Modeling an environmentally-extended inventory routing problem with demand uncertainty and a heterogeneous fleet under carbon control policies

LAUREA MAGISTRALELe emissioni di anidride carbonica prodotte dalle attività di supply chain, ed in particolare dal trasporto, contribuiscono largamente al surriscaldamento globale. Per affrontare il problema, diversi governi e autorità regolatrici hanno iniziato ad istituire politiche volte al controllo delle emissioni di CO2, le quali possono influire direttamente sulle decisioni di un’azienda. In un tipico Inventory Routing Problem, il fornitore, basandosi sui livelli di scorte dei clienti, determina la schedulazione ottimale delle consegne e le relative tratte dei veicoli, al fine di minimizzare i costi dell’intero sistema. Il contributo della presente tesi consiste nella modellazione del problema considerando simultaneamente l’incertezza della domanda dei clienti, un modello completo di stima delle emissioni ed una flotta di veicoli eterogenea. Il modello proposto è successivamente modificato per prendere in considerazione quattro differenti politiche di controllo delle emissioni, in particolare il cap, la carbon tax, il cap-and-trade ed il cap-and-offset. Sulla base di un caso studio, le implicazioni economiche e ambientali di ogni politica sono analizzate e discusse, concentrandosi in particolare sulle decisioni operative del modello proposto.Carbon emissions produced by supply chain activities, and in particular by transportation, largely contribute to global warming. In order to tackle the problem, many governments and regulatory authorities have started to implement different carbon control policies, which may directly impact on the decisions of a company. In a traditional inventory routing problem, a supplier determines the optimal vehicles routing and scheduling of deliveries, based on the observed inventory levels of the customers, to minimise the costs of the entire system. This research contributes by modelling the problem taking simultaneously into account the uncertainty in customers demand, a comprehensive emissions model, and a heterogeneous fleet of vehicles. The proposed model is further deployed to address four different of these policies, namely the cap, the carbon tax, the cap-and-trade and the cap-and-offset. Based on a case study, the economic and environmental implications of each different policy are discussed, focusing on the operational decisions of the models

The Role of Oxytocin in the Stress and Anxiety Response.

Centrally released oxytocin (OT) is believed to attenuate stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis as well as being anxiolytic. Therefore, it is expected that OT deficient (OT-/-) mice that do not synthesize or release OT centrally or peripherally will display enhanced HPA axis activation, as well as increased anxiety-related behavior compared to wildtype (OT+/+) mice. To test this hypothesis, OT-/- mice were exposed to shaker stress, (psychogenic stressor), cholecystokinin- (CCK) administration (physical stressor), or the elevated plus maze (EPM), a behavioral test of anxiety. Female OT-/- mice released more corticosterone than OT+/+ mice in response to shaker stress. Shaker stress exposure activated Fos in OT neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) of male and female OT+/+ mice and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) within the PVN of male and female mice of both genotypes. In addition, shaker stress exposure revealed that Fos expression in the medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeA) was lower in female OT-/- than OT+/+ mice. Genotypic differences in corticosterone release and Fos activation of the MeA in response to shaker stress exposure were not observed in male mice. Furthermore, similar genotypic (and/or sex) differences were not revealed in response to CCK-administration. OT is also anxiolytic in female mice. Female OT-/- mice tested in the EPM displayed increased anxiety-related behavior compared to OT+/+ mice. In response to EPM exposure Fos expression in the MeA was greater in female OT-/- mice than OT+/+ mice. Surprisingly, male OT-/- mice tested in the EPM displayed decreased anxiety-related behavior compared to OT+/+ mice, but did not display genotypic differences in the Fos expression within the MeA. The results of this thesis suggest that OT is anxiolytic and attenuates HPA activation in female, but not male mice. Furthermore, it appears that OT plays a modulatory role in the processing of psychogenic stressors, but may not be involved in the processing of physical or systemic stressors. More specifically, it is possible that OT plays a role in behavioral and physiological responses that depend upon neuronal processing within the MeA

