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The success of express courier services often depends on both how to assign service centers to consolidation terminals and how to extend their cutoff time (deadline) for direct home deliveries coordinated by service centers near customers. This study suggests an approach to design express courier service networks with respect to assignment of service centers to consolidation terminals and extension of their cutoff times. We propose an integer programming model and a genetic algorithm based solution procedure that allows express couriers to maximize their incremental profit. To demonstrate the practicality and efficiency of the proposed model and its solution procedure, we performed an example problem with reduced data sets from an express courier in Korea.

Pulse wave velocity has been widely used as an index of arterial distensibility. Peripheral pulse transit time (PTT) is inversely related to pulse wave velocity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of PTT on the monitoring of arterial distensibility. We evaluated the accuracy of computerized measurement of peripheral PTT using an algorithm based on the time interval between the peak of R wave of ECG and maximal slope point in pulse. A experimental results were presented as a graph using spline interpolation. Application software was implemented in C++ as a window-based program. The increase of heart rate and pulse transit time reflect the hemodynamics changes by skin temperature. It is of great interest to evaluate in large populations the therapeutic and epidemiological applications of an arterial parameter as evaluated by peripheral PTT.