Reduce Transportation Costs Research Articles

ETFE and its Role in the Fabrication of Lightweight c-Si Solar Modules

Glass-free, lightweight, photovoltaic modules have the potential to enable new uses of solar in building integrated and vehicle integrated applications. Glass-free modules have the advantages of reduced weight, lower-cost mounting solutions, and reduced transportation costs. Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) is usually considered a suitable candidate to replace glass as the front cover sheet material in module fabrication. In this article, we report on its optical, chemical, self-cleaning, and morphological properties. Durability is a key issue, especially for building-integrated applications since harsh conditions are prevalent outdoors. We report on the effect of sequences of environmental stress tests (UV exposure, and Damp Heat). The module cover material is also subject to regular cleaning, which can cause surface damage. We report on the use of linear abrasion testing to assess the abrasion resistance of ETFE to a variety of abrasive materials. The results provide useful data on the advantages and disadvantages of replacing glass with a durable polymer for front sheets in solar modules.

Проблемы оценки производительности работы порта

Maritime transport is one of the most important elements of international economic trade relations. The development of the country's economy, which is open to the sea, requires, among other things, the stimulation of sea and river transport and, indirectly, port activities. Improving the operation of the port system reduces transport costs and can ensure an increase in the competitiveness of economic sectors at the level achieved by other EU countries. This is possible only thanks to innovative management that ensures the identification and implementation of measures to improve the quality and optimization of port logistics processes. The article summarizes the main characteristics of port services, the quality of port services, the components of the port system and the competitiveness of the port. The author gives a comparative analysis of port development priorities based on a set of criteria adopted at the international level.

Investigation of the relationship between health expenditure and profit level of farmers in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Health expenditures on profit effect on farmers in Bayelsa State, Nigeria were examined. Purposive and random sampling procedures were used to select 216 respondents for the study. The average monthly health expenditure and net farm income per farmer were N664 and N17,995.31k respectively. The regression model showed that health expenditure had an inverse relationship with profit. Their total healthcare expenditure was significantly influenced by gender, age, household size, education, income, and cost of medical services. The result of the correlation analysis shows that there is a significant negative relationship between profit and health expenditure of farmers in the study area (r=0.625, p<0.05). It is recommended that more affordable health services should be provided as well as reduced transport costs; price ceilings for healthcare medical services should be introduced.

Overview of Energy Harvesting Technologies Used in Road Vehicles

Road transport is one of the most important factors for the national economy due to its universality and comprehensive possibilities of transporting people and goods. Unfortunately, from the energy point of view, it is also the most cost-intensive and has a negative influence on the natural environment. For these reasons, issues related to limiting the use of conventional fuels are very important, which results in reducing emissions from this sector, as well as reducing transport costs. This article presents currently used energy sources for propulsion of road vehicles, including fossil and alternative fuels, gaseous fuels and other energy sources such as fuel cells. The following section presents technologies that allow to recover some of the energy lost in motor vehicles and internal combustion engines used for their propulsion. The principle of operation of these solutions, their structure and their main features are presented. The last part focuses on discussing and identifying the most universal technologies for energy harvesting in vehicles and showing further directions of energy development in the automotive sector.

So close, no matter how far: A spatial analysis of CO2 emissions considering geographic and economic distances

AbstractIn recent years, the effects of climate change have become a topic of growing interest in the literature. Many works claimed the importance of spillover effects while studying CO2 emissions. Most part of them considers these indirect effects from a geographical perspective. The reduction of transportation costs makes other factors more important. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to analyse the existence of spatial dependence, considering geographical and economic proximity and comparing both measures. Empirically, we make use of the World Input–Output database with a worldwide focus from 2000 to 2014. Based on an environmentally extended multiregional input–output model, we estimate the CO2 emissions embodied in the domestic production and international trade between countries. To analyse the dependence from both perspectives, we carry out a spatial econometric analysis and make use of two different spatial weight matrices. The results offer a new approach on this field, highlighting the importance of the spillover effects to explain the CO2 emissions of the local country, showing that economic proximity is even more important than geographical one.

Study on the Location-Routing Problem in Network-Type Tractor-and-Trailer Transportation Mode

Under the trend of developing green transportation in China, tractor-and-trailer transportation has received more attention. This paper focuses on the network-type tractor-and-trailer transportation mode in the port hinterland, aiming to tackle the problems of low efficiency and customer satisfaction in the existing transportation network. The authors recommend considering opening several alternative depots and making vehicle scheduling decisions simultaneous in order to optimize the existing transportation network. Therefore, this paper constructs a bi-level programming model with a generalized total cost minimization as the objective function. The solution to the original problem is divided into two stages: the location-allocation problem and vehicle scheduling; a two-stage hybrid heuristic algorithm is designed to solve the problem. Through the continuous iteration of the upper genetic algorithm and the lower hybrid particle swarm algorithm, the overall optimization of the problem is achieved. Finally, a specific example verifies the model and the algorithm’s effectiveness. The results show that the method proposed in this paper can significantly improve customer satisfaction and reduce transportation costs to a certain extent. It can also provide effective theoretical decision support for logistics enterprises to carry out tractor-and-trailer transportation business and develop green transportation.

