Optimizing a Transportation System Using Metaheuristics Approaches (EGD/GA/ACO): A Forest Vehicle Routing Case Study

The large-scale optimization problem requires some optimization techniques, and the Metaheuristics approach is highly useful for solving difficult optimization problems in practice. The purpose of the research is to optimize the transportation system with the help of this approach. We selected forest vehicle routing data as the case study to minimize the total cost and the distance of the forest transportation system. Matlab software helps us find the best solution for this case by applying three algorithms of Metaheuristics: Genetic Algorithm (GA), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), and Extended Great Deluge (EGD). The results show that GA, compared to ACO and EGD, provides the best solution for the cost and the length of our case study. EGD is the second preferred approach, and ACO offers the last solution.

Resistance development,cross-resistance,and fitness costs associated with Aphis gossypii resistance towards sulfoxaflor and acetamiprid in different geographical regions

Aphis gossypii has become increasingly difficult to manage due to its strong insecticide resistance.In the laboratory,we established sulfoxaflor-resistant and acetamiprid-resistant strains in two A.gossypii populations with different basal insecticide resistance levels,and evaluated the effects of basal insecticide resistance on the resistance development and cross-resistance,as well as differences in fitness.Under the same selection pressure,Yarkant A.gossypii(with low basal insecticide resistance)evolved resistance to sulfoxaflor and acetamiprid more quickly than Jinghe A.gossypii(with high basal insecticide resistance),and the evolution of A.gossypii resistance to sulfoxaflor developed faster than acetamiprid in both Yarkant and Jinghe,Xingjiang,China.The sulfoxaflor-resistant strains selected from Yarkant and Jinghe developed significant cross-resistance to acetamiprid,imidacloprid,thiamethoxam and pymetrozine;while the acetamiprid-resistant strains developed significant cross-resistance to sulfoxaflor,imidacloprid,thiamethoxam,pymetrozine,and chlorpyrifos.The relative fitness of A.gossypii decreased as the resistance to sulfoxaflor and acetamiprid developed.The relative fitness levels of the sulfoxaflor-resistant strains(Yarkant-SulR and Jinghe-SulR)were lower than those of the acetamipridresistant strains(Yarkant-AceR and Jinghe-AceR).In addition,the relative fitness levels of sulfoxaflor-and acetamiprid-resistant strains were lower in Jinghe than in Yarkant.In summary,basal insecticide resistance of A.gossypii and insecticide type affected the evolution of resistance to insecticides in A.gossypii,as well as cross-resistance to other insecticides.The sulfoxaflor-and acetamiprid-resistant A.gossypii strains had obvious fitness costs.The results of this work will contribute to the insecticide resistance management and integrated management of A.gossypii.

Analysis of a passive ankle exoskeleton for reduction of metabolic costs during walking

Modern conflicts demand substantial physical and psychological exertion,often resulting in fatigue and diminished combat or operational readiness.Several exoskeletons have been developed recently to address these challenges,presenting various limitations that affect their operational or everyday usability.This article evaluates the performance of a dual-purpose passive ankle exoskeleton developed for the reduction of metabolic costs during walking,seeking to identify a force element that could be applied to the target population.Based on the 6-min walk test,twenty-nine subjects participated in the study using three different force elements.The results indicate that it is possible to reduce metabolic expenditure while using the developed exoskeleton.Additionally,the comfort and range of motion results verify the exoskeleton's suitability for use in uneven terrain and during extended periods.Nevertheless,the choice of the force element should be tailored to each user,and the control system should be adjustable to optimise the exoskeleton's performance.

