The development of the Port of Fremantle, Australia's Western Gateway, 1903-1939

Although Australia is the world's largest island, her economic development has been based on the exploitation of the land rather than the sea. One consequence of this has been that historians have neglected Australian maritime history and, in particular, the history of Australian ports. Ports are vital links in the transport chain and, for an island nation such as Australia, assume a special importance as gateways to the rest of the world. The development of the Port of Fremantle, located on the edge of the Indian Ocean, provided the British Empire with a western gateway to the vast Australian continent. After the opening of the Inner Harbour in 1897, Fremantle quickly replaced its rival Albany, some 250 miles to the south, as Western Australia's premier port. However, there is, as yet, no detailed history of the Port of Fremantle. The objective of this thesis is to help rectify this deficiency by charting the history of the port between 1903 and 1939, a period commencing with the formation of the port authority, the Fremantle Harbour Trust, and terminating with the outbreak of the Second World War. The thesis examines the evolution of the Fremantle Harbour Trust's powers and functions; the growth of port activity as measured by trade, passenger and ship flows; cargo-handling practices, working conditions and industrial relations on the waterfront; the physical evolution of the port; and the financial performance of the Fremantle Harbour Trust. The thesis reveals that port development was the outcome of a complex process of decision-making and adjustment in which a large number of organisations and actors played a part, amongst whom the most important were the Fremantle Harbour Trust, government, shipowners and importers and exporters. An attempt is made to assess whether or not the port adapted efficiently to changes in port activity. In view of its role as main controller, operator and planner, an assessment of the development and management policies of the Fremantle Harbour Trust is a major objective of this thesis

An empirical study of foreign direct investments of Malaysian multinationals: wholly-owned subsidiaries and international joint ventures

This article aims to provide an insight into the use of foreign direct investments of Malaysian multinationals as market entry modes. We developed a conceptual framework incorporating levels of control, competencies, and costs of foreign investments for market entry modes as wholly-owned subsidiaries and international joint ventures and tested our model with a survey of CEOs and managing directors at Malaysian multinational companies. Our findings suggest Malaysian multinationals are strongly influenced by their strategic motivations and their desire to exploit synergies in their choice of entry mode between wholly-owned subsidiaries and international joint venture

An empirical case study of international strategic alliances in Malaysia

The initial objective of the research project reported in this paper was to examine the strategic approaches, processes and factors involved when foreign companies make its foray into an Asian market. The study focused on the South-East Asian Market, specifically Malaysia, given both the regions and the country’s growing importance in international trade. The theoretical underpinnings of this paper focus on foreign investment, modes of entry, export marketing, strategic alliances, investment criteria, firm characteristics, international business, external factors, host and home country factors, and Asian culture and management

Accurate detection of acute sleep deprivation using a metabolomic biomarker—A machine learning approach

Sleep deprivation enhances risk for serious injury and fatality on the roads and in workplaces. To facilitate future management of these risks through advanced detection, we developed and validated a metabolomic biomarker of sleep deprivation in healthy, young participants, across three experiments. Bi-hourly plasma samples from 2 × 40-hour extended wake protocols (for train/test models) and 1 × 40-hour protocol with an 8-hour overnight sleep interval were analyzed by untargeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Using a knowledge-based machine learning approach, five consistently important variables were used to build predictive models. Sleep deprivation (24 to 38 hours awake) was predicted accurately in classification models [versus well-rested (0 to 16 hours)] (accuracy = 94.7%/AUC 99.2%, 79.3%/AUC 89.1%) and to a lesser extent in regression (R2 = 86.1 and 47.8%) models for within- and between-participant models, respectively. Metabolites were identified for replicability/future deployment. This approach for detecting acute sleep deprivation offers potential to reduce accidents through “fitness for duty” or “post-accident analysis” assessments

Higher central circadian temperature amplitude is associated with greater metabolite rhythmicity in humans

Robust circadian rhythms are essential for optimal health. The central circadian clock controls temperature rhythms, which are known to organize the timing of peripheral circadian rhythms in rodents. In humans, however, it is unknown whether temperature rhythms relate to the organization of circadian rhythms throughout the body. We assessed core body temperature amplitude and the rhythmicity of 929 blood plasma metabolites across a 40-h constant routine protocol, controlling for behavioral and environmental factors that mask endogenous temperature rhythms, in 23 healthy individuals (mean [± SD] age = 25.4 ± 5.7 years, 5 women). Valid core body temperature data were available in 17/23 (mean [± SD] age = 25.6 ± 6.3 years, 1 woman). Individuals with higher core body temperature amplitude had a greater number of metabolites exhibiting circadian rhythms (R2 = 0.37, p = .009). Higher core body temperature amplitude was also associated with less variability in the free-fitted periods of metabolite rhythms within an individual (R2 = 0.47, p = .002). These findings indicate that a more robust central circadian clock is associated with greater organization of circadian metabolite rhythms in humans. Metabolite rhythms may therefore provide a window into the strength of the central circadian clock

Unique properties of a subset of human pluripotent stem cells with high capacity for self-renewal.