Public transportation in the DMQ by geography and incidence

Excessive traffic and the need to move around have created social, infrastructure, time and coverage problems due to the value currently provided by urban transportation. The objective of this study is to analyze the incidence of public transportation in the DMQ according to the variable considered geographically and the way in which it affects fuel consumption. Through a descriptive analysis of the factors that affect fuel consumption, data was collected from three transportation routes, each with different geographic characteristics to determine an average consumption in each route. The fuel consumption of route 3 (Ofelia/Marín) was determined to be adequate according to the study, where route 3, with its geographic conditions and greater distance compared to the others, has an ideal driving performance close to constant speeds. It is concluded that fuel consumption is affected by the type of driving of the vehicle as well as the geographic conditions present in the DMQ, however, the percentage of profit of each operator affects citizens who seek to reduce transportation costs by using public transportation.

Surface Cement Concrete with Reclaimed Asphalt

This research concerns the possibility of using reclaimed asphalt pavement as a substitute for conventional aggregate in cement concrete mixtures for roads and airfield applications. The advantages of using reclaimed asphalt pavement as a replacement for natural aggregates are presented. Economic and environmental aspects are indicated, including the reduction in the consumption of natural non-renewable sources of mineral aggregates, as well as reduction in transport costs and emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. The consistency of this recycled material with the idea of sustainable development in the construction industry is emphasized. The test results of the used reclaimed asphalt and the assessment of the effect of its amount on the change in mechanical, physical and strength parameters of cement concrete are presented. It has been shown that the addition of reclaimed concrete reduces selected parameters of cement concrete, but it is possible to use it in structures with less traffic load, taking into account the sustainable development policy.

Study of the Influence of Factors on Passenger Service Quality and Efficiency of Rolling Stock Use

The tasks of transport planning are relevant for most countries and comprise implemenation of solutions at regional and local level. The development of transport planning documents in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation is an acute problem and implies the achievement of such goals as improving the quality of passenger transportation and reducing transportation costs. Each of the transport planning documents includes a list of measures, the implementation of which improves the quality of passenger service and the efficiency of the use of rolling stock. The objective of the article is to determine the significance of the influence of technical and operational factors on the resulting indicators of passenger service quality and efficiency of rolling stock use. The research applied experiment planning method described in the work of Yu. P. Adler. The experiment planning method used makes it possible to obtain quantitative estimates of the influence of factors with the same reliability as with other methods. The evaluation was carried out for independent or conditionally independent factors. In the researched case, such factors comprise the number of buses on the route, the length of the route, the turnaround time, the downtime at the terminal points, the allowable deviation from the schedule, the work hours of the drivers, the zero mileage of all buses. Constants in the calculations are independent factors related to the characteristics of the demand for transportation, since when carrying out measures to improve the organisation of the work of buses on routes, they cannot be influenced. These factors comprise the walking distance on the route, the average travel distance of a passenger on the route and the passenger flow on the most loaded haul. The method is implemented in the article on the example of an operating bus on the route. For all basic factors, the upper, lower, and main levels are set. Based on the analysis of the actual values of technical and operational indicators on the existing routes of Moscow region, the numerical values of the above levels were determined. Next, the variation intervals for each factor were selected. An experiment in which all possible combinations of factor levels are implemented is known as a full factorial experiment. The coefficients calculated from the results of the experiment indicate the strength of the influence of a factor. The value of the coefficient corresponds to the contribution of this factor to the value of the optimisation parameter when the factor moves from the zero level to the upper or lower one. As a result of the research, it was found that five basic factors influence the time spent by a passenger, travel comfort, and the completeness of revenue collection, and ten factors affect the daily costs of servicing the route for a carrier. The specificity of the problem is that for all four optimisation parameters, one and the same matrix can be constructed. To conduct a full factorial experiment with varying ten factors at two levels, it is necessary to carry out more than a thousand calculation options. However, in accordance with the methodology, in this case, we can limit ourselves to the minimum number of calculations. On this basis, an experiment planning matrix was built, then, based on the results of calculations, the coefficients in the regression equations for each of the optimisation parameters can be determined. The regression coefficients obtained when calculating the experiment design matrix are similar to those that could be obtained as a result of calculations using the least squares method. Based on this, it is possible to calculate all the statistical characteristics of the basic factors necessary to determine the closeness of the relationship between the factors and optimisation parameters, as well as between the factors themselves. The experiment planning method used in the study made it possible to identify the factors influencing each of the four optimisation parameters. Therefore, the explicit dependence of the optimisation parameters on such a factor as the number of buses on the route was confirmed, but at the same time, the factors were ranked according to the degree of their influence on the result. The correspondence of the obtained results to real and obvious dependencies has allowed to conclude that the chosen method and its implementation are correct.

