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Background: Wood Harvesting and Storage (WHS) is a form of Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) that utilizes a combined natural and engineered process to harvest woody biomass and put it into long term storage, most frequently in the form of subterranean burial. This paper aims to quantify the availability of woody biomass for the purposes of WHS in the continental United States using a carbon cycle modeling approach. Using a regional version of the VEGAS terrestrial carbon cycle model at 10 km resolution, this paper calculates the annual woody net primary production in the continental United States. It then applies a series of constraints to exclude woody biomass that is unavailable for WHS. These constraints include fine woody biomass, current land use, current wood utilization, land conservation, and topographical limitations. These results were then split into state by state and regional totals. Results: In total, the model projects the continental United States could produce 1,274 MtCO2e (CO2 equivalent) worth of coarse woody biomass annually in a scenario with no anthropogenic land use or constraints. In a scenario with anthropogenic land use and constraints on wood availability, the model projects that 415 MtCO2e of coarse woody biomass is available for WHS annually. This is enough to offset 8.5% of the United States' 2020 greenhouse gas emissions. Of this potential, 20 MtCO2e is from the Pacific region, 77 MtCO2e is from the Western Interior, 91 MtCO2e is from the Northeast region, and 228 MtCO2e is from the Southeast region. Conclusion: There is enough coarse woody biomass available in the continental United States to make WHS a viable form of carbon removal and storage in the country. There is coarse woody biomass available across the continental United States. All four primary regions analyzed have enough coarse woody biomass available to justify investment in WHS projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The spread of invasive wild pigs across the United States has been successfully slowed due to the establishment of a national management program. In this paper, we study the effectiveness of the national program by modeling the spread of wild pigs in the absence of intervention. Further, we use the models to assess the value of resources safeguarded from the threat of wild pigs. Our findings indicate that, on average, invasive wild pigs were prevented from spreading to 724 counties, and USD 40.2 billion in resource value was safeguarded over the first eight years of the program. Continuation of the program will deliver additional benefits and further research is critical to understand its comprehensive economic effects. Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most destructive invasive species in the US, known for causing extensive damage to agricultural commodities, natural resources, and property, and for transmitting diseases to livestock. Following the establishment of the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program (NFSDMP) in 2014, the expansion of wild pig populations has been successfully slowed. This paper combines two modeling approaches across eight separate models to characterize the expansion of wild pig populations in the absence of intervention by the NFSDMP and forecasts the value of a subset of resources safeguarded from the threat of wild pigs. The results indicate that if wild pigs had continued spreading at pre-program levels, they would have spread extensively across the US, with significant geographic variation across modeling scenarios. Further, by averting the threat of wild pigs, a substantial amount of crops, land, property, and livestock was safeguarded by the NFSDMP. Cumulatively, between 2014 and 2021, wild pig populations were prevented from spreading to an average of 724 counties and an average of USD 40.2 billion in field crops, pasture, grasses, and hay was safeguarded. The results demonstrate that intervention by the NFSDMP has delivered significant ecological and economic benefits that were not previously known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the end of the nineteenth century, the view of labour as control of the environment for human benefit was being re-evaluated. In the United States, the conservation movement of the Progressive era (1890–1920) brought new attention to the problem of the 'wise use' of resources. Progressive social movements also developed a concern with holistic health and social conditions in rapidly industrialising cities. This paper argues that the formation of the new allied health science of occupational therapy in the early 20th century can be understood as a response to the health and conservation implications of changing relations between labour and resources. An analysis of published sources on the aims of occupational therapy in the Progressive era concluded that the early stage of the profession was structured by dominant Western narratives about humans and nature. Those narratives included the trope of redemption or transformation through labour and the importance of conservation as a response to the squandering of resources, both natural and human. I argue that the early development of occupational therapy was significantly influenced by environmentalist discourse as a therapeutic response to industrialisation and emerging Anthropocene awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a change in international politics since the 2008 financial crisis, thanks to a greater spread of economic resources and military capabilities. For many, it is a radical transformation that could spell the end of US hegemony in Latin America. This paper examines the proposition, beginning with a review of the concept of hegemony, which rather than being viewed as a structural characteristic is conceived of here as a "nuanced hegemony", in other words a network of asymmetric and hierarchical relations. We can observe not just one transformation then, but the emergence of a hemispheric context that could be described as "differentiated hegemony". The United States still occupies a central position, but its foreign policy is marked by subregional fragmentation and the externalisation of electoral priorities. The paper explores the effects at subregional level, focusing on the opportunities and challenges it presents to Latin American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we demonstrate the ways in which the schooling of refugee youth in the United States