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Abstract: This study investigates stress-influence factors perceived by military aircrews undergoing centrifuge training, which lowers the incidence of G-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) for the crews of high-performance combat aircrafts. We used questionnaires to assess the subjective stress-influence factors of crews undergoing centrifuge training. Professionals in aviation physiology identified attributes measuring the perceived stress induced by centrifuge training, which were segmented into three constructs by factor analysis, theory lecture, centrifuge equipment, and physical fitness. Considerable interpenetration was discernible between these factors and military rank, age, length of service, flight hours accrued, and type of aircraft piloted. Identifying and quantifying the perceived stressors experienced in human-use centrifuge training enables aviators, astronauts, and air forces of the world to determine which constructs perceptibly increase or alleviate the perceived stress undergone by trainees when partaking in centrifuge training. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study applies the theory of consumption values to determine the influence factors on consumer choice behavior regarding green products, and examines whether there are significant differences in consumption values and choice behavior between consumers with different outlooks on environmental concerns. One-way analysis of variance and multiple regression is used to assess data collected by a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that consumers with high environmental concern support green products more, and show greater readiness to choose them. This study concludes that the main influence factors on consumer choice behavior regarding green products include psychological benefit, desire for knowledge, novelty seeking, and specific conditions, and do not include functional values, price and quality. This study contributes to preliminary but vital insights in effective promotion of green products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study investigates the routing problems of road resurfacing in Taiwan''s smooth road project, incorporating multiple treatments served by different construction machinery in a way that propagates extra time window constraints to ensure that a subsequent treatment starts after the required preceding treatment has started or been completed. The routing problem is modeled as a multi-treatment capacitated arc routing problem with time windows (MTCARPTW) in order to determine a set of trips at a minimum total cost that covers all required links of road resurfacing work. The MTCARPTW is first transformed into a traveling salesman problem (TSP); then, a heuristics method based on ant colony optimization (ACO) is applied and evaluated based on the set of given circumstances. The computational results indicate that the proposed algorithm is efficient. This research contributes to identifying a new routing problem, modeling this MTCARPTW, and introducing the ACO to solve the problem efficiently. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study formulates the dispatching operations of ready mixed concrete (RMC) trucks as a job shop problem with recirculation, which includes time windows and demand postponement, as well as the external cost of transport, in a multi-objective programming model. This investigation divides factors that affect truck dispatching of RMC plants into intrinsic and imposed constraints, where intrinsic constraints refer to limits that must be satisfied during the concrete distribution process; imposed constraints are those that should be fulfilled to the greatest extent possible during dispatching. The results will help concrete plant dispatchers of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) determine a cost effective and reliable day-to-day distribution scheme and achieve better customer service. This work contributes to both modeling and dispatching operations of RMC trucks as a job shop problem by applying optimization tools that enable RMC SMEs to detect and subsequently take advantage of opportunities that may exist for improving daily operation efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recent reports on environmental protection have found that lean management can facilitate green operations in container terminals. Using data from 268 samples in Kaohsiung, a structural equation modeling approach was employed to examine the relationships among lean management, green operations, and green behavior with respect to green performance, and a hierarchical regression approach was utilized to test the moderating effect of green climate between these major dimensions in the context of container terminals. The research findings indicated that lean management positively influenced both green operations and green behavior. Green operational practices had a positive impact on both green behavior and green performance. Green climate also had a positive effect on green performance. Additionally, a green climate positively moderated the effect of lean management, green behavior, and green performance. In this era of environmental protection, these research outcomes have practical implications for the expansion of container terminal organizations by improving operational effectiveness with green performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study employed a two-phase methodology to assess the environmental impacts from offset lithographic printing on color-box packaging. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to prioritize improvement options and the life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach was used to assess environmental impacts quantitatively. This study quantified the total amount of energy consumption and CO2 emissions caused by the printing processes of color-box packaging and showed that the total reduction of GHG emissions of the system that omitted the laminating and varnishing process was approximately 239 kg. Moreover, incineration contributes 2905–3004 kg of CO2 to potential global warming in the case of color-box packaging. The study demonstrated the viability of the AHP for evaluating environmental impacts of printing processes, ranking them in order of pollution potential, and subsequently identifying those critical for reducing environmental pollution on the printing operation. This study also showed how the LCA approach may be used together with expert opinion to identify opportunity to alter printing processes in order to address environmental impacts and improve the environmental profile of offset lithographic printing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The continuous mutation of SARS-CoV-2 highlights the need for rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput detection methods. To better analyze the antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in vaccinated or infected subjects, we developed a multiplex detection named Barcode Bead Fluorescence (BBF) assay. These barcode beads were magnetic, characterized by 2-dimensional edges, highly multiplexed, and could be decrypted with visible light. We conjugated 12 magnetic barcode beads with corresponding nine spike proteins (wild-type, alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and current omicrons), two nucleocapsid proteins (wild-type and omicron), and one negative control. First, the conjugated beads underwent serial quality controls via fluorescence labeling, e.g., reproducibility (R square = 0.99) and detection limits (119 pg via anti-spike antibody). Next, we investigated serums from vaccinated subjects and COVID-19 patients for clinical applications. A significant reduction of antibody levels against all variant beads was observed in both vaccinated and COVID-19 studies. Subjects with two doses of mRNA-1273 exhibited the highest level of antibodies against all spike variants compared to two doses of AZD1222 and unvaccinated. We also found that COVID-19 patients showed higher antibody levels against spike beads from wild-type, alpha, beta, and delta. Finally, the nucleocapsid beads served as markers to distinguish infections from vaccinated subjects. Overall, this study developed the BBF assay for analyzing humoral immune responses, which has the advantages of robustness, automation, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]