Performance assessment of alternative SSS networks by combining KPIs and factor-cluster analysis

Performance assessment is a fundamental tool to successfully monitor and manage logistics and transport systems. In the field of Short Sea Shipping (SSS), the performance of the various maritime initiatives should be analyzed to assess the best way to achieve efficiency and guide related policies. This study proposes a quantitative methodology which can serve as a decision-support tool in the preliminary assessment and comparison of alternative SSS networks. The research is executed via a Mediterranean case study that compares a hypothetical Mediterranean ro-ro SSS network developed in the framework of a past Euro-Mediterranean cooperation project with the network of existing ro-ro liner services operating in the area. Performance benchmarking of the two networks is performed using a set of quantitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and applying a factor-cluster analysis to produce homogeneous clusters of services based on the relevant variables while accounting for sample heterogeneity. Quantitative results mostly confirm the overall better performance of the prospective network and demonstrate that using KPIs and factor-cluster analysis to investigate the performance of maritime networks can provide policymakers with a preliminary wealth of knowledge that can help in setting targeted policy for SSS-oriented initiatives

Towards the IMO’s GHG goals: a critical overview of the perspectives and challenges of the main options for decarbonizing international shipping

The Initial Strategy on reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2018 commits the IMO to reduce total GHG emissions of shipping by at least 50% by 2050. Though the direction of the Strategy is clear, the path to implementation remains uncertain. The ambitious IMO’s target calls for widespread uptake of lower and zero-carbon fuels, in addition to other energy eciency measures, including operational and market ones. Using a triangulated research approach, this paper provides a critical overview of the main measures and initiatives the shipping industry can adopt to try to cope with the new IMO’s requirements. The pros and cons of the most popular emission reduction options are investigated along with the main challenges and barriers to implementation and the potential facilitators that could foster a wider application. The framework that is outlined is complex and not without controversy. Research can play a key role as a facilitator of shipping’s decarbonization by providing its contribution to overcoming the existing controversies on various decarbonization options and by developing a wealth of knowledge that can encourage the implementation of low-carbon initiatives

Egocentric Video Summarization of Cultural Tour based on User Preferences

In this paper, we propose a new method to obtain customized video summarization according to specific user preferences. Our approach is tailored on Cultural Heritage scenario and is designed on identifying candidate shots, selecting from the original streams only the scenes with behavior patterns related to the presence of relevant experiences, and further filtering them in order to obtain a summary matching the requested user's preferences. Our preliminary results show that the proposed approach is able to leverage user's preferences in order to obtain a customized summary, so that different users may extract from the same stream different summaries

Visual Perception and Understanding of Variable Message Signs: The Influence of the Drivers’ Age and Message Layout

Variable message signs (VMS) are used to display messages providing up‐to‐date traffic‐ relevant information so that drivers can safely adapt their behavior in real time. The information reported in a VMS should be brief but comprehensive to minimize perception time. The latter can be influenced by the way the message is displayed. This study investigates how the different ways of displaying the same message can influence reading time and the information perception process at different driving speeds. Specifically, the following message characteristics are investigated: (i) use of uppercase and lowercase letters; (ii) use of familiar pictograms; and (iii) use of less familiar pictograms. Furthermore, as perception time typically changes with ageing, drivers belonging to three different age classes are tested. The experimentation was performed by simulating a vehicle passing along a straight road upon which a VMS displaying different messages was placed. Exper‐ imentation results are analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test, Friedman rank‐sum test and Welch one‐way ANOVA, showing that: (i) the use of uppercase or lowercase does not seem to significantly affect reading times; (ii) the use of pictograms that are not very familiar to habitual road‐users can be counterproductive for the perception process; (iii) elderly drivers always have greater difficulty in perceiving the message than young or middle‐aged drivers. The findings of this study can be of help for traffic authorities to design the most suitable structure for a VMS so that its information can be unequivocally and immediately conveyed to drivers

I Festiuos cultos publicos aplausos y oraciones panegiricas di Juan Leonardo Sanna (1714) tra storiografia e celebrazione = The Festiuos cultos publicos aplausos y oraciones panegiricas by Juan Leonardo Sanna (1714) between historiography and celebration

