asaf tzachor - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by asaf tzachor

Supply chains of staple crops, in developed and developing regions, are vulnerable to an array of... more Supply chains of staple crops, in developed and developing regions, are vulnerable to an array of disturbances and disruptions. These include biotic, abiotic and institutional risk factors. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems have the potential to mitigate some of these vulnerabilities across supply chains, and thereby improve the state of global food security. However, the particular properties of each supply chain phase, from "the farm to the fork," might suggest that some phases are more vulnerable to risks than others. Furthermore, the social circumstances and technological environment of each phase may indicate that several phases of the supply chains will be more receptive to AI adoption and deployment than others. This research paper seeks to test these assumptions to inform the integration of AI in agricultural supply chains. It employs a supply chain risk management approach (SCRM) and draws on a mix-methods research design. In the qualitative component of the re...

Technological Forecasting and Social Change

&lt;p&gt;Large-magnitude volcanic eruptions have long been considered to pose a t... more &lt;p&gt;Large-magnitude volcanic eruptions have long been considered to pose a threat to the continued flourishing of humanity. The dominant narrative focuses on the nuclear-winter climatic scenarios that may develop as a result of a large-magnitude eruption (magnitudes 7+ on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI)) propelling large quantities of ash and gas into our upper atmosphere and devastating global crop production. However, the probability of such an event remains rare, and this narrative fails to fully consider the vulnerability component of the risk equation. We propose that volcanic eruptions of even moderate magnitudes (VEI 3-6) could constitute a global catastrophic risk (events that might inflict damage to human welfare on a global scale) where the impacts of the eruption are amplified through cascading critical system failures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Increased globalisation in our modern world has resulted in our overreliance on global critical system &amp;#8211; networks and supply chains vital to the support and continued development of our societies (e.g. submarine cables, global shipping routes, transport and trade networks). We observe that many of these critical infrastructures and networks converge in regions where they could be exposed to moderate-scale volcanic eruptions (VEI 3-6). These regions of intersection, or &lt;em&gt;pinch points&lt;/em&gt;, present localities where we have prioritised efficiency over resilience, and manufactured a new GCR landscape, presenting a scenario for global risk propagation. We present seven global pinch points, including the Strait of Malacca and the Mediterranean, which represent localities where disruption to any of these systems can result in a cascade of global disruptions. This is exemplified by the 2010 Eyjafjallaj&amp;#246;kull VEI 4 eruption which resulted in the closure of European airspace and cascaded to cause global disruption to just-in-time supply chains and transportation networks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We suggest that volcanic risk assessments should incorporate interdisciplinary systems thinking in order to increase our resilience to volcanic GCRs.&lt;/p&gt;

ArXiv, 2022

Digital twins can transform agricultural production systems and supply chains, curbing greenhouse... more Digital twins can transform agricultural production systems and supply chains, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, food waste and malnutrition. However, the potential of these advanced virtualization technologies is yet to be realized. Here, we consider the promise of digital twins across five typical agrifood supply chain steps and emphasize key implementation barriers.

Nature Machine Intelligence, 2022

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2022

The theory of Sustainability Transitions, a current concept that has a relevance for both policy ... more The theory of Sustainability Transitions, a current concept that has a relevance for both policy and academic thinking, attempts to explain fundamental structural changes in individual economic sectors and in societies at large. Yet, its application outside developed industrialized societies, where the theory originated, has been limited. More research is required on the applicability of transition approaches in developing states. This study attends to this constraint by examining the explanatory power of the main theoretical tenets of sustainability transitions in the contexts of the agricultural and extractive sectors of the postcolonial developing island states of Nauru, Jamaica and Sri Lanka, which extends the geographical and historical terrain of the theory. An empirical survey of 180 individuals, participant observations, archival research, a review of 536 books and articles, in 9 fieldwork missions and some 50 research sites, provides a canvas broad enough to test Sustainabi...

Food security is an urgent global problem. According to the United Nations, nearly one-seventh of... more Food security is an urgent global problem. According to the United Nations, nearly one-seventh of the world’s population, or one billion people, are regularly undernourished. By 2050, an additional two to three billion new guests will join the global dinner table. The food crisis is a matter of providing not only sufficient calories, but also the protein and nutrients essential to good health. Fish provide an excellent source of balanced protein and omega-3 fatty acids, but meeting nutritional goals of the global population with marine species has become more difficult as the world’s oceans have been depleted of fish and catches have declined since 1996. A simple question—where do fish get their essential omega-3 fatty acids from, and what is the carbon source of their protein?—may turn the nutrition equation from grim to promising. The answer: from marine algae at the bottom of their food chain. So why not cut out the middle fish? This paper analyzes the reasons behind the global f...

Industrial Biotechnology, 2020

Nature Machine Intelligence

We invited authors of selected Comments and Perspectives published in Nature Machine Intelligence... more We invited authors of selected Comments and Perspectives published in Nature Machine Intelligence in the latter half of 2019 and first half of 2020 to describe how their topic has developed, what their thoughts are about the challenges of 2020, and what they look forward to in 2021.

Marine Biotechnology (New York, N.y.), 2021

An array of infections, including the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), trigger macrophage activati... more An array of infections, including the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), trigger macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and subsequently hypercytokinemia , commonly referred to as a cytokine storm (CS). It is postulated that CS is mainly responsible for critical COVID-19 cases, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Recognizing the therapeutic potential of Spirulina blue-green algae ( Arthrospira platensis ), in this in vitro stimulation study, LPS-activated macrophages and monocytes were treated with aqueous extracts of Spirulina, cultivated in either natural or controlled light conditions. We report that an extract of photosynthetically controlled Spirulina (LED Spirulina), at a concentration of 0.1 µg/mL, decreases macrophage and monocyte-induced TNF-α secretion levels by over 70% and 40%, respectively. We propose prompt in vivo studies in animal models and human subjects to determine the putative effectiveness of a natural, algae-based treatment for viral CS and ARDS, ...

The question of how to sustain human development in the current ecological and institutional land... more The question of how to sustain human development in the current ecological and institutional landscape is arguably one of the utmost scientific and administratively challenging contemporary dilemmas. In response to this issue, the concept of Sustainable Development was proposed by the United Nations to inform policies for societal and human development. However, for national governments, the prevalent sustainability schemes summon more confusion than coherence. This is due to the frequent and inconsistent ways the concept of sustainability is put into practice, and consequently, difficulties in measuring and managing sustainability. The ability to evaluate how sustainable public projects are, will remain deficient if sustainability remains a notion open for interpretation. This perspective article maintains that the capital theory approach to sustainability stands out as the most rigorous framework on the topic. The capital theory is a state-centric system of ideas where national go...

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures

International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy

Greater adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Indian agriculture can contribute to regional... more Greater adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Indian agriculture can contribute to regional and global food security. An examination of parameters that may prevent and postpone AI transfer, diffusion, and adoption is essential. However, little research on AI adoption barriers in Indian agriculture has been conducted. This paper attends to the gap. In order to recognize, categorize, and prioritize the most critical impediments to AI adoption in Indian agriculture, this paper draws on a participatory research design in which workshops were used as the main research methodology. Seven working groups of local experts identified five categories of constraints, covering 18 explicit adoption barriers. Two constraints in particular were recognized as most critical: lack of trust in technology among farmers and a language barrier compounded by high illiteracy rates and a digital divide. With an initial catalog of constraints, this paper aims to contribute to the actualization of AI in ...