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This paper extends the research conducted on male bonding in locker rooms to another well-known but under-researched site, the campus bar. Through a life history of a former athlete, we learn about the connection between what is said in the locker room and behavior outside. We also gain insight into the role campus bars play in facilitating aggression and sexual misconduct by male athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For complex last mile problems, the parcel lockers play an important role in urban areas. So, selecting a suitable location is very much crucial to provide optimal service and better logistical performance. From that viewpoint, a multicriteria group decision making method is developed in this article using dual hesitant q -rung orthopair fuzzy (DH q -ROF) set which is more effective than existing variations of fuzzy sets. The Aczel-Alsina (AA) class of t -conorms and t -norms (AA t -CNs& t -Ns) emerged as an important class of union and intersection operations due to its greater flexibility in the information fusion process. To take advantage of the benefits of AA t -CNs& t -Ns and hybrid aggregation operators in DH q -ROF environments, several fundamental operations based on AA t -CNs& t -Ns are first defined. Following the introduction of these stated operations, a series of aggregation operators, viz., DH q -ROF AA weighted averaging, ordered weighted averaging, hybrid averaging and their geometric versions with DH q -ROF information, has been proposed. Based on these operators, a creative approach to handle multi-attribute group decision-making problems has been framed. The parcel lockers' location selection problem is estimated to validate the created strategy and show its applicability and efficacy. The achieved results establish that the post office is the best location for locating parcel lockers. • Substantial contribution using Aczel-Alsina operations in DH q -ROF context is made. • Hybrid aggregation operators based on Aczel-Alsina operations are introduced. • A novel group decision making method is introduced under DH q -ROF context. • Parcel Lockers' Location Selection Problem is solved to show application efficiency. • Comparative analysis with the existing methods is accomplished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The location-routing problem of mobile parcel lockers is investigated while considering customers' changing demand patterns. • Introduce a mixed integer programming model and design dynamic route adjustment strategies to resolve conflict scenarios. • Design a novel Q-Learning algorithm to solve the route planning model in large problem instances with performance guarantees. • Provide managerial implications for stakeholders of the market based on parametric analysis of key operational indicators. Mobile parcel lockers (MPLs) have been recently proposed by logistics operators as a technology that could help reduce traffic congestion and operational costs in urban freight distribution. Given their ability to relocate throughout their area of deployment, they hold the potential to improve customer accessibility and convenience. In this study, we formulate the Mobile Parcel Locker Problem (MPLP), a special case of the Location-Routing Problem (LRP) which determines the optimal stopover location for MPLs throughout the day and plans corresponding delivery routes. A Hybrid Q-Learning-Network-based Method (HQM) is developed to resolve the computational complexity of the resulting large problem instances while escaping local optima. In addition, the HQM is integrated with global and local search mechanisms to resolve the dilemma of exploration and exploitation faced by classic reinforcement learning (RL) methods. We examine the performance of HQM under different problem sizes (up to 200 nodes) and benchmarked it against the exact approach and Genetic Algorithm (GA). Our results indicate that HQM achieves better optimisation performance with shorter computation time than the exact approach solved by the Gurobi solver in large problem instances. Additionally, the average reward obtained by HQM is 1.96 times greater than GA's, which demonstrates that HQM has a better optimisation ability. Further, we identify critical factors that contribute to fleet size requirements, travel distances, and service delays. Our findings outline that the efficiency of MPLs is mainly contingent on the length of time windows and the deployment of MPL stopovers. Finally, we highlight managerial implications based on parametric analysis to provide guidance for logistics operators in the context of efficient last-mile distribution operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an urban delivery problem with conflicting time windows arising in the urban last-mile