998 research outputs found
Critical determinants of service quality for the port of cape town users
This research study was motivated by the daily observed operational experiences from the perspective of the researcherâs logistics business. Poor levels of operational service quality were observed in the Port of Cape Town during the 2017/2018 âwind seasonâ which occurs from September to March, where the port lost more than 1200-man hours due to wind delays. The poor levels of operational service quality are further compounded by the effects of the wind delays and its impact on congestion at the port which results in financial loss to importers and exporters and their intermodal service providers. Nearly ninety six percent (96%) of exports from South Africa are by sea, therefore South Africaâs trade with the rest of the world is by sea. Thus, ports are important economic contributors and play an important role for both inbound and outbound logistics. Service quality failures affect business-to-business players in the logistics chain. Port users suffer financial and reputational damage when containers, which are shipped via the port, are delayed due to service quality failures. The purpose of this treatise was to determine what the critical determinants of service quality for the Port of Cape Town users are. To achieve this a conceptual research model was developed, where six variables were identified that have an influence on service quality. The six variables identified are Communication, Competence, Access, Reliability, Understanding/Knowing Customer and Tangibles. A literature review was then conducted to determine what the difference between B2C and B2B operational service quality is. This was done by investigating both the similarities and differences between B2C and B2B and providing a review of service quality and customer satisfaction. Similarly, a literature review was also conducted to investigate the contrasts between international and local port service quality. This was achieved by investigating the importance of ports and an overview of the South African port network. An overview of the Port of Cape Town was then provided where inefficiencies in the Port of Cape Town are discussed. Service quality in selected international ports are then discussed before the chapter was concluded by providing a review of service quality at the port of Cape Townâs two closest international competitors. The methodological approach to the study was quantitative research using a survey strategy to test the conceptual model. Analysis was performed through descriptive and inferential statics. Based on the analysis, the study could conclude by making important managerial recommendations that the management of the Port of Cape Town could implement to improve the level of Operational Service Quality at the port. Some of the recommendations are, that the ports staff should be trained in the importance of proactive communication. Port staff should receive regular training with respect to their operational functions. The port should provide a platform which will allow port users to raise concerns or provide compliments related to container operations or port staff interactions. Before communicating start up times after port stoppages, the port needs to take in to consideration the necessary time required to get staff back to their operational posts and other start-up operations when advising the port reopening time to port users. Port management should implement a better maintenance programme for the container handling equipment as it was the respondentâs perception that the handling equipment used in the port is not always in good working condition
Hard Xâray Nanotomography for 3D Analysis of Coking in Nickelâbased Catalysts
Understanding catalyst deactivation by coking is crucial for knowledge-based catalyst and process design in reactions with carbonaceous species. Post-mortem analysis of catalyst coking is often performed by bulk characterization methods. Here, hard X-ray ptychographic computed tomography (PXCT) was used to study Ni/AlO catalysts for CO methanation and CH dry reforming after artificial coking treatment. PXCT generated quantitative 3D maps of local electron density at ca. 80â
nm resolution, allowing to visualize and evaluate the severity of coking in entire catalyst particles of ca. 40â
ÎŒm diameter. Coking was primarily revealed in the nanoporous solid, which was not detectable in resolved macropores. Coke formation was independently confirmed by operando Raman spectroscopy. PXCT is highlighted as an emerging characterization tool for nanoscale identification, co-localization, and potentially quantification of deactivation phenomena in 3D space within entire catalyst particles
Hard X-Ray Nanotomography for 3D Analysis of Coking in Nickel-Based Catalysts
Understanding catalyst deactivation by coking is crucial for knowledge-based catalyst and process design in reactions with carbonaceous species. Post-mortem analysis of catalyst coking is often performed by bulk characterization methods. Here, hard X-ray ptychographic computed tomography (PXCT) was used to study Ni/Al2O3 catalysts for CO2 methanation and CH4 dry reforming after artificial coking treatment. PXCT generated quantitative 3D maps of local electron density at ca. 80 nm resolution, allowing to visualize and evaluate the severity of coking in entire catalyst particles of ca. 40 ÎŒm diameter. Coking was primarily revealed in the nanoporous solid, which was not detectable in resolved macropores. Coke formation was independently confirmed by operando Raman spectroscopy. PXCT is highlighted as an emerging characterization tool for nanoscale identification, co-localization, and potentially quantification of deactivation phenomena in 3D space within entire catalyst particles
Harte RöntgenâNanotomographie zur 3DâAnalyse der Verkokung in Nickelâbasierten Katalysatoren
Das VerstĂ€ndnis der Katalysatordesaktivierung durch Verkokung ist entscheidend fĂŒr ein wissensbasiertes Katalysator- und Prozessdesign bei Reaktionen mit Kohlenstoffverbindungen. Die Katalysatorverkokung wird dabei typischerweise durch Post-Mortem-Analyse untersucht. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ptychographische Röntgentomographie (PXCT) zur Analyse von kĂŒnstlich verkokten Ni/Al2O3-Katalysatoren fĂŒr die CO2-Methansierung und CH4-Trockenreformierung verwendet. PXCT liefert dabei 3D-Informationen der lokalen Elektronendichte mit ca. 80â
