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As international trade thrives, terminals attempt to obtain higher revenue while coping with an increased complexity with regard to terminal management operations. One of the most prevalent problems such terminals face is the Berth Allocation Problem (BAP), which concerns allocating vessels to a set of berths and time slots while simultaneously minimizing objectives such as total stay time or total assignment cost. Complex layouts of real terminals introduce spatial constraints which limit the mooring and departure of vessels. Although significant research has been conducted regarding the BAP, these real-world restrictions have not been taken into account in a general way. The present work proposes both a mixed integer linear programming formulation and a heuristic, which are capable of obtaining optimal or near-optimal solutions to this novel variant of the BAP. In order to assess the quality of the heuristic, which is being employed in a real tank terminal in Belgium, it is compared against the exact approach by way of randomly-generated instances and real-world benchmark sets derived from the tank terminal. ispartof: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH vol:272 issue:3 pages:1096-1108 status: published

Tank terminals play a significant role in the storage and international transportation of goods such as liquids and gases. This paper focuses on a real-world problem where trucks must be assigned to loading stations which connect to tanks containing the product to (un)load. The typically limited operational space results in a specific type of blocking where trucks may be blocked not only at their assigned loading station, but also on their way towards it. The difficulty of fully understanding the repercussions of scheduling trucks to certain loading positions makes it extremely challenging for human operators to schedule trucks efficiently. The problem is contrasted against a range of active problems from the scheduling literature in order to establish its unique scientific merit. We provide a mixed integer programming formulation for this problem and a heuristic approach. The heuristic outperforms an estimation of the dispatching rules currently enforced by terminals, thereby providing such terminals with a practical tool for optimizing their operations. Moreover, in order to stimulate further research, a set of instances derived from real-world data has been made publicly available.

Joint Hypermobility Syndrome, also known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type (JHS/EDS-HT), is a heritable disorder of connective tissue, common but poorly known by the medical community. Although generalized joint hypermobility and fragility of tissues have been described as core features, recent research highlights the multisystemic nature of JHS/EDS-HT, which presents with a wide range of articular and extra-articular symptoms. Among these, gastrointestinal problems, temporomandibular disorders, and smell and taste abnormalities are common among those affected, having significant implications for eating. The present work reviews the literature linking JHS/EDS-HT and eating problems. Two illustrative case reports, in which JHS/EDS-HT manifestations contribute to developing and maintaining disturbed eating behaviors and significant weight loss, are presented.