bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of hepatitis E virus genotype 3 in an Algerian mouse (Mus spretus) in Portugal
Authors: Santos-Silva Sérgio , Moraes Danny Franciele da Silva Dias , López-López Pedro , Paupério Joana , Queirós João , Rivero-Juarez António , Lux Laura , Ulrich Rainer G. , Gonçalves Helena M.R. , Van der Poel Wim H.M. , Nascimento Maria S.J. , Mesquita João R.
Published: January 2024

Virus monitoring in small mammals is central to the design of epidemiological control strategies for rodent-borne zoonotic viruses. Synanthropic small mammals are versatile and may be potential carriers of several microbial agents. In the present work, a total of 330 fecal samples of small mammals were collected at two sites in the North of Portugal and screened for zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV, species Paslahepevirus balayani). Synanthropic small mammal samples (n = 40) were collected in a city park of Porto and belonged to the species Algerian mouse (Mus spretus) (n = 26) and to the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) (n = 14). Furthermore, additional samples were collected in the Northeast region of Portugal and included Algerian mouse (n = 48), greater white-toothed shrew (n = 47), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) (n = 43), southwestern water vole (Arvicola sapidus) (n = 52), Cabrera’s vole (Microtus cabrerae) (n = 49) and Lusitanian pine vole (Microtus lusitanicus) (n = 51). A nested RT-PCR targeting a part of open reading frame (ORF) 2 region of the HEV genome was used followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. HEV RNA was detected in one fecal sample (0.3%; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.01–1.68) from a synanthropic Algerian mouse that was genotyped as HEV-3, subgenotype 3e. This is the first study reporting the detection of HEV-3 in a synanthropic rodent, the Algerian mouse. The identified HEV isolate is probably the outcome of either a spill-over infection from domestic pigs or wild boars, or the result of passive viral transit through the intestinal tract. This finding reinforces the importance in the surveillance of novel potential hosts for HEV with a particular emphasis on synanthropic animals.
Effect of HKUST-1 metal–organic framework in root and shoot systems, as well as seed germination
Authors: Loera-Serna Sandra , Beltrán Hiram I. , Mendoza-Sánchez Mariana , Álvarez-Zeferino Juan Carlos , Almanza Fernando , Fernández-Luqueño Fabián
Published: January 2024

The seed germination, as well as root and shoot growth effect of HKUST-1 MOF, and its derived linear polymer ([Cu2(OH)(BTC)(H2O)]n·2nH2O) were herein examined. These effects were studied for seven higher plant species: sweet corn (Zea mays L.), black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), celosia (Celosia argentea L.), Aztec marigold (Tagetes erecta L.), and gypsophila (Gypsophila paniculata L.). The studied concentrations of MOFs were 10, 100, 500, or 1000 mg/L, enhancing the percentage of germination and growth of plants in most species. In general, the growth of the root is lower compared to the controls due to the capacity of the MOF to adsorb water and provide micronutrients such as C, O, and Cu, acting as a reserve for the plant. Shoot system growths are more pronounced with HKUST-1 compared with control, and linear polymer, due to the 3D structure adsorbs major water contents. It was found that all studied species are tolerant not only to Cu released from the material, but more evident to Cu structured in MOFs, and this occurs at high concentrations compared to many other systems. Finally, copper fixation was not present, studied by EDX mapping, banning the possibility of metallic phytotoxicity to the tested cultivars.
Sustainable synthesis of magnetic Sargassum siliquastrum activated carbon loaded with NiS nanorods for adsorption of 2,4-D herbicide
Authors: Hasan Ibrahem M. A. , Assaf Fawzy H. , Tawfik Ahmed R.
Published: January 2024

The upgrade of sustainable resource waste into a valuable and beneficial material is an urgent task. The current paper outlines the development of an economical, sustainable, and prolonged adsorbent derived from Sargassum siliquastrum biomass and its use for potent 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) removal. A simple carbonization approach was applied to obtain the highly functionalized carbon structure, which was subsequently transformed into a novel magnetic nanoadsorbent. The magnetic nanoadsorbent was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET)-specific surface area, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The characterization results confirm the successful formation of a high specific surface area and a uniform distribution of Fe3O4/NiS NPs grafted activated carbon. The adsorption kinetics was more accurately described via the pseudo-second order model; nevertheless, the isothermal data showed that the Langmuir model was most suitable. The monolayer adsorption capacity for 2,4-D was 208.26 ± 15.75 mg/g at 328 K. The favourability and spontaneity of the adsorption process were demonstrated by thermodynamic studies. The adsorbent displayed exceptional selectivity for 2,4-D and high stability in multi-cycle use. Electrostatic attraction, π-π stacking, and hydrogen bonding were all believed to have an impact on the sorbent’s robust 2,4-D adsorption. Analyses of real tap and Nile River water samples showed little effect of the sample matrix on 2,4-D adsorption. This study presents an innovative approach for developing highly efficient adsorbent from natural biomass and offers an affordable way to recycle algal waste into beneficial materials.

