State Transport Research Articles

An Overview of Solid Waste Management Practices in Pune, Maharashtra, India

The growing population and rapid urbanization are significant challenges for Indian cities. Pune City generates nearly 2,258 tonnes of waste per day. Pune’s informal waste sector has demonstrated remarkable efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and self-sustainability. Moreover, it contributes to favorable economic and social outcomes for the city. With the support of the self-help group SWaCH Seva Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit, Pune, the municipal solid waste management model has successfully achieved a remarkable 95 percent segregation rate. Implementing the Pune municipal solid waste management model showcases the active and efficient engagement of informal waste workers in the collection and resource utilization process. This underscores the possibility of favorable economic, social, and environmental results stemming from collaborations between municipalities and waste pickers. This paper looks at the role of SWaCH in line with Pune Municipal Corporation towards the present waste management system. Primarily reliant on labor, this model accomplishes recycling tasks at a notably lower cost compared to conventional mechanized and centralized waste management approaches. It can also accomplish high recycling levels and relatively considerable plastic waste segregation. Promoting the retrieval of valuable materials, especially plastics, for local and global recycling enterprises actively contributes to the advancement of a circular urban waste management approach. The objective of this research is to explore and provide a realistic understanding of Pune’s current status of waste generation, collection, transportation, and disposal. Apart from the SwaCH-PMC model, the paper also focuses on plastic waste recycling, the Red Dot Campaign towards sanitary waste, and household e-waste management in Pune.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Financial Performance of Full-Service Versus Low-Cost Airlines

This study analyzes the post-pandemic recovery of the low-cost and full-service airline industries. An analysis of the financial performance of five full-service and four low-cost airlines during and after the pandemic is conducted using four different financial ratios. Low-cost airlines recovered faster and had better performance after the pandemic, despite receiving less federal aid. To explain this difference in recovery speed, the author examined the air traffic, market share, fleet, route structure/choice of airports, and employee productivity between low-cost and full-service airlines using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) from 1998 to 2022.

A Study on Satisfaction of Tamil Nadu Government Free Bus Travel for Women in Madurai City

Abstract: In May 2021, the Tamil Nadu government launched a scheme that made public city and town buses (with certain caveats) free for women. While the rides are completely free (with no restrictions on the number of trips per day or month), the scheme is applicable only on ‘white board’ buses. The white board buses are what are known as Ordinary Bus Routes and represent the most inexpensive category of service that halts at all bus stops on a given route. The state government has provided an annual subsidy of Rs.1,200 crore to state transport undertakings to compensate for the fare box loss due to the scheme. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has extolled the scheme as an ‘economic revolution’, enabling women to join the workforce. In the eyes of many though, free transport remains a political gimmick. It’s not unusual to find citizens who question why travel should be free; and why just for women. A free travel scheme though is not unlike free health services or free education. Some services are so closely linked to ‘public good’, that the cost they incur is easily offset by the good that they achieve. Public transport is one of these. In general, women in India struggle to attain financial independence and a promising career. These challenges are multiplied in the case of women from underprivileged communities as they start with little to no education and a higher dependence on men. Much of this is culturally driven. They are also mostly unemployed; and when they do find employment it is within the unorganized sector, earning low wages. In the majority of Indian families, men tend to have access to the household vehicle, while women generally rely on public transport. Considering that the percentage of women undertaking paid work in India is only 21% while the global average is 47%, mobility becomes a life changing factor that could make or break a woman’s access to work opportunities. On the other hand, women who decide to not work outside the house, still rely on public transport to run errands and manage the household. This again incurs a cost.

