Search

In this article, the authors summarise their panel presentation on the role of education in managerial economics, given at the Danube Cup in April, 2022. The main finding of the article and the presentation is that today's and tomorrow's economists need to think in a so-called global framework. A common commodity and energy policy is becoming an increasingly urgent issue that will significantly change the development path of international institutions and technologies. Therefore, the teaching of economics will also have to adapt to this new trend. Apart from the obvious point - teaching a professional ethos and the importance of international trade - the authors see a constructivist approach as the most viable way forward in pedagogy. According to this approach, secondary and university students should be given the experience of discovery in order to stimulate their interest in economic topics and contexts.

Recently, pixel-value-ordering (PVO) based reversible data hiding (RDH) methods have become hotspots in spatial domain RDH research. In PVO-based methods, the pixel value correlation within a local region is exploited for data embedding. To embed secret data, the cover images are partitioned into non-overlapped rectangle blocks to be sorted locally, and a lower embedding distortion is thus obtained. However, their embedding capacities are often limited by the fixed local blocks from which pixels are sorted. To maintain the advantages and overcome disadvantages of the PVO-based methods, a new global pixel-value-ordering (GPVO) framework is proposed in this paper. By applying our GPVO framework, a PVO-based method can utilize pixels from any position in the cover image rather than from local pixel blocks. Then, through the dynamic sequence partition realized by the GPVO framework for the first time, the embedding capacity of PVO-based methods can be greatly improved while reducing embedding distortion further reduced. Finally, we propose a two-stage pairwise embedding scheme to be applied to the sequences, aiming to achieve an advanced embedding performance. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed GPVO works better than other related state-of-the-art RDH methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary practice in interprofessional education (IPE) has evolved predominantly focusing on the competencies for interprofessional collaboration (IPC) that learners must acquire. Competencies that educators need to successfully deliver IPC have been overlooked. This lack of attention is further confounded by a field replete with inconsistent terminology and standards and no global consensus on the core competencies needed for IPE facilitation. There are no globally accepted tools to assess interprofessional educators' competencies nor are there established training programmes that might be used as the basis for a collective global approach to these issues. The International Working Group for Interprofessional Educators Competencies, Assessment, and Training (IWG_IPEcat) seeks to address this gap using a sequential mixed-method approach, to deliver globally developed, empirically derived tools to foster IPE educator competencies. This article presents the protocol of the research project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Over the last centuries, human activities have exerted increasing pressures on the environment, leading to drastic alterations in the functioning of freshwater bodies (e.g., eutrophication). Global biogeochemical models have proven crucial to investigate interactions between humans, hydrology, and water quality of surface fresh waters. However, most do not account for high‐resolution spatial and temporal variability within watersheds, and they typically lack any representation of benthic dynamics that can drive pollution legacy effects. We present here the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment‐Dynamic Global Nutrient Model (IMAGE‐DGNM), which couples global, spatially explicit hydrology and integrated assessment models with process‐based biogeochemistry in surface fresh waters. The new Dynamic In‐Stream Chemistry (DISC) module calculates advective transport from headwaters to estuaries, processes in the water column and in bed sediments, as well as the exchanges between these two compartments. As application examples of IMAGE‐DGNM, we simulate sediment dynamics and nitrogen cycling in two large river basins. We assess in‐stream concentration time series at specific locations, and identify governing processes in transfers along the aquatic continuum. Results highlight the importance of benthic dynamics in watersheds highly perturbed by damming. The implementation of such dynamics within IMAGE‐DGNM allows for including the temporal effect of pollution legacies in large scale water quality studies and shifts in pollutant speciation along river continua. This new framework therefore incorporates new features for large basin to global scale studies that are crucial to better predict the effects on receiving ecosystems and evaluate future environmental management pathways.

