scholarly journals Assessing the cascading impacts of natural disasters in a multi-layer behavioral network framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asjad Naqvi ◽  
Irene Monasterolo

AbstractNatural disasters negatively impact regions and exacerbate socioeconomic vulnerabilities. While the direct impacts of natural disasters are well understood, the channels through which these shocks spread to non-affected regions, still represents an open research question. In this paper we propose modelling socioeconomic systems as spatially-explicit, multi-layer behavioral networks, where the interplay of supply-side production, and demand-side consumption decisions, can help us understand how climate shocks cascade. We apply this modelling framework to analyze the spatial-temporal evolution of vulnerability following a negative food-production shock in one part of an agriculture-dependent economy. Simulation results show that vulnerability is cyclical, and its distribution critically depends on the network density and distance from the epicenter of the shock. We also introduce a new multi-layer measure, the Vulnerability Rank (VRank), which synthesizes various location-level risks into a single index. This framework can help design policies, aimed to better understand, effectively respond, and build resilience to natural disasters. This is particularly important for poorer regions, where response time is critical and financial resources are limited.

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-204
Author(s):  
Massimo Sargiacomo ◽  
Stefania Servalli ◽  
Serena Potito ◽  
Antonio D’Andreamatteo ◽  
Antonio Gitto

This study offers an analysis of published historical research on accounting for natural disasters. Drawing on the insights provided by an examination of 35 accounting/business/economic history and generalist journals, 11 articles have been selected and analysed. The analysis conducted on the scattered literature identified the emerging themes, disasters investigated, periods of time explored and main contributions of published research. The analysis is extended by the examination of some key conferences of interdisciplinary history associations, and of the eventual journals/issues where the papers presented were published. The investigation has also been complemented by a brief selection of books showing historical analyses of diverse disasters, typologies and periods of investigation. The stimuli provided by the study have helped to portray the main features of an open research agenda, highlighting possible future research topics and suggesting ancient and recent disasters’ loci to be investigated worldwide.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1862
Author(s):  
Alexandros-Georgios Chronis ◽  
Foivos Palaiogiannis ◽  
Iasonas Kouveliotis-Lysikatos ◽  
Panos Kotsampopoulos ◽  
Nikos Hatziargyriou

In this paper, we investigate the economic benefits of an energy community investing in small-scale photovoltaics (PVs) when local energy trading is operated amongst the community members. The motivation stems from the open research question on whether a community-operated local energy market can enhance the investment feasibility of behind-the-meter small-scale PVs installed by energy community members. Firstly, a review of the models, mechanisms and concepts required for framing the relevant concepts is conducted, while a clarification of nuances at important terms is attempted. Next, a tool for the investigation of the economic benefits of operating a local energy market in the context of an energy community is developed. We design the local energy market using state-of-the-art formulations, modified according to the requirements of the case study. The model is applied to an energy community that is currently under formation in a Greek municipality. From the various simulations that were conducted, a series of generalizable conclusions are extracted.


foresight ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Pinstrup‐Andersen ◽  
Marc J. Cohen

Although global food production has consistently kept pace with population growth, the gap between food production and demand in certain parts of the world is likely to remain. More than 800 million people in developing countries lack access to a minimally adequate diet. Continued productivity gains are essential on the supply side, because global population will increase by 73 million people a year over the next two decades. In this article we assess the current global food situation, look at the prospects through to the year 2020, and outline the policies needed to achieve food security for all. Emphasis is on the role that agricultural biotechnology might play in reaching this goal.


2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 768-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Marchal ◽  
Youen Vermard

Abstract Marchal, P., and Vermard, Y. 2013. Evaluating deepwater fisheries management strategies using a mixed-fisheries and spatially explicit modelling framework. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 768–781. We have used in this study a spatially explicit bioeconomic modelling framework to evaluate management strategies, building in both data-rich and data-limited harvest control rules (HCRs), for a mix of deepwater fleets and species, on which information is variable. The main focus was on blue ling (Molva dypterygia). For that species, both data-rich and data-limited HCRs were tested, while catch per unit effort (CPUE) was used either to tune stock assessments, or to directly trigger management action. There were only limited differences between the performances of both HCRs when blue ling biomass was initialized at the current level, but blue ling recovered more quickly with the data-rich HCR when its initial biomass was severely depleted. Both types of HCR lead, on average, to a long-term recovery of both blue ling and saithe (Pollachius virens) stocks, and some increase in overall profit. However, that improvement is not sufficient to guarantee sustainable exploitation with a high probability. Blue ling CPUE did not always adequately reflect trends in biomass, which mainly resulted from fleet dynamics, possibly in combination with density-dependence. The stock dynamics of roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris), black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo) and deepwater sharks (Centrophorus squamosus and Centroscymnus coelolepis) were little affected by the type of HCR chosen to manage blue ling.


2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 750-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Kemal Öktem

How the implementation of local governance can be improved in the developing world is an open research question. This study discusses the difficulty of transitioning toward local governance in Turkey. To analyze the basic difficulties of local governance, a survey was conducted using a random sampling method within the inner city municipalities of Ankara. The findings indicate that improving local governance by enhancing transparency and building mechanisms of e-governance is the first step to motivating the public to participate in and to move toward a system of local governance. In general, each of these strategies would likely increase overall citizen involvement and, in particular, would increase the involvement of those citizens between 26 and 35 years old.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Chung-Yan ◽  
Aaron Schat ◽  
Steven Cronshaw

This study addresses an open research question in regard to a well-established and widely-used job analysis system, Functional Job Analysis (FJA): Are consensus ratings of the FJA scales more reliable than the independent scale ratings that are the norm in job analysis application and the related research literature? In our experimental study, we found that this is not the case: no significant difference is found between consensus and independent ratings of the FJA scales. The reasons for this finding are explored as well as its relevance to the validity of the FJA system. Implications for other work and job analysis systems are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiming Wu ◽  
Tao Lin ◽  
Ningjiu Tang

Mental workload is considered one of the most important factors in interaction design and how to detect a user's mental workload during tasks is still an open research question. Psychological evidence has already attributed a certain amount of variability and “drift” in an individual's handwriting pattern to mental stress, but this phenomenon has not been explored adequately. The intention of this paper is to explore the possibility of evaluating mental workload with handwriting information by machine learning techniques. Machine learning techniques such as decision trees, support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network were used to predict mental workload levels in the authors' research. Results showed that it was possible to make prediction of mental workload levels automatically based on handwriting patterns with relatively high accuracy, especially on patterns of children. In addition, the proposed approach is attractive because it requires no additional hardware, is unobtrusive, is adaptable to individual users, and is of very low cost.


Procedia CIRP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 90 ◽  
pp. 256-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lennart Büth ◽  
Max Juraschek ◽  
Felipe Cerdas ◽  
Christoph Herrmann

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