How Can Increased Tax Improve a City’s Development

Taxation is a huge help in the development of city; however, the help is not always apparently visible. In this article, the benefits of taxation have brought to urban development will be analyzed in detail. The purpose of this paper is to reveal in what aspects can tax revenue help cities to better develop. To further address the topic, this article examines the benefits of higher taxes for urban development in three parts: The first part focuses on how higher taxes can reduce urban overcrowding and, by doing so, mitigate the social problems associated with urban overcrowding. The second part examines how raising government-owned or private transportation taxes can help reduce the cost of maintaining roads and provide valuable funding for basic infrastructure, which also helps reducing the crime rate of the city. The third part describes how higher environmental taxes have stimulated the generation of clean energy, reduced transportation costs and inputs for cleaning up urban pollution. The final part focuses on how tax revenue can provide the cities with capital to survive and recover from unpredictable economic and natural crisis. This paper demonstrates that tax revenue has been successfully improving cities’ development in the four aspects discussed above by reviewing previous studies on the subject, and presenting data related to the development of various cities.

INLAND WATER TRANSPORT OF UKRAINE: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

The article examines the peculiarities of the development of river transport in Ukraine, it`s role and trends in the development of river transport in the modern transport system of Ukraine. The advantages of using river transport in comparison with other types of transport are analyzed. Changes and measures to stabilize the transport industry during the period of martial law are illustrated. River ports of Ukraine were also analyzed. In the process of analysis, the fundamental factors affecting the domestic economy of the transport sector were highlighted. The most significant problems that inland water transport may face have been identified. Ukraine is a country with great potential. For the development of the economy, it is important to use all possible resources, including the geographical location, which is the logistical potential of Ukraine. Ukraine has an extensive network of rivers, which, unfortunately, is currently not being used to its full extent. In addition, at the present time, during the military aggression of the Russian Federation, some types of transport are not used to their full extent. Therefore, river transport can become a successful substitute for other types of transport. The constant attempts of the Russian aggressors to destroy the critical infrastructure of Ukraine proved the need to develop the interchangeability of different types of transport. River transport can become an effective alternative to railway and, partly, road transport. An extensive network of river ports in Ukraine, subject to sufficient financing, will contribute to the increase of cargo flows in Ukraine, both internal and external, and will increase Ukraine’s export potential. The development of transport infrastructure in the post-war period should be harmonized, meet all the requirements of the post-war economy, and comprehensively contribute to its fastest recovery and development. River transport is an important part of the transport infrastructure in Ukraine, which has a network of rivers and canals that covers over 4,000 kilometers. Here are some of the key reasons why river transport is important for Ukraine: Economic benefits: River transport is a cost-effective way of moving goods and materials across long distances, which can help to reduce transportation costs and increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian products. This can be especially important for industries such as agriculture, where bulk products like grain and oilseeds are often transported by river. Access to markets: River transport provides access to markets beyond Ukraine’s borders, including countries in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region. This can help to expand export opportunities for Ukrainian businesses and increase their revenue streams. Environmental benefits: River transport is a more sustainable mode of transportation compared to road and air transport, as it produces lower carbon emissions and causes less traffic congestion. This can help to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and improve air quality in urban areas. Integration with other modes of transport: River transport can be integrated with other modes of transport, such as rail and road transport, to create a seamless transportation network. This can improve the efficiency and reliability of transportation services and reduce transportation costs for businesses. Overall, river transport plays a critical role in the transport infrastructure of Ukraine, and its importance is likely to continue to grow in the future as the country seeks to expand its export markets and improve its economic competitiveness.

