Abstract: Over the past several years, port related charges in Japanese ports have been substantially higher than those charged in other major international hub ports. All major container ports in Japan feature so-called Dedicated Terminals in which cost-effectiveness is justified by huge container volume to be handled. One of the reasons cited for high port charges is a relative decrease in handling volume compared to the terminal capacity, resulting in inefficient use of the existing capacity. The use of the Multi-User Container Terminal (MUT) concept employed in some of the major container hub ports such as Hong Kong, Pusan, Hamburg and Rotterdam reduces redundant terminal space and results in substantial cost savings in cargo handling costs and therefore is desired for ports in Japan as well. One of the key issues in the MUT operation is the berth allocation to calling vessels. In a recent study, an allocation problem for the MUT was examined, in which each vessel was treated equally. However, as some vessel operators desire high priority services, the goal of this paper is to modify the existing formulation of the berth allocation problem in order to treat calling vessels at various service priorities by developing a genetic algorithm based heuristic for the resulting non-linear problem.

Abstract: Since the Second World War, ports have been going through an evolution which the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) refers to as generations. The generation of a port reflects whether the approach adopted by port authorities/operators in developing their activities is likely to be reactive or proactive. These activities start with the traditional ones (cargo loading and discharging) and end up with the establishment of a wide range of logistics and value‐added activities, developed in conjunction with industrial and commercial businesses. This generation of ports, classified as third generation, would be sufficient if the world economic growth pattern could be forecast with any certainty. Unfortunately, this is not the case and the external environment today comprises constant changes that are reflected in the high levels of market uncertainty. To cope with this uncertainty it is suggested that ports should adopt a new logistics approach, agility, which has already been employed in other industries. This paper provides a definition of fourth generation ports and a methodology for implementing the concept of agile ports.

Abstract: Transportation decisions of shippers are crucial for policy formulation in ports and shipping lines. Shippers' port selection, for export or import cargo, depends on the location of the shipper; preferences for shipping line services; and facilities offered by ports. In this paper, we model the port choice behaviour of shippers, in China, using a shipper level database obtained from a survey of shippers of containerised cargo in China in 1998. We use a discrete choice model where each shipper faces a choice of 14 alternatives, based on shipping line and port combinations, and makes his decision on the basis of various shipper and port characteristics. The results indicate that the distance of the shipper from port, distance to destination (in case of exports), distance from origin (in case of imports), port congestion, and shipping line's fleet size play an important role. We estimate elasticities of changes in these variables and their impact on the market share of shipping line–port combinations.

Abstract: A central objective of port privatization and/or deregulation policies is stimulating greater efficiency by engendering a more competitive market and commercial approach to management. Korea provides a prime example of a nation that is implementing such policies. Also, its ports play a pivotal role in world shipping, particularly in the ever-burgeoning container market. The success of these policies in increasing the productive efficiency of Korean container terminals is assessed. The UK container terminal sector provides a useful benchmark for comparison since privatization and deregulation have formed an integral part of UK port reforms for nearly 20 years and the effect on efficiency, having had time to mature, will be much easier to gauge. The stochastic frontier model is justified as the chosen methodology for estimating productive efficiency levels and is applied to cross-sectional data under a variety of distributional assumptions. A panel data model is also estimated. Results are consistent and su...

Abstract: A system and method for network address translation that enables an inbound connection from the public network to a privately addressed host residing on a private network. The stated invention functions as a reverse proxy mechanism assigning a dynamic port number to uniquely identify each inbound connection from the public network to a host on the private network. The defined proxy device uses regular and reverse mapping and employs use of the passive command to notify the client on the public network of the said unique port number assigned for the inbound connection. When the session is completed, the port is returned to the pool to be reassigned as needed.

