Crew management administrative processes and information technology tools aiming at improving productivity and quality of work: the case of Marlow Navigation.

The management of human resources (HR) in the shipping industry is a continuing object of cost management due to the fact that labour cost is becoming an increasingly larger element of overall operational costs. While the fleet of merchant vessels constantly increases in size and the global supply of suitable seafarers shrinks, shipping organizations struggle to administrate their personnel more efficiently. Third-party ship management companies may employ thousands of seafarers of a number of different nationalities and with varying terms and conditions of employment. Each one of these employees has an individual record detailing personal circumstances, qualifications, reports on ability, travel arrangements from country of origin, immigration formality requirements, etc. These aspects engender an extremely complex and cost-conscious environment, within which advanced, tailor-made information technology (IT) tools and optimized cost-efficient administrative shoreside working processes are a prerequisite for reliable and efficient HR management. The main aim of this project is to investigate the administrative environment of one of the world’s largest crew management companies, ‘Marlow Navigation’ and to develop appropriate functional IT instruments and methods aiming at improving productivity and quality of work. Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted to gather data related to the administrative productivity of Marlow and the use of available IT applications. The approach consisted of two steps: 1) Descriptive statistics were used to provide quantitative descriptions of questionnaire results (problem identification); and 2) qualitative analysis, through ‘focus group discussion’, was used to identify the specific administrative areas where changes might be effected. Findings: Enhanced administrative productivity and improved quality of work were accomplished through an integrated system of crew management based on specialized IT instruments, innovative workflow and employees’ multidisciplinary knowledge. Originality/value: The proposed key variables of the HR management system can serve as a model for other business organizations, providing a basis for innovative progression with the potential for differentiation from traditional commercial shipping practices

Watching the News: Is A Way Out of the Manipulation of Information and the Construction of Reality Feasible?

Abstract The construction of reality which results from the manipulation of information has been a core issue for media theorists. The main feature of today's information is the construction of reality aiming at the creation of pleasant and attractive information. One may argue that this manipulation of information its dissemination is the result of a shift of the central and vital focus of the media and especially the traditional ones, from the originality of the event, to its dynamic to produce income. This paper attempts to explore the above issue and additionally propose ways of escaping from the danger of the arbitrary construction of information by taking advantage of the model of digital information, examining, at the same time, its limitations. In this perspective, the essay takes into account, as a case study, the dissemination of information through the Cypriot television, examining in specific the public's opinion concerning the news

Genome-wide meta-analysis in alopecia areata resolves HLA associations and reveals two new susceptibility loci

Alopecia areata (AA) is a prevalent autoimmune disease with 10 known susceptibility loci. Here we perform the first meta-analysis of research on AA by combining data from two genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and replication with supplemented ImmunoChip data for a total of 3,253 cases and 7,543 controls. The strongest region of association is the major histocompatibility complex, where we fine-map four independent effects, all implicating human leukocyte antigen-DR as a key aetiologic driver. Outside the major histocompatibility complex, we identify two novel loci that exceed the threshold of statistical significance, containing ACOXL/BCL2L11(BIM) (2q13); GARP (LRRC32) (11q13.5), as well as a third nominally significant region SH2B3(LNK)/ATXN2 (12q24.12). Candidate susceptibility gene expression analysis in these regions demonstrates expression in relevant immune cells and the hair follicle. We integrate our results with data from seven other autoimmune diseases and provide insight into the alignment of AA within these disorders. Our findings uncover new molecular pathways disrupted in AA, including autophagy/apoptosis, transforming growth factor beta/Tregs and JAK kinase signalling, and support the causal role of aberrant immune processes in AA

Strategi Pengembangan USAha Agrowisata di Kebun Benih Hortikultura, Tohudan, Colomadu, Karanganyar

: The purpose of the research are to know the revenue in one year, knowing the factors internally and externally which became strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, knowing a good alternative strategies to be formulated and know the priority good strategy to be applied in Kebun Benih Hortikultura Tohudan, Colomadu, Karanganyar. The basic methode of research is a descriptive analysis. Location of research in Kebun Benih Hortikultura Tohudan, Colomadu, Karanganyar. The data used are primary and secondary data. The analysis of the data used are (1) Revenue analysis, (2) Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE), (3) External Factor Evaluation (EFE), (4) SWOT, (5) QSPM. The result showed that income received by Kebun Benih Hortikultura Tohudan, Colomadu, Karanganyar in one year is Rp 65.766.000,00. Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) showed the garden have six strengths and nine weaknesses. External Factor Evaluation (EFE) showed the garden have six opportunities and five threats. SWOT analysis showed the alternatives strategies that can be applied are utilize advances in technology information to promoting and marketing, building a relationship of cooperation with the investor, expand marketing production result and improve the situation of the garden to make it more interesting. QSPM showed a good strategy priorities to be applied is improve the situation of the garden to make it more interesting

Investigation of a chemically regenerative redox cathode polymer electrolyte fuel cell using a phosphomolybdovanadate polyoxoanion catholyte

Chemically regenerative redox cathode (CRRC) polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), where the direct reduction of oxygen is replaced by an in-direct mechanism occurring outside of the cell, are attractive to study as they offer a solution to the cost and durability problems faced by conventional PEFCs. This study reports the first detailed characterization of a high performance complete CRRC PEFC system, where catholyte is circulated between the cathode side of the cell and an air-liquid oxidation reactor called the “regenerator”. The catholyte is an aqueous solution of phosphomolybdovanadate polyoxoanion and is assessed in terms of its performance within both a small single cell and corresponding regenerator over a range of redox states. Two methods for determining regeneration rate are proposed and explored. Expressing the regeneration rate as a “chemical” current is suggested as a useful means of measuring re-oxidation rate with respect to the cell. The analysis highlights the present limitations to the technology and provides an indication of the maximum power density achievable, which is highly competitive with conventional PEFC systems

Improved imputation quality of low-frequency and rare variants in European samples using the 'Genome of the Netherlands'

Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many common variants associated with complex traits, low-frequency and rare variants have not been interrogated in a comprehensive manner. Imputation from dense reference panels, such as the 1000 Genomes Project (1000G), enables testing of ungenotyped variants for association. Here we present the results of imputation using a large, new population-specific panel: the Genome of The Netherlands (GoNL). We benchmarked the performance of the 1000G and GoNL reference sets by comparing imputation genotypes with 'true' genotypes typed on ImmunoChip in three European populations (Dutch, British, and Italian). GoNL showed significant improvement in the imputation quality for rare variants (MAF 0.05-0.5%) compared with 1000G. In Dutch samples, the mean observed Pearson correlation, r 2, increased from 0.61 to 0.71. W

An integrated map of structural variation in 2,504 human genomes

Structural variants are implicated in numerous diseases and make up the majority of varying nucleotides among human genomes. Here we describe an integrated set of eight structural variant classes comprising both balanced and unbalanced variants, which we constructed using short-read DNA sequencing data and statistically phased onto haplotype blocks in 26 human populations. Analysing this set, we identify numerous gene-intersecting structural variants exhibiting population stratification and describe naturally occurring homozygous gene knockouts that suggest the dispensability of a variety of human genes. We demonstrate that structural variants are enriched on haplotypes identified by genome-wide association studies and exhibit enrichment for expression quantitative trait loci. Additionally, we uncover appreciable levels of structural variant complexity at different scales, including genic loci subject to clusters of repeated rearrangement and complex structural variants with multiple breakpoints likely to have formed through individual mutational events. Our catalogue will enhance future studies into structural variant demography, functional impact and disease association. © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved