A Matheuristic for Integrated Timetabling and Vehicle Scheduling

Planning a public transportation system is a complex process, which is usually broken down in several phases, performed in sequence. Most often, the trips required to cover a service with the desired frequency (headway) are decided early on, while the vehicles needed to cover these trips are determined at a later stage. This potentially leads to requiring a larger number of vehicles (and, therefore, drivers) that would be possible if the two decisions were performed simultaneously. We propose a multicommodity-flow type model for integrated timetabling and vehicle scheduling. Since the model is large-scale and cannot be solved by off-the-shelf tools with the efficiency required by planners, we propose a diving-type matheuristic approach for the problem. We report on the efficiency and effectiveness of two variants of the proposed approach, differing on how the continuous relaxation of the problem is solved, to tackle real-world instances of bus transport planning problem originating from customers of M.A.I.O.R., a leading company providing services and advanced decision-support systems to public transport authorities and operators. The results show that the approach can be used to aid even experienced planners in either obtaining better solutions, or obtaining them faster and with less effort, or both

Ag-Vanadates/GO Nanocomposites by Aerosol-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis: Preparation and Structural and Electrochemical Characterization of a Versatile Material

In this article, we describe the deposition by aerosol-assisted spray pyrolysis of different types of silver vanadate nanocomposites with and without graphene oxide (GO) on different substrates (carbon paper (CP) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)). When deposited on CP, different amounts of GO were added to the Ag and V precursor solution to study the effect of GO on the physicochemical properties of the resulting Ag-vanadate. It is shown that the addition of GO leads mainly to the formation of nanoparticles of the Ag2V4O11 phase, whereas Ag2V4O11 and Ag3VO4 are obtained without the addition of GO. The morphology and chemical properties of the composites were determined by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and UV\u2013visible and Raman spectroscopies. In addition, the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of such composites were studied by CV, linear sweep voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ideal AgxVOy and GO ratio was optimized for obtaining higher photocurrent values and a good stability. The results showed that the presence of GO improves the electrical conductivity of the catalyst layer as well as the electron injection from the oxide to the electrode surface. The deposition of pure Ag2V4O11 on FTO does not lead to samples with stable PEC performances. Samples grown on CP supports showed an efficient electrochemical detection of small amounts of ethylenediamine in water solution

Is Smart Working Beneficial for Workers' Wellbeing? A Longitudinal Investigation of Smart Working, Workload, and Hair Cortisol/Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Building on the job demands-resources (JD-R) and allostatic load (AL) models, in the present study we examined the role of smart working (SW) in the longitudinal association between workload/job autonomy (JA) and a possible biomarker of work-related stress (WRS) in the hair-namely, the cortisol-dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA(S)) ratio-during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 124 workers completed a self-report questionnaire (i.e., psychological data) at Time 1 (T1) and provided a strand of hair (i.e., biological data) three months later (Time 2, T2). Results from moderated multiple regression analysis showed that SW at T1 was negatively associated with the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio at T2. Additionally, the interaction between workload and SW was significant, with workload at T1 being positively associated with the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio at T2 among smart workers. Overall, this study indicates that SW is a double-edged sword, with both positive and negative consequences on employee wellbeing. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio is a promising biomarker of WRS. Practical implications that organizations and practitioners can adopt to prevent WRS and promote organizational wellbeing are discussed

Work addiction among bank employees in Italy: A contribution to validation of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale with a focus on measurement invariance across gender and managerial status

This study contributes to the validation of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale (BWAS) in the Italian context, with a focus on measurement invariance across gender and managerial status. The BWAS is a consolidated measure of work addiction (WA) anchored in general addiction theory that comprises seven items representing the core addiction components. Participants were 8419 bank workers (37.7% women, 12.9% managers) who completed a self-report questionnaire including the Italian version of the BWAS (BWAS-I) and the Dutch Work Addiction Scale, as well as measures of work engagement, perfectionism, workload, psycho-physical symptoms, work–family conflict, and job satisfaction. Results confirmed the single-factor structure of the BWAS-I. Partial scalar invariance held across gender and managerial status, meaning that most—but not all—item intercepts were equivalent across different populations. Furthermore, the BWAS-I showed adequate convergent, discriminant, criterion-related, and incremental validity. This study showed that the BWAS-I is a valuable instrument that can be used by researchers and practitioners to assess WA in the Italian context.publishedVersio

Muitas mãos neste trabalho: desenvolvimento de uma tarefa de compreensão de metonímia

