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A Flexible Reformulation of the Refueling Station Location Problem
Serious environmental and economic problems of using fossil fuels in transportation sections force managers to think of alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ethanol, biodiesel, natural gas, or electricity. Meanwhile, lack of fuel network infrastructures is a major problem, which needs to be investigated considering the number and optimal location of alternative fuel stations. In the literature, two different flow-based demand modeling concepts (the maximum cover and set cover) have been proposed for solving this problem. Because of the huge number of combinations of fuel stations for covering the flow of each path, the models are impractical for the real size problems. In this paper, the flow refueling location model was reformulated and a flexible mixed-integer linear programming model was presented, which was able to obtain an optimal solution much faster than the previous set cover version. The model also could be solved in the maximum cover form in a reasonable time on the large-sized networks.
Journal Article
Sustainable Development in Old Communities in China—Using Redesigned Nucleic Acid Testing Booths for Community-Specific Needs
The sustainable development of urban communities has attracted widespread attention from all sectors. So, the question regarding how to promote sustainable development in communities has become an important issue that warrants consideration and research. Sustainable development thinking can help create more effective strategies, enhance the ability to organize information, and build a preferred future. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nucleic acid testing booths in China played an important role in providing fast screening to determine community outbreaks and effectively prevent the spread of the virus. However, with the overall relaxation of the zero COVID-19 policy, many nucleic acid testing booths are currently largely idle. The question regarding how to leverage these testing booths scientifically and reasonably by redesigning them for local conditions is a ready-to-research topic. Based on theories such as future design and sustainable development construction of future urban communities, we focused on old urban communities in China and explored how to use idle testing booths by conducting field research and resident interviews. We thus aimed to explore how to redesign idle nucleic acid testing booths and transform them into products or smart mobile convenience service stations by applying the study’s qualitative results. Through a case analysis, we constructed design models for intelligent mobile convenience service stations in old communities that met the needs of the future urban community residents and promoted the sustainable development of the community. We hope that our results will be further verified via the design of intelligent convenience service stations in other cities.
Journal Article
Miniaturized 3D-Printed Cell Enables Water/Ethanol Quantification Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
A miniaturized and low-cost electrochemical 3D-printed system for rapid and accurate quantification of ethanol content in ethanol fuel using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was developed. The monolithic design of the system incorporates insulating thermoplastic electrode separators, with only the cover being mobile, allowing for easy assembly and handling. The portable device, measuring approximately 26 × 24 mm, has a maximum capacity of 1 mL, making it suitable for lab-on-a-chip and portable analysis. By utilizing the dielectric constant of ethanol and ethanol fuel mixtures with water, the miniaturized EIS cell quantifies ethanol content effectively. To validate its performance, we compared measurements from four gas stations with a digital densimeter, and the values obtained from the proposed system matched perfectly. Our miniaturized and low-cost electrochemical 3D-printed device can be printed and assembled in two hours, offering a cost-effective solution for fast and precise ethanol quantification. Its versatility, affordability, and compatibility with lab-on-a-chip platforms make it easily applicable, including for fuel quality control and on-site analysis in remote locations.
Journal Article
Relationships between state-level general population alcohol policies and birth outcomes: Results from 1972–2019 vital statistics
Research has found that policies that single out pregnant people's alcohol consumption are mostly ineffective. Identifying alternative approaches - for example, general population alcohol policies - that can reduce adverse effects of pregnant people's alcohol consumption is essential. Here, we examine how U.S. state-level alcohol policies regarding grocery store and gas station sales, Sunday sales, Blood Alcohol Concentration limits for driving, and government monopolies relate to birth outcomes.
Outcome data came from the 1972-2019 U.S. Vital Statistics System birth certificates (N = 160,538,939 live singleton births). Primary outcomes were low birthweight (<2,500 grams) and preterm birth (<37 weeks). Fully adjusted models included state and year fixed effects, state-specific time trends, and maternal- and state-level covariates with standard errors clustered by state.
