Global Bottleneck Research Articles

Environmental sensitivity of the Caribbean economic growth rate

Abstract. The year-over-year changes in economic growth across the Caribbean Antilles islands demonstrate sensitivity to climatic conditions. Daily wind and rainfall exceedances from passing storms are negatively related to the gross domestic product (GDP). Field regression of the GDP time series from 1971 to 2022 for Puerto Rico and the neighboring Antilles islands reveals links with eastern Pacific sea temperature. A zonal overturning atmospheric circulation over the equatorial Atlantic emerges in composite analysis. Alternating at an approximate 7-year interval, it modulates weather events and economic prosperity in the Caribbean. A multivariate algorithm is developed to predict changes in the annual GDP growth rate. The most influential predictor is precipitable water in the equatorial Atlantic 1 year earlier. Reduced moisture overlain by westerly winds in a global bottleneck at 5° S–5° N, 20–40° W tends to suppress Caribbean storms, leading to economic prosperity in the following year. Statistical methods and risk-reduction strategies are outlined.

How would the European Union fare without Russian energy?

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced a rapid and profound rethink of the European Union's energy supply as the Europe-Russia energy decoupling has sharply accelerated. This contribution explores how Europe can manage without the imports of Russian coal, crude oil, oil products, and natural gas. We quantify the supply-side gap that will arise and discuss alternative sources of supply, as well as exploring the internal and global bottlenecks that will arise with any attempt to replace Russian molecules. This exercise illustrates that demand-side measures will be necessary to reduce energy consumption, most notably of natural gas. We offer a perspective of the deeper energy integration that EU leaders must strive for to ensure that the bloc is ready for life without Russian energy. We argue that by following four key principles, the bloc will manage without Russian energy: i) bringing forward all available short run domestic supply capacities, ii) all countries making honest and ambitious efforts to reduce demand, iii) enshrining cross-border flows and the functioning of European energy trade, iv) protecting the most vulnerable consumers.

The evaluation of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Turkish manufacturing sector using AHP-TOPSIS methods

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on the Turkish manufacturing sector by using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods on a sectoral basis. In this way, the sectors that had the highest negative effects of COVID-19 will be determined. Thanks to the findings to be obtained as a result of this study, it will be possible for decision-makers to develop strategies that may differ on a sectoral basis at the point of combating the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe negative effects of COVID-19 were revealed by a large literature search. The importance levels of the factors determined within the scope of finance, supply, production and workforce were determined by the AHP method. Then, the TOPSIS method was used to determine which sectors were more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, based on these factors.FindingsThe findings of this study obtained reveal that the most important negative effect of COVID-19 was on businesses in terms of reduced sales caused by domestic sales and export. Again, the findings show that the sector most affected by COVID-19 is automotive, which shows that the least affected sector is the pharmaceutical and medical equipment sector.Practical implicationsPrimary data was used to determine the criteria weight. Therefore, there is a possibility that the answers are not objectively evaluated. The findings are limited to the criteria that was used, the views of the professionals and AHP-TOPSIS methods. Studies that use more criteria and different decision-making methods can have different results.Originality/valueThe manufacturing sector is at the forefront of the sectors affected by the global bottleneck caused by COVID-19. In this study, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Turkish manufacturing sector are discussed on a sectoral basis. Studies in the literature have revealed that the effects of pandemics such as COVID-19 vary between sectors. For this reason, it is important to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 from a sectoral perspective. Thanks to this study, it is thought that it will be possible to take measures that may differ between sectors to combat the negative effects of COVID-19.

