Seaport supply integration and orientation, and their impact on performance

This thesis primarily aims to examine the causal relationships among the integration strategies of seaport terminals along the supply chain, and the antecedents and consequences of the integration strategies. In this thesis integration strategy is termed Port Supply Chain Integration (PSCI) and the antecedents and the consequences of PSCI were identified and termed as Port Supply Chain Orientation (PSCO) and Port Performance (PP). A research model representing these causal relationships was developed through a comprehensive literature review and a semi-structured interview with practitioners and academics. The research used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to validate the constructs and rigorously test the relationships among them. Furthermore, a multi-group analysis was conducted in order to assess the applicability of the research model to different environments. The multi-group analysis tested whether the research model can be applied to two sample ports (A and B) and two sample groups (terminal operating companies and port users). The data used in these empirical analyses were collected from terminal operating companies, shipping companies and freight forwarders in South Korea, and the number of responses was 127. With regard to the results and findings of the empirical research, firstly, the three constructs, PSCO, PSCI and PP were successfully validated with the components identified from the literature review and interviews indicating that the three constructs are multi-dimensional concepts. Secondly, the empirical research showed that PSCO has a strong contribution to PSCI, and PSCI has a strong and positive impact on PP. Additionally PSCO, in turn, was found to influence positively and indirectly on PP through implementing PSCI. Finally the multi-group analysis showed that the research model can be equally applied to the two sample ports. However, the invariance test across two sample groups failed since a baseline model for the invariance test was not established. In conclusion, this thesis suggests that the integration strategy of ports along supply chains (PSCI) should be firmly based on a strong orientation to supply chain integration (PSCO) within individual seaport terminals, and the successful implementation of this strategy necessarily involves significant improvement of performance of the terminals (PP). It is also emphasised that these suggestions are valid across terminals with different operational and managerial characteristics such as hub port vs. feeder port and container port vs. non-container port

Port Selection Criteria for the Korea-China Train Ferry

The Korea-China Train Ferry can be one option to enter into Eurasia and a meaningful way to extend the route forlogistics enterprise and manufacturers of Korea to reach the broaderglobal marketalong with specific access to China. Under this scenaris, this study is designed to look at the progress and status of the Korea-China Train Ferry project as anopportunity for Korea to build a path towards Eurasia and to review factors and opinions to consider in port selectionbased on in-depth interviewswith industry participants andexperts. It alsoaims to discuss ideas for a Korea-Chinalogistics cooperative system. For the train ferry's success, agreements between Korea and China are essential to ensure consistency inbase ports and customsclearance procedures and long-term preparation should be made in the first phase to build the framework for the Korea-China Train Ferry operations

Rubisco activity and gene expression of tropical tree species under light stress

Tropical rain forests contain an ecologically and physiologically diverse range of vegetation and habitats. Sun-acclimated plants can be divided into two groups, shade-tolerant and shade-intolerant, according to the plant’s physiological and genetic responses. Some tropical species have potential capacity for light damage in a shaded environment as well as shade-tolerance to compensate for the impaired light harvesting complex. In particular, ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is regulated by the Calvin cycle, which participated in protein synthesis. Rubisco plays a role in CO2 fixation, which helps supply the energy to regulate Rubisco for ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) reduction. Light intensity is associated with the photosynthetic rate and genetic response to moderate growth environments.Keywords: Gene expression, growth, light intensity, Rubisco activityAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(20), pp. 2764-276

Multimodal route choice in maritime transportation: The case of Korean auto-parts exporters

Global offshoring has increased the need for transport of half-finished goods and components, along with finished goods. The auto-parts industry in Korea has also entered the global market as Korean car manufacturers have started to build overseas factories. Maintaining cost competitiveness by minimising total logistics costs will thus be a critical strategy for the industry. This research compares the total annual costs of four feasible transport routes from Korea to the US using the inventory-theoretic model, which encompasses direct transport costs, in-transit carrying costs, and warehouse inventory costs. We apply this model to real transport data collected from a Korean auto-parts company. A static analysis shows that inventory costs can play a decisive role in altering the cost competitiveness of different routes. In addition, sensitivity and scenario analyses with changes in variables and the market situations reveal that the cost structure of each routes plays an important role in determining their relative cost competitiveness in varying market conditions

