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Migration between China and Russia has a long and complex history. This migration was encouraged by the geographical proximity of the two countries, by the complementarity of their economies and by their intense political relations. With the outbreak of First World War, Russia was forced to resort to Chinese workers in order compensate for the shortage of labor caused by the military conscription of large numbers of Russian peasants and workers. Chinese workers were employed on major railway building and military fortification projects, mining, and in arms and other military production. This paper explores the war experiences of the Chinese in Russia during the First World War and analyses their contribution to the Russian war effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to look at how environmental degradation in the form of climate change and air pollution affect international tourism for five countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) over the years 1990-2019. Other independent variables include information and communication technology (ICT) and democracy. We also look at the role of environmental regulation to see the validity of porter hypothesis in the tourism sector. To achieve this objective, we apply a novel method of moments quantile regression approach as well as a robust causality technique. The result shows that at lower and medium quantile, CO 2 emission has positive impact on tourism while at higher quantile, CO 2 emission has negative but insignificant effect on tourism in BRICS countries. The result for PM2.5 is uniform across all the quantiles, showing the negative effect on tourism. ICT and human capital positively affect the tourism while democracy has negative impact on the tourism sector of the BRICS nations. The result also validated the Porter hypothesis for tourism sector. We conclude that tourism industry stakeholders and the environmental policymakers must work together to integrate tourism policies with BRICS countries' environmental conservation policies as part of the transition to sustainable tourism industry., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Being neighbors, China and Central Asian states face common problems, which require collective response and leadership. In this article, we explore to what extent China's increased engagement in the region since the dissolution of the USSR has included attempts to lead cooperation to address some of these common problems. We answer our research question by exploring observable leadership efforts, such as institutional development, financial support, moral or belief supply, and unilateral exemplary activities. The analysis shows that in three selected issue areas, namely counter-terrorism, infrastructure development, and water management China has made certain efforts to lead, but the scope and character of its efforts have varied significantly between different issue areas and over time. This variation can be explained in the light of China's evolving foreign policy interests, the specificities of the Central Asian states, and the role of Russia as the other prominent external actor. While earlier China's initiatives focused on Central Asia and Russia, the more recent ones either include Central Asian states among other members or focus only on some of them. Joining China's projects helps Central Asian states to improve their international standing and diversify their foreign relations, but also affects regional geopolitical structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an international issue entangled with geopolitical tensions, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had significant media coverage in China and is reflected in the battle for global media supported by different powers. This study analyses the domestic context of news production to examine how this ongoing conflict is portrayed by leading news media in China with a special focus on the 'domestication' effect in global journalism, reflecting diverse frames in different countries. News coverage was selected from February 2022 to March 2023 from the online databases of Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily and China Daily. By employing the framing analysis, this study discusses the strategies used by the Chinese media in domesticating the global news for the audiences in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Levels of anxiety and stress vary throughout the lifespan and across cultures. Uncertainty appears particularly relevant during emerging adulthood, thus potentially affecting both stress and anxiety. Uncertainty as a construct was identified by Hofstede (i.e., Uncertainty Avoidance Index, UAI), who defined it as the extent to which members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and tend to avoid them. The UAI was considered as a means to understand cultures in addition to the "classic" distinction between collectivist and individualistic cultures. The present study compared levels of anxiety and stress in 1790 university students (18–21 years old) from two individualistic (Italy and the US) and two collectivistic (China and Russia) countries, with a consideration of country UAI levels. Results showed that country-level UAI scores were associated with levels of anxiety and stress, controlling for age and sex. Italian and Russian students reported greater anxiety than American and Chinese ones. Chinese emerging adults reported the lowest stress levels, followed by American, Italian, and Russian students. The study findings provide initial evidence that anxiety and stress in emerging adults are associated with how a culture deals with perceived instability and uncertainty about the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buckwheat is a pseudocereal from the Polygonaceae family. Two species from this family are commercially exploited - common buckwheat and tartary buckwheat. Buckwheat comes from China, although in recent years, the highest production has been noted in Russia. With its nutritional composition (mainly