scholarly journals Better Understanding the Catastrophe Risk in Interconnection and Comprehensive Disaster Risk Defense Capability, with Special Reference to China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1793
Author(s):  
Feng Kong ◽  
Shao Sun
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Reserve Capacity ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Catastrophe Risk ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Impact ◽  
National Resource

Catastrophe risk governance has become one of the key issues affecting global sustainable development. As great changes have taken place in the global social ecosystem, the degree of interconnection between different regions in today’s society is much greater than ever before. Various types of contact networks, e.g., the production chain and supply chain, have been created, which provide diversified channels for the spread of catastrophe risk across time and space. In the context of interconnection, this paper first analyzes the drastic changes of the current disaster risk system. Severe catastrophe risk has posed a great threat to the highly growing international trade, and has also tested the capabilities of national comprehensive disaster defense. Thus, this paper analyzes the main characteristics of China’s comprehensive disaster defense capability, including physical, social, and humanistic defense capability. Finally, this paper puts forward the key points to resolve catastrophe risk from the perspective of decision-makers, including improving the decision-makers’ ability to study and judge the catastrophe chain and the impact of catastrophe, and the national resource reserve capacity to cope with the catastrophe.

FRAMEWORK FOR PLANNING CAPACITIES TO MAXIMIZE THE FEASIBLE RESILIENCE OF NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkaprabha Bhattacharyya ◽  
Makarand Hastak
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Network System ◽  
System Building ◽  
Recovery Capacity ◽  
Infrastructure Network ◽  
Natural Disaster Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Post Disaster

Infrastructures are connected between themselves and their connections form a complex network. Disaster impacted infrastructures have a reduced level of serviceability. The impact of the reduction of serviceability of disaster-affected infrastructures cascades through the entire infrastructure network. The recovery capacity of the network governs the recovery curve of a disaster-impacted infrastructure network system. Moreover, the speed of recovery of the infrastructure network from a post-disaster condition to the pre-disaster condition dictates the resilience of the system. Building these capacities requires spending money. The extent of resilience that can be afforded under a given budget situation is termed as the feasible resilience. This paper presents a framework for planning the capacities so that the feasible resilience of the network can be maximized under a budget situation. To achieve the said objective, the recovery time of a disaster-affected infrastructure network has been minimized. The outcome is the optimal restorative capacities the network needs to have so that the feasible resilience is maximized under a specified budget condition. The outcomes can be used by the decision-makers in natural disaster risk mitigation planning.

Factors driving indebtedness among small- and medium-sized dairy companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-175
Author(s):  
Alberto Mazzoleni ◽  
Enrica Pollonini
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Financial Structure ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeWe developed a model to demonstrate how multiple interrelated aspects of a firm influence its recourse to third-party financing, which frequently depends on the characteristics of each food production chain.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted an empirical research on a relevant sample of small- and medium-sized Italian dairy firms. Our research methodology is inspired by the grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967).FindingsOur findings illustrated that firm indebtedness is the result of intertwined variables, linked to different firm dimensions, including growth, financial structure and economic dynamics.Research limitations/implicationsA portion of the analysed phenomenon is not explained using the sample and econometric tools.Practical implicationsThere are practical implications for the decision-makers in a firm (in particular, the managers and the shareholders) as the model allows to evaluate the influence of a set of mutually interdependent firm variables for the indebtedness level.Originality/valueFirst, we considered the recourse to third-party financing within the context of the systems theory (Millová and Blatný, 2015) and from the perspective of linked causes and mutually connected variables. Second, our research focussed on a well-defined food chain and on features of firms operating in this context. Last, our model considered the impact of the recent economic crisis, which motivated us to review the existing models.

scholarly journals When Disaster Risk Management Systems Fail: The Case of Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edson Munsaka ◽  
Chipo Mudavanhu ◽  
Lucy Sakala ◽  
Pepukai Manjeru ◽  
Diego Matsvange
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Disaster Risk Management ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Method Approach

