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This paper examines the importance of institutional contexts in cross‐border buyout exit success. After tracking 2639 cross‐border buyout investments during 1998–2007 in 38 countries and regions as of 2016, I find that the higher the institutional quality of the country where the portfolio company is located, the higher the probability of a successful exit via IPO or M&A. The larger the institutional distance between the portfolio company country and the private equity (PE) firm country, the lower the exit success, while PE firms' international experience, industrial experience, and reputation help improve exit success. Further, their industrial experience and the establishment of a local office mitigate the adverse effects of institutional distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This conceptual work critically examines how employees in multinational corporations (MNCs) receive performance management (PM) systems. Employee acceptance of the PM system across MNCs' subsidiaries is critical for PM effectiveness. Furthermore, the context plays a significant role in determining employee acceptance of the PM, and this varies widely across borders. The paper uses the lens of reciprocity theory to propose a conceptual PM framework to advance employee acceptability of PM. Four key steps in the framework assess the acceptability of PM at different stages, ensuring the PM system evolves and improves with each stage. These steps include analysing the context of the subsidiary, developing and applying management actions that reflect the goals of the MNC, its subsidiaries and individual employees and embedding the customised PM process across the MNC to foster trust and the perception of fairness. The framework's value for practitioners is to increase employees' probability of accepting the PM. We conclude that multinationals must pay more attention to the PM context across their borders, particularly the cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of International Business Studies is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

Biosecurity is a crucial issue in a globalised world as today. Biosecurity has become a serious concern for some countries to prevent the transfer of any infectious diseases across borders. Involving human bio-surveillance, biosecurity regulation is actually an attempt to build new spatial demarcations in the border areas of countries. In the context of Indonesia, the biosecurity policy so far has been initiated and applied for protecting Indonesian borders from infectious disease transferred from the mobility of people, including Indonesian migrant workers when they returned back to this country. However, some important issues and controversies remain in debate, especially around the political economy discourses of the Indonesian government. This research, thus, focuses on the risk of disease transmission among the Indonesian migrant workers, which could affected not only Indonesia, but also others particular countries and global people's health. This study examines the case of biosecurity issue in the border Island of Indonesia, which is Tanjung Pinang situated in Riau Islands. Tanjung Pinang is an offshore bordered area bordering to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. This place is part of a major maritime traffics lane between its neighbouring countries. Tanjung Pinang is also one of departure harbours for the Indonesian migrant workers to Malaysia and Singapore. Upon interviewing with migrant workers, the government representatives, and the NGOs/agents who have involved with migrant workers' travels, this research found that biosecurity policy of the Indonesian government has not been implemented consistently and firm to the standard of health protocols; whilst, the prevention of infectious desease carried from migrant workers overseas who returned home could be spread out and brought health risks for domestic communities. The health authority in border area, i.e. Tanjung Pinang, has provided screening rooms; yet, the screenings were implemented for some random workers and on the workers' physical body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Derecho de la Seguridad Social, Laborum is the property of Ediciones Laborum S.L. 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.)

This article delves into the intricacies of Eurocity of Guadiana (EuroGuadiana) cross-border initiative that seeks to bolster economic value through innovative tourism products. It delineates a comprehensive plan aimed at turning EuroGuadiana into a center of cultural and economic vibrancy within Andalusia/Algarve, thus overturning its current peripheral status, using a rich body of literature on regional development and tourism strategies. The key to this strategy is a meticulous tourism diagnosis, facilitated by a value chain tool that identifies existing resources and their potential for complementarity and cooperation, aligning strategic decisions with the factors that increase potential tourists’ perceptions. Participatory methods and transborder community development are key components of the strategy. The former encourages inclusivity and collaboration, integrating diverse stakeholder insights into the decision-making process, thereby fostering a strategy that is both grounded and adaptive to the evolving preferences of tourists. The latter leverages the region’s unique cross-border position to build cultural cohesion and economic synergy, promoting collaborative efforts in conservation and sustainable practices. Envisioned as a beacon of sustainable and inclusive development, EuroGuadiana aspires to emerge as a destination characterized by diversity, prosperity, and vibrancy. Furthermore, it aims to establish a collaborative platform that bridges cities within the region, fostering a network that is conducive to shared growth and innovation. With this multi-faceted approach, EuroGuadiana is being repositioned as a dynamic and harmonious hub of regional development.

Abstract Background In most countries engaged on the last mile towards malaria elimination, residual transmission mainly persists among vulnerable populations represented by isolated and mobile (often cross-border) communities. These populations are sometimes involved in informal or even illegal activities. In regions with Plasmodium vivax transmission, the specific biology of this parasite poses additional difficulties related to the need for a radical treatment against hypnozoites to prevent relapses. Among hard-to-reach communities, case management, a pillar of elimination strategy, is deficient: acute malaria attacks often occur in remote areas, where there is limited access to care, and drugs acquired outside formal healthcare are often inadequately used for treatment, which typically does not include radical treatment against P. vivax. For these reasons, P. vivax circulation among these communities represents one of the main challenges for malaria elimination in many non-African countries. The objective of this article is to describe the protocol of the CUREMA study, which aims to meet the challenge of targeting malaria in hard-to-reach populations with a focus on P. vivax. Results CUREMA is a multi-centre, international public health intervention research project. The study population is represented by persons involved in artisanal and small-scale gold mining who are active and mobile in the Guiana Shield, deep inside the Amazon Forest. The CUREMA project includes a complex intervention composed of a package of actions: (1) health education activities; (2) targeted administration of treatment against P. vivax after screening against G6PD deficiency to asymptomatic persons considered at risk of silently carrying the parasite; (3) distribution of a self-testing and self-treatment kit (malakit) associated with user training for self-management of malaria symptoms occurring while in extreme isolation. These actions are offered by community health workers at settlements and neighbourhoods (often cross-border) that represent transit and logistic bases of gold miners. The study relies on hybrid design, aiming to evaluate both the effectiveness of the intervention on malaria transmission with a pre/post quasi-experimental design, and its implementation with a mixed methods approach. Conclusions The purpose of this study is to experiment an intervention that addresses both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria elimination in a mobile and isolated population and to produce results that can be transferred to many contexts facing the same challenges around the world.