rutin), it has a beneficial effect on human health. Rutin is mainly contained in the flowers and leaves of buckwheat, and it has antidiabetic, neuroprotective and antioxidant properties; it improves blood pressure and lowers cholesterol levels. In addition to rutin, buckwheat contains bioactive peptides that serve as trypsin inhibitors and have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Buckwheat found its use mainly in the field of food and feed production. Amplification polymorphism detection techniques are currently used for the genomic analyses of buckwheat, with 8,884 available markers that include 756 loci. The most frequently used type of molecular markers in buckwheat is the microsatellite markers, which form tandem repeats of short nucleotide motifs. The total number of microsatellites in the tartary buckwheat genome is 37,572, with a frequency of 83.25 microsatellites per 1 Mb. Based on their genetic variability, the buckwheat varieties can be divided into the European and Asian groups, with a lower diversity among the varieties in the European group. Genomic analyses can reveal the genetic relatedness or differences between the individual varieties, as well as losses in genetic purity. The transcriptomic analyses are primarily devoted to the expression of genes responsible for the synthesis of flavonoids, but also those involved in the plant's defense mechanisms, development etc. Molecular analyses revealed that the expression of genes supporting the synthesis of rutin can be favorably influenced by light, darkness, methyl jasmonate, abscisic acid etc. Some buckwheat genes were introduced into Arabidopsis, which subsequently showed improved properties, for example, resistance to drought. These findings not only enhance our understanding of buckwheat at a fundamental level but also hold practical significance for breeding programs focused on enhancing nutritional and agronomic traits in buckwheat varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tegotheriid docodontan Sibirotherium rossicum from the Early Cretaceous of Western Siberia, Russia, was considered to have six lower premolars, as in the tegotheriids Agilodocodon and Microdocodon from the Middle Jurassic of China. The micro-computed tomography of two dentary specimens with a supposed submolariform ultimate deciduous premolar (dp6) revealed absence of a replacing tooth germ in this locus. Also, the morphology of the roots of this tooth is more consistent with that of molariform teeth. Based on the new data, we interpret Sibirotherium to possess five lower premolars rather than six and that the supposed dp6 might in fact be better interpreted as the first molariform (m1). The results of our phylogenetic analysis suggest that this is a plesiomorphic condition for Docodonta and, under slow character optimization, for Tegotheriidae, with the number of premolars reduced to three to four in Docodontidae (Haldanodon, Docodon, and Docofossor). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at critiquing several existing strategic international human resource management frameworks and discusses their inadequacy to apply directly to emerging multinational companies, especially those generated from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. To complement the existing strategic international human resource management frameworks, key variables relevant to emerging economies are identified and an extended model with reference to emerging multinational companies is developed with several research propositions. It is believed that the proposed model would better capture the current development of multinationals in transition, and alert emerging international managers to address several people management challenges in the global context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Four species of pearl mussels inhabit the Amur River basin: Dahurinaia prozarovae Bog. et Star. in: Bog et al., 2003; D. dahurica (Midd, 1850); D. ussuriensis Bog., Proz. et Star., 2003; and D. tiunovae Bog. et Star., 1988. The name of Dahurinaia transbaicalica Klishko, 2008 is shown to be a synonym for D. ussuriensis. The finding of D. sujfunensis Moskv., 1973 in the Upper Amur basin turned out to be questionable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to understand the changes in Swedish and Finnish companies|!|#39; traffic flows and evaluate the future prospects. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; Research was implemented through web-based questionnaire. Furthermore, numerous second-hand sources were used to gain knowledge. Research was conducted in three parts: first research was executed in 2006, second in 2009 and the third was realized in 2010. Findings |!|#8211; The main findings support previous studies arguing that the traffic between Europe and China will continue to grow in the future. However, contrary to earlier studies, the balance will change from eastbound to westbound traffic. The future prospects to Russian traffic are stated as a slight increase in demand: however, the balance is shifting from eastbound to westbound transport, and it is noted that the transport flows from Russia to Europe might increase in the near future. Research limitations/implications |!|#8211; Empirical data were gathered from two North European countries, Sweden and Finland. To follow the development in the market, and in order to make more general conclusions, research should be extended to include other countries. Furthermore, economic downturn|!|#39;s influences on traffic flows and its development could be analyzed in a year|!|#39;s time. Practical implications |!|#8211; The research aggregates data from three surveys and evaluates the companies|!|#39; standpoints. The study results could be used to evaluate the companies|!|#39; development trends in Finland and Sweden. In addition, the research provides valuable data for the business world, as well as for academia, by adducing the market actors|!|#39; outlook. Originality/value |!