Transportation Costs Research Articles

Developing hydrogen energy hubs: The role of H2 prices, wind power and infrastructure investments in Northern Norway

Hydrogen is seen as a key energy carrier to reduce CO2 emissions. Two main production options for hydrogen with low CO2 intensity are water electrolysis and natural gas reforming with Carbon Capture and Storage, known as green and blue hydrogen. Northern Norway has a surplus of renewable energy and natural gas availability from the Barents Sea, which can be used to produce hydrogen. However, exports are challenging due to the large distances to markets and lack of energy infrastructure. This study explores the profitability of hydrogen exports from this Arctic region. It considers necessary investments in hydrogen technology and capacity expansions of wind farms and the power grid. Various scenarios are investigated with different assumptions for investment decisions. The critical question is how exogenous factors shape future regional hydrogen production and export. The results show that production for global export may be profitable above 90 €/MWh, excluding costs for storage and transport, with blue hydrogen being cheaper than green. Depending on the assumptions, a combination of liquid hydrogen and ammonia export might be optimal for seaborne transport. Exports to Sweden can be profitable at prices above 60 €/MWh, transported by pipelines. Expanding power generation capacity can be crucial, and electricity and hydrogen exports are unlikely to co-exist.

Implementation of Portable Digital Chest X-ray Machine for Tuberculosis Contact Tracing in Oyo and Osun States, Nigeria: A Formative Assessment

This paper presents a formative assessment for the implementation of mobile portable chest X-ray (PDX) machines for tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing in the Oyo and Osun states, Nigeria. This descriptive qualitative study was carried out in eight local government areas, and 24 focus group discussions and 30 key informant interviews were conducted using a four-stage sampling technique to select participants. Validated transcribed notes were entered and analyzed using Nvivo. The respondents’ ages ranged from 17 to 85 years, with a mean age of 42.08 ± 14.9 years, and 4.0% had a postgraduate degree. The majority of government officials stated that deploying the PDX machine for screening at the community level is the best means for implementation because it will offer a level of proximity convenience to the TB contacts and assuage concerns about the cost of transportation to the health facility. In addition, it was suggested that TB community screening should be carried out with screening for other health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. This portable X-ray machine intervention, therefore, should be implemented at the community level for contact tracing to allow more TB contacts living with the index patient to be screened without proximity and transportation constraints.

Intelligent fault diagnosis of multi-source cross-machine bearings based on center-weighted optimal transport and class-level alignment domain adaptation

Abstract Most of the current domain adaptation research primarily focuses on the single-source or multi-source domain transfer constructed under different working conditions of the same machine. However, when faced with cross-machine tasks with significant domain discrepancies, forcing the direct feature alignment between source and target domain samples may lead to negative transfer, thereby reducing the model’s diagnostic performance. To overcome the above limitations, this paper proposes a multi-source deep transfer model based on center-weighted optimal transport (CWOT) and class-level alignment domain adaptation. Firstly, to enhance the representation capability of deep features, a multi-structure feature representation network is constructed to enrich the information capacity embedded within the deep features, thereby achieving better domain adaptation capabilities. Then, the local maximum mean discrepancy is introduced to fully exploit fine-grained information and discriminative features among different source domains, minimizing the distribution differences among the source domains to the greatest extent, thus capturing reliable and highly generalized multi-source domain invariant features. On this basis, a CWOT strategy is designed, which comprehensively considers the transport cost of intra-domain uncertainty and inter-domain correlation among samples, establishing a more effective transport between source and target domains, alleviating the problem of sample negative transfer, and improving the model’s cross-machine diagnostic performance. Finally, instance studies are conducted through multiple cross-machine transfer diagnostic tasks, demonstrating that the proposed method outperforms existing domain adaptation methods in terms of diagnostic accuracy and fault transfer capability. This research provides a reliable fault diagnosis method for detecting the health status of rotating machinery equipment, promoting the application of domain adaptation technology in practical industry.

