A novel mathematical formulation for solving the dynamic and discrete berth allocation problem by using the Bee Colony Optimisation algorithm

AbstractBerth allocation is one of the crucial points for efficient management of ports. This problem is complex due to all possible combinations for assigning ships to available compatible berths. This paper focuses on solving the Berth Allocation Problem (BAP) by optimising port operations using an innovative model. The problem analysed in this work deals with the Discrete and Dynamic Berth Allocation Problem (DDBAP). We propose a novel mathematical formulation expressed as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) for solving the DDBAP. Furthermore, we adapted a metaheuristic solution approach based on the Bee Colony Optimisation (BCO) for solving large-sized combinatorial BAPs. In order to assess the solution performance and efficiency of the proposed model, we introduce a new set of instances based on real data of the Livorno port (Italy), and a comparison between the BCO algorithm and CPLEX in solving the DDBAP is performed. Additionally, the application of the proposed model to a real berth scheduling (Livorno port data) and a comparison with the Ant Colony Optimisation (ACO) metaheuristic are carried out. Results highlight the feasibility of the proposed model and the effectiveness of BCO when compared to both CPLEX and ACO, achieving computation times that ensure a real-time application of the method

Ethics and/or aesthetics? reflections on cosmetic surgery for adolescents

Cosmetic surgery entails various ethical issues, even more so in cases involving adolescent patients. Cosmetic surgeons need to take into account how modern societies consider physical appearance an essential component of everyday life, as well as the vulnerability of youths and adolescents. For that reason, it is imperative to thoroughly assess the psychological and emotional states, in addition to the motivations, of minor patients. That goal can be achieved through the use of the DAS-59, (the Derriford Appearance Scale)1 , an effective and dependable tool devised to evaluate the psychological difficulties and distress experienced by people living with problems of appearance. Prior to undergoing cosmetic surgery procedures, adolescents should be required to go through adequate counseling, over multiple sessions and extended to their family members as well, on account of the complex issues inherent in evaluating the risk-benefit ratio and a prospective patient's decision-making capability. A concerted effort on the part of surgeons, psychiatrists or psychologists is key in determining the real motivations behind a minor's decision to opt for cosmetic surgery in the first place. Possible psychiatric conditions may in fact prevent a minor from making a free, informed decision. From an ethical standpoint, cosmetic surgery procedures should be geared to serve the best interest of the minor patient, who may experience distress over his or her body image, from a health and psychological balance perspective and improve his or her social, affective and working life. Besides, cosmetic surgery should not be overly invasive compared to its potential benefits. Those procedures aimed at achieving ″ideal beauty″ are not desirable and ought to be banned. By virtue of such criteria, the authors have set out to evaluate the ethical admissibility of some aesthetic treatments. Thus, doctors should not consent to any request coming from their patients, but rather, intervene only in presence of an objective physical flaw or deformity, e.g. protruding ears, which have a potential to negatively affect social life and interactions

A novel Dynamic programming approach for Two-Echelon Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem in City Logistics with Environmental considerations

Abstract The paper proposes a Two-Echelon Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Environmental consideration, intended for managing urban freight distribution in City Logistics. It presents a novel Dynamic programming approach that divides the main problem into several ones and uses an exact algorithm to obtain optimal route paths. The approach applies Fuzzy C-Means Clustering for assigning a group of customers to a satellite. The initial solution is improved with roulette selection, 2-opt, and Or-opt exchange heuristics. The approach was tested on benchmark instances, and obtained results are satisfactory. Moreover, the proposed method highlights the environmental improvement we can obtain in managing urban freight transportation

Hepatotoxicity induced by greater celandine (Chelidonium majus L.): a review of the literature

The available literature assessing Chelidonium majus L. (CM) hepatotoxicity potential, and its risk to benefit assessment has been reviewed in this paper. Identification of significant scientific literature was performed via the following research databases: Cochrane Central, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Medline, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, using the following keywords: "Chelidonium majus", "greater celandine", "Hepatotoxicity", "Liver" "Injury", "Toxicity" individually investigated and then again in association. CM named also greater celandine, swallow-wort, or bai-qu-cai (Chinese), has been used for a long time in traditional Chinese medicine and phytotherapy. Its extracts have been claimed to display a wide variety of biological activities: antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, antineoplastic, hepatoprotective, and analgesic. Moreover, herbal medicine suggests this plant have numerous additional effects which have not yet been scientifically evaluated, such as antitussive, diuretic, and eye-regenerative. However, despite its claimed hepatoprotective effects, several hepatotoxicity cases have been reported to be probably or highly probably connected with CM exposure, after their evaluation through liver-targeted causality assessment methods. CM hepatotoxicity has been defined as a distinct form of herb-induced liver injury (HILI), due to an idiosyncratic reaction of the metabolic type. This evidence has to be considered in relationship with the absence of considerable benefits of CM therapy. Therefore, the risk to benefit ratio of the use of herbal products containing greater celandine can actually be considered as negative

Fusion of Two Metaheuristic Approaches to Solve the Flight Gate Assignment Problem

