On risk management of shipping system in ice-covered waters : Review, analysis and toolbox based on an eight-year polar project

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The AuthorsWith the climate change, polar sea ice is diminishing. This, on one hand, enables the possibility for e.g., Arctic shipping and relevant resource exploitation activities, but on the other hand brings additional risks induced by these activities. Increasing research focuses have been observed on the relevant topics in the complex and harsh polar environment and its fragile ecosystem. However, from risk management perspective, there is still a lack of holistic analysis and understanding towards safe shipping in the ice-covered waters and its available models applicable for managing risks in the system. Therefore, this paper aims to establish a framework and analysis for better understanding of this gap. The paper targets a comprehensive and long-term project specifically focusing on holistic safe shipping in ice-covered waters as the analysis basis. It firstly creates a holistic framework for the shipping system in ice-covered waters and then implements review and analysis of project publications on their overall features. Quantitative prediction models are selected for a structured applicability analysis. Furthermore, an extensive review outside the project following the elements established for the holistic shipping system is conducted so that this paper provides an overview of models for the shipping system in ice-covered waters, addressing the status of the current toolbox. Moreover, it helps to identify the next scientific steps on risk management of shipping in ice-covered waters.Peer reviewe

Developing Feature Types and Related Catalogues for the Marine Community - Lessons from the MOTIIVE project.

MOTIIVE (Marine Overlays on Topography for annex II Valuation and Exploitation) is a project funded as a Specific Support Action (SSA) under the European Commission Framework Programme 6 (FP6) Aeronautics and Space Programme. The project started in September 2005 and finished in October 2007. The objective of MOTIIVE was to examine the methodology and cost benefit of using non-proprietary data standards. Specifically it considered the harmonisation requirements between the INSPIRE data component ‘elevation’ (terrestrial, bathymetric and coastal) and INSPIRE marine thematic data for ‘sea regions’, ‘oceanic spatial features’ and ‘coastal zone management areas’. This was examined in context of the requirements for interoperable information systems as required to realise the objectives of GMES for ‘global services’. The work draws particular conclusions on the realisation of Feature Types (ISO 19109) and Feature Type Catalogues (ISO 19110) in this respect. More information on MOTIIVE can be found at www.motiive.net

Mechanisms and Patterns of Invasion in Macrophyte Communities

Aquatic plants (macrophytes) are important components of freshwater ecosystems and serve numerous purposes, physical and biological, that help to structure aquatic communities. Although macrophytes represent an essential component of stable aquatic communities, invasive macrophytes may negatively alter ecosystem properties. Non-native, invasive species have been identified as a major cause of biodiversity loss and the increasing prevalence of invasive species has prompted studies to help understand their impacts and to conserve biodiversity. Studying mechanisms of invasion also gives insight into how communities are structured and assembled. This study examined mechanisms that contribute to macrophyte invasion. First, I reviewed literature concerning mechanisms of macrophyte invasion. Mechanisms identified with this review were then placed within the context of the invasion process and potential taxonomic biases were discussed. Second, a set of classic invasion hypotheses were tested, including biotic resistance, disturbance, and stress, using mixed-effects models on survey data collected from twenty-nine lakes across the United States. Finally, using the same survey data, I performed an observational test of Darwin’s Naturalization Hypothesis at a small (point) and large (lake) scale for two highly invasive macrophytes, Potamogeton crispus and Myriophyllum spicatum. Results of the first study indicated that many invasion mechanisms have been tested with fully aquatic macrophytes with varied levels of support. In addition, there is likely a taxonomic bias depending on geographic location of the invaded area. The second study indicated that biotic interaction, disturbance, and stress interact, often in non-linear ways to influence probability of an invasive species occurring at a location. However, models containing these variables explained a relatively low percentage of variation in probabilities. Finally, there was no support for Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis at either a point or lake scale. Future research should continue the search for mechanisms that allow introduced species to establish. It is likely that general principles do not exist, at least among comparisons across ecosystem types. However, ecologists should continue to search for general patterns within definable ecosystem units to increase understanding about factors contributing to invasibility