This study investigates the cross‐border risk spillovers between the US soybean futures market and Chinese soybean‐related futures markets. We first confirm the existence of strong tail dependence between US soybean futures and four Chinese soybean‐related futures by conducting a novel quantile‐Granger causality test. Second, tests under MVMQ‐CAViaR further provide evidence of risk spillovers from CBOT soybean futures to the DCE No.1 soybean, No.2 soybean, soybean meal, and soybean oil futures in value‐at‐risk at different quantiles. Lastly, results from the quantile impulse‐response function reveal the time‐varying and asymmetric property of risk spillover effects. In addition, we compare the results from two subsample periods and identify different risk spillover effects across markets at different quantiles that may contribute to the investors' decision‐making under extreme market conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global health emergencies often lead to a proliferation of health-related research and resultant data, which is shared across borders to help control the outbreak of disease and support decision-making regarding public health interventions. However, efforts to share data can be hindered by diverse international ethical and legal frameworks. The frameworks aim to govern coordinated processing, sharing and transfer of health data across borders thus placing burdens on researchers who are willing or obligated to share data. In this paper, we investigate ethical values and legal principles that can be applied to ensure a more streamlined approach in the governance of cross-border health data sharing during global health emergencies. A scoping review approach was used to better understand emerging evidence about issues related to the ethical and legal governance of cross-border health data sharing. We first highlight the challenges of sharing health data across borders. We then discuss how the challenges might be overcome through the application of ethical values and legal principles that have been identified in literature. This is followed by a proposal for possible ways of streamlining the governance of health data sharing from ethical and legal perspectives in a bid to better prepare for future global health emergencies and promote the responsible sharing of health data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region has been experiencing a vibrant economy with heavy investment in higher education as an economic development driver. Being home to over 630 million people and more than 7,000 higher education institutions (HEIs) and over 12 million students, it was critical to evaluate the role of cross-border higher education in the region. This study aimed to investigate the factors and motivations contributing to the success and efficacy of cross-border higher education in the ASEAN region. Additionally, it sought to examine the impact of cross-border education on the development of global citizenship. A quantitative study was conducted using secondary data from the repositories of the World Bank and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Data was analyzed using descriptive visualizations and regression analysis. Results indicated variations in HEIs investments, with Brunei having the least. Many students moved from the ASEAN region to seek higher education in other regions, with Vietnam having the highest number of 137,022 students. The majority of these ASEAN countries have more than 10,000 higher education students' abroad. The United States, Australia, and Japan were the significant destinies of students from the ASEAN region. Government expenditure on tertiary education, gross domestic product (GDP), tertiary school enrolment, and GDP growth rate were found to have a significant influence on cross-border higher education mobility. Policy recommendations were the development of international collaborations, cross-border partnerships, and cross-national harmonization to enhance the partnership and mobility of higher education students in the ASEAN region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In most countries engaged on the last mile towards malaria elimination, residual transmission mainly persists among vulnerable populations represented by isolated and mobile (often cross-border) communities. These populations are sometimes involved in informal or even illegal activities. In regions with Plasmodium vivax transmission, the specific biology of this parasite poses additional difficulties related to the need for a radical treatment against hypnozoites to prevent relapses. Among hard-to-reach communities, case management, a pillar of elimination strategy, is deficient: acute malaria attacks often occur in remote areas, where there is limited access to care, and drugs acquired outside formal healthcare are often inadequately used for treatment, which typically does not include radical treatment against P. vivax. For these reasons, P. vivax circulation among these communities represents one of the main challenges for malaria elimination in many non-African countries. The objective of this article is to describe the protocol of the CUREMA study, which aims to meet the challenge of targeting malaria in hard-to-reach populations with a focus on P. vivax. Results: CUREMA is a multi-centre, international public health intervention research project. The study population is represented by persons involved in artisanal and small-scale gold mining who are active and mobile in the Guiana Shield, deep inside the Amazon Forest. The CUREMA project includes a complex intervention composed of a package of actions: (1) health education activities; (2) targeted administration of treatment against P. vivax after screening against G6PD deficiency to asymptomatic persons considered at risk of silently carrying the parasite; (3) distribution of a self-testing and self-treatment kit (malakit) associated with user training for self-management of malaria symptoms occurring while in extreme isolation. These actions are offered by community health workers at settlements and neighbourhoods (often cross-border) that represent transit and logistic bases of gold miners. The study relies on hybrid design, aiming to evaluate both the effectiveness of the intervention on malaria transmission with a pre/post quasi-experimental design, and its implementation with a mixed methods approach. Conclusions: The purpose of this study is to experiment an intervention that addresses both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria elimination in a mobile and isolated population and to produce results that can be transferred to many contexts facing the same challenges around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic has warmed almost four times faster than the rest of the globe during the past four