The analysis of the impact of different supply chain factors using statistical perspective

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is an essential part of modern business and involves the coordination of procurement, production, and logistics. Effective SCM allows organizations to remain competitive and reduce costs. With the growth of the global marketplace, SCM is becoming increasingly important for businesses to compete. The most important aspect of SCM is to understand the components of the supply chain, which form a network of organizations involved in value-added processes and activities. The supply chain network consists of multiple components, indicating that the success of an organization's SCM depends on the combination of multiple influencing factors. This paper utilizes the supply chain data of several well-known companies, uses a dozen variables such as inventory turnover ratio, lead time, and supplier count as independent variables, and analyzes the effects of these different supply chain influencing factors on operational efficiency, supply chain resilience, and supplier relationship through multiple linear regression models. This study finds that many different supply chain factors, like transportation cost efficiency, delivery time, and others, have the greatest impact on the above-mentioned factors. This analysis may help companies to comprehensively assess their supply chain maturity and strategically enhance their supply chain attributes to achieve their business development goals.

Opportunities of hydrogen and ammonia trade between Europe and MENA

This paper examines the potential role of hydrogen and ammonia in the European energy transition to reach net-zero greenhouse gas targets. We analyse trade of green hydrogen and ammonia between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), since the latter possesses a high potential for solar power, making it a possible low-cost supplier of these two clean energy carriers. The economic attractiveness of such trade depends on the additional infrastructure and transportation costs required for the roll-out of these clean energy carriers. Using a global integrated assessment model, TIAM-ECN, we evaluate the trade-off between costs and benefits of establishing import-export links between Europe and MENA for hydrogen and ammonia. Our study assumes the availability of hydrogen pipelines from North Africa to Europe, and of liquefied hydrogen and ammonia shipping from the Middle East to Europe. We find that MENA could realize cost savings of over 6% by 2050 through hydrogen and ammonia trade. Furthermore, despite the availability of gaseous green hydrogen from North Africa (via pipelines), for Europe the import of liquefied green hydrogen and ammonia from MENA (through shipping) can also be economically viable. Although this trade could generate cost savings of 40 billion dollars per year by 2050, we conclude that for Europe import diversity, rather than cost savings, could become the main factor driving hydrogen and ammonia imports.

Fly the unfriendly skies: The role of transport costs in gravity models of trade

We exploit exogenous shocks to flight distances over time to estimate the distance effect in airborne trade within panel regressions. We find a negative distance effect, which we interpret as evidence of a link between transportation costs and airborne trade. Notably, this relationship is driven almost entirely by changes at the extensive margin. Specifically, trade in HS 6 product categories with intermittent trading histories becomes dormant when flight distances increase. Conversely, the intensive margin of trade remains largely unaffected.

Power-to-X Economy: Green e-hydrogen, e-fuels, e-chemicals, and e-materials opportunities in Africa

Africa has enormous potential to produce low-cost e-fuels, e-chemicals and e-materials required for complete defossilisation using its abundant renewable resources, widely distributed across the continent. This research builds on techno-economic investigations using the LUT Energy System Transition Model and related tools to assess the power-to-X potential in Africa, for meeting the local demand and exploring the export potential of power-to-products applications. In this context, we analysed the economic viability of exporting green e-fuel, e-chemicals and e-materials from Africa to Europe. We also present the core elements of the Power-to-X Economy, i.e., renewable electricity and hydrogen. The results show that hydrogen will likely not be traded simply due to high transport costs. However, there is an opportunity for African countries to export e-ammonia, e-methanol, e-kerosene jet fuel, e-methane, e-steel products, and e-plastic to Europe at low cost. The results show that Africa's low-cost power-to-X products backed by low-cost renewable electricity, mainly supplied by solar photovoltaics, is the basis for Africa's vibrant export business opportunities. Therefore, the Power-to-X Economy could more appropriately be called a Solar-to-X Economy for Africa. The Power-to-X Economy will foster socio-economic growth in the region, including new industrial opportunities, new investment portfolios, boost income and stimulate local technical know-how, thereby delivering a people-driven energy economy. Research on the topic in Africa is limited and at a nascent stage. Thus, more studies are required in future to guide investment decisions and cater to policy decisions in achieving carbon neutrality with e-fuels, e-chemicals, and e-materials.

