Size Of Reserves Research Articles

Methodological approach to assessing the development of the Russian currency market

The relevance of this study is related to the need to determine the main directions for the development of the Russian foreign exchange market and assess its state. Financial globalization integrates the national currency markets of countries into a single geo-economy, any economic crisis that arises in this system can acquire a worldwide scale, in this regard, and assessing the prospects for the development of the Russian currency market is a very urgent problem today. The insufficient development of the theoretical foundations for the development of the foreign exchange market makes it relevant to systematize the conceptual foundations for the development of the foreign exchange market and form a comprehensive methodological approach to its assessment. As a rule, economists study the state of the foreign exchange market through the dynamics of the exchange rate (real and nominal), while not taking into account other aspects of the functioning of the foreign exchange market (the volume of foreign exchange transactions, foreign exchange market participants, the number of foreign exchange accounts, the state of the country’s external debt, the size of gold and foreign exchange reserves, having correspondent accounts with foreign banks). The article discusses a methodological approach to assessing the development of the Russian foreign exchange market, which includes several stages. A methodology is proposed for assessing the development of the Russian foreign exchange market, which allows one to study indicators at two levels.

Fragmentation Analysis of Capisaan Surface Karst Landscape through Changes in Land Use and Land Cover using FRAGSTATS

Changes in land cover mainly brought by humans could alter how landscapes function, which has an impact on the variety and health of the local biota. This study examined the fragmentation shifts of the Capisaan Cave System surface landscape by looking at changes in land use and land cover using Landsat images, ArcGIS and Google Earth imageries to generate classified land covers for the years 2001, 2005, 2010, 2016 and 2019. Fragmentation was analyzed through FRAGSTATS with forest; shrubland and orchard (SO); and agriculture and clearing (AC) as class types. Results showed that the most significant change in the landscape was in the year 2010 with AC significantly increasing its area and aggregation causing other class types to exhibit more fragmentation. Forest and SO covers displayed huge losses indicated by decreased class area and average size of patches accompanied by a more subdivided landscape shown by their increased number of patches. Although forest and SO slightly recovered in the class area in 2016, values were far from recovering to 2001 values. FRAGSTATS data suggest lowering biodiversity values and paying importance to reserve size in the maintenance of species diversity. The edge effect as a result of class and landscape fragmentation in forest vegetation might have been reduced at the landscape level as indicated by the reduced fractal dimension, as well as sustaining patch cohesion and increased clumpiness. However, abatement of edge effect could be easily limited and reversed if the reduction of the total area of forest available in the landscape continues.

Multi-Area Frequency Restoration Reserve Sizing

Frequency Restoration Reserves are traditionally sized using deterministic methods. The constant growth in non-dispatchable renewable energy, however, is increasing the importance of probabilistic methods for reserve sizing. In addition, as the geographical scope of reserve sizing expands, overall power imbalance stochasticity is reduced. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic method for shared cross-border frequency restoration reserve commitment and sizing, based on the concept of system generation margin and employing mathematical optimization. The aim is to reduce overall reserve volumes and costs. The cross-border interconnection capacities among countries are taken into account, and the shared uncertainty across interconnections is addressed via a novel robust approach. The method is tested on the cross-border system of south-east Europe that includes 9 countries. 5 different operational scenarios are used and a detailed calculation of the uncertainty distributions in each country is employed. Results show that cross-border shared sizing can significantly reduce overall reserve volumes and costs in a secure way.