AbstractOn 14 March 2019, Zimbabwe was hit by Cyclone Idai, leaving immeasurable destruction of unprecedented magnitude in its wake. In Chimanimani District, many lives were lost, many people were reported missing, and others were displaced. The question that immediately comes to mind is: Was the country prepared to manage the Cyclone Idai disaster? Reflecting on the community experiences, the purpose of this research was to interrogate the strength of the disaster risk reduction legislation and institutions in Zimbabwe in the face of meteorological hazards. The research also evaluated the extent of the impact Cyclone Idai had on the Chimanimani communities and the factors that increased the vulnerability to the cyclone. A mixed method approach that involved 1180 participants was used. The study found that disaster risk management legislation and institutions in Zimbabwe are weak. Cyclone Idai resulted in the loss of many human lives, loss of livelihoods, and massive damage to infrastructure. The cyclone exposed capacity and policy gaps in Zimbabwe’s disaster risk management system. The study makes a number of recommendations, including strengthening disaster legislation and policy, and disaster risk governance. Given the communities’ response to the disaster occurrence, the study also recommends strengthening social capital.

Congratulatory Message

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-578
Author(s):  
Hongey Chen ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Disaster Research ◽  
Effective Response

The tenth anniversary of the Journal of Disaster Research presents a worthy occasion for noting the Journal’s ongoing contributions to progressively reducing disaster risk while improving emergency preparedness. The Journal’s 58 issues have offered an efficient and enlightened venue for researchers, NGOs, NPOs, and officials to report findings, new methodologies, risk problems, and calls for collaborations related to disasters. Through mutual interactive learning processes, the Journal effectively encourages greater international opportunities for coworking and codesigning new agendas for research topics related to disaster. Every new disaster happens challenges us to work toward a greater understanding of natural hazards, physical and social vulnerability, human behavior, and the coping capabilities of our society. The fact that gaps are always to be found in our understanding requires that we make joint efforts to fill these gaps through the cross-boundary sharing of knowledge and experience. Within the last ten years, increasingly frequent and devastating catastrophes have pushed ever onward to identify areas of interdisciplinary collaboration for developing integrated, broadspectrum solutions for reducing disaster risk and enhancing resilience. The advocacy of cross-cutting synergy among the social sciences, natural sciences, traditional engineering and information technology is one of the keys focused on and implemented by the authors and editors of the Journal of Disaster Research in exploring new approaches to understanding disaster risk. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) in March endorsed moving forward based on the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). The SFDRR emphasizes increasingly active global participation of science and technology in fulfill the priorities pointing in key directions for our work. The first among the four top issues is “understanding risk,” followed by “Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk,” “Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience,” and “Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to ‘Build Back Better’ in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.” No matter whether you are a scientist, engineer, social worker, volunteer or government official, you will be taking part in creating and sharing illustrative and effective measures motivating and supplementing efforts in disaster risk reduction. The adverse, cascading impact wrought by disasters are evolving with the swift pace of population growth, urbanization, economic development, environmental degradation, and climate change. Their expanding impact requires ever more diverse and tailor-made solutions. Knowledge transformation changing mindsets must be based on solid research output such as that published in the Journal of Disaster Research. To solve problems, we must work hard to foster teamwork with decision makers who hold the keys to disaster risk management. Ensuring the best communication in disaster risk depends on how we work to change the landscape of disaster risk reduction. A demand-based approach to answering the inquiries of decision makers should be designed and developed to leverage policies and evidence-based knowledge. The concept of the common operating picture, for example, is an ideal tool for raising comprehensive situational awareness in emergency operations. Because scientific output is well organized and systemically displayed on geospatial platforms, disaster response efficiency and effectiveness have made great strides in modern science and technology. Likewise, collaboration with grassroots-level residents and stakeholders includes the obligation by the scientific community to build up and support these efforts. I expect the Journal of Disaster Research to continue leading the disaster research community in synergizing efforts and crystallizing wisdom making our world ever safer and more resilient.