Il contributo prende in esame alcune sezioni della relacione de sucesos di Iuan Leonardo Sanna Festivos cultos, públicos aplausos y oraciones panegíricas en la canonización del Pontifice sumo, optimo, maximo, S. Pio Papa V, stampata a Cagliari nel 1714. Il testo, estremamente composito e ricco di fonti documentarie, costituisce una significativa testimonianza della cultura e dei circuiti intellettuali in Sardegna alla fine della dominazione spagnola.The essay examines some sections of the relacione de sucesos by Iuan Leonardo Sanna, Festivos cultos, públicos aplausos y oraciones panegíricas en la canonización del Pontifice sumo, optimo, maximo, S. Pio Papa V, printed in Cagliari in 1714. The text, extremely composite and full of documentary sources, is a significant testimony of the culture and intellectual circuits in Sardinia at the end of the Spanish domination

A Port Accessibility Index for Mediterranean container terminals

Using the Mediterranean as an application case, this study defines a Port Accessibility Index (PAI) useful to measure the accessibility of Mediterranean container ports. Traditionally, accessibility is measured as the quality of maritime links that connect ports together, without considering the port’s characteristics. Differently from previous studies, this paper also focuses on the internal accessibility of the port. In so doing, the PAI will combine the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index with other factors, such as, time at port of container ships, maximum quay depth and number of containers per quay crane (QC) or per yard area. The application considers the 34 main Mediterranean container ports in terms of TEUs handled in the last decade. The results can contribute to highlight and identify the potential elements that could improve the accessibility of Mediterranean container ports, providing decision-makers with a useful wealth of knowledge when carrying out management strategies. Future studies may concern the extension of the research to other geographical areas with the inclusion of additional indicators (e.g., road and/or rail accessibility)

Performance evaluation of a tracking system for intermodal traffic: an experimentation in the Tyrrhenian area

Monitoring shipments along intermodal chains is crucial to ensuring the fast, reliable and secure transport of goods. In this regard, the paper describes the results of a real-life tracking experimentation carried out in June 2018 in the Tyrrhenian area with a twofold objective: 1) to evaluate the performance of a state-of-art tracking system to effectively monitor Ro-Ro freight units moving along intermodal chains; 2) to get an objective view of the intermodal chains currently connecting the two main Italian islands to the mainland. The experimentation was performed by means of a tracking device using the GSM network for data connection and geographical position detection. In addition, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data were used to improve positioning during navigation. Quantitative analyses carried out on the recorded tracking data revealed that a significant share of the total transport time of the monitored transport chains is unproductive time that goods spend waiting at the port and logistics nodes. From a technical point of view, the experimentation raised several problems of the tracking technology employed vis-à-vis real-time tracking, continuous monitoring, signal coverage and positioning accuracy. A discussion of the main detected limitations is provided in the paper along with some possible solutions to overcome them

Chemically modified β-cyclodextrins useful in developing biosensors of agricultural and food relevance

β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), a natural, non-toxic cycloeptaamilose macrocycle, is a useful biomatrix for immobilizing enzymes on a biosensor surface because of the affinity of its cavity for hydrophobic guest molecules (e.g., aminoacids). In this work β-CD has been successfully modified with different poly-carboxylic acids (PCAs) including 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid. Time activation, pH, pressure and stoichiometry were optimized in order to achieve selected substitutions on the macrocycle hydroxy groups. The modified β-CDs, prepared under mild conditions, are completely water-soluble and could be grafted on a biosensor surface

The Allopregnanolone Response to Acute Stress in Females: Preclinical and Clinical Studies

The neuroactive steroid allopregnanolone ((3 alpha,5 alpha)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one or 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP) plays a key role in the response to stress, by normalizing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function to restore homeostasis. Most studies have been conducted on male rats, and little is known about the allopregnanolone response to stress in females, despite that women are more susceptible than men to develop emotional and stress-related disorders. Here, we provide an overview of animal and human studies examining the allopregnanolone responses to acute stress in females in the context of stress-related neuropsychiatric diseases and under the different conditions that characterize the female lifespan associated with the reproductive function. The blunted allopregnanolone response to acute stress, often observed in female rats and women, may represent one of the mechanisms that contribute to the increased vulnerability to stress and affective disorders in women under the different hormonal fluctuations that occur throughout their lifespan. These studies highlight the importance of targeting neuroactive steroids as a therapeutic approach for stress-related disorders in women