decades. This has led to multiple impacts in the Arctic such as the melting of glaciers and the Greenland ice sheet, sea ice retreat, permafrost thaw, altered species distribution and abundance, changes in hydrology and snow conditions, and altered wildfire regimes. These documented and projected impacts in the region can also propagate across borders, creating risks and opportunities requiring adaptation responses well beyond the Arctic. By undertaking a systematic literature review that uses a conceptual framework for cross‐border climate change impacts, we demonstrate how local impacts of the type described above, which are often analyzed separately in the literature, may initiate knock‐on effects that can be transmitted and transformed across borders. We illustrate examples of six categories of cross‐border risks resulting from this impact transmission and potentially requiring adaptation. These concern biophysical impacts, trade, infrastructure, finance, geopolitical relationships and human security and social justice. We examine potential adaptation options for responding to such cross‐border risks that are of relevance for Europe. The systemic approach taken in this paper promotes improved understanding of trade‐offs between potential benefits and risks, assists priority‐setting for targeting adaptation interventions, and can account for the important role of non‐climatic drivers in amplifying or dampening the cross‐border risks of climate change impacts in the Arctic. This article is categorized under:Trans‐Disciplinary Perspectives > Regional ReviewsAssessing Impacts of Climate Change > Observed Impacts of Climate ChangeAssessing Impacts of Climate Change > Evaluating Future Impacts of Climate ChangeVulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Learning from Cases and Analogies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Access to electronic evidence - The Council authorized Member States on 5 April 2022 to sign an international agreement on adopted a decision authorizing member state to sign, in the interest of the EU, the Second Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention). Proposals and methodology: This protocol will improve cross-border access to electronic evidence for use in criminal proceedings. This will contribute to the fight against cybercrime and other forms of crime worldwide by simplifying cooperation between Member States and third countries, while ensuring a high level of protection of individuals as well as compliance with EU protection standards of the data. The ambassadors of the EU member states confirmed, at the beginning of 2023, the agreement reached between the presidency of the Council and the European Parliament regarding the draft regulation and the draft directive on cross-border access to electronic evidence. The agreed texts will make it possible for relevant authorities to issue court orders for electronic evidence directly to service providers in another Member State. Results and implications: This agreement answered a key request from our judicial authorities. More and more crimes are planned or committed online, and our authorities need the tools to prosecute them as they do with offline crimes. The new rules will allow judges and prosecutors to quickly access the evidence they need, regardless of where it is stored, before it disappears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sharing of data between financial institutions is widely recognised as a key component in the industry's efforts to combat fraud. Broader access to multiple sources of financial data is also critical to the development of high-quality fraud detection mechanisms based on artificial intelligence (AI). Given the challenges relating to sharing real financial data across countries and institutions, the use of synthetic data has recently become critical to enabling the exploration of broader data sharing and supporting open collaboration in AI model development. To generate synthetic data that can substitute for real data, computer algorithms closely mimic the key statistical properties of genuine data, while strictly preserving the privacy and sovereignty of the source data. This paper presents the results of an ongoing exploration into the generation of high-utility synthetic datasets of cross-border payment transactions using transformer models and discusses its application to the development of AI-based fraud prevention solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legal Literacies for Text Data Mining - Cross-Border (“LLTDM-X”) is a National Endowment for the Humanities Level 1 Advancement Grant project addressing legal and ethical issues faced by U.S. digital humanities (DH) practitioners whose text data mining (TDM) research and practice intersects with foreign-held or - licensed content, or involves international cooperations.LLTDM-X ​​is a collaboration between the University of California Berkeley Library and Internet Archive, and builds upon the previous NEH-sponsored institute, Building Legal Literacies for Text Data Mining (Building LLTDM). That institute provided guidance and strategies to DH TDM researchers on navigating legal literacies for text data mining (including copyright, contracts, privacy, and ethics) within a U.S. context.A common challenge highlighted during Building LLTDM was the fact that TDM practitioners encounter numerous and complex legal problems in cross-border TDM research. These occur when: (i) the materials practitioners want to mine are housed in a foreign jurisdiction, or are otherwise subject to foreign database licensing or laws; (ii) the human subjects they are studying or who created the underlying content reside in another country; or, (iii) the colleagues with whom they are collaborating reside abroad, yielding uncertainty about which country’s laws, agreements, and policies apply.We designed LLTDM-X to identify and better understand the cross-border issues that DH TDM practitioners face, with the aim of using these issues to inform prospective research and education. We also hoped that LLTDM-X would yield preliminary guidance to benefit researchers in the meantime, as instructional materials are being developed. In early 2023, we hosted a series of three online round tables with U.S.-based cross-border TDM practitioners (“Practitioners”), and law and ethics experts (“Experts”) practicing in six countries. The round table conversations were structured to illustrate the empirical issues that researchers face, and also for the Practitioners to benefit from guidance on legal and ethical challenges. Upon the completion of the round tables, the LLTDM-X project team created a robust and hypothetical case study that (i) reflects the observed cross-border LLTDM issues and (ii) contains analysis to facilitate the development of future instructional materials.