reflects ongoing coloniality in education. Drawing on data collected in a case study, conducted between 2013 and 2016, as part of a larger ongoing ethnography of a Southwest United States District school's response to refugee students, we show how the enactment of policies, pedagogies, and practices within schools reinforce the government's control over refugee students and their families. In schools, the students are kept out of certain school spaces, marginalized in remedial courses, and denied academic opportunities and integrated support services. Using empirical data, we demonstrate how the restriction of the students' movement in and around schools is embedded within the larger limitations embedded in coloniality and assimilation. We situate our analysis within the tensions and interactions between coloniality, assimilation, and neoliberalism as articulated in studies within anthropology and sociology, migration studies, critical refugee studies, and cultural studies. We conclude with a call for the decolonization of education and offer a practical starting point in refugee education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a brief yet comprehensive comparative analysis of historical and contemporary racial authoritarian violence in the United States and Brazil. Utilizing Black feminist historian and literary scholar Saidiya Hartman's theorization of the "afterlife of slavery" and Michael Dawson's linked fate, I examine how the processes of racialization and the racial logics of subordination have and continue to shape the contours of Black life in the United States and in Brazil. Moreover, in this work, I interrogate the afterlife of George Floyd and the afterlives of Black Brazilian victims and survivors of racial authoritarian violence; the political, transnational, and symbolic impacts of Floyd's death; and Diasporic understandings of linked fate on racial authoritarian violence between Black communities in the United States and in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes redemptive narratives constructed by Mashhadi Jewish immigrants through oral histories, memoirs, and life stories collected across generations. It examines how conceptions of religion, community, and family shaped their meaning-making around migration challenges. The first case study examines Malka Aharonoff's lamentation reconstructed from religious redemption across generations into a Zionist narrative. The second analyzes Esther Amini's published memoir, which reconciles her story with that of her immigrant parents through narrative, demonstrating its role across generations with gender as the focal point. The later cases of Aharon Namdar and Mehran Bassal present individual oral histories, capturing major migration waves from Iran, playing out the differing import and expression given to Zionism and to religion by different immigrants. The study explores how selective appropriation and cultural translation occurred between generations. It sheds light on ideological and cultural frameworks underlying immigrant perspective. By comparing narratives emphasizing collective redemption versus individual experiences, it offers insights into identity formation and the role of memory in immigrant communities dispersing over time. By demonstrating narrative's therapeutic role in processing dislocation across generations, the study sheds light on cultural transmission and identity formation within dispersed immigrant communities. It offers a fresh perspective on their migration experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present findings from four separate studies using different data sources and methods to examine Chinese attitudes toward the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical results consistently indicate a marked and significant decline in Chinese attitudes toward the US between late 2019 and the end of 2022. Using a quasi-experimental design and granular survey data that exploit daily variations in public opinion, we offer additional evidence that the decline in Chinese attitudes toward the United States followed a distinct pattern not true for Chinese attitudes toward other countries. Specifically, the rise in Chinese unfavorability toward the United States closely corresponded to the heightened Chinese attention to the pandemic's progression in the United States. These results collectively suggest a causal effect of COVID-19, shedding light on how public health crises, international relations, and media jointly shape the increasing enmity between the two great powers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to simulate total factor productivity, following the original proposal made by Cobb and Douglas (1928). Estimates with annual frequency are computed for the United States during two periods, i.e. 1899-1992 and 1933-2019. In the case of Mexico, estimates are computed for the 1993-2015 period. An income distribution in favor of capital in recent decades is found both for the United States and México. Capital share has grown in the United States from 25% in 1899-1922 to 89% in 1993-2019, while for Mexico it has been 82% for 1993-2015. Functional income distribution requires close monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to trace U.S. imaginaries, representations, and uses made during the cycle of Latin America's centennial celebrations by a number of men of culture, diplomacy, and regional politics who played prominent roles in discussions about how the countries in the subcontinent should position themselves and act toward one another and toward the United States. By analyzing the multiple references and uses of symbols, signs, and other attributes of the Northern nation that circulated between 1910 and 1926 in a series of speeches, conferences, essays, articles, and books -largely unnoticed by the historiography on the subject-, it will be possible to observe how different images of such country were constructed and disseminated in order to promote and legitimize certain political-ideological searches and bets. Contrary to readings that have reduced the Latin American map at the time to the tension between Pan-Americanism and anti-imperialism, this article ultimately aims to make this image more complex by repositioning other uses and meanings around the United States at a particular moment of the continent's history, in which its imperialist expansion encountered a systematic search by Latin American countries to reassert their interests, positions, and national identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought monitoring and early detection have improved greatly in recent decades through the development and refinement of numerous indices and indicators. However, a lack of guidance, based on user experience, exists as to which drought-monitoring tools are most appropriate in a given location. This review paper summarizes the results of targeted user engagement and the published literature to improve the understanding of drought across North America and to enhance the utility of drought-monitoring tools. Workshops and surveys were used to assess and make general conclusions about the perceived performance of drought indicators, indices and impact information used for monitoring drought in the five main Köppen climate types (Tropical, Temperate, Continental, Polar Tundra, Dry) found across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In Tropical, humid Temperate, and southerly Continental climates, droughts are perceived to be more short-term (less than 6 months) in duration rather than long-term (more than 6 months). In Polar Tundra climates, Dry climates, Temperate climates with dry warm seasons, and northerly Continental climates, droughts are perceived to be more long-term than short-term. In general, agricultural and hydrological droughts were considered to be the most important drought types. Drought impacts related to agriculture, water supply, ecosystem, and human health were rated to be of greatest importance. Users identified the most effective indices and indicators for monitoring drought across North America to be the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) (or another measure of precipitation anomaly), followed by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (or another satellite-observed vegetation index), temperature anomalies, crop status, soil moisture, streamflow, reservoir storage, water use (demand), and reported drought impacts. Users also noted the importance of indices that measure evapotranspiration, evaporative demand, and snow water content. Drought indices and indicators were generally thought to perform equally well across seasons in Tropical and colder Continental climates, but their performance was perceived to vary seasonally in Dry, Temperate, Polar Tundra, and warmer Continental climates, with improved performance during warm and wet times of the year. The drought indices and indicators, in general, were not perceived to perform equally well across geographies. This review paper provides guidance on when (time of year) and where (climate zone) the more popular drought indices and indicators should be used. The paper concludes by noting the importance of understanding how drought, its impacts, and its indicators are changing over time as the climate warms and by recommending ways to strengthen the use of indices and indicators in drought decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indigenous populations in Canada and the United States (US) have maintained reciprocal relationships with nature, grounded in respect for and stewardship of the environment; however, disconnection from traditional food systems has generated a plethora of physical and mental health challenges for communities. Indigenous food sovereignty including control of lands were found to be factors contributing to these concerns. Therefore, our aim was to conduct a scoping review of the peer-reviewed literature to describe Indigenous disconnection from Indigenous food systems (IFS) in Canada and the US. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-SR) and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, we searched MEDLINE, SCOPUS, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Sociological Abstracts, and Bibliography of Native North Americans. Data was extracted from 41 studies and a narrative review completed based on study themes. Results: The overarching theme identified in the included studies was the impact of colonization on IFS. Four sub-themes emerged as causes for Indigenous disconnection from traditional food systems, including: climate change; capitalism; legal change; and socio-cultural change. These sub-themes highlight the multiple ways in which colonization has impacted Indigenous food systems in Canada and the US and important areas for transformation. Conclusions: Efforts to reconnect Indigenous knowledge and values systems with future food systems are essential for planetary health and sustainable development. Traditional knowledge sharing must foreground authentic Indigenous inclusion within policymaking. Highlights: • The main theme identified amongst the SR literature was the lasting impacts of colonization on Indigenous food systems in Canada and the US, which is described through four key areas: climate change; capitalism; legal changes; and socio-cultural changes. • Less than 20% of included papers report author positionality, with only 7% of included papers reporting Indigenous authorship, emphasizing an opportunity for more reporting and Indigenous engagement in the future. • Loss of cultural knowledge and practices was highlighted by many articles reviewed. • Revitalisation of IFS must include authentic Indigenous engagement, support Indigenous knowledge frameworks, community sharing networks, education programs and co-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the association between self-reported perceived health status and doctor-informed medical conditions among US active duty service members (ADSM).Methods: Data are from the 2018 Health-Related Behaviors Survey – a cross-sectional survey weighted to represent the US military (N = 17166). Perceived good health status was defined as having a response choice of "good", "very good", or "excellent" to the question: Would you say your overall physical health is ___? Medical conditions were based on self-reported presence of nine clinical conditions. Analysis included weighted prevalence and log-binomial regression models to explore relationships between ADSM characteristics with perceived good health status as well as concordance between perceived status and medical conditions.Results: ADSM rated their health to be excellent (14.6%), very good (37.7%), good (36.2%), fair (9.7%) and poor (1.7%). About 88.5% perceived a good (to excellent) health status. Perceived good health status was negatively associated with the number of medical conditions present (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): ranging from 0.78 to 0.92) as well as several health behaviors (aOR): ranging from 0.86 to 