An Analysis of the Accounting Costs Associated with 20-Month DR TB Regimens in Maputo City, Mozambique

Introduction: Socioeconomic and demographic conditions in a country can influence tuberculosis incidence and mortality, with nearly 95% of tuberculosis-related deaths occurring in poorer countries. Mozambique is among the 30 countries with the highest TB burden. Objective: The study aimed to estimate the average direct medical cost of treating drug-resistant tuberculosis in 19 health centers in Maputo City, Mozambique. Methods: A retrospective analysis of direct medical costs was conducted on patients aged 18 and older who completed 20-month drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment regimens in Maputo City in 2019. Results: This analysis covered 140 patients who completed a 20-month treatment regimen, with 64.3% (78) being male and 35.7% (62) female. Approximately 50% of the participants were aged between 29 and 47. The average direct medical cost of DRTB treatment was $4789.43, reaching up to $6568.00, with a standard deviation of $753.26, including clinical interventions and treatment. Conclusion: The direct medical costs for a basic treatment package for a patient with drug-resistant TB in Mozambique equal 36 minimum wages. Developing alternative and innovative funding mechanisms and identifying ways to mitigate costs through the use of generic medicines would be beneficial.

Costs of Schizophrenia at Psychiatric Hospital of Bingerville (Ivory Coast)

Schizophrenia is classified as a priority mental disorder by the World Health Organization (WHO) and accounts for around 35% of diagnoses at the Bingerville Psychiatric Hospital (HPB). The aims of the study were to identify the cost drivers for hospitalization and to calculate the costs of managing schizophrenia in hospital, with a view to planning household expenditure on care. This pilot cross-sectional study involved 31 patients with schizophrenia who had been hospitalized in the various third-category wards at the HPB between 1st January 2019 and 31st May 2020. Sampling was accidental. The methods used to estimate costs were based on the actual costs of drugs, hospitalization and additional examinations which prices were known, and on patients’ estimations for certain expenses such as food and transport. Results: The sex ratio was 3.42, the mean age was 29.52 years. The mean length of stay was 46.19 days, and the most frequent clinical forms were paranoid schizophrenia (41.9%) and schizoaffective disorder (29%). The combination of haloperidol and chlorpromazine was the most common medications for initial treatment (67.8%) and maintenance treatment (41.9%). The average cost of hospitalization at HPB for schizophrenia was XOF 164,412 (€249.90). The average direct medical cost was XOF 105,412 (€160.226) and the average direct non-medical cost was XOF 59,000 (€89.68). The average daily cost of antipsychotic treatment was XOF 795/day (€1.2084). The high cost of drugs as a proportion of hospitalization costs suggested the need of a reflection on the simplification of prescribing practices, assistance in psychiatric emergencies and the development of other alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization in Côte d’Ivoire.

Privacy-Preserving Large-Scale AI Models for Intelligent Railway Transportation Systems:Hierarchical Poisoning Attacks and Defenses in Federated Learning

The development of Intelligent Railway Transportation Systems necessitates incorporating privacy-preserving mechanisms into AI models to protect sensitive information and enhance system efficiency.Federated learning offers a promising solution by allowing multiple clients to train models collaboratively without sharing private data.However,despite its privacy benefits,federated learning systems are vulnerable to poisoning attacks,where adversaries alter local model parameters on compromised clients and send malicious updates to the server,potentially compromising the global model’s accuracy.In this study,we introduce PMM(Perturbation coefficient Multiplied by Maximum value),a new poisoning attack method that perturbs model updates layer by layer,demonstrating the threat of poisoning attacks faced by federated learning.Extensive experiments across three distinct datasets have demonstrated PMM’s ability to significantly reduce the global model’s accuracy.Additionally,we propose an effective defense method,namely CLBL(Cluster Layer By Layer).Experiment results on three datasets have confirmed CLBL’s effectiveness.

