Improved STNModels and Heuristic Rules for Cooperative Scheduling in Automated Container Terminals

Improving the cooperative scheduling efficiency of equipment is the key for automated container terminals to copewith the development trend of large-scale ships. In order to improve the solution efficiency of the existing spacetimenetwork (STN) model for the cooperative scheduling problem of yard cranes (YCs) and automated guidedvehicles (AGVs) and extend its application scenarios, two improved STN models are proposed. The flow balanceconstraints in the original model are decomposed, and the trajectory constraints of YCs and AGVs are added toacquire the model STN_A. The coupling constraint in STN_A is updated, and buffer constraints are added toSTN_A so that themodel STN_B is built.As the size of the problem increases, the solution speed of CPLEX becomesthe bottleneck. So a heuristic method containing three groups of heuristic rules is designed to obtain a near-optimalsolution quickly. Experimental results showthat the computation time of STN_A is shortened by 49.47% on averageand the gap is reduced by 1.69% on average compared with the original model. The gap between the solution ofthe heuristic rules and the solution of CPLEX is less than 3.50%, and the solution time of the heuristic rules is onaverage 99.85% less than the solution time of CPLEX. Compared with STN_A, the computation time for solvingSTN_B increases by 58.93% on average.

Promoting or Inhibiting?Influence of Railway Container Transportation on Regional Economic Development

In the context of building a country with a strong transportation network,railway container transportation(RCT)is an important means of reducing costs,increasing efficiency,and adjusting transportation structures.Thus,its impact on regional economic development is important.Based on data from railway container-handling stations and spatial econometric models,this study discusses the differences in the development of RCT and their impact on regional economic development at different leves.This study has three main findings:first,there are significant regional differences in the development of the RCT.The intra-regional differences between the eastern and central regions of China(which do not include Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan)are gradually narrowing,while the regional differences in the western region are widening.Meanwhile,the intra-regional differences in important economic zones such as Pearl River Delta Economic Zone(PRDEZ),Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone(CYEZ),Bohai Rim Economic Zone(BHEZ),and Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone(YRDEZ)are narrowing daily.Second,the development differences of RCT in regional level and important economic regions level show different trends.The unbalanced features of large regions are increasingly evident,whereas the differences in economic regions are decreasing.However,the problem of overlapping RCT remains prominent.Third,the transformation of RCT development mode and fierce competition among transportation modes cause RCT to have a restraining effect on the regional economy at three levels.Rational allocation of resources and other means must be used to guide the transformation from inhibition to promotion,and by formulating targeted policies that will promote the development of RCT,which will improve the transportation structure and help construct a country with a strong transportation system.

Structural Characteristics and Evolution of a Weighted Sino-US Container Shipping Network

This study selected the Sino-US route data from the top 30 global container liner companies between December 1,2019,and December 29,2019,as the data source utilizing the complex network research methodology.It constructs a Sino-US container shipping network through voyage weighting and analyzes the essential structural characteristics to explore the network’s complex structural fea-tures.The network’s evolution is examined from three perspectives,namely,time,space,and event influence,aiming to comprehens-ively explore the network’s evolution mechanism.The results revealed that:1)the weighted Sino-US container shipping network exhib-its small-world and scale-free properties.Key hub ports in the United States include NEW YORK NY,SAVANNAH GA,LOS ANGELES CA,and OAKLAND CA,whereas SHANGHAI serving as the hub port in China.The geographical distribution of these hub ports is uneven.2)Concerning the evolution of the weighted Sino-US container shipping network,from a temporal perspective,the evolution of the regional structure of the entire Sino-US region and the Inland United States is in a stage of radiative expansion and de-velopment,with a need for further enhancement in competitiveness and development speed.The evolution of the regional structure of southern China and Europe is transitioning from the stage of radiative expansion and development to an advanced equilibrium stage.The shipping development in Northern China,the Western and Eastern United States,and Asia is undergoing significant changes but faces challenges of fierce competition and imbalances.From a spatial perspective,the rationality and effectiveness of the improved weighted Barrat-Barthelemy-Vespignani(BBV)model are confirmed through theoretical derivation.The applicability of the improved evolution model is verified by simulating the evolution of the weighted Sino-US container shipping network.From an event impact per-spective,the Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has not fundamentally affected the spatial pattern of the weighted Sino-US container shipping network but has significantly impacted the network’s connectivity.The network lacks sufficient resilience and stability in emergency situations.3)Based on the analysis of the structural characteristics and evolution of the weighted Sino-US con-tainer shipping network,recommendations for network development are proposed from three aspects:emphasizing the development of hub ports,focusing on the balanced development of the network,and optimizing the layout of Chinese ports.