Based on a critical examination of untapped provincial archives, contemporary periodical sources, and extensive field interviews conducted with selected local elders in the border areas, this study explores entanglements between regional diplomacy, political tensions hampered by the violence of various armed factions in the Metema-Humera border regions, the dynamics of cross-border contraband trade that involved a diverse array of actors, state failures in enforcing law in the border areas, and enduring impacts on the border regions, 1974–1991. The study also explores the patterns and dynamics of cross-border contraband trade, major actors in the contraband trade, routes, networks, types of contraband items, and the profound impact on borderland communities and state building projects. Cross-border contraband through Metema-Humera has been practiced for longer periods, but the situation was more complicated during the Derg regime (1974–1991) due to entanglements between regional diplomacy, fragile border governance, state failures in enforcing laws in the border areas, armed resistance in the border areas, and the involvement of a diverse array of actors in the contraband trade. The entangled regional diplomacy, mistrust, and suspicion that characterized inter-state relations between Ethiopia and Sudan in the post-1974 period created an enabling environment for cross-border contraband trade, which ultimately contributed to fragile border governance, social and economic crises in Metema-Humera borderland communities. These were exacerbated by the presence of armed movements in the border areas and the involvement of various interest groups.

Biosecurity is a crucial issue in a globalised world as today. Biosecurity has become a serious concern for some countries to prevent the transfer of any infectious diseases across borders. Involving human bio-surveillance, biosecurity regulation is actually an attempt to build new spatial demarcations in the border areas of countries. In the context of Indonesia, the biosecurity policy so far has been initiated and applied for protecting Indonesian borders from infectious disease transferred from the mobility of people, including Indonesian migrant workers when they returned back to this country. However, some important issues and controversies remain in debate, especially around the political economy discourses of the Indonesian government. This research, thus, focuses on the risk of disease transmission among the Indonesian migrant workers, which could affected not only Indonesia, but also others particular countries and global people’s health. This study examines the case of biosecurity issue in the border Island of Indonesia, which is Tanjung Pinang situated in Riau Islands. Tanjung Pinang is an offshore bordered area bordering to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. This place is part of a major maritime traffics lane between its neighbouring countries. Tanjung Pinang is also one of departure harbours for the Indonesian migrant workers to Malaysia and Singapore. Upon interviewing with migrant workers, the government representatives, and the NGOs/agents who have involved with migrant workers’ travels, this research found that biosecurity policy of the Indonesian government has not been implemented consistently and firm to the standard of health protocols; whilst, the prevention of infectious desease carried from migrant workers overseas who returned home could be spread out and brought health risks for domestic communities. The health authority in border area, i.e. Tanjung Pinang, has provided screening rooms; yet, the screenings were implemented for some random workers and on the workers’ physical body.

Cluster analysis of HIV sequence can provide insights into viral transmission patterns in border regions. This study aims to illuminate the HIV-1 subtype distribution and transmission dynamics among newly diagnosed individuals in Dehong prefecture, a region along the China-Myanmar border. Among 948 participants with pol gene sequences, 36 HIV-1 subtypes were identified, with URFs (18.8%, 178/948) being the dominant strain, followed by CRF01_AE (18.5%, 175/948) and CRF07_BC (10.9%, 103/948). Additionally, 287 sequences (30.3%, 287/948) were grouped into 91 clusters, 31 of which contained both Chinese and Burmese individuals. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that men who have sex with men (MSM), CD4 + cell count of 200∼499, and 500 cells/μl and above, and CRF01_AE were risk factors for entering the network. Through the Chord diagram, we found frequent transmission relationships among heterosexual China male group, especially those over 35 years of age. Additionally, the correlation between heterosexual Myanmar female group and heterosexual China male group among cross-risk groups deserved to be emphasized. Furthermore, the network exhibited a growing trend over time, with the largest active transmission cluster identified in Ruili county. In conclusion, the HIV-1 subtype landscape in Dehong has become increasingly complex, and the region has faced risks of transmission from both domestic and international sources. Targeted intervention strategies should be implemented for MSM, heterosexual Chinese middle-aged and elderly men, and heterosexual Burmese young adults to mitigate these risks. These findings provided evidence-based insights for local government to formulate coordinated transnational intervention approaches.

