High Transportation Costs Research Articles

Living with type 1 diabetes in Neno, Malawi: a qualitative study of self-management and experiences in care

BackgroundThe prevalence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is increasing in low-income countries including Malawi. In this setting, care is frequently impacted by challenges in diagnosis and management. Access to high-quality T1D care remains limited in Malawi, with fairly low availability and high cost of insulin and other supplies and diagnostics, lack of T1D knowledge, and absence of readily accessible guidelines. In the Neno district, Partners In Health established advanced care clinics at district hospitals to provide comprehensive, free care for T1D and other noncommunicable diseases. Prior to this study, experiences in care for people living with T1D (PLWT1D) at these clinics remained unexplored. Here we examine the impact of living with T1D, knowledge and self-management of, and facilitators and barriers to T1D care in Neno District, Malawi.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study utilizing behavior change theory that consisted of twenty-three semi-structured interviews conducted in Neno, Malawi in January 2021 with PLWT1D, their families, providers, and civil society members to explore the psychosocial and economic impact of living with T1D, T1D knowledge and self-management, and facilitators and barriers to accessing care. Interviews were analyzed thematically using a deductive approach.ResultsWe found that PLWT1D had good knowledge and practice of self-management activities for T1D. Key facilitators to care identified by informants included extensive patient education and availability and provision of free insulin and supplies. Significant barriers included distance from health facilities, food insecurity, and low literacy/numeracy. Informants described T1D as having a notable psychosocial and economic impact on PWLT1D and their families, notably worrying about having a lifelong condition, high transportation costs, and reduced working ability. While home visits and transport refunds helped facilitate access to the clinic, informants reported the refunds as inadequate given high transport costs faced by patients.ConclusionsT1D was found to have a significant impact on PLWT1D and their families. Our findings represent important areas of consideration in design and implementation of effective programs for treating PLWT1D in resource-limited settings. Facilitators to care identified by informants may be applicable and beneficial in similar settings, while persisting barriers represent areas for continued improvement in Neno.

Structure and Performance of Cowpea Marketing in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria

This study analyzed the structure and performance of cowpea marketing in Biu Local Government Area, Borno State. The specific objectives were to: describe the socioeconomic characteristics of cowpea marketers; determine the structure of cowpea marketing; analyze the performance of the marketing and identify problems associated with marketing of cowpea. Five cowpea markets were selected for the study namely: Biu, Miringha, Mandaragrau, Mandafuma and Buratai. Twenty respondents were randomly selected from each of the 5 markets giving a total of 100 respondents. Primary data and secondary information were used for the study and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Gini Coefficient and marketing margin. The findings of the study indicated that majority (62%) of the respondents were males, in the active age group of 31-50 years. The educational level of the respondents showed that 85% had various form of education and 96% were married. The Gini Coefficient for cowpea market participants showed an unequal distribution in the income generated with Gini Coefficient of 0.39009. The cowpea marketing margins were 27.3%, 30.8% and 28.4% for retailers, wholesalers and the marketers that does both wholesale and retail respectively. Major problems associated with cowpea marketing in the study area are insecurity (94%), inadequate storage facilities (93%), insect pest infestation (91%) and high cost of transportation (78%). The study concluded that there is a relatively low concentration in cowpea market in the study area. The high level of market concentration is an indication of presence of perfectly competitive structure in the cowpea market. The study recommended that government and non-governmental agencies should empower the marketers through the provision of micro credit facilities to encourage more people to go into cowpea marketing.

Present status of traditional dry fish processing and marketing, and assessment of socio-economic status of dry fish processors in Nazirartek, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

The aim of this study was to examine the existing production procedure of traditionally dried marine fish, their marketing system, and estimate the profit margin of different actors involved in the marketing chain along with the socio-economic status of the dried fish producers in Nazirartek, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Data were collected through questionnaire interviews. It was found that 23 marine fish species were used to produce dried fish which continues from in mid-October to the end of midFebruary. The wholesale or retail markets prices of those products varied on the basis of species, size and quality of the end product. The retail price per kg dried Chinese pomfret (Pampus chinensis), Ribbon fish (Trichiurus haumela), Bombay duck (Harpadon nehereus) and, Indian threadfin (Leptomelanosoma indicum), ranged from BDT 300-500, 350-1400, 400- 850 and, 1500-3200, respectively. Maximum (29.41%) gross margin was calculated for dried Loytta and, minimum (10%) for dried Indian white shrimp (Chaga chingri). Several marketing problems were identified including lack of capital, higher transportation cost, storage problem, lower market demand and higher loan interest rate. Policy level intervention including financing producers was recommended to tackle the non-institutional money lenders.