Analysis of Sediment in Goronyo Dam, Sokoto, Nigeria

Reservoir sedimentation has been a global bottle neck in maintaining the design storage capacity of reservoirs. Reservoir sedimentation leads to the reduction of the original capacity which affects irrigation, hydropower, flood control, drinking water supply and recreational activities. Introduction of mechanized farming without due regard to the nature of the environment is aggravating the erosion and sediment problem. This study has discussed and analyzed the most important parameters (bulk density, sediment volume, sediment mass, trap efficiency, sediment yield etc) for 31 years (1984 -2015) using Empirical Method and Goronyo Dam Stage Capacity Curve. The Mean bulk density (dBD) was gotten as 0.97gcm3, Sediment Volume (SV) as 26,179,302m3 , Sediment Mass (SM) as 25,393,922.94 tones, average annual sedimentation as 819,158.81ty-1 , Trap Efficiency (TE) as 90.2%, Sediment Yield (SY) as 908,158.00 ty-1, Specific Sediment Yield (SSY) as 42.35𝑡𝑘𝑚−2𝑦−1, The loss of storage (26,179,302m3)

Evaluation of Three Automated Extraction Systems for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 from Clinical Respiratory Specimens.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is highly contagious and causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the most accurate and reliable molecular assay to detect active SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, a rapid increase in test subjects has created a global bottleneck in testing capacity. Given that efficient nucleic acid extraction greatly affects reliable and accurate testing results, we compared three extraction platforms: MagNA Pure 96 DNA and Viral NA Small Volume kit on MagNA Pure 96 (Roche, Basel, Switzerland), careGENETM Viral/Pathogen HiFi Nucleic Acid Isolation kit (WELLS BIO Inc., Seoul, Korea) on KingFisher Flex (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Rocklin, CA, USA), and SGRespiTM Pure kit (Seegene Inc., Seoul, Korea) on Maelstrom 9600 (Taiwan Advanced Nanotech Inc., Taoyuan, Taiwan). RNA was extracted from 245 residual respiratory specimens from the different types of samples (i.e., NPS, sputum, and saliva) using three different kits. The 95% limits of detection of median tissue culture infectious dose per milliliter (TCID50/mL) for the MagNA Pure 96, KingFisher Flex, and Maelstrom 9600 were 0.37–3.15 × 101, 0.41–3.62 × 101, and 0.33–1.98 × 101, respectively. The KingFisher Flex platform exhibited 99.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity, whereas Maelstrom 9600 exhibited 98.3–100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Bland–Altman analysis revealed a 95.2% concordance between MagNA Pure 96 and KingFisher Flex and 95.4% concordance between MagNA Pure 96 and Maelstrom 9600, indicating that all three platforms provided statistically reliable results. This suggests that two modifying platforms, KingFisher Flex and Maelstrom 9600, are accurate and scalable extraction platforms for large-scale SARS-CoV-2 clinical detection and could help the management of COVID-19 patients.

A Novel High-Throughput Nanopore-Sequencing-Based Strategy for Rapid and Automated S-Protein Typing of SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

Rapid molecular surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 S-protein variants leading to immune escape and/or increased infectivity is of utmost importance. Among global bottlenecks for variant monitoring in diagnostic settings are sequencing and bioinformatics capacities. In this study, we aimed to establish a rapid and user-friendly protocol for high-throughput S-gene sequencing and subsequent automated identification of variants. We designed two new primer pairs to amplify only the immunodominant part of the S-gene for nanopore sequencing. Furthermore, we developed an automated “S-Protein-Typer” tool that analyzes and reports S-protein mutations on the amino acid level including a variant of concern indicator. Validation of our primer panel using SARS-CoV-2-positive respiratory specimens covering a broad Ct range showed successful amplification for 29/30 samples. Restriction to the region of interest freed sequencing capacity by a factor of 12–13, compared with whole-genome sequencing. Using either the MinION or Flongle flow cell, our sequencing strategy reduced the time required to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants accordingly. The S-Protein-Typer tool identified all mutations correctly when challenged with our sequenced samples and 50 deposited sequences covering all VOCs (December 2021). Our proposed S-protein variant screening offers a simple, more rapid, and low-cost entry into NGS-based SARS-CoV-2 analysis, compared with current whole-genome approaches.

