Month: February 2024

Abstract

Connectivity is a species- and landscape-specific measure that is key to species conservation in fragmented landscapes. However, information on connectivity is often lacking, especially for insects which are known to be severely declining. Patterns of gene flow constitute an indirect measure of functional landscape connectivity. We studied the population genetic structure of the rare digger wasp Bembix rostrata in coastal and inland regions in and near Belgium. The species is restricted to sandy pioneer vegetations for nesting and is well known for its philopatry as it does not easily colonize vacant habitat. It has markedly declined in the last century, especially in the inland region where open sand habitat has decreased in area and became highly fragmented. To assess within and between region connectivity, we used mating system independent population genetic methods suitable for haplodiploid species. We found more pronounced genetic structure in the small and isolated inland populations as compared to the well-connected coastal region. We also found a pattern of asymmetrical gene flow from coast to inland, including a few rare dispersal distances of potentially up to 200 to 300 km, based on assignment tests. We point to demography, wind and difference in dispersal capacities as possible underlying factors that can explain the discrepancy in connectivity and asymmetrical gene flow between the different regions. Overall, gene flow between existing populations appeared not highly restricted, especially at the coast. Therefore, to improve the conservation status of B. rostrata, the primary focus should be to preserve and create sufficient habitat for this species to increase the number and quality of (meta) populations, rather than focusing on landscape connectivity itself.

Abstract

The present research aims at analyzing the determinants of trade in forest products across BRICS and EU nations by using forest cover as one of the determining factors. For this purpose, a gravity model has been utilized for the country panel of BRICS and EU from 1996 to 2020. Five product categories corresponding to the forest trade (at HS-2 level) have been considered for the analysis. Further, Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood method has been used to estimate the gravity model. The study found that the forest cover of the trading nations from BRICS and EU has affected bilateral exports of primary wood products, wood pulp products, and related items significantly. The control variables included in the gravity model have resonated the results of existing literature. The study provides good policy insights on promoting trade in forest products by adopting appropriate forest conservation policies and other interventions that can help countries in increasing their respective forest covers.

Abstract

Transboundary water pollution induced by inter-regional trade is a complex and challenging issue due to the multiple jurisdictions involved. This study combined water pollution discharge inventory, multi-regional input–output analysis, discharge responsibility-sharing, and ecological compensation model to advance the collaborative control of water pollution embodied in China’s inter-provincial trade. Over a fifth of China’s water pollution discharges in 2017, equivalent to 1376 Kt, were a result of inter-provincial trade, which primarily flowed from wealthier coastal provinces to less developed ones. Moreover, the analysis demonstrates a mismatch between economic gains and environmental costs. In particular, Jiangxi and Guangxi bear the greatest environmental impact (64 and 58 Kt, respectively) while only receiving meager economic returns (131 and 80 billion Yuan). The economic benefit shared responsibility results for the great majority of provinces fell between production- and consumption-based discharges, and this compromise-based allocation of responsibility is more likely to gain acceptance across various regions. Provinces such as Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Beijing necessitate the highest compensation volumes to others, with 31 Kt, 25 Kt, and 20 Kt, respectively, while provinces including Guangxi, Jiangxi, and Ningxia require the largest inflows of compensation, totaling 26 Kt, 23 Kt, and 18 Kt, respectively. The compensation outcomes ensure that less developed regions, bearing a greater pollution burden, receive compensation from more developed regions with lower pollution burdens. The compensation values aligned with compensation volumes, with a few exceptions driven by variations in shadow prices of water pollution. Our study sheds light on the inter-provincial water pollution burdens and benefits and provides a quantitative basis for optimizing the responsibility-sharing and compensation strategies in China, thereby promoting regional cooperation on water pollution control.

Abstract

In this study, we investigated diurnal coastal trapped waves in the eastern coastal area of the Shimokita Peninsula near the Tsugaru Strait. The coastal trapped waves in this area have not yet been observed. We observed current velocities at three sites on the coast to clarify the propagation and seasonal features. We also used an ocean general circulation model to determine the detailed structure and the causes underlying the seasonal characteristics of the waves. The coastal trapped waves propagated southward along the coast from the strait, where significant tidal currents exist. Coastal trapped waves depend on cross-shelf length and stratification strength. The coastal trapped waves propagate as internal Kelvin waves from summer to early winter in the northern part of the peninsula (where the shelf is narrow) and as shelf waves in the southern part (where the shelf is wide). From late winter to spring, the coastal trapped waves practically disappear in the northern part of the peninsula owing to the vertical uniform density off the east coast and the small cross-shelf width in the northern part. In autumn, the tidal current flows north of the sill near Cape Shiriya at the eastern mouth of the straits owing to the northward shift of the Tsugaru Warm Current in the strait; thus, the coastal trapped waves along the Shimokita coast weaken.

