Hub locations in urban multimodal networks

The present paper deals with the problem of locating hubs for freight mobility in urban and suburban areas. In particular, we present a heuristic method that combines aspects coming from both classical simple plant location problems and shortest path ones on multimodal graphs. In the first phase of the proposed heuristics, we identify those nodes that could be attractive poles for being logistics platforms. In this phase we select the possible modal change nodes by analysing their communication capabilities with the other nodes of the network, such as depots, transit points, retail points, main accesses to the highways and railways. In the second phase, we first compute shortest mono-modal paths looking for well performing modal change nodes from both the required origin and destination nodes. Then, we evaluate the generalized cost of the corresponding possible multimodal path visiting the previously selected commuting points thus being able to identify the best location for the required hubs in the whole logistic network among the set of candidate nodes. Computational experiences and results concerning the logistic network of the metropolitan area of the city of Genoa are reported

New solution approaches for the Train Load Planning Problem

The present paper faces the train load planning problem in container terminals. The problem consists of assigning containers to rail wagons while maximizing the total priority of the containers loaded and minimizing the number of rehandles executed in the terminal yard. Two diferent heuristic approaches, based on an innovative way to compute weight limitations and on two 0/1 integer programming models, are proposed and compared on the basis of specifc key performance indicators. The heuristic approaches are compared using random generated instances based on real-world data. An extensive computational analysis has been performed

A shipping line stowage-planning procedure in the presence of hazardous containers

This work addresses the stowage-planning problem for containerships, known as the Master Bay Plan problem (MBPP), in the presence of hazardous containers. A novel procedure, based on the principles included in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code for stowing containers in liner services is presented. Further, shipping alliances are considered. Our aim is to assist the shipping line coordinator (SLC) to optimize the available space assigned to each alliance member. This is possible thanks to the proposed procedure that finds stowage solutions for ships with different structures, capacity and available sections for hazardous containers, and for companies having different stowage strategies. Our procedure can be implemented in a tool, able to verify the stowage constraints and the segregation rules in case of hazardous cargo. Two simple real-life multi-port stowage plans involving hazardous containers are presented and analysed to illustrate the proposed procedure

Ports, external costs, and Northern Italian transport network design: effects for the planned transformation

Modern ports need to be inserted in an efficient network in order to exploit all their potential, positively affecting both the efficiency of the local markets and the external costs of the served industries. Moreover, the role of the ports within the whole supply chain is affected by the location and the organization of intermediate facilities\u2014such as logistics parks or inland ports\u2014that heavily influence both the effectiveness of the logistics corridors and the externalities generated by the transport industry. New and adequate infrastructures can then reduce congestions, pollution, and accidents smoothing the whole logistics chains. The proposed study aims at discussing the effects in terms of rail share of the different planned interventions that are aimed at increasing the rail capacity of the network under investigation. In order to achieve this goal, a network optimization model has been solved by the optimizer solver of a spreadsheet. Outcomes can be used in order to improve current transport policies that might foster a more efficient and less impacting hinterland transport solutio

Evaluation of neonatal transport in a European country shows that regional provision is not cost-effective or sustainable and needs to be re-organised

Aim: There are three dedicated and 41 on-call neonatal emergency transport services (NETS) in Italy, and activity levels vary dramatically. We examined the cost-effectiveness of a hub-and-spoke NETS by looking at the costs and activity levels in the Liguria region and established the financial needs for improving NETS across Italy. Methods: The cost of running NETS in the Liguria region from 2012 to 2015 was evaluated and analysed, and three different models determined the transports needed each year to provide the best organisational model. Results: The average number of NETS transports in the Liguria region during the study period was 234, and the models indicated that 200\u2013350 transports per year were the optimal amount of activity that was needed to achieve good financial performance and for the personnel to acquire a suitable skill set. Only five of the 41 on-call Italian NETS and the three dedicated services carried out more than 200 transports a year. Of the rest, 26 carried out up to 100 and 10 carried out 101\u2013200. Conclusion: Italian NETS, which are managed on the basis of regional decisional autonomy, are expensive and no longer sustainable in this era of limited financial resources. A complete overhaul is urgently needed

Grasses (Poaceae) of the District of Coronel Rosales (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Las gramíneas (Poáceas) conforman una de las familias más numerosas, con más de 670 géneros y cerca de 11.000 especies descriptas. Se (1) efectuó un inventario de las gramíneas del Partido de Coronel Rosales, Buenos Aires, Argentina, y (2) ofreció una síntesis considerando sus usos etnobotánicos y características ecológicas. Durante 2006, 2007 y 2008 el material recolectado se identificó mediante el uso de claves taxonómicas. La familia Poaceae representó el 25% de las especies del Partido. Se confirmó la presencia de 95 especies de Poaceae distribuidas en 17 tribus y 47 géneros. De éstas, las especies autóctonas constituyeron cerca del 45% de la flora espontánea. El 36 ó 26% de las especies halladas fueron gramíneas perennes de estación cálida o fría, respectivamente. El porcentaje restante lo constituyeron las especies anuales. Un 46,3% y un 53,7% de las especies de gramíneas estudiadas tuvieron la senda fotosintética C3 y C4, respectivamente. Se destacaron varios usos: (1) producción de forraje para el ganado doméstico, (2) medicinales, (3) fijadoras de médanos y de terrenos con suelos sueltos (es decir de textura gruesa), (4) ornamentales, (5) utilización como césped, (6) alimenticios, y (7) varios usos industriales: fabricación de conglomerados, pasta de papel y canastas.Grasses (i.e., Poaceae) are one of the more numerous, described families with more than 670 genera and about 11,000 species. This work includes (1) a plant record of the grasses of the District of Coronel Rosales, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and (2) a synthesis of their ethnobotanical uses and ecological characteristics. During 2006, 2007 and 2008, we identified the sampled material using taxonomical keys. Twenty five percent of the species of the District was represented by the Poaceae family. Ninety five Poaceae species were distributed in 17 tribes and 47 genera. Native species were approximately 45% of the wild flora. Warm- or cool-season perennial grasses were 36 or 26%, respectively, of the found species; annual species constituted the remaining percentage. A 46.3% or 53.7% of the study grass species showed the C3 or C4, photosynthetic pathway, respectively. The study species can be used as: (1) forage for domestic livestock, (2) medicinal plants, (3) dune and sandy, loose land fixers, (4) ornamentals, (5) lawn, (6) food, and (7) a source for building woody, housing materials; paper pasta and canastas.Fil: Cardillo, Daniela Solange. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); ArgentinaFil: Busso, Carlos Alberto. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); ArgentinaFil: Ambrosino, Mariela Lis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Yanina Alejandra. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ithurrart, Leticia Soledad. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); ArgentinaFil: Montenegro, Oscar Alberto. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Asuntos Agrarios. Chacra Experimental de Patagones; Argentin

