Bay Area Research Articles

Health impact assessment of PM2.5 from uncovered coal trains in the San Francisco Bay Area: Implications for global exposures

Coal generates almost 40% of the world's electricity with 80 countries throughout the world using coal power. An inherent part of this generation is the rail transport of coal in uncovered cars, often up to a mile long. Existing studies document the subsequent increments of PM2.5 to the near-rail populations, which typically include a large number of economically disadvantaged residents and/or people of color. However, to date there is no assessment of the health implications of this stage in the use of coal. The present study quantifies such impacts on a region in the San Francisco Bay Area. The analysis shows important effects on mortality, hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory disease, asthma exacerbation, work loss, and days of restricted activity. Several of these outcomes exhibited a one to six percent increase over baseline. As such, it delineates the implications for the global effects of the transport of coal.

Cultivation Model of Professional Degree Graduate Students Integrating Industry and Education Under Background of “New Engineering”

Due to the weak practical ability, insufficient innovative spirit, and weak professional awareness in the current professional degree graduate student education, this paper has conducted the study on the joint cultivation of the professional degree graduate student integrating the industry and education under the background of the “new engineering”. It has established the cultivation model of the professional degree graduate student with the industry-education integration and collaborative education. Guided by the national major strategies and the economic and social development needs of the Guangdong-Hong KongMacao Greater Bay Area (GBA), the universities, enterprises and governments fully coordinates and cooperates with the cultivation of the high-level engineering talents and scarce talents, which is able to comprehensively improve the practical innovation ability of the professional degree graduate students, and enhance the market recognition of the engineering education, thereby promoting the sustainable development of the engineering education under the background of the “new engineering”.

Investigation and Analysis of Online Piano Improvisational Accompaniment Education: A Case Study of Universities in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Zhaoqing

The ability to provide impromptu piano accompaniment is a crucial skill that music teachers in primary and secondary schools must possess. Enhancing the accompaniment skills of music majors in colleges and universities is a focal point of the “new normal” compulsory courses. Drawing on data analysis and research from a questionnaire survey on impromptu accompaniment in some universities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, this paper demonstrates that multidimensional, multi-channel, and diversified curriculum reform is essential for improving teaching effectiveness and achieving educational objectives. The paper also proposes suggestions and ideas for curriculum reform and the construction of an online impromptu accompaniment course learning platform for reference.

Innovation in Hong Kong Offshore RMB Products Based on Stablecoin,Blockchain,and Smart Contract

The rapid development of stablecoin has become one of the important issues of concern for central banks and governments around the world. As an international financial center, Hong Kong has launched many explorations on the issuance, supervision and operation of stablecoin-related digital products. This article suggests that Hong Kong can create a stablecoin anchored to the offshore RMB and, based on this stablecoin, use limited distributed blockchain technology and smart contracts to establish a new digital financial infrastructure platform. The above platform. will have broad application prospects in three aspects: advancing the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area international financial center cluster, promoting the internationalization of RMB, and enhancing national security in the financial sector.

LEAP model-based analysis to low-carbon transformation path in the power sector: a case study of Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area

As a major carbon emitter, the power sector plays a crucial role in realizing the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This study constructed a low-carbon power system based on the LEAP model (LEAP-GBA) with 2020 as a statistic base aiming of exploring the low-carbon transformation pathway of the power sector in the Guangdong–Hong Kong, and Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Five scenarios are set up to simulate the demand, power generation structure, carbon emissions, and power generation costs in the power sector under different scenarios. The results indicate that total electricity demand will peak after 2050, with 80% of it coming from industry, buildings and residential use. To achieve net-zero emissions from the power sector in the GBA, a future power generation mix dominated by nuclear and renewable energy generation and supplemented by fossil energy generation equipped with CCUS technologies. BECCS technology and nuclear power are the key to realize zero carbon emissions from the power sector in the GBA, so it should be the first to promote BECCS technology testing and commercial application, improve the deployment of nuclear power sites, and push forward the construction of nuclear power and technology improvement in the next 40 years.

Comparative study on registration application of proprietary Chinese medicine in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area of China.