Random Fatigue Analysis of Cryogenic Liquid Tanker Under Road Spectrum Load and a Simplified Algorithm

AbstractThe lightweight of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker can reduce transportation cost and improve transportation efficiency. However, in lightweight design, the random vibration analysis based on fluid–structure interaction (FSI) is difficult, which demands to be effectively solved by simplifying the finite element model and load. The vibration test and fluid–structure interaction modal numerical analysis of a tanker model were carried out, respectively, and the results are in good agreement. Taking the DC18 LNG tanker as an example, the random vibration response analysis was carried out based on the fluid–structure interaction modal numerical analysis, and the random fatigue damage coefficient of the support region of the inner container was obtained, which was used as the benchmark for the model and load simplification. The finite element model of the LNG tanker was simplified by applying the equivalent liquid mass to the walls of the inner container in the form of density. It is found that when the equivalent liquid mass ratio is 40%, the random vibration response characteristics of the DC18 LNG tanker are close to the actual structure. In the static calculation of the simplified model, the stress response of the container support area is close to the actual structural when the equivalent road spectrum load is 0.95 g vertical acceleration. In this case, the stress result and the overall damage coefficient equivalent to the actual structure can be obtained just by static calculation, which greatly simplifies the solution process.

Predicting Advanced Air Mobility Adoption Globally by Machine Learning

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a sustainable aviation initiative to deliver cargo and passengers in urban and regional locations by electrified drones. The widespread expectation is that AAM adoption worldwide will help to reduce pollution, reduce transport costs, increase accessibility, and enable a more reliable and resilient supply chain. However, most countries lack regulations that legalize AAM. A fragmented regulatory approach hampers the progress of business prospectors and international organizations concerned with human welfare. Therefore, amidst high uncertainty, knowledge of indicators that can predict the propensity for AAM adoption will help nations and organizations plan for drone use. This research finds predictive indicators by assembling a unique dataset of 36 economic, social, environmental, governance, land use, technology, and transportation indicators for 204 nations. Subsequently, the best of 12 different machine learning models ranks the predictive importance of the indicators. The gross domestic product (GDP) and the regulatory quality index (RQI) developed by the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) project were the two top predictors. Just as importantly, the poor predictors were as follows: the social progress index developed by the Social Progress Imperative, the WGI rule-of-law index, land use characteristics such as rural and urban proportions, borders on open waterways, population density, technology accessibility such as electricity and cell phones, carbon dioxide emission level, aviation traffic, port traffic, tourist arrivals, and roadway fatalities.

Exploring the Optimization of Synchromodal Transportation Path under Uncertainties

Along with the rapid development of the economy and the increasing demand for transport quality, renewed attention to multimodal transportation has emerged. However, due to the unpredictable transport environment in the process of multimodal transportation and the uncertainties caused by the change of transport market demand, transport decision-makers face many difficulties in transport planning and routing, which has become an obstacle to the development of multimodal transportation. As an advanced form of multimodal transportation, synchromodal transportation has received extensive attention in recent years. Due to its flexibility and sustainability, synchromodal transportation can effectively deal with the uncertainty in multimodal transportation. Based on the problem of multimodal transportation networks with uncertainties, this paper proposed a mixed time-window-constrained path optimization model with the goal of minimizing the total transportation costs, and proposed corresponding assumptions considering three types of uncertainty. The model could be solved by a genetic algorithm using MATLAB software. Using this model, the best transportation path and the optimal scheme considering synchronization were obtained. The results of the case study showed that synchromodal transportation can adjust the transportation plan in time to respond to uncertainties, thus, effectively reducing transportation costs. This paper favorably supported the introduction of synchromodal transportation, which is of significance to the development of multimodal transportation in the future.

Making a Market: Infrastructure, Integration, and the Rise of Innovation

AbstractWe exploit exogenous variation arising from the historical rollout of the Swedish railroad network across municipalities to identify the impacts of improved transport infrastructure on innovative activity. A network connection led to a local surge in patenting due to an increased entry and productivity of inventors. As the railroad network expanded, inventors in connected areas began to develop ideas with applications outside the local economy, which were subsequently sold to firms along the network. Our findings suggest that reductions in communication and transportation costs were an important driver of the historical emergence of a market for ideas.

An integrated approach for optimizing location-inventory and location-inventory-routing problem for perishable products