Predictors of Poor Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment among HIV Positive Patients at Tamale West Hospital, Ghana

Background: Adherence to Antiretroviral therapy is necessary to reduce the viral load of people diagnosed with HIV and help boost the persons’ immunity against opportunistic infections due to the virus. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of adherence to ART and its associated factors among HIV clients at the Tamale west hospital. Methods: The current study employed a descriptive study design, and sampled a total of 104 clients receiving ART in the Tamale West Hospital in the Northern Region of Ghana. Results: The results showed that weekly adherence was 94.2%, monthly adherence (76%), quarterly adherence (71%), half yearly adherence (51.9%) and only 33.7% have religiously adhered to ART medication from the initiation of their treatment. The treatment profile of the clients revealed that the majority of them (44.7%) had been receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for a duration of 5 years. Additionally, 25.2% had been on ART for 1 year, while 22.3% had been on the treatment for a period ranging from 6 to 10 years. Educational level [(CI: -0.101, 0.001), p<0.052], forgetfulness [(CI: 0.186, 0.581), p<0.001], side effects [(CI: 0.072, 0.400), p<0.005], education on medication [(CI: 0.015, 0.540), p<0.038], confidentiality of services [(CI: 0.012, 0.543), p<0.041], and cost of transportation to treatment centre [(CI: 0.006, 0.167), p<0.035] were significantly associated with treatment adherence to ART among the clients. Conclusions: The adherence rate as determined in the current study did not meet the expected target set by the Ghana National AIDS control programme. A continuous friendly ART services and an intervention to cater for the transport cost of clients would have helped improve adherence among the study clients.

Transportation, decentralization, and path dependence: How did the old tramway shape Shanghai, China?

This article studies the short- and long-run economic consequences of the now-extinct Shanghai tramway. Tramway was the primary mode of transportation in Shanghai between 1908 and the 1930s, continuing to operate until 1975. With the geolocation of the tramway lines on both historical cadastral maps and current Google maps, the article finds that after the arrival of the tramway, land lots close to the tramway lines experienced a larger increase in land value relative to those far away from the tramway lines, and that the reduction in transportation costs led to a flattening land value gradient with respect to distance from the central business district (CBD). It also finds that the tramway still influences the current pattern of urban land value, even nearly fifty years after the removal of the last tramway track. Such persistent influence can be largely explained by the follow-on amenities near the tramway lines. The evidence found in this article suggests that the tramway in Shanghai promoted decentralization by enhancing accessibility to the CBD from distant locations in its heyday, and influences modern behaviors through the mutually reinforced private and public coordination of economic activities.

A real-time on-site precision nutrient monitoring system for hydroponic cultivation utilizing LIBS

Indoor hydroponic farming is an advanced cultivation technique with diverse sustainability benefits, such as facilitating local produce, minimizing transportation costs and emissions, and enabling year-round crop cultivation. To optimize crop growth for enhanced yield, improved crop quality, and reduced environmental footprint, precise monitoring and replenishment of essential nutrients within hydroponic systems is crucial. Current methods employed in most commercial farms for online nutrient supply monitoring is limited to pH and conductivity measurements. These techniques can only offer an indication of the overall change in the complex nutrient mixture and lack the capability to precisely identify the specific nutrient or quantify the nutrient content. Most of the existing techniques for measuring individual nutrient levels are expensive and invasive, necessitating sample preparation, frequent recalibration, and skilled personnel for operation. In this context, we propose and demonstrate a real-time, on-site monitoring system for the precise analysis of hydroponic nutrient supply based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). We also discuss the system design considerations, parametric optimizations, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of key nutrient components such as potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg), using the proposed approach. The detection range of the developed LIBS-based monitoring system can encompass the typical concentration range observed in hydroponic nutrient solutions used at agricultural farms. This technique offers rapid online monitoring of individual nutrient components, providing precise, real-time analysis and the potential to enable comprehensive automation capabilities for current and future hydroponic farms.Graphical abstract