Proprietary Chinese medicine (PCM) is widely used in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China. However, the regulatory frameworks and procedures for PCM registration in the region are not well-established, and there are differences among the three jurisdictions. The study is aimed to compare the legal basis, regulatory guidelines, application requirements, and evaluation criteria in each jurisdiction. We conducted a comprehensive review of the registration application processes for PCMs in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau based on publicly available information from respective regulators. The study found that the registration application process in the GBA was complex and time-consuming, with differences in requirements and procedures among the three jurisdictions. The study also identified several challenges faced by PCM manufacturers, such as the lack of harmonisation of regulatory requirements and procedures and the requirement of package inserts and labelling for PCM products. The study proposed recommendations for improving the registration process and promoting the development of the PCM industry in the GBA. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the PCM product license application procedures and requirements in the GBA, coupled with discernment of their similarities and disparities, equips applicants with the knowledge to formulate an appropriate strategy for obtaining product approval. Exploring potential methods for harmonising the regulatory process stands to benefit manufacturers, regulators, and patients by improving efficiency and curtailing costs.

Urbanization impacts on sequential flood-heatwave events in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China

Urbanization has been shown to significantly increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, i.e., extreme precipitation events, and heatwave events. Actually, the occurrence of compound extreme events, such as sequential flood-heatwave (SFH) events, can lead to more severe impacts than singular extreme events. However, the impact of urbanization on these compound extreme events is not well understood. In this study, we examine urbanization effects on the change of SFH events during 1961–2017 in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China. The results showed that the frequency of SFH events in urban areas increased from 0.218 events per year before the 1990s to 1.401 events per year after the 1990s, while the frequency of SFH events in rural areas increased from 0.250 events per year to 0.920 events per year. The urban contribution of 0.131 events per decade also shows that urbanization can significantly promote the occurrence of SFH events. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that urbanization promotes the growth of SFH events mainly by increasing the frequency of heatwave events. These findings highlight the need for further research on the effects of urbanization on compound extreme events and the development of effective management strategies to reduce their risks.

Mollusca Biodiversity as A Quality Bioindicator Waters in Central Lombok Gerupuk Bay Coastal Area

Various natural resource utilization activities on the coast of Gerupuk Bay can potentially affect the quality of the aquatic environment, both biotic and abiotic, one of which is mollusc biodiversity. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the existence of Mollusca biodiversity and water quality and substrate in Gerupuk Bay. This study used a quantitative descriptive method of determining stations using the purposive sampling method based on differences in community activities at each station. Sampling was conducted at three stations, including Mollusca samples and water quality measurements: salinity, pH, temperature, and substrate. Molluscs in Gerupuk Bay found 55 species of Mollusks representing three classes, namely the Gastropoda class, with as many as 44 species incorporated in 22 Families; the Bivalve class, as many as ten species contained in 6 Families; and the Scaphopoda class, with as many as one types incorporated in 1 Family. The composition of Mollusca classes found on the Gerupuk Bay Coast is Gastropoda class at 62%, Bivalve class at 35%, and Scaphopoda class at as much as 3%. Mollusca diversity is calculated using the Shannon-Wienner diversity index (H'). The diversity index results ranged from 2.890-1.998, with moderate categories at all stations. Bioindicators of water quality using the diversity index show that stations I and III categorize the Gerupuk Bay area as lightly polluted. In contrast, at station II, it is moderately polluted.

Modeling assessment of air pollution control measures and COVID-19 pandemic on air quality improvements over Greater Bay Area of China

A remarkable progress has been made toward the air quality improvements over the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China from 2017 to 2020. In this study, for the first time, the emission reductions of regional control measures together with the COVID-19 pandemic were considered simultaneously into the development of the GBA's emission inventories for the years of 2017 and 2020. Based on these collective emission inventories, the impacts of control measures, meteorological variations together with temporary COVID-19 lockdowns on the five major air quality index pollutants (SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, and O3, excluding CO) were evaluated using the WRF-CMAQ and SMAT-CE model attainment assessment tool over the GBA region. Our results revealed that control measures in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region affected significantly the GBA, resulting in pollutant reductions ranging from 48 % to 64 %. In contrast, control measures in Hong Kong and Macao contributed to pollutant reductions up to 10 %. In PRD emission sectors, stationary combustion, on-road, industrial processes and dust sectors stand out as the primary contributors to overall air quality improvements. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic during period I (Jan 23-Feb 23) led to a reduction of NO2 concentration by 7.4 %, resulting in a negative contribution (disbenefit) for O3 with an increase by 2.4 %. Our findings highlight the significance of PRD control measures for the air quality improvements over the GBA, emphasizing the necessity of implementing more refined and feasible manageable joint prevention and control policies.