Abstract

We develop three sets of theoretical boundary conditions for the firm-specific advantages (FSA) and country-specific advantages (CSA) view of intellectual property rights (IPR) in international business. These conditions explain when and where MNEs’ FSAs accrued from IPR assets (IPR-FSAs) are larger or smaller. In terms of IPR assets’ structure, we explicate the conditions creating complementarity problems among MNEs’ IPR that make IPR-FSAs larger, and the conditions under which complementarity problems between MNEs’ IPR and closely related legal rights make IPR-FSAs smaller. In terms of IPR assets’ geographic deployability, we explicate the rare conditions under which certain IPR-FSAs are non-location bound. However, we also explain that most IPR-FSAs are quasi-location-bound, and sometimes can even be fully location-bound, and therefore are smaller for MNEs’ units abroad. In terms of IPR assets’ defensibility, we explicate the conditions allowing IPR to still afford FSAs to MNEs even if the IPR cannot be favorably enforced. We argue that integrating these conditions into the FSA–CSA framework enables it to more precisely explain when and where there are heterogeneities in the size of MNEs’ IPR-FSAs. We also explain how our work can facilitate the empirical study of IPR-FSAs in international business research and guide MNEs’ IPR strategies.

Abstract

Coal mining is known for its contributions to climate change, but its impacts on the environment and human lives near mine sites are less widely recognised. This study integrates remote sensing, GIS, stakeholder interviews and extensive review of provincial data and documents to identify patterns of infringement, risk and impact driven by coal mining expansion across East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Specifically, we map and analyse patterns of mining concessions, land clearing, water cover, human settlement, and safety risks, and link them with mining governance and regulatory infractions related to coal mining permits. We show that excessive, improper permit granting and insufficient monitoring and oversight have led to deforestation, widespread overlaps of concessions with settlements, extensive boundary and regulatory violations, lacking reclamation, and numerous deaths. As the world’s largest thermal coal exporter, Indonesia’s elevated coal infringements, risks, and impacts translate to supply chain, sustainability, and human rights concerns for global coal markets.

Abstract

The critical goal of gait recognition is to acquire the inter-frame walking habit representation from the gait sequences. The relations between frames, however, have not received adequate attention in comparison to the intra-frame features. In this paper, motivated by optical flow, the bilateral motion-oriented block is proposed to explore motion description at the feature level. It can allow the classic 2D convolutional structure to have the capability to directly portray gait movement patterns while preventing costly computations on the estimation of optical flow. Based on such features, we develop a set of multi-scale temporal representations that force the motion context to be richly described at various levels of temporal resolution. Furthermore, the dynamic information is sensitive to inaccurate segmentation on the edge, so a correction block is devised to eliminate the segmentation noise of silhouettes for getting more precise gait modality. Subsequently, the temporal feature set and the spatial features are combined to comprehensively characterize gait processes. Extensive experiments are conducted on CASIA-B and OU-MVLP datasets, and the results achieve an outstanding identification performance, which has demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Abstract

The degree to which the banking sector opens up will immediately impact the structure of the national financial system, which will then directly influence the transmission mechanism and effect of monetary policy because it is the fundamental link in the financial system. This study describes the DSGE model of two nations with heterogeneous banks in light of the disparities in global capital flows and loan restrictions between Chinese and foreign banks. DSGE stands for Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium. The results show that (1) foreign banks can lessen the net worth shocks of local banks when they are subject to negative shocks to their net worth by injecting international capital flows. (2) The buffer mechanism of foreign banks will obstruct the transmission of monetary policy and partially offset its policy effects. (3) The buffer mechanism of foreign banks has a more pronounced interference effect on monetary policy when facing negative shocks to their net worth. The management of foreign banks is increasingly loosening as China’s financial opening up quickens. The findings of this paper have policy implications for how to seize the dividends brought by financial openness and control the interference with monetary policy beyond the advantages of foreign banks in stabilizing economic fluctuations.

Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the relationship between the shape of the optic nerve head (ONH) margin detected by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the clinical characteristics of glaucomatous eyes with papillomacular retinoschisis (PMRS).

Methods

The medical record of patients with a PMRS in a glaucomatous eye were reviewed. The eyes were placed into two groups determined by the shape of the ONH margin in the OCT images; eyes with an externally oblique ONH margin (Group 1) and eyes with an internally oblique ONH margin (Group 2). We compared the clinical characteristics of the PMRS of these two groups.

Results

We studied 31 eyes of 29 patients with PMRS and glaucoma with 24 eyes in Group 1 and 7 eyes in Group 2. The optic nerve fibre layer schisis on the lamina cribrosa (LC), beta zone, and gamma zone, and found that the LC defects were detected significantly more frequently in Group 1 than in Group 2 eyes (P < 0.05). A retinal nerve fibre schisis was observed around the ONH significantly more frequently in Group 2 than in Group 1 eyes (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

The cases of glaucoma-associated PMRS could be classified into two groups according to the obliquity of the ONH. They had differences in the findings of OCT and FA. The possibility that the mechanism of PMRS development is different in both groups is suggested.

Abstract

Impacting mechanical systems with suitable parameter settings exhibit a large amplitude chaotic oscillation close to the grazing with the impacting surface. The cause behind this uncertainty is the square root singularity and the occurrence of dangerous border collision bifurcation. In the case of one-degree-of-freedom mechanical systems, it has already been shown that this phenomenon occurs under certain conditions. This paper proposes the same uncertainty of a two-degree freedom mechanical impacting system under specific requirements. This paper shows that the phenomena earlier reported in the case of one-degree-of-freedom mechanical systems (like narrow band chaos, finger-shaped attractor, etc.) also occur in the two-degrees-of-freedom mechanical impacting system. We have numerically predicted that the narrowband chaos ensues under specific parameter settings. We have also shown that narrowband chaos can be avoided under some parameter settings. At last, we demonstrate the numerical predictions experimentally by constructing an equivalent electronic circuit of the mechanical rig.