Road traffic accidents and the contributing factors among drivers of public transportation in Mizan Aman town, Ethiopia: a Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Traffic accidents on the road is an accident is a terrible accident that causes death, injury, and property damage. However, limited studies were addressed to investigate the prevalence of traffic accidents on the road and the contributing factors among drivers that help in developing strategies to cop-up the incidence within the research domain in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of road traffic accidents and the contributing factors among drivers of public transportation in Mizan Aman town, Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional survey was employed among 376 drivers of public transportation. Every research subject was selected by using a simple random sampling technique. Semi-structured and open-ended questionnaires which comprised demographic characteristics, risky personal behaviors and lifestyles, driver's factors, vehicle condition, and environmental conditions were used to gather data. And then after, data was collected through interviewer-administered using KoBo Collect tools. Completed data were edited and cleaned in the Kobo collect toolbox and then exported for additional analysis to a statistical tool for social science statistics version 26. The descriptive statistics were displayed as figures, tables, and texts. Binary logistic regression was analyzed to identify the contributing factors. Statistically significant was decided with a p-value of ≤ 0.05. The results showed that the prevalence of road traffic accidents among drivers of public transportation in Mizan Aman town was 17%. The study identified factors influencing traffic accidents on the roads including marital status (being single), employee condition (permanent), monthly income (1001-2500 Ethiopia Birr), alcohol use, vehicle maintenance (not), road type (non-asphalt), and weather conditions (being windy). The overall prevalence of road traffic accidents among drivers of public transportation in Mizan Aman town was relatively low. Despite this, sociodemographic characteristics, driver factors, vehicle conditions, and environmental conditions [road type and weather conditions] were the predicting factors of traffic accidents in town. Therefore, reduction strategies should be the highest priority duty for concerned bodies like Mizan Aman town road and transport office, Bench Sheko zone transport and logistics office, and Southwest Ethiopia People Regional State (SWEPRS) transport bureau in the study area.

Pozzolanic Reactivity of High-Alkali Supplementary Cementitious Materials and Its Impact on Mitigation of Alkali-Silica Reaction

The growing scarcity of conventional supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as Class F, Class C fly ashes, and slag has necessitated exploring alternative SCMs previously considered suboptimal. In particular, high-alkali SCMs are often avoided because of the potential concern that their alkali content could release into the concrete pore solution, thus exacerbating the potential for alkali-silica reaction (ASR). However, preliminary research indicates that not all high-alkali SCMs are deleterious, and some can effectively suppress the ASR expansive reaction when used in sufficient dosage levels. This study evaluates the feasibility of using high-alkali SCMs, such as high-alkali natural pozzolans and reclaimed fly ashes, focusing on their pozzolanic reactivity and the correlation between the reactivity and their ASR mitigation performance. The pozzolanic reactivity of the SCMs was evaluated by the R3 test per ASTM C1897 and strength activity index test per ASTM C311. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine the calcium hydroxide consumption by the SCMs. ASR mitigation performance of SCMs was evaluated in accordance with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) T380 miniature concrete prism test. Additionally, pore solution expression and analysis of paste specimens were conducted to determine the correlation between the total alkali and the released alkali levels into the pore solution. Based on the results of this study, all SCMs indicated high pozzolanic reactivity; however, individual performance varied by test method. Ultimately, the high-alkali SCMs, particularly natural pozzolans, did not appear to release any significant levels of alkalis into the pore solution readily and, therefore, show potential for ASR mitigation when used in sufficient dosage levels.

Resiliency Against Flooding in Pavement Geotechnics: Practice Review of State Transportation Agencies

Extreme weather events driven by climate change pose significant threats to our transportation infrastructure, particularly road pavements, in the United States. This paper proposes a guiding framework for designing resilient pavements. The framework was established after comprehensive reviews of the state of practice from pavement design manuals and construction-, implementation-, and practice documents publicly available on websites of state departments of transportation (DOTs) across the country. The objective of this study was to evaluate the infrastructure flood readiness and awareness of transportation agencies based on the state DOT website surveys. Qualitative analyses of transportation agency engineering and construction manuals revealed a varying degree of consideration among the different states for resiliency in transportation infrastructure design policies. Web scraping of state DOT websites highlighted the awareness levels of resiliency and sustainability issues concerning pavements. The importance of constructing permeable pavement base layers to alleviate flood-induced damage was investigated for assessing moisture infiltration effects on pavement performance and how to incorporate these improvements into mechanistic-empirical pavement design concepts. The findings underscored the need to incorporate climate change stressors and predictive climate data modeling in pavement design to enhance infrastructure resilience. Through study findings and considering implementation of the guidelines proposed in this paper, transportation engineers and state agencies are anticipated to be able to better prepare for future extreme weather challenges and safeguard the nation’s transportation assets.

