Supply Chain Disruption Costs Study in International Containerised Maritime Transportation

The global economy relies highly on international trade, and the international maritime transport system acts as the lifeblood carrying and transporting materials and goods globally, realizing the economy globalization in an effective and efficient way. However, globalization increases the interdependence and complexity of global supply chains and drives it to be more vulnerable to disruptions. Meanwhile, the international marine transport system is a complex and intertwined system exposed to high risks and decreased safety due to its very accessibility and operational flexibility. Thereby, global supply chains integrated with international maritime transportation systems are inherently vulnerable to various disruptions. Studies of supply chain disruptions particularly quantifying transport related disruption costs are becoming increasingly important. However, research on maritime transport related supply chain disruptions, in particular, quantifying its disruption costs is under-represented in the transport literature, due largely to the features of supply chain disruptions, but also because of the complexity of maritime related supply chains. Current research in transportation has tended to concentrate on shippers’ transport mode choice and port selection. In the context of a global market, however, the behaviour of maritime containerised shippers has to be viewed as a complex decision and an integral element of the supply chain management strategy. Those shippers’ transportation choice decisions should be emphasized and studied to reveal their behaviour changes between normal operations and disruption circumstance. This research adds to the paucity work on investigating the maritime transport related supply chain disruptions and quantifying its disruption costs based on shippers’ maritime transportation choice behaviour. It presents the results of a microanalysis of freight transport choice decisions in an international containerised maritime transport chain context. The Latent Class Model (LCM) is applied to identify the key service attributes and its preference heterogeneity in maritime transportation and to estimate the marginal values for the quality of maritime transport service with and without a disruption, simultaneously, quantifying the disruption costs through comparing each attribute’s marginal value difference between normal and disruption operations. The Seemingly Unrelated Regression model (SURE) is utilized to explore the sources influencing shippers’ preference heterogeneities. In doing so, we are able to gain an understanding as to where and how much should be invested in order to facilitate recovery in the case of a disruption based on the view of the maritime participants’ perspectives. The research results confirm freight rate, transit time, reliability, damage rate, and frequency as the key service attributes influencing shippers’ transport choice. They also reveal shippers’ VOT increase by more than four-times, VOR nearly double, and VOD increase about twenty percent if a disruption takes place, and identify shippers’ transport decisions vary with its product, shipment, company and supply chain characteristics no matter with or without a disruption. This research quantifies the costs of supply chain disruption in containerised maritime transport context for the first time, and its results provide useful industrial implications for maritime transport chain related parties

Logistics challenges for China: drivers of the logistics industry growth, and bottlenecks constraining development

In the last two decades, the Chinese economy has witnessed extraordinary growth. China is not only the world’s manufacturing centre and major market, but also an engine for the world’s economic growth. Within this context, China’s transport and logistics industry, as the lifeblood of its economic growth, is attracting increasing attention from industry practitioners and researchers. Given the importance of this sector, understanding industry developments and likely trends over the next few years is a valuable exercise, highlighting the key factors driving such growth, as well as the bottlenecks challenging the transport and logistics industry. This paper reviews the current status of the Chinese transport and logistics industry, analyses industry trends and potential factors driving the industry’s ongoing development including the challenges obstructing growth. China’s extraordinary economic growth, particularly the emerging e-commerce market in China, exposes a number of weaknesses that the Chinese logistics industry is currently not well prepared to adapt to

The potential of blockchain technology in advancing sustainable energy: a study on the mediating role of specialization in the growth of Chinese hidden champions

Innovation is a crucial factor for hidden champions to gain a competitive edge and foster organizational growth. This study focuses on Chinese-listed hidden champion firms between 2010 and 2019 and examines the impact of innovation heterogeneity on their growth. The study explores the impact of different types of innovation, including overall innovation, product innovation, and process innovation, and their interaction effects on the growth of hidden champions. The study also investigates the mediating role of the degree of specialization, which refers to the extent to which a firm focuses on a particular area of expertise. Furthermore, the potential of blockchain technology in advancing a sustainable energy future is becoming increasingly apparent. By enabling the creation of decentralized energy markets, blockchain can facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, into the grid. This can help to reduce carbon emissions and promote the transition to a low-carbon economy. The results of the study indicate that innovation, including overall innovation, product innovation, and process innovation, is significant for hidden champions’ growth. Moreover, the study reveals that product innovation and process innovation have complementary effects on the growth of hidden champions. The degree of specialization also plays a mediating role between different types of innovation and hidden champions’ growth. The results of this study provide empirical evidence to improve the growth of hidden champions from the perspective of enterprise innovation. By focusing on different types of innovation and understanding their complementary effects, firms can develop a more comprehensive innovation strategy that can enhance their growth potential. Moreover, the mediating role of degree of specialization highlights the importance of aligning innovation efforts with a firm’s core competencies to achieve sustained growth. This study contributes to the literature on hidden champions by shedding light on their innovation strategies and their impact on firm growth

Prenatal Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Facial Features at 5 Years of Age:A Study from the Danish National Birth Cohort

