This study attempted to identify the overall impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry in Colombia through the interviews with ten restaurant owners or chefs (e.g., fine-dining, family-dining, ...casual dining, and quick-service restaurants). Adopting the three phase post-pandemic planning framework, this study examined how the restaurants responded, recovered, and renewed their businesses and what survival strategies they have been implementing to respond to the new normal after the COVID-19 outbreaks. Findings of the study indicated the restaurants in Colombia focused on and developed four operational survival strategies: operational transformation and challenges, government support, social responsibility, and precautionary measurement practices, focusing on their core value and assets such as employees and menus.
•Elevated vanadium was observed in water and sediment of the polluted stream.•Vanadium pollution tended to promote the microbial cooperative interactions.•Vanadium played a vital role in shaping the ...microbial community structure.•Three survival strategies were observed in innate microbes under vanadium stress.•Conceptual models of putative vanadium reducing-related bacteria were constructed.
Worldwide vanadium contamination is posing serious risks to ecosystems. Although abilities of microbial communities to cope with vanadium stress using specific survival strategies have been reported, little is known regarding their relative importance and the underlying detoxification/tolerance mechanisms. Herein, we investigated the potential survival strategies of microbial communities and associated pathways in aquatic environments based on geochemistry and molecular biology. High vanadium content was observed for both water (12.6 ± 1.15 mg/L) and sediment (1.18 × 103 ± 10.4 mg/kg) in the investigated polluted stream. Co-occurrence network investigation implied that microbial communities showed cooperative interactions to adapt to the vanadium-polluted condition. Vanadium was also characterized as one of the vital factors shaping the community structure via redundancy analysis and structural equation models. Based on the metagenomic technology, three survival strategies including denitrification pathway, electron transfer, and metal resistance in innate microbes under the vanadium stress were revealed, with comprehensively summarized vanadium detoxification/tolerance genes. Remarkable role of electron transfer genes and the prevalent existence of resistance genes during detoxifying vanadium were highlighted. Overall, these findings provide novel insights into survival strategies under the vanadium contamination in aquatic environments, which can be of great significance for the identification, isolation, and application of vanadium reducing bacteria in vanadium bioremediation.
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In this study, the metal(loid) fractions in two alkaline iron tailings areas with similar physico-chemical properties and the enrichment ability of dominant plants in these areas were investigated. ...Additionally, high-throughput sequencing and metagenome analysis were used to examine the rhizosphere microbial community structures and their strategies and potential for carbon fixation, nitrogen metabolism, and metal(loid) resistance in mining areas. Results showed that Salsola collina, Setaria viridis, and Xanthium sibiricum have strong enrichment capacity for As, and the maximum transport factor for Mn can reach 4.01. The richness and diversity of bacteria were the highest in rhizosphere tailings, and the dominant phyla were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, and Thaumarchaeota. The key taxa present in rhizosphere tailings were generally metal(loid) resistant, especially Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Nocardioides, and Microbacterium. The reductive citrate cycle was the main carbon fixation pathway of microorganisms in tailings. Rhizosphere microorganisms have evolved a series of survival strategies and can adapt to oligotrophic and metal(loid) polluted mining environments. The results of this study provide a basis for the potential application of plant-microbial in situ remediation of alkaline tailings.
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•The dominant plants of the mining areas can tolerate alkali and metal(loid)s.•Similar microbial community composition occurred in two similar iron mining areas.•The rTCA is the main C fixation pathway of microorganisms in rhizosphere tailings.•The shortening of the nitrification process accelerates the rhizosphere N cycle.•The keystone taxa in rhizosphere tailings generally have metal(loid)s resistance.
Oral history constitutes one of the pivotal source categories through which we investigate the Holocaust. The more diverse the source base, the more accurately we can reconstruct the events that ...transpired. Initially, the study of Holocaust history heavily relied on German documents – essentially, viewing the events through the lens of sources produced by the perpetrators. These sources presented the perspective of the Holocaust’s orchestrators and executors.