Graphical Abstract
Using the Right Criteria for MCAS
Authors: Gulen Theo
Published: January 2024

Purpose of Review

The current article aims to provide a comprehensive update on diagnostic criteria for mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), addressing challenges in diagnosing and classifying MCAS and its variants.

Recent Findings

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in our knowledge regarding the underlying mechanisms responsible for the activation of mast cells (MCs) in various pathological conditions. Furthermore, a set of criteria and a classification for MCASs have been established. MCAS is characterized by the presence of typical clinical symptoms, a substantial elevation in serum tryptase levels during an attack compared to the patient’s baseline tryptase levels, and a response to MC mediator–targeting therapy.

In this report, a thorough examination was conducted on the contemporary literature relating to MCAS, with a focus on comparing the specificity, sensitivity, and robustness of MCAS-related parameters within proposals for diagnosing and classifying MCAS and its variants. Moreover, the significance of employing specific consensus criteria in the assessment and categorization of MCAS in individual patients was underscored, due to the escalating occurrence of patients receiving a misdiagnosis of MCAS based on nonspecific criteria.
The Role of Pensioner Councils in Regional Healthcare Policy: A Holistic Perspective
Authors: Mankell Anna , Fredriksson Mio
Published: January 2024

To ensure older individuals actively engage in healthcare service development and policymaking, it is crucial to counteract declining social and civic participation with age. It is also necessary to clarify the potential and impact of participatory activities. This study examines citizen participation among older adults in Swedish health policy development. Using Thurston et al.‘s (2005) holistic framework, the study analyzes pensioner councils (PCs) in politically governed healthcare regions. Through 13 interviews and six years of PC meeting minutes, findings from a deductive content analysis suggest that PCs build trust and foster deeper dialogues between older adults and politicians, due to their long-term nature. A trusting relationship between citizens and decision-makers may benefit society at large by enhancing the legitimacy of policy decisions. Although achieving direct policy impact is challenging, these councils serve vital participatory and deliberative democratic functions, contributing to a stronger policy community and increased transparency in the democratic process. This study highlights the complexities of assessing PCs solely based on policy influence and immediately evident outcomes, emphasizing their role in promoting democratic values, while also drawing attention to the tension between participatory and representative democracy.
A Brief Compassion Focused Therapy Intervention Can Increase Moral Expansiveness: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Kirby James N. , Hoang April , Crimston Charlie R.
Published: January 2024

Objectives

This study investigated whether training in compassion can broaden individuals’ moral circles. In total, 102 participants, including 87 females, took part in a brief seminar on Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), which is a psychological intervention aimed at cultivating greater levels of compassion.

Method

Participants were randomized to either the CFT intervention (n = 48) or waitlist control group (n = 54). Participant levels of moral expansiveness (moral concern for human, non-human animals, and environmental entities) were measured at pre-intervention, 2 weeks post-intervention, and the CFT group again at 3-month follow-up.

Results

At 2 weeks post-intervention, participants in the CFT group compared to control had significantly increased total moral expansiveness, as well as increases specifically for family and revered sub-groups. At 3-month follow-up, these outcomes improved, with reported moral concern for all sub-groups significantly increasing, including out-groups, stigmatized members of society, animals, plants, and the environment.

Conclusions

The results show promise for how we can expand the boundaries of our moral concern through compassion focused interventions.

Preregistration

The study was preregistered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/z3c9f).
CircUCK2 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma development by upregulating UCK2 in a mir-149-5p-dependent manner
Authors: Shen Minghai , Zhang Qinghua , Pan Wanneng , Wang Bei
Published: January 2024

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) participate in the regulation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) progression. The objective of this study was to explore the function and mechanism of circUCK2 in HCC development.

Methods

The RNA levels of circUCK2, miR-149-5p and uridine–cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2) were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). EdU incorporation assay and colony formation assay were respectively performed to analyze cell proliferation and colony formation. Wound healing assay and transwell assay were conducted for cell migration and invasion. Flow cytometry was used for cell apoptosis analysis. Western blot assay was conducted to determine the protein levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) and UCK2. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay and RNA pull-down assay were conducted to confirm the interaction between miR-149-5p and circUCK2 or UCK2. The xenograft model was established to explore the role of circUCK2 in tumor growth in vivo.