Full-in-House Method (FinHM) for SARS-COV-2 Automated Viral RNA Extraction, Followed by in-House ‘Primer-Probe’ Based RT-qPCR Detection; Low Cost Mass Testing

<i>Background</i>: Sever acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) spread prompted mass testing. The main method for testing is by any FDA approved kits for RNA extraction followed by One-Step RT-qPCR based on primer-probe assays. Yet, the high demand for these kits created a global bottleneck in the testing capacity. <i>Methods</i>: We developed a Full-In-House Method (FinHM) suitable for automated viral RNA extraction using full in-house solutions utilizing the MagMax^TM beads followed by an In-House RT-qPCR based on the CDC/WHO recommended ‘primer-probe’ assay targeting the following genes; E, RdRp2, and RdRp4. FinHM was validated by an FDA approved kit that targets S, N, and ORF1b genes made by Thermo Fisher Scientific (TF). <i>Results</i>: The sensitivity and specificity of the automated RNA extraction were evaluated on serial dilutions of in-laboratory propagated SARS-COV-2 with a successful detection down to 46 copies in both assays (P>0.05). Moreover, automated FinHM was successful in extraction of SARS-COV-2 RNA in 266 clinical samples, in which the test results replicated the FDA approved test results (>99% similarity, P>0.05). The In-House RT-qPCR assay had low limit of detection (5 RNA templates), with significant negative correlation between the Ct values and RNA titrations as shown by Pearson correlation (-0.8, -0.8 and -0.7 for E, RdRp2 and RdRp4, respectively). Finally, FinHM was also successful in extraction of SARS-COV-2-spiked plasma and patient plasma samples. <i>Conclusion</i>: We report a reliable, reproducible, specific, sensitive and low-cost platform for automated RNA extraction and detection from SARS-COV-2 and other viruses which is suitable for clinical and mass testing.

Preliminary optimisation of a simplified sample preparation method to permit direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 within saliva samples using reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

We describe the optimisation of a simplified sample preparation method which permits rapid and direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA within saliva, using reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). Treatment of saliva samples prior to RT-LAMP by dilution 1:1 in Mucolyse™, followed by dilution in 10 % (w/v) Chelex© 100 Resin and a 98 °C heat step for 2 min enabled detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in positive saliva samples. Using RT-LAMP, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in as little as 05:43 min, with no amplification detected in 3097 real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) negative saliva samples from staff tested within a service evaluation study, or for other respiratory pathogens tested (n = 22). Saliva samples can be collected non-invasively, without the need for skilled staff and can be obtained from both healthcare and home settings. Critically, this approach overcomes the requirement for, and validation of, different swabs and the global bottleneck in obtaining access to extraction robots and reagents to enable molecular testing by rRT-PCR. Such testing opens the possibility of public health approaches for effective intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic through regular SARS-CoV-2 testing at a population scale, combined with isolation and contact tracing.

Automated SARS-COV-2 RNA extraction from patient nasopharyngeal samples using a modified DNA extraction kit for high throughput testing.

ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) has prompted a need for mass testing to identify patients with viral infection. The high demand has created a global bottleneck in testing capacity, which prompted us to modify available resources to extract viral RNA and perform reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to detect SARS-COV-2.OBJECTIVES: Report on the use of a DNA extraction kit, after modifications, to extract viral RNA that could then be detected using an FDA-approved SARS-COV-2 RT-qPCR assay.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Initially, automated RNA extraction was performed using a modified DNA kit on samples from control subjects, a bacteriophage, and an RNA virus. We then verified the automated extraction using the modified kit to detect in-lab propagated SARSCOV-2 titrations using an FDA approved commercial kit (S, N, and ORF1b genes) and an in-house primer-probe based assay (E, RdRp2 and RdRp4 genes).RESULTS: Automated RNA extraction on serial dilutions SARS-COV-2 achieved successful one-step RT-qPCR detection down to 60 copies using the commercial kit assay and less than 30 copies using the in-house primer-probe assay. Moreover, RT-qPCR detection was successful after automated RNA extraction using this modified protocol on 12 patient samples of SARS-COV-2 collected by nasopharyngeal swabs and stored in viral transport media.CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the capacity of a modified DNA extraction kit for automated viral RNA extraction and detection using a platform that is suitable for mass testing.LIMITATIONS: Small patient sample size.CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