Metonymy is a pervasive linguistic/cognitive mechanism in everyday language. Still, studies assessing its comprehension are rare in the literature. Our goal is to present the elaboration of a verbal metonymy comprehension task in Brazilian Portuguese as well as test it using pilot studies. The task was based on the cognitive linguistics framework and psychometric guidelines were considered. The construction of the task considered psycholinguistic variables and included a conventionality task and an expert analysis. Three studies (N = 290, ages ranging 2 to 54 years old) were conducted until we reached a final version. The study resulted in a task composed of one practice item and six test items. Each item includes a sentence-stimulus and two questions (one open-ended and one closed-ended). Together, the items make up a raw score that represents metonymy comprehension. Data obtained from the pilot studies show that metonymy comprehension improves gradually with age and that there is a significant difference between items in both types of questions. This is in consonance with the literature, and thus points towards the instrument’s construct validity. The study results in a task that presents enough sensitivity to gauge comprehension of this phenomenon at different ages.Metonímia é um mecanismo linguístico/cognitivo pervasivo na linguagem cotidiana. Entretanto, estudos de avaliação desse fenômeno são escassos. Nosso objetivo é apresentar a elaboração de uma tarefa de compreensão de metonímia em português brasileiro e seus resultados piloto. Referenciais teóricos da linguística cognitiva e da psicometria foram considerados. A construção da tarefa considerou variáveis psicolinguísticas e incluiu uma tarefa de convencionalidade e análise de juízes. Três estudos (N = 290, entre 2 e 54 anos) foram conduzidos até a versão final da tarefa. O estudo resultou em uma tarefa com um item de treino e seis de teste. Os itens incluem uma frase de estímulo e duas perguntas (aberta e fechada). Consideramos que o escore dos itens representa a compreensão de metonímia. Os resultados dos estudos piloto indicam uma melhora gradual na compreensão de metonímia com a idade e uma diferença significativa entre os itens nas questões abertas e fechadas. Isso está em consonância com a literatura, sugerindo evidências de validade de construto ao instrumento. O estudo resulta em um instrumento que apresenta sensibilidade suficiente para aferir a compreensão do fenômeno em diferentes idades

Criminal drug policy in Brazil. A contemporary study on the legislation and its impacts

O presente trabalho pretende apresentar um estudo contemporâneo sobre a política criminal de drogas brasileira, atualmente regida sob a Lei 11.343/06. Para isso, em um primeiro momento será apresentada a legislação, bem como as mudanças provenientes desde sua entrada em vigor no ano de 2006. Após é evidenciado que o texto legal, por não especificar critérios objetivos de diferenciação entre usuários e traficantes, abriu margem para a atuação discricionária de atores da administração da justiça penal, representados neste estudo na figura de policiais e juízes, o que contribuiu significativamente para que a lei fosse a principal responsável pelo aumento do encarceramento no Brasil nas últimas décadas. Por fim, com o intuito de evidenciar impactos inerentes da atual legislação, é apresentada a política criminal de drogas brasileira em perspectiva internacional. Nesse sentido, serão analisados dados provenientes do Departamento Penitenciário Nacional, dos anos de 2018, 2020 e 2022, bem como fontes secundárias de informação, de modo a problematizar a atual política de drogas do país, visto seu caráter altamente ineficaz e punitivista.Este artículo presenta un estudio contemporáneo sobre la política criminal de drogas brasileña, actualmente regida por la Ley 11343/06. Para ello, en un primer momento, se presentará la legislación, así como los cambios derivados de su entrada en vigor en 2006. Posteriormente, se evidencia que el texto legal, al no especificar criterios objetivos para diferenciar entre usuarios y traficantes, abrió espacio por la acción discrecional de los actores de la administración de justicia penal, representada en este estudio en la figura de policías y jueces, lo que contribuyó significativamente a que la ley sea la principal responsable del aumento de la encarcelación en Brasil en las últimas décadas. Finalmente, con el objetivo de resaltar los impactos inherentes a la legislación vigente, la política criminal de drogas brasileña se presenta en una perspectiva internacional. En este sentido, se analizarán datos del Departamento Penitenciario Nacional, de los años 2018, 2020 y 2022, así como fuentes secundarias de información, con el fin de problematizar la actual política de drogas en el país, dada su alta ineficacia y carácter punitivo.The present work intends to present a contemporary study on the Brazilian criminal drug policy, currently governed by Law 11.343/06. For this, at first, the legislation will be presented, as well as the changes arising from its entry into force in 2006. Afterwards, it is evidenced that the legal text, by not specifying objective criteria for differentiating between users and traffickers, opened room for the discretionary action of criminal justice administration actors, represented in this study in the figure of police officers and judges, which significantly contributed to the law being the main responsible for the increase in incarceration in Brazil in recent decades. Finally, in order to highlight the inherent impacts of current legislation, the Brazilian criminal drug policy is presented in an international perspective. In this sense, data from the National Penitentiary Department, from the years 2018, 2020 and 2022 will be analyzed, as well as secondary sources of information, in order to problematize the current drug policy in the country, given its highly ineffective and punitive character

Ecophysiological characteristics of the nematophagous fungus, Plectosphaerella plurivora, with biocontrol potential on Nacobbus aberrans s.l. in tomato

