Minimum Transportation Cost Research Articles

Incessant Allocation Method for Solving Transportation Problems

Industries require planning in transporting their products from production centres to the users end with minimal transporting cost to maximize profit. This process is known as Transportation Problem which is used to analyze and minimize transportation cost. This problem is well discussed in operation research for its wide application in various fields, such as scheduling, personnel assignment, product mix problems and many others, so that this problem is really not confined to transportation or distribution only. In the solution procedure of a transportation problem, finding an initial basic feasible solution is the prerequisite to obtain the optimal solution. Again, development is a continuous and endless process to find the best among the bests. The growing complexity of management calls for development of sound methods and techniques for solution of the problems. Considering these factors, this research aims to propose an algorithm “Incessant Allocation Method” to obtain an initial basic feasible solution for the transportation problems. Several numbers of numerical problems are also solved to justify the method. Obtained results show that the proposed algorithm is effective in solving transportation problems.

Research on Medicine Distribution Route Optimization for Community Health Service Institutions

At present, the optimization of medicine distribution route has become an urgent issue that needs to be solved in the unified medicine distribution for community health service institutions. Considering the characteristics of medicine distribution for community health service institutions, to minimize the overall cost (including refrigeration storage cost, vehicle fixed cost, and transportation cost) of medicine distribution in a certain region, a transport-distance-constrained local community medicine distribution route optimizing model is established. Then, a tabu-search-based algorithm originated from client direct arrangement ideology is put forward and MATLAB language is used to simulate the medicine distribution procedure. The simulated results show that the proposed algorithm is capable of obtaining an optimum distribution scheme cost with minimum transportation cost.

Recycled Material Web Map: Connecting Consumers and Producers

An online geographic information system web application that connects producers and consumers of recyclable material was developed to assist engineers and contractors in the beneficial reuse of recycled materials in transportation projects. The Recycled Material Web Map comprises four core layers: producers, stockpiles, specifications, and case studies. Producers of recycled material can locate their facility and enter contact information. The stockpile layer, connected to the producer layer, allows facility managers to add or update information about their recycled material stockpiles that includes material type, application, availability, and cost. Multiple stockpiles can be associated with each producer. The specification layer includes both Department of Transportation specifications and environmental regulations pertaining to the beneficial reuse of nonhazardous recycled material on the basis of specific location, material type, and application. The case study layer locates projects that successfully used recycled materials and has information about the material type, application, volume data, and any additional documentation. As potential consumers of recycled material, engineers and contractors can pinpoint the location of a construction project, search for sources and quantities of recycled material that meets project specifications, and contact material producers. The web map uses search capabilities to locate nearby stockpiles to minimize transportation costs that typically dictate the use of large volumes of materials. The Recycled Material Web Map provides key information that engineers and contractors need to successfully use recycled materials, thereby preserving limited natural resources and benefiting the project and society as a whole.

Optimal location of electricity vending station

Location decisions for services tend to be an important part of the overall market strategy for the delivery products or services to customers efficiently and effectively. This paper focuses on optimal location of prepaid vending point using concepts from the Centre of Gravity and Euclidean Models. The method locates the facility at an optimal location minimizing the average distance travelled and transportation cost. The approach is simple, since the transportation rate and the point load (kWh) are the only location factors. The model was used to locate the optimal vending point of Abokobi, Ghana. The optimal vending station was found to have coordinates (0.5549, 0.7516)km in relation to Abokobi Rural Bank which was selected as the reference point, a point which eventually minimize transportation cost of T= ¢7909.20 from the chosen reference point. 22 Joseph Ackora-Prah et al.