delivery. The problem is to find a minimum cost tour over a set of customers and facilities in which the customer not visited on the tour is assigned to a feasible facility on the tour. The objective is to minimize the delivery and self-pick-up costs with the constraints of conflicting time windows provided by customers. This work puts forward a mixed-integer linear programming model to formulate the problem and provides a branch-and-cut algorithm to solve the problem. Several valid inequalities are developed and separated to improve the convergence of the algorithm. Sets of instances are generated, and the number of available facilities, the coverage radius of self-pick-up service are varied, to assess the effectiveness of the proposed formulations and algorithm. Experimental results show that instances involving up to 150 vertices can be solved optimally within one hour. • An urban delivery problem with conflicting time windows is introduced. • The assumption of the TSPTW that at least one solution is feasible, is eliminated. • The mixed-integer linear programming formulations are proposed. • A branch-and-cut algorithm is proposed to solve the proposed problem. • Sets of instances are generated to assess the effectiveness of the approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Automated systems enabling customers to pick-up e-purchased goods from designated 24 h Parcel Locker pick-up points are proliferating. While they offer the promise of improved access to goods and reduced travel for consumers and delivery vehicles, the integration of these systems in cities, and their impact on access, generally and by mode are understudied. This paper explores the development, site characteristics and regional location characteristics of Parcel Lockers in five South East Queensland (SEQ) cities, Australia, and discusses implications for urban and transport planning in a car-oriented city. Micro level site analyses for 45 locker locations provide information on facilities (e.g. access by modes and universal accessibility, ground level, tenure type, safety). Hierarchical cluster analysis helps identify categories of locations. Suburb-level census and land use data as well as distance from transportation infrastructure and other Australia Post facilities were gathered and used to compare regional suburbs with and without Parcel Lockers. Logistic regression identifies the suburb level characteristics associated with the presence of a Parcel Locker (n = 273). Parcel Lockers in Brisbane are generally located at Australia Post locations, on commercial streets, shopping centres, suburban arterials and industrial parks. Automobile access and nearby parking is nearly ubiquitous, whereas alternative transport access is limited. Though site locations are constrained by commercial decisions, proximity to highways, to public transport, population density, a good balance of jobs and population, and higher rates of household Internet access are associated with the presence of a Parcel Locker. Documenting and assessing site characteristics and regional location of Parcel Lockers can help ensure its optimal and adequate integration and distribution across the region to satisfy city and transport planning goals. In its current state, Australia Post's Parcel Lockers partially meet the objectives of a sustainable city. Highlights • Analysis of Parcel Locker site and regional location characteristics in South Queensland, AU. • Locker location include arterials, shopping centres, suburban and commercial streets. • Siting typically better suited to car access, not very transit supportive. • Location matches higher Internet use share, but not apartments-rich or younger suburbs. • No increase in physical access yet; 24 /7 access improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is widespread scholarly agreement that al-Azhar rose to prominence as an Islamic center of learning in the sixteenth century, as Arab provinces were adjusting to Ottoman administration. This article examines the development of a locker system at al-Azhar, one of several structural changes that took place between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, in addition to the expansion of fraternities. I argue that this material infrastructure, which was supported by modest endowments, served as a crucial scaffold for teaching and learning at al-Azhar and contributed to its rising status as an educational institution. Shari‘a court records reveal that the growing importance of lockers was the result of (1) decisions made by ordinary men and women about the endowment, subdivision, and circulation of lockers and (2) Ottoman legal reforms and innovations. In this way, a seemingly peripheral material object may serve as a site for exploring al-Azhar’s development as an educational institution.