Effect of Fare Charges on The Operations of Inland Waterways Transport in Lagos State

The study looks at how fare prices affect Lagos State's ferry operations, with a particular emphasis on commuter comfort and the distance traveled. Water transportation offers benefits like cheaper costs, increased capacity, and safety, but its potential has not been completely realized. This is because canal ports have defects that prevent the flexibility and convenience required for the flow of goods and services. The study focuses on the Lagos State Waterways Operations. A small number of carefully chosen canal terminals that link different regions of Lagos State make up the study's population. Purposive sampling was done at the Elegbata/Ebute Ero Terminal, Ebute Ojo Terminal, Ikorodu Terminal, and Badore Terminal. The snowballing technique was used to randomly select 818 passengers. Investigation revealed that daily fee charges have an effect on Lagos State's water transportation operations, and that commuters' comfort level and distance traveled were statistically significant for each of the seven independent components. This analysis showed how daily ticket costs affect the waterways transportation operations in Lagos State. The analysis shows how the low fees actually promote more traffic on Lagos State's waterways, raising the cost of upkeep and lengthening the time needed for servicing. It was recommended that efforts be made to reduce fare prices and provide suitable infrastructure at the ports in order to have efficient inland waterways operations that result in a complete reduction in operational expenses.

Electronic heat conductivity in a two-temperature state

Heat transport in solids is governed by two fundamental contributions, atomic and electronic. The electronic energy transport in transient excited states is a defining factor in the problem of ultrafast material irradiation. Here, we calculate the electronic heat conductivity at elevated electron temperatures up to 40,000 K. We apply the novel combined method of tight binding formalism to calculate the electron-phonon contribution to the electronic heat conductivity, and the linear response theory (in the single-pole Ritchie-Howie loss function approximation) for its electron-electron counterpart, implemented in the hybrid code XTANT-3. It allows us to evaluate the electronic heat conductivity in a wide range of materials – fcc metals: Al, Ca, Ni, Cu, Sr, Y, Zr, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ir, Pt, Au, and Pb; hcp metals: Mg, Sc, Ti, Co, Zn, Tc, Ru, Cd, Hf, Re, and Os; bcc metals: V, Cr, Fe, Nb, Mo, Ba, Ta, and W; other metals: Sn, Ga, In, Mn, Te, and Se; semimetal graphite; semiconductors – group IV: Si, Ge, and SiC; group III-V: AlAs, AlP, GaP, GaAs, and GaSb; oxides: ZnO, TiO2, and Cu2O; and others: PbI2, ZnS, and B4C.

Inverse Source Problem in Radiative Transport with Nonlinear Anisotropic Sources

An inverse source problem in the stationary radiative transport in two dimension in an absorbing and scattering medium is considered, where the source is directionally quadratic polynomial. The medium has an anisotropic scattering property that is neither negligible nor large enough for the diffusion approximation to hold. The attenuating and scattering properties of the medium are assumed known. For scattering kernels of finite Fourier coefficients in the angular variable, we show how to recover the nonlinear anisotropic radiative source from boundary measurements.

The Current Status and Future Prospects of Carbon Capture, Carbon Transportation, And Carbon Utilization Technologies in Chinese Coal-Fired Power Plants Within the Context of Dual Carbon Goals

Carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) constitute vital measures for achieving net emissions reduction in China. Against the backdrop of the “dual carbon” initiative in China, this paper meticulously examines and analyzes the key technological principles, merits and demerits, and bottlenecks associated with CCUS carbon capture in the country’s thermal power plants at the current stage. It combines the prevailing industrial application status and the future development trajectory of pertinent technologies with considerations of industrial economic benefits and business models. Building upon this analysis, the paper summarizes the application status of CCUS technology in China’s thermal power plant industry and presents future prospects. On the technological front, the three capture methods grapple with the challenge of high costs. Therefore, there is a need to intensify efforts in developing low-cost and efficient carbon capture materials, as well as researching and practically applying low-cost oxygen generation technology. Economically, CCUS technology currently faces high costs, low returns, and certain commercial barriers, placing China in a demonstrative business model stage. To overcome these challenges and realize the economic benefits of CCUS technology, government incentives and technological innovation are imperative. These measures aim to reduce the overall cost of CCUS technology, stimulate the scale development, and foster commercialization, ultimately contributing to the achievement of China’s carbon emission reduction targets.

