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Research on cargomobilities has emphasised containerisation, algorithmic management, and the cost-driven calculus of logistics firms. Less visible is the necessary human labour that coordinates cargomobilities in challenging environments—for example, those workers who manoeuvre ships at seaports. In response, we take to the water to learn how ports function as spaces of everyday mobilities work. We follow a day in the working life of marine pilots—a specialist, locally-based workforce who board foreign-flagged ships to dock them safely. Their labour process is, we argue, a form of choreography: executing motions in correspondence with other workers, infrastructures, vessels, and environmental forces. Increasingly volatile oceanic conditions require technical knowledge of ships and guiding equipment, plus deep place-based knowledge of port idiosyncrasies and responsiveness to elemental forces—working with rather than against swell and wind, tides, channels, and weather. While global shipping becomes ever more cutthroat in pursuit of efficiencies, marine pilots choreograph mobilities with respect for earthly forces and the bulk and power of ships and seas, and thus perform the necessary infrastructural labour that offsets risk. Amidst worsening environmental hazards, we offer choreography as an analytical frame to centre the work, workers, collaboration, and more-than-human interactions underpinning mobilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, quantitative and qualitative chromatographic analysis for the content measurements of sediments collected from the Gulf of Aqaba/Jordan-Red Sea and Tripoli Port/Lebanon-Mediterranean Sea, were carried out. Sediment hydrocarbon contents were examined by GC-FID. The outcomes showed that 16 hydrocarbons were quantified and identified. Dotriacontane, tritriacontane, hentriacontane, octacosane, heptacosane, pentatriacontane, docosane, tetracosane, and hexatriacontane displayed the major contents at the Gulf of Aqaba. Regarding Tripoli Port sediments; nonacosane, pentatriacontane, pentacosane, dotriacontane, heptacosane, docosane and tetratriacontane were detected. GC-FID data were exposed to PCA and HCA to reveal: the variations of sediment chemical profiles as a result of geographical areas, to show the hydrocarbons that were responsible for clustering, and finally, to facilitate the future profile prediction and areas clustering of unknown sediments based on their chemical profile. By HCA and PCA, the six sediment-origin samples of Aqaba were classified into three clusters; Industrial area alone due to the distinct content of dotriacontane, tritriacontane, hentriacontane and octacosane, Central Power Station, Tala Bay and Hotel Areas in one cluster which was related to the close content of heptacosane and finally the National Tourist Camp and Marine Science in one cluster since they have pentatriacontane with close levels. Regarding Tripoli Port sediment samples, the two clusters revealed that the Current Waste Dump along with the Wastewater Treatment Plant were grouped together, where the Fishing Port, Tripoli Harbour and the Closed Waste Dump areas were clustered in one group. Nonacosane and pentatriacontane were dominant to separate the Tripoli Harbour, Fishing Port area and the Closed Waste Dump, where pentacosane, dotriacontane, heptacosane, docosane and tetratriacontane were responsible to isolate the Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Current Waste Dump together. Classification of sediments based on GC-FID profile will accelerate the future profile prediction and origin-clustering of unknown sediment based on their profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change (CC) and seaports share a cyclical relationship, where climate impacts disrupt seaport operations, while seaport activities contribute to CC. This research explores the contributing factors from seaport activities, the impacts of CC on seaports and strategies for mitigating these factors. A bibliometric analysis was employed to present the findings statistically and numerically. The results were summarised into themes, identifying the main contributing factors, impacts and mitigation strategies. The analysis reveals that the primary contributor to seaports is the emission of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) from ships. The most significant impacts of CC on seaports include increased exposure to extreme weather events, changes in coastal dynamics, delays and disruptions in seaport activities and damages to the infrastructure. Mitigation strategies include adaptation measures, investment choices and fostering collaboration and partnerships. Seaport dependency on fossil fuels, coupled with increasing global trade, exacerbates their contribution to CC. In alignment with the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the findings offer valuable managerial insights for seaport operators seeking to adopt sustainable practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Where are the harbour structures of the thriving Hellenistic and Roman city of Dor? Recent underwater and coastal surveys and excavations, together with geoarchaeological and geophysical studies, provide strong evidence of the devastating impact of a sea level rise in Hellenistic Dor, as well as of recovery and renewed resilience in the Roman Period. This evidence includes two previously unknown new harbour installations: a very large maritime structure, tentatively identified as a Roman quay (in the North Bay), and a Hellenistic coastal fortification system protecting an anchorage (in the South Bay). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary scholarship has frequently translated 'λιμήν κλϵιστός' – an expression occasionally appearing in ancient Greek written sources – in different ways, while putting forward several suggestions for its interpretation. Although this topic has aroused the interest of several scholars over the past decades, a thorough analysis aimed at understanding not only the term's origin and use, but also its possible diachronic evolution has yet to be performed. Accordingly, this paper performs the first comprehensive analysis on the term, providing a new definition that also explores the possible repercussions that the developments in naval sieges could have had on its meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the energy-saving potential of ships by analyzing their carbon dioxide emissions on 20 oceanic voyages using weather routing. The Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) is used to measure a ship's energy efficiency. The voyages include routes connecting major international seaports and hubs in Asia and North America. Practical measurements were taken on board the ships using weather routing reports and ship record data. The study reveals that the E05 and W05 routes are the most energy-efficient, while the E01 and W08 routes have the highest emissions and fuel consumption. The E05 route has the optimum EEXI and the lowest CO2 emissions. Conversely, the E10 route has the highest EEXI, while W08 has the highest fuel consumption and the worst EEXI. The study emphasises the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in the shipping industry. The results demonstrate the potential benefits of using weather routing and EEXI for assessing and improving the energy efficiency of ships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the coal industry in the Northeast of England during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has been the subject of extensive study by historians over many years, most research has focussed mainly on larger centres of the coal trade