The development of information literacy at the University of Cape Town

Includes bibliographical references (pages 84-98).The origins and development of information literacy education at the University of Cape Town are explored. The focal research question is based on investigations into the extent in which the academic staff, librarians and students of the University of Cape Town (UCT) are prepared for or engaged in recognizing information literacy. Are the academic staff, librarians and students of UCT really aware of the information literacy agenda? Quantitative research methods are used to supplement qualitative research methods in this study. Samples were drawn from 621 academics, 64 librarians, and 19978 students - the total numbers of subjects of the study in 2003 when the fieldwork was conducted. The significant changes in the South African education system in the postapartheid era are discussed. International information literacy programs are discussed and the Griffith University information literacy blueprint is adopted as a standard for comparison. Further studies are suggested on the investigation of information literacy policies. The research results suggest that a high standard of information literacy exists at the University of Cape Town

Mechanisms and Patterns of Invasion in Macrophyte Communities

Aquatic plants (macrophytes) are important components of freshwater ecosystems and serve numerous purposes, physical and biological, that help to structure aquatic communities. Although macrophytes represent an essential component of stable aquatic communities, invasive macrophytes may negatively alter ecosystem properties. Non-native, invasive species have been identified as a major cause of biodiversity loss and the increasing prevalence of invasive species has prompted studies to help understand their impacts and to conserve biodiversity. Studying mechanisms of invasion also gives insight into how communities are structured and assembled. This study examined mechanisms that contribute to macrophyte invasion. First, I reviewed literature concerning mechanisms of macrophyte invasion. Mechanisms identified with this review were then placed within the context of the invasion process and potential taxonomic biases were discussed. Second, a set of classic invasion hypotheses were tested, including biotic resistance, disturbance, and stress, using mixed-effects models on survey data collected from twenty-nine lakes across the United States. Finally, using the same survey data, I performed an observational test of Darwin’s Naturalization Hypothesis at a small (point) and large (lake) scale for two highly invasive macrophytes, Potamogeton crispus and Myriophyllum spicatum. Results of the first study indicated that many invasion mechanisms have been tested with fully aquatic macrophytes with varied levels of support. In addition, there is likely a taxonomic bias depending on geographic location of the invaded area. The second study indicated that biotic interaction, disturbance, and stress interact, often in non-linear ways to influence probability of an invasive species occurring at a location. However, models containing these variables explained a relatively low percentage of variation in probabilities. Finally, there was no support for Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis at either a point or lake scale. Future research should continue the search for mechanisms that allow introduced species to establish. It is likely that general principles do not exist, at least among comparisons across ecosystem types. However, ecologists should continue to search for general patterns within definable ecosystem units to increase understanding about factors contributing to invasibility

Competition vs. collaboration in the generation and adoption of a sequence of new technology