|#8211; The paper contributes actor-level data to the subject, which previously has been scrutinized mainly via second-hand data and literature analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the mechanism of brand internalisation when a brand transcends national borders. It focuses on the ways international and local managers interpret the brand, develop brand understanding and enact it through communication with other colleagues. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a case study of IKEA in Russia and China during 2003-2004. Findings – The processes of brand conceptualising, comprehending and activating are identified, characterised by a weakening collective sense making amongst employees locally. Brand activating represents a discontinuity stage of brand internalisation when a shared brand understanding by employees becomes increasingly difficult to achieve. As such managers should broaden their brand contexts to include cultural elements and cues, involve local staff as well as adopt roles which facilitate collective sense-making processes. Research limitations/implications – New research should explore local employees' brand experiences throughout their brand internalisation. It should also delve deeper into the ways they enact their brand in relationships with other local stakeholders. Practical implications – The study argues that international managers need greater awareness of theirs' and local employees' roles in brand internalisation. Managers need to create common frameworks for sense making and work towards partnership relationships with local stakeholders. Originality/value – This is an original paper of value to global retailers and other branded organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, the degree to which career adaptability, career optimism, and career knowledge predict career decisiveness in China, Germany, and the US is to be examined; second, the effect of the five personality traits on the determinants of career decisiveness, on career decisiveness, and on the relation between career decisiveness and its determinants in the three countries is to be investigated. Design/methodology/approach -- A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire. The sample consists of 555 business students from three countries: China (196), Germany (210), and the USA (149). A two-stage OLS regression analysis was applied for assessing the relation between career decisiveness, its determinants, and the personality traits. Findings -- The results show that personality traits have direct and moderating effects on career decisiveness and its antecedents. In addition, the influence of personality and the antecedents of career decisiveness differ in the three countries examined. Research limitations/implications -- The conclusions of this study may be subject to several limitations that suggest further possibilities for empirical research, e.g. the study does not examine the influence of cultural traits on career decisiveness, its determinants, and their relation. Practical implications -- The identified cross-country differences lead to the need for diverse career counseling for students with different personalities in different countries. Originality/value -- So far research on students' career decisiveness has focused only on national samples. The explorative paper examines the influence of personality traits on business students' career decisiveness in three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional disparities are particularly high in some larger emerging economies, such as Russia and China, and inter-provincial inequality in China has increased rapidly after 1990. In the literature, a statistical link between globalisation and increased regional disparities in China has been established, but not the precise mechanisms and causal relationships. In the paper, we therefore simulate a world trade model with 166 countries and regions in order to shed light on these mechanisms and the future development of regional disparities in China. Our results suggest that the faster growth in coastal regions may be caused by the role of these regions as transport hubs for international trade. However, uneven growth could also be caused by domestic trade disintegration, as suggested by some other research. In the paper, we demonstrate these mechanisms, but we are not able to draw firm conclusions about the relative role each of them play empirically. The weaker development for some peripheral regions can be reversed by stronger domestic trade integration or better cross-border infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India and China have been popularly named BRIC nations. For almost a decade the name survived although the strength of the BRIC weakened as the members displayed differential rates of growth in most macro indicators. An alternative cluster has emerged recently which stands out to be more integrated in key variables than the original. The paper seeks to examine the correlation strengths between the BRIC nations at first and subsequently investigate for the newer cluster with the same macroeconomic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although concepts such as research without borders have become more commonplace in recent decades, few studies have investigated the capabilities that global researchers require to cross both cultural and disciplinary borders. This paper explores global capabilities along with strategies and spaces that may facilitate academic researchers' acquisition and development of global research competence. The study's dataset comprises responses of 26 participants across 15 countries -- all of whom are members of a specific comparative education society -- who contributed their views via e-questionnaire. Findings indicate that research capacity building is a dynamic process and global competence calls for complex skills and conscious attitudes. Commitment to expand scientific curiosity beyond one's own culture and academic discipline appears to be a main criterion in achieving global competence. Results of this study are not meant to be prescriptive but rather exploratory and informative for a broad group of academic stakeholders.