such as Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland. Less well known is the significant contribution to coal exports made by some of the smaller communities and harbours along the Northumberland and Durham coasts. During the latter years of the seventeenth and early years of the eighteenth century the small coastal village of Cullercoats, just North of Tynemouth, became a significant coal and salt exporting port following the development of a colliery at nearby Whitley. Customs records of Cullercoats coal exports were included, as a Lesser Creek, in the Exchequer Port Books of Newcastle upon Tyne. Two Newcastle Exchequer Port Books containing complete records of Cullercoats coastal exports for 1702–1703 and overseas exports for 1698–1699 have survived, these include the names of the people and ships involved and provide a fascinating insight into the impact of the coal trade upon a small coastal port and it's local community. Although its coal trade was relatively short lived, Cullercoats continued to thrive as a flourishing fishing port and during the nineteenth, twentieth and into the twenty-first centuries as a popular holiday resort frequented by many well-known and successful artists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With customers looking for the highest level of services and reduction of cost on international trade of goods, shippers have recently begun to focus on the inland leg of containerized import/export, making the competition advance between 'seaport against seaport' to 'seaport-hinterland against seaport-hinterland'. Bearing this in mind, this paper seeks to assess the logistic costs and the import process time in order to identify how these factors influence seaport-hinterland customer's choice and what is the effect of these factors on the main actors' competitiveness. In terms of time, the findings indicate that dry ports have been operationally more efficient, with customs and delivery process faster than in seaports and extended gates. In terms of cost we have applied Monte-Carlo simulation in a case study in Brazil to assess stochastically the import cost considering multiple actors as options. The study makes practical contributions, showing the cost-efficient zone for each macro region in the studied area and simulating a hypothetical scenario, where multimodal transportation is a delivery option. Lastly, the study makes theoretical contributions, discussing the competitiveness environment in light of the literature, bringing relevant insights to aid customers' and practitioners decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to the polarized view of artists either being displaced or co-opted in urban regeneration, this paper unveils a middle ground in which artists also act as partners or co-producers in these processes. We illustrate this intermediary role in property development processes with reference to a case study of the Seaport Innovation District in Boston by drawing upon a survey of resident artists and interviews with artists, planners, architects and economic development specialists. The paper makes two contributions to the literature. It offers a fresh look at the dialectical relationship between cultural and economic modes of production by more fully integrating consideration of artists’ sensibilities and practice with those of a host of built environment disciplinary practices including architects, planners and real estate developers. As a result, it extends extant analysis of urban regeneration-led gentrification from its urban planning, geography and sociology disciplinary roots into the disciplines of architecture and real estate. Our findings lead onto a research agenda centered on consideration of the intermediary roles played by creative and cultural sector actors and how creativity might be captured to positive effect, in the production of the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the seaport as a trope in contemporary cinema in relation to notions of spatiality, illicit globalization, and border studies. We analyze how seaports as social and cultural networks of built environment and infrastructure have become gateways to illicit globalization. We then provide a critical analysis that unbundles these spaces in the film genre of neo-noir out of South Korea. Our focus then zooms in on real organized crime, smuggling, human trafficking and black-market transactions as refracted and bounded in the Korean films The Yellow Sea (2010) and New World (2013). Within these cinematic glamorizations of crime, we find transgressive characters contributing to what we dub "dark neoliberal accumulation" of profit through kinds of unremorseful economic predation at two seaports. Criminals and migrants in these films portend audiences to underworld activities of drug and human trafficking to serve their needs or rescue them from peril. In other ways, we scrutinize the material commodities and shipping containers themselves as having symbolic value and thus providing a commentary on the circuits of low-end global trade through transoceanic routes through Korea and worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastic (MP) particles (<5000 µm) pose a risk to many marine organisms. Globally, sponges are important suspension-feeding organisms that may be particularly vulnerable to MPs since many of these particles fall within their food size range. However, there has been little research on spatial variation in MP abundance in sponges. Here we examined MP abundance and spatial variation in sponges from Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). We aimed to confirm the presence of potential microplastics (PMPs) in samples from 45 sponge samples across six species and three sites in the Wellington Harbour. Samples were digested with bleach, filtered, and analysed using fluorescent microscopy to quantify and measure PMPs. PMPs were present in every sponge sample with abundances between 207 ± 131 and 1893 ± 396 PMP particles g-1 (dry sponge weight). There were significant differences in PMP abundance between sites and between some species, but most of the variation was explained by site (40–53% vs. 4–24% of the variance). Our results suggest that PMP abundance in sponges is mainly explained by spatial variation in microplastic abundance rather than species identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the relationship between port infrastructure quality, logistics quality and competence and economic structure. The study depends on balanced panel data from 15 Mediterranean countries between 2010 and 2018. It applies an econometric analysis using several hypotheses. The results reveal a significant correlation between port infrastructure and logistics quality and competence hypothesis. It shows also that port infrastructure quality is highly influenced by logistics quality and competence. So, to keep seaports competitive, the port quality infrastructure is required, also to be evolved with the logistic services quality progress in the maritime industry. Moreover, there is a need to optimise all economic structure factors to attain logistic chain benefits and to improve port infrastructure quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence and data analytics capabilities have enabled the introduction of automation, such as robotics and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), across different sectors of the production spectrum which successively has profound implications for operational efficiency and productivity. However, the environmental sustainability implications of such innovations have not been yet extensively addressed in the extant literature. This study evaluates the use of AGVs in container terminals by