Results

CircUCK2 level was elevated in HCC, and circUCK2 depletion suppressed HCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion and accelerated cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, circUCK2 could positively modulate UCK2 expression by interacting with miR-149-5p. Furthermore, the repressive effects of circUCK2 knockdown on the malignant behaviors of HCC cells were alleviated by UCK2 overexpression or miR-149-5p inhibition. The promoting effects of circUCK2 overexpression on HCC cell malignancy were alleviated by UCK2 silencing or miR-149-5p introduction. Additionally, circUCK2 knockdown hampered tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusion

CircUCK2 contributed to HCC malignant progression in vitro and in vivo via targeting miR-149-5p/UCK2 axis, demonstrating that circUCK2 might be a novel therapeutic target for HCC.
Bumps on the back: An unusual morphology in phylogenetically distinct Peridinium aff. cinctum (= Peridinium tuberosum; Peridiniales, Dinophyceae)
Authors: Gürkan Selin , Stemplinger Benedikt , Rockinger Alexander , Knechtel Johanna , Gottschling Marc
Published: January 2024

To determine the intraspecific variability of microscopic organisms such as dinophytes is challenging, but can be achieved using cultured material. Unusual morphologies of Peridinium tuberosum assigned to the Peridinium cinctum species group have been described as bulges on the posterior end of the cell a hundred years ago and more, but its taxonomic significance is unclear at present. We collected field material in Germany and Poland in order to establish strains to study cell morphology using light and scanning electron microscopy. For the cultured material, DNA sequence data from the rRNA operon was gained as well and included in molecular phylogenetics (including 22 new partial rRNA sequences). Two new, closely related ribotypes were detected, and all strains showed the principle morphology of P. cinctum having an asymmetric epitheca, a large first apical plate and a sulcus extending onto the epitheca. In the single-strain GeoM*979 assigned to one of the two new ribotypes, cells with bulges appeared rarely but consistently, mostly on the hypotheca, but other variations also occurred. Overall, cells of this strain display traits not observed before while studying cultured P. cinctum, and this distinction is further supported by molecular data and additional details of epithecal opening. However, there does not remain enough information to determine strain GeoM*979 as a separate species (namely P. tuberosum) and therefore, it is identified as Peridinium aff. cinctum until further notice.
Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Alchemilla vulgaris and Helichrysum arenarium for methylene blue and 4-nitrophenol degradation and antibacterial applications
Authors: Kahraman Havva Tutar
Published: January 2024

This study aimed to evaluate the concept of green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles (silver nanoparticles, AgNPs) by plant extracts without using any toxic or hazardous materials. Alchemilla vulgaris (AV) and Helichrysum arenarium (HA) are used as capping and reducing agents to synthesize AgNPs (as coded AV-AgNPs and HA-AgNPs). Both synthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV–visible spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results of characterization exhibited that AgNPs were successfully synthesized. They are highly well-dispersed, mostly spherical shape with an average size 15–20 nm. Catalytic reduction of methylene blue (MB) and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was assessed using synthesized AgNPs as nano-catalysts in the presence of NaBH4. The catalytic activity of the synthesized AgNPs revealed significant results in terms of degradation of MB and 4-NP to 4-AP (4-aminophenol). The reduction reactions of MB and 4-NP happen within 6–7 min using synthesized AV-AgNPs and HA-AgNPs in the presence of NaBH4. According to the reusability analysis, synthesized AgNPs demonstrated excellent degradation performances by the more than 94% removal efficiency maintained after five reuse cycles. In addition, antibacterial activities of AgNPs were investigated against Escherichia coli (E. coli; Gram-negative bacteria) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus; Gram-positive bacteria) by using quantitative well-diffusion method and the inhibition zones were determined using Mueller–Hinton agar (MHA) media. AV-AgNPs and HA-AgNPs showed strong antibacterial activities against E. coli with in inhibition zone diameters 25.5 and 25 mm, respectively. AV-AgNPs and HA-AgNPs were also extremely effective on S. aureus with high inhibition zone values of 22 and 24 mm, respectively. Finally, the fabricated silver nanoparticles could be excellent candidates for the separation of hazardous materials.
Diabetic retinopathy screening guidelines for Physicians in India: position statement by the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) and the Vitreoretinal Society of India (VRSI)-2023
Authors: Agarwal Manisha , Rani Padmaja Kumari , Raman Rajiv , Narayanan Raja , L. Sreenivasamurthy , Virmani Anil , Rajalakshmi Ramachandan , Chandrashekhar Sudha , Makkar Brij Mohan , Agarwal Sanjay , Palanivelu Mahesh Shanmugam , Srinivasa Muralidhar Naveenam , Ramasamy Kim
Published: January 2024

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness among working-age adults worldwide. India is the diabetes capital of the world and one in five adults is said to have diabetes in India. With the increase in diabetes, there is an increasing burden of diabetic retinopathy (DR). All patients with diabetes have a risk of losing vision due to DR. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is 12.5%; out of which, 4% are said to have vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) The early stages of DR are symptomless, necessitating a proactive screening for an early detection of DR in all people with diabetes before they develop VTDR. This is a position statement jointly developed by RSSDI (Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India) and VRSI (Vitreo Retinal Society of India) to provide guidelines for Physicians on DR screening in India. These guidelines emphasize the need for regular DR screening of all people with diabetes. It is recommended that the Physicians establish an effective DR screening model in their clinics, eg., a non-mydriatic fundus camera utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for fundus photography to identify referral or non-referral DR. This will facilitate early detection and timely referral to an ophthalmologist thereby preventing VTDR. The need to create public awareness regarding blindness due to DR and a collaboration between Physicians and ophthalmologists for the management of diabetes, opportunistic screening of DR, and timely management of DR may play a crucial role in decreasing the burden of blindness secondary to diabetes.
Static Load Testing of Instrumented Screw Piles in Soft Soil Deposits
Authors: Verumandy Kanagesperan , Arulrajah Arul , Mirzababaei Mehdi , Rajeev Pathmanathan
Published: January 2024

