of the facility space. The results show that there is a large difference in the evacuation time, ranging from 166.0 s to 154.0 s, as the passage width increases from the minimum to the maximum. With the increasing popularity of internet gaming facilities and considering the safety of the evacuees, it is necessary to draft regulations on the width of new evacuation spaces during the deployment of internet computer gaming facilities.

Smart Roadway Facility Deployment for the Accident Reduction Focusing on Highway Rest Areas

Smart Roadway Facility Deployment for the Accident Reduction Focusing on Highway Rest Areas

Integrated Optimization of Planning and Operations for Shared Autonomous Electric Vehicle Systems

Shared autonomous electric vehicle systems will be a promising alternative for sustainable urban mobility. This study investigates an integrated optimization problem for shared autonomous electric vehicle systems that determines the long-term charging facility deployment at the planning level (e.g., the sizing and configurations of charging facilities), while the vehicle assignment, relocation, and charging decisions in the short term are also optimized at the operational level. A two-stage stochastic integer program is formulated to capture the demand uncertainty, in which an event-activity space-time-battery network is proposed for tracking the charging choices and battery states of vehicles and determining the optimal operational decisions. For dealing with a large number of scenarios in the stochastic program, the sample average approximation scheme is applied as the sampling strategy. An accelerated two-phase Benders decomposition-based algorithm is proposed for solving the two-stage program. The modeling and algorithm approach is tested on a large-scale case in Shanghai City in China. Extensive experiments show that the proposed approach can always find high-quality solutions in an efficient way. Numerical results indicate that deployment of both normal- and fast-charging infrastructure can increase the system profit and improve its operational performance. Funding: This work was supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1 [Grant R-266-000-135-114] and by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71971021 and 72101019]. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2022.1156 .

Fundamental Issues in Mass Media Audience Research

The overriding influence of internet-enabled technologies has greatly disrupted the media ecosystem, resulting in new realities like audience segmentation, media convergence and mass media demassification. With the geometrical increase in the number of mass media channels, competition for audience and the growing culture of consumer sovereignty, the survival of the mass media is becoming more and more dependent on satisfying the diverse needs, tastes and preferences of the audience than ever before. Beyond the deployment of creative personnel and sophisticated media facilities, the key to satisfying the media audience lies on understanding the needs of the audience; such understanding basically comes through research. This article discussed the primacy of the mass media audience research and drew support from two theories: Active Audience Theory and Consumer Sovereignty Theory. It is a discourse in which data were mainly gathered from secondary sources like books, journals and other relevant recorded contents. While elucidating the concept of mass media audience research and its necessity, it identifies various forms of mass media audience research and offers a recipe for conducting one. The article also made an in-depth discussion of four challenges of mass media audience research. Findings revealed that audience research is indispensable in mass media practice. It is therefore recommended that for greater utilization of mass media audience research by media organizations, greater attention should be paid to the teaching of audience research by communication training institutions and greater interest in the learning of required mass media audience research skills by media professionals.

Challenges and solutions for the eradication of sanitation backlogs in the policy context of Free Basic Sanitation

Despite the constitutional obligation for municipalities to provide Free Basic Sanitation (FBSan) services to all, many people living in informal settlements in South Africa are still lacking access to adequate sanitation facilities. This study used qualitative methods to examine challenges and identify solutions for the eradication of sanitation backlogs in informal settlement of South Africa in the policy context of the FBSan. Findings suggest that the disconnection between the policy and its application in practice has created a deep divide between the service providers and consumers as recipients of the services. Consumers’ perceptions and expectations are a major barrier to the acceptance of the sanitation services provided by municipalities, often resulting in violent protests. Service providers face challenges when addressing the disjuncture between what people aspire to and what is possible in providing sanitation services. These findings infer that consumers’ needs, sanitation practices and settlement conditions should be thoroughly examined prior to the selection and deployment of sanitation facilities in informal settlements. Consumers should be engaged and involved in the choice of sanitation technologies and facilities. Such engagement should evolve around various sanitation technologies and facilities applicable to the nature and context of informal settlements, so as to address negative perceptions, attitudes and behavior concerning services provided by municipalities. Addressing challenges related to the eradication of the sanitation backlogs in the policy context of FBSan services needs to be grounded in the clarification of sanitation policy, a deep understanding of consumers’ needs, challenges and practices as well as settlements conditions, coupled with meaningful consumers’ participation at various stages of the decision-making process and coordination amongst institutions involved. Municipalities need to engage all stakeholders (mainly consumers) in order to ensure that the selected infrastructure and service level deployed are consensual. Unless subjective clauses of the FBSan policy are clarified, monitoring, enforcement and accountability mechanisms established and implemented and, consumers are engaged in the decision making processes, the eradication of sanitation backlogs in informal settlements as currently planned may not materialize.