The grocery market, especially the perishable product market is under amazing developments in China, accounting for half of overall food expenditure. However, the supply chain of perishable products has encountered serious problems, including significant freight losses, high inventory and transportation costs, etc. To solve these problems, the current paper proposes an integrated approach for simultaneously optimizing the decisions involved in the supply chain, typically including location, inventory, and routing strategy. A three-echelon supply chain including suppliers, DCs and retailers is structured in this paper, with the impacts of whether allowing direct shipment from supplier to retailer being considered. Two typical problems are investigated: location-inventory problem (LIP) and location-inventory-routing problem (LIRP). Mixed integer nonlinear programming model for LIP is proposed while Mixed integer linear programming models for LIRP is proposed, with the objective of minimizing the overall costs of supply chain, which are composed of infrastructure construction costs, transportation costs, inventory costs, and freight losses. CPLEX is used for LIP model solution and a two-stage heuristic algorithm based on Simulated Annealing is designed to solve the LIRP model. The proposed mathematical models and solution method are then applied to a real supply chain network for fresh milk. The optimized results suggest that considering the direct shipment from supplier to retailer is beneficial in terms of reducing the overall supply chain costs by 31%, with 43% reductions in transportation costs, 69.4% reductions in freight losses, 99.4% increases in inventory costs. With the developments of e-retailers for perishable products, allowing the direct shipment from supplier to retailer will bring more benefits in the future.

HIV Treatment and Care of Adolescents: Perspectives of Adolescents on Community-Based Models in Northern Uganda.

Differentiated service delivery models for people living with HIV continue to be scaled up to expand access to HIV services and treatment continuity. However, there is a gap in information on adolescents' perspectives on community-based models. We aimed to explore the perspectives of adolescents living with HIV on community-based models in northern Uganda. Between February and March 2022, we conducted a descriptive qualitative study at two health centres IV in Northern Uganda. Data was collected using an interview guide. The study had 25 purposively selected adolescents enrolled in community-based models for HIV care and treatment. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated. We analyzed data using a thematic approach. A total of 25 in-depth interviews with HIV-positive adolescents were conducted. More than half (52.0%) of the participants were females, 84.0% were not married, and 44.0% had no formal education. The mean age of the respondents was 15.6 (±1.9) years. The major themes were: community-based models currently accessed by adolescents, benefits, and challenges of the models. Although there are other community-based models (community pharmacies, home ART deliveries) our exploration only discovered two models used by these adolescents to access care, namely, Community Drug Distribution Point (CDDP) and Community Client-Led ART Delivery Groups (CCLADs). The benefits included reduced transportation costs, convenient service access, ART adherence, peer support, a comfortable environment and less stress. However, our results indicate that these models had some challenges, including lack of confidentiality and privacy, perceived stigma, and a lack of face-to-face interaction. Our findings show that CDDP and CCLADs are the two CBMs used by adolescents in Lira District to access treatment and care. Adolescents benefited from these models through reduced transport costs, the convenience of accessing HIV care and treatment, and social support. The challenges associated with these models are lack of confidentiality and privacy, perceived stigma, and a lack of face-to-face interaction. The Ministry of Health should work with other implementing partners to strengthen the implementation of these models to improve HIV/AIDS service delivery for adolescents.

Optimize the Rectifier Structure to Improve the Accuracy of Gas Ultrasonic Flowmeter Under Low Flow Conditions

With the promotion of the coal-to-gas policy, the consumption of civil natural gas in China is increasing rapidly. Improving the measurement accuracy of the flowmeter is of great significance in reducing transportation costs. Computational fluid dynamics software (FLUENT) was used for simulation, the upstream choke model of a single elbow pipe was established, and the flow field in the urban pipe network’s transition area was analyzed and optimized to improve the existing commercial flow Conditioner. The effects of the Reynolds number, the installation location of the ultrasonic gas flowmeter, and aperture depth on measurement accuracy were investigated. The results show that installing the flow Conditioner can improve the velocity distribution of the flow field in the pipeline. Optimizing the flow Conditioner can shorten the installation position of the flowmeter. The optimum thickness of the flow Conditioner is 0.25D. The research results provide important theoretical significance and application value for improving the industry’s ultrasonic gas flowmeter measurement accuracy.

Transportation cost reduction using cross-docks linking

Transportation cost reduction using cross-docks linking

A Flow-Based Formulation of the Travelling Salesman Problem with Penalties on Nodes

The travelling salesman problem (TSP) is one of combinatorial optimization problems of huge importance to practical applications. However, the TSP in its “pure” form may lack some essential issues for a decision maker—e.g., time-dependent travelling conditions. Among those shortcomings, there is also a lack of possibility of not visiting some nodes in the network—e.g., thanks to the existence of some more cost-efficient means of transportation. In this article, an extension of the TSP in which some nodes can be skipped at the cost of penalties for skipping those nodes is presented under a new name and in a new mathematical formulation. Such an extension can be applied as a model for transportation cost reduction due to the possibility of outsourcing deliveries to some nodes in a TSP route. An integer linear programming formulation of such a problem based on the Gavish–Graves-flow-based TSP formulation is introduced. This formulation makes it possible to solve the considered problem by using any integer linear programming optimization software. Numerical examples and opportunities for further research are presented.