The potential impact of increased whole grain consumption among Chinese adults on reducing healthcare costs and carbon footprint

Excessive consumption of refined grains harms human health and ecosystem viability.Whole grains,as a healthy and sustainable alternative to refined grains,can benefit individual health by providing dietary fiber,B vitamins,and bioactive substances.Additionally,they aid in improving the environment due to their higher extraction rate and lower carbon emission during the processing stage.However,few studies have attempted to evaluate the economic and social benefits of increasing the amount of whole grain in grain intake.This paper estimates the potential savings in healthcare costs and reduced food carbon footprints(CFs)that could result from a shift toward whole grain consumption following the Chinese Dietary Guidelines(CDG).We investigate hypothetical scenarios where a certain proportion(5–100%)of Chinese adults could increase their whole grain intakes as proposed by CDG to meet the average shortfall of 30.2 g.In that case,the healthcare costs for associated diseases(e.g.,type2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),cardiovascular disease(CVD),and colorectal cancer(CRC))are expected to reduce by a substantial amount,from USD 2.82 to 56.37 billion;the carbon emission levels are also projected to decrease by0.24–5.72 million tons.This study provides compelling evidence that advocating for the transition towards greater consumption of whole grain products could benefit individual health,the environment,and society,by reducing both healthcare costs and carbon emissions.

Impact of carbon disclosure on debt financing costs

Creditors,such as banks,often use disclosed environmental information to assess a company’s environmental risk and ensure the safety of debt funds.Consequently,carbon disclosures have become an important consideration for creditors when making investments.This study explores the relationship between carbon disclosure and debt financing costs using data on listed companies from 2008 to 2019.The results show that carbon disclosure can reduce the debt financing costs of enterprises,and that this influence is more significant for private companies than for state-owned enterprises.Instrumental variables and Propensity Score Matching(PSM)were used to evaluate the robustness of negative relationships.Furthermore,carbon disclosure has a more significant impact on debt costs with less environmental supervision pressure,weak residents’environmental awareness,and weak product market competition.These findings provide guidance for companies’carbon information disclosure and support the establishment of official carbon disclosure standards.

The Impact of the Digital Economy on Financial Regulatory Costs: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Solow Growth Model

As a novel economic form,the digital economy is reshaping the financial regulatory landscape and significantly impacting regulatory costs.This paper incorporates the digital economy and financial regulatory costs into the classic Solow growth model,uncovering an inverted U-shaped relationship between them.A subsequent mechanism analysis explains the rationale behind this relationship.To empirically examine this relationship in China,the paper utilizes inter-provincial panel data from 2013 to 2021 and employs methodologies such as the two-way fixed effects and moderating effects models.These analyses have important implications for the sound and sustainable development of China’s financial industry.The findings indicate:(a)As China’s digital economy develops,its impact on financial regulatory costs follows an inverted U-shaped pattern,initially increasing and then declining.This conclusion remains valid after robustness tests.(b)The influence of the digital economy on regulatory costs depends on favorable external conditions.Specifically,the impact is more pronounced in regions and periods with better digital infrastructure and more abundant human capital.(c)Additionally,redundant resources moderate this impact,which can weaken the inverted U-shaped relationship.Our findings not only provide a theoretical foundation for understanding the impact of the digital economy on financial regulatory costs but also offer valuable policy insights for optimizing financial regulation in China.

TRADE DEPENDENCIES AND TRANSACTION COSTS: THE OC-CUPATION OF DECELEA HIGHLIGHTS BOTH THE BENEFITS AND THE DRAWBACKS OF A MARITIME ECONOMY

Thucydides asserts that the occupation of Decelea by the Spartans in 413 BC made the grain supply for Athens costly by forcing the transport from land onto the sea.This calls into question the well-established consensus that sea transport was far cheaper than land transport.This paper contends that the cost of protecting supply lines-specifically the expenses associated with the warships which escorted the supply ships-rendered the grain transported on the new route exceptionally costly.In this paper,the benefits and drawbacks of a maritime economy,including transaction costs,trade dependencies,and the capabilities of warships and supply ships are discussed.