Pro-Ana Web-Log Uses and Gratifications towards Understanding the Pro-Anorexia Paradox

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. Currently, web-logs are hosts to thousands of pro-ana (short for pro-anorexia) blogring participants, joining together with a common claim that eating disorders are lifestyles not illnesses. This study explored participation motives among pro-ana blogring participants, relationships to individual psycho-social factors, and to unique web-log features. Results from the cross-sectional online survey suggest three main participation motives among blogring participants (community, obtaining social/ emotional support, and ego-protection). Results also indicate individual factors such as; social support satisfaction, drive-for-thinness, and BMI were related to blogger motives in a various diverse ways. Analyses of the findings from the present study reflect the self-disclosive nature of the blogging process. The results have several implications for eating disorder, computer-mediated communication, internet social support, and blog/blogring research

The Chemosensory-­Related Consequences of Fetal Ethanol or Fetal Nicotine Exposure: Their Contribution to Postnatal Nicotine Acceptance

Human studies demonstrate a predictive association between gestational exposure to alcohol or nicotine and the probabilityoflater nicotine dependence.The flavor qualitiesof both drugsare known to influencetheir earlyacceptance and they share the perceptual attributesof an aversive odor, bitter taste and oral irritation.This dissertationexamined whether there are chemosensory-­‐related consequences offetal: (1) alcohol exposurethat contribute toenhanced nicotine acceptance; or (2)nicotine exposure that also enhances acceptance. The study rationale was drivenby overlappingliteraturesrelated to: (1) the relationship between gestational exposurewith chemosensory stimuli and their postnatal acceptance; (2) lessons learned from prenatal alcohol exposure and its postnatal consequences; and (3) perceptual commonalities between the flavor of alcohol and nicotine.Alcohol studies: rats were alcohol-­‐exposed during gestationvia the dams’ liquid diet. Control damsreceived ad libaccessto an iso-­‐caloric, iso-­‐nutritive diet. Nicotine studies: dams’ were implanted with a mini-­‐osmotic pump containing nicotine.Control animals received either vehicle only or no pump. Behaviorally, we found that fetal alcohol exposed adolescent rats showed anenhanced nicotine odorNAUpstate Medical UniversityNeurosciencePh

Construction technology and raw materials for the restoration of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Cornaro Chapel Vault, Rome (Italy)

The scientific and multidisciplinary approach to the restoration of Bernini's Cornaro Chapel, at Santa Maria della Vittoria church in Rome, is reported as a fruitful example of the synergic cooperation between scientists and restorers for the planning and implementation of suitable conservative interventions. This study reports the cycle of scientific and diagnostic investigations carried out on the great Baroque masterpiece before the restoration started in 2020. Before the restoration, the technique of execution, the raw materials, and the state of preservation of Bernini's extraordinary sculptural cycle were scrupulously investigated with different and complementary analytical techniques on suitably selected micro-samples. Specifically, the original constituent materials were characterized, sometimes together with those resulting from decay processes or previous restoration interventions, through different techniques such as polarizing optical (OM) and fluorescence microscopy (FM), Electron Probe Microanalyses (EPMA) coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDX) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Particular attention was paid to the frescoed vaulted ceiling of the chapel, enriched by scenes modeled in white stucco and gilding, to better understand the manufacturing as well as the accuracy adopted by Bernini in layering, investigating from the most superficial to the innermost layers. Scientific and diagnostic analyses were successfully performed to design the most convenient restoration intervention, to verify its correctness and ensure the use of non-invasive cleaning and conservative procedures. The results obtained from nine micro-samples, mainly composed of stucco and fragments of frescoes, contributed to dispelling the doubts raised by restorers, especially regarding the use of specific raw materials (notably the gilding, type of binder and aggregates, superficial patinas, etc.) and the presence of retouches in certain areas of the masterpiece, deriving from previous conservation interventions. The identification of these raw materials and the layering of the samples supported cleaning and restoration interventions through the use of suitable materials compatible with the originals