investigating the environmental sustainability gains that arise from the adoption of artificial intelligence and automation for shoreside operations at freight ports. Through a comprehensive literature review, we reveal this research gap across the use of artificial intelligence and decision support systems, as well as optimisation models. A real-world container terminal is used, as a case study in a simulation environment, on Europe's fastest-growing container port (Piraeus), to quantify the environmental benefits related to routing scenarios via different types of AGVs. Our study contributes to the cross-section of operations management and artificial intelligence literature by articulating design principles to inform effective digital technology interventions at non-automated port terminals, both at operational and management levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaports and their efficiency remain essential for the success of international trade globally. Notwithstanding this outcome, there is no empirical evidence on how seaport efficiency affect trade performance in Africa. This paper presents an empirical evidence of the effects of seaport efficiency on trade performance in Africa. To do so, we use data on 33 African countries for the period 2006 to 2018 and employ the gravity model for the empirical analysis. The results show that seaport efficiency enhances trade performance in Africa; the greater the level of seaport efficiency, the larger the extent of trade performance. Based on this finding, it is recommended that policy reforms that improve the efficiency of seaports in Africa should be targeted by policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a collection of articles that explore the relationship between spatial thinking, geography, reading, and math. It discusses the use of spatial analogies, which involve comparing spatial relationships between different locations to make predictions or explanations. The articles emphasize the importance of teaching spatial thinking skills through hands-on activities and provide examples of activities that can be used in the classroom. They also highlight the complexity of spatial reasoning and the need for teachers to be aware of different modes of spatial reasoning in reading and math instruction. The overall goal is to provide insights from research in neuroscience, linguistics, and developmental psychology to help teachers design better geography lessons for students. [Extracted from the article]

This paper models a single liner service design and operations problem. The model selects the ports to be included, their sequence, the sailing speed of vessels, the number of vessels and the amounts of cargo to transport by the service. The objective is to maximise profit. First, a relaxation with a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) formulation is proposed. We show how to obtain the optimal speed value. Once this value is obtained, the mathematical programming formulation becomes a mixed-integer linear program (MILP). Then, a two-step exact algorithm is presented to solve the problem. Using real data, the optimal solution was found in less than 1 min for small-size problems and in few hours for relatively large-size problems. More tests were carried out on randomly generated data sets with up to 25 ports. The results of these tests are rather promising, and they enabled us to identify the performance limits of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to provide an analysis of the factors influencing the operational strategies of drug trafficking organisations in the context of seaports. It seeks to move beyond a monolithic representation of this complex phenomenon by investigating the intricate interplay between legal and illicit spheres, as well as the diverse methodologies employed in the illicit transportation of drugs from vessels to destinations outside of ports. Drawing from empirical evidence gathered in the Italian context, the results reveal that drug trafficking through seaports is a multifaceted endeavour influenced by a combination of endogenous and exogenous factors. Internal factors within the network, such as organisational structure (including network size, control mechanisms, and member accountability) and resources (human, material, and informational), play a pivotal role in shaping drug trafficking organisations' strategies. Additionally, external factors, including maritime dynamics, port economics, cultural aspects, and institutional determinants, significantly impact decision-making processes within these criminal organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does place influence the work of global circulation, and how might that work enroll hitherto overlooked modes of collaboration, power, and agency? Geographers recentering labor in analyses of global production and circulation emphasize the labor–capital relation and employer control versus employee resistance. This can limit empirical and political prospects. Instead, we foreground two additional relationships: collaborative relationships of trust between workers across roles and organizations who coordinate circulation together; and relations between workers and place that unfold as tasks are completed amid challenging oceanic and climatic forces. Such relationships are forged by the need to collaborate and provide the foundation for transverse exercises of labor agency. To illustrate, we take to the water with maritime workers (marine pilots, tugboat operators, and liners), observing how shipping circulation is maintained. Seaports are idiosyncratic places—gateways and chokepoints for global circulation experiencing oceanic and atmospheric extremes. Coordination problems are pervasive. Disruption risks require maritime workers to collaborate in place to ensure circulation occurs through place. Demonstrating how the ocean's lateral forces mediate circulation, we emphasize three features of an on-water, place-based labor process: (1) choreographed coordination, (2) situational awareness, and (3) combined multidimensional skills. Navigating a labor process conditioned by the sea, port workers collaborate to manage risks and maintain circulation. In so doing, they also preside over risk and circulation. We argue for collaborative relationships and transverse expressions of agency to feature more prominently in analyses of the diverse, place-based, and interconnected labor upon which capitalist circulation depends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The involvement of stakeholders in large scale urban sustainable development projects (LSUSDP.s) has proven difficult. The stakeholders are distributed across the geographical area, and they have stakes not only in the LSUSDP, but in the geographical location where the project takes place. To understand stakeholder management in "distributed projects", we propose abandoning the "inside-out" perspective where the project is the point of departure, and focus on the emergence of stakeholders across time. Adopting such a performative, "outside-in," perspective on the longitudinal and digital study of a LSUSDP, we are able to map how actors became stakeholders in the project through their actions. The paper makes four contributions. First, we reconceptualize stakeholder involvement by adopting a performative perspective, whereby "stakeholders" are envisaged as emergent and non-fixed. Second, we demonstrate how such a reconceptualization may be applied to the analysis of an empirical case. Third, we show that stakeholder involvement is not merely the result of stakeholder management but something that happens over time, through the material and discursive actions of those that become