The rise of Brazil, Russia, India, and China will shape global resource use, the location of market demand and international institutions and interdependencies in the decade to come. In this paper we argue that an understanding of the historical and institutional context of the BRICs, and the potential shift towards a multi-polar world is important for developing curricula and content in international business courses in the future. Implications for international business theory and teaching are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the global labour market (GLM) provides a novel platform for young professional workers to design and develop their careers. This is particularly true for those from China, the former Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries, where economic liberation has made it easier for professionals to move both internally and internationally. Taking into account national variations in economic transition and political constraints, several questions are raised. How does the GLM, for example, influence its choice of employers and career development? What are the similarities and differences between Chinese and Eastern European seafarers? What factors contribute to these differences? Those questions are addressed here, through a study of the case of seafarers for whom a global labour market has been established since the 1980s. By collecting crew information worldwide, a global seafarer database has been built in the Seafarers' International Research Centre (SIRC) at Cardiff University. Accordingly, this paper develops a methodological framework for analysing and comparing seafarers' careers, and revealing the features of career development amongst four major seafarer supplier countries: China, Russia, the Ukraine and Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the constraints and opportunities facing trade unions in post-socialist societies through a comparison of the Russian and Chinese cases. The paper charts the changing role of trade unions in the integration of state-socialist economies into global capitalism and argues that this presents the trade unions with a dilemma: whether to reconstitute their traditional role through collaboration with management and the state apparatus, or whether to develop their ability to defend the rights and interests of workers. While the former offers the line of least resistance, there are progressive elements pushing for change in both trade union movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thesis of this paper is that governments of some otherwise enlightened states are increasingly fearful of acknowledging the restraints imposed on them by existing international law. They are also reluctant to enter into new commitments by way of international conventions that would expand the reach of international law. The paper asks whether these fears are based on a true understanding of international law or on some distorted view of it. It will draw comparisons and some contrasts between Australia and the United States in their reactions to a number of recent events as well as to some enduring situations of contemporary relevance. Had time (and the limits of my research) permitted, one might also have examined public attitudes toward international law in China, Japan, and Russia in this context, where similar fears appear to be entertained. France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, also enlightened states, appear by contrast to belong to a group more dedicated to international law. As Robert Kagan has recently remarked, the experience of two world wars at close quarters, and the formation of the European Union, have made the European countries more dedicated to process, where the United States is more interested in results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the contemporary relationship between international student migration and diaspora formation. It argues that international students have been largely absent from recent discussions of 'knowledge diasporas', where migrants' 'home' states attempt to harness and co-opt the skills and knowledge of their émigrés. This is surprising, given students' evident role in knowledge circulation and exchange. In this paper, we foreground the significance of international students but also explore their relationship to diaspora formation from a different angle. We argue that some states are increasingly engaging in (sometimes seemingly contradictory) policies designed to "obstruct" overseas diaspora formation, and these policies centre on their international student populations. Through a number of case studies and drawing on the secondary literature, we demonstrate the ways in which states are strategising to repatriate international students following their studies overseas. More broadly, we argue, this represents an alternative to popular notions of brain circulation and knowledge diasporas, chiming with a far more long-standing concern with 'brain drain'.

In this paper, we examine patterns of self-reported diagnosis of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and prevalences of algorithm/measured test-based, undiagnosed, and untreated NCDs in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. Nationally representative samples of older adults aged ≥50 years were analyzed from wave 1 of the World Health Organization's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (2007-2010; n = 34,149). Analyses focused on 6 conditions: angina, arthritis, asthma, chronic lung disease, depression, and hypertension. Outcomes for these NCDs were: 1) self-reported disease, 2) algorithm/measured test-based disease, 3) undiagnosed disease, and 4) untreated disease. Algorithm/measured test-based prevalence of NCDs was much higher than self-reported prevalence in all 6 countries, indicating underestimation of NCD prevalence in low- and middle-income countries. Undiagnosed prevalence of NCDs was highest for hypertension, ranging from 19.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 18.1, 21.3) in India to 49.6% (95% CI: 46.2, 53.0) in South Africa. The proportion untreated among all diseases was highest for depression, ranging from 69.5% (95% CI: 57.1, 81.9) in South Africa to 93.2% (95% CI: 90.1, 95.7) in India. Higher levels of education and wealth significantly reduced the odds of an undiagnosed condition and untreated morbidity. A high prevalence of undiagnosed NCDs and an even higher proportion of untreated NCDs highlights the inadequacies in diagnosis and management of NCDs in local health-care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past 15 years, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has preserved its non-Western (and sometimes anti-Western) identity and its policy toward the West has been based on a "soft-balancing" strategy. This paper aims to examine the SCO's identity positioning and understand the implications of its strategy and policy toward the West in terms of three recent global events relating to the SCO. India's membership effect will be able to soften the SCO's image of the club of authoritarian states or an anti-Western group as well as to make less-assertive its non-Western identity. China's economic power projection aiming at the "peaceful rise" is inclined to make the SCO's identity less anti-Western. Russia's policy of expanding partners and widening cooperation in greater