The plant-parasitic nematode, Nacobbus sp., is responsible for significant economic losses in horticultural production centers in Argentina and other countries in America, alone or in combination with other biotic and abiotic factors. Although the genus’ distribution is restricted to the American continent, it has quarantine importance and is subject to international legislation to prevent its spread to other regions. The management of phytoparasitic nematodes using biological control strategies is a promising eco-compatible alternative, allowing for sustainability of the crop horticultural system. Firstly, this study ecophysiologically characterized Plectosphaerella plurivora SRA14, a strain with nematophagous activity on N. aberrans s.l. This fungal strain developed in vitro under a wide temperature range (20–30 °C), but the highest levels of water stress (Ψ: -7 and -10 Mpa; aW: 0.95 and 0.93) inhibited its growth. While the production of extracellular enzymes by this strain was low, P. plurivora SRA14 was able to develop in the rhizosphere and endorhizosphere of the tomato and basil crops without affecting the plant vigor parameters or producing phytotoxicity signs. Secondly, this study evidenced the biocontrol activity of P. plurivora SRA14 on N. aberrans s.l. populations in tomato, implanted into both sterile (artificially inoculated) and naturally infested soils via greenhouse pot experiments. The results of this work revealed for the first time the potential of P. plurivora SRA14 as a biological control agent of the phytoparasitic nematode N. aberrans s.l. in horticultural crops.Fil: Girardi, Natalia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología. Cátedra de Ecología Microbiana; ArgentinaFil: Sosa, Ana Laura. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología. Cátedra de Ecología Microbiana; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Loyola García, Joaquín. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología. Cátedra de Ecología Microbiana; ArgentinaFil: Pellegrino, Matias Santiago. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomia y Veterinaria. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias.; ArgentinaFil: Passone, Maria Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología. Cátedra de Ecología Microbiana; Argentin

Estimating Overall and Cause-Specific Excess Mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Methodological Approaches Compared

During the COVID-19 pandemic, excess mortality has been reported worldwide, but its magnitude has varied depending on methodological differences that hinder between-study comparability. Our aim was to estimate variability attributable to different methods, focusing on specific causes of death with different pre-pandemic trends. Monthly mortality figures observed in 2020 in the Veneto Region (Italy) were compared with those forecasted using: (1) 2018–2019 monthly average number of deaths; (2) 2015–2019 monthly average age-standardized mortality rates; (3) Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) models; (4) Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models. We analyzed deaths due to all-causes, circulatory diseases, cancer, and neurologic/mental disorders. Excess all-cause mortality estimates in 2020 across the four approaches were: +17.2% (2018–2019 average number of deaths), +9.5% (five-year average age-standardized rates), +15.2% (SARIMA), and +15.7% (GEE). For circulatory diseases (strong pre-pandemic decreasing trend), estimates were +7.1%, −4.4%, +8.4%, and +7.2%, respectively. Cancer mortality showed no relevant variations (ranging from −1.6% to −0.1%), except for the simple comparison of age-standardized mortality rates (−5.5%). The neurologic/mental disorders (with a pre-pandemic growing trend) estimated excess corresponded to +4.0%/+5.1% based on the first two approaches, while no major change could be detected based on the SARIMA and GEE models (−1.3%/+0.3%). The magnitude of excess mortality varied largely based on the methods applied to forecast mortality figures. The comparison with average age-standardized mortality rates in the previous five years diverged from the other approaches due to the lack of control over pre-existing trends. Differences across other methods were more limited, with GEE models probably representing the most versatile option

The stellar content of the super star clusters in NGC 1569

We discuss HST FOS ultraviolet spectroscopy and NICMOS near-infrared photometry of four young super star clusters in the central region of the irregular starburst galaxy NGC 1569. The new observations coupled with previous HST WFPC2 photometry and ground-based optical spectroscopy allow us to isolate and age-date the hot and cool stellar components of these massive clusters. We analyze the two components A1 and A2 of the brightest super star cluster NGC 1569-A. This cluster received previous attention due to the simultaneous presence of Wolf-Rayet stars and red supergiants. The FOS spectra provide the first evidence for O-stars in NGC 1569-A, indicating a young (5 Myr) stellar component in A1 and/or A2. Comparison with other high-mass star-forming regions suggests that the O- and Wolf-Rayet stars are spatially coincident. If so, cluster A2 could be the host of the very young O- and Wolf-Rayet population, and the somewhat older red supergiants could be predominantly located in A1. The mass-to-light ratio of NGC 1569-A1 is analyzed in five optical and infrared photometric bands and compared to evolutionary synthesis models. No indications for an anomalous initial mass function are found, consistent with a scenario where this cluster is the progenitor of present-day globular clusters. The clusters A1 and A2 are compared to clusters B and #30. The latter two clusters are older and fully dominated by red supergiants. All four super star clusters provide a significant fraction (20 - 25%) of the total optical and near-infrared light in the central region of the galaxy. The photometric properties of the super star cluster population in NGC 1569 resemble those of the populous clusters in the Magellanic Clouds