stakeholders. Finally, the paper contributes with an illustration of how the online, digital footprint, of a project may be useful to understand the emergence of a project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate extremes are threatening transportation infrastructures and hence require new methods to address their vulnerability and improve their resilience. However, existing studies have yet to examine the climate impacts on transportation networks systematically rather than independently assessing the infrastructures at a component level. Therefore, it is crucial to configure alternative shipping routes from a systematic perspective to reduce climate vulnerabilities and optimise the resilience of the whole shipping network. This paper aims to assess the global shipping network focusing on climate resilience by a methodology that combines climate risk indicators, centrality analysis and ship routing optimisation. The methodology is designed for overviewing the climate vulnerability of the current and future scenarios for comparison. First, a multi-centrality assessment defines the global shipping hubs and network vulnerabilities. Secondly, a shipping model is built for finding the optimal shipping route between ports, considering the port disruption days caused by climate change (e.g. extreme weather) based on the climate vulnerability analysis result from the first step. It contributes to a new framework combining the global and local seaport climate vulnerabilities. Furthermore, it recommends changing shipping routes by a foreseeable increase in port disruptions caused by extreme weather for climate adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charybdis japonica, a large invasive portunid, has been recorded in New Zealand since its detection in the Waitematā Harbour in 2000. In this study, the distribution, invasion history, abundance and population structure were investigated for C. japonica across the North Island of New Zealand. This was done using various distribution data available, trapping across several sites and interviews with commercial fishermen. Charybdis japonica was detected in the previously uninvaded Tauranga, Ohiwa, Hokianga, Manukau Harbours and Great Barrier Island. The rate of spread for C. japonica is continuous, with harbours or estuaries hundreds of kilometres apart having detections every two to three years. Population abundances reported by commercial fishermen constantly increased, with no signs of stabilisation or decrease. Catches were male-biased, with female abundance varying seasonally. Several possible pathways and vectors may be responsible for this spread, including shipping and aquaculture, on top of dispersal of larvae by currents across the North Island. Further research is required to determine population sources, with findings providing important information for invasive species monitoring and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of global developments, seaports must be fully equipped for the forthcoming period following years of continual improvement of vessel characteristics and capacity and recognition of significant global trade changes and challenges. Port management, transportation agencies, and even countries recognise the critical nature of assessing port readiness for mega vessels to take necessary actions and prepare for the next level of global competition. As such, this study aims to address terminal port readiness for mega vessels by applying multi-criteria decision-making methods. The Delphi technique was used as the first step in identifying the relevant factors and measures. Next, those related factors were quantified and ranked using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. Following that, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used to evaluate port data and develop readiness indexes for the largest one hundred terminal ports worldwide. While the anticipated mega savings in transportation costs and economies of scale are significant, this study demonstrates that mega vessels present several challenges in port operations, infrastructure, sustainability, and system requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2017, archaeologists from the State Service for Culture and Monuments in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania, Germany, excavated the remains of a clinker-built cargo vessel in the seaport of Wismar, one of three medieval shipwrecks found during the extension of the port. With riveted outer planking and the presence of bitis, the wreck can be placed in the Nordic clinker shipbuilding tradition. It was built from oak and pine sourced from western Sweden in the period AD 1184-90. The construction shows striking similarities with a number of large 12th-century AD cargo vessels found in northern Germany and Scandinavia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state-based microwave ovens are promising to mitigate the non-uniformity issue for their precise controlled microwave parameters. Multiphysics modeling is a useful tool for understanding complicated microwave heating processes. However, previous models using simple or manually measured oven geometry had challenges in accurately predicting the heating patterns. This study developed a 3-D scanning approach to characterize the accurate geometric details of the cavity and incorporate it in the multiphysics modeling of solid-state microwave heating. The effect of oven geometric details on modeling accuracy was evaluated for models using the simple box, manually measured, and 3-D scanned geometries at multiple microwave frequencies and port locations. A quantitative approach was also developed to replace the previously often-used qualitative approach to compare the spatial temperature profiles between the simulation and experiments. The Multiphysics-based models using 3-D scanned geometry showed significantly or considerably smaller RMSE values (1.57 to 4.11 °C) than the models with simple box geometry (1.73 to 6.33 °C) and manually measured geometry (1.48 to 4.66 °C) at most heating scenarios. The 3-D scanned approach can accurately incorporate the irregular geometric details of the oven cavity and can improve the prediction accuracy of microwave heating models for future food products and oven development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of double-dielectric layer two-port beam splitter grating based on sandwich structure is proposed. This grating has the characteristic of zeroth order elimination. The structural parameters of the grating are optimized by the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) and simulated annealing algorithm (SAA) to achieve the best performance of the grating. For both TE and TM polarizations, the diffraction efficiencies of ±1st orders can reach 49.34% and 49.15%, respectively. Meanwhile, the efficiency of the zeroth order is about only 0.5% for both polarizations. This novel microstructure has the significant characteristic of zeroth order elimination. Moreover, this grating has a wide incident bandwidth and excellent manufacturing tolerance. The simplified modal method (SMM) is also used to study the specific process of energy coupling in the grating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implications of COVID-19 on container import flows via the US port distribution system. We employ statistics collected for more than 21 US ports and for more than 550,000 container shipments by Walmart and Nike to identify trends and potential shifts in the US port distribution system. Results unveil different changes in distribution channels during the pandemic era, between aggregated port level and industry level. These differences are specific to firms and could be explained by the origin of flows, carrier selection to transport cargos and US port/inland distribution systems. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the different role played by ports for industries (retailers, footwear and apparel) and shows that the ability to adapt supply chains to a major disruption remains subject to the initial choices on the location of production, on carrier choices and on port/inland distribution networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaports will play a pivotal role in the low-carbon transition of maritime shipping, the policy landscape in which is currently being shaped. In this context, we introduce a multi-criteria decision support framework for seaport sustainability planning, to identify the competitiveness of interventions under uncertainty and evaluate the direction of the sector's policy context in terms of required actions. The framework, based on the 2-tuple TOPSIS model, heterogeneous variables, and a Monte Carlo robustness analysis, is empirically applied to the port of Piraeus, Greece, to explore the most competitive interventions and their vulnerability to uncertainties. To inform port authorities and policymakers in the sector, we emphasise the added value of selected, inexpensive actions for energy efficiency and hybrid mobility. Furthermore, we find costly and seemingly obligatory actions under current European legislation, like cold ironing and LNG, to be robust and in the right direction if perception of non-financial risks is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaports face significant environmental challenges in their role as hubs for logistics activities, particularly since ships are significant contributors to energy consumption, global warming and air and marine pollution. The environmental pressures facing ports has led to the emergence of the green port concept. Port Klang is the largest port in Malaysia, characterised not only by significant container throughput, but also by significant congestion issues, emissions and pollution. These characteristics led to the selection of Port Klang, the nation's major seaport, as a case study for this analysis of the variables most relevant in the effective implementation of the green port concept and subsequent research into how this green seaport concept influences a seaport's future competitiveness. To achieve these aims, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been employed. The findings of the analysis suggest that environmental quality, the use of energy and resources, waste handling and habitat quality and greenery are the critical influential factors required for establishing green port hub status and that then port competitiveness is most significantly affected by green operations, sustainable equipment, resources management and cost efficiency at seaports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth trend in the container industry has had a significant operational and infrastructural impact on the ports. In this context, the offshore port systems are expected to be an innovative port system in the effective use of mega container ships by offering operational and structural advantages. This study aims to guide the authorities on whether OCPS is worth investing in, in terms of investment costs. This article also highlights the financial feasibility of an OCPS that can allow countries with difficult nautical access to mega vessels to enter the global trade network. The data in this research were obtained from similar projects and studies with a series of industry assumptions. Overall, these results indicate that OCPS can compete with conventional ports in terms of investment costs, operating costs, and return on investment. Thus, a more sustainable container shipping network can be achieved with the advantages of OCPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary discourse on the desert challenges colonial approaches to this landscape, yet there is a risk of remaining within an imperial theoretical framework. Departing from the dichotomy of "smooth" versus "striated" space conceptualized by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari in A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, this essay argues for the need to move beyond the notion of the desert as a spatial continuum. Considering the complex historical development of decolonizing Western Sahara, this paper argues for understanding the desert otherwise through a focus on three specific buildings. Mohammed Abdalah's tent offers a model for how traditional nomadic forms of living were entangled in the process of geographical expeditions of the Spanish colonial government in the first half of the twentieth century—a form of life that vanished with the establishment of new cities and a mining company in the African colony. While the population started settling in towns, the colonial government had the project of making a profit from the rich resources of phosphate in the national and international market: the ground itself became movable. That 'fluid movement' was achieved by constructing the world's longest conveyor belt, connecting the mine of Bou Craa with the port of El Aaiun, a moment in which the difference between spaces that are "smooth" and "striated" begins to blur. Finally, the construction of a fortifying wall of sand by the Moroccan army during the war with Western Sahara—a wall that still divides the contemporary territory—manifests the final iteration of the shifts of spatial understanding that have taken place, particularly since the 1980s. This essay accumulates this complex history in order to reveal how gray areas, ambiguous overlaps, and ill-defined borders configure a contemporary form of sovereignty over the desert. Highlighting the tensions between politics and geology, it argues that Western Sahara presents a case in which architecture arrests the movements and the trajectories of the nomadic paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaports enable national and international trade in nearly every country around the globe. The new digital world has led most seaport sectors to fully embrace new technologies and tools to better compete with other seaports. Moreover, such maritime activities have potentially significant effects on regional development. The east coast region in Peninsular Malaysia is less developed than the west coast region. It has caused a significant regional development gap, particularly in infrastructure quality, community services, production volume diversification, job opportunities and rising average wealth. Firstly, this study assesses how economic activities affect regional development in Peninsular Malaysia. Secondly, this study aims to identify the challenges and strategies for resolving the regional development imbalance in Peninsular Malaysia. A semi-structured face-to-face interview with fifteen maritime experts was adopted to achieve the proposed objectives. Interview outcomes helped identify and resolve significant problems and create strategies to facilitate the regional development of Malaysian seaports. IR 4.0: These novel strategies may lead to digitalisation in decision-making methods concerning regional development in the Malaysian seaport sector. Integrating four approaches could increase the regional development progress and facilitate continuous growth for the Malaysian seaport industry. The new findings recommend Malaysian seaport digitalisation through progressive regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed the alternative disposals for dredged harbor sediments by co-sintering with waste rice husk into lightweight aggregates (LWA) to benefit resource sustainability and waste valorization. The