Streamlining Distribution Routes Using the Language Model of Artificial Intelligence

This article addresses the use of artificial intelligence for the needs of effective, sustainable development in logistics and its components. The subject of this article is to highlight the possibility of processing optimization methods using an artificial intelligence module. The goal is to determine whether the AI module can replicate the same, or at least have a similar result, as the traditional optimization methods used in practice. The challenge involves constantly identifying reserves in already highly sophisticated micro-logistics systems using modern commercial means of artificial intelligence. Applying artificial intelligence to elements of a company’s micro-logistics model is a new approach. This article aims to determine whether artificial intelligence can reduce costs through calculations in a specific area defined for it. By optimizing distribution routes using ChatGPT-3.5, we significantly reduced the total distance traveled, leading to substantial savings in transportation costs. This optimization led to a significant improvement in the efficiency of logistic processes and considerable cost savings. This result demonstrates that artificial intelligence can be an effective tool for solving complex logistic tasks. The possibilities of effectively sustainable logistics development with the help of artificial intelligence lie not only in the quality of the achieved outputs but also in the speed of the calculations and the procedures for solving defined project tasks. It follows from this definition that artificial intelligence will continue to play an essential role in the defined field of logistics in the future.

A new look at the CO2 haven hypothesis using gravity model European Union and China

The pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) is defined as follows: a reduction in trade costs results in production of pollution-intensive goods shifting towards countries with easier environmental laws. The previous studies examined this hypothesis in the form of Kuznets' environmental hypothesis. In this way, they test the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on carbon emissions. However, this study investigates PHH from a new perspective. I will use Newton's gravity model to test this hypothesis. The basis of PHH is the difference in the environmental standards of the two business partners. One of the indicators used to measure the severity of a country's environmental laws is carbon emission intensity. The stricter the country's laws are, the lower the index value will be. In order to test the hypothesis, experimental data from China and OECD countries are used. China was as the pollution haven for the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. I found that environmental laws of host and guest countries have different effects on FDI. In addition, transportation costs have a negative effect on the FDI flow. Finally, the research results confirm the hypothesis on gravity model.

A self-adaptive memetic algorithm with Q-learning for solving the multi-AGVs dispatching problem

In this paper, we address the problem of dispatching multiple automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in an actual production workshop, aiming to minimize the transportation cost. To solve this problem, a self-adaptive memetic algorithm with Q-learning (Q-SAMA) is proposed. An improved nearest-neighbor task division heuristic is used for generating premium solutions. Additionally, a Q-learning is integrated to select appropriate neighborhood operators, thereby enhancing the algorithm's exploration ability. To prevent the algorithm from falling into a local optimum, the restart strategy is offered. In order to adapt Q-SAMA to different stages in the search process, the traditional crossover and mutation probabilities are no longer used. Instead, a self-adaptive probability is obtained based on the population's degree of concentration, and the sparsity relationship among individuals' fitness. Finally, experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. It is able to yield better results compared with other five state-of-the-art algorithms.

Schools and the city: workforce distribution, housing and city schools

AbstractAttracting and retaining a stable supply of effective teachers is critical to the provision of schooling that meets international commitments to equity, excellence, and inclusion. Initiatives targeting school staff are predicated on the accessibility of schools for the workforce. To this point, the empirical impact of housing and transportation costs on the school education workforce has been relatively poorly understood. Based on a novel approach describing workforce distribution, our analysis of the Greater Sydney statistical area in Australia found that not only is the city unaffordable for the school education workforce, but unobserved characteristics (e.g., intergenerational wealth, housing assets, high income housemates) fill the income to cost gap. De-centring the individual, we show that the sustainability of the Sydney school education workforce is fragile and should it collapse, the consequences would be sudden and acute.