Although there is quite a rich literature relating to competitive innovation there is relatively little relating to technological collaboration. However, ignoring collaborative possibilities may result in overestimation of the importance of selfinnovation. This thesis is therefore mainly concerned with the determinants of collaboration in innovation, taking both a theoretical and an empirical approach. The empirics relate to the manufacturing industry in a Chinese region. The thesis is particularly innovative in emphasising how collaboration costs will be shared when collaboration occurs. We provide a game theoretic exploration of the decisions of firms on whether to compete or collaborate in the generation and adoption of a sequence of new technologies. Different from the models proposed by Vickers, who concentrates upon process innovation and a two-strategy (innovation or do nothing) set, our game theory model emphasises product innovation and either a three-strategy set (innovation, collaboration, and do nothing), or a fourstrategy set (innovation, collaboration, imitation and do nothing). In particular, MATLAB programming is employed for generating the equilibrium solution for each strategy set. We found that the relationship between imitation and collaboration and collaboration cost is not univariate. It depends upon the market type and various market characteristics, such as technology gap, technology level, the product substitution index, transaction costs and the discount rate of price sensitiveness. The results also show that the elasticity of collaboration opportunity with respect to transaction costs in a persistent dominance market is much greater than in an action reaction market. By using data on manufacturing in a Chinese region from 2005 to 2007, derived from the China Innovation Survey and the Annual Corporate Financial Survey, we empirically explored innovation and collaboration patterns. Three factors, innovative ability, absorptive capacity, and catching up capacity were proposed to positively affect both innovation and collaboration. This led to six hypotheses, which were tested using a number of econometric models encompassing selection bias, timing, and dynamics issues. The major finding from the empirical models suggests that innovative ability, absorptive capacity and catching up capacity all impact significantly and positively on collaboration, whilst innovation is positively related only to absorptive capacity. Also, we found that collaboration cost may increase with R&D, employees‘ education, the technology gap and collaboration cost in previous periods, but decrease with transaction cost, patents held, the technology level and perceived price. The thesis makes three contributions. Theoretically, our game theory model not only extends the understanding of the impacts of collaboration possibilities and collaboration cost in dynamic game theory, but also clarifies the impacts of transaction costs and imitation (and thus intellectual property rights (IPR)) on the outcome. Empirically, by introducing new data our work is the first to investigate collaboration patterns and collaboration cost sharing strategies in a mid-income level developing country. Last but not least, using MATLAB animation programming to simplify the calculation process of the game theory equilibrium may be considered as a methodological contribution

The bridge of dreams::Towards a method for operational performance alignment in IT-enabled service supply chains

Concerns on performance alignment, especially on business-IT alignment, have been around for three decades. It is still considered to be one of the most important driving forces for business success, as well as one of the top concerns of many practitioners and organizational researchers. It is also found to be a major issue in two thirds of digital transformation projects. Many attempts from researchers in diverse disciplines have been made to tackle this issue. Unfortunately, they have been working separately and the research appears in various forms and names. This dissertation presents a piece of interdisciplinary research that focuses on identifying operational performance alignment issues, discovering and assessing their root causes with attention to the dynamics in operating IT-enabled service supply chain (SSC). It makes a modest contribution by providing a communication-centred instrument which can modularize complex SSC in terms of a hierarchically-structured set of services and analyze the performance causality between them. With a special focus on the impact of IT, it makes it possible to monitor and tune various performance issues in SSC. This research intends to provide a solution-oriented common ground where multiple service research streams can meet together. Following the framework proposed in this research, services, at different tiers of an SSC, are modelled with a balanced perspective on both business, technical service components and KPIs. It allows a holistic picture of service performances and interactions throughout the entire supply chain to be viewed through a different research lens and permits the causal impact of technology, business strategy, and service operations on supply chain performance to be unveiled

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 23.3 (2020)

Southeast Asia | Risk Management | Cluster Munitions Remnants Survey | IMAS Training in Vietnam | Mine Risk Education | Victim Assistance | Underwater Clearance | Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality in HMA | HMA in the Gray Zone | IED Clearance Capacity in Afghanista

The promise and the perils of market creation in ‘smart’ categories: Examinations of smart manufacturing and smart cities

The categorisation of new markets enables firms to survive and gain competitive advantage, yet the promises of new market creation can also be fleeting and politically perilous. This dissertation addresses the strategy and the politics of categorising new markets in an era of digitalisation through two studies set in the domains of smart manufacturing and smart cities. The first study examines the strategic dimensions of market categorisation through an investigation of the role of cultural and firm-specific resources in processes of strategic categorisation. To develop a better understanding of what resources a firm requires to create and shape new market domains, an inductive single case study traces the efforts of a global provider of cellular networks to construct a new market in the domain of smart manufacturing. Findings of this research inform the development of a theoretical model of strategic category shaping, which theorises the need for three distinct configurations firm-specific and cultural resources (knowledge-led, culture-led, hybrid) necessary to demarcate symbolic boundaries, structure the value space and materialise defining category features and its fit within an ecosystem. The second study challenges dominant conceptualisation of market categorisation and develops an alternative view of market categorisation as a deliberative political process. Using the case of a proposed smart city neighbourhood involving a public-private partnership between a local development agency and an Alphabet subsidiary, this study examines the politics of categorising new markets on the boundaries of the public and private. This study develops a theoretical model of categorisation abandonment showing when public and private actors are confronted with contestation, they pursue diverging political strategies of procedural reconfiguring and performative framing, which fail to resolve underlying tensions and ambiguities. This study further highlights how visuals are strategically used in performative framing as a strategy of depoliticisation

