Temporary Shutdowns Research Articles

Dancing Towards the End—Ecological Oscillations in Mediterranean Coral Reefs Prior to the Messinian Salinity Crisis (Calcare di Rosignano Formation, Acquabona, Tuscany, Italy)

The lower Messinian Calcare di Rosignano Formation (Tuscany, Italy, 43° N) preserves one of the youngest and northernmost examples of coral reefs in the Mediterranean. The outcropping succession of the Acquabona quarry consists of four main facies, namely, in ascending stratigraphic order: (1) coral boundstone, (2) coralline algal rudstone, (3) serpulid floatstone to packstone, and (4) peloidal packstone to grainstone. The succession displays a trend toward increasingly more shallow conditions and progressively more restricted water circulation. The coral reef displays a limited coral biodiversity and a remarkable abundance of heterotrophs, similar to modern coral reefs developed at the edges of the ecological niche of symbiont-bearing colonial corals. The widespread presence of coral colonies pervasively encrusted by coralline algae and benthic foraminifera suggests that short-term environmental perturbations caused temporary shutdowns of the coral-dominated carbonate factory. Moving upwards, there are fewer corals and more highly adaptable carbonate producers like coralline algae and serpulids. This suggests that the decline of corals had been caused by the conditions in the basin becoming more stressful, up to the collapse of the coral community. The overall succession indicates that coral-dominated ecosystems located at the edges of the coral zone are very sensitive; they can be affected even by minor perturbations and easily collapse if negative conditions persist.

Spatio-temporal Spread of Disruptions in Interconnected Supply Networks

Abstract. The article investigates the spatio-temporal propagation of disruption effects in supply networks using shipment data from an international retailer during the year of 2021, marked by various disruptions in the global shipping industry. Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the blockage of the Suez Canal caused significant disruptions, including congestion and temporary shutdowns of ports. The network effect of such disruptions is measured as network connectivity using node strength in a weighted graph. Analysis of the data reveals a decrease in mean traveling speed and an unexpected decrease in speed variation following the Suez Canal blockage. The impact of the typhoon in China, while notable, was less significant than that of port closures due to COVID-19, likely due to its shorter duration. Evaluation of the spatio-temporal spread indicates, that port shutdowns due to COVID affected some routes from Asia to Europe and Australia, while others remained unaffected, potentially due to company-specific factors or differing supply patterns in various destinations. Future research aims to extend the analysis to include hinterland transportation to distribution centers and stores, where clearer spatio-temporal patterns may emerge, potentially confirmed through tests for spatio-temporal autocorrelation.

COVID-19 hotspot detection in a university setting.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic commenced an era of widespread disruptions in the academic world, including shut downs, periodic shifts to online learning, and disengagement from students. In an effort to transition back to in-person learning, many universities and schools tried to implement policy that balanced student learning with community health. While academic administrators have little control over some aspects of COVID-19 spread, they often choose to use temporary shutdowns of in-person teaching based on perceived hotspots of COVID-19. Specifically, if administrators have substantial evidence of within-group transmission for a class or other academic unit (a "hotspot"), the activities of that class or division of the university might be temporarily moved online. In this article, we describe an approach used to make these types of decisions. Using demographic information and weekly COVID-19 testing outcomes for university students, we use an XGBoost model that produces an estimated probability of testing positive for each student. We discuss variables engineered from the demographic information that increased model fit. As part of our approach, we simulate semesters under the null hypothesis of no in-class transmission, and compare the distribution of simulated outcomes to the observed group positivity rates to find an initial p-value for each group (e.g., section, housing area, or major). Using a simulation-based modification of a standard false discovery rate procedure, we identify possible hot spots-classes or groups whose COVID-19 rates exceed the levels expected for the demographic mix of students in each group of interest. We use simulation experiments and an anonymized example from Fall 2020 to illustrate the performance of our approach. While our example is based on hotspot detection in a university setting, the approach can be used for monitoring the spread of infectious disease within any interconnected organization or population.