Multi-objective multi-population simplified swarm optimization for container loading optimization with practical constraints

The container loading problem (CLP) holds significant importance in logistics and supply chain management due to its direct influence on transportation costs and times, thereby impacting the competitive advantages of enterprises across industries. Although there are existing studies for CLP, there remains a gap in addressing the optimization of multiple objectives while satisfying practical constraints. Moreover, container loading methods must also meet performance requirements such as high computational speed, explainability, and implementation capability. Although meta-heuristic-based algorithms have shown effective computational capabilities and performance, such algorithms often being trapped in the local optima especially when searching in the vast solution space of the CLP, particularly as the quantity and diversity of cargo sizes and shapes increase. Motivated by realistic needs, this study aims to develop a UNISON-based framework that integrates the merging spaces algorithm, a novel simple but effective hybrid simplified swarm optimization genetic algorithm (SSO-GA), and a multi-populations co-evolution strategy to determine the loading sequence of parcels to maximize space utilization and weight balance while satisfying to practical constraints. Specifically, the merging spaces algorithm merges fragmented small spaces resulting from loaded parcels into larger spaces, thereby facilitating the accommodation of additional parcels. The hybrid SSO-GA splits encoded solutions and updates segment using novel strategies resulting in the rearrangement of a group of parcels and their corresponding layouts for better space utilization. Furthermore, the multi-populations co-evolution strategy enhances the diversity of the search space and stabilizes solution quality by simultaneously exploiting the best solutions and exploring alternative solutions during the solution update process. An empirical study was conducted by using a public benchmark dataset which demonstrated the practical effectiveness of the proposed framework by significantly improving average space utilization while ensuring center balance and satisfying practical constraints. Furthermore, this study can also serve as a digital support system capable of assisting decision-makers in optimizing container loading operations, thereby improving productivity and saving valuable time.

Design and multiobjective optimization of a two‐point contact ladder‐climbing robot using a genetic algorithm

AbstractThis paper presents the design and optimization of a climbing robot. The design of a ladder‐climbing robot is done with fundamental mathematical considerations. The designed robot is robust enough to manage all environmental calamities, and at the same time, it is optimized for lightweight to reduce the actuator's cost and ease of transportation. An analytical evaluation is carried out for both static and dynamic conditions to determine strength and motion characteristics. The multiobjective optimization of the design parameters of a ladder‐climbing robot is done to obtain optimized values of design parameters. The formulation of an optimization problem that considers the minimization of weight and natural frequency is performed. Using an evolutionary genetic algorithm (GA) for the multicriteria optimization problem is solved, and a Pareto front solution is obtained. The optimal values of the parameters are decided based on the knee selection technique. As both objective functions are contradictory, the optimum results significantly improve the robot's performance. Controlling the proportional–integral–derivative (PID) parameters is crucial as the robot climbs with a two‐point contact gait pattern. The controlling parameters impart stability to the robot. PID parameters like proportional, integral and derivative gain are tunned using the GA. Finally, the developed prototype is tested on the ladders of the tower, and satisfactory climbing motion is achieved.

Freeze-drying protocols and methods of maintaining the in-vitro biological activity of horse platelet lysate

ABSTRACT Platelet lysate, derived from platelets, are valuable biological products rich in bioactive molecules. Their use promotes tissue healing and modulates inflammation. However, maintaining the stability and bioactivity of platelet lysate is challenging since they degrade rapidly at room temperature. This study focused on the possibility to confer enhanced stability to freeze-dried equine platelet lysate as an alternative to platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Platelet lysate (PL) was derived from PRP and freeze-dried either as such or using various adjuvants. Primary cell cultures of porcine Vascular Wall-Mesenchymal Stem Cells were treated with different PL formulations, and cell viability was assessed using an MTT assay. Overall, the addition of PL significantly improved cell viability as compared to controls without growth factor supplementation or with foetal bovine serum. Notably, the freeze-drying process maintained the effectiveness of the PL for at least a week. Furthermore, the study revealed that varying the horse as the source of PL could yield varying effects on cell viability. Detailed freeze-drying protocols were established, including freezing, primary drying and secondary drying phases, and the type of adjuvant. This study demonstrated the potential of freeze-dried equine PL as a viable alternative to PRP and highlighted the importance of precise freeze-drying protocols and adjuvants for standardization. Equine PL showed promise for medical treatment in horses, offering advantages such as extended shelf life, ease of handling, and reduced transportation costs, with the potential for broadened therapeutic usage.