Workforce forecasting for state transportation agencies: A machine learning approach

A decline in the number of construction engineers and inspectors at State Transportation Agencies (STAs) to manage the ever-increasing lane miles has emphasized the importance of workforce planning in these agencies. Forecasting workforce requirements is crucial for effective planning in any industry or agency. This study developed machine learning models to estimate the person-hour requirements of STAs at the project level. The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) was used as a case study, using its employee and project details data between 2012 and 2021. Machine learning regression models ranging from linear, tree ensembles, kernel-based, and neural network-based models were developed. These models were compared based on the accuracy of their predictions, the time taken for training the models and their prediction time. Predictions were tested based on the K-fold cross validation technique. The results indicated a high performance from the random forest regression model, a tree ensemble with bagging, which recorded a mean R-squared value of 0.91. Other machine learning models such as an ensemble neural networks model and the linear models also proved to be fit for the problem, attaining R squared value as high as 0.80 and 0.78 respectively. These findings underscore the capability of machine learning models to provide more accurate workforce demand forecasts for STAs and the construction industry. This enhanced accuracy in workforce planning will contribute to improved resource allocation and management.

Potential of rice husk ash as cement alternative in constructing bricks: Utilization for “Gulayan sa Paaralan” program

This research aims to investigate the “Potential of Rice Husk Ash as Cement Alternative in Constructing Bricks: Utilization for ‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’ Program”. The success of this study provides cheaper option of construction materials. The pandemic experience of the Philippines, economic deterioration became a challenge. Prices of prime commodities continuously increases, including the construction industry. Nowadays, there are various cement alternative being utilized inside and outside of the country. Some part here in the Philippines use fly ash as a cement alternative. But fly ash is not readily available in Laguna. That is why the researchers look for an alternative that is readily available, inexpensive and do not harm the environment. In this study, the researchers examine the potential of rice husk ash and they constructed bricks in which they plan to use for the beautification of school’s garden. In accordance with the governing specification of American Standard of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the researchers conducted a standardized laboratory test. After series of test, researchers concluded that rice husk ash is not a significant alternative to cement as it reduce the strength and durability of the brick made out of it. However, since the chemical composition, fineness test, and water absorption test of rice husk ash and rice husk ash bricks passed the requirements of American Society for Testing and Materials, the researchers inferred that rice husk ash could still be used as additive in creating a decorative bricks.

Effect of logistics on the performance of transportation Firms in Enugu State Nigeria

The study examined the effect of logistics on the performance of transportation firms in Enugu State Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to; examine the effect of logistics demand planning on safety delivery of transportation firms and evaluate the effect of storage and material handling on rapid response of transportation firms in Enugu State. The sample size of 400 respondents was drawn from population of 1,052 staffs of the selected indigenous transportation companies in Enugu State namely: ABC Transport, Peace Mass Transit, Young Shall Grow and Enugu State Transport Company. The data analytical technique was single regression. The empirical results show that logistics demand planning has significant effect on safety delivery of transportation firms in Enugu State (t-statistic; 6.445; P-value; 0.000 < Sig-value; 0.05); and storage and material handling has significant effect on rapid response of transportation firms in Enugu State (t-statistic; 11.226; P-value; 0.000 < Sig-value; 0.05) The study recommended that management of transportation firms should increase investment on infrastructure of transportation for spare parts inventory within vehicle repair workshop.

Telemedicine Screening for Eye Disorders in Federally Qualified Health Centers: Relationship to Vision-Targeted Health-Related Quality of Life.