With the rapid development across major cities, low-capacity screw piles are adopted by builders as a viable economical option in managing risk involving settlement in soft soil deposits. Although the required installation torque and the capacity of a screw pile can be correlated to the soil shearing resistance at the interface of its shaft and helical plates, the correlated ultimate capacity of the pile is specific only to undrained conditions. Therefore, if the water table fluctuates within the embedment length of the pile, the correlated ultimate strength is not valid. This poses a serious design concern in over-consolidated fills. Therefore, due to the uncertainty associated with the compressive capacity of installed screw piles in soft saturated deposits, it is advantageous to perform a static load test to verify the serviceability and ultimate loads. In this study, four static load tests were carried out on screw piles at four different construction sites in the city of Melbourne, to study the load transfer mechanism at various levels of axial loading and subsequent unloading/reloading stages. In one of the sites, the screw pile was equipped with miniature transducers to monitor the generated total stress and pore-water pressure during the installation and post-installation. The results of this study indicated that a static load test can accurately estimate the real bearing capacity of a screw pile which differs significantly from the design geotechnical strength calculated using theoretical equations. It was concluded that in the absence of a pile load test, it is rational to adopt a geotechnical reduction factor of 0.4 and neglect the skin friction capacity of the screw pile to provide a safe foundation design.
Move schedules: fast persistence computations in coarse dynamic settings
Authors: Piekenbrock Matthew , Perea Jose A.
Published: January 2024

Matrix reduction is the standard procedure for computing the persistent homology of a filtered simplicial complex withmsimplices. Its output is a particular decomposition of the total boundary matrix, from which the persistence diagrams and generating cycles are derived. Persistence diagrams are known to vary continuously with respect to their input, motivating the study of their computation for time-varying filtered complexes. Computing persistence dynamically can be reduced to maintaining a valid decomposition under adjacent transpositions in the filtration order. Since there are$$O(m^2)$$O(m2)such transpositions, this maintenance procedure exhibits limited scalability and is often too fine for many applications. We propose a coarser strategy for maintaining the decomposition over a 1-parameter family of filtrations. By reduction to a particular longest common subsequence problem, we show that the minimal number of decomposition updatesdcan be found in$$O(m \log \log m)$$O(mloglogm)time andO(m) space, and that the corresponding sequence of permutations—which we call aschedule—can be constructed in$$O(d m \log m)$$O(dmlogm)time. We also show that, in expectation, the storage needed to employ this strategy is actually sublinear inm. Exploiting this connection, we show experimentally that the decrease in operations to compute diagrams across a family of filtrations is proportional to the difference between the expected quadratic number of states and the proposed sublinear coarsening. Applications to video data, dynamic metric space data, and multiparameter persistence are also presented.
50-Channel Ionoacoustic Sensor for 60 MeV Proton Beam Characterization in Hadron Therapy Applications
Authors: Vallicelli Elia Arturo , Tambaro Mattia , Cosmi Mattia Oliver , Baschirotto Andrea , De Matteis Marcello
Published: January 2024

This paper presents the design of a piezoelectric multichannel sensor optimized for sensing weak ionoacoustic signals generated at the Bragg peak (BP) of pulsed proton beams, with interesting possible applications in real-time monitoring of oncological hadron therapy treatments. To overcome current single-channel detector limitations and acquire the weak acoustic signals of clinical scenarios (60–200 MeV proton energy and few mGy dose deposition), the hereby presented detector overcomes the state-of-the-art approach (based on time-domain correlation i.e., averaging different beam pulses) by using spatial correlation (i.e., averaging signals from different detector channels) to increase the SNR without increasing the delivered dose. The detector design is tailored around the experimental environment characteristics (signal amplitude, signal frequency, relative BP-detector position) of a clinical proton beam (60 MeV, 2 mGy/pulse dose deposition). The detector design was characterized by a complete cross-domain simulation of the physical (proton beam), acoustic (wave propagation) and electrical (sensor and electronics frequency response and noise) environments. It achieves a clear 10 dB single-pulse SNR (2 mGy total dose) and allows to locate the BP with 125 μm precision (< 3% w.r.t. the particle range). Finally, the detector was experimentally validated by a piezoelectric acoustic testbench and has shown the capability to localize an acoustic source in 2D with sub-millimeter accuracy by using a multilateration-based BP detection algorithm.
Performance and Efficiency Exploration of Hardware Polynomial Multipliers for Post-Quantum Lattice-Based Cryptosystems
Authors: Antognazza Francesco , Barenghi Alessandro , Pelosi Gerardo , Susella Ruggero
Published: January 2024