Reformatting the Russian monetary system in modern conditions

The article considers the question of possible ways of transformation of the Russian monetary system in modern conditions. Currently, Russia is facing tough economic and political sanctions, which encourage it to introduce fundamental structural reforms in all areas of the economy. The situation in which our country finds itself requires an adequate response in order to preserve economic sovereignty. It is required to restructure the monetary system in such a way that the economy is focused on using mainly its own resources. Modern theories of money could be the theoretical foundation for the upcoming transformations. The study concentrates on the Modern monetary Theory (MMT) and its possible implementation in the Russian economy. The interest that has arisen in this non-orthodox theory is due to many reasons, but the main one is that the monetary institutions of the leading countries of the world can no longer implement the previous monetary policy in order to stimulate economic growth. Scientists evaluate this theory ambiguously, and many researchers believe that its main provisions are divorced from economic realities, contradictory and, therefore, not acceptable as instruments of macroeconomic policy. The author's stance is that the main provisions are applicable in the Russian economy. Mainly, the idea of the sovereignty of the national currency is understood as the possibility of issuing money without regard to global financial institutions such as the IMF and the size of gold and foreign exchange reserves. As a result, this theory requires a deeper study of the influence of monetary emission on economic processes.

MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS ON THE EFFECT OF EXPORTS AND IMPORTS ON INDONESIA’S FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVE 2005-2021

Foreign exchange reserves can be an important indicator to see how far a country can carry out international trade and to show the strength of a country's economic fundamentals. The size of the foreign exchange reserves is influenced by several factors, one of which is export and import activities. This study aims to identify the effect of exports and imports on the position of Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves. The data used are secondary data from the Central Statistics Agency and Bank Indonesia. The object used in this study is Indonesia with Time Series, which is 17 years from 2005 to 2021. This study uses a quantitative approach with the Multiple Linear Regression Analysis method using software the IBM-SPSS Version 25.0. Based on the results of the regression, it is known that the value of exports has a positive and significant effect on Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves, this is indicated by the value of sig 0.000 < 0.050. Meanwhile, imports have a negative and significant effect on Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves, this is indicated by the value of Sig 0.567. sig value 0.567 > 0.050. Export and Import variables together on Indonesia's Foreign Exchange Reserves. This can be seen from the results of the analysis of the significance value (Sig.) 0.00 < 0.050.

ЙМОВІРНІСНІ МОДЕЛІ ВИРОБНИЧИХ ЗАПАСІВ НА ПІДПРИЄМСТВІ

When managing production or commodity stocks, two main questions arise: when to replenish the stock and what should be its optimal size. The purpose of this study is to build a probabilistic model, which can be proposed as a new inventory model, with the help of which the relationships between the period factors between the purchase of parts and their shelf life, which affect inventory management, are established. Research methods are based on the approach using continuous distribution laws. The size of the reserve of parts is calculated depending on the established risk factor. Using the statistical method, point estimates were found for the studied parameters: average and root mean square deviation. A histogram of relative frequencies between the dates of two consecutive purchases is constructed. Critical areas for the studied parameters are illustrated. The value of the difference in days between the purchase of parts and the amount of the purchase of parts, which correspond to the normal laws of the distribution of random variables with the appropriate parameters, as well as the critical values of the need for parts in the production process, were calculated. The size of the parts reserve was found, which corresponds to the normal distribution law, depending on the established risk factor. For different values of this coefficient, the value of the difference in days between purchases of parts, the amount of purchases and the reserve of parts, which correspond to the distributions of random values, as well as the critical value of the need for parts in the production process to avoid production downtime are given. Using the central limit theorem, it is shown that the purchase volume of parts and the volume of used parts are normally distributed. Taking into account the degree of uncertainty associated with the structure of demand and the time of use of stocks at the enterprise, the authors chose probabilistic models that make it possible to flexibly change simulated demand and take this into account in forecasting. The research concluded that the probabilistic approach is the basis for forecasting inventory management at the enterprise, which takes into account the risks associated with determining the optimal need for raw materials at the enterprise.