Improvement and Performance Evaluation of IEEE 802.11p Protocol in Dense Scenario of VANET

In vehicle nodes dense networks, the existing IEEE 802.11p protocol cannot guarantee effective data transmission efficiency because of the aggravation of the collision between nodes. In the cluster-based network, to ensure the effective transmission of data packets, this paper proposes an improved IEEE 802.11p protocol combined with TDMA, which is suitable for dense scenarios. At the same time, the performance of the improved mechanism is analyzed by establishing a two-dimensional Markov model, and the performance indexes such as system transmission rate and delay are obtained. Finally, the improved mechanism is simulated and evaluated, and the influence of the number of nodes and cluster heads on the system communication performance is studied. To a certain extent, it can guide the deployment of roadside facilities and the optimization of cluster heads in VANET.

Spatial equity analysis of urban public services for electric vehicle charging—Implications of Chinese cities

• An accessibility measurement model is developed for electric vehicle public charging facilities. • A procedure of spatial equity evaluation is further devised. • The methodology is performed for ten representative Chinese cities to demonstrate its applicability and examine their spatial equity in charging infrastructure. • Over half of the cities exhibit spatial inequity in access to charging infrastructure. • Targeted polities are required to reduce regional disparities in recharging service provision. The widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is crucial for urban sustainability, which can promote the low carbon transition of urban mobility systems and increase energy independence. However, inadequate access to charging infrastructure has posed significant challenges on penetration to the mass market, which requires an equitable distribution of public charging facilities among residents. Current planning and deployment of public charging facilities only take efficiency into account, with limited attention to the spatial equity in distribution. Hence, this study proposes a spatial statistical approach to evaluate whether electric vehicle charging services (EVCS) are equitably distributed. An innovative accessibility measurement model is first developed for EVCS, considering competition over changing demand and different charging capacities. On this basis, a spatial autocorrelation analysis procedure is further designed to investigate spatial patterns of residential accessibility and detect regional disparities. The proposed methodology is tested with the top ten cities in China by their capacity of EVCS, where most cities exhibit significant inequitable distribution but with different regional characteristics. It is demonstrated that the methodology can improve the accuracy of measurement while remaining easy to implement. Therefore, it can serve as a policy tool for EVCS planning to maximize its capability to facilitate EV uptake.

Multi-Path Service Function Chaining for Mobile Surveillance of Animal Husbandry

Animal husbandry is the pillar industry in some ethnic areas of China. However, the communication/networking infrastructure in these areas is often underdeveloped, thus the difficulty in centralized management, and challenges for the effective monitoring. Considering the dynamics of the field monitoring environment, as well as the diversity and mobility of monitoring targets, traditional WSN (Wireless Sensor Networks) or IoT (Internet of Things) is difficult to meet the surveillance needs. Mobile surveillance that features the collaboration of various functions (camera, sensing, image recognition, etc.) deployed on mobile devices is desirable in a volatile wireless environment. This paper proposes the service function chaining for mobile surveillance of animal husbandry, which orchestrates multi-path multi-function (MPMF) chains to help mobile devices to collaborate in complex surveillance tasks, provide backup chains in case the primary service function chain fails due to mobility, signal strength, obstacle, etc., and make up for the defects of difficult deployment of monitoring facilities in ethnic areas. MPMF algorithm models both mobile devices and various functions deployed on them as abstract graph nodes, so that chains that are required to traverse various functions and hosting mobile devices can be orchestrated in a single graph-based query through modified and adapted Dijkstra-like algorithms, with their cost ordered automatically. Experiment results show that the proposed MPMF algorithm finds multiple least-costly chains that traverse demanded functions in a timely fashion on Raspberry Pi-equipped mobile devices.