Over the last centuries, human activities have exerted increasing pressures on the environment, leading to drastic alterations in the functioning of freshwater bodies (e.g., eutrophication). Global biogeochemical models have proven crucial to investigate interactions between humans, hydrology, and water quality of surface fresh waters. However, most do not account for high‐resolution spatial and temporal variability within watersheds, and they typically lack any representation of benthic dynamics that can drive pollution legacy effects. We present here the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment‐Dynamic Global Nutrient Model (IMAGE‐DGNM), which couples global, spatially explicit hydrology and integrated assessment models with process‐based biogeochemistry in surface fresh waters. The new Dynamic In‐Stream Chemistry (DISC) module calculates advective transport from headwaters to estuaries, processes in the water column and in bed sediments, as well as the exchanges between these two compartments. As application examples of IMAGE‐DGNM, we simulate sediment dynamics and nitrogen cycling in two large river basins. We assess in‐stream concentration time series at specific locations, and identify governing processes in transfers along the aquatic continuum. Results highlight the importance of benthic dynamics in watersheds highly perturbed by damming. The implementation of such dynamics within IMAGE‐DGNM allows for including the temporal effect of pollution legacies in large scale water quality studies and shifts in pollutant speciation along river continua. This new framework therefore incorporates new features for large basin to global scale studies that are crucial to better predict the effects on receiving ecosystems and evaluate future environmental management pathways. Plain Language Summary: Humans have strongly modified the functioning of the Earth's surface fresh waters, through pollution emissions and infrastructure, which has led to widespread ecological deterioration. Over the past decades, our understanding of the interactions between humans and the environment has been translated into models to investigate future sustainable pathways. However, large‐scale water quality models are usually too coarse to identify spatiotemporal pollution hotspots within river networks. Most of all, they lack any representation of pollution remobilization from bed sediments, which can delay the response to mitigation measures. To bridge these gaps, we developed a new tool simulating in‐stream pollutant transfer and transformation processes, allowing for the assessment of changes in the water quality over time within whole river networks. This tool is applicable globally and is applied here to two large watersheds to simulate sediment and nitrogen dynamics. Our results show that including processes in bed sediments is crucial to correctly assess water quality in heavily dammed river networks, such as the Mississippi. The new tool is of great importance for future projections and policy development. It will allow for identifying efficient mitigation options, pinpointing vulnerable areas within global river networks, and assessing the time needed for freshwaters ecosystems' recovery. Key Points: IMAGE‐DGNM is a new spatially explicit, globally applicable framework that dynamically simulates in‐stream biogeochemical processesSimulated compounds, transformation and exchange processes, and their parameterization are user definedIMAGE‐DGNM can be used for hindcasting and projections, including on long‐term pollution legacy effects in fresh waters [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, a number of global frameworks have been developed for disaster risk reduction (DRR). The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015 and its successor document, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted in Japan in March 2015, provide general guidance for reducing risks from natural hazards. This is particularly important for mountainous areas, but DRR for mountain areas and sustainable mountain development received little attention in the recent policy debate. The question remains whether the Hyogo and Sendai frameworks can provide guidance for sustainable mountain development. This article evaluates the 2 frameworks in light of the special challenges of DRR in mountain areas and argues that, while the frameworks offer valuable guidance, they need to be further adapted for local contexts—particularly for mountain areas, which require special attention because of changing risk patterns like the effects of climate change and high land-use pressure.

Rabies, a vaccine preventable neglected tropical disease, still claims an estimated 35,000–60,000 human lives annually. The international community, with more than 100 endemic countries, has set a global target of 0 human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030. While it has been proven in several countries and regions that elimination of rabies as a public health problem is feasible and tools are available, rabies deaths globally have not yet been prevented effectively. While there has been extensive rabies research, specific areas of implementation for control and elimination have not been sufficiently addressed. This article highlights some of the commonest perceived barriers for countries to implementing rabies control and elimination programs and discusses possible solutions for sociopolitical, organizational, technical, and resource-linked requirements, following the pillars of the global framework for the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies adopted at the global rabies meeting in December 2015.