The impact of cultural factors on attachment dynamics: a view from Irish society

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-223
Author(s):  
Michael O’Toole
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Emotional Development ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Seamus Heaney ◽  
Irish Society ◽  
Irish Context ◽  
Key Points ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

In this article I examine aspects of the relationship between mothers and sons from an attachment perspective in an Irish context. Through the works of Irish writers such as Seamus Heaney, John McGahern, and Colm Tóibín, I focus on particular aspects of this relationship, which fails to support the developmental processes of separation and individuation in the many men who come to me for psychotherapy. I illustrate key points concerning this attachment dynamic through the use of clinical examples of my work with two men from my practice. While acknowledging that many other cultural factors play a significant role in the emotional development of children, integrating the work of our poets, novelists, and scholars with an attachment perspective

What is the Business with AI? Preparing Future Decision Makers and Leaders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena S. Wisniewski
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Business Courses ◽  
College Of Business ◽  
College Of Engineering ◽  
Investment Firm ◽  
Business Curricula ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

With companies now recognizing how artificial intelligence (AI), digitalization, the internet of things (IoT), and data science affect value creation and the maintenance of a competitive advantage, their demand for talented individuals with both management skills and a strong understanding of technology will grow dramatically. There is a need to prepare and train our current and future decision makers and leaders to have an understanding of AI and data science, the significant impact these technologies are having on business, how to develop AI strategies, and the impact all of this will have on their employees’ roles. This paper discusses how business schools can fulfill this need by incorporating AI into their business curricula, not only as stand-alone courses but also integrated into traditional business sequences, and establishing interdisciplinary efforts and collaborative industry partnerships. This article describes how the College of Business and Public Policy (CBPP) at the University of Alaska Anchorage is implementing multiple approaches to meet these needs and prepare future leaders and decision makers. These approaches include a detailed description of CBPP’s first AI course and related student successes, the integration of AI into additional business courses such as entrepreneurship and GSCM, and the creation of an AI and Data Science Lab in partnership with the College of Engineering and an investment firm.

scholarly journals Decreased Medical Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Comprehensive Analysis of Radiological Examinations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Aigner ◽  
Bernd Hamm ◽  
Florian Nima Fleckenstein ◽  
Tazio Maleitzke ◽  
Georg Böning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Control Period ◽  
Surrogate Marker ◽  
Medical Specialty ◽  
Case Volume ◽  
Medical Specialties ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Radiological Examinations

Objectives As a cross-section discipline within the hospital infrastructure, radiological departments might be able to provide important information regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare. The goal of this study was to quantify changes in medical care during the first wave of the pandemic using radiological examinations as a comprehensive surrogate marker and to determine potential future workload. Methods A retrospective analysis of all radiological examinations during the first wave of the pandemic was performed. The number of examinations was compared to time-matched control periods. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of radiological examinations attributed to various medical specialties was conducted and postponed examinations were extrapolated to calculate additional workload in the near future. Results A total of 596,760 examinations were analyzed. Overall case volumes decreased by an average of 41 % during the shutdown compared to the control period. The most affected radiological modalities were sonography (–54 %), X-ray (–47 %) followed by MRI (–42 %). The most affected medical specialty was trauma and orthopedics (–60 % case volume) followed by general surgery (–49 %). Examination numbers increased during the post-shutdown period leading to a predicted additional workload of up to 22 %. Conclusion This study shows a marked decrease in radiological examinations in total and among several core medical specialties, indicating a significant reduction in medical care during the first COVID-19 shutdown. Key Points: Citation Format

scholarly journals Innovations in anaerobic digestion: a model-based study

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol Postawa ◽  
Jerzy Szczygieł ◽  
Marek Kułażyński
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Methane Content ◽  
Pig Manure ◽  
Pig Slurry ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Increasing the efficiency of the biogas production process is possible by modifying the technological installations of the biogas plant. In this study, specific solutions based on a mathematical model that lead to favorable results were proposed. Three configurations were considered: classical anaerobic digestion (AD) and its two modifications, two-phase AD (TPAD) and autogenerative high-pressure digestion (AHPD). The model has been validated based on measurements from a biogas plant located in Poland. Afterward, the TPAD and AHPD concepts were numerically tested for the same volume and feeding conditions. Results The TPAD system increased the overall biogas production from 9.06 to 9.59%, depending on the feedstock composition, while the content of methane was slightly lower in the whole production chain. On the other hand, the AHPD provided the best purity of the produced fuel, in which a methane content value of 82.13% was reached. At the same time, the overpressure leads to a decrease of around 7.5% in the volumetric production efficiency. The study indicated that the dilution of maize silage with pig manure, instead of water, can have significant benefits in the selected configurations. The content of pig slurry strengthens the impact of the selected process modifications—in the first case, by increasing the production efficiency, and in the second, by improving the methane content in the biogas. Conclusions The proposed mathematical model of the AD process proved to be a valuable tool for the description and design of biogas plant. The analysis shows that the overall impact of the presented process modifications is mutually opposite. The feedstock composition has a moderate and unsteady impact on the production profile, in the tested modifications. The dilution with pig manure, instead of water, leads to a slightly better efficiency in the classical configuration. For the TPAD process, the trend is very similar, but the AHPD biogas plant indicates a reverse tendency. Overall, the recommendation from this article is to use the AHPD concept if the composition of the biogas is the most important. In the case in which the performance is the most important factor, it is favorable to use the TPAD configuration.