The only significant, robust associations between policies and outcomes were for government monopolies. In fully adjusted models, having a government monopoly on spirits or on both spirits and wine retail sales (vs. none) were each related to lower odds of low birthweight births (aOR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.93, 0.95; aOR=0.95, 95% CI: 0.92, 0.98 respectively). Having a government monopoly on spirits sales was also significantly related to lower odds of preterm births (aOR=0.97, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.00).
Government monopolies on spirits and wine relate to better birth outcomes. Findings underscore the importance of maintaining state government monopolies on spirits and wine as a strategy for protecting against adverse effects of pregnant people's drinking.
Journal Article
On Transient Queue-Size Distribution in a Model of WSN Node with Threshold-Type Power-Saving Algorithm
This article proposes a queueing model of the operation of a wireless sensor network node, in which a threshold strategy for starting the node after a period of no transmission is used. In this model, transmission of packets is resumed when the number of packets in the accumulation buffer reaches a predefined level. In the literature, most of the results for models with limited access to the service station are obtained in equilibrium. In this paper, a formula for the Laplace transform of the transient queue-size distribution is obtained and written using the key input parameters of the system. The analytical apparatus uses the concept of the embedded Markov chain, the formula for total probability, renewal theory and some supporting algebraic results. Numerical examples are attached as well.
Journal Article
Automated data extraction from historical city directories: The rise and fall of mid-century gas stations in Providence, RI
The location of defunct environmentally hazardous businesses like gas stations has many implications for modern American cities. To track down these locations, we present the directoreadr code (github.com/brown-ccv/directoreadr). Using scans of Polk city directories from Providence, RI, directoreadr extracts and parses business location data with a high degree of accuracy. The image processing pipeline ran without any human input for 94.4% of the pages we examined. For the remaining 5.6%, we processed them with some human input. Through hand-checking a sample of three years, we estimate that ~94.6% of historical gas stations are correctly identified and located, with historical street changes and non-standard address formats being the main drivers of errors. As an example use, we look at gas stations, finding that gas stations were most common early in the study period in 1936, beginning a sharp and steady decline around 1950. We are making the dataset produced by directoreadr publicly available. We hope it will be used to explore a range of important questions about socioeconomic patterns in Providence and cities like it during the transformations of the mid-1900s.
Journal Article
Study the effect of innovative active and passive methods on thermal characteristics and turbulent flow behaviour in a heat exchanger pipe
Turbulators are used in oil and gas industries, steel, power plants and air conditioning to improve energy performance. For example, to decrease gas consumption in the heater of the city gas station. So far, few studies have been done on a using of active method and compared with passive method. Therefore, in the present study, the effect of moving turbulators as an innovative subject on thermal characteristics in turbulent flow inside the tube is investigated experimentally and numerically. The numerical solution is performed using Ansys Fluent software in the range of Re = 6000–21000. Then, to deepen the obtained results, experiments were performed. For experiments, a heat exchanger is made in which water flows inside the shell and air inside the tube. Disc turbulator sectors with AR = 0.125, 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.75 from rotational speeds 10–3000 rpm are inserted into the tube. The results show that the thermal efficiency increases by decreasing the angle ratio and increasing the rotation speed of the turbulator. The Nu,
f
, and
η
increase compared to smooth pipe, 3.59, 38, and 1.58, respectively. In addition, the maximum thermal efficiency of 1.51 is obtained for the turbulator with AR = 0.125 and PR = 2 at
n
= 600 rpm and Re = 6000. Under the same conditions, the Nusselt number for the moving turbulator increases by 118% compared to the stationary turbulator. The turbulators with a lower angle ratio are an optimum and cost-efficient selection. Also, rotating turbulators create higher thermal performance than stationary turbulators.
Journal Article
Four-Part Acquisition Adds Up to $22M
Auto Service Sale A 7,284-SF auto service project in west Little Rock is under new ownership after a $1.81 million deal. WP LLC, an affiliate of Wellons Real Estate, purchased the 924 Hanger St. project from Rainwater Properties LLC, led by Bryan Hosto. Coburn Construction bought the 0.27-acre site for $148,000 in August 2024 from PotlatchDeltic Real Estate LLC.
Journal Article