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) has been touted as one of the key strategies required in tackling worldwide escalation of antibiotic resistance. Although AMS has optimized antibiotic usage and reduced the incidence of resistance development in some regions, its full global potential has been curtailed by various AMS-impeding factors. This article seeks to highlight in a detailed perspective, the key challenges that hamper global AMS endeavors, some of which include the paucity of effective implementation strategies that cater for the challenging settings of developing nations, the slow response of governments, uncoordinated AMS activities as well as implementation fragmentation across different sectors and countries. The authors of this article call upon all stakeholders to pay attention to these seemingly obvious but often under-addressed problems. If left unresolved, this may render all current and future AMS initiatives pointless.

Global banking crisis generated by the subprime crisis in the U.S., received in December 2010, as a response from the Committee on Banking Supervision of the Bank for International Settlements, new capital adequacy rules for banks under the Basel III title: International framework for measurement, standardization and monitoring of liquidity risk, and Basel III: A global regulatory framework for banks and a sounder banking system with new capital adequacy rules for banks. These regulations are the focus of global financial reform to prevent future occurrence of banking crises.

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) has been touted as one of the key strategies required in tackling worldwide escalation of antibiotic resistance. Although AMS has optimized antibiotic usage and reduced the incidence of resistance development in some regions, its full global potential has been curtailed by various AMS-impeding factors. This article seeks to highlight in a detailed perspective, the key challenges that hamper global AMS endeavors, some of which include the paucity of effective implementation strategies that cater for the challenging settings of developing nations, the slow response of governments, uncoordinated AMS activities as well as implementation fragmentation across different sectors and countries. The authors of this article call upon all stakeholders to pay attention to these seemingly obvious but often underaddressed problems. If left unresolved, this may render all current and future AMS initiatives pointless. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optometry globally has undergone major developments yet poor eye health statistics remain. The World Health Organization (WHO) cites social accountability as key to addressing health challenges, urging the education sector to be more socially accountable and train according to the needs of society. A qualitative, descriptive study was used to determine the integration of social accountability within optometric education in sub-Saharan Africa. Eleven academic leaders and two student groups participated in key stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions respectively. Data was thematically analysed using interpretive content analysis. The study found that social accountability policies or practices were not formally integrated across any academic area in the represented optometry education programmes. Optometric education needs to embrace and implement social accountability at country, regional and global levels. The World Council for Optometry is urged to provide leadership in this process by developing a Global Framework for Social Accountability in Optometric Education to guide regions and countries towards the adoption of social accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of OAE 2 sections beyond the Atlantic Ocean, Western Interior Seaway (WIS) and European pelagic shelf are limited. Here, we present initial osmium isotope stratigraphy ( 187 Os/ 188 Os– Os i ) from two proto-Pacific sites that span the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary interval (CTBI): the Yezo Group (YG) section, Hokkaido, Japan, and the Great Valley Sequence (GVS), California, USA; to evaluate the 187 Os/ 188 Os seawater chemistry of the proto-Pacific. Additionally we combine new 206 Pb/ 238 U zircon CA-ID-TIMS geochronology from five volcanic tuff horizons of the Yezo Group section to test and facilitate inter-basinal integration with the WIS using radio-isotopically constrained age–depth models for both sections, and quantitatively constrain the absolute timing and duration of events across the CTBI. The YG shows an almost identical Os i profile to that of the WIS, and very similar to that of other sites of the proto-Atlantic and European pelagic oceans ( Turgeon and Creaser, 2008; Du Vivier et al., 2014 ). The characteristics of the Os i profile are radiogenic and heterogeneous (∼0.55–0.85) prior to the OAE 2, and synchronous with the inferred OAE 2 onset the Os i abruptly become unradiogenic and remain relatively homogeneous (∼0.20–0.30) before showing a gradual return to more radiogenic Os i ( ∼ 0.70 ) throughout the middle to late OAE 2. A 206 Pb/ 238 U zircon age of an interbedded tuff (HK017) in the adjacent horizon to the first unradiogenic Os i value constrains the age of the Os i inflection at 94.44 ± 0.14 Ma . This age, including uncertainty, agrees with the interpolated age of the same point in the Os i profile ( 94.28 ± 0.25 Ma ) in the only other dated OAE 2 section, the WIS; indicating a coeval shift in seawater chemistry associated with