Solving a Reverse Supply Chain TSP by Genetic Algorithm <sup></sup>

Stringent legislative, social concerns & clean carbon emissions are constraining companies to take a fresh look at the impact of supply chain operations on environment, society and individuals when designing reverse supply chain networks. A challenging task in today’s globalised environment where companies mandatorily have to collect back goods after its reliable life is making companies integrate supply chain decisions objective here is to minimize transportation cost and distance. In this paper problem of designing a TSP (Travelling Sales man problem) is addressed which is one of the NP-hard problem in combinatorial optimization. Computational experiments conducted with GA (Genetic algorithm) on large and small size TSP cases where compared with NNA (Nearest neighboring algorithm) and have proved that the GA provides optimal tour every time in reasonable time by outperforming the NNA solution when number of cities are increased.

Sequential organization and optimization of the nut-cracking behavior of semi-free tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp.).

Stone-aided nut-cracking requires the coordination of three elements: the agent must assemble nuts, a "hammer" stone and an "anvil." Under naturalistic settings, nut-cracking sites, constituted of anvil-like surfaces and already containing a hammer stone, can be fairly stable, lasting as long as the "hammer" stays in place. In an experiment with a semi-free-ranging group of tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp.) we observed the behavioral sequences leading to nut-cracking. We positioned nuts, hammer, and anvil at the vertices of a 10-m-sided equilateral triangle. Thus, to crack a nut the individuals had to visit the vertices and gather the movable elements (nut and hammer) at the anvil. Under such conditions, the monkeys systematically employed a nut-hammer-anvil vertex visit sequence, one of the shortest and more cost-effective possible routes. In the following experiment, we examined whether the gathering of the hammer after the nuts resulted solely from a "nut first" strategy or if the monkeys were also minimizing hammer transport costs. We positioned two hammers, of the same weight, at different distances from the nuts and anvil, so the cost of hammer transportation (energy and risk of injury) would be higher or lower depending on the choice of hammer (the hammer closer to the nuts being farther from the anvil). We found that, instead of collecting the closest hammer, after collecting the nut, the monkeys systematically chose the hammer closer to (and beyond) the anvil, thus minimizing transport costs.

Comparison of swimming capacity and energetics of migratory European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and New Zealand short-finned eel (A. australis).

The spawning migration of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) can cover more than 6000 km, while that of the New Zealand short-finned eel (A. australis) is assumed to be approximately 3000 km. Since these species are expected to show adaptive traits to such an important lifetime event, we hypothesized differences in swimming capacity and energetics as a response to this adaptation. In an experimental swimming respirometer set-up, critical swimming speed (Ucrit), optimal swimming speed (Uopt), mass specific oxygen consumption rate (ṀO2), standard metabolic rate (SMR), active metabolic rate at Ucrit (AMRcrit) and at Uopt (AMRopt), the minimum cost of transport at Uopt (COTmin), and the scope for activity, were assessed and compared between the species. With a similar body length and mass, European eels showed ca. 25% higher values for both Ucrit and Uopt, and 23% lower values for COTmin, compared to New Zealand short-finned eels. However, SMR, AMRcrit, AMRopt, and scope for activity did not differ between the species, indicating very similar swimming physiology traits. This study discusses physiological aspects of long distance migration and provides recommendations for (a) swimming respirometry in anguilliform fish, and (b) telemetry research using externally attached pop-up tags.

A Particle Swarm Optimization with Adaptive Multi-Swarm Strategy for Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem

Capacitated vehicle routing problem with pickups and deliveries (CVRPPD) is one of the most challenging combinatorial optimization problems which include goods delivery/pickup optimization, vehicle number optimization, routing path optimization and transportation cost minimization. The conventional

Design and operation of intermodal transportation network in the Marmara region of Turkey

This paper presents a multi-objective optimization model for integrating different transportation modes in the design and operation of an intermodal transportation network in a geographical region. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer optimization problem that accounts for time and congestion dependent vehicle speeds. We present modeling approach, data analysis and outline the important characteristics of the mathematical programming problem for minimization of transportation cost and time simultaneously by using the augmented ∊-constraint method. The proposed approach is illustrated on a real world case using data from Marmara region where approximately 50% industrial goods and services in Turkey are produced.

