A green logistics solution for last-mile deliveries considering e-vans and e-cargo bikes

Abstract The environmental challenges and the initiatives for sustainable development in urban areas are mainly focused on eco-friendly transportation systems. Therefore, we introduce a new green logistics solution for last-mile deliveries considering synchronization between e-vans and e-cargo bikes, developed as a Two-Echelon Electric Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows and Partial Recharging (2E-EVRPTW-PR). The first echelon represents an urban zone, and the second echelon represents a restricted traffic zone (e.g., historical center) in which e-vans in the first and e-cargo bikes in the second echelon are used for customers' deliveries. The proposed 2E-EVRPTW-PR model aims to minimize the total costs in terms of travel costs, initial vehicles' investment costs, drivers' salary costs, and micro-depot cost. The effectiveness of the proposed solution has been demonstrated comparing two different cases, i.e., the EVRPTW-PR considering e-vans for the first case, and the 2E-EVRPTW-PR considering e-vans and e-cargo bikes for the second case. The comparison has been carried out on existing EVRPTW-PR instances for the first case, and on novel 2E-EVRPTW-PR instances for the second case, in which customers of initial EVRPTW-PR instances have been divided into two zones (urban and restricted traffic zones) by using Fuzzy C-mean clustering. Moreover, results encourage logistics companies to adopt zero-emission strategies for last-mile deliveries, especially in restricted traffic zones

Ultrasonography of Quadriceps Femoris Muscle and Subcutaneous Fat Tissue and Body Composition by BIVA in Chronic Dialysis Patients

Protein Energy Wasting (PEW) in hemodialysis (HD) patients is a multifactorial condition due to specific pathology-related pathogenetic mechanisms, leading to loss of skeletal muscle mass in HD patients. Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging still represent the gold standard techniques for body composition assessment. However, their widespread application in clinical practice is difficult and body composition evaluation in HD patients is mainly based on conventional anthropometric nutritional indexes and bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA). Little data is currently available on ultrasound (US)-based measurements of muscle mass and fat tissue in this clinical setting. The purpose of our study is to ascertain: (1) if there are differences between quadriceps rectus femoris muscle (QRFM) thickness and abdominal/thigh subcutaneous fat tissue (SFT) measured by US between HD patients and healthy subjects; (2) if there is any correlation between QRFM and abdominal/thigh SFT thickness by US, and BIVA/conventional nutritional indexes in HD patients. We enrolled 65 consecutive HD patients and 33 healthy subjects. Demographic and laboratory were collected. The malnutrition inflammation score (MIS) was calculated. Using B-mode US system, the QRFM and SFT thicknesses were measured at the level of three landmarks in both thighs (superior anterior iliac spine, upper pole of the patella, the midpoint of the tract included between the previous points). SFT was also measured at the level of the periumbilical point. The mono frequency (50 KHz) BIVA was conducted using bioelectrical measurements (Rz, resistance; Xc, reactance; adjusted for height, Rz/H and Xc/H; PA, phase angle). 58.5% were men and the mean age was 69 (SD 13.7) years. QRFM and thigh SFT thicknesses were reduced in HD patients as compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.01). Similarly, also BIVA parameters, expression of lean body mass, were lower (p < 0.001), except for Rz and Rz/H in HD patients. The average QRFM thickness of both thighs at top, mid, lower landmarks were positively correlated with PA and body cell mass (BCM) by BIVA, while negatively correlated with Rz/H (p < 0.05). Abdominal SFT was positively correlated with PA, BCM and basal metabolic rate (BMR) (p < 0.05). Our study shows that ultrasound QRFM and thigh SFT thicknesses were reduced in HD patients and that muscle ultrasound measurements were significantly correlated with BIVA parameters