BACKGROUND: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread persistent pollutants. Evidence regarding neurodevelopmental effects of PFAS have been mixed. The relation between PFAS exposure and anatomical markers that have been suggested to correlate with fetal brain development have not been studied. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the association between prenatal PFAS exposures and three craniofacial features in children measured at 5 years of age. METHODS: Measures of palpebral fissure length (PFL), philtrum groove, and upper-lip thickness were generated from standardized digital facial photographs from 656 children in the Danish National Birth Cohort. PFL was classified into two groups (shorter; normal), and the philtrum (grooved; smooth; normal) and upper-lip (thick; thin; normal) measures into three groups each. Six PFAS were measured in maternal plasma ([Formula: see text] gestational wk). Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each facial feature using the normal group as the reference according to [Formula: see text] concentration (in nanograms per milliliter) or PFAS tertiles, adjusting for potential confounders, including maternal alcohol intake and smoking. Stratified analyses by maternal alcohol intake or child’s sex were performed. RESULTS: Prenatal exposure to each PFAS was associated with elevated odds for a shorter PFL, with the strongest association observed for perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA; per doubling [Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 1.11, 3.70). Some nonlinear associations were found for philtrum measures: the second tertile of PFDA and perfluorononanoic acid were associated with grooved philtrum, whereas the second tertile of perfluoroheptane sulfonate with smooth philtrum. The associations between PFAS exposure and a shorter PFL were stronger among mothers who consumed alcohol in the first trimester, some sex-specific associations were noted for philtrum and upper-lip measures. DISCUSSION: Prenatal PFAS exposures might influence fetal craniofacial development. A larger study is needed to replicate the potential modifying effects observed for alcohol exposure and to clarify whether associations of craniofacial markers observed reflect specific neurologic deficits. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP947

Reasonable deep application of sheep manure fertilizer to alleviate soil acidification to improve tea yield and quality

Soil acidification in Chinese tea plantations is widespread, and it has significantly affected the growth of tea trees; it was important to explore soil remediation of acidified tea plantations in depth for the sustainable development of tea industry. In this study, the effects of sheep manure fertilizer with different application depths on soil acidification, tea yield and quality, and soil nitrogen transformation in tea plantations were analyzed for five consecutive years from 2018 to 2022. The results showed that long-term use of sheep manure fertilizer significantly reduced soil acidification (P< 0.05) in tea plantations, improved soil pH and soil ammonium nitrogen content, enhanced root activity and root nitrogen uptake capacity of tea trees, and thus improved tea yield and quality. The effect of different application depths of sheep manure fertilizer on tea yield and quality was mainly reflected in the transformation ability of soil ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen, which showed that high transformation ability of soil ammonium nitrogen and high ammonium nitrogen content were beneficial to high tea yield and vice versa, and the best effect was achieved when sheep manure was applied at a depth of 50 cm and 70 cm. The topsis analysis confirmed that sheep manure fertilization had a greater effect on root activity, ammonium nitrogen, ammonia intensity, and nifH gene. This study provided an important practical basis for the restoration of acidified tea plantation soil through sheep manure fertilizer management

Association of Maternal Autoimmune Diseases With Risk of Mental Disorders in Offspring in Denmark

IMPORTANCE Maternal immune activation during pregnancy is associated with increased risks of several mental disorders in offspring during childhood, but little is known about how maternal autoimmune diseases during pregnancy are associated with mental health in offspring during and after childhood.OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between maternal autoimmune diseases before childbirth and risk of mental disorders among offspring up to early adulthood.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This population-based nationwide cohort study used data from Danish national registers on singletons born in Denmark from 1978 to 2015 with up to 38 years of follow-up. Data analyses were conducted from March 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021.EXPOSURES Maternal autoimmune disease diagnosed before or during pregnancy according to the Danish National Patient Register.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome was mental disorders, defined by hospital diagnoses, in offspring. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for mental disorders.RESULTS Of the 2 254 234 singleton infants included in the study (median age, 16.7 years [IQR, 10.5-21.7 years]; 51.28% male), 2.26% were born to mothers with autoimmune diseases before childbirth. Exposed participants had an increased risk of overall mental disorders compared with their unexposed counterparts (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.13-1.19; incidence, 9.38 vs 7.91 per 1000 person-years). Increased risks of overall mental disorders in offspring were seen in different age groups for type 1 diabetes (1-5 years: HR, 1.35 [95% CI, 1.17-1.57]; 6-18 years: HR, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.15-1.33]; >18 years: HR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.09-1.30]) and rheumatoid arthritis (1-5 years: HR, 1.42 [95% CI, 1.16-1.74]; 6-18 years: HR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.05436]; >18 years: HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.02-1.60]). Regarding specific mental disorders, increased risk after exposure to any maternal autoimmune disorder was observed for organic disorders (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.21-1.94), schizophrenia (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.21-1.51), obsessive-compulsive disorder (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.24-1.63), mood disorders (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04-121), and a series of neurodevelopmental disorders (eg, childhood autism [HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.08436] and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.12-1.26]).CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cohort study in Denmark, prenatal exposure to maternal autoimmune diseases was associated with increased risks of overall and type-specific mental disorders in offspring. Maternal type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy were associated with offspring's mental health up to early adulthood. Individuals prenatally exposed to autoimmune disease may benefit from long-term surveillance for mental disorders.</p