Data-driven distributionally robust emergency facility deployment under demand location uncertainty

Data-driven distributionally robust emergency facility deployment under demand location uncertainty

A Multi-Objective Optimization Model for Relief Facility Location in Crisis Conditions

This research was conducted to study the issue of relief facility location hierarchically by consideration of possible road closure during the crisis conditions, road safety, and arrival time of relief facilities under disaster circumstances. High costs are allocated for facilities deployment in a suitable location to meet the demands of injured people. Therefore, location-allocation of emergency facility should be considered in a way to use them for long-term periods. To this end, the extant research designed a multi-objective optimization model to minimize the pre-disaster costs including costs of facilities deployment and road use, and to minimize the post-disaster costs such as cost transportation in-network roads. Moreover, the innovative part of the studied model in this research examined the road safety and reduction in time taken to have critical facilities in affected areas. To investigate the functional accuracy of the mathematical model, a numerical example with small dimensions was solved using CPLEX Solver, and required sensitivity analysis was described. As the facility location-allocation is an NP-hard issue, two meta-heuristic algorithms were used to solve numerical representations in real dimensions to examine numerical analyses effectively. Results showed that the dragonfly algorithm had the highest efficiency compared to other developed algorithms. The obtained results can be considered as an efficient managerial tool in management organizations involved in the crisis.

Questioning a Green New Deal–Bulk materials requirements for an all-renewable economy in the United States

The growing fear of global catastrophe wrought by climate change has led many to believe that a rapid shift from fossil energy to renewable sources must be engaged immediately to reduce production of greenhouse gases. Numerous studies have been published offering suggestions for meeting all US energy demands by renewables power sources, with some projecting over 4500 GW of renewable energy. This study focuses on the materials questions of renewables – land, steel, and concrete. The Biden Administration has proposed a Green New Deal (GND), which would meet all US energy demands with renewable energy and storage by 2050. Projected demands by Jacobson in his 2019 study are used to simulate this goal, and these values are then compared to a reference projection by the US Energy Information Administration.Material requirements for land, steel, and concrete are estimated using data extracted from the available literature. This study finds that GND would require about a quarter of the continental US for deployment of wind and solar facilities by the year 2050. Fabrication and construction of these facilities would require a staggering 40 percent of annual US steel production each year to produce sufficient new wind and solar facilities to meet 2050 projections. To meet the GND 2050 goals would require construction of 77 GW per year of new wind power between 2020 and 2050, and 70 GW per year of new solar facilities. Roof top solar, a popular do-it-yourself installation, would require the addition of about 700,000 homes per year to meet GND goals.GND is ambitious and far-reaching. This study concludes that future energy plans that limit US options only to renewable sources without first balancing the need for raw materials and the associated environmental tradeoffs would be negligent.

Integrated Approaches to Design for Manufacture and Assembly: A Case Study of Huoshenshan Hospital to Combat COVID-19 in Wuhan, China

AbstractRapid deployment of modular hospital facilities has become an essential action in the COVID-19 response. Design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) has played a significant role, with gover...

Irradiation-driven escape of primordial planetary atmospheres

Intense X-ray and ultraviolet stellar irradiation can heat and inflate the atmospheres of closely orbiting exoplanets, driving mass outflows that may be significant enough to evaporate a sizable fraction of the planet atmosphere over the system lifetime. The recent surge in the number of known exoplanets, together with the imminent deployment of new ground and space-based facilities for exoplanet discovery and characterization, requires a prompt and efficient assessment of the most promising targets for intensive spectroscopic follow-ups. For this purpose, we developed ATmospheric EScape (ATES), a new hydrodynamics code that is specifically designed to compute the temperature, density, velocity, and ionization fraction profiles of highly irradiated planetary atmospheres, along with the current, steady-state mass loss rate. ATES solves the one-dimensional Euler, mass, and energy conservation equations in radial coordinates through a finite-volume scheme. The hydrodynamics module is paired with a photoionization equilibrium solver that includes cooling via bremsstrahlung, recombination, and collisional excitation and ionization for the case of a primordial atmosphere entirely composed of atomic hydrogen and helium, whilst also accounting for advection of the different ion species. Compared against the results of 14 moderately to highly irradiated planets simulated with The PLUTO-CLOUDY Interface (TPCI), which couples two sophisticated and computationally expensive hydrodynamics and radiation codes of much broader astrophysical applicability, ATES yields remarkably good agreement at a significantly smaller fraction of the time. A convergence study shows that ATES recovers stable, steady-state hydrodynamic solutions for systems with log(−Φp)≲12.9 + 0.17 log FXUV, where Φp and FXUV are the planet gravitational potential and stellar flux (in cgs units). Incidentally, atmospheres of systems above this threshold are generally thought to be undergoing Jeans escape. The code, which also features a user-friendly graphic interface, is available publicly as an online repository.