A New Solution Technique for Fuzzy Transportation Problem Using Novel Ranking Functions on Heptagonal Fuzzy Numbers: A Case Study of Regional Shipment

This study focuses on the fuzzy transportation problem that manifests as a problem of optimization in an uncertain environment. The idea of fuzziness in the objective of transportation cost is based on real-world decision-making difficulties, and the efficiency is demonstrated using the proposed heptagonal fuzzy number. We propose a new ranking technique to de-fuzzify the Linear heptagonal fuzzy number and the proposed $\alpha$-cut based ranking technique has been compared with the existing ranking technique. In addition, we presented an approach for performing multiplication and division for any two heptagonal fuzzy numbers incorporating an example. Furthermore, we have presented a generalized ranking heptagonal fuzzy method (GRHFM) algorithm to solve the heptagonal fuzzy transportation. This article determines the best transportation cost for vegetable shipment from the markets utilizing heptagonal fuzzy numbers, which further compares the feasible solutions obtained using various strategies for fuzzy transportation problems and provides the result from the algorithm. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposed method through a numerical example of an adopted case study. The conclusions section discusses the suggested GRHFM efficiency, outcomes, decision management and future directions based on the existing transportation study.

Design Insights for Industrial CO2 Capture, Transport, and Storage Systems.

We present methods and insights for the design of CO2 capture, transport, and storage systems for industrial facilities with a case study focus on Louisiana. Our analytical framework includes (1) evaluating the scale and concentration of capturable CO2 emissions at individual facilities for the purpose of estimating the cost of CO2 capture retrofits that utilize various energy supply sources to meet parasitic demands; (2) screening to identify potential CO2 storage sites and estimate their capacities, injectivities, and costs; and (3) designing cost-minimized trucking or pipeline infrastructure connecting CO2 capture plants with storage sites, considering existing land uses, demographics, and a variety of social and environmental justice factors. Estimated levelized costs of capture at Louisiana's 190 industrial facilities range from below $50/tCO2 to above $500/tCO2, depending on facility-specific features. We identified 98 potential storage sites with storage costs ranging from $8 to $17/tCO2. We find that in most situations, pipelines are the least-costly mode of CO2 transport. When industrial facilities in a region share pipelines, aggregate pipeline mileage and average transport costs are dramatically lower than without sharing. Shared pipeline networks designed to avoid disadvantaged communities require right-of-way areas compared to those for networks that transect such communities, but result in 25% higher average per-tonne transport cost.

Cost of transport is a barrier to access to headache care in sub-Saharan Africa: An observational study in an HIV-positive population

IntroductionHeadache disorders are the largest contributor to all years lived with disability attributed to neurological disorders. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with 1.2 billion inhabitants, headache prevalence is similar to that of Western countries but with widely inadequate access to care. Cost of transport to healthcare facilities hampers access to care, leading to abandonment and low retention. The aim of this observational study in Malawi was to investigate cost of transport and its likely impact on implementation of WHO's-Intersectoral Global Action Plan (IGAP) in an HIV+ population also complaining of, and requiring treatment for, an active headache disorder. MethodsThe study was conducted at the Disease Relief through Excellent and Advanced Means (DREAM) centre in Blantyre, Malawi, in collaboration with the Global Campaign against Headache as an extension of a previous study. Enquiries about distance and costs of travel were added to the previously published questionnaire. ResultsWe included 495 consecutive HIV+ patients aged 6–65 years who had been followed for at least 1 year. One-year prevalence of any headache was 76.6%; 28.7% missed at least one appointment because of transport costs. Higher costs of transport were associated with higher probability of missing visits (p < 0.001), while costs were higher for those living in rural areas than for those in urban (p < 0.001). ConclusionsAwareness of cost and affordability of transport in SSA may suggest strategies to improve access to headache care. Given the disability attributable to headache, this is necessary if the IGAP strategic objectives and targets are to be achieved.