ANFIS controller for photovoltaic inverter transient and voltage stability enhancement

Grid operations are evolving as a result of the extension of existing huge scope inverter-based power stations and sun oriented (PV) power plants. In light of these alterations, the grid code has been updated to mandate the use of inverter based. In the event of grid failure, power plants should remain online and offer dynamic backup. The term “momentary cessation of operation” is commonly used to describe this characteristic. Very little is known about how PV power plants' temporary shutdowns contribute to the larger issue of unstable power supplies, and very few studies have been published on the topic. While trying to settle this issue, this study offers an ANFIS regulator engineering for PV inverters to work on that ephemeral solidness about coordinated dynamo associated through this network. This examination shows how each direct electric current connect condensers on that solar cell inverter might be utilized to assimilate a piece of the dynamic energy put away in the coordinated machine during the brief delays by utilizing the ANFIS regulator framework introduced. Besides, the recommended approach further develops voltage solidness by infusing responsive power. The viability of the recommended control system is affirmed by the introduced exploratory and reproduced discoveries.

Impact of Digitalization of Sales on the Profitability of the Restaurant Industry during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the restaurant industry. Temporary shutdowns and seating capacity restrictions led to a sharp drop in sales. In this scenario, digitalization emerged as a crucial strategy for business survival, offering opportunities to increase restaurants’ competitiveness and revenues. This study examines the financial profitability of restaurants during 2020, comparing establishments with digital sales tools to those without. Multiple linear regression results indicate that liquidity, sales growth, restaurant size, and having a website directly influenced profitability. In addition, restaurants with their own online ordering and home delivery services or associated with delivery platforms experienced lower profitability losses. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of digitalization in the restaurant sector during the pandemic, providing valuable practical and theoretical implications for the industry in similar contexts.

Rationalization of Electrical Energy Consumption in Households through the Use of Cheap IoT Module with Cloud Data Storage

This article explores mechanisms to enhance the efficient utilization of renewable energy sources (RES), with a particular emphasis on photovoltaic installations. One such strategy involves implementing a customized electricity rate system for individual consumers. This paper discusses the potential economic and environmental benefits of transitioning from a flat-rate tariff to a time-of-day tariff. This modification can lead to increased energy consumption during off-peak hours, aligning with occasional periods of photovoltaic installations’ overproduction, which might require their temporary shutdowns. The energy that could be produced by RES is supplied by conventional power plants (mostly coal-fueled). Not only does this have negative effects on the environment, but it also increases energy costs. In order to make an informed decision regarding the change of tariff, the consumer must be aware of its potential benefits and drawbacks. The article introduces an IoT-based, cost-effective system with cloud data storage for monitoring residential electricity consumption, offering various features, including an assessment of the financial viability of switching tariffs. This system has been operational for more than six months in real installation, encouraging homeowners to transition from a flat rate tariff to time-of-day tariff and optimize their use of electrical appliances. The article presents the potential benefits of this action, encompassing both financial aspects for users of the installation and environmental protection issues.

DYNAMIC CAPABILITY, TECHNOLOGICAL ABILITY, INNOVATION AMBIDEXTERITY, AND AGILE LEADERSHIP: A HYPOTHESIZED RESILIENCY MODEL FOR PET CARE SERVICE MSME PROPRIETORS OF THE PHILIPPINES

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected businesses, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises. In the Philippines, over 70% of MSMEs have experienced cash flow problems which resulted in layoffs, temporary shutdowns, or worst, permanent closure. This experience served as an eye-opener for entrepreneurs engaged even policymakers to make business pandemic-proof or resilient. One sector that is affected severely is pet care services. During the early months of the pandemic, pet care services temporarily closed in compliance with Philippine government regulations. While some managed to resume their operations gradually, around 70% failed to recover and decided to close their business pet care shops indefinitely. This study aims to propose a hypothesized model that shows the different factors that affect business resiliency using a systematic literature review. The results of this exploratory study will be used as a basis for a quantitative study that will measure the relationship between the variables identified in the literature review.