effects of rice husk addition and sintering temperature on LWA performances such as water absorption, particle density, crushing strength, weight loss, volume shrinkage, and open porosity were investigated. The key parameters (e.g. C/Fe ratio in raw materials) controlling the LWA performances and engineering applications were determined. Results showed that dredged harbor sediments could be made into suitable LWA for engineering applications from the controlled rice husk addition and sintering temperature. The addition of rice husk led to lower LWA particle density, but raised water absorption and reduced crushing strength. The increase of sintering temperature reduced water absorption and improved crushing strength. The aggregates with 10–15% rice husk, sintered at 1150 °C had appropriate particle density (1.60–1.73 g/cm3), water absorption (11.8–16.6%), and crushing strength (6.0–10.6 MPa), which could be suitable for lightweight concrete applications. Low water-soluble chloride and heavy metals leachabilities aligned with Taiwan's regulatory standards for concrete aggregates. Co-treating waste rice husk and dredged harbor sediment into LWA can benefit the waste reduction and circular economy, and reduce the environmental impacts associated with their disposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a novel interpretation of Karl Popper's influential yet controversial book, The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945). Popper, it argues, sheds light on a pivotal social and political question: How can we value genuine human plurality without succumbing to the illusion that enmity can be removed from the socio-political realm? What we find in Popper, I argue, is an "anti-utopian agonism," that is, his conception of an open society harbors significant agonistic elements—a commitment to human plurality, an endorsement of (some) social and political struggles, and an acute awareness of the tragic dimensions of political life. Simultaneously, Popper's distinctive anti-utopianism makes an important contribution to agonistic theory on two fronts. First, his concept of "the strain of civilization" reveals a deeper notion of tragedy, which gives him the edge over the rather shallow notion of tragedy we find in the agonistic tradition. Secondly, he develops a tripartite notion of enmity, which is theoretically interesting and practically relevant. The aim of this article is not only to contribute to the scholarship on Popper and agonism but, first and foremost, to demonstrate how The Open Society still matters as an inspiring work that illuminates the practically relevant question of how to value diversity without illusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors present protocols for making fast, accurate, 3D velocity measurements in the stacks of coal-fired power plants. The measurements are traceable to internationally-recognized standards; therefore, they provide a rigorous basis for measuring and/or regulating the emissions from stacks. The authors used novel, five-hole, hemispherical, differential-pressure probes optimized for non-nulling (no-probe rotation) measurements. The probes resist plugging from ash and water droplets. Integrating the differential pressures for only 5 seconds determined the axial velocity Va with an expanded relative uncertainty Ur(Va) ≤ 2% of the axial velocity at the probe's location, the flow's pitch (α) and yaw (β) angles with expanded uncertainties U(α) = U(β) = 1 °, and the static pressure ps with Ur(ps) = 0.1% of the static pressure. This accuracy was achieved 1) by calibrating each probe in a wind tunnel at 130, strategically-chosen values of (Va, α, β) spanning the conditions found in the majority of stacks (|α| ≤ 20 °; |β| ≤ 40 °; 4.5 m/s ≤ Va ≤27 m/s), and 2) by using a long-forgotten definition of the pseudo-dynamic pressure that scales with the dynamic pressure. The resulting calibration functions span the probe-diameter Reynolds number range from 7,600 to 45,000. Implications: The continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) that measure the flue gas flow rate in coal-fired power plant smokestacks are calibrated (at least) annually by a velocity profiling method. The stack axial velocity profile is measured by traversing S-type pitot probes (or one of the other EPA-sanctioned pitot probes) across two orthogonal, diametric chords in the stack cross-section. The average area-weighted axial velocity calculated from the pitot traverse quantifies the accuracy of the CEMS flow monitor. Therefore, the flow measurement accuracy of coal-fired power plants greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions depends on the accuracy of pitot probe velocity measurements. Coal-fired power plants overwhelmingly calibrate CEMS flow monitors using S-type pitot probes. Almost always, stack testers measure the velocity without rotating or nulling the probe (i.e., the non-nulling method). These 1D non-nulling velocity measurements take significantly less time than the corresponding 2D nulling measurements (or 3D nulling measurements for other probe types). However, the accuracy of the 1D non-nulling velocity measurements made using S-type probes depends on the pitch and yaw angles of the flow. Measured axial velocities are accurate at pitch and yaw angles near zero, but the accuracy degrades at larger pitch and yaw angles. The authors developed a 5-hole hemispherical pitot probe that accurately measures the velocity vector in coal-fired smokestacks without needing to rotate or null the probe. This non-nulling, 3D probe is designed with large diameter pressure ports to prevent water droplets (or particulates) from obstructing its pressure ports when applied in stack flow measurement applications. This manuscript presents a wind tunnel calibration procedure to determine the non-nulling calibration curves for 1) dynamic pressure; 2) pitch angle; 3) yaw angle; and 4) static pressure. These calibration curves are used to determine axial velocities from 6 m/s to 27 m/s, yaw angles between ±40°, and pitch angles between ±20°. The uncertainties at the 95% confidence limit for axial velocity, yaw angle, and pitch angle are 2% (or less), 1°, and 1°, respectively. Therefore, in contrast to existing EPA-sanctioned probes, the non-nulling hemispherical probe provides fast, low uncertainty velocity measurements independent of the pitch and yaw angles of the stack flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a dual-port ceramic-based radiator is discussed and examined. A pentagon-shaped slot is used to excite the cylindrical-shaped dielectric, which stimulates HEM11δ mode in it. A meta-surface is placed over the dual-port radiator for transforming linear waves into circularly polarized (CP) waves from 5.51 to 6.01 GHz. LHCP antenna gain is also increased from 6.0 to 9.0 dBi within the working frequency range, after applying the proposed meta-surface. Experimental verification of antenna prototype confirms the working band of the proposed radiator from 5.25 to 6.17 GHz. The isolation between the ports is more than 20 dB, which is in the acceptable limit. The better value of far-field and diversity factors confirms the suitability of the proposed antenna in wireless LAN (5.5 GHz) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the start of Florence's approach to Ottoman Constantinople. It analyses the elements that enticed the Florentine Signoria to reconsider its commercial interest in Constantinople by highlighting the political role of the Ottoman sultan. In addition, this study intends to shed light on the difficulties the Florentine establishment faced in its diplomatic effort to successfully establish a profitable state trade route with the former Byzantine