Abstract Background Dengue disease is caused by dengue virus, which is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Although most infected individuals have benign febrile illness or no apparent symptoms, a small percentage develop severe dengue, a potentially fatal condition that occurs after a febrile stage. Many studies have identified factors predicting dengue severity among different populations and time courses. To help find practical approaches applicable in remote settings, we focused on the investigation of early factors associated with severe dengue in Thai–Myanmar cross-border region. Methods This retrospective case-control study was performed to determine factors contributing to severe dengue in the pediatric population. We reviewed the hospital records of patients with dengue infection aged 0–19 years who were admitted to Maesot General Hospital, situated near the Thai–Myanmar cross-border region, between 2017 and 2022. Medical data during the first 5 days of illness and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results This study included 144 patients with a serologically confirmed diagnosis of dengue infection, with 43 severe and 101 non-severe cases. Among biological factors, being an infant and belonging to an ethnic group in Myanmar showed a significant association with severe dengue in the univariable analysis. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that the presence of mucosal bleeding (adjusted OR 5.39, 95% CI 1.06–27.52, P = 0.043), a change in hematocrit ≥ 10% (adjusted OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.15–11.74, P = 0.028), and serum albumin

The paper presents the first outcomes and results of using an integrated territorial tool applied by the Interreg V-A Slovakia-Hungary Cooperation Programme (2014–2020), the 'Territorial Action Plan for Employment', or, briefly: the TAPE. The tool is aimed at facilitating quality employment and cross-border labour mobility through the implementation of 2–7 interdependent projects within a geographically defined subregion of the programme area, with the involvement of SMEs, training institutions, NGOs and municipalities. The author introduces the tool and the nine TAPEs financed by the CBC programme and gives a comprehensive assessment of their outcomes and results from the points of view of cross-border labour market development, integrated soft planning and trust building with a special focus on the aspect of cross-border relevance. The study concludes that the tool does not meet the preliminary expectations: its cross-border relevance is not much stronger than the traditional standalone CBC projects. At the same time, the bottom-up cross-border planning exercise has significant added value which might make the tool attractive for other CBC programmes, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue disease is caused by dengue virus, which is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Although most infected individuals have benign febrile illness or no apparent symptoms, a small percentage develop severe dengue, a potentially fatal condition that occurs after a febrile stage. Many studies have identified factors predicting dengue severity among different populations and time courses. To help find practical approaches applicable in remote settings, we focused on the investigation of early factors associated with severe dengue in Thai–Myanmar cross-border region. Methods: This retrospective case-control study was performed to determine factors contributing to severe dengue in the pediatric population. We reviewed the hospital records of patients with dengue infection aged 0–19 years who were admitted to Maesot General Hospital, situated near the Thai–Myanmar cross-border region, between 2017 and 2022. Medical data during the first 5 days of illness and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results: This study included 144 patients with a serologically confirmed diagnosis of dengue infection, with 43 severe and 101 non-severe cases. Among biological factors, being an infant and belonging to an ethnic group in Myanmar showed a significant association with severe dengue in the univariable analysis. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that the presence of mucosal bleeding (adjusted OR 5.39, 95% CI 1.06–27.52, P = 0.043), a change in hematocrit ≥ 10% (adjusted OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.15–11.74, P = 0.028), and serum albumin < 35 g/L (adjusted OR 8.10, 95% CI 2.55–25.72, P < 0.001) during the first 5 days of illness were significantly associated with developing severe dengue. Conclusions: This study supports the use of certain WHO warning signs and hematocrit change during febrile phase to predict pediatric severe dengue in low-resource settings. Potential factors such as very young age and ethnic groups warrant further exploration to identify risks contributing to severe dengue infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the price risk of the Belize–Mexico interconnection using ARMA-ARCH models to assess electricity pricing volatility and autoregression to determine the influence of conditional volatilities and import consumption. The findings revealed that the volatility of both markets, especially spot price, showed rare high-impact shocks and prolonged periods of volatile clusters. Volatile pricing tendencies, and forward pricing to a lesser extent, had positive effects on premiums. Premiums were largely dependent on pricing properties and system conditions of the supplier's (Mexico) side, with negligible influence from the buyer's (Belize) side. However, significant effects were found during certain hours with the buyer's loading and transmission loss patterns. Practical implications revealed the possibility of occasional losses caused mostly by information delays and misalignment of risk factors and premiums, which could affect Belize's power cost affordability and scheduling of local generation. Further research can broaden this current scope to enhance planning on local power supply by integrating current findings on the importation market behavior with the buyer's local power expansion plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The last 3 years have seen substantial changes in Great Britain (GB) including the COVID‐19 pandemic, cost‐of‐living crisis and policy changes such as minimum unit pricing. We examined changes in purchasing cross‐border, illicit and home‐brewed alcohol among risky drinkers over this period. Methods: Data were used from 22,086 adult (≥18 years) increasing/higher‐risk drinkers (AUDIT‐C ≥5) participating in a monthly cross‐sectional survey between October 2020 and August 2023. We estimated time trends in the proportion reporting obtaining alcohol from: (i) cross‐border (any/within‐GB/international); (ii) illicit; and (iii) home‐brewed sources in the past 6 months. Results: Between October 2020 and August 2023, the proportion reporting cross‐border alcohol purchases increased (from 8.5% to 12.5% overall; prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.47 [95% CI 1.17–1.86]). This was largely driven by an increase in cross‐border purchases abroad (PR = 1.52 [1.13–2.05]), with a smaller, uncertain increase in cross‐border purchases within GB (PR = 1.37 [0.96–1.95]). The prevalence of cross‐border alcohol purchasing was higher in Wales (13.8% [12.3–15.4%]) and Scotland (6.1% [5.4–6.8%]) than England (3.6% [3.3–3.9%]). There was little change in illicit alcohol purchasing in England or Wales (4.1% [3.7–4.4%]; 4.2% [3.2–5.1%]), but in