Business continuity for times of vulnerability: Empirical evidence

Organizations operate in environments of vulnerability. While there are methodologies that guide business continuity management, it is evident that organizations remain vulnerable to disruptions emerging in times of transformation and systemic change. This work aims to compile and analyze the disruptions and related risk management strategies or activities described in the literature, and explore which disruptions are creating concern in companies and how they approach them. The methodology is based on a review of the literature and from the review we define a questionnaire to guide semi-structured interviews to managers from companies all located in a highly volatile macroeconomic context. The literature describes disruptions related with governance, cyberattacks, technology, supply chain, internal processes, and shock events and both precrises and postcrises strategies. The empirical analysis using data from companies reveals that (a) the most stressful disruptions are the currency devaluation, the high inflation rate, and government interventions and (b) managers rely on collaborative work, effective communication between stakeholders, supportive leadership, and constant adaptation to the new environment. Future research is required on techniques supporting adaptation to ‘new normalcy’.     

Discrete-time decentralized linear quadratic control for linear time-varying systems

This article addresses the problem of designing a decentralized control solution for a network of agents modeled by linear time-varying (LTV) dynamics, in a discrete-time framework. A general scheme is proposed, in which the problem is formulated as a classical linear quadratic regulator problem, for the global system, subject to a given sparsity constraint on the gain, which reflects the decentralized nature of the network. A method able to compute a sequence of well-performing stabilizing regulator gains is presented and validated resorting to simulations of two randomly generated LTV systems, one stable and the other unstable. Moreover, a tracking solution is developed, building on the solution to the regulator problem. Both methods rely on a closed-form solution, thus they can be computed very rapidly. Similarly to the centralized solution, both the presented methods require that a window of the future system dynamics is known. Both methods are validated resorting to simulations of: (i) a nonlinear network of four interconnected tanks; and (ii) a large-scale nonlinear network of interconnected tanks. When implemented to a nonlinear network, approximated by an LTV system, the proposed methods are able to compute well-performing gains that track the desired output. Finally, both algorithms are scalable, being adequate for implementation in large-scale networks.     

Front-of-package nutrition labeling as a driver for healthier food choices: Lessons learned and future perspectives

This work aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the use of front-of-package nutritional labeling (FOPL), identify and characterize the major existing FOPL systems, examine the impact of FOPL systems on consumer behavior, and discuss future perspectives. The searched databases were PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and papers in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French were considered. The integrative review method was used, comprising 68 papers. The FOPL system from more than 47 countries from North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia was included in this study. The two main ways to characterize FOPL are the level of interpretation and the type of information provided. Interpretive schemes (such as warning labels, multiple traffic lights, and Nutri-Score) appear to lead to better consumer understanding and support healthier food purchases. However, due to the differences among the results and the specificity of the contexts in which they are used, it is impossible to define one FOPL interpretation scheme superior to the others. Some potential factors that influence the effectiveness of FOPL on consumer attitudes have been identified, such as food taste, as a major intrinsic factor. Extrinsic factors, such as price, food category, cultural diversity, politics, and economics, were also relevant. The lack of availability of similar alternatives, lack of understanding of the importance of FOPL, and lower levels of income and education were also some cognitive and social aspects impairing FOPL effectiveness. Prospects for the United States, Europe, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina were discussed.     

3D-Printed Methane-Producing Electrodes for Microbial Fuel Cells Developed Using Biogel Ink Containing Live Methanogens and White Charcoal

Methanogens are used as catalysts for cathodes in microbial fuel cells, to reduce CO₂ to CH₄. However, the attachment of microbes to the electrodes via culturing is time-consuming, and inadequate biofilm formation can lead to lesser surface area coverage, resulting in reduced methane formation. This study aims to improve the production efficiency and performance of methanogen cathodes developed using 3D printing of bioink containing live methanogens. A progressive cavity pump is used for the 3D gel-printing of methanogens and micro-sized white charcoal particles into the desired structure. Despite the absence of anaerobic conditions during printing, the 3D-printed cathodes with higher concentrations of microbial inoculum in the bioink produce more methane gas. Even with an unconcentrated inoculum, the methanogens multiply 800-fold during incubation, resulting in increased methane gas production. The predominant methanogens in the electrodes included the hydrogenotrophic Methanobacterium spp. Therefore, the technique used in this study can be used to successfully develop 3D-printed biocathodes catalyzed by methanogenic microbes with verifiable practical applicability. This study is the first to report the growth of methanogens and their methanogenic activity in 3D-printed cathodes.