0.98) and other sociodemographic factors. Among all ADSMs, 51% perceived good health in the absence of medical conditions, while 8% perceived poor health status in the presence of medical conditions. Concordance between perceived health status and medical conditions was significantly lower among ADSM who were older (aOR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.54– 0.69), with dependent children (aOR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.84– 0.95), or had been deployed (aOR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84-0.95).Conclusion: The prevalence of perceived good health status among ADSMs was consistent with those documented in the general US population. The interrelationships between ADSM's perceptions, medical conditions and sociodemographic characteristics may have implications for their health literacy and utilization of health services. Study findings suggest that interventions promoting healthy behaviors, health literacy and treatment-seeking may influence perceived health status and mitigate medical conditions among ADSM, thus improving the US Military readiness, resilience and mission success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE PRESENT PAPER REPRESENTS A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS OF THE UNITED STATES AND SOVIET UNION IN THE MOMENT OF THE END OF THE COLD WAR, FROM THE THEORETICAL LENSES PROVIDED BY THE NEW INSTITUTIONAL ECONOMICS MODEL AS DEVISED BY DARON ACEMOGLU AND JAMES A. ROBINSON. THIS PAPER TRIES TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF WHY THE UNITED STATES PRESERVED THE SUPERPOWER STATUS AND THE SOVIET UNION DID NOT. THIS PAPER ARGUES THAT THE UNITED STATES HAD BETTER POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS THAN THE SOVIET UNION. THEREFORE, THE SUPERIOR CHARACTER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS MADE THE DIFFERENCE AT THE END OF THE COLD WAR, THE UNITED STATES BEING ABLE TO PRESERVE ITS SUPERPOWER STATUS, WHILE THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSED AND DISAPPEARED AS A STATE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, state-funded preschool is a critical component of both K-12 public education and the early childhood education and care system. In 2021, 44 states and the District of Columbia operated 63 school/center-based preschool programs serving over 1.3 million children. The vast majority of state-funded preschool programs require two adults in each classroom: typically, a lead teacher and an assistant teacher, with an expectation for team teaching. This paper examines the trends and variations in state policies that address the qualifications requirements, compensation, and professional development supports for preschool lead and assistant teachers in state-funded preschool programs that provide a foundation for supporting a culture of collective success and potential quality of the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper compares and discusses human trafficking from the perspective of state governance in these two countries; the five different aspect of strategies, laws and regulations, working institutions, police systems, and victim rescue and resettlement are examined. The strengths and weaknesses of the two countries in tackling human trafficking are also compared in this study. National strategies for human trafficking governance in China and the United States are formulated under the framework of "people-oriented, coordinated prevention, legal crackdown, active assistance, and proper resettlement". China is more concerned with combating the domestic trafficking of women and children, whereas the United States focuses on the governance of commercial, transnational human trafficking. China's governance is characterized by top-down management and bottom-up autonomy. Once strategies, laws, and regulations are formed, they can be quickly implemented across the entire country. In the United States, the federal government and state governments are cooperative rather than subordinate, and the separation of powers and two-party political system are other issues that indicate the need for further investigations regarding the national implementation and linkage of the governance of human trafficking. This paper concludes with several recommendations on how China should respond to and combat human trafficking crime, including escalating the implementation of China's Action Plan against Human Trafficking (2021-2030) and taking specific actions based on local conditions; enhancing the connection with the national laws and absorption from them and continuing to promote special legislations targeting human trafficking crimes; attaching greater importance to social construction and govemance of transnational human trafficking through strengthening international cooperation; refining anti-trafficking work organizations and setting up specialized working groups, special funds and smoother channels for suggestions; constructing and perfecting China's "Reunion System" supporting system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors review the efforts made in the last five years to implement Demand Response (DR) programs, considering and studying several models and countries. As motivation, climate change has been a topic widely discussed in the last decades, namely in the power and energy sectors. Therefore, it is crucial to substitute non-renewable fuels with more environment-friendly solutions. Enabling Distributed Generation (DG), namely using renewable resources such as wind and solar, can be part of the solution to reduce the greenhouse effects. However, their unpredictable behavior might result in several problems for network management. Therefore, the consumer should become more flexible towards this new paradigm where the generation no longer follows the demand requests. With this, Demand Response (DR) concept is created as part of this solution. This paper studies the European Union and United States' current status, with over 50 references. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau funded an initiative to promote implementation of rapid antiretroviral therapy initiation in 14 HIV treatment settings across the U.S. The goal of this initiative is to accelerate uptake of this evidence-based strategy and provide an implementation blueprint for other HIV care settings to reduce the time from HIV diagnosis to entry into care, for re-engagement in care for those out of care, initiation of treatment, and viral suppression. As part of the effort, an evaluation and technical assistance provider (ETAP) was funded to study implementation of the model in the 14 implementation sites. Method: The ETAP has used implementation science methods framed by the Dynamic Capabilities Model integrated with the Conceptual Model of Implementation Research to develop a Hybrid Type II, multi-site mixed-methods evaluation, described in this paper. The results of the evaluation will describe strategies associated with uptake, implementation outcomes, and HIV-related health outcomes for patients. Discussion: This approach will allow us to understand in detail the processes that sites to implement and integrate rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy as standard of care as a means of achieving equity in HIV care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the relations of the Bolivian National Revolution (1952-1964) with the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc (including Cuba) seeking to understand the implications for the structuring of discourses and hegemonic and counter-hegemonic power blocs in the political struggle, and, thus, for the developmentalist approach to planning. Our aim is to shed light on little-studied aspects of the Bolivian National Revolution. Research included revising primary sources (archives of the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bolivian and Unites Stats (us) newspapers, technical and scientific documentation from Bolivian, us, and ussr institutions) as well as secondary sources (Bolivian historiography and opinion essays). On this basis, we discuss how, in the process of developing relations with both hegemonic blocs, the US and the ussr, Bolivia ended up complying with the former at the expenses of the latter. We argue that the reasons for this option are not only political but also economic, particularly, the actual content of the ussr development offers. Our analysis reveals that the relations with the ussr bloc played a key role in the self-determination of historically subaltern actors, and subsequent processes / forms of development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on an understanding of the global immigration control regime as one of legal violence. It analyses the specialist literature that reveals the existence of an economy of deportability, understood as the unequal distribution of the forms of state power in the lives and freedoms of non-nationals, with gender playing a preponderant role. Taking a gender perspective, a selection of texts from the past two decades are reviewed that analyse the deportation and anti-trafficking apparatus in Europe, the United States and South America. The literature corroborates the existence of a gendered economy of deportability that generates social suffering that, in different ways and to differing degrees, shapes the (im)migrant presence in the national order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse a corpus of 137 texts published between 1888 and 1899. These texts are included in one of the most successful Spanish-language newspapers published in the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century: Las Novedades (New York, 1876-1918). In the analysis I will determine the linguistic ideologies and the discursive strategies used for the promotion of Hispanism and Spanish language in a sociopolitical context in which the Spanish hegemony was losing all its power at an international level. Thus, the ideologies found are divided in two different categories: the linguistic ideologies that give the language a cultural value and the linguistic ideologies that make reference to the economic and commercial value of the language. The results obtained from this analysis will contribute to understand the role of Spanish language in the United States. Furthermore, this paper presents an unpublished corpus of clear historiographic interest that contributes to clarify the panorama of Hispanism in a country like the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reconstructs the story of a so far unknown manuscript, a handwritten, personal account detailing a 1927 journey to the United States and Canada with the primary purpose of selling Hungarian wine as part of a more extensive international venture. The article introduces the research that led to the identification of the writer of the manuscript - written on sheets of paper from a Canadian hotel - and outlines the background of a fascinating business project, thereby positioning the text not only as a unique example to be studied with the tools of microhistory but also placing it in the broader, transatlantic historical and political environment of the time. The text is also studied and presented as a piece of travel writing that provides unique insights into Hungarian perceptions of North America in the 1920s and the Hungarian images of Canada and the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though Sino-American relations of the Donald Trump era were perceived as predominately confrontational, with a symbolic trade war between the two, the scale of economic interdependencies between the United States and China results in either a need for collaboration or in serious losses on both sides in the case of lack of cooperation. The paper aims at analyzing economic relations between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China at the time of the Trump presidency. Analysis is based on the complex interdependence theory of Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye. The main hypothesis analyzed in the paper states: Asymmetric interdependence between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America limits the scope, intensity and length of a trade war. For the sake of the paper, economic interdependence will be analyzed. Apart from the reference to the state of the art, the document analysis and descriptive statistics are to be applied in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Segregation by racialized categories is common to cities across the world and its social effects are well studied. However, the environmental effects--the ecology of segregation--have received less attention. Racialized segregation persists through time and is associated with environmental hazards or lack of amenities. The environmental burdens of racial segregation are increasingly documented and this paper synthesizes the dynamics of segregation and the dynamics of ecological conditions associated with it. The 'adaptive cycle of resilience,' an important social-ecological theory, is