Scotland it fell from 5.7% to 2.4% (PR = 0.42 [0.19–0.81]). Home‐brewed alcohol was rare (GB: 3.1% [2.9–3.4]) and stable. Discussion and Conclusions: The proportion of increasing/higher‐risk drinkers in GB purchasing cross‐border alcohol increased between October 2020 and August 2023, due to an increase in people buying alcohol abroad. Cross‐border alcohol purchases within GB were more commonly reported in Wales and Scotland. The small proportion purchasing illicit alcohol did not change substantially in England or Wales, but fell by half in Scotland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the theoretical landscape of global entrepreneurship through a bibliometric analysis. The documents in peer-reviewed papers and conference proceedings are included for the study from the Scopus database based on selected keywords on global and international entrepreneurship. The Biblioshiny package under R programming and VOS viewer is used for analysis. A total of 2531 documents were taken for an in-depth investigation. The findings of the study are; many authors contribute to global entrepreneurship, and they focuses on various areas in global entrepreneurship field, collaborative patterns, trend topics, emerging themes, and future research topics in this theme. The study is purely based on the Scopus database. Hence, other databases are not taken into account. The Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews methodology were used in this study to understand the trends. The reliability may be affected by the intrinsic flaws in the bibliometric analysis. Primary data not used for the study are considered as limitations. The findings offer insights to scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and entrepreneurs for framing policies, programs, schemes, and activities to develop global entrepreneurship for a promising future for the entrepreneurs and the nation's prosperity. The study's originality lies in the structured literature review. The methodology provides a framework for the state of global entrepreneurship in the past and present and directions for the future. Global entrepreneurship helps to solve problems and to build sustainable global entrepreneurial practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unauthorized immigration has been a long‐standing and contentious challenge for developed and developing countries. Numerous continually evolving push and pull factors across international borders, such as economy, employment, population density, unrest, corruption, and climate have driven this migration. Large‐scale pandemics such as COVID‐19, causing further instability in countries' financial well‐being, can initiate or alter emigration flow from different countries. In light of such a complex confluence of factors, climate change, and demographic shifts in migrant communities, it is high time to shift toward machine learning–reinforced generalized approaches from the traditional parametric approaches based on migrant community–specific localized surveys. To our best knowledge, no literature has explored the nonparametric approach and developed a comprehensive database independent of localized surveys to analyze unauthorized migration. This article fills this gap by deploying nine nonparametric machine learning algorithms for predicting unauthorized immigration flow considering the dynamic border security nexus. This framework considers the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model as the null model. The proposed novel framework removes the dependency on localized survey‐based studies and provides a more cost‐effective, faster, and big data–friendly approach. This study finds the Bayesian Additive Regression Tree model as the best predictive model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cross-border cooperation has become an essential element of internal security in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world. Contemporary challenges such as transnational organized crime, terrorism, cyber threats, and migration require states to engage in collaborative frameworks that transcend traditional territorial boundaries. This article explores the theoretical foundations of cross-border cooperation, emphasizing its role in addressing internal security threats. Drawing upon theories such as functionalism and regionalism, the paper highlights how shared interests and mutual benefits drive cross-border collaboration. The study discusses the practical dimensions of cooperation, focusing on areas such as data-sharing, joint law enforcement operations, and disaster response mechanisms. It also examines the pivotal role of initiatives like the Schengen Information System, Europol, and regional cross-border frameworks such as Euroregions. Despite its successes, cross-border cooperation faces significant challenges, including political and legal barriers, technological disparities, and social mistrust

Abstract Background The main vectors of onchocerciasis in Africa are Simulium damnosum sensu lato, which transmit the causative agent Onchocerca volvulus. The force of transmission is driven by the vector density, hence influencing the disease prevalence and intensity. Onchocerciasis is currently targeted for elimination using mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin, a potent microfilaricide. MDA in Cameroon began in 1987 in the Vina Valley, an endemic cross-border area with Chad, known for high vector densities and precontrol endemicity. Evaluations in 2008–2010 in this area showed ongoing transmission, while border areas in Chad were close to interrupting transmission. This study aimed to evaluate transmission in this area after several rounds of MDA since the last evaluation surveys. Methods Black flies were collected by human landing catches at seven border sites in Cameroon, twice a week, from August 2021 to March 2022. A fraction of the flies was dissected for parity assessment and identification of Onchocerca larval stages. The transmission indices were estimated. Black fly larvae were also collected from the breeding sites at the fly catching sites and identified to species level by cytotaxonomy. Results A total of 14,303 female flies were collected, and 6918 were dissected. Of these, 4421 (64.0%) were parous. The total biting rates were high, reaching up to 16,407 bites/person/study period, and transmission potential (third-stage larvae (L3) from head/all L3) were 367/702, 146/506, 51/55, 20/32, 0/3, 0/0, and 0/0 infective larvae/person, respectively, for Mbere-Tchad, Babidan, Hajam/V5, Gor, Djeing, Touboro, and Koinderi. Infectivity rates (L3 from head) were 16.00, 12.75, 5.15, and 4.07 infective females (L3H)/1000 parous flies for Haijam, Mbere-Tchad, Babidan, and Gor, respectively. These values exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) thresholds of ≤ 20 annual transmission potential (ATP) or

