Improving inbound logistic planning for large-scale real-world routing problems: a novel ant-colony simulation-based optimization

Abstract This paper presents the first results of an agent-based model aimed at solving a Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) for inbound logistics using a novel Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm, developed and implemented in the NetLogo multi-agent modelling environment. The proposed methodology has been applied to the case study of a freight transport and logistics company in South Italy in order to find an optimal set of routes able to transport palletized fruit and vegetables from different farms to the main depot, while minimizing the total distance travelled by trucks. Different scenarios have been analysed and compared with real data provided by the company, by using a set of key performance indicators including the load factor and the number of vehicles used. First results highlight the validity of the method to reduce cost and scheduling and provide useful suggestions for large-size operations of a freight transport service

Correction to: Improving inbound logistic planning for large-scale real-world routing problems: a novel ant-colony simulation-based optimization

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article

Investigating the Correlation between Transportation Social Need and Accessibility: the Case of Catania

Abstract The development of cities and transportation systems of the last few years made possible to expand the range of individuals, giving them the opportunity to locate their residence far away from the places where they carry out daily activities. The ability to make long journeys has become more and more an essential condition to access opportunities of the territory. This necessity can be connected to transportation social need, which scholars define both in terms of people requiring a public transportation service and number of trips they would make if they had minimal limitations on their mobility; accessibility refers to the ease of reaching goods, services, activities and destinations, which together are called opportunities. This research presents the application of a measure of transportation social need and accessibility for the city of Catania, in Italy. The measure of transportation social need, based on transportation and social disadvantage indicators, has been carried out with reference to Italian national statistical institute zonation of the city. A zonal accessibility measure, considering both private and public transportation and evaluating the ease of reaching desired destinations, have been calculated and an analysis of correlation among transportation social need measure and accessibility measures has been carried out in order to verify the strength of relation between them. Due to the high resolution level of the spatial analysis, manipulation of data and computation of indicators and measures was supported by a GIS approach. Three different public transport scenarios have been analyzed by performing a relative accessibility loss computation showing that improvements in public transport service lead to general improvements in relative accessibility loss

Bridging the gap between weak-demand areas and public transport using an ant-colony simulation-based optimization

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Urinary excretion of purine derivatives in dry buffalo and Fresian cows

Aim of this paper was to compare urinary purine derivatives (PD) excretion in Italian Mediterranean dairy buffaloes and Fresian dairy cows during dry period. Six buffalo and six dairy cows at about 60 days to delivery were housed in individual cages and fed the same diet. Feed intake was monitored daily. After a period of adaptation, total daily urine was collected, weighed, sampled in test-tubes and frozen up to HPLC analysis. During the urine recovery period the daily feed intake was higher for dairy cows (kg/DM 9.0 vs 7.6) even if differences were not significant due to the high individual variability. Urine excretion was significantly (P<0.01) higher in buffaloes than in cow. Total urinary excretion of PD in buffalo was 11% of that of dairy cow (23.707 mmol/l vs 2.711 mmo/l in dairy and buffalo cows, respectively), however the incidence of uric acid was similar in both species. In order to explain the low concentrations of PD in the urine of buffaloes, we investigated also the presence of allantoic acid, final product of purine degradation in several fish species. However it was not detected

The effect of haymaking on the neutral detergent soluble fraction of two intercropped forages cut at different growth stages

The aim of the paper was to study the fermentation of the neutral detergent soluble fraction (NDS) using a 2x3x2 factorial arrangement of two intercropped forages (barley/broad bean and vetch/oats) collected at three growth stages and preserved by haymaking. Each feed sample and its isolated NDF were fermented in vitroand gas production was monitored utilizing the in vitrogas production technique (IVGPT). NDS gas yield was determined by the difference between gas from the unfractioned forage and that of its respective NDF. Haymaking decreased gas yield and rate of gas production from the unfractioned forage. Increasing maturi- ty did not change the final gas volume, but reduced the rate of gas production from the NDS fraction. The rate of gas production from the NDS fraction of hay decreased on average by 2.9 ml/h compared with fresh forage. On average, haymaking reduced the gas yield from the NDS fraction by 18.70%. The curve subtrac- tion technique can be used to study the effects of haymaking on the neutral detergent soluble fraction of for- ages

Effect of non-structural carbohydrate dietary content on the productive performance of Sarda primiparous ewes

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In situ remediation of contaminated marinesediment: an overview

Sediment tends to accumulate inorganic and persistent hydrophobic organic contaminants representing one of the main sinks and sources of pollution. Generally, contaminated sediment poses medium- and long-term risks to humans and ecosystem health; dredging activities or natural resuspension phenomena (i.e., strongly adverse weather conditions) can remobilize pollution releasing it into the water column. Thus, ex situ traditional remediation activities (i.e., dredging) can be hazardous compared to in situ techniques that try to keep to a minimum sediment mobilization, unless dredging is compulsory to reach a desired bathymetric level. We reviewed in situ physico-chemical (i.e., active mixing and thin capping, solidification/stabilization, chemical oxidation, dechlorination, electrokinetic separation, and sediment flushing) and bio-assisted treatments, including hybrid solutions (i.e., nanocomposite reactive capping, bioreactive capping, microbial electrochemical technologies). We found that significant gaps still remain into the knowledge about the application of in situ contaminated sediment remediation techniques from the technical and the practical viewpoint. Only activated carbon-based technologies are well developed and currently applied with several available case studies. The environmental implication of in situ remediation technologies was only shortly investigated on a long-term basis after its application, so it is not clear how they can really perform

Avoidable blindness and value based healthcare: more value with a population approach

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New opportunities in Haemophilia treatment: Efmoroctocog Alfa for patients with Haemophilia A

Recently new opportunities are emerging for improving the way patients with Haemophilia A are treated. Among these opportunities, efmoroctocog alfa is a first-in-class recombinant factor VIII-Fc fusion protein (rFVIIIFc) produced by recombinant DNA technology with an extended half-life compared with conventional FVIII preparations. The available evidence coming from an Italian HTA report indicates that efmoroctocog alfa provides an effective alternative to conventional FVIII preparations (including standard rFVIIIs) for the management of Haemophilia A. Moreover, by reducing the frequency of injections required, it has the potential to reduce treatment burden, and hence improve adherence to prophylaxis and patient Quality-of-Life.&nbsp