Plant species identity and richness influence microbial respiration of soil microorganisms on various functional groups in northeastern Patagonia, Argentina

Studies on basal soil respiration (i.e., under undisturbed conditions) are very important because they can be used as indirect indicators of the biological activity in those soils; this ecological process is recognized as the major source of carbon flux from the soil surface, and one of the crucial components of the carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to determine the microbial respiration of soil microorganisms at various levels of plant species richness and developmental morphology stages in various perennial grass (Nassella longiglumis, N. tenuis, Amelichloa ambigua), and herbaceous (Atriplex semibaccata) and woody (Larrea divaricata, Schinus fasciculatus) dicots grown in experimental plots during 2013 and 2014. There were 54 experimental plots. On each of 6 blocks, there was a plot (1.25x1.25m) for each of the 6 species (monocultures) and one plot each having combinations of 2, 4 or 6 species. Six hundred and twenty nine plants were reserved to replace dead plants in the plots [629+1944 plants from the plots (54 plots x 36 plants per plot)=2573 plants in total]. An auger (3 cm diameter, 20 cm length), was used to obtain six replicate root + soil samples at each of four sampling times during those years. Basal soil respiration was similar (p>0.05) or greater (p<0.05), but ever lower, as plant species richness increased. Our results demonstrated that the plant species differences in microbial respiration in the experimental plots were species richness-, developmental morphology stage-, and sampling-time dependents.Fil: Cardillo, Daniela Solange. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; ArgentinaFil: Busso, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Ambrosino, Mariela Lis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Unlpamp;Fil: Torres, Yanina Alejandra. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Ithurrart, Leticia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Palomo, Iris Rosana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentin

A solution for a real-time stochastic capacitated vehicle routing problem with time windows

Real-time distribution planning presents major difficulties when applied to large problems. Commonly, this planning is associated to the capacitated vehicle routing problem with time windows (CVRPTW), deeply studied in the literature. In this paper we propose an optimization system developed to be integrated with an existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) without causing major disruption to the current distribution process of a company. The proposed system includes: a route optimization module, a module implementing the communications within and to the outside of the system, a non-relational database to provide local storage of information relevant to the optimization procedure, and a cartographic subsystem. The proposed architecture is able to deal with dynamic problems included in the specification of the project, namely: arrival of new orders while already optimizing as well as locking and closing of routes by the system administrator. A back-office graphical interface was also implemented and some results are presented

Palmitoylethanolamide inhibits rMCP-5 expression by regulating MITF activation in rat chronic granulomatous inflammation

Chronic inflammation, a condition frequently associated with several pathologies, is characterized by angiogenic and fibrogenic responses that may account for the development of granulomatous tissue. We previously demonstrated that the chymase, rat mast cell protease-5 (rMCP-5), exhibits pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic properties in a model of chronic inflammation sustained by mast cells (MCs), granuloma induced by the subcutaneous carrageenan-soaked sponge implant in rat. In this study, we investigated the effects of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an anti-inflammatory and analgesic endogenous compound, on rMCP-5 mRNA expression and Microphtalmia-associated Transcription Factor (MITF) activation in the same model of chronic inflammation. The levels of rMCP-5 mRNA were detected using semi-quantitative RT-PCR; the protein expression of chymase and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) were analyzed by western blot; MITF/DNA binding activity and MITF phosphorylation were assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and immunoprecipitation, respectively. The administration of PEA (200, 400 and 800 µg/ml) significantly decreased rMCP-5 mRNA and chymase protein expression induced by λ-carrageenan. These effects were associated with a significant decrease of MITF/DNA binding activity and phosphorylated MITF as well as phosphorylated ERK levels. In conclusion, our results, showing the ability of PEA to inhibit MITF activation and chymase expression in granulomatous tissue, may yield new insights into the understanding of the signaling pathways leading to MITF activation controlled by PEA

PixDD: a multi-pixel silicon drift detector for high-throughput spectral-timing studies

The Pixelated silicon Drift Detector (PixDD) is a two-dimensional multi-pixel X-ray sensor based on the technology of Silicon Drift Detectors, designed to solve the dead time and pile-up issues of photon-integrating imaging detectors. Read out by a two-dimensional self-triggering Application-Specific Integrated Circuit named RIGEL, to which the sensor is bump-bonded, it operates in the 0:5 — 15 keV energy range and is designed to achieve single-photon sensitivity and good spectroscopic capabilities even at room temperature or with mild cooling (< 150 eV resolution at 6 keV at 0 °C). The paper reports on the design and performance tests of the 128-pixel prototype of the fully integrated system