Agronomic consequences of growing field‐transplanted hybrid potato seedlings

AbstractThe introduction of hybrid breeding in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) requires novel and efficient cropping systems for potato production based on true potato seed (TPS). Such systems address the limitations of conventional seed tuber–based systems, including low multiplication rates, high degeneration rates, and high costs of transport and storage. Of the possible cultivation pathways of TPS, we introduce and discuss the potential of field transplanting nursery‐raised potato seedlings as an alternative system for seed and ware production. This review discusses the current knowledge available on field transplanting of potato seedlings, the key factors that influence the success or failure of the system, and some of the prospective factors that will influence the wide introduction and utilization of field transplanting of potato seedlings in diverse farming systems. A field transplanting system will require the successful production of seedlings in the nursery, a successful establishment of transplanted seedlings in the field, and successful crop management to attain a productive seed or ware crop. The contribution of various factors in the various phases of the system to the success of the transplanted crop is also discussed. The introduction and utilization of the field transplanting system will be accelerated when hybrid breeding focuses on the introgression of traits of interest into high yielding cultivars and when agronomic studies focus on defining factors influencing productivity in distinct phases of the system.

Understanding patient-level costs of weekly isoniazid-rifapentine (3HP) among people living with HIV in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Twelve weeks of weekly isoniazid and rifapentine (3HP) prevents TB disease among people with HIV (PWH), but the costs to people of taking TB preventive treatment is not well described.METHODS: We surveyed PWH who initiated 3HP at a large urban HIV/AIDS clinic in Kampala, Uganda, as part of a larger trial. We estimated the cost of one 3HP visit from the patient perspective, including both out-of-pocket costs and estimated lost wages. Costs were reported in 2021 Ugandan shillings (UGX) and US dollars (USD; USD1 = UGX3,587)RESULTS: The survey included 1,655 PWH. The median participant cost of one clinic visit was UGX19,200 (USD5.36), or 38.5% of the median weekly income. Per visit, the cost of transportation was the largest component (median: UGX10,000/USD2.79), followed by lost income (median: UGX4,200/USD1.16) and food (median: UGX2,000/USD0.56). Men reported greater income loss than women (median: UGX6,400/USD1.79 vs. UGX3,300/USD0.93), and participants who lived further than a 30-minute drive to the clinic had higher transportation costs than others (median: UGX14,000/USD3.90 vs. UGX8,000/USD2.23).CONCLUSION: Patient-level costs to receive 3HP accounted for over one-third of weekly income. Patient-centered approaches to averting or defraying these costs are needed.

An Economic Analysis of Marketing of Maize and Constraints Faced by the Maize Growers in Production and Marketing in Ariyalur District of Tamil Nadu in India

The present study was conducted in Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu. Totally 100 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed from the district. The data was gathered in the form of pre-structured interview schedule. The study shows that different marketing channels with their marketing efficiency and major constraints faced by the maize growers in production and marketing of maize in the district. Totally three channels are shown in the study channel I with marketing efficiency 10.15, channel II with marketing efficiency 6.72 and channel III with marketing efficiency 3.84. For production the major constraints were eccentric rainfall, high input cost required for cultivation, high wage rate for labours, drastic pest occurrence and birds that eats the crop in budding stage, especially peacocks. From the above constraints, disturbance of birds was a major constraint. While discussing about marketing constraints, price fluctuation, distant market location, commission for middlemen, lack of timely credits and high transport cost. From the above marketing constraints, price fluctuations were a major constraint identified in Ariyalur district.

ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE of WOMEN HONEY MARKETERS in ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

Honey marketing is an important off-farm economic activity for women's livelihood and sustenance. Despite this, there is scant information in the literature about the economic performance of women honey marketers. Therefore, this study investigates the economic performance of women marketers, its drivers, and its challenges. Data collected from 120 women honey marketers were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross profit, net profit, benefit-cost ratio, return on capital invested, operating ratio, marketing margin, and multiple regression. We found that honey marketing was a profitable venture, as indicated by the high gross profit (USD 262.08), net income (USD 257.03), marketing margin (56%), benefit-cost ratio (1.72), and return on capital invested (0.72) per 58.14 liters sold. Honey marketing also had a low operating ratio of 0.57. Thus, women honey marketers performed economically well. The significant factors that enhanced the profitability of honey marketing were education, experience in honey marketing, credit, and membership in an association. While age, purchasing costs, and transportation costs reduced honey marketing profitability. Inadequate capital and credit, price fluctuations, a poor road network, high transportation costs, adulteration, and poor marketing information were the major severe constraints faced in honey marketing. These call for the provision of credit, training, and education to honey marketers by the government to enhance the profitability of the enterprise.

Economic Analysis of Cassava Value Chain Products in Etche Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

The research work on the economic analysis of cassava value chains was conducted in Etche LGA, Rivers State. The objectives of the study were to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, examine the economic impact of cassava value-chain products, evaluate the profitability of cassava value-chain products, and identify constraints faced in cassava conversion. The findings also showed that inadequate finance, poor road network, high cost of cassava tubers, high cost of transportation, inadequate processing materials, poor package facilities, low income of farmers, sourcing of labor, and lack of or inadequate storage facilities were major constraints to the conversion of cassava to fufu, garri, starch, and flour. The study concluded that the cassava value chain is lucrative and highly profitable in the study area. It was recommended that funds be provided for them to acquire more lands and processing materials for maximum production, and individual and communal efforts should be harnessed to provide efficient processing and storage facilities where processors can assess at very affordable prices for the general public.

Challenges Faced by the Paddy Farmers during COVID-19 Regime in Andhra Pradesh

Rice is the main food for about 800 million people in India, which constitutes about 65% of its population. The unexpected imposition of lockdown with very little preparation obstructed farming and the food systems in numerous different ways. Rice was majorly affected by the restrictions during COVID-19; hence the present study was designed. A multistage sampling design was adopted the for selection of the sample. Garrett’s ranking method was used to prioritize challenges and the results revealed high input cost, high wage rate of labour, high transportation cost, and non-availability of farm labour were major challenges faced by paddy farmers to cope with these challenges we suggested that Government should provide adequate inputs to the farmers at a judicious time on a need basis through RBK’s, high need to encourage farmers towards mechanization, labour scarcity should be reduced by employing MGNREGA workers in operations, Government should provide required inputs at lower/ judicious prices by establishing the manufacture industries and also should ensure that correct and reliable market information to reach the farmers.

Risk Analysis Of Chili Chili Farming In The Koli Transmigration Settlement Unit, Oba Sub-District, Tidore City Islands, North Maluku Province

The agricultural pattern for residents in the Transmigration Settlement area or known as trans koli already uses modern technology that produces maximum production. Cayenne pepper production risk is a loss to farmers caused by the emergence of a production process that cannot be handled. The purpose of this study was to analyze the costs, income and income of cayenne pepper farming and to analyze production risk, cost risk and risk of cayenne pepper farming income in the Koli Transmigration Settlement Unit, Oba District, Tidore City, North Maluku Islands Province. The analytical method used in this research is descriptive quantitative analysis to analyze farming and risk analysis. The results of this study are that the average total production costs incurred by farmers in the Trans Koli area during one planting season is IDR 1,464,198 and the average total income during one harvest season is IDR 4,062,293 and the average chili farming income earned farmer. for one harvest season IDR 2,599,094. This explains that the income of the respondent farmers in producing cayenne pepper is greater than the total production costs incurred by the cost risk with a coefficient of variation of 6.40, this is due to the high transportation costs. While the results of the lowest risk level with a coefficient of variation of 1.26. This is because of the selling price relative and stable production is indicated by a lower level of production risk with a coefficient of variation of 1.60 compared to cost risk.