An investigation of the structural properties of Li and Na fast ion conductors using high-throughput bond-valence calculations and machine learning

Progress in energy-related technologies demands new and improved materials with high ionic conductivities. Na- and Li-based compounds have high priority in this regard owing to their importance for batteries. This work presents a high-throughput exploration of the chemical space for such compounds. The results suggest that there are significantly fewer Na-based conductors with low migration energies as compared to Li-based ones. This is traced to the fact that, in contrast to Li, the low diffusion barriers hinge on unusual values of some structural properties. Crystal structures are characterized through descriptors derived from bond-valence theory, graph percolation and geometric analysis. A machine-learning analysis reveals that the ion migration energy is mainly determined by the global bottleneck for ion migration, by the coordination number of the cation and by the volume fraction of the mobile species. This workflow has been implemented in the open-source Crystallographic Fortran Modules Library (CrysFML) and the program BondStr. A ranking of Li- and Na-based ionic compounds with low migration energies is provided.

Random forest classification based acoustic event detection utilizing contextual-information and bottleneck features

The variety of event categories and event boundary information have resulted in limited success for acoustic event detection systems. To deal with this, we propose to utilize the long contextual information, low-dimensional discriminant global bottleneck features and category-specific bottleneck features. By concatenating several adjacent frames together, the use of contextual information makes it easier to cope with acoustic signals with long duration. Global and category-specific bottleneck features can extract the prior knowledge of the event category and boundary, which is ideally matched by the task of an event detection system. Evaluations on the UPC-TALP and ITC-IRST databases of highly variable acoustic events demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches by achieving a 5.30% and 4.44% absolute error rate improvement respectively compared to the state of art technique.

Women, the Investment Profession, and EMEA

“Women continue to make progress within the profession, but much more needs to be done to ease the global bottleneck preventing their full and equitable advancement.”

Performance Analysis and Optimization of Distributed Workflows in Heterogeneous Network Environments

Large-scale e-science features complex DAG-structured workflows comprised of computing modules with intricate inter-module dependencies. Mapping such workflows in heterogeneous network environments and optimizing their end-to-end performance are crucial to the success of scientific collaborations that require fast system response and smooth data flow. We construct analytical cost models and formulate workflow mapping as optimization problems for minimum end-to-end delay and maximum frame rate. The difficulty of these problems essentially arises from the topological matching nature in the spatial domain, which is further compounded by the resource sharing complicacy in the temporal dimension. For unitary processing applications, we develop a workflow mapping algorithm based on a recursive critical path optimization procedure to minimize the latency; while for streaming applications, we conduct a rigorous workflow stability analysis and develop a layer-oriented dynamic programming solution based on topological sorting to identify and minimize the global bottleneck time. The accuracy of the proposed exact delay calculation algorithm is verified in comparison with an approximate solution, a dynamic distributed system simulation program, and a real network deployment, and the performance superiority of the proposed mapping approaches are illustrated by extensive simulation-based comparisons with existing algorithms and verified by large-scale experiments on real-life scientific workflows through effective system implementation and deployment in real networks.

The Quantity and Quality of Illegally Imported Products of Animal Origin in Personal Consignments into the European Union Seized at Two German Airports between 2010 And 2014.

The import of products of animal origin (POAO) in travellers’ personal consignments presents a considerable risk of introducing animal diseases and emerging zoonoses into the European Union. The current regulation (EU) 206/2009 implements strict measures for illegally imported POAO, whereupon non-complying products have to be seized and destroyed regardless. Especially airports serve as global bottlenecks for illegally imported POAO where passenger controls of non-European flights are performed by customs and veterinary services in collaboration. Results of these control measures have to be submitted in the form of annual reports to the European Commission. However, few data on qualities and quantities of seizures have been published so far. In this study, POAO seized at two German airports between 2010 and 2014 were analysed in terms of quantities, qualitative categories and region of origin. In most years considered, more than 20 tonnes POAO were seized at each airport. However, reported amounts of seizures seem to be only the tip of the iceberg as an all-passenger control is not feasible and therefore travellers are only spot-checked. The analysis suggests that the organisational structures of both customs and official veterinary services and their different risk perceptions interfere in completing an effective ban on the illegal import of POAO.