Eurasia is also likely to weaken not only the rhetoric, but also the substance of the anti-Western narrative. The SCO's shift of identity positioning, in general, from the non-Western to a less assertive non-Western is likely to soften the SCO's soft balancing against the West, and the anticipated range and effect of the softer balancing could be greater due to the widened platform and the improved image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines and compares ethnic identities of the Chechen and the Uighur, and their relations with Russia and China, respectively. The Russian–Chechen relationship, which has seen centuries of intense hatred and intolerance, appears to be entering a period of peace and some acceptance. In contrast, the Chinese–Uighur relationship has been mostly begrudgingly stable for a century, but rising tensions in Xinjiang could spell disaster in the years to come. We argue that identities of the Chechen and the Uighur and their interactions and conflict with Russia and China are consequences of historical legacies and social, religious and political forces. Our research supports scholarly arguments that a strong sense of marginalization endured by Muslims and trauma and anger experienced by Chechen and Uighur Muslims all play major roles in the violence and terrorist behavior conducted by both the Chechen and Uighur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-site monitoring is very important for understanding formation mechanisms of frost hazards frequently occurring in pipeline foundation soils and for designing and deploying according mitigative measures in permafrost regions. Significant thaw subsidence of ground surfaces along the China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline (CRCOP) from Mo'he to Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China have been observed at some segments underlain by ice-rich, warm (>1.0°C) permafrost since the official operation in January 2011. Recent monitoring results of the thermal states of foundation soils at the kilometer post (KP) 304 site along the CRCOP are presented in this paper. The results indicate that during the period from 2012 to 2014, shallow soils (at the depths from 0.8 to 4.0 m from ground surface) has warmed by approximately 1.0°C in the lateral range of 1.2 to 2.1 m away from the pipeline axis, and deeper permafrost (such as at the depth of 15 m, or the depth of zero annual amplitude of ground temperatures) by 0.08°C per year 4 m away from the pipe axis, and 0.07°C per year 5 m away from the pipeline axis. The results indicate an all-season talik has developed around and along the CRCOP. The thaw bulb, with a faster lateral expansion (compared with the vertical growth), enlarges in summer and shrinks in winter. This research will provide important references and bases for evaluating thermal influences of warm pipeline on permafrost and for design, construction, operation and maintenance of pipelines in permafrost regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, bilateral trade between China and Russia experience many turbulences but in recent years has grown rapidly. Their relationship has evolved in such a way that they have come to rely on each other. The reason why Russian-Chinese relationship improved is because of U.S. and EU economic sanctions due to Russian invasion of Crimea and military attacks of Eastern Ukrainian territory. Russia needs China for funding and infrastructure development, and China needs Russia to feed its large energy needs. China and Russia have a strong trade partnership that extends into many different sectors throughout each country. While deep mistrust exists between both sides, China and Russia have proud cultures that desire to be viewed as global powers and believe their relationship with each other will advance that objective. Further, both countries view the West as a hindrance to their overall trade goals, and this marriage of convenience strengthens their position in global affairs which could result in far reaching implications for the world. This paper provides a short overview of how the China-Russia relationship developed, where it is at now, how it could be harmed, and how a stronger trade relationship with the U.S. and rest of the world could subvert those fears. It will also provide recommendations based on a solid foundational understanding of global trade and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the interdependence of the sovereign default risk and banking system fragility in two major emerging markets, China and Russia, using credit default swaps as a proxy for default risk. Both countries’ banking industries have strong ties with their governments and public sector, even after a series of significant reforms in the last two decades. Our analysis is built on the case studies of each country’s two biggest banks. We employ a bivariate vector autoregressive (VAR) and vector error correction (VECM) framework to analyse the short- and long-run dynamics of the chosen CDS prices. We use Granger causality to describe the direction of the discovered dynamics. We find evidence of a stable long-run relationship between sovereign and bank CDS spreads in the chosen time period. The more stable relationship is found in cases where the biggest state-owned universal banks in emerging markets are closely managed by the government. But the fragility of those banks does not directly affect the state of public finances. However, in cases where state-owned banks directly participate in large governmental projects, banking fragility may result in the deterioration of state funds, while raising the risk of sovereign default. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How stock markets relate to each other is very important because this could have positive effects (such as enhancing economic growth) but also negative effects (possible contagion risks). Considering this issue, this study proposes continuous evaluation of the cross-correlations between markets, applying a sliding windows approach based on the detrended cross-correlation analysis correlation coefficient. Measuring the cross-correlations between the USA and other eight stock markets (the remainder of the G7 plus China and Russia), this allows dynamic analysis of the evolution of cross-correlations and also continuous analysis of the contagion effect. The results show that in the period before the crisis the correlation levels with the US stock market decreased, while post-crisis the results point to a contagion effect. As the proposed approach could be used for continuous monitoring of cross-correlations, this kind of information could be important for the different agents involved in stock markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses and provides two case studies on a postsecondary, accessible, global project among students in Russia, China, and the United States. The project design was to engage diverse students in an international conversation to explore their place in the world and envision their future as individuals, innovators, workers, and/or leaders in this globalized world. The three countries chosen, Russia, China, and the United States, are world powers and are pivotal countries for building international bridges. This paper highlights the evolution of the project and students' vision for developing ongoing student-centered