COVID 19 AND GENDER ROLE: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON WOMEN IN INDIA AND RUSSIA

The Covid-19 pandemic has devasted the world’s peace by creating terror and brought the world to a protracted crisis of health, economy, education, and livelihood. The dreaded pandemic has continued to wreak havoc on the routine life of humans, especially bringing staggering consequences for women worldwide. Due to the lockdowns and temporary shutdowns, the pandemic has aggravated the existing gender inequality with ample workload on women in the domestic spheres. This paper has done a comparative analysis of the status of women during covid-19 in Indian and Russian society. Gender inequality has increased during the Covid-19 that women from the workforce disappeared; women lost their job as domestic helpers in the cities, and there is massive job loss for women as it is difficult for them to re-enter the workforce in post-lockdowns. In India, women are culturally bound by the social and family expectations that they take time off for kids or family. Ultimately, they face the problem of job loss. In Russia, where the percentage of women is more in the workforce, they abide by the traditional values of family roles and have no time for their productive work. Domestic violence against women is a common issue and deeply rooted in societies of both countries, which have become doubled in India and increased two and half times in Russia during the pandemic. The paper critically explores how the Covid-19 pandemic has provided social, economic, and psychological hardships for women in both countries. Secondly, it asserts how the increased workload in lockdown and the job loss in the pandemic affect the women in India and Russia. Thirdly, it studies the increasing domestic violence cases as a significant physical and emotional damage to women during the pandemic. The paper further examines the state’s response to the women’s issues during the covid-19 pandemic. The study is analytical, descriptive, and primarily based on secondary data from India and Russia. KEYWORDS: Pandemic, Covid-19, Gender role, Women, Domestic violence, Gender equality, India, and Russia.

Editorial

Editorial

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

Temporary shutdowns of the high-head run-of-river HPP Fieschertal to prevent excessive turbine erosion during floods

Hydro-abrasive erosion on hydraulic turbines is economically and energetically important. To better understand the causes and consequences of turbine erosion and to further develop mitigation measures, the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and size distribution of mineral particles in the turbine water of the 64 MW high-head run-of-river hydropower plant (HPP) Fieschertal, Switzerland, have been continuously measured since 2012. An innovative combination of measuring techniques is used: turbidimeters, single-frequency acoustics, densimetry, laser diffraction and gravimetric analysis of water samples. Automatic warnings have been defined in the HPP’s control system to allow for systematic HPP shutdowns when the SSC in the valve chamber exceeds the threshold value of 10 g/l for at least 15 minutes. During the flood of July 29 and 30, 2017 with an SSC peak of 110 g/l, the intake was closed and the HPP was shut down for half a day. This prevented about 8000 tons of fine sediment from entering the HPP, which corresponds to 9 % of the turbines’ annual suspended sediment load (SSL) in 2017, or 12 % of the SSL in an average year without a significant flood. If the intake had been closed one hour earlier, the SSL could have been further reduced by about 3000 tons. For an earlier closing of the intake in case of floods, the turbidimeter at the intake shall be complemented by an additional instrument capable of measuring also medium to high SSC. Apart from the described flood event, SSC peaks in the range of 5 to 20 g/l occurring typically in late summer were attributed to re-suspension events in the storage tunnel due to HPP operation.

The Canadian pork industry and COVID‐19: A year of resilience

While COVID‐19 had the potential to be extremely disruptive to the Canadian pork supply chain, the sector showed resiliency by adjusting to market changes to ensure industry continuation. Unlike other non‐agricultural firms that were mandated to close at times, the pork sector was deemed an essential service and allowed to continue operating throughout the pandemic. Evidence of this resiliency is seen in three main ways. First, market access to the United States was maintained for both live pigs and pork exports. Second, Canada not only maintained market share in global pork exports, but it also actually increased shipments because of strong demand from China caused by African swine fever. Third, the challenges of processing plant closures and labour shortages were overcome in a variety of ways including increasing interprovincial shipments and increasing live pig exports to the United States. Pork consumption on a per capita basis continued the historical downward trend, and it is expected that consumers will return to their normal consumption patterns (e.g., dining at restaurants) despite job losses. At the meat processing level, it is anticipated that there will be an acceleration in the process to automate.