Elaborazione del Linguaggio Naturale con Metodi Probabilistici e Reti Neurali

L'elaborazione del linguaggio naturale (NLP) è il processo per il quale la macchina tenta di imparare le informazioni del parlato o dello scritto tipico dell'essere umano. La procedura è resa particolarmente complessa dalle numerose ambiguità tipiche della lingua o del testo: ironia, metafore, errori ortografici e così via. Grazie all'apprendimento profondo, il Deep Learning, che ha permesso lo sviluppo delle reti neurali, si è raggiunto lo stato dell'arte nell'ambito NLP, tramite l'introduzione di architetture quali Encoder-Decoder, Transformers o meccanismi di attenzione. Le reti neurali, in particolare quelle con memoria o ricorrenti, si prestano molto bene ai task di NLP, per via della loro capacità di apprendere da una grande mole di dati a disposizione, ma anche perché riescono a concentrarsi particolarmente bene sul contesto di ciascuna parola in input o sulla sentiment analysis di una frase. In questo elaborato vengono analizzate le principali tecniche per fare apprendere il linguaggio naturale al calcolatore elettronico; il tutto viene descritto con esempi e parti di codice Python. Per avere una visione completa sull'ambito, si prende come riferimento il libro di testo "Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras and Tensorflow" di Aurélien Géron, oltre che alla bibliografia correlata

Analysis of Different Configurations of Hybrid Fuel Cells System With Supercapacitors and Battery for Small Stationary Applications

The overall characteristics of electric power grid in terms of continuity of the supply and energy quality are of outmost importance for both industrial and civil applications with special attention to the uninterruptible ones. Net congestion problems are becoming more and more frequent boosting the development of small energy generation systems with back-up function. In this field low temperature fuel cells are an interesting solution addressing both environmental and efficiency issues. In the present work the application of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEFC) for an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system (<1kWe) is analysed by examining different possible technical solutions. This system is composed by a PEFC 1kWe stack, assisted by a set of battery and a supercapacitors pack, and using hydrogen stored into a metal hydride tank. Critical aspects as system start-up, response rapidity and autonomy are addressed to obtain an optimal configuration. Both numerical and experimental analysis have been carried out to characterize component behaviour. Once realized and tested, the system has proved to be able to work as UPS with an autonomy of 6.5 hours, only determined by hydrogen storage capability

A mathematical programming model for optimal fleet management of electric car-sharing systems with Vehicle-to-Grid operations

Electric car-sharing systems have attracted large attention in recent years as a new business model for achieving both economic and environmental benefits in urban areas. Among different types, the one considered in this paper is the so-called one-way car-sharing system whereby a user can begin and end a trip at any station of the system. At the same time, the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) concept is emerging as a possible innovative solution for smart power grid control. A management system that combines car-sharing system operations and V2G technology is a recent challenge for academia and industry. In this work, a mixed integer linear programming formulation is proposed to find the optimal management of electric vehicles in a one-way car-sharing system integrated with V2G technology. The proposed mathematical model allows finding the optimal start-of-day electric vehicles distribution that maximizes the total revenue obtained from system users and V2G profits through daily electric vehicles charging/discharging schedules. These schedules are based on mean daily users' electric vehicles requests and electricity prices. The model can be applied to evaluate the possible average daily profitability of V2G operations. In order to test the model performance, we applied it to a small-size test network and a real-size test network (the Delft network in the Netherlands). Under the model assumptions, the adoption of V2G technology allows to fully cover the daily charging costs due to users’ trips and to obtain V2G profits by taking advantage of electric vehicles unused time without significantly reducing the satisfied car-sharing system demand. Most of the energy purchased to charge the electric vehicles batteries is provided back to the grid during energy peak load demand, creating benefits also for energy providers.</p

Technological aspects of the urban innovation project of the neighborhood “I Passi” in Pisa

This work describes the activities planned by CINI and CNR-ISTI for the urban innovation project of the neighborhood “I passi” in Pisa. Specifically, these activities fit three lines of intervention concerning the energy monitoring of a new co-housing building, measures for the assistance of elderly living in this co-housing structure, and a participatory sensing platform for the residents of the neighborhoo

Specific therapies for ischaemic stroke: rTPA and others.

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