Introduction: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) play a crucial role as safety-net primary health care clinics in the United States, serving medically underserved areas and populations. However, eye services are rarely offered at FQHCs. We examined how telemedicine-generated ocular diagnoses impacted vision-targeted health-related quality of life at FQHCs in rural Alabama. Methods: We focused on patients who are at risk for glaucoma. Both visual function and retinal imaging were assessed. The telemedicine vision screening protocol performed by a remote ophthalmologist evaluated eyes for glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, age-related macular degeneration, and a measurement of habitual visual acuity. The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-9 (VFQ-9) was administered. Results: Using stepwise regression, the best-fitting model for predicting VFQ-9 scores incorporated visual acuity 20/40 or worse, a diabetic retinopathy diagnosis, and sociodemographic variables (gender, transportation, insurance type/status, and employment status). Conclusion: Vision-targeted, health-related quality of life in our FQHC settings was related to the visual acuity impairment and the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy but was also influenced by a variety of sociodemographic factors.

Existence results for a nonlinear neutron transport equation with elastic and inelastic collision operators in L p -spaces

In this paper, we discuss the existence of solutions to a stationary neutron transport equation involving elastic and inelastic collision operators in L p - espaces ( 1 ≤ p < ∞ ) . For 1 < p < ∞ , we use the Krasnosel'slii fixed point theorem and the compactness which involved by the averaging result for neutron transport equation. For p = 1, our approach is different, it uses the measure of weak noncompactness of De Blasi, the concepts of Dunford–Pettis operators together with a recent version of Krasnosel'skii's fixed point theorem involving ws-compact and ww-compact operators and the weak compactness.

Switching of topological phase and topological channel via asymmetric hopping modulations in a one-dimensional superconducting circuit lattice

We propose a theoretical scheme for a one-dimensional superconducting circuit lattice system to achieve that topological phase transition and topological multi-channel transfer, which is adjusted by the asymmetric hopping modulations. The system consists of an array of coupled superconducting microwave cavities, the hopping between its can be modulated by the qubits. Here, we explore topological stages by introducing parameters to expand the hopping modulation range. We found that the energy bands in the system exhibit different structural characteristics, which can achieve topological phase switching. Meanwhile, the edge modes can undergo a flipping process, which can not only realize dual-channel topological quantum information transfer, but also can achieve four-channel. Furthermore, it is noted that the defect can induce new topological phases, which can be optimized by adjusting the hopping parameters, while disorder can only cause band fluctuations and inversions, but does not change the position and period of edge states, verifying that the edge state transport is robust. The results obtained in this work can be applied to the storage and transmission of quantum information, and have a guiding role in the future development of quantum technology.

Psychosocial readiness assessment for heart transplant candidates

BackgroundPsychosocial evaluation for transplant suitability is required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a condition of participation for transplant programs. There are no regulations regarding follow-up reassessment for transplant readiness after waitlisting. ObjectivesAn evidence-based pilot project was developed and implemented to evaluate the feasibility of psychosocial readiness assessments for waitlisted heart transplantation candidates. The primary aim was to test the feasibility of these assessments in practice from a patient and programmatic perspective. MethodsDuring a 12-week period, waitlisted outpatients underwent one assessment each. Socioeconomic elements of caregiver support, housing, transportation, and insurance coverage status were assessed by simple using “yes/no” questions. To assess mental health needs, the General Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) tools were utilized. Rescheduled readiness visits and no-show rates were measured. A post-implementation Qualtrics survey was administered to measure team member perceptions of feasibility. ResultsA total of 57 patients were assessed during the 12-week period. The primary aim of feasibility was achieved with 93 % of visits performed with freedom from rescheduling or patient no-show to the visit. Additionally, 75 % of team members reported the readiness assessments were feasible to complete in practice. ConclusionsAddressing the non-medical and mental health needs of waitlisted heart transplant patients allows transplant programs to maintain candidates with necessary resources and care. The readiness assessments are feasible in practice and may serve to reduce untoward outcomes in the post-transplant phase by providing targeted care prior to the time of transplant.