A Multi-tracer PET approach to study early-onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease

Cumulated scientific evidence suggests that the pathology causing Alzheimer's disease (AD) occurs many years or even decades before memory impairment and other clinical symptoms arise. Tangible and detailed knowledge about different pathological processes, their interactions, and time course is therefore of the essence both for the development of potentially successful treatments and a reliable early diagnosis of this relentless disorder. The past decade has thus seen an explosion in research on biomarkers that could provide in vivo evidence for these pathological processes, involving β-amyloid (Aβ) production and aggregation into plaques, neurofibrillary tangle formation, neuroinflammation, and eventually neurodegeneration. The rare form of dominantly-inherited early-onset familial AD (eoFAD), with almost complete mutation penetrance and defined age of disease onset, has been proposed as a model to study the very early disease mechanisms that are also supposed to underlie the common sporadic form (sAD). However, more than 200 mutations in three different genes (PSEN1 and 2, APP) have been identified as causing eoFAD, some of which have been shown to differ substantially from others. This work employed multi-tracer positron emission tomography (PET), using the tracers 2-[18F]‐fluoro-2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose (FDG), N-methyl-[11C] 2-(4'- methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxy-benzothiazole (PIB), and [11C]-L-deuterium-deprenyl (DED) to explore the characteristics, time course and interrelationship of cerebral glucose metabolism, fibrillar Aβ burden, and astrocyte activation (astrocytosis) at different presymptomatic and symptomatic disease stages of eoFAD and sAD, in relationship to cognition, other AD biomarkers, and/or post-mortem pathology. Thalamic hypometabolism in PSEN1 eoFAD mutation carriers was demonstrated in this thesis nearly 20 years before they were expected to develop clinical symptoms. The pattern of hypometabolism studied in several mutation carriers spread subsequently to regions that are also typically affected in sAD, correlating well with cognitive decline at symptomatic disease stages. Regional hypometabolism was furthermore found to correlate with typical AD pathology, namely neuritic Aβ plaques at post-mortem examination, suggesting that FDG PET is an excellent marker of disease progression from early presymptomatic stages to terminal disease. One particular eoFAD mutation, the Arctic APP mutation, has been reported to modify amyloid processing in a way that obviates the formation of fibrillar Aβ, the form of Aβ most prone to aggregate into neuritic plaques. In contrast to carriers of other eoFAD mutations and sAD patients, we found that carriers of the Arctic APP mutation showed no cortical PIB PET retention as a measure of fibrillar Aβ load, while Aβ and tau in cerebral spinal fluid and glucose metabolism, and in advanced disease also medial temporal lobe atrophy as measured by magnetic resonance imaging and cognition were clearly pathological and typical of AD. The findings imply that clinical AD can be caused by forms of Aβ, supposedly oligomeric or protofibrillar, which cannot be detected by PIB PET. Very little is still known from in vivo studies about when and where in the brain neuroinflammation occurs in AD. Here, it could be shown that DED binding as a measure of astrocytosis was elevated in prodromal AD patients, whereas binding levels in AD were comparable to those in controls. PIB PET retention was increased and glucose metabolism decreased in both groups and there was no regional relationship between the three tracers, indicating that astrocytosis is an early phenomenon in AD that follows a different spatial and temporal pattern than Aβ plaque deposition and impaired synaptic activity as measured by glucose metabolism. Multi-tracer PET is in this work proven to provide novel insights in eoFAD and sAD pathogenesis with processes such as astrocytosis and the potential role of different Aβ species. This knowledge is of significance for the understanding of disease mechanisms as well as the comparability of the purely genetic and the sporadic form of AD