Modeling Suitable Habitats of Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in a Highly Urbanized Bay

Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) live in coastal waters that have experienced considerable anthropogenic disturbances. Specifically, along the coasts of highly urbanized regions, available habitats have decreased in both space and scale. This study used Maxent software to simulate the distribution of suitable habitats for S. chinensis during the dry and wet seasons in Xiamen Bay. We also aimed to identify key environmental factors influencing habitat distribution, with the goal of using our results to analyze conservation gaps and propose adjustments. We found that during the dry season, S. chinensis were mainly distributed in the Western Harbor, Jiulong River Estuary, and the mouth of Tongan Bay. During the wet season, they were distributed in the south of Western Harbor, Jiulong River Estuary, and around the Wuyu and Dadeng-Xiaodeng Islands. Nekton density, chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface temperature, slope, and salinity are the primary factors affecting S. chinensis distribution in Xiamen Bay. To better protect the species, the existing Tongan Bay reserve should be expanded during dry seasons, and suitable habitats in the Jiulong River Estuary should be turned into a seasonal protected region. Similarly, during wet seasons, the original Western Harbor portion of the reserve should increase to include the Jiulong River Estuary, northwest of the Wuyu Islands and south of the Dadeng-Xiaodeng Islands. In addition to this dynamic seasonal management of reserve size, we also recommend developing multiple-use protected areas and establishing a joint protection mechanism between local governments. In conclusion, our model offers important guidance on improving conservation measures of S. chinensis in Xiamen Bay.

Modeling of logistics of war reserve stockpiling for successful combat operations

This paper formulates and solves a multivariate problem related to modeling the logistics of war reserve stockpiling for successful combat operations in the armed conflict area. The relevance of the study is related to a comprehensive solution to the problem of war reserve stockpiling to fulfill the objectives of a military operation, considering the capabilities of materiel suppliers, complex logistics of war materiel transportation to armed conflict areas, and military threats arising from the martial law in the country. The study creates a set of models that allow: prioritizing war materiel types for reserve stockpiling; formulating requirements for the size of reserves; selection of a rational structure of logistics supply chain, considering the risks of military threats; ensuring the success of combat operations in the armed conflict area. The article analyzes the existing problems of war reserve stockpiling under martial law, which arose due to: the variety of war materiel; small supply batches; different materiel manufacturers and suppliers located at a great distance from the armed conflict area; heterogeneous transport environment of supply; risks associated with military threats during war materiel reserve stockpiling. A method of presenting the importance of certain war materiel types for supply to the armed conflict area is proposed, considering the combat capability of individual weapons and assessments of military experts. The requirements for the amount of war materiel reserve in the interval representation, from the minimum to the maximum value of the inventory, have been formed. The minimum war materiel reserve to be used in the armed conflict area provides the necessary parity of military forces. Simultaneously, the nature of hostilities does not change, but the risks associated with the enemy's actions to destroy the war materiel reserve (war of reserves) may manifest themselves. The maximum war materiel reserve provides confidence in achieving the objectives of a military operation in the armed conflict area, but is difficult to implement due to the limited capabilities of weapons and materiel suppliers and existing military threats. An optimization model for the war reserve stockpiling was created, considering the limited capabilities of suppliers, permissible time for reserve stockpiling, and the risks that may arise from military threats and their impact on the logistics of war materiel supply (war of logistics). An optimization model for the war reserve stockpiling was developed, considering the combat capability of certain types of weapons, which makes it possible to create asymmetry in the military parity of forces due to the increased combat characteristics of modern weapons (quality over quantity). Due to the multitude of materiel manufacturers (possible suppliers) and various variants for the formation of supply chain, the task of enumeration of possible variants for the composition and structures of the logistics supply chain for war reserve stockpiling was formed and solved. The number of warehouse variants and logistics supply chain structures is estimated using the methods of enumeration theory, and a set of variants is formed for subsequent comparison and selection of a rational option. An optimization model for the formation of logistics links in the supply chain was created to form the necessary war reserve stocks in the armed conflict area. The example of HIMARS MLRS stockpiling illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach for successful combat operations in the armed conflict area, using both quantitative and qualitative assessments when comparing possible stockpiling variants. The scientific novelty of the study is related to the development of a set of original optimization models, models of the variant enumeration for the structures of the logistics supply chain, which allows scientifically sound formulation of requirements for the size of the war reserve stock for successful fulfillment of the objectives of a military operation in the armed conflict area, considering the capabilities of materiel suppliers, long supply chains in a heterogeneous transport environment, short delivery time, and the risks of military threats. It is advisable to use the results of the study for planning war reserve stock, for their effective use in the combat zone, justifying the composition of materiel manufacturers and suppliers, forming a logistics supply chain, which will ensure the success of combat operations in the armed conflict area.