Diagnostic Performance of Photoplethysmography-Based Smartwatch for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background and Objectives Considering the prevalence and health effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), early diagnosis and proper treatment are essential. Polysomnography (PSG) has limitations in diagnosing or tracking large-scale OSA patients. Smartwatches (SWs) can be equipped with a photoplethysmograph (PPG) that can indirectly measure heart rate and blood oxygen saturation by detecting the difference of light absorption through blood. The purpose of this study is to compare oxygen saturation parameters of PPG-based SWs with those of PSG to determine the diagnostic accuracy for OSA. Methods After obtaining voluntary consent from patients who were scheduled to undergo PSG in a sleep clinic due to suspected OSA, they were randomly assigned to wear a Galaxy watch4 (GW) or Apple watch7 (AW) on their wrist. The agreement rates between the oxygen saturation parameters of the two SW types and PSG were evaluated. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the oxygen saturation parameters for diagnosis of OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥5/h) were compared between the two types of SW. Results A total of 133 patients underwent PSG while wearing an SW. Including duplicates, 109 patients wearing a GW and 69 wearing an AW were included. The diagnostic accuracy of AHI ≥5/h according to oxygen saturation time measured by a GW was less than 90%, the respective sensitivity and specificity were 82.9% and 75.8%. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.807 (p<0.001). Using the lowest oxygen saturation value of GW, the sensitivity was 81.6%, the specificity was 69.7%, and the AUC of the ROC was 0.849 (p<0.001). The diagnostic accuracy of AHI ≥5/h according to the average oxygen saturation of AW, and the sensitivity and specificity were 75.6% and 70.8%, respectively. The AUC of this ROC curve was 0.757 (p<0.001). Using the lowest oxygen saturation value of AW, the sensitivity was 71.1%, the specificity was 62.5%, and the AUC of the ROC was 0.705 (p=0.005). Conclusion This study found that the two types of SW showed considerable accuracy in diagnosing OSA, but the accuracy decreased as the severity of OSA increased

Pseudotumor of the Omentum Associated with Migration of the Ingested Crab-Leg

Foreign body ingestion is not uncommon in clinical practice, and it may occasionally lead to penetration injuries. Emergency physicians and radiologists sometimes fail to obtain complete histories including ingestion and may overlook the possibility of foreign body-induced complications. Herein, we report a case of stomach antrum perforation due to foreign body migration. We were unaware of the patient's history of eating the Korean delicacy "Kanjang-gaejang," which is raw crab seasoned with soy sauce. Several imaging diagnostic modalities had suggested the possibility of a malignant mass in the gastrocolic ligament area. During the operation, a crab leg was discovered as the cause of an intra-abdominal abscess. The patient underwent an antrectomy, a vagotomay, and a transverse colon wedge resection. We present this unusual case of a pseudotumorous lesion caused by ingestion of Kanjang-gaejang

Streptococcus dysgalactiae endocarditis presenting as acute endophthalmitis

Endogenous endophthalmitis is a rare ocular infection affecting the vitreous and/or aqueous humours. It is associated with poor visual prognosis and its commonest endogenous aetiology is infective endocarditis. The causative organisms of endogenous endophthalmitis complicating endocarditis are mainly Group A or B streptococci. The identification of Group C and G streptococci such as Streptococcus dysgalactiae is comparatively uncommon and has only been reported in a few case reports or series. We therefore report a case of infective endocarditis caused by Streptococcus dysgalactiae first presenting with endogenous endophthalmitis, the most likely source being bilateral feet osteomyelitis in a patient with type I diabetes. The patient was treated with a course of intravenous benzylpenicillin, intravitreal antibiotics, bilateral below knee amputations and mitral valve replacement. She survived all surgical procedures and regained partial visual acuity in the affected eye

The Design of a Sliding Rectangular Waveguide Array Antenna for Beam Steering

In this paper, we designed a sliding waveguide array antenna that can be beam-steered via mechanical manipulation. This reduces the vulnerability of electronic beam-steering radars mounted on ships or aircraft to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks. The design frequency was 9.375 GHz. First, the proposed antenna was designed to adjust the phase difference between the arrayed waveguide antennas by changing the length of the rectangular waveguide using a slide. Subsequently, a ridge structure with optimized curvature was attached to the aperture of the rectangular waveguide to obtain stable reflection coefficient characteristics. Finally, eight rectangular waveguide antennas and two dummy antennas were E-plane arrayed at intervals of 0.8λ (25.6 mm) to obtain a beam width of nearly 8°. A beam width of 8° was then obtained by adjusting the length of each waveguide. It was possible to orient the beam of the antenna in intervals of 8° using the phase difference of each antenna. The proposed mechanical beam steering technique can replace electronic beam steering for radar antennas, rendering the structures less vulnerable to EMP attacks