Management of lung transplantation in the COVID-19 era-An international survey.

It is unknown if solid organ transplant recipients are at higher risk for severe COVID-19. The management of a lung transplantation (LTx) program and the therapeutic strategies to adapt the immunosuppressive regimen and antiviral measures is a major issue in the COVID-19 era, but little is known about worldwide practice. We sent out to 180 LTx centers worldwide in June 2020 a survey with 63 questions, both regarding the management of a LTx program in the COVID-19 era and the therapeutic strategies to treat COVID-19 LTx recipients. We received a total of 78 responses from 15 countries. Among participants, 81% declared a reduction of the activity and 47% restricted LTx for urgent cases only. Sixteen centers observed deaths on waiting listed patients and eight centers performed LTx for COVID-19 disease. In 62% of the centers, COVID-19 was diagnosed in LTx recipients, most of them not severe cases. The most common immunosuppressive management included a decreased dose or pausing of the cell cycle inhibitors. Remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin were the most proposed antiviral strategies. Most of the centers have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and proposed an active therapeutic strategy to treat LTx recipients with COVID-19.

Voltage Sag Compensation Using Dynamic Voltage Restorer

Power quality plays a very important vital role in the modern utility grid where sensitive loads are employed. Equipment damage, temporary shutdowns, product quality degradation and Voltage Sag are the major problem associated with power quality. Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) is a powerful device which is used to improve voltage mitigation of weak buses associated in a multi-bus system. This paper incorporates the functional performance of DVR during voltage sag in the power system. Penetrating a voltage of required magnitude and frequency to restore the voltage across the load within the desired amplitude is the main objective of DVR. The proposed work based on modeling and simulation of DVR, in a closed-loop control of an eight bus system. Voltage compensation is done effectively using DVR in the Closed loop FLC controlled system and its analyzed with PID Controlled system. The simulation result shows Closed loop FLC system using DVR is observed to be faster than PID controlled systems.

The temporary shutdown decision: Lessons from the Great Recession

The temporary shutdown condition provides guidance on dealing with a serious transitory downturn in demand. The traditional condition says managers should stop production when revenues fall below avoidable costs. This condition is flawed because it ignores how lost human capital and reputational damage harm future profits. As a consequence, firms may optimally operate with losses far larger than stipulated by the traditional condition. We provide the first broad empirical analysis of the temporary shutdown decision, focusing on the Great Recession. We show that large operating losses were common and temporary shutdowns were exceedingly rare, even among very small public firms.

10-year trends in the number of board-certified paediatricians and the ratio of paediatricians to children in China: an analysis of nationwide data

BackgroundIn recent years, the shortage of paediatricians in China has led to delays in paediatric care and temporary shutdowns of paediatric clinics in many regional hospitals. Such phenomena and events have caused widespread anxiety in the public. The aim of this study is to examine the severity of the shortage of paediatricians. The findings may provide new insight for this health-care crisis. MethodsThe total number of board-certified paediatricians from 2007 to 2016 was analysed using the annual reports from the China Health and Family Planning Statistical Yearbooks published by the Chinese government. The total number of children was analysed using annual reports from the National Bureau of Statistics. These sources covered 31 provinces (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan were not included). FindingsFrom 2007 to 2016, the total number of board-certified paediatricians nationwide continued to grow year on year from 80 671 to 127 640, and the number of board-certified paediatricians per 1000 children increased from 3.14 to 5.55. Of note, this ratio increased even after the two-child policy was implemented in China in early 2016. However, the current number still indicates a projected shortage of at least 72 460 board-certified paediatricians by 2020. InterpretationThe finding seems to support a steady 10-year annual rise in both the total number of board-certified paediatricians and the ratio of board-certified paediatricians to children. However, this is still far from meeting needs. Furthermore, in the first white paper of paediatric resources, another government-commissioned nationwide survey showed that among paediatricians who were practicing clinically, 14 310 left their profession between 2011 and 2014. As a result, there is a potential gap between the numbers of board-certified paediatricians and those actually in clinical practice. Systemic factors that may contribute to the quitting and burnout of paediatricians should be addressed directly. FundingThis study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 81173424), Ministry of Education of China (grant number 081002609), and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (grant number 2014-JYBZZ-XS-134).

