Author: Latest Results

Exploring the nexus between fiscal decentralization and ecological sustainability: a fresh perspective from the moderating role of geopolitical risk and updated international evidence

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Abstract

Fiscal decentralization has been long employed to enhance the utilization of financial resources for sustainable development. Nevertheless, its effectiveness in limiting ecological degradation is ambiguous, especially when a country faces geopolitical risks. Different from previous works which separately examine the impacts of either fiscal decentralization or geopolitical risks on ecological sustainability, this research examines the moderating role of geopolitical risks on the non-linear relationship between fiscal decentralization and ecological footprints across different levels of environmental condition. An advanced panel quantile regression is applied to a sample of 23 advanced and emerging market economies from 1990 to 2018. The empirical results indicate that the nexus between revenue decentralization and ecological footprint follows an inverted U-shaped pattern at the 20th to 60th quantiles of ecological footprint. Meanwhile, the linkage between expenditure and ecological footprint reflects a U-shaped pattern across all quantiles. Notably, geopolitical risk strongly moderates the connection between fiscal decentralization and ecological footprint with the role being stronger in the case of revenue decentralization. This research provides valuable implementations to tailor policies for transferring revenue and expenditure responsibilities to sub-governmental bodies towards sustainability targets based on their current ecological conditions and contexts of geopolitical instability.

An investigation of the effect of drawdown pressure on sand production in an Iranian oilfield using a hybrid numerical modeling approach

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Abstract

Reservoir pressure reduction due to continuous production from oil and gas wells affects the sand production rate. An increase in drawdown pressure and/or a decrease in reservoir pressure increases the sand production rate. Since the problem of sand production is one of the main issues in the Asmari sandstone formation located in one of the oilfields in the southwest of Iran, therefore, in this research, the variations in the sand production rate due to the changes in the reservoir and drawdown pressures were investigated. So, for the first time, a hybrid numerical model of finite difference method (FDM)—discrete element method (DEM)—finite element method (FEM)—computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was developed. This numerical model investigated the increase in the sand production rate due to variations in reservoir pressure with a constant bottom-hole flowing pressure. Then, by performing an extensive sensitivity analysis on different values of reservoir pressure and drawdown pressure, the changes in the sanding rate, the critical drawdown pressure, and the safe drawdown line were determined. The results showed that, if the production flow rate of the well is constant, increasing the drawdown pressure can change the sand production rate only to a certain extent, and more than that, will be produced at a constant rate. Also, adjusting the drawdown pressure within a safe range does not necessarily keep the sand production rate constant at a permissible value for a long time, while by keeping the bottom hole flowing pressure constant within an acceptable range, the sand production rate can be controlled for a longer period.

Cross-platform social dynamics: an analysis of ChatGPT and COVID-19 vaccine conversations

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Abstract

The role of social media in information dissemination and agenda-setting has significantly expanded in recent years. By offering real-time interactions, online platforms have become invaluable tools for studying societal responses to significant events as they unfold. However, online reactions to external developments are influenced by various factors, including the nature of the event and the online environment. This study examines the dynamics of public discourse on digital platforms to shed light on this issue. We analyzed over 12 million posts and news articles related to two significant events: the release of ChatGPT in 2022 and the global discussions about COVID-19 vaccines in 2021. Data was collected from multiple platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, and GDELT. We employed topic modeling techniques to uncover the distinct thematic emphases on each platform, which reflect their specific features and target audiences. Additionally, sentiment analysis revealed various public perceptions regarding the topics studied. Lastly, we compared the evolution of engagement across platforms, unveiling unique patterns for the same topic. Notably, discussions about COVID-19 vaccines spread more rapidly due to the immediacy of the subject, while discussions about ChatGPT, despite its technological importance, propagated more gradually.

Association between social relationship of mentors and depressive symptoms in first-time mothers during the transition from pregnancy to 6-months postpartum

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Abstract

Background

First-time motherhood is characterized by high psychosocial distress, which untreated, has serious consequences. Informal social support provided by specially trained mentors may be protective against postpartum depressive symptoms but may vary by women’s social relationship with the mentor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of types of mentors on women’s depressive symptoms between late pregnancy to 6-months postpartum and the characteristics of women associated with mentor type.

Methods

This study was a secondary analysis of data from a community sample of 312 primiparous women from a single-group, longitudinal intervention study of Welcome to Parenthood. Welcome to Parenthood provided education and mentorship for women during the transition from pregnancy to postpartum. Women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in late pregnancy, and 2- and 6-months postpartum.

Results

Women who recently relocated were less likely to be mentored by their mothers and more likely to be mentored by friends or volunteers. Women who were mentored by their mothers or sisters scored the lowest on the EPDS; those mentored by their mothers-in-law scored the highest. Women who were mentored by other family, friends, or volunteers scored between the two extremes. EPDS scores of women mentored by each type of mentor decreased from pregnancy to 6-months postpartum; only for mother-, sister-, and volunteer-mentored groups was this decrease significant.