The significant effort in the research and design of large-scale quantum computers has spurred a transition to post-quantum cryptographic primitives worldwide. The post-quantum cryptographic primitive standardization effort led by the US NIST has recently selected the asymmetric encryption primitive Kyber as its candidate for standardization and indicated NTRU, as a valid alternative if intellectual property issues are not solved. Finally, a more conservative alternative to NTRU, NTRUPrime was also considered as an alternate candidate, due to its design choices that remove the possibility for a large set of attacks preemptively. All the aforementioned asymmetric primitives provide good performances, and are prime choices to provide IoT devices with post-quantum confidentiality services. In this work, we present a comprehensive exploration of hardware designs for the computation of polynomial multiplications, the workhorse operation in all the aforementioned cryptosystems, with a thorough analysis of performance, compactness and efficiency. The presented designs cope with the differences in the arithmetics of polynomial rings employed by distinct cryptosystems, benefiting from configurations and optimizations that are applicable at synthesis time and/or run time. In this context, we target a use case scenario where long-term key pairs are used, such as the ones for VPNs (e.g., over IPSec), secure shell protocols and instant messaging applications. Our high-performance design variants exhibit figures of latency comparable to the ones needed for the execution of the symmetric cryptographic primitives also included in the Post-Quantum schemes. Notably, the performance figures of the designs proposed for NTRU and NTRU Prime surpass the ones described in the related literature.
Artificial intelligence in Finance: a comprehensive review through bibliometric and content analysis
Authors: Bahoo Salman , Cucculelli Marco , Goga Xhoana , Mondolo Jasmine
Published: January 2024

Over the past two decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced rapid development and is being used in a wide range of sectors and activities, including finance. In the meantime, a growing and heterogeneous strand of literature has explored the use of AI in finance. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing research on this topic and to identify which research directions need further investigation. Accordingly, using the tools of bibliometric analysis and content analysis, we examined a large number of articles published between 1992 and March 2021. We find that the literature on this topic has expanded considerably since the beginning of the XXI century, covering a variety of countries and different AI applications in finance, amongst which Predictive/forecasting systems, Classification/detection/early warning systems and Big data Analytics/Data mining /Text mining stand out. Furthermore, we show that the selected articles fall into ten main research streams, in which AI is applied to the stock market, trading models, volatility forecasting, portfolio management, performance, risk and default evaluation, cryptocurrencies, derivatives, credit risk in banks, investor sentiment analysis and foreign exchange management, respectively. Future research should seek to address the partially unanswered research questions and improve our understanding of the impact of recent disruptive technological developments on finance.
The Russian Economy
Authors: Weber Yuval
Published: January 2024

Since Tsarist times, Russia's leaders, rather than pursue economic growth for its own sake, have sought control over economic activity as a means to manage their own support base, respond to perceived security threats and to facilitate their wider geopolitical ambitions. Balancing the needs of an authoritarian state with the tentative and inconsistent use of the market has defined Russia's modern economic history from the nineteenth-century Stolypin reforms to Lenin's New Economic Policy through to the high Soviet years, Gorbachev's perestroika, and Yeltsin and Gaidar's shock therapy. And it is no more evident today than in Putin's management of Russia's natural resource-based economy.

Yuval Weber provides a concise economic history of modern Russia, which explains how its economy works both at an economic level but also strategically serving its elites' personal and political agendas. At a time when the global importance of Russia's oil and gas reserves is in full view, the book examines the Russian Petrostate and considers the long-term challenges for an economy reliant on natural resources for its resilience. The country's regional imbalances, the demands of its huge military-industrial complex and the legacy of centralization are considered alongside the rising consumerism of its citizens, and other human factors, such as ethnicity, health and demography.

The book offers readers seeking to understand Russia's economic resilience in an increasingly fractured global economy, an illuminating historical perspective on Russia's political economy and the power structures underpinning Putin's governance.
The South Korean Economy
Authors: Kim Sunil , Porteux Jonson
Published: January 2024

South Korea has the tenth largest economy in the world and is one of only two Asian members of the OECD. It has achieved this remarkable level of economic development since its independence from Japan in 1945. Indeed, it has achieved this transformation, exceptional for any postcolonial state, despite one of the most brutal fratricidal conflicts fought since the Second World War. Sunil Kim and Jonson Porteux chart this astonishing economic and political development and explain the puzzle that is the South Korean economy.

The authors examine how South Korea has developed a highly innovative economy based on advanced technologies and infrastructure - counter-intuitively, given its postcolonial legacy of military leaders and lack of fully developed free markets. The longstanding family-owned and run industrial conglomerates - the chaebol - characteristic of the Korean economy are shown to have been behind the shift to high-tech industrialization, albeit under the strict influence of the state. The challenges of increased global interconnectedness, the precarious and fragile relationship with North Korea, the slowdown of domestic demand, recent assaults on the chaebol and their families, together with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, are furthermore addressed.