Features of write-off of bad debts due to provisions created by medical institutions for doubtful debts in tax accounting

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of recognizing a bad debt and considering the specifics of writing off this debt due to the formed reserve for dubious debts in the tax accounting of medical organizations. The grounds for recognizing a doubtful debt as bad debt due to the provision were analyzed. It has been established that bad debt, unlike dubious debt, is already unrealistic for collection, which allows it to be taken into account in the losses when calculating corporate income tax. Important in this case is the question of the timing of recognition of receivables as bad debt and its inclusion in non-operating expenses: if a company does not form reserves for doubtful debts, then such recognition is carried out only after the expiration of the 3-year statute of limitations. In other cases, the organization has the right to include the amount of bad debt in the expenses when calculating the profit tax base after making an entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities to exclude the debtor from the register in connection with the liquidation. It was noted that bad debt in the tax accounting of medical organizations can be written off as a general rule or at the expense of a tax reserve created in the organization for this receivable (at the time when it was doubtful), or recognized as a separate independent non-operating expense in the event that the reserve of dubious debts was not created by a legal entity or the amount of bad debt exceeds the size of the tax reserve. To understand the general mechanism for writing off bad receivables, illustrative examples are given to determine the sequence of actions in the tax accounting of an organization when writing off bad debt in the tax accounting of organizations engaged in medical activities.

Evidence that elevation of maternal somatic cell count could lead to production of offspring with inferior reproductive and productive performance in dairy cows during the first lactation period

Although the effect of mastitis on reproduction and production of lactating dairy cows has been vastly studied, little information is available about the association of maternal udder health status with offspring reproduction and production. Therefore, the present research was conducted to study the association between maternal average monthly somatic cell count (SCC) with reproduction, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentration, udder health status and milk production in the offspring. Based on maternal average monthly SCC (MSCC), offspring were classified into five categories including MSCC1 (SCC <200,000; n = 3005), MSCC2 (200,000 ≤ SCC <400,000; n = 252), MSCC3 (400,000 ≤ SCC <600,000; n = 103), MSCC4 (600,000 ≤ SCC <800,000; n = 40) and MSCC5 (SCC ≥800,000; n = 61). Data associated with reproduction, production and udder health status of offspring were retrieved from the herd database. In addition, blood samples were collected from a subset of offspring (n = 136) for measurement of serum AMH, as a reliable marker of ovarian reserves. Offspring in MSCC5 category had more services per conception and longer calving to conception interval than offspring in MSCC1 and MSCC2 categories (P < 0.05). The average number of SCC and risk of clinical mastitis in the offspring were not associated with MSCC (P > 0.05). But offspring in MSCC5 category produced less milk, fat and protein than offspring in MSCC1 category (P < 0.05). In addition, AMH concentration was lower in MSCC5 than MSCC1 category (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the present study showed that elevated maternal average monthly SCC could culminate in birth of offspring with inferior reproductive performance, smaller size of ovarian reserves and lower level of milk production during the first lactation period.

Optimal pricing strategy for electric vehicle battery swapping: Pay-per-swap or subscription?