A Pre-Selection-Based Ant Colony System for Integrated Resources Scheduling Problem at Marine Container Terminal

Marine container terminal(MCT)plays a key role in the marine intelligent transportation system and international logistics system.However,the efficiency of resource scheduling significantly influences the operation performance of MCT.To solve the practical resource scheduling problem(RSP)in MCT efficiently,this paper has contributions to both the problem model and the algorithm design.Firstly,in the problem model,different from most of the existing studies that only consider scheduling part of the resources in MCT,we propose a unified mathematical model for formulating an integrated RSP.The new integrated RSP model allocates and schedules multiple MCT resources simultaneously by taking the total cost minimization as the objective.Secondly,in the algorithm design,a pre-selection-based ant colony system(PACS)approach is proposed based on graphic structure solution representation and a pre-selection strategy.On the one hand,as the RSP can be formulated as the shortest path problem on the directed complete graph,the graphic structure is proposed to represent the solution encoding to consider multiple constraints and multiple factors of the RSP,which effectively avoids the generation of infeasible solutions.On the other hand,the pre-selection strategy aims to reduce the computational burden of PACS and to fast obtain a higher-quality solution.To evaluate the performance of the proposed novel PACS in solving the new integrated RSP model,a set of test cases with different sizes is conducted.Experimental results and comparisons show the effectiveness and efficiency of the PACS algorithm,which can significantly outperform other state-of-the-art algorithms.

Impact of Hinterland Manufacturing on the Development of Container Ports: Evidence from the Pearl River Delta, China

Container ports and hinterland manufacturing are two important forces of the local participation in economic globalization.This study,taking the Pearl River Delta(PRD),China with an export-oriented economy as an example,applies Huff and panel regres-sion models to evaluate the impact of hinterland manufacturing on the development of container ports during the period of 1993–2019.The results show that 1)the spatial patterns of hinterlands for hub ports help to determine the distribution range and scale of economic variables that affect port throughput;2)the hinterland’s gross manufacturing output has universally positive influence on port through-put,wherein export-oriented processing and the entire manufacturing industry have significantly positive impact on port throughput in 1993–2011 and 2001–2019,respectively;3)the two internal structural factors related to an export-oriented economy,labor-intensive sectors and foreign-funded terminals,have positively moderate the direct influence of hinterland manufacturing on port throughput.Our results highlight the importance of local context in understanding port-manufacturing relationship in developing economies.Based on our findings,policy implications are further proposed to enhance port network organization in PRD.

Security Risk Assessment in Container Terminals:Empirical Evidence from Greece

The most prominent risk assessment techniques are founded on the values of measuring and controlling the frequency and the consequences of risks in order to assure an“acceptable level”of“safeness”mainly in the lines of environmental,health and hygiene and port product issues.This paper examines security risk assessment approaches within the emerging role of ports.This paper contributes to the current literature by considering the ports of Greece as a case in point and by measuring the degree of its security risk orientation based on certain valid risk factors drawn from the current literature.Moreover,it presents a security risk assessment methodology into the domain of port container terminals.Their potential for ports were quantitatively and qualitatively assessed by discussing issues of security approaches within the maritime industry,in order to facilitate improvement strategies.A two-dimension empirical study was conducted,in a time range of ten years(2010-2020)in order to provide evidence regarding security risk assessment in the port container terminal of Thessaloniki,in Greece.The findings of this study have significant strategic policy implications and shed more light on the role of security risks in the overall risk orientation of container terminals in practice.Finally,further research directions in security risk in ports are proposed.