Dynamic response of mountain tunnel,bridge,and embankment along the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor to active fault based on model tests

The Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor is prone to numerous active faults and frequent strong earthquakes.While extensive studies have individually explored the effect of active faults and strong earthquakes on different engineering structures,their combined effect remains unclear.This research employed multiple physical model tests to investigate the dynamic response of various engineering structures,including tunnels,bridges,and embankments,under the simultaneous influence of cumulative earthquakes and stick-slip misalignment of an active fault.The prototype selected for this study was the Kanding No.2 tunnel,which crosses the Yunongxi fault zone within the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor.The results demonstrated that the tunnel,bridge,and embankment exhibited amplification in response to the input seismic wave,with the amplification effect gradually decreasing as the input peak ground acceleration(PGA)increased.The PGAs of different engineering structures were weakened by the fault rupture zone.Nevertheless,the misalignment of the active fault may decrease the overall stiffness of the engineering structure,leading to more severe damage,with a small contribution from seismic vibration.Additionally,the seismic vibration effect might be enlarged with the height of the engineering structure,and the tunnel is supposed to have a smaller PGA and lower dynamic earth pressure compared to bridges and embankments in strong earthquake zones crossing active faults.The findings contribute valuable insights for evaluating the dynamic response of various engineering structures crossing an active fault and provide an experimental reference for secure engineering design in the challenging conditions of the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor.

Influence of Transportation Accessibility on Urban-rural Income Disparity and Its Spatial Heterogeneity

Transportation accessibility has been treated as an important means of reducing the urban-rural income disparity.However,only a few studies have examined the effects of different types of transportation accessibility on urban-rural income disparity and their spatial heterogeneity.Based on data from 285 prefecture-level(and above)Chinese cities in 2000,2005,2010,2015,and 2020,this study uses spatial econometric models to examine how highway accessibility and railway accessibility influence the urban-rural income disparity and to identify their spatial heterogeneity.The result reveals that highway accessibility and railway accessibility have‘coreperiphery’ring-like circle structures.The urban-rural income disparity exhibits strong spatial clustering effects.Both highway accessibility and railway accessibility are negatively associated with urban-rural income disparity,and the former having a greater effect size.Moreover,there is a substitution effect between highway accessibility and railway accessibility in the whole sample.Furthermore,these associations differ in geographic regions.In the central region,highway accessibility is more important in reducing the urban-rural income disparity,but its effect is weakened with the increase of railway accessibility.In the western region,railway accessibility has a larger effect on narrowing the urban-rural income disparity,and this effect is strengthened by the increase of highway accessibility.We conclude that improving transportation accessibility is conducive to reducing the urban-rural income disparity but its effect is spatial heterogenetic.Highways and railways should be developed in a coordinated manner to promote an integrated transport network system.

Factors Influencing Proppant Transportation and Hydraulic Fracture Conductivity in Deep Coal Methane Reservoirs

The gas production of deep coalbed methane wells in Linxing-Shenfu block decreases rapidly,the water output is high,the supporting effect is poor,the effective supporting fracture size is limited,and the migration mechanism of proppant in deep coal reservoir is not clear at present.To investigate the migration behavior of proppants in complex fractures during the volume reconstruction of deep coal and rock reservoirs,an optimization test on the conductivity of low-density proppants and simulations of proppant migration in complex fractures of deep coal reservoirs were conducted.The study systematically analyzed the impact of various fracture geometries,proppant types and fracturingfluid viscosities on proppant distribution.Furthermore,the study compared the outcomes of dynamic proppant transport experiments with simulation results.The results show that the numerical simulation is consistent with the results of the proppant dynamic sand-carrying experiment.Under the conditions of low viscosity and large pumping-rate,a high ratio of 40/70 mesh proppant can facilitate the movement of the proppant to the depths of fractures at all levels.The technical goal is to create comprehensive fracture support within intricate trapezoidal fractures in deep coal and rock reservoirs without inducing sand plugging.The sand ratio is controlled at 15%–20%,with a proppant combination ratio of 40/70:30/50:20/40=6:3:1.Proppant pumping operations can effectively address the issue of poor support in complex fractures in deep coal formations.The research results have been successfully applied to the development of deep coalbed methane in the Linxing-Shenfu block,Ordos Basin.