Electric vehicles (EVs) contribute to carbon emission reduction, but the limitations of existing charging technologies impose a bottleneck to their further diffusion. Addressing the root issues of long waiting time and range anxiety, battery swapping demonstrates great market potential. A swapping service provider may choose between two pricing strategies based on battery rental: pay-per-swap and subscription. This study establishes a game-theoretical model to portray a simplified EV replenishment market including one charging station, one swapping station, and one battery renter, and explores the optimal pricing strategy. To capture the influence of consumer preferences, the model considers high versus low opportunity cost of time. In either scenario, consumers choose between charging and swapping to maximize surplus utility. Equilibrium prices, demands, and profits under pay-per-swap and subscription strategies are obtained through backward induction. The results indicate that pricing strategy choice-making hinges on provider-side operating cost, battery depreciation and reserve size, as well as consumer-side time sensitivity and opportunity cost. Numerical and extended analyses suggest that the subscription strategy is conducive to initial market development, whereas the more consumer-friendly pay-per-swap strategy is preferred afterwards.

Impact of Geographical Diversification on Credit Risk of Microfinance Organizations in Armenia

This paper analyzes the existence of relationship between credit risk and the geographical diversification of financial institutions, originating from emerging countries. Due to economic unstable situation in the world caused by Covid-19, credit portfolios of banks and MFIs caused negatively which in some situations can lead to default. In the current situation, it became necessary to discover new approaches to credit risk management and new researches to be done. For this purpose, financial indicators of MFIs operating in Armenia were evaluated and Pearson analysis of MFIs data, risks & profitability efficiency calculation was made to take out impact of diversification of MFIs on credit risk reduction. Both international literature and practical data of MFIs operating in Armenia were identified. Another research was made for taking out the number of branches and credit risk correlation. Our findings show that geographic diversification is statistically significant with the expansion of gross loans. In contrast, empirical results suggest that the geographical diversification of MFIs does not have a significant correlation with the size of the credit risk reserve, which means that the representation of MFIs in different regions in the form of branches will not always lead to credit risk reduction, and in some cases may lead to operational risks and additional costs. We adopt cost funding and assets size variables impact assessment evaluation through instrumental variables method. Our results confirm the endogenous nature of those variables with risk level of MFIs.

Підвищення ефективності управління технологічним процесом доставки на основі аналізу статичних та динамічних резервів транспортної системи

The nature of static and dynamic reserves of the transport system and the degree of their influence on the technological process of delivery are given. The structure of flows connecting a specific supplier and consumer is considered. It was found that dynamic reserves are management reserves, and their size is determined by the amount by which static reserves can be reduced. The classification of dynamic reserves is given, the conditions of their occurrence are described, and interaction schemes are given. It is shown that assigning the priority of one of the jets in the flows of the transport system leads to the acceleration of the passage of one jet at the expense of slowing down the other (others), and the delays are transferred from one jet to another while maintaining their total amount, that is, at an unchanged average speed of the flows. It was found that the acceleration of the flow leads to the release of a certain group of vehicles, which can be used as a reserve, and when it slows down, on the contrary, additional vehicles are absorbed due to an increase in their number on the road. There are also a number of technological mechanisms for speeding up and slowing down the progress of flows. It has been found that the transport system can actively adapt to changes in the rhythms of senders and receivers due to the management of stream jets, but the possibilities of its adaptation are quite limited. And therefore, if the rhythms of the jets in the flow are too much out of sync, there is a possibility of a moment when reliable transport communication cannot be ensured and the transport system begins to play the role of limitation. It was found that the set of dynamic reserves allows to significantly increase the efficiency of the transport system in conditions of unevenness, but it requires the development of new approaches to the principles and methods of optimization, as well as the choice of effective work organization. It is assumed that the management capabilities and the size of the dynamic reserves of the transport system are greater, the more different jets are released in the flow, and therefore the greater the diversity in the subsystems, the more noticeable is the effect of organization, combining them into a single system.