Transportation Cost Optimization

Many manufacturing make their products in few locations and ship them to many different locations. In this paper we use Evolver, Excel Solver and Microsoft Solver Foundation in order to optimize transportation cost or to find the cheaper way to make and ship products to the customers and meet customers’ demands. “Proplast” company that manufactures doors and windows is located in three different places; in Ferizaj, Pristina and Prizren and supplies 9 shops in Kosove, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Mathematically speaking, our goal is to find minimal transportation cost and this problem will be set up as a linear programming model with the below definition: * Minimize total production and transportation cost; * Constraints: -The amount shipped from each factory cannot exceed plant capacity, - Every shop must receive its required demand, - Transportation trucks have the limit of loading quantity and - Each shipping amount must be nonnegative. We will show Evolver, Excel Solver and Microsoft Solver Foundation results and will find the least expensive way. Also we will compare minimum and maximum cost for all software’s. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n2s1p42

Optimization of a multi-modal tree hub location network with transportation energy consumption: A fuzzy approach

A tree hub location problem (THLP) is a recently introduced extension of the classical hub location problem with an incomplete graph. The aim of this problem is to design a network more economic and practical. This paper presents a new multi-objective model to design a multi-modal tree hub location network under uncertainty. For this purpose, a fuzzy approach is applied to cope with the inherent uncertainty of input data in the THLP. One important issue, which is recently introduced in transportation network, is the amount of fuel consumption effected on economic and environmental problems, In this model, the amount of fuel consumption used in a transportation sector are accounted and the effect of road and vehicle types on consumed fuel in the THLP are studied. This model allows having different transportation modes between hubs and a set of capacity levels for each potential hub so that only one of them can be chosen. The objectives of this model include the minimization of energy consumption and the minimization of transportation costs and fixed costs of locating hubs and hub links. To solve the model, a multi-objective imperialist competitive algorithm (MOICA) is proposed to obtain the Pareto-optimal solutions of the problem. Furthermore, the performance of this algorithm is compared with non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II).

Constraint around Quarter-Power Allometric Scaling in Wild Tomatoes (Solanum sect. Lycopersicon; Solanaceae)

The West-Brown-Enquist (WBE) metabolic scaling theory posits that many organismal features scale predictably with body size because of selection to minimize transport costs in resource distribution networks. Many scaling exponents are quarter-powers, as predicted by WBE, but there are also biologically significant deviations that could reflect adaptation to different environments. A central but untested prediction of the WBE model is that wide deviation from optimal scaling is penalized, leading to a pattern of constraint on scaling exponents. Here, we demonstrate, using phylogenetic comparative methods, that variation in allometric scaling between mass and leaf area across 17 wild tomato taxa is constrained around a value indistinguishable from that predicted by WBE but significantly greater than 2/3 (geometric-similarity model). The allometric-scaling exponent was highly correlated with fecundity, water use, and drought response, suggesting that it is functionally significant and therefore could be under selective constraints. However, scaling was not strictly log-log linear but rather declined during ontogeny in all species, as has been observed in many plant species. We caution that although our results supported one prediction of the WBE model, it did not strongly test the model in other important respects. Nevertheless, phylogenetic comparative methods such as those used here are powerful but underutilized tools for metabolic ecology that complement existing methods to adjudicate between models.

Dynamic optimization of a biped model: Energetic walking gaits with different mechanical and gait parameters

Energy consumption is one of the problems for bipedal robots walking. For the purpose of studying the parameter effects on the design of energetic walking bipeds with strong adaptability, we use a dynamic optimization method on our new walking model to first investigate the effects of the mechanical parameters, including mass and length distribution, on the walking efficiency. Then, we study the energetic walking gait features with the combinations of walking speed and step length. Our walking model is designed upon Srinivasan’s model. Dynamic optimization is used for a free search with minimal constraints. The results show that the cost of transport of a certain gait increases with the increase in the mass and length distribution parameters, except for that the cost of transport decreases with big length distribution parameter and long step length. We can also find a corresponding range of walking speed and step length, in which the variation in one of the two parameters has no obvious effect on the cost of transport. With fixed mechanical parameters, the cost of transport increases with the increase in the walking speed. There is a speed–step length relationship for walking with minimal cost of transport. The hip torque output strategy is adjusted in two situations to meet the walking requirements.

