A critical analysis of the implied obligation against unjustified deviation: Is the rule still relevant to the modern law on carriage of goods by sea?

The general area of this research is shipping law, more specifically the law governing the carriage of goods by sea. The research has been narrowed down to the implications of terms into contracts of affreightment, and then further narrowed down to the concept of deviation. The specific research question is whether or not the concept of deviation is still relevant to the law governing the carriage of goods by sea in the modern era. While this question has been posed before in the academic literature, it has never been discussed in sufficient depth. The researcher was therefore able to identify gaps in the literature through the literature review which the research has attempted to fill. The thesis on which the research is based is that the principle of deviation is a long standing and very important rule of law which form an integral part of the law and practice governing the carriage of goods by sea. However, a multi-jurisdictional review of both primary sources (i.e. conventions, statutes and cases) and secondary sources (academic literature) in relation to deviation indicates that there are many conceptual, legal and practical problems associated with the principle. Adding to this problem is the concept of quasi deviation in some jurisdictions such as the United States where there continues to be conflicting approaches to the concept even within the various federal circuits. Therefore the hypothesis of this study is based on the need for legal reform. Chapters 1 and 2 provide the background to the study as well as the conceptual framework for the research, including the literature review. The main research aims, objectives and research questions are addressed in Chapters 3, 4 and 5. Chapter 6 concludes the research by presenting the findings and recommendations together with an outline of the research contribution

Our stories, our lives: performed storytelling in Cairo

This thesis explores the work of two storytelling groups in Cairo through different conceptual frameworks. Affect, class politics, marginalization, art and the political are the main lenses through which I delve into the work of the groups in an attempt to understand a condition in which such groups exist and what it means to be part of a storytelling community in Cairo. Moreover, through my analysis I try to question the approaches of each group towards the issues they address, why and how they choose to tell certain stories. Moreover I question the method how the stories are told and whether they contributes into creating, emphasizing or reproducing certain discourses within the society while trying to change another. In order to understand how the stories come to life and eventually become a performance, I go behind the curtains to understand the processes of the making of those stories, and the capacity of those stories to affect others and potentially enable something, even if it was only on the level of change among the group members themselves, therefore I explore the transformations the storytellers went through, the revisiting and deconstruction of situations in their lives, in the process of writing/ performing, as well as in the construction of those groups. I argue that by revisiting affects possibilities and potentialities are created

Warehousing and Inventory Management in Dual Channel and Global Supply Chains

More firms are adopting the dual-channel supply chain business model where firms offer their products to customers using dual-channel sales (to offer the item to customers online and offline). The development periods of innovative products have been shortened, especially for high-tech companies, which leads to products with short life cycles. This means that companies need to put their new products on the market as soon as possible. The dual-channel supply chain is a perfect tool to increase the customer’s awareness of new products and to keep customers’ loyalty; firms can offer new products online to the customer faster compared to the traditional retail sales channel. The emergence of dual-channel firms was mainly driven by the expansion in internet use and the advances in information and manufacturing technologies. No existing research has examined inventory strategies, warehouse structure, operations, and capacity in a dual-channel context. Additionally, firms are in need to integrate their global suppliers base; where the lower parts costs compensate for the much higher procurement and cross-border costs; in their supply chain operations. The most common method used to integrate the global supplier base is the use of cross-dock, also known as Third Party Logistic (3PL). This study is motivated by real-world problem, no existing research has considered the optimization of cross-dock operations in terms of dock assignment, storage locations, inventory strategies, and lead time uncertainty in the context of a cross-docking system. In this dissertation, we first study the dual-channel warehouse in the dual-channel supply chain. One of the challenges in running the dual-channel warehouse is how to organize the warehouse and manage inventory to fulfill both online and offline (retailer) orders, where the orders from different channels have different features. A model for a dual-channel warehouse in a dual-channel supply chain is proposed, and a solution approach is developed in the case of deterministic and stochastic lead times. Ending up with numerical examples to highlight the model’s validity and its usefulness as a decision support tool. Second, we extend the first problem to include the global supplier and the cross-border time. The impact of global suppliers and the effect of the cross-border time on the dual-channel warehouse are studied. A cross-border dual-channel warehouse model in a dual-channel supply chain context is proposed. In addition to demand and lead time uncertainty, the cross-border time is included as stochastic parameter. Numerical results and managerial insights are also presented for this problem. Third, motivated by a real-world cross-dock problem, we perform a study at one of the big 3 automotive companies in the USA. The company faces the challenges of optimizing their operations and managing the items in the 3PL when introducing new products. Thus, we investigate a dock assignment problem that considers the dock capacity and storage space and a cross-dock layout. We propose an integrated model to combine the cross-dock assignment problem with cross-dock layout problem so that cross-dock operations can be coordinated effectively. In addition to lead time uncertainty, the cross-border time is included as stochastic parameter. Real case study and numerical results and managerial insights are also presented for this problem highlighting the cross-border effect. Solution methodologies, managerial insights, numerical analysis as well as conclusions and potential future study topics are also provided in this dissertation

e-Business Value Creation: An Exploratory Study

Value creation is one of the most important issues in formulating e-business strategies. Value is a construct that is hard to define and even harder to model and understand. This paper provides a framework of theoretical analysis that helps the scholars to think about the concept of value creation in the new digital economy. Researchers and practitioners are struggling to identify factors that contribute in creating e-business value. This paper also evaluates these factors with a focus on value creation from adopting e-business in the firms. The presented evaluation is mined from the literatures and from our own experience in e-business strategies. The paper provides a theoretical survey for exploring the common ground between factors that create such a value. The introduced survey covers perspectives, definition, sources and drivers of e-business value creation