Activin Stimulates Follicle Formation and Activation and Modulates Steroidogenesis in Fetal Bovine Ovarian Tissue in Vitro 1

The earliest stages of ovarian follicular development, follicle formation and development of the capacity to activate, are critical to the size of the ovarian reserve. In primates and most domestic animals, these stages occur during fetal life and thus, are difficult to study. Our laboratory has used cattle, an excellent model for human ovarian development, to elucidate the regulation of these early stages in fetal bovine ovarian tissue in vitro. The experiments described here were designed to determine if fetal bovine ovaries have activin A and its receptors and if activin A affects follicular formation and/or activation to begin growth. During the second trimester, when follicles first form, activin increased the total number follicles and the number of primary (activated) follicles in cultured ovarian cortical pieces, compared to control medium; its effects were similar to the positive control, insulin. During the second trimester, activin decreased primordial follicle numbers and increased primary and secondary follicles, again mimicking the positive control. Our previous experiments showed that fetal ovaries produce ovarian steroids, particularly during the second trimester, and that estradiol and progesterone inhibit follicle formation and activation. In control and gonadotropin-treated ovarian pieces, activin A increased progesterone, but decreased androstenedione and estradiol accumulation in the medium. Messenger RNA for activin and its type II receptors was detected in fetal bovine ovaries, with ACVR2A receptor mRNA more abundant than ACVR2B. Immunohistochemistry localized mRNA for activin A and ACVR2A to germ cells of all stages, granulosa cells, and theca cells of early secondary follicles. Staining for ACVR2B was weaker and mostly confined to germ calls. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that activin A of fetal ovarian origin 3 plays a role in ovarian development by promoting follicle formation and activation and modulating ovarian steroidogenesis.

Measurement and Research on the Adequate Size of China's Foreign Exchange Reserves

Measurement and Research on the Adequate Size of China's Foreign Exchange Reserves

РЕГІОНАЛЬНІ МІНЕРАЛЬНО-СИРОВИННІ БАЗИ – КЛЮЧОВИЙ ФАКТОР У ВІДБУДОВІ УКРАЇНИ У ВОЄННИЙ І ПОВОЄННИЙ ПЕРІОДИ

In the study, an analysis of the regional components of the mineral and raw material base of Ukraine was carried out, and its structure was determined. Regions were analyzed according to a number of basic characteristics: the intensity of subsoil use, minerals production, the level of geological study, the level of industrial development of explored mineral reserves, and the presence of strategically important minerals. It was determined that the main disadvantage of individual regional components of the mineral raw material base is the uneven distribution of reserves and inferred resources, as well as the asymmetric distribution of consumers of mineral raw materials. The changes in the regional structure of the mineral and raw material base of Ukraine were analyzed and directions for their optimization were determined in order to achieve balanced indicators of development. The results indicate significant differences in the structure of the mineral base of individual regions. The number of mineral deposits varies significantly – from ≈100 to ≈700, exploited deposits – from 35 to ≈300. The average values of these indicators in Ukraine are 348 and 130 objects. The average rate of objects involved in industrial development by region is 37%. Characteristics such as the structure of explored reserves by type of minerals and the size and quality of reserves are determined. In order to provide the regions with construction materials and fuel resources in a timely and continuous manner, an up-to-date reassessment of the regional mineral and raw material bases is necessary, taking into account the damages and violations that occurred as a result of military operations, and with the assessment of modern needs and opportunities of the damaged infrastructure.

Influence of reservoir characteristics on size of hydrocarbon reserves in natural reservoirs

The article discusses some of the main criteria that determine the size of reserves in hydrocarbon fields. It is noted that large-scale oil and gas accumulation is possible in natural reservoirs that meet certain conditions. Reservoirs with good characteristics, in the presence of a powerful source of replenishment of hydrocarbons, can form larger deposits with sufficient trap volumes in the natural reservoir. With a homogeneous reservoir with high characteristics, the distribution area of hydrocarbon accumulation can be more concentrated. Heterogeneous reservoirs more often generate hydrocarbon accumulations scattered over the area. Using the example of unique and large deposits in the junction zone of the Yenisei- Khatanga regional trough with the West Siberian depression, a dependence with a high correlation coefficient between the value of hydrocarbon deposits and the effective volume of the trap, which is determined by the effective thickness of the reservoir and the area of distribution of the trap in the natural reservoir, was obtained. In the area of the Vankorskoye , Tagulskoye and Vostochno-Messoyakhskoye fields, the collectors of the Yakovlevskaya and Nizhnekhetskaya formations with the highest oil and gas saturation have the maximum effective capacity and distribution area. Keywords: collector; trap; effective volume; natural reservoirs; large-scale oil and gas accumulation; hydrocarbon reserves.