Conclusions

During transition to parenthood, support provided by mothers or sisters is best for women’s mental health but may not always be available to women who have recently relocated. In such situations, specially trained community volunteers may be the second-best option.

Sculpting the social algorithm for radical futurity

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Abstract

Social media has revolutionized the way information is distributed throughout society, as folks continue to rely entirely on these apps for information on current events, health protocols, and socio-political discussions. However, these containers of knowledge do not appear in the same shape for every user; Algorithms, informed by capitalist agendas, determine what information sifts through its networks and to whom. Data scientists, researchers, and activists have dissected the hidden mechanics fueling these popular platforms, inciting critical conversations around the harmful biases embedded in algorithms. These studies often skim the surface of how these algorithms digitally marginalize people of color, if acknowledging it at all. Even fewer have attempted to examine the role these algorithms play in the social activism and digital community organizing happening amongst communities of color via social media. Referring to indigenous scholar Marisa Elena Duarte’s book Network Sovereignty as a framework of thought, this paper roots itself in the notion that technology is an extension of the agenda utilizing it. Through dissecting the algorithmic structures of popular social platforms among communities of color, this paper examines how social media distributes information within its networks and how its encoded biases silence Black, brown, and indigenous voices. This paper also provides insight into how BIPOC content-creators, when informed on how the algorithms work, can use these platforms to their advantage and effectively facilitate socio-political discourse online; Changing the narrative of social networks from being yet another landscape of white supremacy to instead a communal canvas for radical change.

Assumptions and contradictions shape public engagement on climate change

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Abstract

Public engagement on socioscientific issues is crucial to explore solutions to different crises facing humanity today. It is vital for fostering transformative change. Yet, assumptions shape whether, when and how engagement happens on a pressing issue like climate change. Here we examine three dominant assumptions—engaging the public involves power-sharing and not just information, investing in relationships can lead to mutually desirable outcomes, and more interaction is better to support engagement in climate change governance. Furthermore, we explore the implications of these assumptions and related contradictions. We offer insights to stimulate discussion on the need to understand, assess and revise implicit assumptions that might undermine the capacity to transform public engagement on climate change.

Research progresses and prospects of multi-sphere compound extremes from the Earth System perspective

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Abstract

Compound extremes, whose socioeconomic and ecological impacts are severer than that caused by each event occurring in isolation, have evolved into a hot topic in Earth Science in the past decade. In the context of climate change, many compound extremes have exhibited increasing frequency and intensity, and shown novel fashions of combinations, posing more pressing demands and tougher challenges to scientific research and disaster prevention and response. This article, via a perspective of multi-sphere interactions within the Earth System, systematically reviews the status quo, new scientific understanding, and deficiencies regarding the definition, mechanism, change, attribution, and projection of compound extremes. This study also sorts out existing challenges and outlines a potential roadmap in advancing the study on compound extremes with respect to data requirement, mechanistic diagnosis, numerical modeling, attribution and projection, risk assessment, and adaptive response. Further directions of compound extremes studies and key research topics that warrant multi-disciplinary and multisectoral coordinated efforts are also proposed. Given that climate change has reshaped the type of extremes, a transformation from the traditional single-event perspective to a compound-event perspective is needed for scientific research, disaster prevention and mitigation, and climate change adaptation, calling for bottom-up innovation in research objects, ideas, and methods. This article will add value to promoting the research on compound extremes and interdisciplinary cooperations.

Research progress in assessment and strategies for sustainable food system within planetary boundaries

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Abstract

Meeting the increasing food demand in a manner that ensures both resources and environmental sustainability poses a global challenge. The conceptual framework of planetary boundaries (PBs) has emerged as a crucial reference in the study of sustainable food system, with specific focuses on key dimensions such as land use change, freshwater use, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, we summarized the threshold applications of PBs in sustainable food system research at both the global and national (China) scales. Based on these thresholds, we evaluated the sustainability conditions of the food system, considering resources such as cropland, freshwater, N and P applications, as well as environmental impacts including N and P losses, and GHG emissions. In addition, we explored the impacts of single or combined management strategies on sustainable food systems. These strategies included dietary changes, improvements in technologies and management, reductions in food loss and waste, and optimization in agricultural production distribution. Finally, we outlined future research directions in sustainable food system, including enhancing research on the interaction mechanisms among PBs elements within food systems, conducting downscaling studies of PBs elements at national and regional levels, and ensuring the rationality of policy-making for sustainable food systems in China. This study can provide a theoretical foundation and strategies guidance for sustainable food system and agricultural land use management in the future both globally and in China.

Asymmetrical gene flow between coastal and inland dunes in a threatened digger wasp

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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.

Linkage between forest cover and trade in forest products: an empirical evidence from BRICS and EU nations

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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.