The book offers new insights and frameworks for understanding the fascinating history and future trajectory of South Korea's political economy as well as the causes and consequences of industrialization and democratization more generally.
Belt and Road
Authors: Rogelja Igor , Tsimonis Konstantinos
Published: January 2024

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is one of the most talked about yet little understood policy initiatives of the People's Republic of China. This book offers a comprehensive, balanced and policy-oriented assessment of the BRI's first ten years and what it has meant for the world's businesses, polities and societies. The authors explore China's role as a globally significant source of development finance and investment capital, and examine the political, economic, normative, environmental and social implications of its increased presence in the world.

Aimed at researchers and academics, business professionals and policy analysts, as well as informed readers, the book seeks to answer some of the most pressing questions that China's rising economic presence in global markets poses: how is the BRI organized? Is it China's grand strategy? Is it green, is it corrupt, and what are its social effects? Is there even a future for the BRI in a world beset by new uncertainties? The book offers a sober analysis of the most prevalent narratives that cast China as a 'threat' and as an 'opportunity' and considers the specific challenges that it presents for the liberal international order.
London
Authors: Raco Mike , Brill Frances
Published: January 2024

As one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, London has become a mass generator of employment and a magnet for inward migration. Yet London is also a divided city, whose expansion has generated many planning challenges.

This book explores the tensions, complexities and difficulties in mobilizing policy agendas in London, but it also argues that public policy still matters and makes a significant difference to outcomes. The authors show how the market-led development of London has meant that the state supports more private-sector-led governance and this has given rise to widespread privatization of the city's decision-making processes and policy implementation. As a key command and control centre in the global economy, London's privatized model has become one for other megacities to emulate.
Evolving Regional Economies
Authors: Henning Martin
Published: January 2024

Regional issues are increasingly debated across the social sciences. In an age of globalization, the region has come to matter perhaps more than before. In business, companies orient themselves to engage in regional environments to build capabilities and create critical mass in their vicinity. In the world of policy, almost one-third of the EU budget is spent on regional policy. Yet in spite of this the differences between regions that do well and those that do not are increasing in both Europe and the United States.

In recent years, evolutionary economic geography has done much to create a framework to inform regional policy and academic work. Using its insights, Martin Henning explores why economic growth and transformation is an essentially regionally based and spatially dependent process. The book offers an accessible introduction to the core ideas involved in understanding the dynamics of regional economies and draws on case studies to illuminate these ideas in practice.
The Natural Dividend
Authors: Moses Jonathon W. , Brigham Anne Margrethe
Published: January 2024

Forced to embrace a post-carbon future, or risk serious damage to the planet, we have begun a race for alternatives to the scarce resources that previous generations relied on. In this book, Jonathan Moses and Anne Brigham consider how best we might negotiate the world's scarce pool of natural resources, and avoid the pitfalls of the past.

In order to shift the world's consumption from one set of scarce natural resources to another, they show the need for management regimes that are both politically, as well as environmentally, sustainable. They propose an alternative way to think about resource management for the future, one based on the collective ownership of (stewardship over) nature, and one where the rents resulting from this ownership, like the resources that produce them, belong to the people. Using case studies from particular markets, they demonstrate how such a management model might work to protect our common heritage and allow communities to secure the benefits we can and should expect from scarce resources - our natural dividend.
Understanding Corruption
Authors: Barrington Robert , David-Barrett Elizabeth , Power Sam , Hough Dan
Published: January 2024

Corruption takes many different forms and the systems that enable it are complex and challenging. To best understand corruption, one needs to examine how it operates in practice. Understanding Corruption tells the story of how corruption happens in the real world, illustrated through detailed case studies of the many different types of corruption that span the globe. Each case study follows a tried and tested analytical approach that provides key insights into the workings of corruption and the measures best used to tackle it. The case studies examined include examples of corporate bribery, political corruption, facilitation payments, cronyism, state capture, kleptocracy, asset recovery, offshore secrecy, reputation laundering and unexplained wealth, and actors include businesses, governments, politicians, governing bodies and public servants.
Mexico City
Authors: Schteingart Martha , Sobrino Jaime , Ugalde Vincente
Published: January 2024

Mexico City is the second largest city on the American continent, the most populous Spanish-speaking city in the world and the richest city, in terms of GFP, in Latin America. The authors explore the political structures, demography, economy, social issues and public administration that make this megacity distinctive.