Interaction of major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A with the blood-brain barrier

The functional and structural integrity of the blood-brain barrier is crucial in maintaining homeostasis in the brain microenvironment;however,the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation and function of the blood-brain barrier remain poorly understood.The major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A has been identified as a key regulator of blood-brain barrier function.It plays a critical role in promoting and maintaining the formation and functional stability of the blood-brain barrier,in addition to the transport of lipids,such as docosahexaenoic acid,across the blood-brain barrier.Furthermore,an increasing number of studies have suggested that major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A is involved in the molecular mechanisms of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in a variety of neurological diseases;however,little is known regarding the mechanisms by which major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A affects the blood-brain barrier.This paper provides a comprehensive and systematic review of the close relationship between major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A proteins and the blood-brain barrier,including their basic structures and functions,cross-linking between major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A and the blood-brain barrier,and the in-depth studies on lipid transport and the regulation of blood-brain barrier permeability.This comprehensive systematic review contributes to an in-depth understanding of the important role of major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A proteins in maintaining the structure and function of the blood-brain barrier and the research progress to date.This will not only help to elucidate the pathogenesis of neurological diseases,improve the accuracy of laboratory diagnosis,and optimize clinical treatment strategies,but it may also play an important role in prognostic monitoring.In addition,the effects of major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A on blood-brain barrier leakage in various diseases and the research progress on cross-blood-brain barrier drug delivery are summarized.This review may contribute to the development of new approaches for the treatment of neurological diseases.

Selection of Media for Hardwood Cuttings Container Seedling-raising of Triploid Clones of Populus tomentosa

[Objective] The experiment was aimed to select effective and economical media for container seedling of triploid clones of Populus tomentosa that was carried out. [Method] The sandy loam, peat, perlite, vermiculite, riversand, sludge were taken as media of hardwood cutting and survival rate, seedling height were taken as indexes to select media for container seedling of triploid clones of Populus tomentosa. [Result] Different mixedmedia had great influence on survival rates of container seedlings. Taking peat and vermiculite with the proportion of 5∶2 (M10) or peat ,vermiculite with the proportion of 7∶2 (M11) or sandy loam (M1) as media would generate higher cutting survival rate that was higher than 90.0%. There were significant differece in height increments of container seedlings. Taking sandy loam, peat and vermiculite with the proportion of 6∶2∶2(M5)or sandy loam (M1), seedling height of 60-days the seedling was over 37.0 cm. [Conclusion] According to cost analysis of nursery medium, the optimum medium for hardwood cuttings container seedling-raising of triploid clones of Populus tomentosa was sandy loam.

Study on Grading Standard for One-Year-Old Container Seedling Quality of Phoebe zhennan

In order to improve the survival rate of planting seedlings of Phoebe zhen-nan, the grading standard for one-year-old container seedlings of Phoebe zhennan was developed by using cluster analysis. The results showed that the quality of Phoebe zhennan container seedlings could be estimated from seedling height and ground diameter. The Phoebe zhennan container seedlings were divided into 3 grades： Grade 1 （seedling height ≥ 38 cm; ground diameter ≥ 0.65 cm）, Grade 2 （31.7 cm ≤ seedling height 〈 38 cm; 0.56 cm ≤ ground diameter 〈 0.65 cm） and Grade 3 （seedling height 〈 31.7 cm; ground diameter 〈 0.56 cm）.

Modeling of container terminal logistics system based on multi-agent

The similarities and differences between the container terminal logistics system(CTLS)and the Harvard-architecture computer system are compared in terms of organization and architecture.The mapping relation and the modeling framework of the CTLS are presented based on multi-agent,and the successful algorithms in the computer domain are applied to the modeling framework,such as the dynamic priority and multilevel feedback scheduling algorithm.In addition,a model and simulation on a certain quay at Shanghai harbor is built up on the AnyLogic platform to support the decision-making of terminal on service cost.It validates the feasibility and creditability of the above systematic methodology.