Social Determinants of Health Factors and Loss-To-Follow-Up in the Field of Vascular Surgery

It is estimated that 22-57% of vascular patients are lost to follow-up (LTF) which is of concern as the Society of Vascular Surgery recommends annual patient follow-up. The purpose of this report was to identify social determinants of health factors (SDoH) and their relationship to LTF in vascular patients. The methods employed were a systematic literature review of 29 empirical articles and a retrospective quality improvement report with 27 endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) patients at the University of Chicago. The systematic literature review resulted in 2,931 articles which were reduced to 29 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Demographic variables were more frequently cited than SDoH factors, but the most common were smoking, transportation, and socioeconomic status/insurance. Additionally, 176 EVAR and TEVAR patients were called resulting in 27 patients who completed a SDoH questionnaire. Twenty-six percent indicated they had missed at least 1 appointment with the top reasons being work or family responsibilities. Due to limited patient size no statistical analyses were performed, but frequencies of responses to SDoH questions were reported to augment the existing limited literature and guide future research into variables such as one's ability to pay for basics like food or mortgage. SDoH factors are important yet understudied aspects of endovascular repairs that require more research to understand their impact on vascular surgery follow-up rates and outcomes. Additional research is needed as lack of consideration of such factors may impact the generalizability of existing research and such knowledge may help in informing clinician treatment plans.

CORN-COB ASH AS PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT FOR STABILIZATION OF LATERITE SOIL

Properties of underlying soils and borrowed soil samples are some of the key factors that determine the performance rate of roads. Most of the underlying soils possess some characteristics that make them unsuitable for use. There are available agricultural waste products in most rural settlements which can be used to treat unsuitable soils. This research examined the use of corn cob ash (CCA) as an admixture to cement on some selected geotechnical properties of laterite soil. The choice of the A-7-5 class of laterite soil is due to its general rating as poor material for subgrade and other layers of road pavement by the classification system of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Cement was gradually added to the soil sample in steps of 2% from 0% to 10% by weight of the soil sample and its effect on the plasticity of the sample was examined. The addition of cement performed optimally on the soil’s plasticity at 4% which was used to form different mixtures of cement and CCA having a total sum not exceeding 4%. The additives were added to the soil sample which was subjected to laboratory tests such as compaction, California bearing ratio (CBR) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) compacted with the efforts of 596kN/m2 and 1192kN/m2. The combination of 2% cement and 2% CCA on the soil sample improved the plasticity index and UCS properties of the soil to its optimal level while 3-1 and 4-0 cement-CCA performed optimally for CBR and compaction respectively. Thus, it was concluded that CCA performed optimally with cement at a ratio varying between 4:0 to 3:1 total percentage not exceeding 4% of the weight of the soil sample.

Comparison of the Climatic Characteristics of Ozone Valley Over the Tibetan Plateau and the Rocky Mountains

AbstractThis study compares the ozone valleys over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the Rocky Mountains (RM) using the ERA5 reanalysis data set. The dynamical transport of the ozone over these two regions is analyzed using the Lorenz circulation decomposition method. The ozone content valley over TP is observed around 200–50 hPa (upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, or UTLS), and that over RM is around 300–100 hPa. It is shown that the TP ozone content is smaller than that over RM. By analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution of the ozone content and the general circulation, the anticyclone over Southern Asian (SAH) plays a significant role in existence of the TP ozone valley, and the ozone content flux reaches its maximum in July. Large‐scale terrain and related general circulation determine the ozone valley appearance. Further analysis suggests that stationary transport has a larger impact on the ozone valley formation than the transient transport. The transport by the zonal circulation nearly cancels out most of that by the meridional circulation, due to the fact that the zonal transport magnitude is nearly equal to the meridional transport. The transport center over the RM is much weaker than that over the TP. Furthermore, the contrasts between transient and stationary transports are less evident over RM than over TP. The eddy‐driven stationary ozone transport flux significantly impacts the development of the two low ozone centers across these large terrains.