Challenges and opportunities for inclusive value chains of niche forest products in small island developing states: Canarium nuts, sandalwood, and whitewood in Vanuatu

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a distinct group of nations with unique development challenges, such as skill shortages, lack of economies of scale, high transport and energy costs, poor infrastructure, small domestic markets with a heavy reliance on a few distant external markets, and limited opportunities for private sector growth. A development strategy based on natural resources where local and regional producers can secure some level of intellectual property value has been recommended for Pacific SIDS to break out of commodity and low value-added trade. This paper explores the potential for developing niche forest product value chains that are inclusive of small-scale producers in the island nation of Vanuatu. Using existing academic and grey literature and on- site research for three forest products, the paper describes the current situation with the industry and then proposes inclusive value chains (IVC) that improve on the business-as-usual scenario. Our results indicate that although market analyses confirm the potential for smallholders to benefit from participating in niche product value chains, difficulties inherent in sourcing from smallholders, which are aggravated in SIDS, must first be overcome. Problems such as small production volumes in numerous dispersed plots with difficult access, high transport costs, low technical know-how, difficulties in accessing inputs and finance, unreliability of supply in terms of quality and quantity, and lack of reliable information about the resource base hinder IVC development. Increased vertical and horizontal coordination within the value chains address many of these issues, but in the Pacific context, some forms of coordination may be more feasible than others. The Pacific region does not have a strong cooperative tradition, so temporary horizontal coordination, long-term agreements, and contracts between producers, processors, and buyers may be necessary to make IVCs for niche island products achievable.

Consumers´ Decision-Making under Salop´s Model: Key Study on Starbucks Prague and Richmond business model

This study thesis analyses the Starbucks business model in Prague and Richmond from the location perspective, focusing on the company’s consumers and their decision-making towards commuting to the stores. Using modified Salop’s circle model, the transportation costs of the average Starbucks consumer in both cities are calculated, explained, and compared. It is revealed that the average Starbucks consumer in Richmond bears, on average, 1.255x higher transportation costs than the one in Prague and is willing to travel 2.54x higher distances to purchase the average Starbucks product. In addition, after analyzing transportation costs, the study offers a real-life applicable business proposal for where to place a new Starbucks store in both cities, based on several techniques often used in business consulting for solving case studies. The suggested most suitable location for the new store in Prague is the Prague main railway station. In contrast, the best location in Richmond is the intersection of West Broad Street E and North Lombardy Street, close to Virginia Commonwealth University. The study’s main contribution is the inverting of Salop’s circle model and emphasizing transportation costs as an endogenous variable. In general terms, this study may guide spatial optimization in business strategies, from circular economy applications to strategic managerial decisions in locations with different consumer sensitivity to transportation costs.

Research on Copyright Protection of Film and TV Series in the Era of Short Video Deluge in China

Film and television works refer to audio files with or without words and video files that can be recorded, which also enjoy copyright. In this era of short video fast food, movies and TV series have become the benchmark in the cultural field with their mature scripts, careful shooting and large investment of funds and personnel. The copyright protection of movies and TV series is the foundation for the long-term development of China’s film and television industry, and has a great impact on the development of China’s cultural industry. With film and television dramas becoming increasingly popular subjects for short-form video creation on the Internet, short-form video users and film and television drama creators have formed a fierce collision of rights. However, in practice, the copyright protection of film and television series is faced with such problems as high creation costs and low transport costs, high difficulty and high cost for platforms to identify infringing videos, and no clear standards for judicial identification of infringement issues. Therefore, based on the concept of the haven principle and the principle of proportion, this paper uses the method of empirical research to analyze the current situation of film and television play copyright protection in our country by combining the Copyright Law and the short video infringement case of the popular the film “Nagatsuko”. Specifically, this includes legislation to clarify the limits and scope of judicial determination, refine the legal responsibilities of the three main parties, establish a legal risk prevention and control mechanism, and establish a benefit sharing mechanism between creators and short video users, thus promoting coordinated coexistence and win-win cooperation between users of short online videos and creators of TV dramas.

Design of triple cogeneration system for hydrogen fuel cell in greenhouse based on resource analysis