Pyrex/Si-bonded microvalve performance for precision applications in micropropulsion systems

Reduction in power consumption while maintaining trajectory alignment and ensuring precise attitude control in microsatellites has been a global bottleneck in the coupled fields of inertial navigation and micropropulsion systems research. This paper presents the development of a novel microelectromechanical Pyrex/Si binary valve with piezoelectric stack-actuation for applications in microsatellite propulsion systems. The Pyrex 7740 and silicon wafers have been processed in parallel with two different structures being microfabricated and bonded eutectically to realize the microvalve. Electrochemical spark erosion method has been used to realize the inlet/outlet holes in Pyrex 7740 and KOH bulk micromachining to fabricate the top membrane structure in silicon. The device has been subjected to extensive analyses and characterization and has been shown to comply with the requirements of generic ion thrusters used for microsatellite propulsion.

Global bottlenecks in the distribution of marine Crustacea: temperature constraints in the family Lithodidae

AbstractAim Members of the crustacean family Lithodidae share preferences for cold‐water environments; however, the specific role of temperature in governing lithodid biogeography has not been examined to date. In the present study this relationship was quantified through the analysis of habitat data, and the results were interpreted in the light of previous physiological studies. It was hypothesized that lineage‐specific temperature thresholds underlie differences in the distribution of the two lithodid subfamilies.Location The family Lithodidae is divided into the subfamilies Hapalogastrinae and Lithodinae. The Hapalogastrinae inhabit depths of between 0 and 200 m in the North Pacific. The Lithodinae are distributed globally in the deep sea, with a few genera occurring intertidally at high latitudes.Methods Descriptions of 86 species of lithodids, sampled at 627 locations worldwide, were obtained from a wide range of published and original sources. For each specimen, the water temperature at the time and locality of collection was recorded. Molecular sequence data for the 16S, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 28S genes were analysed to construct a phylogenetic tree for the major lithodid genera, using a maximum likelihood method in the program paup*. Further analyses examined the link between the habitat temperature range and the position of taxa within the lithodid phylogeny.Results Phylogenetic evidence indicated that the deep‐water lithodid lineages had ancestors that inhabited the coastal waters of the North Pacific. Adults of North Pacific lithodid taxa were found in regions where water temperatures ranged from 0 to 25°C; however, deep‐water lineages of the Lithodinae were excluded from waters exceeding temperatures of 13°C. Despite the higher temperatures tolerated by adults, North Pacific intertidal/subtidal genera were restricted to regions that had water temperatures lower than 16°C during periods of larval development.Main conclusions Temperature has restricted the range of most shallow‐water genera of Lithodidae to the coastline of the North Pacific since the early history of the family. Distribution in these groups remains constrained by the detrimental effects of temperature extremes on early life‐history stages. Deep‐water lineages moved away from seasonal temperature fluctuations, and underwent at least three radiations into water bodies outside the North Pacific. Species from within the deep‐water lineages currently live close to the threshold of their temperature tolerance in the Southern Ocean, and their future distribution may be affected by increases in ocean temperature.

Expertise et protection des biens

Contrarily to the majority of other European States, in France legislation relative to the civil protection of mentally incompetent adults — protected adults — has not evolved. Protection of goods does not lead to protection of persons beyond the recommendations of the [French] Court of Cassation. Psychiatric expertises of persons with mental trouble are within usual expert practice associated with various specific activities such as gathering information and the defence of the person's rights including those relative to his family milieu. There is a global bottleneck due to the amalgam that has been made of the protection of mentally incompetent persons with the help for debt-ridden persons and with social precariousness (precariousness taken care of by the law of January 3, 1968). Some perspectives for a reform have been proposed but the debate on decentralisation has hindered the required legislative changes. After the present ambiguous problems have been resolved, the individualisation of civil protection measures, the implementation of financial and social assistance and the possibility of organising one's own protection should be recognized and implemented.