Optimization of Cultivation Medium for Container Seedling Raising of Camellia oleifera

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the optimal component of culti- vation medium for container seedling raising of Camellia oleifera. [Method] In the application of container nursery technology of Camellia oleifera grafting in emergent stocks, yellow clay soil, surface soil of pine forest, decomposed edible fungus, peat soil, dung and dirt were mixed by different proportions into five formulae as nursery substrates, with garden soil as the control, in order to investigate the influences of various substrates on the growth of annual Camellia oleifera container seedlings by using randomized block design based on variance analysis and multiple comparisons, and to screen the optimal substrate formula for container nursery of Camellia oleifera. [Result] The influences of different substrates on the transplanting survival rate, seedling height, basal diameter, height-diameter ratio and lateral root length of Camellia oleifera container seedlings were significantly different. Various growth indi- cators of Camellia oleifera container seedlings cultivated in the substrate containing 40% of yellow clay soil ＋ 15% of surface soil of pine forest ＋ 20% of decomposed edible fungus ＋ 20% of peat soil ＋ 5% of dung and dirt exceeded that of the control and other substrate formulae, which could be used as the optimal substrate formula for the container nursery of Camellia oleifera. [Conclusion] This study screened the optimal substrate formula for the container nursery of Camellia oleifera, which provided technical reference for the cultivation of Camellia oleifera container seedlings.

A Design of Information Teaching in Container Transport

The teaching design is based on the task of "Container Transport" in the course of"English for International Shipping Business", aiming to discuss Design of information teaching in Business English Class. MOSO TEACH, CFNET platform,Cartoon have been applied in the design. Informationalized teaching has brought the vividness and dramatic effect to the knowledgebased class.

ContainerSSh:基于WebSocket的Linux容器远程访问解决方案

随着容器技术在云计算中的大量应用,以Docker为代表的容器引擎在Paa S中大放光彩,出现一大批基于Docker的云计算初创公司。然而由于基于容器的云平台的特殊性,一般不会为容器分配固定IP,导致用户无法直接对云平台中的容器进行访问控制,对用户添加自定义服务等操作增加不便,ContainerSSh则是专门针对该问题而设计的解决方案。

Effects of fertilization and container-type on nutrient uptake and utilization by four subtropical tree seedlings

Seedling quality is important for subtropical tree species endangered by the degradation of natural habitats in southern China.At present,the cultural regime for raising these seedlings involving fertilizer levels and size of container is not clear.In this study,seedlings of three endangered species,red-seed tree(Ormosia hosiei),Zhejiang phoebe(Phoebe chekian gensis),and Zhejiang camphor(Cinnamomum japonicum)were evaluated along with red-bark oak(Cyclobalanopsis gilva)as a reference,a species which is not endangered.Seedlings were raised in 2.8,3.6,5.1,and 6.3 L containers and fertilizer applied at 1.0,2.0,3.0 and 4.0 kg m-3.Seedling height and leaf biomass increased in response to higher fertilizer levels while larger containers resulted in greater stem and root biomass.Root biomass of endangered species seedlings did not respond to neither treatments.Zhejiang phoebe seedlings responded to nitrogen and phosphorus uptake but red-seed tree seedlings were unaffected by any nutrient levels.Red-bark oak seedlings had high nitrogen-use efficiency.Based on the results,it is recommended using at least 5.1 L containers to culture Zhejiang phoebe and Zhejiang camphor seedlings with fertilizer at 3.0 kg m-3.Red-bark oak and red-seed tree seedlings should be cultured with 2.0 kg m-3 in smaller containers.

Physical modeling of spent-nuclearfuel container

A new physical simulation model was developed to simulate the casting process of the ductile iron heavy section spent-nuclear-fuel container.In this physical simulation model,a heating unit with DR24 Fe-Cr-Al heating wires was used to compensate the heat loss across the non-natural surfaces of the sample,and a precise and reliable casting temperature controlling/monitoring system was employed to ensure the thermal behavior of the simulated casting to be similar to the actual casting.Also,a mould system was designed,in which changeable mould materials can be used for both the outside and inside moulds for different applications.The casting test was carried out with the designed mould and the cooling curves of central and edge points at different isothermal planes of the casting were obtained.Results show that for most isothermal planes,the temperature control system can keep the temperature differences within 6 ℃ between the edge points and the corresponding center points,indicating that this new physical simulation model has high simulation accuracy,and the mould developed can be used for optimization of casting parameters of spent-nuclear-fuel container,such as composition of ductile iron,the pouring temperature,the selection of mould material and design of cooling system.In addition,to maintain the spheroidalization of the ductile iron,the force-chilling should be used for the current physical simulation to ensure the solidification of casting in less than 2 h.