Analyzing the transportation infrastructure-rural industry integration relationship in China

Transportation infrastructure is crucial to China’s economic growth because it substantially contributes to the holistic development of rural primary,secondary,and tertiary industries.This study innovatively examines transportation infrastructure and urbanization levels to explore,both theoretically and empirically,their relationship with the holistic development of primary,secondary,and tertiary industries in rural China,and the mediating role of urbanization on this relationship.We employed fixed-effects models,the entropy weight approach,mixed regression,and generalized method of moments to analyze the data of 30 provinces across China from 2013 to 2020.The results indicate that the construction of transportation infrastructure directly fosters the collective advancement of such industries in rural areas and that urbanization partially mediates the transportation infrastructure-rural industry integration relationship.However,the western region shows disparities in the integrated development of these sectors.Further analysis reveals that foreign investments amplify the positive influence of transportation infrastructure on rural industry integration.Essentially,the enhancement of rural transportation infrastructure,promotion of urbanization,implementation of strategic planning,and strengthening of support mechanisms are crucial aspects in the comprehensive development of rural industries and the achievement of rural revitalization in China.

Optimized scheduling of integrated energy systems for low carbon economy considering carbon transaction costs

With the introduction of the“dual carbon”goal and the continuous promotion of low-carbon development,the integrated energy system(IES)has gradually become an effective way to save energy and reduce emissions.This study proposes a low-carbon economic optimization scheduling model for an IES that considers carbon trading costs.With the goal of minimizing the total operating cost of the IES and considering the transferable and curtailable characteristics of the electric and thermal flexible loads,an optimal scheduling model of the IES that considers the cost of carbon trading and flexible loads on the user side was established.The role of flexible loads in improving the economy of an energy system was investigated using examples,and the rationality and effectiveness of the study were verified through a comparative analysis of different scenarios.The results showed that the total cost of the system in different scenarios was reduced by 18.04%,9.1%,3.35%,and 7.03%,respectively,whereas the total carbon emissions of the system were reduced by 65.28%,20.63%,3.85%,and 18.03%,respectively,when the carbon trading cost and demand-side flexible electric and thermal load responses were considered simultaneously.Flexible electrical and thermal loads did not have the same impact on the system performance.In the analyzed case,the total cost and carbon emissions of the system when only the flexible electrical load response was considered were lower than those when only the flexible thermal load response was taken into account.Photovoltaics have an excess of carbon trading credits and can profit from selling them,whereas other devices have an excess of carbon trading and need to buy carbon credits.

CO_(2)capture costs of chemical looping combustion of biomass:A comparison of natural and synthetic oxygen carrier

Chemical looping combustion has the potential to be an efficient and low-cost technology capable of contributing to the reduction of the atmospheric concentration of CO_(2) in order to reach the 1.5/2°C goal and mitigate climate change.In this process,a metal oxide is used as oxygen carrier in a dual fluidized bed to generate clean CO_(2) via combustion of biomass.Most commonly,natural ores or synthetic materials are used as oxygen carrier whereas both must meet special requirements for the conversion of solid fuels.Synthetic oxygen carriers are characterized by higher reactivity at the expense of higher costs versus the lower-cost natural ores.To determine the viability of both possibilities,a techno-economic comparison of a synthetic material based on manganese,iron,and copper to the natural ore ilmenite was conducted.The synthetic oxygen carrier was characterized and tested in a pilot plant,where high combustion efficiencies up to 98.4%and carbon capture rates up to 98.5%were reached.The techno-economic assessment resulted in CO_(2) capture costs of 75 and 40€/tCO_(2) for the synthetic and natural ore route respectively,whereas a sensitivity analysis showed the high impact of production costs and attrition rates of the synthetic material.The synthetic oxygen carrier could break even with the natural ore in case of lower production costs and attrition rates,which could be reached by adapting the production process and recycling material.By comparison to state-of-the-art technologies,it is demonstrated that both routes are viable and the capture cost of CO_(2) could be reduced by implementing the chemical looping combustion technology.