Stable cooperation in dynamic vehicle routing problems

This paper explores transportation cost minimization in the vehicle routing problem under carriers' cooperation on large-scale transport networks. The underlying model is a dynamic cooperative game with transferable utility (TU) functions. We propose a heuristic iterative algorithm for constructing the subadditive characteristic function of the corresponding static game. The algorithm is modified in order to construct the characteristic function of the dynamic routing game. The Shapley value and the subcore concept serve to form the optimal solutions. And finally, we describe a cost distribution procedure in the dynamic game, which guarantees the strong time consistency of the subcore and the dynamic stability of the cooperation agreement.

Stochastic Cost-Profit Tradeoff Model for Locating an Automotive Service Enterprise

Facility location allocation (FLA) is considered as the problem of finding optimally a facility's location with the maximum customer satisfaction, the maximum profit of investors of the facility, and the minimum transportation cost of its oriented-customers. In practice, some factors of the FLA problem, i.e., customer demands, allocations, even locations of customers and facilities, are usually changing, and thus the problem features with uncertainty. To account for this uncertainty, some researchers have addressed the stochastic profit and cost issues of FLA. However, a decision-maker hopes to obtain the specific profit of investors of building facility and meanwhile to minimize the cost of target customers. To handle this issue via a more practical manner, it is essential to address the cost-profit tradeoff issue of FLA. Moreover, some region constraints can greatly influence FLA. By taking the vehicle inspection station as a typical automotive service enterprise example, this work presents new stochastic cost-profit tradeoff FLA models with region constraints. A hybrid algorithm integrating stochastic simulation and Genetic Algorithms (GA) is proposed to solve the proposed models. Some numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed models and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Intraspecific variation in aerobic and anaerobic locomotion: gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) and Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) do not exhibit a trade-off between maximum sustained swimming speed and minimum cost of transport.

Intraspecific variation and trade-off in aerobic and anaerobic traits remain poorly understood in aquatic locomotion. Using gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) and Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), both axial swimmers, this study tested four hypotheses: (1) gait transition from steady to unsteady (i.e., burst-assisted) swimming is associated with anaerobic metabolism evidenced as excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC); (2) variation in swimming performance (critical swimming speed; Ucrit) correlates with metabolic scope (MS) or anaerobic capacity (i.e., maximum EPOC); (3) there is a trade-off between maximum sustained swimming speed (Usus) and minimum cost of transport (COTmin); and (4) variation in Usus correlates positively with optimum swimming speed (Uopt; i.e., the speed that minimizes energy expenditure per unit of distance traveled). Data collection involved swimming respirometry and video analysis. Results showed that anaerobic swimming costs (i.e., EPOC) increase linearly with the number of bursts in S. aurata, with each burst corresponding to 0.53 mg O2 kg−1. Data are consistent with a previous study on striped surfperch (Embiotoca lateralis), a labriform swimmer, suggesting that the metabolic cost of burst swimming is similar across various types of locomotion. There was no correlation between Ucrit and MS or anaerobic capacity in S. aurata indicating that other factors, including morphological or biomechanical traits, influenced Ucrit. We found no evidence of a trade-off between Usus and COTmin. In fact, data revealed significant negative correlations between Usus and COTmin, suggesting that individuals with high Usus also exhibit low COTmin. Finally, there were positive correlations between Usus and Uopt. Our study demonstrates the energetic importance of anaerobic metabolism during unsteady swimming, and provides intraspecific evidence that superior maximum sustained swimming speed is associated with superior swimming economy and optimum speed.

