Holocaust Remembrance Service 2000

Featured Guest: Hilde M. Scheraga, President Holocaust Child Survivors of Connecticut. At the age of eight, Hilde was sent from Germany to Belgium on a kinder transport and hidden in a state-run orphanage throughout the war. Come hear her amazing story!https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/bennettcenter-posters/1206/thumbnail.jp

The Relative Efficiency in the Blending of Strategic Dimensions Utilized in the Generation of Customer Satisfaction in the LTL Motor Carrier Industry

This preliminary study utilizes a data envelopment methodology to assess the strategic orientations of LTL motor carriers and their impact on customer satisfaction and firm profitability. Strategic orientations are described in terms of seven dimensions previously identified in the motor carrier literature. The study demonstrates that there are "best practice" configurations of the intensities of these strategic dimensions that most efficiently generate the maximum levels of customer satisfaction and perceived levels of service quality. It is shown how the data envelopment methodology provides motor carriers with a means of benchmarking their strategic orientations as well as identifying the competitors against whom such benchmarking should occur

The relative efficiency in the blending of strategic dimensions utilized in the generation of customer satisfaction in the LTL motor carrier industry

This preliminary study utilizes a data envelopment methodology to assess the strategic orientations of LTL motor carriers and their impact on customer satisfaction and fi rm profi tability. Strategic orientations are described in terms of seven dimensions previously identifi ed in the motor carrier literature. The study demonstrates that there are “best practice” confi gurations of the intensities of these strategic dimensions that most effi ciently generate the maximum levels of customer satisfaction and perceived levels of service quality. It is shown how the data envelopment methodology provides motor carriers with a means of benchmarking their strategic orientations as well as identifying the competitors against whom such benchmarking should occur