international research projects. It is the hope of the authors that educators reading this article will be inspired to embark on other accessible global projects designed to enhance language and cultural competence with and among all college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further accelerate globalization, Western states and companies that regulate financial, investment and trade flows and the system of economic relations in the world that they support, unexpectedly led to the increase of power centers and appearance of multipolar system. In the XXI century apart from the USA, Russia and China some more power centers together with EU played an important role in the building of the global system. Due to fierce competition between them, these states being global and nuclear empires can take part in war conflicts simultaneously, but this is unlikely as it can cause a great catastrophe in the world. In the international system, due to the importance of international strategic balance and security, in the nearest future, at the point of measurement, because of fear of losing their positions, to protect themselves or around a certain request, between the coordinates of the United States-Russia-China-EU and other power centers, in bilateral or triple forms, strategic alliances can be formed. According to this study, these alliances are highly likely to become superficial and improvised. This study aims at shedding light on the strength of possible alliances in the nearest future, studying the past and present of the collaboration between the USA-Russia-China-EU with other global power centers from different perspectives. This paper will discuss the behavior of global power centers which need to learn their old or new roles on the international stage. Thus, we will try to reveal Russia's contribution in the building of multipolar international system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global reproductive landscapes and with them cross-border routes are rapidly changing. This paper examines the reproductive routes and choices of fertility travellers from China to Russia as reported by medical professionals and fertility service providers. Providing new empirical data, it raises new ethical questions on the facilitation of cross-border reproductive travel and the commercialisation of reproductive treatment. The relaxation of the one-child policy in 2014 in China, the increasing demand for ART exceeding the capacity of national fertility clinics and the difficulty of accessing treatment with donor eggs concomitant with a growing economic power of the upper–middle class are shaping the ART industry in Asia in new ways. A new development is Chinese citizens increasingly seeking ART treatment in Russia, which has a long-standing practice of ART governed by a liberal legislation. Furthermore, as China prohibits the export of gametes, Chinese fertility travellers rely on acquiring donor gametes once starting treatment abroad. Clinicians in Russia report three strategies amongst their Chinese patients: One group is using donor eggs of women of Asian appearance living in Russia or is hiring women of resembling appearance from third-party countries to donate their eggs in Russia to create resemblance in their offspring. Another group is buying white donor gametes to create Eurasian mixed children and thus 'enhance' their offspring. Providing novel empirical data, this article informs ethical deliberation and raises imminent questions for further research in this understudied geographic region and on cross-border reproductive treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting energy needs and ensuring ecological sustainability are important tasks for policymakers. In particular, changing the energy mix used in daily electricity generation can have a major effect on ecological conditions, and this is a previously neglected research topic. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the influence of daily electricity generation from nuclear power and renewables on the achievement of carbon neutrality targets in the four largest nuclear power countries (i.e., the U.S., China, France, and Russia). The study applies the wavelet-transform coherence (WTC), quantile-on-quantile regression (QQR), and Granger causality in quantiles (GCQ) approaches for the period from January 2, 2019 to December 29, 2022. The outcomes present that electricity generation from nuclear energy reduces carbon (CO 2) emissions only in Russia, while hydropower generation does not contribute to CO 2 emission reduction in any country. Solar electricity generation decreases CO 2 emissions in different quantiles in the U.S. and Russia, while electricity generation from wind power reduces CO 2 emissions in the U.S. and France. The empirical outcomes also reveal that expanding solar, wind, and nuclear power in the energy mix can enhance the potential of the U.S., France, and Russia to achieve carbon neutrality and secure a sustainable future. However, China is using nuclear and renewables inefficiently regarding carbon neutrality. Therefore, the empirical evidence for China is highly controversial compared to former studies. [Display omitted] • The study examines renewable and nuclear electricity effect on carbon neutrality. • The study focuses on top four major nuclear power countries. • The study applies nonlinear approaches by using high-frequency (daily) data. • Renewable and nuclear electricity have time, frequency, & quantile-varying effect. • The best electricity source change according to each country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Among analysts of China-Russia relations, it has been common to assume that bilateral rapprochement has primarily been rooted in geopolitical, security, and balance-of-power considerations. This article argues that the corresponding Realist theoretical approaches can explain some important incentives for Sino-Russian rapprochement, but struggle to account for how substantive bilateral alignment has actually become. The article posits that a particularly useful theoretical approach for examining the motives underlying Sino-Russian strategic alignment is "Omnibalancing" – a variation of balance-of-power theory that combines considerations of system-level balancing with a simultaneous focus on both leaderships' prioritization of domestic threats and regime security. Due to the increasing convergence of their authoritarian regime types, a major factor accounting for the dynamism of China-Russia strategic cooperation has been both governments' shared concern for regime survival/legitimacy, and their concrete policy cooperation in recent years has reflected their preoccupation with shoring up regime security against domestic challenges to authoritarian rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine recent changes in the structure of Chinese manufacturing value chains using a standard input-output framework. Our results suggest that the previous increasing trend in the share of domestic value added in Chinese value chains stalled during our observation period (2018-2022). We also note a shift in the geographic structure of foreign value added embodied in Chinese value chains. These changes seem to be mainly associated with trade policy measures implemented by China and other countries. China's share has increased in the foreign value added