Abstract: A system for detecting, monitoring, reporting, and managing congestion in a fabric at the port and fabric levels The system includes multi-port switches in the fabric with port controllers that collect port traffic statistics A congestion analysis module in the switch periodically gathers port statistics and processes the statistics to identify backpressure congestion, resource limited congestion, and over-subscription congestion at the ports A port activity database is maintained at the switch with an entry for each port and contains counters for the types of congestion The counters for ports that are identified as congested are incremented to reflect the detected congestion The system includes a management platform that periodically requests copies of the port congestion data from the switches in the fabric The switch data is aggregated to determine fabric congestion including the congestion level and type for each port and congestion sources

Abstract: The worldwide network of container transport services, both on land and at sea, is becoming increasingly fine-meshed. The growth in the number of intermodal transfer points on the land side, at the sea–land interface in the seaports and at the connecting points of liner services in transhipment ports leads to an increasing number of routing options for a container flow between two regions somewhere on the globe. This increase complicates forecasting the container throughput of a port in the traditional way by linking it directly to a specific hinterland area. In the approach presented here, a port is considered as a nodal point in a network of container routings, where the routings using a certain port add up to the port's container throughput. The model presented here is intended to explain the market share of the port's routings for each of the traffic zones or regions that comprise a port's potential hinterland. Explanatory variables include transport cost, transit time, frequency of service and indicators of quality of service. A logit model is used to quantify the routing choice and to derive from that a demand function to be used for port traffic forecasting and for the economic and financial evaluation of container port projects. The authors had the opportunity to calibrate logit models in the framework of the evaluation of the Maasvlakte-2 container port expansion project in the port of Rotterdam.

Abstract: A good or bad points of ports service system may affect the user's port choice behaviour, or even influence the cost of the whole fleet or shipper, so port choice is an important part of port transportation demand behaviour. There are three regions from north, centre to south in the west coast of Taiwan. There are three international container ports (northern, central and southern) on the west coast of Taiwan, with 229 kilometres between the northern and southern ones. This paper focuses one aspect of shippers' port choice behaviour. Through the collection and analysis of data and setting up the model, one knows the preference of shippers' choice. In the past, the method of research on port choice behaviour can be divided into four types, namely descriptive statistics analysis, multi-objective decision analysis, multi-variate analysis and multiple choice analysis. Each method has its characteristics and restriction to make the analysis research differently. This paper first describes the methodology and b...

Abstract: An environmental control system controls monitoring and operation of a multiplicity of disparate environmental control devices by determining an appropriate configuration for each control device and communicates corresponding monitoring and control commands to each device in accordance with its corresponding communication protocol over a selected I/O port. An operational instruction set includes a structural definition of an enterprise facility in which devices are defined by personality modules and communicate with a system host in accordance with a protocol defined in a protocol module. Facility implementation is defined by a node tree structure which collects suitable protocol nodes under a corresponding I/O interface port node. Device (personality) nodes are collected under corresponding protocol nodes, and data point nodes depend from their corresponding device nodes. Data points nodes are individually accessible by merely traversing the node tree using a URL-like notational structure, allowing off-site users to control and monitor environmental devices by issuing commands in the form of a URL.

Abstract: Addresses transhipment port selection from a carrier's perspective through a study of the transhipment decision-making behaviour of large Taiwanese international container carriers. Sets out the background to transhipment port selection, reviews the relevant literature and explains the employment of the analytical hierarchy process technique to determine the importance of various criteria in the transhipment port selection decision-making process. Presents the findings of a study of four major international carriers in Taiwan which examined the importance of a range of criteria affecting transhipment port choice, grouped under four main categories: port basic physical characteristics; port geographical location; port management; and carriers' cost perspective. Demonstrates that the findings are consistent with the feeling of the market on the prevalence of cost as a major criterion from a carrier's perspective.

Abstract: Assessing the potential demand for container ports and related multimodal transportation is critical for several purposes, including financial feasibility analysis and the evaluation of net economic benefits and their distribution. When developed in conjunction with a geographical information system, port-related demand analysis also provides needed input for assessment of selected environmental issues, such as truck traffic on local roads and related potential external costs, such as air pollution and noise. However, container port demand analysis is very difficult due to the complexities of international trade in containerised goods, inter-port competition, and potential strategic behaviour by several parties. Difficulties also arise from the many factors to be considered, major data requirements, and the computationally intensive nature of the problem. This paper summarises the development and application of a spatial-economic, multimodal container transportation demand simulation model for major US container ports. The underlying economic framework assumes shippers minimise the total general cost of moving containers from sources to markets. The model is validated and then used to estimate (1) annual container transportation service demand for major container ports, (2) the market areas served by selected ports, and (3) the impact on port demand and interport competition due to hypothetical changes in port use fees at selected ports. This paper first describes the model and the underlying economic reasoning, followed by the assumptions, computational algorithms, and the software architecture. Then, the trade data, transportation networks, and economic variables are described. After that, model simulation results are presented with qualifications, needed refinements, and future directions.