Evaluating the effectiveness of crosswalk tactile paving on street-crossing behavior: A field trial study for people with visual impairment

People with visual impairment cannot easily obtain external information through vision and thus they face more challenges when traveling than sighted people. The travel environment for people with visual impairment includes pedestrian safety concerns, especially when crossing roads at intersections. Tactile paving can be used as a guidance cue for street-crossing purposes but its use is not yet widespread globally (except at some test sites in Japan). This study investigated the effectiveness of tactile paving on crosswalks based on a field trial conducted in China. A drone and three-axis accelerometer were used to collect participants’ behavioral data. Several quantitative indices for street-crossing behavior, including trajectory, maximum distance of the directional deviation, crossing speed, crossing time, and gait regularity and symmetry, were investigated to measure the participants’ street-crossing performance. Before-after comparative analysis of the quantitative index results was conducted to compare the participants’ use of crosswalks with and without tactile paving. The results reveal that tactile paving helps people with visual impairment to maintain a straight crossing path, avoid directional deviation, reduce their crossing time, and improve their gait regularity and symmetry. Study participants reported positive impressions of the effectiveness of crosswalk tactile paving based on one-to-one interviews conducted after the crosswalk tests. The results also indicate that crosswalk tactile paving is more effective for people with blindness than for those with low vision. This study’s findings could serve as a theoretical basis for the deployment of various barrier-free traffic facilities (especially street-crossing facilities) for people with visual impairment.

Aviation in the development and defense of the Arctic during the 1920s: military plans, science, propaganda, and fiction

This article examines the competition for the Arctic territories between the polar regions that unfolded in the 1920s, which required active development of these lands involving airplanes and airships. At that point, of primary import was the layout of trans-Arctic airways and deployment of flight support facilities in the Arctic territories, with the accompanying use of aviation for ice reconnaissance and rescue expeditions. Special attention is given to the study of the Soviet and international experience in elaboration and implementation of programs on the military and economic development of northern territories. The topic of consistent development of the Arctic involving aviation and aerostatics is reflected not only in scientific and economic programs, but also in state propaganda, publicistic writing and literary works. The novelty of this research consists in the comprehensive approach towards the problems of involving aviation in the Soviet Union during the 1920s for the development of the Arctic, and simultaneously, building the military capacity of the state, and collective perception of the ideas of the development of Arctic territories and aviation. The conclusion is made that the processes of development of polar aviation and division of Arctic territories were the so-called catalyst for each other, which by the early 1930s allowed the Soviet Union to consolidate its position of in the Arctic. The authors’ special contribution lies in examination of various genres of the press as a particular group of sources that had an ideological influence upon public consciousness.

Levelized cost of electricity for the deployment of solar photovoltaic plants: The region of León (Spain) as case study

In the current context of mandatory growth of renewable energy sources for electrical supply, in order to reduce CO2 emissions in the process of electricity generation, it is worth interest to evaluate the feasibility of the deployment of new large solar photovoltaic production facilities. This study seeks to analyze the costs and benefits of this type of infrastructures, considering the region of León (Spain) as case study due to its high potential. The Levelized Cost of Energy is used in this study as main decision tool, so a sensibility study on this indicator has been carried out, including the financial interest rates, the capital and operation expenditures, the facilities performance and the expected life span of the installations. Three main locations have been selected in the region, close to the main power demand sites, in order to minimize power distribution losses between the power plants and end-users. Results show that an LCOE in the range between 0.21 and 0.26 €/kWh can be achieved. The simplified calculation presented allows a preliminary and quick assessment of the grid parity of a photovoltaic plant in locations where they are not known in detail.

Effect of healthcare accessibility on cocoa farmers food security in Ondo State, Nigeria

Effect of healthcare accessibility on cocoa farmers’ food security explored latest research from the economic, medical and food security literature concerning the eminence of care, physical accessibility, cost, availability of the right type of care for those in need, and its significances on food security, with a focus on healthcare personnel availability. A multistage (five-stage) sampling procedure was employed to select 200 farmers and data were collected using structured questionnaire. Accessibility Index (AI), Food Security Index (FSI) and Tobit regression model were used for the analysis. The accessibility index shows that Owo LGA has 5 patients per doctor, Idanre LGA has 9 patients per doctor and Ile Oluji LGA has 8 patients per doctor while Ondo West LGA has 7 patients per doctor. Consultation cost, service cost and diagnosis cost were found to have negative effect on farmers’ income while medicine and surgical cost were found significant to farmers’ income. Although 65.50% of the respondents were food secured, the number of patient per different health personnel and facility as well as family size (0.000) have a significant relationship with farmers' food security status. Thus, it is suggested that more deployment of health care officers and facilities are needed in the study areas. Key words: Food security, farmers, healthcare, accessibility, income, cocoa.