embodied in manufacturing value chains of the US, EU and Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, China and Russia decades have adopted accommodation, normalisation and convergence strategies that transformed their cooperation into a comprehensive strategic partnership. Despite having this strategic alignment, several issues still constrain their long-term relations, such as divergent views and assessment of the world order, imbalance in bilateral trade and investment, competition in their respective spheres of influence, Russians' fear of a Chinese immigrant onslaught, ideological cleavages, and asymmetrical power distribution between the two. This study explains the factors behind their convergence and divergences of interests and its implications for their future relations. While utilising content analysis as the research methodology this study hypothesizes that though the two are engaged in strategic and other partnerships, yet the structural differences will inhibit their long-term cordiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the orthopedics markets in the US and the EU reaching a plateau, the market size in countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China is steadily growing. As a result, major orthopedic companies are shifting their focus towards these markets and developing products tailored to their needs. However, a significant challenge associated with this new opportunity is the requirement for the development of more affordable prostheses compared to those sold in the US and Europe. With the introduction of these lower-cost models into the market, this article aims to assess their performance in comparison to traditional models. A literature review was conducted, analyzing four parameters—the Hospital for Special Surgery Score, Knee Society Score, Range of Motion, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index—to evaluate different models. The findings indicated that low-cost models perform either equally well or, in some cases, slightly worse than traditional ones. It is worth to mention that the existing literature on this topic is limited, resulting in a relatively small number of models and studies included in this specific study. Nevertheless, this latter serves as a valuable foundation for future in-depth analyses and investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For those receiving funding from the UK HEFCE-funded Open Educational Resource Programme (2009-2012), the sustainability of project outputs was one of a number of essential goals. Our approach for the hosting and distribution of health and life science open educational resources (OER) was based on the utilisation of the WordPress.org blogging platform and search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques to curate content and widen discovery. This paper outlines the approaches taken and tools used at the time, and reflects upon the effectiveness of web strategies several years post-funding. The paper concludes that using WordPress.org as a platform for sharing and curating OER, and the adoption of a pragmatic approach to SEO, offers cheap and simple ways for small-scale open education projects to be effective and sustainable.

This study investigates the current process of internationalization of higher education in the countries of the Asia Pacific region (APR) through the example of China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Russia. The article aims to familiarize the reader with the experience of internationalizing higher education in APR states against a backdrop of global trends. The authors examine the major strategies for the internationalization of education, such as taking a coordinated approach, attracting qualified manpower, focusing on deriving profit, and expanding the potential. The paper analyzes the traditions, strengths and weaknesses, and general traits and characteristics of the above states' national systems of education, as well as the major forms of international partnership and key dimensions of education internationalization in APR states. The authors show that over the last few years APR states have been increasingly active in entering into agreements in the area of education internationalization, which has facilitated the division of spheres of influence and zones of responsibility within the educational area, as well as the steering of educational approaches along a common course. The paper employs traditional methods of research, such as classification, comparative analysis, generalization, juxtaposition, and forecasting. The study suggests three possible scenarios for the future development of the process of higher education internationalization: sustainably diverse internationalization, convergence in the direction of the liberal model, and the triumph of developing economies. The paper also describes current trends in this area in APR states. The authors come to the conclusion that we are in for considerable changes in the international market of educational services, such as the reconsideration of spheres of influence and redistribution of key players in the market, dynamicity and heterochrony in development being among the key traits inherent to today's market of educational services.

This paper looks into the key aspects of the shift in the instruction of logistics as a discipline from traditional to environmentally responsible practices. The authors examine the experience of the development of scientific-educational systems in the world's more advanced societies (the European Union and North America), as well as in the BRICS countries. The paper proposes specific ways to reform the model for professional and career-broadening education by reference to the amassed global experience. The authors draw the following major conclusions: (1) both today's scientific and business communities are oriented toward the shift to environmentally responsible development, which presupposes gradually renouncing the use of hydrocarbon energy resources, embracing the use of renewable technology and recycling, and ensuring social stability; (2) we are witnessing a change in the tenor of not only the strategic concept of the development of particular scientific and business areas but of the functional one as well. Thus, for instance, the domain of logistics services is currently being enriched with the concept of "green logistics", which implies a need for relevant human resources specializing in the field. Many leading nations have already started transforming their education models, as a whole, and their methods for the instruction of logistics as a discipline, in particular, in specific alignment with the principles of environmental responsibility; (3) the education systems of certain world powers, including the Russian model for education, have not yet been fully adapted for shifting to "green logistics", one of today's latest scientific paradigms. Among the major reasons behind this delay is the failure to properly reform the scientific-educational sector, as well as the state's excessive, and rarely effective, participation in the development of this area. To help remediate this situation, the authors propose a set of recommendations aimed at helping to put together a new model for professional and career-broadening training in keeping with the latest scientific concepts and the needs of the labor market.