scholarly journals Social Networks, Trust, and Disaster-Risk Perceptions of Rural Residents in a Multi-Disaster Environment: Evidence from Sichuan, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 2106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaijing Xue ◽  
Shili Guo ◽  
Yi Liu ◽  
Shaoquan Liu ◽  
Dingde Xu
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Rural Residents ◽  
Response Efficacy ◽  
The Impact

Individual perception of disaster risk is not only the product of individual factors, but also the product of social interactions. However, few studies have empirically explored the correlations between rural residents’ flat social networks, trust in pyramidal channels, and disaster-risk perceptions. Taking Sichuan Province—a typical disaster-prone province in China—as an example and using data from 327 rural households in mountainous areas threatened by multiple disasters, this paper measured the level of participants’ disaster-risk perception in the four dimensions of possibility, threat, self-efficacy, and response efficacy. Then, the ordinary least squares method was applied to probe the correlations between social networks, trust, and residents’ disaster-risk perception. The results revealed four main findings. (1) Compared with scores relating to comprehensive disaster-risk perception, participants had lower perception scores relating to possibility and threat, and higher perception scores relating to self-efficacy and response efficacy. (2) The carrier characteristics of their social networks significantly affected rural residents’ perceived levels of disaster risk, while the background characteristics did not. (3) Different dimensions of trust had distinct effects on rural residents’ disaster-risk perceptions. (4) Compared with social network variables, trust was more closely related to the perceived level of disaster risks, which was especially reflected in the impact on self-efficacy, response efficacy, and comprehensive perception. The findings of this study deepen understanding of the relationship between social networks, trust, and disaster-risk perceptions of rural residents in mountainous areas threatened by multiple disasters, providing enlightenment for building resilient disaster-prevention systems in the community.

scholarly journals An evaluation of the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership’s advocacy strategy for policy change

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emalie Rosewarne ◽  
Michael Moore ◽  
Wai-Kwan Chislett ◽  
Alexandra Jones ◽  
Kathy Trieu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Health Advocacy ◽  
Salt Reduction ◽  
Public Health Advocacy ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Public health advocacy strategies facilitate policy change by bringing key health issues to the forefront of public and political discourse, influencing decision-makers and public opinion, and increasing policy demand. The Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership (VSRP) was established in 2014 in response to inadequate government action to improve population diets in Australia. This study aimed to evaluate the success of the VSRP’s advocacy strategy in achieving policy change. Methods Documentation of VSRP activities and outputs were collected, and semi-structured interviews conducted as part of a comprehensive process evaluation. For this study, the Kotter Plus 10-step public health advocacy evaluation framework was used to guide data extraction, analysis, and synthesis. Results A sense of urgency for salt reduction was generated by producing evidence and outlining the potential impact of a state-based salt reduction programme. This enabled the creation of a coalition with diverse skills and expertise, which facilitated the development of an innovative and collaborative advocacy action plan. A clear change vision was established, but communication of the vision to decision-makers was lacking, which reduced the impact of the programme as decision-makers were not provided with a clear incentive for policy change. As a result, while programme outputs were achieved, these did not translate to achieving broader strategic goals during a limited-term intervention in a political climate unconcerned with salt. Conclusions The Kotter Plus 10-step framework was a useful tool for evaluating the success of the VSRP advocacy strategy. The framework enabled the identification of key strengths, including the creation of the guiding coalition, and areas where efforts could be improved in future similar strategies, such as effective communication within partnerships and to decision-makers, to better influence policy and improve public health impact.

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