Archetypal human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) are widely considered to be equivalent in developmental status to mouse epiblast stem cells, which correspond to pluripotent cells at a late post-implantation stage of embryogenesis. Heterogeneity within hPSC cultures complicates this interspecies comparison. Here we show that a subpopulation of archetypal hPSC enriched for high self-renewal capacity (ESR) has distinct properties relative to the bulk of the population, including a cell cycle with a very low G1 fraction and a metabolomic profile that reflects a combination of oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis. ESR cells are pluripotent and capable of differentiation into primordial germ cell-like cells. Global DNA methylation levels in the ESR subpopulation are lower than those in mouse epiblast stem cells. Chromatin accessibility analysis revealed a unique set of open chromatin sites in ESR cells. RNA-seq at the subpopulation and single cell levels shows that, unlike mouse epiblast stem cells, the ESR subset of hPSC displays no lineage priming, and that it can be clearly distinguished from gastrulating and extraembryonic cell populations in the primate embryo. ESR hPSC correspond to an earlier stage of post-implantation development than mouse epiblast stem cells

From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: changes in perception and use of large marine animals

Marine megafauna has always elicited contrasting feelings. In the past, large marine animals were often depicted as fantastic mythological creatures and dangerous monsters, while also arousing human curiosity. Marine megafauna has been a valuable resource to exploit, leading to the collapse of populations and local extinctions. In addition, some species have been perceived as competitors of fishers for marine resources and were often actively culled. Since the 1970s, there has been a change in the perception and use of megafauna. The growth of marine tourism, increasingly oriented towards the observation of wildlife, has driven a shift from extractive to non-extractive use, supporting the conservation of at least some species of marine megafauna. In this paper, we review and compare the changes in the perception and use of three megafaunal groups, cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers, with a special focus on European cultures. We highlight the main drivers and the timing of these changes, compare different taxonomic groups and species, and highlight the implications for management and conservation. One of the main drivers of the shift in perception, shared by all the three groups of megafauna, has been a general increase in curiosity towards wildlife, stimulated inter alia by documentaries (from the early 1970s onwards), and also promoted by easy access to scuba diving. At the same time, environmental campaigns have been developed to raise public awareness regarding marine wildlife, especially cetaceans, a process greatly facilitated by the rise of Internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, all the three groups (cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers) may represent valuable resources for ecotourism. Strikingly, the economic value of live specimens may exceed their value for human consumption. A further change in perception involving all the three groups is related to a growing understanding and appreciation of their key ecological role. The shift from extractive to non-extractive use has the potential for promoting species conservation and local economic growth. However, the change in use may not benefit the original stakeholders (e.g. fishers or whalers) and there may therefore be a case for providing compensation for disadvantaged stakeholders. Moreover, it is increasingly clear that even non-extractive use may have a negative impact on marine megafauna, therefore regulations are needed.SFRH/BPD/102494/2014, UID/MAR/04292/2019, IS1403info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Economic Prospects for Freshwater Crayfish (Yabby) in Western Australia

Since the 1980s Western Australia has developed a significant commercial aquaculture industry, catering both to domestic and overseas markets. However, the limited scale of output, especially in the yabby industry, has been a major constraint on further expansion of sales. Currently, the industry is based on the cultivation of freshwater crayfish (yabby) in existing farm dams. There are about 100,000 farm dams in Western Australia but only about 6,000 are currently used for commercial yabby production. Thus one way to boost output is simply to persuade more farmers to utilise them for commercial yabby production. However, farm dams produce low yields and it is also necessary to investigate the potential for more intensive farming with purpose built dams. This paper examines the economic feasibility of yabby aquaculture using the internal rate of return. The main findings are that intensive farming is non-viable but semi-intensive farming and farming of existing dams is viable, although the former is only marginally so

Economic Prospects for Freshwater Crayfish (Yabby) in Western Australia

Since the 1980s Western Australia has developed a significant commercial aquaculture industry, catering both to domestic and overseas markets. However, the limited scale of output, especially in the yabby industry, has been a major constraint on further expansion of sales. Currently, the industry is based on the cultivation of freshwater crayfish (yabby) in existing farm dams. There are about 100,000 farm dams in Western Australia but only about 6,000 are currently used for commercial yabby production. Thus one way to boost output is simply to persuade more farmers to utilise them for commercial yabby production. However, farm dams produce low yields and it is also necessary to investigate the potential for more intensive farming with purpose built dams. This paper examines the economic feasibility of yabby aquaculture using the internal rate of return. The main findings are that intensive farming is non-viable but semi-intensive farming and farming of existing dams is viable, although the former is only marginally so.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Institutional path dependence in port regulation: A comparison of New Zealand and Australia

The Australian and New Zealand port industries in the post-World War II period exhibit strong elements of path dependence. Simply put, economic and political actors’ purposive decisions pushed the development of port institutions down a pathway which became hard to step off: institutional lock-ins impeded strategic flexibility and the growth of port productivity; inefficient macro- and micro-level institutional arrangements reduced Australian and New Zealand port efficiency. Given this experience, our chapter uses path dependence as a method to explain institutional stability and change within New Zealand’s and Australia’s respective port systems. While port institutions in both countries were slow to adapt to shifts in the wider industry environment, they eventually succumbed to reformist change. As we explain, this occurred more strongly in New Zealand through pathbreaking institutional transformation in 1989, the pressures for which mounted over several decades. In Australia, by contrast, there were many false starts and change was slower even after the ports were caught up in the federal government’s late 1980s economy-wide programme of microeconomic reform