nm Auflösung und ermöglicht somit die Visualisierung und Untersuchung der AusprĂ€gung der Verkokung in Katalysatorpartikeln mit einem Durchmesser von ca. 40â
ÎŒm. Die Verkokung wurde hauptsĂ€chlich im nanoporösen Festkörper identifiziert und konnte nicht in den aufgelösten Makroporen gefunden werden. Die Kohlenstoffbildung wurde unabhĂ€ngig dazu mittels operando Raman-Spektroskopie bestĂ€tigt. PXCT wird als aufkommende Charakterisierungstechnik hervorgehoben, die eine nanoskalige Identifizierung, Lokalisierung und möglicherweise Quantifizierung von verschiedenen DesaktivierungsphĂ€nomenen mit 3D-Auflösung in kompletten Katalysatorpartikeln ermöglicht
On the Measurement of the Magnitude and Orientation of the Magnetic Field in Molecular Clouds
We demonstrate that the combination of Zeeman, polarimetry and ion-to-neutral
molecular line width ratio measurements permits the determination of the
magnitude and orientation of the magnetic field in the weakly ionized parts of
molecular clouds. Zeeman measurements provide the strength of the magnetic
field along the line of sight, polarimetry measurements give the field
orientation in the plane of the sky and the ion-to-neutral molecular line width
ratio determines the angle between the magnetic field and the line of sight. We
apply the technique to the M17 star-forming region using a HERTZ 350 um
polarimetry map and HCO+-to-HCN molecular line width ratios to provide the
first three-dimensional view of the magnetic field in M17.Comment: 37 pages, 12 figures, 3 table
Porosity and Structure of Hierarchically Porous Ni/AlâOâ Catalysts for COâ Methanation
CO methanation is often performed on Ni/AlO catalysts, which can suffer from mass transport limitations and, therefore, decreased efficiency. Here we show the application of a hierarchically porous Ni/AlO catalyst for methanation of CO. The material has a well-defined and connected meso- and macropore structure with a total porosity of 78%. The pore structure was thoroughly studied with conventional methods, i.e., N sorption, Hg porosimetry, and He pycnometry, and advanced imaging techniques, i.e., electron tomography and ptychographic X-ray computed tomography. Tomography can quantify the pore system in a manner that is not possible using conventional porosimetry. Macrokinetic simulations were performed based on the measures obtained by porosity analysis. These show the potential benefit of enhanced mass-transfer properties of the hierarchical pore system compared to a pure mesoporous catalyst at industrially relevant conditions. Besides the investigation of the pore system, the catalyst was studied by Rietveld refinement, diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible (DRUV/vis) spectroscopy, and H-temperature programmed reduction (TPR), showing a high reduction temperature required for activation due to structural incorporation of Ni into the transition alumina. The reduced hierarchically porous Ni/AlO catalyst is highly active in CO methanation, showing comparable conversion and selectivity for CH to an industrial reference catalyst
Characterization and applications of a Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus nucleoprotein-specific Affimer: Inhibitory effects in viral replication and development of colorimetric diagnostic tests.
peer reviewedCrimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever orthonairovirus (CCHFV) is one of the most widespread medically important arboviruses, causing human infections that result in mortality rates of up to 60%. We describe the selection of a high-affinity small protein (Affimer-NP) that binds specifically to the nucleoprotein (NP) of CCHFV. We demonstrate the interference of Affimer-NP in the RNA-binding function of CCHFV NP using fluorescence anisotropy, and its inhibitory effects on CCHFV gene expression in mammalian cells using a mini-genome system. Solution of the crystallographic structure of the complex formed by these two molecules at 2.84 Ă
resolution revealed the structural basis for this interference, with the Affimer-NP binding site positioned at the critical NP oligomerization interface. Finally, we validate the in vitro application of Affimer-NP for the development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent and lateral flow assays, presenting the first published point-of-care format test able to detect recombinant CCHFV NP in spiked human and animal sera
LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products
(Abridged) We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in
the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A vast array of
science will be enabled by a single wide-deep-fast sky survey, and LSST will
have unique survey capability in the faint time domain. The LSST design is
driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking
an inventory of the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and
mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a wide-field ground-based system sited at
Cerro Pach\'{o}n in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m
effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg field of view, and a 3.2 Gigapixel
camera. The standard observing sequence will consist of pairs of 15-second
exposures in a given field, with two such visits in each pointing in a given
night. With these repeats, the LSST system is capable of imaging about 10,000
square degrees of sky in a single filter in three nights. The typical 5
point-source depth in a single visit in will be (AB). The
project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations
by 2022. The survey area will be contained within 30,000 deg with
, and will be imaged multiple times in six bands, ,
covering the wavelength range 320--1050 nm. About 90\% of the observing time
will be devoted to a deep-wide-fast survey mode which will uniformly observe a
18,000 deg region about 800 times (summed over all six bands) during the
anticipated 10 years of operations, and yield a coadded map to . The
remaining 10\% of the observing time will be allocated to projects such as a
Very Deep and Fast time domain survey. The goal is to make LSST data products,
including a relational database of about 32 trillion observations of 40 billion
objects, available to the public and scientists around the world.Comment: 57 pages, 32 color figures, version with high-resolution figures
available from https://www.lsst.org/overvie
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