•We review current knowledge on taxonomy, morphology, genetics, physiology, survival strategies and mitigation of P. globosa gained by Chinese researchers from the past two decades.•P. globosa in the ...Chinese waters demonstrate unique phenotypical and physiological features that differ from P. globosa in other ocean regions.
Chinese researchers have made substantial progresses in research on the harmful algal bloom (HAB) species Phaeocystis globosa since the first P. globosa bloom outbreak in the Chinese coastal waters in 1997. However, as many results, especially the earlier ones, were published in non-English literature, much of the research on P. globosa biology, ecology, and biogeochemistry made by Chinese researchers have been unknown to colleagues from other countries. We review current knowledge on taxonomy, morphology, genetics, physiology, survival strategies and mitigation of P. globosa gained by Chinese researchers from the past two decades. P. globosa is the only Phaeocystis species that causes blooms in the Chinese waters, although other Phaeocystis species including P. jahnii and P. cordata have been detected in Chinese coastal regions. P. globosa has a complex life history with at least two morphotypes including a haploid flagellate and a diploid colonial cell. Colonial P. globosa blooms typically occur in winter after a diatom bloom in coastal waters of the South China Sea. P. globosa in Chinese coastal waters usually has extremely large colonial sizes, up to 3 cm in diameter, an order of magnitude greater than that observed in European coastal waters. The development of giant colonies is associated with enhanced sinking rate, limited nutrient diffusion, as well as decreased stability of colonies. The Chinese P. globosa strains also showed strong genetic diversity and physiological plasticity, being able to grow and develop into colonies at higher temperature and irradiance relative to that in European waters. High genetic diversity of P. globosa was revealed by developing high-resolution and high-specificity molecular markers including Phaeocystis globosa chloroplast 1 (pgcp1). Due to the severe impact of P. globosa on ecology and economy, much effort has been made to mitigate P. globosa blooms including the application of modified clays. Overall, P. globosa in the Chinese waters demonstrate unique genetic, phenotypical and physiological features that differ from P. globosa in other ocean regions. Further studies are needed to explore how environmental factors trigger the occurrence of P. globosa blooms and ascertain the impact of P. globosa blooms on the environment.
The pandemic has brought major changes to all aspects of the society, including social and economic changes. Various limitations are experienced by almost all levels of society. This study aims to 1) ...analyze changes in household income and expenditure of rice farmers before and during the pandemic and 2) describe the coping mechanisms of rice farmer households during the pandemic. The method used is a survey method. Data collection is done directly through interviews using a questionnaire. The samples used were 80 farmer households which were taken through simple random sampling technique. The data were processed quantitatively and explained descriptively, then presented in tabulated form and continued with paired-sample t test. The results show that 1) there is a significant decrease in household income, which is 5.65% during the pandemic compared to the income before the pandemic, 2) there is a shift (an increase of 1.88%) in household food consumption expenditures before and during the pandemic, while household non-food expenditure decreases by 3.65% during the pandemic, and 3) The survival strategies applied by farming households during the pandemic include a combination of active strategies and passive strategies by 62.5%, a combination of passive strategies and network strategies by 36% and those applying a combination of active strategies, passive strategies and network strategies by 15%. Farmer households are expected to be able to maximize the use of their yards, fish ponds, and livestock as an additional source of livelihood or an effort to reduce household non-food expenditure.