capital. The Signoria's diplomatic groundwork has never been extensively studied, but doing so reveals how an apparently routine matter of administration, the negotiations over the safe-conduct with the Kingdom of Naples, became a salient political issue that took nearly three years (1455–1458) to resolve. The article also aims to make an original contribution to the history of the Florentine Mediterranean thanks to material from previously unconsulted sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States is among the largest markets of both legal and illegal wildlife in the world. Prior studies of wildlife seized at US ports of entry have demonstrated that a small number of flora and fauna species account for a disproportionate share of illicit wildlife seizures and that a select number of entry ports and export countries account for the large majority of these seizures. However, the distributional flow of wildlife entering the US – the patterns of where a particular wildlife originates and the port of entry it arrives at – remains unclear. Using a social network analysis to model 31,270 large-scale trafficking incidents between 2003 and 2012, we found that removing five ports from the network would disrupt over 66% of the illegal wildlife trade by each major mode of transportation (air cargo, mail, personal baggage, ocean cargo). Further, certain ports have emerged as important seizure hubs regardless of transportation modes, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, while other US entry ports are highly dense and seized most illicit wildlife specifically by one transportation mode. On the exporter side, China, Mexico, and Southeast Asia had an outsized effect on network clusters and should be targeted for network fragmentation and anti-trafficking education campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A six-port MIMO antenna system for forthcoming mobile applications (Sub 6 GHz) is presented in this paper. Four F-shaped antenna elements are placed at four extreme corners and two at the middle side edges of 0.8 mm thick FR4 substrate. An open-ended slot is carved into the ground plane to improve the impedance matching. The proposed antenna operates in the frequency range of 3.4–3.6 GHz (LTE Band 42), with a-10 dB (2:1 voltage standing wave ratio) impedance bandwidth of 200 MHz. The proposed antenna operates in the frequency range of 3.4–3.6 GHz (LTE Band 42), with a-10 dB (2:1 voltage standing wave ratio) impedance bandwidth of 200–MHz. The fabricated MIMO antenna is practically measured and compared with simulated results. The obtained isolation is lower than 20 dB without employing isolation enhancing procedures, making the antenna highly appropriate for 5G smartphone applications. High isolation results in lower values of Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) below 0.01. The antenna's diversity performance is validated by calculating Total Active Reflection Co-efficient (TARC) which is better than 40 dB. The calculated channel capacity of the six-port antenna array is 32.5 bps/Hz at 20 dB Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). The six-antenna array's reliability is evaluated by examining the influence of hand effects and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). The measured results are consistent with simulated results which exhibit the antenna presented in this article is highly capable of mobile phone applications for future cellular communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a compact 4-element multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system is presented for sub-6 GHz applications. A modified M-shaped strip is used to form each antenna element in the MIMO system. To improve performance, a rectangular-shaped area is etched on the opposite side of each element in the ground plane. The antenna size is 100 × 60 mm2. Most interestingly, the port isolation is improved by rotating the etched areas and the corresponding radiating elements. This one-of-a-kind approach aided in the development of a highly isolated MIMO antenna with a small footprint. The theory of characteristic modes (TCM) is used to analyze the behavior of rotating the etched areas in the ground of the antenna. The antenna provides significant port isolation above 20 dB, stable radiation patterns, and an outstanding ECC less than 0.01. The design is simple and compact, making it suitable for MIMO operation in handheld devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing short-circuit fault currents is one of the critical challenges in microgrids (MGs). In this paper, a novel AC/DC fault current limiter (ADFCL) is proposed to limit short circuit current of both DC and AC sides in hybrid AC/DC MGs (ADMGs). It includes two AC and DC ports, installed between AC MG (ACMG) and DC MG (DCMG). Also, it has only one common limiting resistor for limiting short circuit current in faulty MG without affecting the performance of the healthy MG. The proposed ADFCL power circuit, its principle of operation and control system are presented. Then, the feasibility of the ADFCL is verified by simulation in PSCAD/EMTDC environment and finally, a prototype is built. Both experimental and simulation results reveal that the ADFCL can limit the faulty MG by using only one limiting resistor without affecting the performance of the healthy one, which reduces the cost of using FCL in ADMGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two 50Ω terminated rat-race hybrid couplers based on uniform folded structures are proposed for equal division of power. The proposed designs are of simple in geometry and have an area of only one-fourth of the conventional coupler. The first technique is two-fold double section topology operating at 1.77 GHz designed with the conventional impedance ratio of √2 between port and transmission line which exhibits good in-band characteristics and requires a minimum track width of 0.8 mm. The second technique is stub-loaded double section topology where the novelty lies in deploying impedance matched stubs which avoids high impedance lines by maintaining an impedance ratio less than 2 between port and transmission line. In addition to good passband characteristics, it also suppresses higher harmonics up to 6.3f0 and requires a minimum track width of 0.41 mm which makes it easy for realization. The bottom line of both designs is to achieve extreme structural simplicity without using high impedance transmission lines of more than 100Ω, narrow tracks less than 0.4 mm, lumped elements, and via holes. The prototype of the proposed coupler is fabricated and the simulated results are validated using measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During excavations undertaken for the Dover Western Dock Revival Scheme, Kent, UK, Archaeology South-East (ASE; UCL Institute of Archaeology) encountered substantial remains associated with the development of the port of Dover. Despite natural limitations, especially in the form of silting from the River Dour and longshore drift, Dover has historically been a strategic location in which to maintain a port. The remains presented here comprise a nationally significant waterfront revealed during the revival scheme; that is, the Tudor engineering commonly attributed to Sir Thomas Digges, overseen by the Privy Council and commissioned by Elizabeth I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the construction of on-dock rails, the terminal has become an interface between the maritime transport network and the railway transport network. Terminal operators are facing some new challenges like more complicated terminal operations and the scarcity of storage spaces. To address this issue, the managers should improve the operation efficiency of terminals by adjusting the yard templates and equipment deployment plan, which has not been well studied. To fill this gap, we study the transfer flow template planning problem in seaport railway terminals, and a multi-objective model that integrates the decisions on flow volume, yard template, and equipment deployment plan is proposed. Then, a group of numerical experiments is conducted using Ningbo Beilun Container Terminal as an example to analyze the effect of different management objectives, the pattern of yard template, and the influence of handling capacities. The results show that the optimized flow template performs well when using maximizing throughput as the primal objective. It also reports that stacking imported containers in the blocks near the seaside could help to reduce the operation cost and time consumption of the terminal. Moreover, the location of on-dock rails shows a significant influence on the yard template. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a feasible numerical approach to investigate motion responses of the intact and damaged DTMB 5415 model in still water and regular waves at zero speed. Overset mesh with Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) technique is applied to deal with the ship's motions. Theoretical wave analysis and one benchmarking study are performed to verify the reliability of the applied numerical method. The results show that no matter whether the damaged ship is in still water or waves, asymmetric flooding always makes the ship maintain a larger heel angle. If the damaged ship further encounters beam waves towards the intact side, the possibility of capsizing will be greatly increased. Moreover, due to the wave excitation, the pitch and heave motions are more intense than motions in still water. However, the intense motions will not threaten the ship's safety. Finally, by comparing with motions of the intact ship in waves, influences of asymmetric flooding and beam waves are quantified. It is concluded that the rolling effect caused by asymmetric flooding should be firstly reduced. Generally, to facilitate the safe return of the damaged ship to port, it is necessary to reduce the asymmetric effect and set the appropriate course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After 1945, the Iron Curtain cut off half of the hinterland of Germany's largest seaport, Hamburg. Located in the middle of Europe, the city found itself at the periphery of the Federal Republic and Western Europe. The political and economic elites of the city-state conceived the Policy of the Elbe to deal with this situation. Its proponents pursued apolitical strategies to reconnect it to Eastern Europe despite political obstacles and against national foreign policy principles. This article sheds light on the ideas and practices of a city forced to redefine its position in Cold War Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A miniaturized dual-polarized smartphone antenna based on tightly coupled dipole array (TCDA), applying to 5 G millimeter-wave (mmW), is presented. The antenna element has a size of 2.94 mm × 3.05 mm × 0.94 mm and covers a bandwidth of 91.5% and 88.4% with VSWR＜2 for pol-x and pol-y, respectively. To achieve low cost, compact size, and reduce the number of ports, a specific miniature feeding structure, using Γ-shaped coupling probes, is applied. The proposed smartphone antenna consists of eight elements with a size of 23.8 mm × 3.5 mm × 0.94 mm. Experiments show that the TCDA can support a minimum realized gain of 9.51 dB and 9.07 dB for pol-x and pol-y, respectively, within 5 G mmW bands. To verify the design concept, TCDA is fabricated and measured, which achieves 60° scanning without grating lobes. The measurement results demonstrate that the proposed antenna is well suited for future 5 G mmW mobile phones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a two-stage model for determining the sustainable location of dry ports. In the first stage, a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model containing nine criteria is developed. The weight of criteria is determined by the stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method, and then the ranking of alternative cities is determined by the weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) method. In the second stage, a mixed-integer linear programming location model with multiple capacity levels is proposed to determine the final optimal cities for the dry ports by minimizing the relevant economic costs, environmental costs and social responsibility costs. A case study of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model. The results show that: (1) the total cost of the optimized inland transportation network system is reduced by 49.661% compared with that before the optimization, with Suzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Changsha, Wuxi and Hefei identified as the optimal locations for the dry ports; and (2) shippers close to seaports tend to choose road transportation, while shippers far away from seaports tend to choose rail transportation through dry ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, numerical simulations are performed for convective flow in a titanium reduction reactor under both unheated and heated conditions. The VOF multiphase flow model was used for the simulation, using a total of 986,521 hexahedral structured meshes and considering turbulence using LES (Large Eddy Simulation). The titanium reactor contains liquid magnesium at a temperature of 1123K. Magnesium chloride was added to the charging port at a rate of 5.6 × 10−6 m/s. In this process, the strong exothermic chemical reaction on the surface of the magnesium solution and the heating of the reactor cause strong temperature gradients, and these temperature gradients lead to strong convection inside the reactor. As the reaction progresses, the titanium sponge gradually accumulates at the bottom of the reactor, and the density of magnesium chloride precipitates close to magnesium chloride. The precipitation process of magnesium chloride in a titanium reduction reactor was numerically simulated by using the three-dimensional unsteady state method. The results show that convection causes magnesium chloride to precipitate as a droplet in the form of a vortex, and the transient velocity of the settling process reaches the maximum near the reactor interface. Simultaneously, changing the heating state can affect the flow structure of the reactor and create favorable conditions for the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple technique, to design a dual narrowband bandpass filter with wide stopband performance, is introduced in this article based on a grounded stepped-impedance resonator (GSIR). The GSIR is a multi-behavior resonator. Following the even–odd analysis, the proposed GSIR is first analyzed to generate the specified center frequencies of the proposed passbands. Next, two ring-shaped stubs are electrically coupled to the low impedance part of the GSIR, using coupling space (s) and direct connection to the input/output ports to determine the filtering response. Finally, an experimental filter for 2.4 GHz wireless local area network and 3.5 GHz worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) applications is constructed. The filtering characteristic performances of the simulation and measurement results are compared and discussed. Consequently, two narrow bandwidths, 40 MHZ at 2.4 GHz and 60 MHz at 3.5 GHz, are generated with ultra-high frequency suppression above 20 GHz. The surface area of the designed filter is about 56 mm2 terminating the feeding ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]