Introduction: Hydrogen energy has a massive advantage in the energy supply mode regarding greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, the energy supply system needs to be redesigned to meet the heating/cooling needs and the goals of using hydrogen energy.Methods: The comprehensive utilization efficiency of system energy can be improved using resource analysis to solve the problem of waste heat and formulate a technical plan for triple cogeneration of hydrogen greenhouse.Results: By calculation, the energy efficiency of the coal boiler heating system, the hydrogen energy heating system and the hydrogen greenhouse triple heating system are 65%, 52.93%, and 73.36%, respectively. Compared to the coal boiler heating system and the hydrogen energy heating system, the advantages of the hydrogen greenhouse triple cogeneration system are that the comprehensive utilization efficiency of the system energy has been improved, and no CO2 is generated when it works, which does not cause pressure on environmental protection. At the same time, the exergy efficiency of the hydrogen greenhouse triple cogeneration system is higher. Currently, due to the high price of hydrogen and fuel cells, the economic advantages are not outstanding. Still, coal energy is expected to be replaced in the future with the continuous decline in the cost of hydrogen and fuel cells. According to the current coal price, when the hydrogen price decreases to below $1.3/kg, coal will lose its price advantage in terms of fuel. At the same time, hydrogen has a high energy density, small volume, and low transportation cost. According to IRENA and Hydrogen Council, the cost of producing hydrogen from renewable energy will drop to $1/kg by 2050. The system will significantly reduce the operating costs of greenhouses in the future.Discussion: As a result, the hydrogen greenhouse triple cogeneration system is suitable for producing greenhouse agriculture and the heating method of fossil fuel combustion that will replace coal in the future.

Evaluation of Factors influencing Health Care Seeking Behaviours among Caretakers of Children below 5 Years in Bugala Island, Kalangala District

Childhood illnesses present a major public health challenges for a developing country like Uganda which is aggravated by a suboptimal health seeking behaviour by the parents or guardians. Appropriate medical care could prevent a significant number of child deaths and complications. The aim of this research was to determine the factors influencing health care seeking behaviours among caretakers of children below 5 years at Bugala Island, Kalangala district. A cross-sectional descriptive study design quantitative in nature was conducted in rural area of Bugala Island using simple random sampling, a total of 50 participants were recruited into the study. Results indicated that more than 60% had poor health seeking behaviours associated with increased number of children. Furthermore, poor means of transport, high costs of transport and user charges as well as others being delayed by traditional healers. Level of education was found to have high influence in early health care seeking behaviours. This study recommends that an intensive awareness campaigns through multimedia approach stressing on female literacy, improving on socio-economic status of people along with counselling on early health care seeking practices especially for under 5 years children should be encouraged. Also government should consider Bugala Island and Kalangala district in general as special area with unique challenges and put a health unit at village levels because of long distances from the town in order to reduce mortality and morbidity of under 5 years Children. A study on attitudes of health workers in relation to early health care seeking behaviours needs also to be carried out. Keywords: Caretakers, Bugala Island, child deaths, health care

Cold Cracking Technology for Crude Oil Upgrading in Qaiyarah Heavy Oil Field; Technical and Economical Evaluation

Heavy oil is classified as unconventional oil resource because of its difficulty to recover in its natural state, difficulties in transport and difficulties in marketing it. Upgrading solution to the heavy oil has positive impact technically and economically specially when it will be a competitive with conventional oils from the marketing prospective. Developing Qaiyarah heavy oil field was neglected in the last five decades, the main reason was due to the low quality of the crude oil resulted in the high viscosity and density of the crude oil in the field which was and still a major challenge putting them on the major stream line of production in Iraq. The low quality of the crude properties led to lower oil prices in the global markets as well as the high operation cost of production and transportation. The purpose of this paper is testing new technology applications on an Iraqi Heavy Oil Field and specifically (Qaiyarah Oil Field) by applying the cold cracking technique to upgrade Qaiyarah heavy oil properties through using series of electrical/ mechanical activities applied on the heavy crude that generates special kind of vibrations to re-structure the (H-C) bonds in the heavy oil to convert it to lighter crude with lower viscosity/ density which was the outcome of the distillation by reducing the unsaturated components and isolating the minerals and sulfur as sold components. The results were very optimistic, where the density has improved from 16 to 30.5 API degree, sulfur content has reduced from 6.4 to 1.507 weight percent and selling price per barrel would increase by 53% compare to 2.31% cost increment due to the upgrading operation. Therefore, applying the cold cracking technology is convenience for improving Qaiyarah oil properties as the main production stream line will be increased in Iraq.