Abstract: A method of automatically configuring a port of a network element comprises the steps of discovering information that identifies or describes a second network element that is coupled to a port of a first network element; associating the port with a port role definition selected from a plurality of port role definitions based on the discovered information; retrieving one or more configuration settings that are associated with the selected port role definition; and applying the one or more configuration settings to the port.

Abstract: Port Reform Toolkit presents background information, concrete examples, and specific tools and methods that public officials can use to make effective, sustainable reforms of public institutions that provide port services in developing countries In particular it focuses on understanding the needs, challenges and risks for sector reform; choosing among options for private sector participation and analyzing their implications; preparing legislation, contracts and institutional charters to govern private sector participation; managing the transition to increased private sector involvementThe Toolkit presents "best international practices" in a manner that is relevant to decision-makers The Toolkit is designed to be easily understood by non-specialists Thus, it attempts to make general points with concrete examples It is illustrated with experience drawn from recent port reform activities around the world

Abstract: Systems and methods for gathering troubleshooting information through one or more networks are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises a switch port configured to receive a frame that has information added by another switch. As the frame traverses the network, control logic in the switch adds additional information into the frame from the current switch.

Abstract: An improvement to the spanning tree protocol provides for identifying a port on the bridge in the alternate port role which qualifies as a candidate root port. Upon an event causing a topology change resulting in a particular port changing from the candidate root port role to the root port role and the previous root port changing to the designated port role, the process allows the previous root port to have the forwarding state without requiring transition through the listening and forwarding states. Qualification as a suitable candidate root port according is based upon propagating a message from the root bridge, such as a bridge protocol data unit (“BPDU”) message, carrying the identifier of the port on the root bridge from which the message originates. Logic in the bridges is able to identify the branch of the tree from which the message originates, and to select the candidate root port in response to the branch information. Thus, the port on a different branch than the root is a suitable candidate root port. A port on the same branch as the root is suitable if it has recently received (such as within one Hello time in the standard Spanning Tree) updated configuration information from its upstream bridge (Designated Bridge on the port), such as by a configuration BPDU.

Abstract: Systems and methods for gathering troubleshooting information through one or more networks are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises a switch port configured to receive a frame that has information added by another switch. As the frame traverses the network, control logic in the switch adds additional information into the frame from the current switch.

Abstract: Properly selected port sites for robot-assisted coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) improve the efficiency and quality of these procedures. In clinical practice, surgeons select port locations using external anatomic landmarks to estimate a patient's internal anatomy. This paper proposes an automated approach to port selection based on a preoperative image of the patient, thus avoiding the need to estimate internal anatomy. Using this image as input, port sites are chosen from a grid of surgeon-approved options by defining a performance measure for each possible port triad. This measure seeks to minimize the weighted squared deviation of the instrument and endoscope angles from their optimal orientations at each internal surgical site. This performance measure proves insensitive to perturbations in both its weighting factors and moderate intraoperative displacements of the patient's internal anatomy. A validation study of this port site selection algorithm was also performed. Six cardiac surgeons dissected model vessels using the port triad selected by this algorithm with performance compared to dissection using a surgeon-selected port triad and a port triad template described by Tabaie et al., 1999. With the algorithm-selected ports, dissection speed increased by up to 43% (p = 0.046) with less overall vessel trauma. Thus, this algorithmic approach to port site selection has important clinical implications for robot-assisted CABG which warrant further investigation.

Abstract: A technique for implementing VLANs across a service provider network involves establishing logical ports that have bindings to transport tunnels. The logical ports are then treated the same as physical ports in defining broadcast domains at particular service provider edge devices. Logical ports can be established for Layer 2 transport tunnels that use stacked VLAN tunneling and MPLS tunneling. Establishing a logical port that uses stacked VLAN tunneling involves binding a physical port and a stacked VLAN tunnel to the logical port. Establishing a logical port that uses MPLS tunneling involves binding an MPLS tunnel to a logical port. In one embodiment, the logical port is bound to a static MPLS tunnel and in another embodiment, the logical port is bound to a dynamic MPLS tunnel and the destination IP address of the destination service provider edge device.

Abstract: This paper aims to apply a supply-chain modelling and its analysis framework to the supply chain in the port industry. The simulation approach serves two purposes: to model a supply-chain network in quantity approach and to evaluate its supply-chain performance based on proposed strategies. Through the modelling works to improve the performance, components of simulation model, such as input model, strategy model, operational policy model and performance model, in the port supply chain were identified. The effects of various strategies can guide the way to administrate the supply chain in the different objectives.

Abstract: A home wellness system includes a headless base station having a first wireless communication port, a portable fob having a second wireless communication port, a user input device and a display, and plurality of sensors. Each of the sensors senses information and includes a third wireless communication port, which sends the sensed information to the first wireless communication port of the headless base station. The headless base station sends the sensed information for one, some or all of the sensors from its first wireless communication port to the second wireless communication port of the portable fob. The portable fob displays the sensed information for one, more or all of the sensors at its display.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system and method for forwarding data packets from ingress ports to egress ports on a switch. A forwarding circuit may commence forwarding data packets from an ingress port through a switch fabric to a transmit queue of an egress port prior to completion of a checksum operation.

Abstract: In this prospective cohort study, minocycline-ethylenediaminetetraacetate (M-EDTA) was used as a lock solution in indwelling ports inserted in 14 children with cancer. No port infections, thrombotic events, or other adverse events were observed, compared with 10 port infections that occurred in 48 control patients whose ports were flushed with heparin. M-EDTA is a promising lock solution in long-term catheters.

Abstract: Port cities in the Mediterranean and elsewhere are increasingly seeking to encourage tourism-related development, and the cruise industry is a significant potential source of revenue for such cities. Consequently, there is competition between port cities for infrastructure that allows increased cruise tourism, and many cities have encouraged the development of new cruise passenger terminal facilities. While such schemes have clear economic benefits, there are associated problems that may become evident only in the medium- or long-term. The case of the Valletta Waterfront Project illustrates a range of resulting issues and tensions, and indicates the need to more sensitively evaluate cruise tourism-related development proposals.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method utilize cluster data port services within a cluster infrastructure to provide reliable and efficient communications between nodes in a clustered computer system. The cluster data port services present an abstracted transport service that encapsulates and manages the establishment of multiple connection paths between a source node, a target node and one or more backup nodes in such a manner that a cluster data port is effectively utilized as single data port from the perspective of a user program.

Abstract: A universal serial bus hub ( 100, 900 ) includes a housing ( 110 ), a power port ( 210 ), a first universal serial bus port ( 120 ), and a second universal serial bus port ( 220 ). The housing includes a middle portion ( 112 ), a top portion ( 111 ) coupled to the middle portion, and a bottom portion ( 113 ) coupled to the middle portion opposite the top portion. The middle portion has a first region ( 163 ), a second region ( 161 ) substantially opposite the first region, and a third region ( 162 ), where the third region is between the first region and the second region. The power port is located at the first region, the first universal serial bus port is located at the second region, and the second universal serial bus port is located at the third region.

Abstract: An OCN for integrated processing elements including a network with multiple ports and multiple port interfaces. The ports and the port interfaces conform to a consistent port protocol. Each port interface converts information between bus transactions of a corresponding processing element and network packets and exchanges network packets with other port interfaces. Each port includes an arbitration interface and a data interface and the network includes an interconnect and an arbiter. The interconnect includes selectable data paths between the ports for packet datum transfer. A port source interface submits transaction requests and provides packet datums upon receiving an acknowledgement. A port destination interface receives packet datums via available input buffers. Each transaction request includes a transaction size and a destination port address. The arbiter receives transaction requests, arbitrates among transaction requests, provides acknowledgements and controls the interconnect to select data paths between sources and destinations.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatus and software can make use of persistent reservation commands to establish the port of a shared device that is to be used as an active port by one or more host computer systems coupled to the shared device. Information about one or more paths used to transmit data between a host computer system and the shared device can be used by other host computer systems.