Realigning a Graduate Program

https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2016/1064/thumbnail.jp

Bunker callers to the port of Durban : a research into how to gain back this lost business.

Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.The dissertation sets out to identify the reasoning behind why there has been a decline in bunker callers to the port of Durban at a time when there has been an increase in shipping activity and other ports around the world have experienced rapid growth in their bunker markets. It was first necessary to establish that there has been a fall off, what the economic impact of the fall off was and then to analyse the current operational procedure and the strengths and weaknesses of the port. The ports of Singapore and Gibraltar are looked at as they are two ports where bunkering has grown over the period Durban has seen a decline. The SWOT analysis of Durban takes into account the survey that was conducted by IBIA to ascertain what were perceived to be the main factors behind South African ports losing bunker business The type of ship that calls at Durban for bunkering and what is the most common voyage route are identified. It was found to be a handy size ship with the last port of call being a South American port. The cost for the voyage and the port call at Durban are calculated to work out the maximum time the ship should be at Durban from arriving outside to once again sailing. It is found to be twelve hours. The relationships of the parties to the bunker operation are analysed to see where it would be possible to introduce efficiencies to the supply chain and how to reduce the overall port stay to under twelve hours. Over an above this the port costs are reviewed as there are areas where discounting could be introduced to once more encourage owners to call A major stumbling block to the whole process is the unreliability of supply with the port being unable to provide bunkers 11% of the time. The need to address the stock management problems experienced by the majors is vital to the success of promoting Durban as a bunker port and ways of achieving this are proposed

Conservation Hedges:

In May 2014, the first planting of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) conservation hedge took place, when the Reverend Anne Brennan planted a tree which had originated as a cutting from the ancient and historic European yew, Taxus baccata, in the churchyard of her church at Fortingall, Perthshire. This is one of almost 2,000 plants that will eventually form a conservation hedge of significant scientific and conservation value. The International Conifer Conservation Programme (ICCP), based at RBGE, has actively sought other opportunities to establish conservation hedges via its network of ‘safe sites’, using a range of different conifer species. This initiative is being driven by the potential for relatively large numbers of genotypes from a single threatened species to be stored in a linear space. It is well established that seed banks have a great capacity to store large amounts of genetic diversity, so we should simply consider conservation hedges in a similar manner. These super-hedges cram relatively large amounts of genetic material into a small space, capturing a great range of wild traits and potentially contributing to the restoration of wild populations. To date, conservation hedges have been planted at five separate locations at RBGE’s Edinburgh Garden as well as at four ICCP external ‘safe sites’. Although this article focuses on the establishment of conservation hedges using conifers, we have also highlighted some conservation hedges that comprise non-coniferous species

New science on the Open Science Grid

The Open Science Grid (OSG) includes work to enable new science, new scientists, and new modalities in support of computationally based research. There are frequently significant sociological and organizational changes required in transformation from the existing to the new. OSG leverages its deliverables to the large-scale physics experiment member communities to benefit new communities at all scales through activities in education, engagement, and the distributed facility. This paper gives both a brief general description and specific examples of new science enabled on the OSG. More information is available at the OSG web site: www.opensciencegrid.org

Predicting population responses to environmental change from individual-level mechanisms: towards a standardized mechanistic approach

Animal populations will mediate the response of global biodiversity to environmental changes. Population models are thus important tools for both understanding and predicting animal responses to uncertain future conditions. Most approaches, however, are correlative and ignore the individual-level mechanisms that give rise to population dynamics. Here, we assess several existing population modelling approaches, and find limitations to both ‘correlative’ and ‘mechanistic’ models. We advocate the need for a standardised mechanistic approach for linking individual mechanisms (physiology, behaviour and evolution) to population dynamics in spatially explicit landscapes. Such an approach is potentially more flexible and informative than current population models. Key to realising this goal, however, is overcoming current data limitations, the development and testing of eco-evolutionary theory to represent interactions between individual mechanisms, and standardised multidimensional environmental change scenarios which incorporate multiple stressors. Such progress is essential in supporting environmental decisions in uncertain future conditions

The dexamethasone suppression test as a predictor of sleep deprivation antidepressant effect

An abnormal dexamethasone suppression test (DST) result, a sensitive and specific marker for endogenous depression, was found to be associated with an antidepressant response to sleep deprivation in patients who met DSM-III criteria for Major Depressive Episode regardless of whether they met criteria for melancholia or psychotic subtypes of this disorder. These findings support previous reports of an association between an abnormal DST result and antidepressant effects of sleep deprivation in depressed patients. Our results extend the positive association between an abnormal DST result and the antidepressant response to sleep deprivation to include depressed patients who are clinically nonmelancholic during thair current episode but who have an abnormal DST result.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/23903/1/0000146.pd

Functional claudication distance: a reliable and valid measurement to assess functional limitation in patients with intermittent claudication

BACKGROUND: Disease severity and functional impairment in patients with intermittent claudication is usually quantified by the measurement of pain-free walking distance (intermittent claudication distance, ICD) and maximal walking distance (absolute claudication distance, ACD). However, the distance at which a patient would prefer to stop because of claudication pain seems a definition that is more correspondent with the actual daily life walking distance. We conducted a study in which the distance a patient prefers to stop was defined as the functional claudication distance (FCD), and estimated the reliability and validity of this measurement. METHODS: In this clinical validity study we included patients with intermittent claudication, following a supervised exercise therapy program. The first study part consisted of two standardised treadmill tests. During each test ICD, FCD and ACD were determined. Primary endpoint was the reliability as represented by the calculated intra-class correlation coefficients. In the second study part patients performed a standardised treadmill test and filled out the Rand-36 questionnaire. Spearman's rho was calculated to assess validity. RESULTS: The intra-class correlation coefficients of ICD, FCD and ACD were 0.940, 0.959, and 0.975 respectively. FCD correlated significantly with five out of nine domains, namely physical function (rho = 0.571), physical role (rho = 0.532), vitality (rho = 0.416), pain (rho = 0.416) and health change (rho = 0.414). CONCLUSION: FCD is a reliable and valid measurement for determining functional capacity in trained patients with intermittent claudication. Furthermore it seems that FCD better reflects the actual functional impairment. In future studies, FCD could be used alongside ICD and ACD

Mutations in the PP2A regulatory subunit B family genes PPP2R5B, PPP2R5C and PPP2R5D cause human overgrowth

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