Unique and vibrant, Mexico City has been run since the 1990s by left-wing parties with more progressive social and egalitarian concerns about urban problems, and new proposals for different types of state participation. Political changes at the city level has led to changes and fresh approaches in some aspects of social life, including the creation of important local, grass-roots institutions. The book offers quantitative and qualitative assessments of the spatial structure of the city and its distribution of poverty and poor economic outcomes, alongside transportation provision, housing. Deindustrialization and the growth of the service sector alongside an expanding informal economy are also shown to be important dynamics in the economic restructuring of the city.
Exploring the Chinese Social Model
Authors: Liu Weidong , Dunford Michael , Liu Zhigao , Yang Zhenshan
Published: January 2024

The people of China and its (widely differing) regions have not all benefited equally from the country's rapid increase in prosperity, and the speed and timing of increases have varied across time and space. However, China has managed to help those left behind to catch up. These outcomes reflect a specific social model embedded in China's cultural and political milieu. Exploring the Chinese Social Model presents new analysis and fresh research on how China deals with unequal development and inequality in the context of its surging economic growth.

The book sheds new light on the workings of China's social model, going beyond binary notions of market and state, and considers the new facets of its socialist market economy. In exploring these questions, the authors consider what is special about China and what the Chinese model is all about.
Conservatism
Authors: Garnett Mark
Published: January 2024

The nature of conservative ideology is and will continue to be warmly contested. In this short history, Mark Garnett contends that the disagreements have been particularly strong in the instance of British conservatism because the ideological label continues to be used by a prominent political party. Whether hostile or friendly in intent, commentators on conservatism have found it difficult to avoid the assumption that British 'conservatism' must, at all times, be reflected at least to some degree in the policy platforms of the Conservative Party.

This book presents an account of British conservatism which avoids the usual confusion between the ideology and the stated principles of a party which prides itself on an ability to change its views according to circumstances. It shows, since the Tory Party adopted the name 'Conservative' in the 1830s it has become increasingly difficult to associate its varying positions with a coherent 'conservative' position, so that it is more profitable to discuss its ideological history from the perspective of liberalism and nationalism. This argument is presented by tracing the histories of the party and the ideology in separate chapters, whose themes and cast of characters rarely coincide.
Politicians and Economic Experts
Authors: Killick Anna
Published: January 2024

In recent years politics has seen an increasing role in economic policymaking for a technocracy of experts. How do politicians feel about this and how do they balance their political and ethical aims with economic expertise? Anna Killick offers an in-depth study of how politicians engage with economists and economic opinion. Based on interviews with politicians from the main parties in France, Germany, Denmark, the UK and USA, the book highlights the role economic opinion plays in politics and the tension that can arise between democracy and technocracy. Deferring to the experts is shown to be neither viable nor desirable, and that we should trust politicians to take the lead role in solving economic problems.
Four unreported emperor penguin colonies discovered by satellite
Authors: Fretwell Peter
Published: January 2024

Predictions of the future emperor penguins population, linked to anthropogenic climate change, are stark. Current models suggest that if CO2 emissions continue to rise at present rates, almost all colonies will be quasi-extinct by the end of the century (Jenouvrier et al.2021). The monitoring of populations is crucial to tracking these changes and, if possible, implementing conservation measures. Recent work using satellite imagery to discover, track and monitor emperor penguin populations has proved to be a key technology in understanding the locations, numbers and trends of the species (Barbraud & Weimerskirch 2001, Trathan et al.2020, Jenouvrier et al.2021). It also enables the discovery of unrecorded breeding sites (Fretwell et al.2009), although there are inherent difficulties in determining what constitutes a new or undiscovered breeding colony (see Supplemental Material S1). In 2019, eight previously unreported emperor penguin breeding sites were found using the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellite, a medium-resolution satellite with a spatial resolution of 10 m per pixel (Fretwell & Trathan 2021), bringing the number of known extant breeding locations to 61. Here, I report on the discovery of a further four breeding sites using Sentinel-2 and Maxar WorldView-2 imagery.
A Synthesis of Global Coastal Ocean Greenhouse Gas Fluxes
Authors: Resplandy L. , Hogikyan A. , Müller J. D. , Najjar R. G. , Bange H. W. , Bianchi D. , Weber T. , Cai W.‐J. , Doney S. C. , Fennel K. , Gehlen M. , Hauck J. , Lacroix F. , Landschützer P. , Le Quéré C. , Roobaert A. , Schwinger J. , Berthet S. , Bopp L. , Chau T. T. T. , Dai M. , Gruber N. , Ilyina T. , Kock A. , Manizza M. , Lachkar Z. , Laruelle G. G. , Liao E. , Lima I. D. , Nissen C. , Rödenbeck C. , Séférian R. , Toyama K. , Tsujino H. , Regnier P.
Published: January 2024