applied and used to facilitate synthesis. The well-documented history of racial segregation in the US city of Baltimore, Maryland, is used to illustrate the systemic mechanisms that adapt segregation to changing social conditions, and hence maintain its ecological impacts. The adaptive cycle serves as a useful tool in evaluating and addressing the ecology of segregation and can thus advance urban ecology on a new horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ostensibly, Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential elections should have placed United States international policy back on a familiar path. However, despite the prevalence of a highly traditional vision of US foreign policy, the Biden administration has maintained significant continuities with the previous administration, as reflected in the policy towards China and the withdrawal from Afghanistan. In part, this is due to the constraints produced by the deep divisions that exist at domestic level. This paper aims to unravel the fundamental elements of Biden's foreign policy, focusing on possible ideological and doctrinal elements, strategic priorities, and any continuities and changes relative to his predecessor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at how European thinkers whose ideas helped shape 20th century interwar Nazi and fascist movements have influenced the Alt-Right, a contemporary digital far right-wing movement based mainly in the United States. Specifically, it explores the notions of authoritarian government developed by intellectuals like Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), above all, and Julius Evola (1898-1974), and their use today in the discourse of Richard B. Spencer, the US illiberal political movement's leader. The aim is to construct an analysis of the thought of the transnational radical right, particularly authoritarian thought, over time and via completely different means such as literature and the internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As countries scramble for cleaner energy production and to meet carbon reduction targets, natural gas seems to become an increasingly attractive option with liquified natural gas (LNG) as a popular transportation choice. In this paper, we first conduct a literature review and discuss the various factors affecting the global natural gas market, its recent history, current state, and future. Then we look at the possibility of East Asia becoming an alternative market to Europe for Russian LNG. We also bring in the US both as a political force that employs economic sanctions and as a potential LNG supplier. As a case study, we define a 3-player game between Russia, The United States, and Japan which results in relative market stability. In the case of sanctions against Russia, we conclude that it will lose its foothold in the Japanese market in the long term. Finally, we discuss the potential of LNG trading as the first step for East Asia's energy transition to a low-carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the discovery of a small population of sponges in the Pigeon River of eastern Tennessee, USA, which were morphologically distinct from Spongillida of North America. A morphological comparative analysis resulted in the first Nearctic record of the genus Heterorotula with the description of a new species Heterorotula lucasi sp. nov. diverging from all other known species by its unique combinations of diagnostic morphotraits of spicules and gemmules. The new record enlarges the geographic range of the genus which has been known until now only from Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Japan (as an alien species), and from subequatorial Brazil (as subfossil remains). The discovery of a biogeographic enclave of Heterorotula in the southeastern United States contributes to the understanding of Porifera inland water biodiversity, biogeographic patterns, and adaptive morphotraits in the Nearctic and globally. Data confirm that the Appalachian region (Ordovician–Permian origin) of Tennessee and, in general, of North America have high levels of diversity and endemicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the arrival of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States, that country began an economic and trade war with China which, in addition to the trade implications of this war, calls into question the relevance of the existence of current multilateralism. The trade policies of openness that have flourished since the 1980s seem to have come to an end. This fact forces us to rethink the U.S. and world economic agenda in an environment of uncertainty and in the face of a rival such as China, whose strength and influence is growing. Questions arise as to whether the winner will be rewarded with global economic hegemony? Or, on the other hand, will it be a situation in which two powers coexist with a shared hegemony? At this time it is not possible to anticipate who will be the winner, so the aim of this paper is to try to find trends and developments between the two countries to try to give a possible answer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing interviews with Muslim guests on Fox News’ Hannity reveals biased practices that trigger anti-Muslim sentiment and rhetoric. Muslim guests are asked leading questions, cornered (asked off topic questions and forced to respond), accused with hedge-less statements, faced with the technique of “polls say,” and labelled as “you” versus “us.” The result of such anti-Muslim sentiment is audience who have not been given the chance to listen, but a chance to hate. This paper, thus, calls for transformation in action so that we pushback against this sentiment and rhetoric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates what role Sweden, by participating in the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) since 1953, has played to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula. What specific contributions has the NNSC done? How important are they in comparison to other factors that have preserved peace? These issues are analyzed by comparing the tasks of the NNSC, as defined by the Armistice Agreement, and the Commission's work. Consideration is also given to the Commission's composition and whether its role has changed throughout the years or not. North Korea's policy to dismantle the NNSC in the 1990s is included, as are the Commission's responses and the subsequent reorganization of its work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the