volcanism at the OAE 2 onset at the levels of temporal resolution (ca. 0.1 Myr). Further, prior to the onset of OAE 2 an enhanced radiogenic inflection in the Os i profile of the YG is correlative, within uncertainty, with a similar trend in the WIS based on the U–Pb age–depth model. The interpolated ages, 94.78 ± 0.12 Ma and 94.66 ± 0.25 Ma for this Os i inflection in the YG and WIS, respectively, indicate that palaeocirculation was sufficient to simultaneously influence transbasinal seawater chemistry. In contrast, the pre-OAE 2 Os i profile for the GVS is disparate to that of the YG and those of the proto-Atlantic and European pelagic shelf locations. We interpret the pre OAE 2 heterogeneous Os i values (0.30–0.95) to record a palaeobasin that was regionally influenced interchangeably by both unradiogenic (hydrothermal flux) and radiogenic (continental flux) Os. We conclude that the Os i profiles from the proto-Pacific sections record both trends that are consistent globally (OAE 2 onset, syn and post OAE 2), but also show regional differences (pre OAE 2) between OAE 2 sections worldwide. As such the Os i profiles coupled with U–Pb geochronology facilitate the correlation of OAE 2 stratigraphy, and demonstrate both regional and global ocean dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, a number of global frameworks have been developed for disaster risk reduction (DRR). The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 and its successor document, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted in Japan in March 2015, provide general guidance for reducing risks from natural hazards. This is particularly important for mountainous areas, but DRR for mountain areas and sustainable mountain development received little attention in the recent policy debate. The question remains whether the Hyogo and Sendai frameworks can provide guidance for sustainable mountain development. This article evaluates the 2 frameworks in light of the special challenges of DRR in mountain areas and argues that, while the frameworks offer valuable guidance, they need to be further adapted for local contexts-particularly for mountain areas, which require special attention because of changing risk patterns like the effects of climate change and high land-use pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global banking crisis generated by the subprime crisis in the U.S., received in December 2010, as a response from the Committee on Banking Supervision of the Bank for International Settlements, new capital adequacy rules for banks under the Basel III title: International framework for measurement, standardization and monitoring of liquidity risk, and Basel III: A global regulatory framework for banks and a sounder banking system with new capital adequacy rules for banks. These regulations are the focus of global financial reform to prevent future occurrence of banking crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The view that strong intellectual property (IP) protection is necessary for drug development forms the backbone of the current health research and development paradigm. But the evidence shows how this system is fundamentally flawed. Neglected diseases, which count for 12 per cent of the disease burden, but for only 1 per cent of all drugs developed, are an example. The World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Intellectual Property, Innovation and Public Health is a significant addition to this body of evidence. The report outlines how, despite ever stronger IP regimes through the implementation of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement, the quality and quantity of medical innovation is declining. The report concludes that innovation is meaningless if the products developed can not be accessed by those who need them most. It calls for a global plan of action to identify mechanisms that will stimulate the discovery, development and delivery of health tools that address diseases affecting the poor. In a resolution adopted at the 2006 World Health Assembly, countries took heed of this call and committed to looking at ‘securing an enhanced and sustainable basis for needs-driven, essential health research and development relevant to diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries’. Governments, and the WHO, must not squander this opportunity.Journal of Generic Medicines (2007) 4, 81–86. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jgm.4950056; published online 28 November 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies, a vaccine preventable neglected tropical disease, still claims an estimated 35,000-60,000 human lives annually. The international community, with more than 100 endemic countries, has set a global target of 0 human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030. While it has been proven in several countries and regions that elimination of rabies as a public health problem is feasible and tools are available, rabies deaths globally have not yet been prevented effectively. While there has been extensive rabies research, specific areas of implementation for control and elimination have not been sufficiently addressed. This article highlights some of the commonest perceived barriers for countries to implementing rabies control and elimination programs and discusses possible solutions for sociopolitical, organizational, technical, and resource-linked requirements, following the pillars of the global framework for the elimination of dog-mediated human rabies adopted at the global rabies meeting in December 2015.