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There has been limited understanding of parcel locker customers' usage behaviour due a lack of operational data. Using Australia Post's dataset of 51 Queensland parcel lockers, we were able to evaluate the growth in locker locations and customers' parcel collection patterns over their formative five years (2013–2017). This allows for the in-depth spatio-temporal analysis of parcel collections, parcel dwell times, and other relevant variables using linear and mixed regression. This helped to identify the geographical factors associated with the volumes of transactions at each locker, providing new understanding of lockers by location typologies (central, suburban, regional), the separation distances from registered users' addresses (n = 23,021) to their parcel locker locations, and the use of multiple locker locations by users. We found Australia Post parcel locker use grew consistently over the initial growth stage, with noticeable peaks during summer months and holiday seasons. Most collections (40%) were completed outside normal business hours, supporting the 24/7 service advantage. Locker use was higher during weekdays, with peaks around the morning and evening travel peak hours and during lunch breaks within the day. Lunchtime pickups were especially pronounced in central city locations. Parcel dwell times (from notification to collection) were fairly stable (mean 15.53 mins; standard deviation (SD) 20.94 mins), but with weekend collections taking considerably longer than on weekdays. Multiple locker users were more likely to be located in dense urban areas where they could conveniently register to use lockers near both their homes and workplace. Distance from home to locker ranged widely, with extremely high standard deviations seen in Queensland as a whole (mean 23.07 km; median 3.35 km; SD 138.17 km) and also in Brisbane (mean 9.99 km; median 2.61 km; SD 85.42 km) – this suggests usage by individuals from out-of-town. Parcel locker users who made a pickup in the central business district of Brisbane often had suburban residential addresses closer to suburban parcel locker locations, suggesting they were commuters. This study presented novel empirical findings of the spatial and temporal use patterns of last-mile delivery that can inform the future development of parcel locker systems. • Five-year operational data from Australia Post Parcel Locker provide insights into customers' usage behaviour. • An in-depth spatio-temporal analysis of parcel collections and parcel dwell times was conducted. • The majority of collections were completed outside normal business hours, reinforcing the advantage of the 24/7 service. • Distance from home to the locker used ranged widely, with extremely high standard deviations seen across Queensland. • Users tend to have multiple locker registrations at central locations that are further from their residences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Azalea Regional Library System's new service offering, Azalea After Hours, which will enable patrons to pick up books and other library materials after hours with the help of lockers that provide contactless, 24/7 access.

Common-carrier parcel lockers have emerged as a secure, automated, self-service means of delivery consolidation in congested urban areas, which are believed to mitigate last-mile delivery challenges through reducing out-of-vehicle delivery times and consequently vehicle dwell times at the curb. However, little research exists to empirically demonstrate the environmental and efficiency gains from this technology. In this study, we designed a nonequivalent groups pre-test/post-test control experiment to estimate the causal effects of a parcel locker on delivery times in a residential building in downtown Seattle, WA. The causal effects are measured in terms of vehicle dwell time and the time delivery couriers spend inside the building, through the difference-in-difference method and using a similar nearby residential building as a control. The results showed a statistically significant decrease in time spent inside the building, and small yet insignificant reduction in delivery vehicle dwell time at the curb. The locker was also well received by the building managers and residents. • First empirical analysis of impacts of parcel lockers on delivery times. • A before/after control experiment in a multi-story residential building. • The average delivery time inside the building was cut by half. • The average delivery vehicle dwell time at the curb was decreased by one third. • 96% of residents were satisfied with the locker, noting ease-of-use and no/fewer missed/stolen deliveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define a pickup and delivery routing problem with time windows that arises in last-mile delivery. A customer can be served either directly at home, by one of the available capacitated trucks, or via lockers, that allow a self-service option. On the same route, the couriers must deliver the parcels and collect the packages that the customers intend to return. The returned parcels can be picked up directly at the customers' homes or at a locker. Customers can select home service, self-service at one of the nearby lockers with a discount, or let the logistics company decide. All services must be performed within a given time window. We propose three formulations, two branch-and-cut algorithms, and some valid inequalities. We also investigate the case with a single vehicle, with different types of time windows, including no time windows. Moreover, we show how to accommodate simultaneous pickup and delivery and multiple requests from a customer. • We propose the PDVRP with lockers and time windows, identical vehicles and single visits. • We propose three MILP formulations, valid inequalities, and two B&C algorithms. • We also study the cases with no time windows, one vehicle, and simultaneous PD. • We provide improved results with respect to similar works from the literature. • We show that the use of lockers for last-mile delivery is profitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]