Perceived readiness for diabetes and cardiovascular care delivery in Mangochi, Malawi: multicentre study from healthcare providers’ perspectives

BackgroundDespite the expected prevalence rise of 98.1% for diabetes between 2010 and 2030 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the anticipated rise of both diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Malawi from their current figures ( 5.6 and 8.9%; respectively), data on the readiness of health facilities to provide diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in Mangochi district is not available. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the readiness of health facilities to provide services for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.MethodsAn exploratory study was conducted from July to early September 2021 in 34 health facilities in Mangochi, Malawi. Forty-two participants were purposefully selected. They included medical officers, clinical officers, medical assistants, and registered nurses. The study used semi-structured interviews (for qualitative data) with a checklist (for quantitative data) to provide information about the readiness of services (such as guidelines and trained staff, drugs, diagnosis capacity and equipment, essential medicines, community services, and education/counseling).The thematic content analysis and basic descriptive statistics were carried out.ResultsThe following main theme emerged from the qualitative part: low use of diabetes-cardiovascular disease (CVD) services. This was due to: health facility factors (shortage of drugs and supplies, poor knowledge, few numbers and lack of training of providers, and absent copies of guidelines), patients factors (poor health-seeking behaviour, lack of education and counseling for many), and community factors (very limited community services for diabetes and CVDs, lack of transport policy and high transportation costs). Data from the checklists revealed low readiness scores across domains (below the 75% target) in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases: trained staff and guidelines (26.5% vs. 32.4%); diagnosis capacity and equipment (63.7% vs. 66.2%); essential medicines (33.5% vs. 41.9%), and community services, and education and counseling (37.5% vs. 42.5%).ConclusionThere were several noticeable shortfalls identified in the readiness of health facilities to provide diabetes and cardiovascular disease services in Mangochi health facilities. Any future intervention in diabetes-cardiovascular disease care in these areas must include these elements in its basic package.

Liquefied Natural Gas Logistics Management Through Optimal Road-Rail Intermodal Logistics Planning Considering Community Safety

The demand for natural gas (NG) in Thailand has been continuously increasing, but part of NG volume has not been distributed to customers locating far from the pipeline network. Therefore, NG is transported by trucks in liquid form called liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet the demand. However, road transportation by truck causes many problems such as high transportation cost, low capacity, poor environmental conditions, and low safety. To solve these problems, the road-rail intermodal transportation is an option to distribute a large volume of LNG in long-haul transportation more efficiently. This research proposes an optimal planning for LNG logistics management in a case study where the problem is modeled as a mixed-integer nonlinear program to minimize the total logistics cost. The optimal solution includes the LNG distribution center locations, transportation mode(s), train loading service type, and truck type. Community safety using the LNG damage radius criterion is considered in the model as a constraint. The solutions resulting from three planning scenarios are compared and discussed.

Plasma-Induced Selective Propylene Epoxidation Using Water as the Oxygen Source.

Propylene oxide (PO) is a critical gateway chemical used in large-scale production of plastics and many other compounds. In addition, PO is also used in many smaller-scale applications that require lower PO concentrations and volumes. These include its usage as a fumigant and disinfectant for food, a sterilizer for medical equipment, as well as in producing modified food such as starch and alginate. While PO is currently mostly produced in a large-scale propylene epoxidation chemical process, due to its toxic nature and high transport and storage costs, there is a strong incentive to develop PO production strategies that are well-suited for smaller-scale on-site applications. In this contribution, we designed a plasma-liquid interaction (PLI) catalytic process that uses only water and C3H6 as reactants to form PO. We show that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generated in the interactions of water with plasma serves as a critical oxidizing agent that can epoxidize C3H6 over a titanium silicate-1 (TS-1) catalyst dispersed in a water solution with a carbon-based selectivity of more than 98%. As the activity of this plasma C3H6 epoxidation system is limited by the rate of H2O2 production, strategies to improve H2O2 production were also investigated.

Student Transportation in Choice-Rich Districts: Implementation Challenges and Responses

Abstract Despite a growing recognition of the significance of student transportation for promoting equitable school choice, to date, there has been limited understanding of the implementation of school transportation policies, particularly in choice-heavy settings. Moreover, little is known about the challenges associated with managing student transportation in large school districts or how school and district administrators working in distinct contexts respond to these challenges. This brief draws on interview data collected from district administrators, charter school leaders, charter authorizers, and stakeholders in three choice-rich school districts with distinct transportation policies and public transit infrastructures—Detroit, New Orleans, and New York City—to identify the common challenges associated with implementing student transportation policies and administrators’ responses to them. The brief includes a discussion of the implications of high transportation costs, logistical complexity, and student safety challenges as well as non-uniform transportation provision and transportation policies for equitable access to charter schools. It ends with a review of some potential policy alternatives that policymakers should consider when designing transportation policies or working to improve existing transportation practices.