Association of Maternal Autoimmune Diseases with Risk of Mental Disorders in Offspring in Denmark

Funding Information: László); grants 19410713500 and 2018SHZDZX01 from the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Dr F. Li); grants GWV-10.1-XK07, 2020CXJQ01, and 2018YJRC03 from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning (Dr F Li); and grant 2018B030335001 from the Guangdong Key Project (Dr F Li) . Funding Information: Funding/Support: This study was supported by grant NNF18OC0052029 from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (Dr J. Li) ; grants DFF-6110-00019B, DFF-9039-00010B, and DFF-1030-00012B from the Danish Council for Independent Research (Dr J. Li); grant R275-A15770 from the Nordic Cancer Union (Dr J. Li); grant 2016 from the Karen Elise Jensens Fond (Dr J. Li); grants 81761128035, 81930095, and 82125032 (Dr F. Li) and grant 82073570 (Dr J. Li) from the National Natural Science Foundation of China; grant 20180306 from the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation (Dr László); grant 2015-00837 from the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (Dr Publisher Copyright: © 2022 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.Importance: Maternal immune activation during pregnancy is associated with increased risks of several mental disorders in offspring during childhood, but little is known about how maternal autoimmune diseases during pregnancy are associated with mental health in offspring during and after childhood. Objective: To investigate the association between maternal autoimmune diseases before childbirth and risk of mental disorders among offspring up to early adulthood. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based nationwide cohort study used data from Danish national registers on singletons born in Denmark from 1978 to 2015 with up to 38 years of follow-up. Data analyses were conducted from March 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021. Exposures: Maternal autoimmune disease diagnosed before or during pregnancy according to the Danish National Patient Register. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was mental disorders, defined by hospital diagnoses, in offspring. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for mental disorders. Results: Of the 2254234 singleton infants included in the study (median age, 16.7 years [IQR, 10.5-21.7 years]; 51.28% male), 2.26% were born to mothers with autoimmune diseases before childbirth. Exposed participants had an increased risk of overall mental disorders compared with their unexposed counterparts (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.13-1.19; incidence, 9.38 vs 7.91 per 1000 person-years). Increased risks of overall mental disorders in offspring were seen in different age groups for type 1 diabetes (1-5 years: HR, 1.35 [95% CI, 1.17-1.57]; 6-18 years: HR, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.15-1.33]; >18 years: HR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.09-1.30]) and rheumatoid arthritis (1-5 years: HR, 1.42 [95% CI, 1.16-1.74]; 6-18 years: HR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.05-1.36]; >18 years: HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.02-1.60]). Regarding specific mental disorders, increased risk after exposure to any maternal autoimmune disorder was observed for organic disorders (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.21-1.94), schizophrenia (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.21-1.51), obsessive-compulsive disorder (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.24-1.63), mood disorders (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04-1.21), and a series of neurodevelopmental disorders (eg, childhood autism [HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.08-1.36] and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.12-1.26]). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study in Denmark, prenatal exposure to maternal autoimmune diseases was associated with increased risks of overall and type-specific mental disorders in offspring. Maternal type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy were associated with offspring's mental health up to early adulthood. Individuals prenatally exposed to autoimmune disease may benefit from long-term surveillance for mental disorders.Peer reviewe

A Survey of China\u27s Logistics Industry and the Impacts of Transport Delays on Importers and Exporters

In the last decades, China?s booming economy has greatly benefited from globalization and trade liberalization. China has found a niche as the world?s manufacturing centre and it is playing a crucial role in a growing number of global supply chains. This research focuses on the performance of international and domestic transport and logistics systems as perceived by Chinese importers and exporters. A broad literature review of Chinese meteoric logistics industry development is provided. Results and analysis of in?depth interviews with Chinese importers and exporters are presented. These interviews provide significant information regarding international freight transport chains, the impact of delays on supply chain operations and the subsequent costs, companies? delay and disruption planning, and managers? perspectives on future transport and logistics developments

Improving Neural Network Detection Accuracy of Electric Power Bushings in Infrared Images by Hough Transform

To improve the neural network detection accuracy of the electric power bushings in infrared images, a modified algorithm based on the You Only Look Once version 2 (YOLOv2) network is proposed to achieve better recognition results. Specifically, YOLOv2 corresponds to a convolutional neural network (CNN), although its rotation invariance is poor, and some bounding boxes (BBs) exhibit certain deviations. To solve this problem, the standard Hough transform and image rotation are utilized to determine the optimal recognition angle for target detection, such that an optimal recognition effect of YOLOv2 on inclined objects (for example, bushing) is achieved. With respect to the problem that the BB is biased, the shape feature of the bushing is extracted by the Gap statistic algorithm, based on K-means clustering; thereafter, the sliding window (SW) is utilized to determine the optimal recognition area. Experimental verification indicates that the proposed rotating image method can improve the recognition effect, and the SW can further modify the BB. The accuracy of target detection increases to 97.33%, and the recall increases to 95%