AbstractOne of the most important activity in airport operations is the gate scheduling. It is concerned with finding an assignment of flights to terminal and ramp positions (gates), and an assignment of the start and completion times of the processing of a flight at its position. The objectives related to the flight gate assignment problem (FGAP) include the minimization of the number of flights assigned to remote terminals and the minimization of the total walking distance. The main aim of this research is to find a methodology to solve the FGAP. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach called Biogeography-based Bee Colony Optimization (B-BCO). This approach is obtained fusing two metaheuristics: biogeography-based (BBO) and bee colony optimization (BCO) algorithms. The proposed B-BCO model integrates the BBO migration operator into to bee's search behaviour. Results highlight better performances of the proposed approach in solving FGAP when compared to BCO

Improving the Performance of the Bilevel Solution for the Continuous Network Design Problem

For a long time, many researchers have investigated the continuous network design problem (CNDP) to distribute equitably additional capacity between selected links in a road network, to overcome traffic congestion in urban roads. In addition, CNDP plays a critical role for local authorities in tackling traffic congestion with a limited budget. Due to the mutual interaction between road users and local authorities, CNDP is usually solved using the bilevel modeling technique. The upper level seeks to find the optimal capacity enhancements of selected links, while the lower level is used to solve the traffic assignment problem. In this study, we introduced the enhanced differential evolution algorithm based on multiple improvement strategies (EDEMIS) for solving CNDP. We applied EDEMIS first to a hypothetical network to show its ability in finding the global optimum solution, at least in a small network. Then, we used a 16-link network to reveal the capability of EDEMIS especially in the case of high demand. Finally, we used the Sioux Falls city network to evaluate the performance of EDEMIS according to other solution methods on a medium-sized road network. The results showed that EDEMIS produces better solutions than other considered algorithms, encouraging transportation planners to use it in large-scale road networks.</p

Theoretical and experimental analysis of the performances of a heat sink with vertical orientation in natural convection

In the various areas in which electrical components are used, the problem of heat dissipation generated due to the absorption of electrical energy assumes great interest and is worthy of an in-depth study. In steady state conditions, the thermal power generated can equal the electrical power absorbed and leads to an alteration in the physical properties of electrical components compromising their performance and correct functioning. One of the most frequently adopted solutions consists in the application of a heat sink on the surface to be cooled. Experimental tests were conducted using an infrared thermal camera, an internal climate control unit for the recording of the thermo hygrometric conditions of the environment and a finite element software (ProENGINEER) to simulate the thermal behaviour of the heat sink in order to analyse the modalities of thermal exchange of the heat sink. The results obtained were subsequently compared with the heat sink properties provided by the manufacturer. The main objective of the work is that of providing a methodology that blends the use of thermographic and simulation techniques with finite elements, in order to render the development of a theoretical–experimental correlation possible for any physical condition and geometrical configuration taken into consideration. This methodology is confirmed in the field of technological development of electrical components, where at each stage of the planning process exists a marked intertwining of computing, electronics, mechanics and heat transmission

A Fuzzy set-based method to identify the car position in a road lane at intersections by smartphone GPS data

Abstract Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) work by collections of data in real time. Average speed, travel time and delay at intersections are some of the most important measures, often used for monitoring the performance of transportation systems, and useful for system management and planning. In urban transportation planning, intersections are usually considered critical points, acting as bottlenecks and clog points for urban traffic. Thus, detecting the travel time at intersections in different turning directions is an activity useful to improve the urban transport efficiency. Smartphones represent a low-cost technology, with which is possible to obtain information about traffic state. However, smartphone GPS data suffer for low precision, mainly in urban areas. In this paper, we present a fuzzy set-based method for car positioning identification within road lanes near intersections using GPS data coming from smartphones. We have introduced the fuzzy sets to take into account uncertainty embedded in GPS data when trying to identify the position of cars within the road lanes. Moreover, we introduced a Genetic Algorithm to calibrate the fuzzy parameters in order to obtain a novel supervised clustering technique. We applied the proposed method to one intersection in the urban road network of Bari (Italy). First results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed methodology when comparing the outcomes of the proposed method with two well-known clustering techniques (Fuzzy C-means, K-means)

Malpractice and patient safety descriptors: an innovative grid to evaluate the quality of clinical records

Introduction: The medical record contains all the health information related to the patient’s clinical condition and its evolution during hospitalization. It was defined by the Italian Ministry of Health in 1992 as "The information tool designed to record all relevant demographic and clinical information about a patient during a single episode of hospitalization". The documents and information in a Medical Record must meet the following criteria: traceability, clarity, accuracy, authenticity, pertinence and completeness. The objectives of our study was to develop a tool capable of assessing the quality of the clinical record and pointed the critical point at the Organizational, Technical - Professional, Managerial level. Methods: To evaluate the quality of the medical documentation, we created an assessment grid composed of 4 sections with a total of 92 criteria. This grid was tested on 200 medical records that were randomly selected from 25 (18 medical and 7 surgical) wards of a teaching hospital in Rome. Results: The grid contains 4 sections. The first part regards administrative and clinical data; the second assesses the quality of hospital stay and surgical/invasive procedures; the third part is concerned with the discharge of the patient and the fourth aims to identify the presence of advisory reports given to the patient. This grid has been validated to verify internal consistency with Cronbach's Alpha = 0,743. Conclusions: Medical records were analyzed using a validated tool with grids to identify critical issues in care activities. Weaknesses in the system were identified in order to improve planning. The sample testing also in terms of ‘self-assessment' represents a tool to introduce activities to improve safety and quality of care, greatly reducing the costs of litigation