phenomenon of the gift enterprise bookstore in the mid-nineteenth-century United States. An early form of premium marketing, the gift-book enterprise promised to reward each book purchase with a surprise 'gift', ranging from pencils to dress patterns to cutlery to jewellery. A novel form of marketing books, the gift enterprise bookstore teetered on a thin line between sensation and sham. Although decried as form of illegal lottery gambling and beset by accusations of dishonesty, gift-book enterprises grew immensely popular. Drawing on extensive archival research on one of the most successful gift-book enterprises, the bookstores of G.G. and D.W. Evans--operating in urban centres from 1856-1861--this article examines gift enterprise bookselling in the context of mid-nineteenth-century American print cultures. As savvy entrepreneurs, the Evans' leveraged the national reach and perceived authority of the newspaper by engaging in debates over the morality and legality of the business in the columns of widely-circulating papers and capitalised on editorial and reprinting practices to endorse their business model and market their bookstores. In addition, in lengthy bookseller catalogues distributed across the nation, the Evans' created a bookstore in print and shaped inclusive imagined and real communities of readerbook buyers. Examining the print culture of Evans' gift-book enterprise offers new insights into nineteenth-century book marketing and the ways in which gift enterprise bookselling was intimately connected to and inseparable from contemporary print forms, networks, and practices. Taking the gift-book enterprise seriously expands the histories of American bookselling and decentres the dominant focus on large publishers. In addition, the gift-bookstore phenomenon highlights how bookselling is always entwined with larger cultural dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patient education (PE) has been traditionally seen as the role of nurses and physicians, while allied health workers (AHWs)-who make up the biggest population of the US healthcare workforce-are sometimes reduced to providing supportive roles. This article reviews the available literature on the role of AHWs in providing PE in the US. Methods: This review was based on a search of the databases Academic Search Ultimate; Health Source-Consumer Edition; Health Source-Nursing/Academic Edition and MEDLINE initially conducted between January 10 and February 3, 2021, and later re-done between December 20 and December 22, 2021. This review applied guidelines for narrative reviews (Ferrari 2015). The search looked at papers published between 2001 and 2021, which discussed allied health professions relevant to the US health system. Results: The review derived 18 articles from the search and two articles from the reference lists of the 18 articles. The review found that AHWs seldom performed PE, although the profession of physical therapy made efforts to formalize participation in PE. It also found that expansion of roles for AHWs was warranted, although additional training may be required to develop effective PE competencies among AHWs. Finally, it found existing challenges such as interprofessional rivalries and time limitations that affected the incorporation of AHWs in PE. Conclusions: AHWs have untapped potential to contribute more to the US health system through delivery of effective PE. Policy adjustments are needed to maximize the input of AHWs in PE. Increased interprofessional collaboration in the US health system is needed to facilitate the extension of PE roles to AHWs. Further research is needed to better understand the factors limiting AHWs' involvement in PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, the U.S. Presidency of Donald Trump ended, marked by the appearance of the fortuitous event of the Covid19 pandemic. This research paper presents an analysis of President Donald Trump's political speeches made before the pandemic. We use computer processing tools which allow us to study a large volume of data. With this work we intend to confirm the author's discursive strategy and identify the pillars of his approach in the construction of his political ideology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Agenda 2030 poses critical elements regarding the transition towards a more sustainable development. This paper aims at exploring and comparing the path of sustainable development within the United States and China at the subnational level. An index of Integrated Sustainable Development is introduced to measure local sustainable development on an internationally-comparable scale. This Index is computed both at the national and subnational level and the resulting scores are compared within and across the two countries, also through the adoption of convergence and cluster analysis, allowing to answer four questions: Are the US and China moving towards a sustainable development agenda? Are the current achievements uniformly distributed within the two countries? Are states/provinces converging towards a more uniform level of sustainable development? Do the existing differences and analogies between states and provinces give rise to common clusters across the two countries? The results lead to one robust conclusion: while the US can claim a better result in the national and subnational rankings of sustainable development, China exhibits a more balanced achievement in terms of synergies across Goals and spatial distribution. Nonetheless, both countries are characterized by subnational disparities and scarce achievements of Planet-related Goals. Policy recommendations are discussed accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The first product-specific estimate of human appropriation of NPP in U.S. counties. • USDA data (Quick Stats, Cropscape) can be fused to generate accurate HANPP estimates. • 1997–2012 HANPP(harvest) was 716–834 MT, 15–17 % of NPP; NPP(ecological) was 83–85 % • HANPP from crops was 514–615, timber 105–148, grazing 64–76 MT; 60–66 % was utilized. • State HANPP density varied from 7 − 391 gCm-2yr−1, counties from less than 1–726 gCm-2yr−1. Human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) has been developed in the 21st century as an ecological indicator that may supersede ecological footprint due to its spatial specificity, precise measurement of land use intensity, and potential to be tied to trade in biomass-based products, thus enabling a consumption-based analysis. Fusing publicly available data sources, this paper presents