Epigenetics of marine stickleback: gene expression across a latitudinal gradient

Epigenetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity can be an important factor in the survival of a fish species through a changing climate or in migrating to a new habitat. The threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is found throughout the northern hemisphere and can adapt via genetic change in relatively few generations to new environments. Epigenetic mechanisms work faster than genetic change, and have the potential to be passed on to future generations, possibly leading to population-wide changes in gene expression and phenotypic variation. To study genes involved in epigenetic mechanisms in stickleback, populations were selected for sampling between Northern Germany and northern Norway. Eleven populations of stickleback were successfully sampled across this latitudinal gradient, and four evenly distributed populations were selected for gene expression analyses in this research. Collected samples were dissected for gonads and pectoral fin muscle (in addition to other organs) and brought to the Alfred Wegener Institute where RNA was extracted. After converting RNA into cDNA, a targeted qPCR approach was performed to test for expression levels of a number of epigenetic actors; DNMT1, DNMT3ab, TET1, TET3, MacroH2A, and Sirtuin2. DNMTs are involved in promoting methylation, TETs actively demethylate cytosine, and MacroH2A and Sirtuin2 are actively involved in cold acclimation. Results from the fieldwork sampling found that stickleback body size (measured as standard length) decreased as latitude increased, in opposition to Bergmann’s rule of species increasing in size toward the poles. Additionally, there was evidence for slight sexual dimorphism in which males were significantly smaller than females across all populations. Furthermore, gravid females were found to be significantly larger than non-gravid females. Results from the target gene qPCR testing found Sirtuin2 to be more expressed in female gonads of northern populations than in southern populations. This is in line with Sirtuin´s role in cold acclimation which would be more beneficial to northern than southern populations. Male gonads showed higher expression of DNMTs and TETs, possibly indicating greater plasticity of epigenetic actors capable of change. This thesis project is the first to study epigenetic differences in fish populations across a latitudinal gradient. Future research could benefit from increasing the sample size (number of individuals and populations) and/or investigating alternative organs that may also show differential gene expression of epigenetic actors. Overall, epigenetic mechanisms are likely to be differentially expressed depending on factors of organ, sex, population, and local environmental factors, all of which can potentially allow greater adaptive potential under climate change.O stickleback de três espinhos é um peixe teleósteo encontrado circunglobalmente e é uma espécie modelo em ecologia evolutiva, pois é conhecido por se adaptar em poucas gerações em relação a outras espécies de peixes. Um dos mecanismos usados para se adaptar a ambientes em mudança é através da plasticidade fenotípica por mecanismos epigenéticos. A adição de um grupo metilo à citosina é conhecida como metilação do ADN, e tem o potencial de causar mudanças rápidas em resposta a estímulos ambientais, tais como mudanças na temperatura ou salinidade. A metilação pode ser transmitida aos descendentes, dando a este mecanismo o potencial para produzir mudanças em toda a população de gerações sucessivas. A metilação pode ser criada por metiltransferases de DNA como DNMT1 e DNMT3ab, e removida por proteínas de translocação Ten-eleven como TET1 e TET3. A aclimatação a frio é a capacidade de um organismo de se adaptar a baixas temperaturas, uma característica particularmente útil na sobrevivência em altas latitudes, caracterizadas por temperaturas de água mais baixas. Os genes potencialmente envolvidos na aclimatação a frio incluem MacroH2A e Sirtuin2 que, além desta função, desempenham outras como a modificação da histona e o metabolismo regulador. A aclimatação térmica e a capacidade de um organismo de regular a temperatura é interessante porque cenários futuros de mudança climática prevêem aquecimento, e a capacidade de um organismo para se adaptar a esta mudança pode determinar a sobrevivência de uma população. Para estudar o papel potencial dos mecanismos epigenéticos na adaptação local das populações de três espinhos de stickleback, foi realizado um trabalho de campo para recolher amostras de tecido de stickleback em 11 locais diferentes ao longo das costas do Mar do Norte e da Noruega. A primeira metade do trabalho de campo foi um "loop sul" que ocorreu entre 6 e 28 de Maio de 2019, partindo e regressando ao Instituto Alfred Wegener em List auf Sylt, Alemanha. A rota seguida foi, sucessivamente: de List auf Sylt, Alemanha para Marianger, Dinamarca; Oslofjord, Haugesund, Bergen, Ålesund, Trondheim, Noruega; e finalmente de volta para List auf Sylt, Alemanha. O Stickleback foi capturado com sucesso por rede de cerco em Oslofjord, Haugesund, Bergen e Trondheim na Noruega, por armadilhas do tipo covo em Mariangerfjord, Dinamarca, e por puça em List auf Sylt, Alemanha. A segunda metade do trabalho de campo foi o "loop norte" que ocorreu entre 3 e 20 de junho de 2019, saindo e retornando da Universidade Nord em Bodø, Noruega. A rota geral seguida foi: de Bodø para Vesterålen, Tromsø, Alta, Mo i Rana (NO), e de volta para Bodø. O Stickleback foi capturado com sucesso por armadilhas do tipo covo em Bodø e Vesterålen, e por puça em Alta e Mo i Rana. Por último, foi feita uma curta viagem até Limfjord, Dinamarca, para amostragem de uma população de stickleback com rede de cerco. Finalmente, 305 indivíduos foram capturados, em 11 populações separadas, com cerca de 30 indivíduos capturados em cada local. O stickleback mostrou ser abundante no Atlântico nordeste e apenas dois dos locais, Ålesund e Tromsø, não computaram stickleback. Os resultados da amostragem de stickleback apresentaram uma tendência de diminuição do comprimento padrão com o aumento da latitude. Esta situação é contrária à regra de Bergmann, que afirma que os organismos aumentam de tamanho em altas latitudes. A tendência encontrada pode ser devido a uma variedade de fatores, como regimes térmicos, luz solar, disponibilidade de nutrientes e complexidade do ecossistema. O comprimento do dorso do stickleback diferiu por sexo e mostrou dimorfismo sexual, com os machos sendo consistentemente mais curtos que as fêmeas. Além disso, as fêmeas portadoras de ovos eram maiores do que as fêmeas sem ninhadas desenvolvidas. O comprimento padrão do stickleback de três espinhos foi medido, fotografado e foram dissecados gônadas, músculo peitoral, pele, cérebro e brânquias. O dorso do stickleback foi classificado por gênero somente após a identificação visual de suas gônadas. O stickleback feminino foi designado "gravid female" se seus ovários contivessem óvulos totalmente desenvolvidos e esses óvulos fossem segurados frouxamente ou livremente suspensos na cavidade corporal. Todas as dissecações seguiram o procedimento idêntico de eutanásia por corte preciso da medula espinhal, e amostras de órgãos foram colocadas em tubos Eppendorf contendo RNAlater, rotulados, armazenados em uma criobox, e levados de volta ao Alfred Wegener Institute. No laboratório, as amostras de gônadas e tecido muscular peitoral tiveram o seu RNA extraído utilizando um kit de ADN/RNA da Qiagen® AllPrep™ e as extrações foram normalizadas para conter pelo menos 10 nanogramas por microlitro de RNA. Onze populações tiveram amostras de tecido recuperadas, mas apenas quatro locais foram selecionados para serem usados na análise de expressão gênica para este estudo. Sylt (DE), Bergen, Mo i Rana, e Alta, (NO) foram selecionados porque representavam o comprimento total do gradiente latitudinal desde o Mar do Norte até o extremo norte do Oceano Atlântico. Isso foi feito para aumentar a probabilidade de detecção de diferenças de expressão gênica usando populações o mais afastadas possível

The operational impacts of governmental restructuring of the airline industry in China