In the digital age, data transmission has become a key component of globalization and international cooperation. However, it faces several challenges in protecting the privacy and security of data, such as the risk of information disclosure on third-party platforms. Moreover, there are few solutions for personal data protection in cross-border transmission scenarios due to the difficulty of handling sensitive information between different countries and regions. In this paper, we propose an approach, personal data protection based on homomorphic encryption (PDPHE), to creatively apply the privacy computing technology homomorphic encryption (HE) to cross-border personal data protection. Specifically, PDPHE reconstructs the classical full homomorphic encryption (FHE) algorithm, DGHV, by adding support for multi-bit encryption and security level classification to ensure consistency with current data protection regulations. Then, PDPHE applies the reconstructed algorithm to the novel cross-border data protection scenario. To evaluate PDPHE in actual cross-border data transfer scenarios, we construct a prototype model based on PDPHE and manually construct a data corpus called PDPBench. Our evaluation results on PDPBench demonstrate that PDPHE cannot only effectively solve privacy protection issues in cross-border data transmission but also promote international data exchange and cooperation, bringing significant improvements for personal data protection during cross-border data sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The main vectors of onchocerciasis in Africa are Simulium damnosum sensu lato, which transmit the causative agent Onchocerca volvulus. The force of transmission is driven by the vector density, hence influencing the disease prevalence and intensity. Onchocerciasis is currently targeted for elimination using mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin, a potent microfilaricide. MDA in Cameroon began in 1987 in the Vina Valley, an endemic cross-border area with Chad, known for high vector densities and precontrol endemicity. Evaluations in 2008–2010 in this area showed ongoing transmission, while border areas in Chad were close to interrupting transmission. This study aimed to evaluate transmission in this area after several rounds of MDA since the last evaluation surveys. Methods: Black flies were collected by human landing catches at seven border sites in Cameroon, twice a week, from August 2021 to March 2022. A fraction of the flies was dissected for parity assessment and identification of Onchocerca larval stages. The transmission indices were estimated. Black fly larvae were also collected from the breeding sites at the fly catching sites and identified to species level by cytotaxonomy. Results: A total of 14,303 female flies were collected, and 6918 were dissected. Of these, 4421 (64.0%) were parous. The total biting rates were high, reaching up to 16,407 bites/person/study period, and transmission potential (third-stage larvae (L3) from head/all L3) were 367/702, 146/506, 51/55, 20/32, 0/3, 0/0, and 0/0 infective larvae/person, respectively, for Mbere-Tchad, Babidan, Hajam/V5, Gor, Djeing, Touboro, and Koinderi. Infectivity rates (L3 from head) were 16.00, 12.75, 5.15, and 4.07 infective females (L3H)/1000 parous flies for Haijam, Mbere-Tchad, Babidan, and Gor, respectively. These values exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) thresholds of ≤ 20 annual transmission potential (ATP) or < 1 infective female/1000 parous females. The major vectors identified were Simulium damnosum sensu stricto, S. squamosum, and for the first time in the area, S. yahense. Conclusions: More than 20 years of MDA has not eliminated onchocerciasis in the study area; hence, this area is a potential source of reintroduction of onchocerciasis in Chad and would require alternative treatment strategies. Many factors such as MDA efficiency, effectiveness of ivermectin, and cytospecies composition may be contributing to transmission persistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of social media has led to a new degree of spontaneous volunteering in the aftermath of disasters, even in border areas. However, spontaneous volunteering across national borders creates further obstacles that need to be addressed and prepared for. This paper introduces an agent-based simulation to examine coordination procedures of spontaneous volunteers in crisis scenarios, particularly the specifics of travel restrictions imposed after the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, research is conducted on the effects of insufficient or delayed coordination of the population's offer of voluntary help, which reduces the motivation of volunteers and leads to missed request for help.8. The results show that coordination of spontaneous volunteers is a key factor for helping the affected population, especially in a pandemic, where the possibilities to help are limited. These results are discussed with regard to costs that need to be considered in order to establish coordination, as well as health issues and motivation of spontaneous volunteers in different coordination scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) Act that prescribes the registration of certain cross-border agreements largely concerning intellectual property and management services involving Nigerians and foreigners. It discusses the policy underpinning this obligation to register. It reviews the recent amendment of the NOTAP Act. It scrutinizes the debate that suggests that the non-registration of NOTAP registrable agreements makes those agreements illegal and unenforceable. It reviews the two appellate decisions on the issue and argues that, presently, it is erroneous to treat such registrable agreements as illegal. Today, the only effect of non-registration of registrable agreements is that foreign exchange fees, royalties and the like cannot be remitted through the Central Bank of Nigeria. The article highlights the possible commercial impact of such erroneous treatment of unregistered registrable agreements. The article examines whether the powers of NOTAP extend to making cross-border licensing and technology agreements between a Nigerian-based licensor and foreign-based entity registrable by NOTAP. It calls for an amendment of the NOTAP Act to make the registration of registrable agreements compulsory such that non-registration will make such agreements unenforceable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risks of data localization to cybersecurity – organizational effects", we provided a framework for the risks of data localization to cybersecurity, finding that 13 of 14 ISO 27002 controls would be negatively affected by the localization of personal data. This paper complements that analysis, focusing on the techniques, tactics and procedures (TTPs) of threat actors and defenders. Using the ENISA Guidelines and the MITRE ATT&CK Framework as authoritative approaches for cataloguing relevant TTPs, we highlight three important tactics that defenders use for cybersecurity purposes – threat hunting; privilege-escalation attack; and red teaming/pen testing. These three categories, considered essential to a mature cybersecurity programme, would routinely require cybersecurity defenders to access personal data that would be restricted by current data localization laws and proposals. The paper then provides a quantitative model illustrating the effects of data localization, finding that halving the number of IP addresses available to a defender would more than double the likely time until a new attack was detected. The paper concludes by noting that until and unless the proponents of localization address the unintended effects of data localization, scholars, policymakers and practitioners have strong reason to expect significant cybersecurity harms from hard localization requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sudden emergence of COVID-19 in 2020 demonstrated that Europe was not prepared for a public health crisis like this pandemic. In the European Union, matters of health have remained primarily under the jurisdiction of individual Member States. However, certain events, such as the Kohll-Decker ruling on free mobility of health