a product-specific, county-level analysis of HANPP harvested from crops, timber and grazing in the conterminous United States in the years 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012, the most recent dates for which all necessary data are available. Total HANPP(harvest) was 716–834 megatonnes (MT), including 514–615 MT from crops, 105–148 MT from timber and 64–76 MT grazed. Of this total, 432–512 MT, 60–66 percent, was a harvested commodity while the remainder was straw and forest slash; 83–84 percent was above-ground HANPP. Mean HANPP density varied from 92 − 107 gCm-2yr−1 in the years studied. With net primary production (NPP) varying from 558 − 610 gCm-2yr−1, this is 15–17 percent of NPP; NPP(ecological) thus varied from 466 − 577 gCm-2yr−1, 83–85 percent of NPP. The specific products with the largest proportions of HANPP were corn grain (26–32 %), soybeans (9–11 %), hardwood (6–10 %) and softwood (8–9 %) timber, grazing on private land (7–9 %), wheat (6–9 %), alfalfa (5–6 %) and aggregated minor crops (15–18 %). Among states, HANPP density varies from 7 gCm-2yr−1 in Nevada to 391 gCm-2yr−1 in Iowa and from 2 % of NPP in Massachusetts to 53 % in Iowa. Disaggregated analysis for 3101 counties shows even greater variation, from less than 1 to 726 gCm-2yr−1, and delineates regions carrying similar HANPP signatures. In the U.S. context, data availability and stoichiometry choices place only modest limitations on the accuracy of HANPP estimates making it a valuable ecological indicator for analyzing land use intensity, especially in agricultural ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A framework identifies energy contexts where racial injustice is more likely. • The 2019 American Housing Survey is used to assess five energy outcomes. • Housing-wealth explains 37% of racial inequality in solar uptake by US homeowners. • Racial differences exist for having washing machines, dryers, or broken equipment. • Black-alone households in public housing may have lower access to solar panels. This paper presents a framework to identify which household-energy outcomes are more likely to display injustice. Inequity is more likely when variation is pronounced at the lower end of wealth distributions. This paper compares solar-panel uptake with four other energy outcomes using the 2019 American Housing Survey. Analysis shows that solar-panel uptake in the United States has mainly been by high-wealth homeowners, across racial groups. Housing wealth explains around 37% of the solar-uptake difference between "Black alone" and other homeowners. In contrast, there are large racial differences for having washing machines or dryers. In addition, uncomfortably cold home temperatures and broken equipment are more likely for "Black alone" homeowners. Similar patterns are mostly observed for renters. However, "Black alone" households in public housing may have been less likely to benefit from solar panels than other public-housing tenants. There are three main implications. Solar policies targeting low wealth, rather than income, have greater potential for reducing racial inequality. Also, policymakers could focus more on equality in solar-panel access for public housing. Further, there are larger racial differences to address in non-solar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ambitious target of net-zero emission by 2050 has been aggressively driving the renewable energy sector in many countries. Leading the race of renewable energy sources is solar energy, the fastest growing energy source at present. The solar industry has witnessed more growth in the last decade than it has in the past 40 years, owing to its technological advancements, plummeting costs, and lucrative incentives. The United States is one of the largest producers of solar power in the world and has been a pioneer in solar adoption, with major projects across different technologies, mainly photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, and solar heating and cooling, but is expanding towards floating PV, solar combined with storage, and hybrid power plants. Although the United States has tremendous potential for exploiting solar resources, there is a scarcity of research that details the U.S. solar energy scenario. This paper provides a comprehensive review of solar energy in the U.S., highlighting the drivers of the solar industry in terms of technology, financial incentives, and strategies to overcome challenges. It also discusses the prospects of the future solar market based on extensive background research and the latest statistics. In addition, the paper categorizes the U.S. states into five tiers based on their solar prospects calculated using analytical hierarchy process and regression analysis. The price of solar technologies in the U.S. is also predicted up to 2031 using Wright's law, which projected a 77% reduction in the next decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1945, official Catholic discourse around nuclear weapons has condemned their existence on the one hand and supported them as deterrents on the other. This paper argues the largely abstracted discourse on nuclear weapons within the World Church has been disrupted by voices of Urakami in Nagasaki since at least 1981, as the Vatican has re-considered both memory and Catholic treatments of the bombing of this city since the end of World War II. On 9 August 1945, a plutonium A-bomb, nicknamed 'Fat Man', was detonated by the United States over the northern suburb of Nagasaki known as Urakami. Approximately 8500 Catholics were killed by the deployment of the bomb in this place that was once known as the Rome of the East. Many years on, two popes visited Nagasaki, the first in 1981 and the second in 2019. Throughout the period from John Paul II's initial visit to Pope Francis's visit in 2019, the Catholic Church's official stance on nuclear weapons evolved significantly. Pope John Paul II's contribution to the involvement in peace discourses of Catholics who had suffered the bombing attack in Nagasaki has been noted by scholars previously, but we should not assume influence in 1981 was unidirectional. Drawing upon interviews conducted in the Catholic community in Nagasaki between 2014 and 2019, and by reference to the two papal visits, this article re-evaluates the ongoing potentialities and concomitant weaknesses of religious discourse. Such discourses continue to exert an influence on international relations in the enduring atomic age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]