A dynamic closed-loop vehicle routing problem with uncertainty and incompatible goods

This study investigates a dynamic closed-loop vehicle routing problem (VRP) with uncertain pickup and deterministic delivery of incompatible goods, which is an extension of the VRP with simultaneous pickup and delivery (VRPSPD) in closed-loop logistics, where the incompatibility between goods of pickup and delivery is considered. The problem involves minimizing transportation cost, incompatibility and number of customers visited twice. A solution method based on variable neighborhood search (VNS) is developed for solving the VRPSPD. The pickup uncertainty is handled in two stages: first, a priori routes are generated by solving a VRPSPD whose pickup demands are estimated; second, the a priori routes are simulated by dynamically satisfying the pickup demand under incompatibility, and the second-round routes are generated to meet the unmet demands. The effects of considering the incompatibility are examined by experiments. A case of centralized tableware disinfection and logistics services in China’s catering industry is used for demonstration. Disinfected tableware for delivery and used tableware for pickup are incompatible because of potential cross-contamination. The experimental results quantitatively provide insights for managers who must solve the dynamic closed-loop VRP with uncertain pickup and incompatible goods. The proposed method also proves competitive for the VRPSPD.

Minimum Cost of Transport in Human Running Is Not Ubiquitous

This study explores recent claims that humans exhibit minimum cost of transport (CoTmin) for running, which occurs at intermediate speed, and assesses individual physiological, gait, and training characteristics. Twelve healthy participants with varying levels of fitness and running experience ran on a treadmill at six self-selected speeds in a discontinuous protocol over three sessions. Running speed (km·h), VO2 (mL·kg·km), CoT (kcal·km), HR (bpm), and cadence (steps per minute) were continuously measured. VO2max was measured on the fourth testing session. The occurrence of CoTmin was investigated, and its presence or absence was examined with respect to fitness, gait, and training characteristics. Five participants showed clear CoTmin at intermediate speed and a statistically significant (P < 0.05) quadratic CoT-speed function, whereas the other participants did not show such evidence. Participants were then categorized and compared with respect to the strength of evidence for CoTmin (ClearCoTmin and NoCoTmin). The ClearCoTmin group displayed a significantly higher correlation between speed and cadence, more endurance training and exercise sessions per week, and a marginally nonsignificant but higher aerobic capacity than the NoCoTmin group. Some runners still showed CoTmin at intermediate speed even after subtraction of resting energy expenditure. The findings confirm the existence of optimal speed for human running in some but not all participants. Those exhibiting COTmin undertook higher volume of running, ran with a cadence that was more consistently modulated with speed, and tended to be aerobically fitter. The ability to minimize energetic CoT seems not to be a ubiquitous feature of human running but may emerge in some individuals with extensive running experience.

ALGORITHM FOR WEBER PROBLEM WITH A METRIC BASED ON THE INITIAL FARE

We introduce a non-Euclidean metric for transportation sys- tems with a dened minimum transportation cost (initial fare) and in- vestigate the continuous single-facility Weber location problem based on this metric. The proposed algorithm uses the results for solving the We- ber problem with Euclidean metric by Weiszfeld procedure as the initial point for a special local search procedure. The results of local search are then checked for optimality by calculating directional derivative of modi- ed objective functions in nite number of directions. If the local search result is not optimal then algorithm solves constrained Weber problems with Euclidean metric to obtain the nal result. An illustrative example is presented.

International automotive production networks: how the web comes together

This paper aims to provide empirical evidence for the connections between new trade theory and the spatial distribution of economic activities, considering the results obtained by the literature on New Economic Geography as a starting point. To do this, we apply Social Network Analysis specifically to the World Automotive Trade Network. We explore the structural features of the auto network for the years 1996 and 2009 using data on trade flows for 172 countries. Our findings suggest that the auto network has become denser, more extensive and more integrated over time, depicting a center-periphery structure in which regional clusters play a prominent role. In this configuration, strong agglomeration forces generated by companies’ desire for large and rich market access with minimum transportation costs are balanced by the search for new high-potential markets.