A Study on Integrated Construction of Luzhou Comprehensive Transportation Hub

The target of integrated construction of comprehensive transportation hub is to integrate the traffic resources,achieve butt joint of pan-regional transportation mode,and finally realize the"seamless connection"of the goods and"zero transfer"of the passenger traffic.Relying on the particularity of the geographical location and the convenience of the Yangtze River channel,Luzhou puts forth effort to build a comprehensive transport hub in Southern Sichuan and has made great efforts in traffic infrastructure construction.However,there are still some problems.Combining practice of Luzhou,using the advanced experience of foreign and domestic cities for reference,the paper pointed out that for the sake of constructing a comprehensive transportation hub,we need to build the traffic integration on the basis of the efficiency.Besides,the paper proposed the strategies for construction.

Research on a TOPSIS energy efficiency evaluation system for crude oil gathering and transportation systems based on a GA-BP neural network

As the main link of ground engineering,crude oil gathering and transportation systems require huge energy consumption and complex structures.It is necessary to establish an energy efficiency evaluation system for crude oil gathering and transportation systems and identify the energy efficiency gaps.In this paper,the energy efficiency evaluation system of the crude oil gathering and transportation system in an oilfield in western China is established.Combined with the big data analysis method,the GA-BP neural network is used to establish the energy efficiency index prediction model for crude oil gathering and transportation systems.The comprehensive energy consumption,gas consumption,power consumption,energy utilization rate,heat utilization rate,and power utilization rate of crude oil gathering and transportation systems are predicted.Considering the efficiency and unit consumption index of the crude oil gathering and transportation system,the energy efficiency evaluation system of the crude oil gathering and transportation system is established based on a game theory combined weighting method and TOPSIS evaluation method,and the subjective weight is determined by the triangular fuzzy analytic hierarchy process.The entropy weight method determines the objective weight,and the combined weight of game theory combines subjectivity with objectivity to comprehensively evaluate the comprehensive energy efficiency of crude oil gathering and transportation systems and their subsystems.Finally,the weak links in energy utilization are identified,and energy conservation and consumption reduction are improved.The above research provides technical support for the green,efficient and intelligent development of crude oil gathering and transportation systems.

An Efficient Approach for Transforming Unbalanced Transportation Problems into Balanced Problems in Order to Find Optimal Solutions

In operations research, the transportation problem (TP) is among the earliest and most effective applications of the linear programming problem. Unbalanced transportation problems reflect the reality of supply chain and logistics situations where the available supply of goods may not precisely match the demand at different locations. To deal with an unbalanced transportation problem (UTP), it is essential first to convert it into a balanced transportation problem (BTP) to find an initial basic feasible solution (IBFS) and hence the optimal solution. The present paper is concerned with introducing a new approach to convert an unbalanced transportation problem into a balanced one and as a consequence to obtain optimum total transportation cost. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the suggested method.

Charging Ahead with E-Buses: Benefits, Costs, and Transition Roadmap

This paper reaches a recommendation for the 10-year e-bus transition roadmap for New York City. The lifecycle model of emission reduction demonstrates the ecological and financial impacts of a complete transition from the current diesel bus fleet to an all-electric bus fleet in New York City by 2033. This study focuses on the NOx pollution, which is the highest among all major cities by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and greenhouse gases (GHG) with annual emissions of over five million tons. Our model predicts that switching to an all-electric bus fleet will cut GHG emissions by over 390,000 tons and NOx emissions by over 1300 tons annually, in addition to other pollutants such as VOCs and PM 2.5. yielding an annual economic benefit of over 75.94 million USD. This aligns with the city mayor office’s initiative of achieving total carbon neutrality. We further model an optimized transition roadmap that balances ecological and long-term benefits against the costs of the transition, emphasizing feasibility and alignment with the natural replacement cycle of existing buses, ensuring a steady budgeting pattern to minimize interruptions and resistance. Finally, we advocate for collaboration between government agencies, public transportation authorities, and private sectors, including electric buses and charging facility manufacturers, which is essential for fostering innovation and reducing the costs associated with the transition to e-buses.