Determinants of Efficiency at Major Brazilian Port Terminals

This paper reports on the use of different approaches for measuring the efficiency of major Brazilian port terminals. Two of the most important approaches, DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) and SFA (Stochastic Frontier Analysis), were performed on data collected from 25 terminals. The findings indicate that the majority of Brazilian terminals are running short on capacity due to the export boom that has occurred over the past few years and due to the lack of investment in capacity expansion. Furthermore, efficiency measurements derived from a reduced model with only one input and one output were explained based on variables such as type of cargo handled (container or bulk), connectivity of the terminal to railroads, and control (state or private) of the terminal. Implications and directions for future research are explored.     

The Decline of the Artisanal Fisheries in Mediterranean Coastal Areas: The Case of Cap de Creus (Cape Creus)

This article examines the sociocultural, economic, and environmental causes of the decline of the artisanal fisheries in the rocky coast of Cape Creus (NW Mediterranean) over the past decades. The changes that have occurred over time have favored trawlers, purse-seiners, shellfish fisheries, and tourism activities, to the detriment of artisanal fisheries. This article shows that the establishment of a marine reserve in 1998 could not reverse the observed decline in the artisanal fisheries. This raises the necessity of implementing a fishery management plan integrated into a coastal management plan, which should accompany the habitat protection. These plans could assist in the maintenance and the sustainable development of the artisanal fishing sector in Cape Creus as well as in other Mediterranean coastal areas where artisanal fisheries are also declining.     

The human talent and its role in ISM Code effectiveness and competitiveness in the shipping industry

The present study empirically evaluates the role of human talent in the effective implementation of quality management systems in the shipping industry context. Specifically, we analyze the relationships among top management commitment to quality, ISM (International Safety Management) Code effectiveness and competitiveness as well as we assess the influence of talent in these associations. We test our research hypotheses using a sample of 199 shipping companies located in Greece. The findings show that ISM Code effectiveness acts as a mediator between top management commitment and shipping company competitiveness, while the different talent philosophies were found to moderate this relationship.     

ISM Code implementation: an investigation of safety issues in the shipping industry

Acknowledging that shipping safety continues to be a major topic of interest in the maritime community, the present study attempts to identify the critical factors of International Safety Management (ISM) Code implementation, to identify the dimensions that describe whether the ISM Code has fulfilled its intended purpose as well as to assess their interrelationships. Moreover, the present study aims to explore whether the fulfillment of the Code’s intended purpose is associated with accident reduction. Evidence was drawn from a sample of 63 masters and chief officers who have hands-on onboard experience on ISM Code implementation and data were analyzed through the use of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), correlation analysis, and binomial logistic regression. Findings indicate that the critical factors of ISM Code implementation can be categorized in the crew-related and the company-related dimensions. Also, the fulfillment of the intended purpose of the ISM Code consists of the factors of safety management system efficiency and increased safety, which were also found to be significantly associated with the crew-related dimension of ISM Code implementation. Finally, results showed that both safety management system efficiency and increased safety increase the probability of accident reduction at the highest level.     

PHOSPHORYLATION OF THE MYELOID ZINC FINGER PRO TEIN MZF－1 IS DIFFERENTIALLY REGULATED DURING MYELOPOIESIS

ＰＨＯＳＰＨＯＲＹＬＡＴＩＯＮＯＦＴＨＥＭＹＥＬＯＩＤＺＩＮＣＦＩＮＧＥＲＰＲＯＴＥＩＮＭＺＦ－１ＩＳＤＩＦＦＥＲＥＮＴＩＡＬＬＹＲＥＧＵＬＡＴＥＤＤＵＲＩＮＧＭＹＥＬＯＰＯＩＥＳＩＳＨｕｉＰｅｉ；ＭａｒｉａＲ．Ｂａｅｒ，ＰｅｔｅｒＧ．Ｂｒａｄｆｏｒ...     

斯德哥尔摩的拥挤收费政策——政策实施5年后的效果、接受度及经验启示

根据2006年拥挤收费政策试运行结束后的公民投票结果,2007年,斯德哥尔摩正式实施了该政策。讨论了其至2011年6月首个5年内的政策实施效果。结果表明,受到外部因素影响,由收费引起的交通减少量随时间推移稍有增加。2008年的清洁汽车免税措施可显著提高销售量。结合最新研究成果和瑞典的经验,讨论了公众接受度和政治接受度。得到的结论是：拥挤收费对交通系统的主客观影响,以及环境和政治态度,是公众支持拥挤收费的基础;同时,为了获得政治支持,必须要进行体制改革、解决权力问题。最后,简要讨论了拥挤收费的实施对瑞典交通规划进程的可能影响。     

Influence of repeated and delayed excitations in combined subspace identification

The application of combined subspace identification methods to land vehicles would allow the modal parameters of the vehicle to be obtained, while it is in operation, thus improving the vehicle modal characterisation. However, when a land vehicle is circulating through a straight line, the excitations applied to the different axles are identical among them but with a certain time delay. The presence of repeated excitations with different time delays implies that the past and future subspaces include common vectors that may lead to problems in the application of the method. To analyse its influence, an index called the reduction coefficient resulting from excitations (RCE) has been defined. RCE evaluates the amount of information eliminated in the oblique projection due to the effect of repeated excitations. The use of RCE enables the selection of analysis parameters, particularly the sampling frequency, the signals grouping and some specific parameters of the subspace identification methods.     

Ship ballast water as a main vector of marine introductions in the Mediterranean Sea

Marine invasive species are currently recognized as one of the most significant threats to global biodiversity. Marine bioinvasions are more likely in the Mediterranean Sea because of its wide temperature range, degraded habitats, historical and high volume of shipping traffic, and high occurrence of aquaculture. One of the main vectors of marine introductions globally and Mediterranean-wide is commercial shipping. Of the 3,000–4,000 species transferred around the world via commercial vessels, approximately 30% of these species may have been redistributed in the Mediterranean. Ships and marine invasive species arriving in the Mediterranean are mainly from temperate to cold-water regions. Standardized research and management approaches between countries are required to address the threat of ballast water borne marine invasives on a global scale. Regionally, a Mediterranean program involving the different states is currently needed to develop a common line of research and management operations.     

Number and phylogenetic affiliation of bacteria assimilating dimethylsulfoniopropionate and leucine in the ice-covered coastal Arctic Ocean

The ability of bacteria to assimilate sulfur from dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) was examined in the western Arctic Ocean by combining microautoradiography and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Assimilation of leucine was also measured for comparative purposes since leucine is considered a universal substrate for bacteria, which use it for protein synthesis. Samples were collected at 3 m depth, through a hole in the ice, in the CASES (Canadian Arctic Shelf Ecosystem Study) overwintering station in Franklin Bay (eastern Beaufort Sea) in March and May 2004 to compare two contrasting situations: winter and early spring. FISH counts indicated that the bacterial assemblage consisted of α- (up to 60% of the EUB positive cells), β- (up to 10%) and γ-proteobacteria (around 20%), and Bacteroidetes (up to 60%). The β-proteobacteria were not active with any of the two substrates tested. The remaining groups were much less efficient at assimilating DMSP-sulfur (5% of the cells) than leucine (20–35%) both in winter and in spring. Only the Roseobacter group of α-proteobacteria showed a similar assimilation of both substrates.