The Impact of the Corona Pandemic on the Size of Provisions and Reserves in Jordanian Islamic Banks

The study aimed to find out the difference between the average Provisions and Reserves of Jordanian Islamic Banks during the years 2018 and 2021, before and after the Corona Pandemic. The study consisted of the three Jordanian Islamic Banks. The study followed the descriptive approach and the T-test for two related samples Test. The study found that; Although there is a strong correlation between the income tax provision before and after the Corona Pandemic, the Pandemic did not have a significant impact on the average Provisions and Reserves as a whole, before and after the Corona Pandemic. The study also showed that the size of the Islamic Bank was affected by a positive relative change before and after the Corona Pandemic, and this may be attributed to the nature of the operations of Jordanian Islamic Banks. The study recommended the importance of building Provisions and Reserves in Islamic Banks, according to the actual need for Islamic bank operations.

Characterizing the ramps and noise in solar power imbalances

The output of solar photovoltaic resources can be variable, with the power variability manifesting across multiple time scales. Several studies characterize the impacts of variability on system operations but there is limited literature available on how this variability needs to be modeled. This paper decomposes high resolution solar power measurements into metered average, ramp and noise components. With explicit consideration of average values and the imbalance power around the average, the proposed approach is able to consider the dispatch practices which use average values across dispatch intervals while the supply/demand changes continuously. The ramp component captures this disconnect while the noise reflects the natural variations in the solar output due to cloud transitions and other factors. The models proposed here allow us to identify the ramp components even when high frequency measurements are not available. A case study of actual field measurements of solar generation is presented to demonstrate how noise reduces with spatial aggregation while the ramp component persists in terms of magnitude across higher aggregations. A use case for the ramp component for balancing reserve sizing is also presented compared with the conventional one.

Benchmarking eleven biodiversity indicators based on environmental DNA surveys: More diverse functional traits and evolutionary lineages inside marine reserves

Abstract To mitigate the ongoing threats to coastal ecosystems, and the biodiversity erosion they are causing, marine‐protected areas (MPAs) have emerged as powerful and widespread conservation tools. Strictly no‐take MPAs, also called marine reserves, undeniably promote fish biomass and density, but it remains unclear how biodiversity responds to protection. Identifying which facets of biodiversity respond to protection is critical for the management of MPAs and the development of relevant conservation strategies towards the achievement of biodiversity targets. We collected 99 environmental DNA (eDNA) samples inside and outside nine marine reserves in the Mediterranean Sea to assess the effect of protection on 11 biodiversity indicators based on fish traits, phylogeny and vulnerability to fishing. We controlled for the effect of environmental heterogeneity (habitat, bathymetry, productivity, temperature and accessibility) using a principal component analysis, and for spatial autocorrelation due to potential unmeasured factors. We found a positive and significant effect of protection on only 3 out of 11 indicators: functional and phylogenic diversity but also the ratio between demerso‐pelagic and benthic species richness. Rather, total fish richness responded significantly and negatively to protection. We did not detect any significant effect of protection on threatened and elasmobranch species richness, probably due to their large home range compared to the size of Mediterranean marine reserves. Synthesis and applications: Our findings highlight the importance of looking beyond the mere number of species to fully depict and understand the effect of marine reserves on biodiversity and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation measures. Rather, we propose a dashboard of three eDNA‐based indicators that can provide an early signal of ecosystem deterioration or recovery. eDNA metabarcoding offers a powerful tool to supply site‐specific and standardized taxonomic‐, phylogenetic‐ and trait‐based biodiversity assessments, in complement to other classical techniques, such as visual censuses or video surveys, able to estimate species abundance but also individual life‐stage and size.