The coastal ocean contributes to regulating atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations by taking up carbon dioxide (CO2) and releasing nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). In this second phase of the Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP2), we quantify global coastal ocean fluxes of CO2, N2O and CH4 using an ensemble of global gap‐filled observation‐based products and ocean biogeochemical models. The global coastal ocean is a net sink of CO2 in both observational products and models, but the magnitude of the median net global coastal uptake is ∼60% larger in models (−0.72 vs. −0.44 PgC year−1, 1998–2018, coastal ocean extending to 300 km offshore or 1,000 m isobath with area of 77 million km2). We attribute most of this model‐product difference to the seasonality in sea surface CO2 partial pressure at mid‐ and high‐latitudes, where models simulate stronger winter CO2 uptake. The coastal ocean CO2 sink has increased in the past decades but the available time‐resolving observation‐based products and models show large discrepancies in the magnitude of this increase. The global coastal ocean is a major source of N2O (+0.70 PgCO2‐e year−1 in observational product and +0.54 PgCO2‐e year−1 in model median) and CH4 (+0.21 PgCO2‐e year−1 in observational product), which offsets a substantial proportion of the coastal CO2 uptake in the net radiative balance (30%–60% in CO2‐equivalents), highlighting the importance of considering the three greenhouse gases when examining the influence of the coastal ocean on climate.
Crustal Heterogeneity of Antarctica Signals Spatially Variable Radiogenic Heat Production
Authors: Li L. , Aitken A. R. A.
Published: January 2024

Geothermal heat flow (GHF) is a key basal boundary condition for Antarctic ice‐sheet flow. Large‐scale variations are resolved by several recent models but knowledge of the smaller‐scale variations, crucial for ice sheet dynamics, is limited by unresolved variations in crustal radiogenic heat production. To define this at continent‐scale we use 3D gravity inversion constrained by seismic Moho estimates to identify variations in crustal composition and geometry beneath thick ice. Geochemically‐defined empirical relationships between density and heat production capture the global average trend and its variability, and allow to estimate from upper‐crust density spatial variations in radiogenic heat production. Significant variations are observed typically 1.2–1.6 μW/m3, and as high as 2 μW/m3 in West Antarctica. The contribution to GHF from these heat‐production variations is similarly variable, typically 16–24 mW/m2 and up to 60 mW/m2. The mapped variations are significant for correctly representing GHF in Antarctica.
Observed Extreme Freshening in the Central Andaman Sea Induced by Strong Positive Indian Ocean Dipole
Authors: Liu Yanliang , Sangmanee Chalermrat , Su Qinglei , Li Chao , Li Zhi , Fang Yue , Khokiattiwong Somkiat , Yu Weidong
Published: January 2024

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has been extensively studied for its significant impact on salinity distribution in tropical regions. However, its off‐equatorial influence in the northeastern Indian Ocean (IO) has received limited documentation thus far. In October 2019, a buoy in the central Andaman Sea (AS) observed an extreme freshening event that resulted in intensified upper‐ocean stratification and increased internal wave activities. The salt budget evaluation revealed the dominant role of horizontal advection. Interannual variability in autumn and winter sea surface salinity (SSS) showed a significant correlation with the IOD. Extreme freshening was observed exclusively during strong positive IOD (pIOD) years. This freshening primarily resulted from the outflow of low‐salinity water from the northeastern coast of the AS, driven by an anomalous anti‐cyclonic coastal‐trapped circulation exclusive to strong pIODs in the northeastern IO. This circulation tends to hinder southward freshwater transport in the western region while enhancing it in the eastern region. This circulation pattern is primarily influenced by Kelvin wave forcing, which is triggered by robust equatorial easterly anomalies that are typically more pronounced during strong pIOD events and weaker during weak pIOD events. The anticipated increase in the frequency of extreme freshening events due to the greenhouse warming has the potential to significantly modify the salinity distribution and freshwater transport in the future.
A Four‐Dimensional Variational Constrained Neural Network‐Based Data Assimilation Method
Authors: Wang Wuxin , Ren Kaijun , Duan Boheng , Zhu Junxing , Li Xiaoyong , Ni Weicheng , Lu Jingze , Yuan Taikang
Published: January 2024

Advances in data assimilation (DA) methods and the increasing amount of observations have continuously improved the accuracy of initial fields in numerical weather prediction during the last decades. Meanwhile, in order to effectively utilize the rapidly increasing data, Earth scientists must further improve DA methods. Recent studies have introduced machine learning (ML) methods to assist the DA process. In this paper, we explore the potential of a four‐dimensional variational (4DVar) constrained neural network (NN) method for accurate DA. Our NN is trained to approximate the solution of the variational problem, thereby avoiding the need for expensive online optimization when generating the initial fields. In the context that the full‐field system truths are unavailable, our approach embeds the system's kinetic features described by a series of analysis fields into the NN through a 4DVar‐form loss function. Numerical experiments on the Lorenz96 physical model demonstrate that our method can generate better initial fields than most traditional DA methods at a low computational cost, and is robust when assimilating observations with higher error outside of the distributions where it is trained. Furthermore, our NN‐based DA model is effective against Lorenz96 physical models with larger variable numbers. Our approach exemplifies how ML methods can be leveraged to improve both the efficiency and accuracy of DA techniques.