Explanations for the sharp difference in the economic growth performance of Russia and China under economic reform vary widely. There is a debate over which institutional characteristics are conducive to good growth performance: decentralization and competition among local governments or centralization of control over performance targets. Yet there has been little systematic empirical effort to test the implications of these theories for the behavior of firms. This paper uses data from surveys of firms conducted by the World Bank in 2012 to analyze differences in business–government relations in Russia and China. The findings suggest that differences in levels of administrative decentralization help account for differences in business–government relations in the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New public information allows a fresh estimate of China's current and under-construction uranium enrichment capacity. This paper uses open source information and commercial satellite imagery to identify and offer estimates of the capacity of China's 10 operating enrichment facilities, located at 4 sites, using centrifuge technology most likely based on adapting Russian technology. The total currently operating civilian centrifuge enrichment capacity is estimated to be about 4.5 million separative work units/year (SWU/year), with additional capacity estimated to be about 2 million SWU/year under construction. Also China could have an enrichment capacity of around 0.6 million SWU/year for non-weapon military uses (i.e., naval fuel) or dual use. These estimates are much larger than previous public estimates of China's total enrichment capacity. Further expansion of enrichment capacity may be likely since China will require about 9 million SWU/year by 2020 to meet the enriched uranium fuel needs for its planned nuclear power reactor capacity of 58 gigawatts-electric (GWe) by 2020 under its policy of self-sufficiency in the supply of enrichment services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate under which conditions non-democratic political regimes are capable of making credible commitments to maintain a certain level of local autonomy and to incentivize local bureaucrats. For this purpose, we compare two big non-democratic countries-Russia and China. While China has managed to establish a relatively stable system, with substantial decision-making rights resting with sub-national governments, in Russia relations between the center and the regions have been highly unstable and driven primarily by the extent to which central elites consolidated their power. We argue that China has been able to make credible commitments because its non-democratic rule is based on competition between vertical elite networks that span regional and central political arenas, and because the country has limited access to natural resources: these two characteristics explain the difference between the two cases we investigate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Changzhou University (Social Science Edition) is the property of Editorial Department of Journal of Changzhou University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medunarodni Problemi is the property of Institute of International Politics & Economics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The natural gas from the eastern line of China and Russia will soon be introduced into China, it will play a strong role in promoting the natural gas utilization projects in the northeastern area and also face various problems. In order to establish a long-term sustainable development resource supply system, combined with the actual situation of energy supply and demand, the future development direction of natural gas in Northeast China after the arrival of Russian gas is discussed in this paper. The main problems are analyzed as follows: the lack of self production and high dependence of outside the region; many choices of alternative energy by the regional characteristics; peak shaving difficult and the surplus hard to deal with; poor substitution economy and the price too high to bear. Some measures on the contradictions are summed up. Diversification of sources and resources can be ensured to sustainable development. It is clear that natural gas should be used as the transitional energy in Northeast China, and some suggestions on the utilization of natural gas for regional economic development are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History instructs us that electrical power can be decarbonized in less than a dozen years with combinations of renewable and nuclear energy, but exaggerated fears of the latter have made it too costly and unpopular to develop and deploy in much of the world, allowing Russia and China to capture the nuclear export market. If humanity is genuinely serious about rapid decarbonization to avoid the worst health and climate risks, it will need to take steps to rapidly improve and deploy both nuclear and renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper focused on the study of spectral–kinetic characteristics of luminescence in two batches of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG):Ce-based phosphors synthesized in different years by two manufacturers: NPO "Platan" in Russia and "GrandLux" in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Upon studying the structural characteristics of the phosphors—elemental composition, morphology, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns—it was concluded that both types of YAG:Ce phosphors are highly imperfect. The presence of heterogeneities of different nature was accompanied by the introduction—to compensate for charges and elastic stresses—of intrinsic lattice defects during synthesis. There is a high probability of creating complex defects during phosphor synthesis. Luminescence properties (full width at half maximum (FWHM), spectral position of the emission peaks, excitation spectra of emission, emission decay time) are affected by the nearest environment of the luminescence center; whereas the degree of correlation of defects (distance between the components of the donor–acceptor pair) does not depend on the concentration of impurities, intrinsic defects, and their ratio. The results do not fit into the framework of existing ideas regarding the processes in phosphors as systems with widely distributed luminescence centers. The patterns obtained in the paper are discussed based on a hypothesis according to which a nanodefect phosphorus crystal phase is formed during the synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]