services and the COVID-19 pandemic, compelled the EU to address health matters in border regions. This study examines how EU policies address public health in border regions. To that end, we have drawn from border studies, a field that provides insight into the fluidity and complexity of borders in everyday life. Besides that we used constructivist policy studies as a lens for the analysis of EU policy documents. Methods: A policy discourse analysis was conducted to explore how European policy addresses the development of a transnational, European public health in border regions. Key European policy documents published between 2002 and 2027 were analysed to understand how policies are constructed and problems are framed. The analysis was guided by research questions and the theoretical approach. Results: The analysis reveals that, while having limited competences in the field of health care, the EU is slowly developing a rationale and a knowledge base to increase its competences in health care. It also shows that in the field of public health, the EU argues for addressing health determinants and promoting healthy lifestyles, though it does not address health promotion in border regions. The EU's authority in public health in border regions revolves primarily around addressing physical, biological and chemical threats rather than social health problems. Conclusion: Though the EU has carefully developed a transnational perspective on health care, the EU has not developed any authority with respect to transnational public health. Though public health and health promotion in border regions have been confronted with specific challenges, neither specific Member States nor the EU have a transnational collaborative perspective that does justice to the characteristics of border regions. When it comes to public health in border regions, there is no European mindset as yet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Treaty establishing the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market Protocol advocates for the cross-border legal practice in the EAC. To effectively implement cross-border legal practice, other legal instruments were needed at the EAC level. It has been more than a decade since such instruments were drafted but not adopted. In addition, the Partner States needed to adopt laws that favor cross-border legal practice. So far, some Partner States have tried to do so, while others have not. Such disparities are the subject of this paper which, after taking stock of the status and obstacles to cross-border legal practice in the EAC, formulates recommendations to make cross-border legal practice a reality in the EAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volume Cross-border Perspectives and Interdisciplinary Approaches of Life Quality, edited by Gina Aurora Necula, Carmelia Mariana Dragomir Bălănică, and Alexandra Monica Toma, was published in 2022 and presents a comprehensive exploration into the multiple dimensions of life quality through the lens of interdisciplinary research. The volume covers insights drawn from various academic disciplines, thus contributing to understanding life quality in the context of cross-border dynamics.

In the digital world, borders between countries are fading, and many people keep making more and more online purchases, often from offshore vendors. Cross-border e-commerce is a game-changer for international trade but poses serious challenges for traditional customs procedures. As the number of parcels continues to grow rapidly, customs authorities around the world strive to balance between effective revenue collection, trade facilitation, and proper safety controls. At the EU level, significant revenue losses and competition distortion have led to changes in VAT rules with a key policy objective to fight tax fraud in e-commerce and reduce the administrative burden of VAT collection. The VAT e-commerce package that came into force on July 1, 2021, includes measures on imports of low-value goods from third countries. The adopted solution imposes liability on digital platforms that play a crucial role in the rise of B2C internet sales. This article provides an overview of e-commerce global trends and challenges, international organizations’ initiatives, emerging technology pilots, as well as best practices. It also offers a critical description of the new EU VAT provisions that have a severe effect on customs. Moreover, it describes the design, functional, and interoperability specifications of a proposed web-based application that enables buyers to lodge customs declarations themselves, aiming for improved transparency on import-related charges and more effective e-government at a more general level through the digital transformation of customs clearance. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-01-024 Full Text: PDF

The discourse on cross-border tourism (C-BT) has become an interesting topic for researchers in the last few decades. Indonesia, as an archipelagic country, has very promising C-BT potential. However, there is not much literature on C-BT in Indonesia. Therefore, this study aims to describe qualitatively the development of tourism research in Indonesia related to C-BT. In addition, this study also seeks to identify articles, chapter books, and conference papers related to C-BT in Indonesia and then analyze them to produce a systematic literature review and draw theoretical implications. The method used in this study is a systematic literature review on C-BT in Indonesia. The databases used in this research are Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The data collection in this study using PoP software, organizing data using Mendeley software, and analyzing data using NVIVO software. The study results show that research trends on cross-border tourism in Indonesia have increased in the last decade. In addition, opportunities for developing cross-border tourism in Indonesia are still open. On the other hand, the challenges faced by Indonesia in the development of cross-border tourism are dominated by governance that has not been maximized, which includes unresolved legal issues, lack of management of natural resources, communication, criminal & drug Smuggling, lack of border control, regulation, physical border arrangement, and lack of promotions and marketing.

Abstract Although healthcare systems across Europe face rather similar challenges, their organization varies widely. Even neighbouring countries substantially differ with respect to healthcare structures, processes, and resulting outcomes. Focusing on Germany and the Netherlands as examples of such neighbouring countries, this paper will first identify and discuss similarities and major differences between both systems on the macro-level of healthcare. It further argues that it is often unknown how these differences trickle down to individual healthcare organizations, providers, patients or citizens, i.e., to the meso- and micro-level of healthcare. Hence, in a second step, potential implications of macro-level differences are described by considering the examples of total hip arthroplasty, antibiotic prescription practices and resistance, and nursing home care in Germany and the Netherlands. The paper concludes with an outlook on how these differences can be studied using the example of the project “Comparison of healthcare structures, processes and outcomes in the Northern German and Dutch cross-border region” (CHARE-GD). It further discusses potential prospects and challenges of corresponding cross-national research.