In July 2000, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) called for the consolidation of the 10 state-owned air carriers into three groups, headed by Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern. A few months later in November 2000, the State Council of China mandated that this consolidation be accomplished by the third quarter of 2001. As part of this mandate, the CAAC yielded its management control of air carriers with its focus now being on safety and regulatory issues. Furthermore, the CAAC was required to divest itself of assets held in many of the state-owned airlines and its interests in more than 120 airports around China, except Beijing Capital Airport. Utilizing data from the International Civil Aviation Organization for 2003 and 2004, this study investigates the operational impacts of this industry restructuring. The relative operational efficiency of Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern is compared to a sample of Asian, European and United States flag carriers. Data envelopment analysis is utilized to derive efficiency scores for individual airlines. The operational efficiency model used in this study is derived from that utilized by Schefczyk (1993). The underlying structural drivers of efficiency are then investigated via a tobit analysis with implications for managerial policy discussed

The Relative Efficiency in the Blending of Strategic Dimensions Utilized in the Generation of Customer Satisfaction in the LTL Motor Carrier Industry

This preliminary study utilizes a data envelopment methodology to assess the strategic orientations of LTL motor carriers and their impact on customer satisfaction and firm profitability. Strategic orientations are described in terms of seven dimensions previously identified in the motor carrier literature. The study demonstrates that there are "best practice" configurations of the intensities of these strategic dimensions that most efficiently generate the maximum levels of customer satisfaction and perceived levels of service quality. It is shown how the data envelopment methodology provides motor carriers with a means of benchmarking their strategic orientations as well as identifying the competitors against whom such benchmarking should occur

An Analysis of a Strategic Transformation Plan: The Case of Alaska Airlines

In 2003, amid the turmoil of the U.S. airline industry in the post-9/11 environment, the senior management of the Alaska Air Group announced a “strategic vision” entitled “Alaska 2010.” The pronouncement articulated positions with regard to cost leadership, product differentiation, and growth. This study empirically assesses the efficacy of this decision with regard to the major network carrier of the air group, Alaska Airlines. The analysis focuses on the period beginning with the announcement and ending in 2010.The implementation of such a strategic protocol is dynamic and inter-temporal in nature. Therefore, it is often difficult to assess the effectiveness of changes in strategies, particularly since such effectiveness is often a function of the confounding forces of organizational strategy and market conditions. Thus, this study utilizes the multi-period methodology of the strategic variance analysis of operating income.This methodology decomposes operating income into three components: (1) growth, (2) price recovery, and (3) productivity. This is of particular interest from a strategic planning perspective, as the price component evaluates a company’s product differentiation strategy while the productivity component evaluates whether an airline’s low cost strategy was successful because of efficiency gains

An Analysis of a Strategic Transformation Plan: The Case of Alaska Airlines

In 2003, amid the turmoil of the U.S. airline industry in the post-9/11 environment, the senior management of the Alaska Air Group announced a “strategic vision” entitled “Alaska 2010.” The pronouncement articulated positions with regard to cost leadership, product differentiation, and growth. This study empirically assesses the efficacy of this decision with regard to the major network carrier of the air group, Alaska Airlines. The analysis focuses on the period beginning with the announcement and ending in 2010. The implementation of such a strategic protocol is dynamic and inter-temporal in nature. Therefore, it is often difficult to assess the effectiveness of changes in strategies, particularly since such effectiveness is often a function of the confounding forces of organizational strategy and market conditions. Thus, this study utilizes the multi-period methodology of the strategic variance analysis of operating income. This methodology decomposes operating income into three components: (1) growth, (2) price recovery, and (3) productivity. This is of particular interest from a strategic planning perspective, as the price component evaluates a company’s product differentiation strategy while the productivity component evaluates whether an airline’s low cost strategy was successful because of efficiency gains

Relative Trends in Exogenous Factors Influencing Airline Flight Delays

This study investigates the impact of four subcategories of flight delays on total flight delays over the period from May 2005 through December 2019. Total flight delays are divided into weather, air carrier, security, and non-weather National Aviation System (NAS) delays. Using the flight data provided by the Air Travel Consumer Report of the U.S. Department of Transportation for a consistent set of ten airlines, each time- series is decomposed. Trend and seasonality are determined. Total flight delays, and each of its subcategories, demonstrate strong seasonality and follow a random walk model without drift during the sample period. Total flight delays are composed of approximately one-half air carrier caused, one-third weather related, and one-sixth non-weather NAS delays. In the period prior to 2012, weather, air carrier, non-weather NAS, and security delays follow the same pattern as total flight delays. After 2012, air carrier and non-weather NAS (infrastructure) delays follow a similar pattern as total flight delays, but weather and security delays are far fewer than would be suggested by the pattern of total delays. The latter period was consistent with a period of increased investment in “disruption management,” which may have had the desired effect on weather and security delays. Flight delays under the control of air carriers or from infrastructure issues (non-weather NAS delays) increased from 2012 through 2019