MetaSync: Coordinating Storage across Multiple File Synchronization Services

Cloud-based file synchronization services such as Dropbox are a worldwide resource for many millions of users. However, individual services often have tight resource limits, suffer from temporary outages or shutdowns, and sometimes silently corrupt or leak user data. As a solution, the authors design, implement, and evaluate MetaSync, a secure and reliable file synchronization service using multiple cloud synchronization services as untrusted storage providers. To provide global consistency among the storage providers, the authors devise a novel variant of Paxos that enables efficient updates on top of the unmodified APIs exported by each service. MetaSync provides better availability and performance, stronger confidentiality and integrity, and larger storage for end users.

Has the Fukushima accident influenced short-term consumption in the evolution of nuclear energy? An analysis of the world and seven leading countries

In 2013 registered nuclear power consumption in several countries, including France, Germany, and other OECD members, declined. In this paper, we focus on nuclear consumption leaders and explore, through diffusion models, whether and to what extent Fukushima accident had a short-term effect on these countries' consumption dynamics. Safety checks, performed after the accident caused temporary shutdowns in production but not all of them were significant enough to modify nuclear energy evolution. Then, we compared the evolutionary behavior estimated through the entire time series and that obtained by excluding the last three observations (2011–2013): what would the forecasts have been before Fukushima? Significant short-term effects were identified in 2011–2013 at the global level, for France, and South Korea, while they have not been identified for the US, Germany, and Russia. About the medium-term evolution predicted by the models, we identified countries with declining consumption (the US, France, Germany and South Korea) and with increasing consumption (China, Russia, and Canada). At the global level a declining trend is predicted.

Social License to Operate as a Business Strategy

Social License to Operate (SLO) can provide a strategy to understand the society and culture in which a company might wish to do business. Although the requirements of the company structure (corporate, private, or public) and governmental regulations must be met, they do not guarantee that a business will be successful operating in new territory. By aiming at a Social License to Operate granted from the stakeholders that are important to the business, a company can decrease the incidents of complaints to governments and even temporary shut-downs by the government. Social License to Operate is based on a United Nations initiative that required industries that operate in the territories of indigenous people to secure free, prior, and informed consent from those people, but is outside the legally granted right to operate a business. The paper considers stakeholder theory to determine who the stakeholders are that should be involved in granting a Social License to Operate. It then describes examples of the use of Social License to Operate in different countries by different companies. By gaining a license to operate from stakeholders, a company can create a level of trust on which to build partnerships and allow business decisions to be made more efficiently.

Nuclear Power and Radioactive Contamination

Nuclear power was designed to produce electric power. Each part of the chain from uranium mining to handling of the waste is linked to serious contamination risks, however. Uranium mining is generally linked to local to regional contamination. The fuel production also produces depleted uranium at a ratio of 1:7. The reactors are operating under danger of accidents. Numerous minor accidents and endless temporary shut-downs are occasionally mixed with disastrous accidents. The Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) accidents are notorious. The radioactive contamination from those accidents is still incomprehensible and will keep serious destructions of the environment for centuries to come. The handling of the high-level nuclear waste remains unsolved. Methods proposed in Sweden, Finland and France seem likely to lead to disastrous radioactive contaminations in the future. The only way out of this dilemma seems to be a disposal where the waste, though effectively sealed-off in the bedrock, remains accessible and controllable. At present, the “cost & benefit” balance seems strongly tilted over to the “far too costly side”, however.