Forest swamp ecosystems plays crucial role in the global carbon cycle. However, the effects of forest swamp succession on soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial community structure remain unclear. ...To determine the drivers of SOM change and soil microbial communities in forest swamp succession, a ‘space instead of time’ approach was used. Soil samples from 0 to 40 cm were collected along forest swamp (early stage), dried-up forest swamp (middle stage), and forest (late stage) ecosystems. Our findings reveal that as succession progresses, the relative content of aromatics decreases and SOM undergoes a transition towards a more readily degradable form. These changes affect soil carbon sequestration and nutrient availability. Bacterial diversity was significantly influenced by succession and changes in soil depth, with fungi exhibiting higher resilience. Soil properties and environmental conditions exert influence over the structure and function of microorganisms. As succession occurred, microbial interactions shifted from cooperation to competition, with bacteria displaying a deterministic distribution pattern and fungi exhibiting a random distribution pattern. SOM quality plays a key role in shaping microbial communities and influencing their growth strategies. Microorganisms are the major drivers of soil respiration, with K-strategist dominated communities in early succession exhibiting slower degradation rates, whereas r-strategists dominated in later stages, leading to faster decomposition.
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•Forest swamp succession alters soil organic matter composition.•Bacterial diversity is more influenced by succession and soil depth than by fungi.•As succession proceeds, microorganisms switch from K- to r-strategists.•Microorganisms drive soil respiration with succession-stage-dependent strategies.
How do people survive under extreme conditions? Will selfish, non-cooperating free-rider types – the
solo
players – have the best chances of surviving? Or would cooperating, hard-working types – the
...team
players – have higher chances? All morale put aside, it is interesting to know whether non-cooperation or cooperation pays off in a game characterized by scarcity and hard competition for survival. A study of people in such a Hobbesian state of nature can also teach us important lessons about social dynamics in contemporary, prosperous societies. An interesting case of ‘The survival game’ can be found in Solzhenitsyn’s (
1963 1962
) self-biographical book,
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
, depicting life in a Soviet Gulag prison camp in Siberia January 1951. We use Solzhenitsyn’s work as evidence of the interplay between five player types among prisoners: Cooperative
blind-riders
(BRs),
hard-riders
(HRs) and
tough-riders
(TRs), i.e. the so-called ‘toilers’; non-cooperative
easy-riders
(ERs), looked upon by the toilers as ‘bastards’, ‘screws’ and ‘errand boys’; and finally
Low-riders
(LRs), comprising ‘goners’ and ‘jackals’. The main research question addresses the successfulness of the survival strategies of the five player types. Apart from a Multiple Player Approach (MPA) that may be seen as a further development of second-generation theory of collective action (Ostrom & Ahn,
2009
), we apply Goffman’s (
1959
) dramaturgical theory on our case. Hence, we argue that
impression management
at two different ‘stages’ – the Brigade stage and the Camp stage – is crucial for survival for hard-riding as well as for easy-riding players, in particular
strategic masking
. Seeking to unite Goffman and game-theoretic MPA, our overall purpose is to make a theoretical contribution to “game-related sociology” (Swedberg,
2001
).
Under the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in Israel, almost every taken-for-granted feature of the day-to-day life was affected. This phenomenon and its derived socioeconomic effects on cultural ...tourism have been investigated in a northern peripheral area, Beit She???an Valley, which
includes a small urban municipality, Beit She???an town, and a regional council, Emek HaMaayanot (a rural municipality). The closure of heritage sites and almost every kind of public cultural venue has led to economic consequences such as absence of tourists, worker layoffs in the cultural
tourism industry, and a wave of collapse of businesses. In order to understand the implications of the pandemic on the area, surveys were conducted among two local groups: business owners and residents. The findings show that 9 out of 10 businesses have been affected, yet few have received
governmental support. A large number of business owners think that under the current circumstances, their business can be sustained only for several months. Residents reported that during the pandemic, they avoided public spaces and gatherings, visiting cultural sites much less often than
before the pandemic. It is clear that both groups have to readjust their perception of tourist spaces and their activities. The changes that took place in tourism activities following the pandemic have led the owners of local businesses related to cultural tourism, as well as tour guides,
to think of different ways to operate their activities. Interviews with a group of business owners suggest that new initiatives and survival strategies may have far-reaching implications for cultural tourism in the region and its characteristics. The findings of this research yield several
recommendations regarding how to deal with similar crises in the future so that tourism activities at heritage sites will not be harmed.