Dynamic Scheduling and Path Planning of Automated Guided Vehicles in Automatic Container Terminal

The uninterrupted operation of the quay crane(QC)ensures that the large container ship can depart port within laytime,which effectively reduces the handling cost for the container terminal and ship owners.The QC waiting caused by automated guided vehicles(AGVs)delay in the uncertain environment can be alleviated by dynamic scheduling optimization.A dynamic scheduling process is introduced in this paper to solve the AGV scheduling and path planning problems,in which the scheduling scheme determines the starting and ending nodes of paths,and the choice of paths between nodes affects the scheduling of subsequent AGVs.This work proposes a two-stage mixed integer optimization model to minimize the transportation cost of AGVs under the constraint of laytime.A dynamic optimization algorithm,including the improved rule-based heuristic algorithm and the integration of the Dijkstra algorithm and the Q-Learning algorithm,is designed to solve the optimal AGV scheduling and path schemes.A new conflict avoidance strategy based on graph theory is also proposed to reduce the probability of path conflicts between AGVs.Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm over existing methods.

Review of containership stowage plans for full routes

Containership stowage plans are a pivotal teaches in the system of container transportation.With the increasing containers shipping,planning containership stowage has become more and more complicated.So intelligent stowage planning for containerships is of great significance.An effective stowage plan may improve efficiency of transportation system.First,the progress of containership stowage plan at home and abroad is reviewed,including the latest developments,such as the application of various optimization methods and computer techniques to the problem.Then,the complexities of the problem are discussed and areas where investigations are still needed are pointed out.This will provide a reference for further research on the subject.

Nonlinear Dynamics Seismic Response of Container Crane Based on Contact Friction Theory

To evaluate the dynamic behavior of a container crane under seismic loads accurately,the contact state between the wheels and the rails or the ground that significantly affect the seismic response of the structure must be considered elaborately.This paper has proposed a modeling method based on the theory of contact and friction for simulating the nonlinear seismic response of large and flexible structure of a jumbo movable container crane,including the contact problem regarding the wheels attached to the bottom of its legs and the rails on which they ride.These models are used to perform extensive dynamic time-history analysis in order to find out their nonlinear dynamic behavior under various excitation modes.It is found that the presented numerical modeling method simulates the nonlinear seismic response of a container crane quite well.Notably,it can verify and expand our understanding of the seismic behaviors by evaluating response performance for the large seaport cranes.

An integrated approach for modeling and solving the scheduling problem of container handling systems

An integrated model is presented to schedule the container handling system. The objective is to improve the coop- eration between different types of equipments, and to increase the productivity of the terminal. The problem is formulated as a Hybrid Flow Shop Scheduling problem with precedence constraint, setup times and blocking (HFSS-B). A tabu search algorithm is proposed to solve this problem. The quality and efficiency of the proposed algorithm is analyzed from the computational point of view.

Model and algorithm for container ship stowage planning based on bin-packing problem

In a general case, container ship serves many different ports on each voyage. A stowage planning for container ship made at one port must take account of the influence on subsequent ports. So the complexity of stowage planning problem increases due to its multi-ports nature. This problem is NP-hard problem. In order to reduce the computational complexity, the problem is decomposed into two sub-problems in this paper. First, container ship stowage problem (CSSP) is regarded as 'packing problem', ship-bays on the board of vessel are regarded as bins, the number of slots at each bay are taken as capacities of bins, and containers with different characteristics (homogeneous containers group) are treated as items packed. At this stage, there are two objective functions, one is to minimize the number of bays packed by containers and the other is to minimize the number of overstows. Secondly, containers assigned to each bays at first stage are allocate to special slot, the objective functions are to minimize the metacentric height, heel and overstows.The taboo search heuristics algorithm are used to solve the subproblem. The main focus of this paper is on the first subproblem. A case certifies the feasibility of the model and algorithm.