The Zinc Induction of Heme Oxygenase-1 Gene Promoter In Mouse Hepa Cells

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) catalyzes the initial and rate-limiting reaction in heme catabolism (yielding equimolar quantities of iron, carbon monoxide, and biliverdin), which is further metabolized to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase. HO-1, an important enzyme with antioxidant and cytoprotective properties, functions against oxidative stress generated in response to heme and to various stress stimuli, such as zinc. The cytoprotective function of HO-1 is dependent on both the activities of the reaction products and on the inducibility of the heme oxygenase gene (hmox-1), which is regulated primarily at the level of gene transcription by two distal enhancers, E1 and E2. Characterization of the enhancers led to the identification of multiple stress response elements (StREs) that are necessary and sufficient for hmox-1 gene regulation by almost all inducers tested. Studies from this laboratory identified Nrf-2 as a dominant regulator that mediates activation of hmox-1 via the StRE motifs by several inducers, including zinc. Accumulating evidence from work done in our lab suggested that Nrf-2 was partly regulated by subcellular compartmentalization in the cytoplasm and transported to the nucleus upon stimulation by stress agents to activate target genes like hmox-1. Investigation of the subcellular compartmentalization and cytoplasmic-nuclear transport of Nrf-2 in Hepa cells revealed that Nrf-2 is a highly labile protein that is rapidly and specifically degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, and that zinc stimulation results in Nrf2 stabilization. Furthermore, transactivation of E1 luciferase reporter activity was not completely abolished when all three StREs were mutated, suggesting that other transcription factors and cis-acting DNA elements may be involved in hmox-1 regulation. Examination of the hmox-1 sequence revealed other conserved regions within E1. My analysis of the conserved sequences (CS) led to identification of a functional heat shock element (HSE) in the 5’ end of E1that had no response to zinc. Findings suggest ERK1 plays an important role in inducer-dependent regulation of hmox-1 by zinc through its action (phosphorylation of Nrf-2 and cooperation between the StRE and Nrf-2 induce hmox-1). In conclusion, targeting Nrf-2-ERK1 individually or together allows for controlled regulation of hmox-1 expression and illuminates new avenues of research and strategies for therapeutic intervention and treatment in diseases involving oxidative stress and HO-1 expression

Measuring Students' Employability Skills as They Are Perceived at Yarmouk University

The purpose of this study was to investigate Yarmouk University students’ employability skills as they are perceived. The study also examined if there were any differences in perceptions on employability skills among students on assigned variables (gender, high school discipline, level of study, type of college, and major willingness). Data for this study were collected via validated and reliability tested questionnaire. The survey includes 10 employability skills domains combined forty-item. A total of 317 students from 15 colleges at Yarmouk University participated in the study. The sample in this study was 176 students who were enrolled in life skills courses that are offered by the university in the second semester 2013. Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) was used, and the results showed that there were significant differences among participants on three domains: coping with stress, empathy, and interpersonal relationship for the advantage of students from scientific colleges. Finally, the study recommended embedding employability skills in the curricula to enhance academic standards and supply the demand of the labor market

Backoff as Performance improvements Algorithms - A Comprehenssive Review

As a significant part of the Media Access Control protocol, the backoff algorithm purpose is to minimize number of collisions if not totally avoid any collision in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, in the case of contention between nodes to access a channel. Researchers have proposed many algorithms for backoff to enhance the network performance and improve it. This paper aims at exploring the main and most studied backoff algorithms and how do these algorithms lead to an enhancement of the MANETs performance. This paper also compares between the algorithms proposed in the literature and evaluates to what extent they have affected the performance and enhance it

Multifaceted Analysis of Glazed Ceramics from Jordan: Raw Materials and Technological Aspects

The aim of this work was to study the chemical and micro-structural composition of Ayyubid/Mamluk glazed ceramics excavated from Tal Al Husun, Jordan. The investigations were conducted to obtain information on raw materials and their technical processing (provenance and technology). To identify the clay materials and the glaze, ceramic bodies as well as glazed layers were analyzed using ICP–AES, optical microscope and X- ray diffraction (XRD). The samples were classified into four groups according to their clay paste and ceramic color. Results revealed that the ceramic object was made of a homogeneous paste (composed of non-calcareous, non-ferrous clay) containing a high proportion of quartz; the study also indicated that the ceramic samples had a high lead (Pb) content. This type of glaze was prepared by brushing the body of the pottery vessels with a mixture of lead and silicate solution. The analysis by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and optical microscope showed that the Ayyubid/Mamluk potter fired his pottery using a double-combustion method at a temperature exceeding 1000° C. As for the raw material used in the manufacture of the clay paste, evidence shows that the pottery body was made of local source material, while the glaze material was not locally available, and this is evidence that it was imported

Dual-Channel Warehouse and Inventory Management with Stochastic Demand

This study examines the inventory policy for the emerging dual-channel warehouse, which has a unique structure where the warehouse is divided into two areas: one for fulfilling online orders and the other for storing products and fulfilling offline orders. A multi-item inventory model was developed considering the warehouse capacity constraint, demand, and lead time uncertainty. Solution methods are provided for both uniform and normal distributions. Adopting the proposed inventory policy for a dual warehouse is cost effective and adds flexibility to the warehouse and supply chain. The study also offers managerial insights on some critical issues faced by companies operating in a dual-channel context