Impacts on Urban VOCs and PM2.5 during a Wildfire Episode

This study focuses on the impact of wildfire smoke emissions on regional, urban air quality during a wildfire event. We measured volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the San Francisco Bay Area to assess air quality during a wildfire event and compared them to those in a later non-wildfire period. VOCs were collected using thermal desorption tubes and quantified using thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). Elevated concentrations of VOCs such as 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (0.33 ± 0.01 µg/m3), benzene (1.03 ± 0.02 µg/m3), toluene (2.15 ± 0.04 µg/m3), ethylbenzene (0.60 ± 0.02 µg/m3), and m, p-xylene (0.77 ± 0.07 µg/m3) were observed in the wildfire event. Compared with that in the non-wildfire season, the toluene concentration during the wildfire period was more than three times the non-wildfire concentration. Similarly, the benzene concentration during the wildfire was almost four times higher, and that of p, m-xylene was three times higher. The higher wildfire levels were statistically significant for sec-butylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, n-propylbenzene, o-xylene, styrene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and p,m-xylene (p < 0.00001). These higher VOC levels compared with those for the non-fire period may potentially pose a public health concern. Open face passive sampler (OFPS)-collected PM was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and revealed organic carbon tar balls. The highest daily average beta-attenuation-monitored PM2.5 during the fire period was 200 µg/m3 and the highest hourly average was 270 µg/m3. Monitoring gas phase species in addition to PM concentrations is useful during wildfire season to inform public health guidance.

Temporal trends of risks in consumption of wild and farmed mussels in 2013–2019 in the Saldanha Bay area (South Africa)

The levels of 24 macro- and microelements in mussels were determined by the instrumental neutron activation analysis. The samples were collected during the period of 2013–2019 on three sites with different natural features in the Saldanha Bay area. The safety of mussel consumption was calculated using several different approaches: considering maximum permissible levels for seafood, maximum tolerable consumption rates, target hazard quotients and hazard indices. In general, the wild and farmed mussels demonstrated low levels of risk for human health during the entire studied period, except for intakes of such elements as Fe and Zn in several cases. Based on the applied approaches, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, As and I in wild mussels can pose possible health risks to potential consumers in several cases during 2013–2019. It was concluded that the safe level of weekly consumption rate should be less than 100 g/week per person, according to the highest calculated values of concentrations. Possible symptoms of deficiency and excess of elements and their levels and significance for human health are considered. The content of wild and farmed mussels from the Saldanha Bay is influenced by the seasonal natural and anthropogenic factors, including sea disturbance, coastal runoff, and harbor traffic.

Abstract 768: Awareness and use of genetic testing among cancer survivors in the United States: A HINTS-SEER study

Abstract Background: Germline genetic testing is a valuable tool for cancer treatment and family cancer risk assessment, but its uptake among cancer survivors remains low. Understanding the factors that influence awareness and use of genetic testing among survivors is crucial for improving access to this important tool. Methods: We analyzed HINTS-SEER data, a pilot project conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2021, that oversampled cancer survivors diagnosed prior to 2018 using three registries from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program (Iowa, New Mexico, Greater Bay Area). We examined sociodemographic factors in relation to awareness and use of genetic testing using survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression models. We also examined associations among breast and prostate cancer survivors, separately, as these cancer types have guidelines for genetic testing and had sufficient observations (>100) for stratified analyses. Results: Of 1232 survivors included in the analysis, 277 (23%) had a history of breast cancer, 285 (23%) had prostate cancer, 82 (6.7%) had colorectal cancer, 25 (2%) had ovarian cancer, and 563 (45.7%) had other cancers. Overall, 76.5% of survivors were aware of genetic testing and 23.5% had used it. Among breast and prostate cancer survivors: 40.0% of breast and 20.6% of prostate cancer survivors were aware of genetic testing, and 21.0% and 2.4% had used it, respectively. In multivariable models, female gender (vs. male; OR=3.1, 95% CI: 2.3, 4.2), higher education (high school or less education vs. greater than high school; OR=2.4, 95% CI: 1.4, 3.9), higher income ($100,000 or more vs. <$20,000; OR=3.2, 95% CI: 1.8,5.7), and family history (OR=2.0, 95% CI: 1.4,3.0) were significantly associated with higher odds of awareness of genetic testing. Older age (≥65 vs. <40 years; OR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.2,0.6), Asian American race (vs. non-Hispanic white; OR= 0.3, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9), and Hispanic ethnicity (vs. non-Hispanic white; OR= 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9) were associated with lower odds of awareness of genetic testing. Female gender (vs. male; OR=5.3, 95% CI: 3.3,8.5) was significantly associated with higher odds of use of genetic testing. Older age (>65 years vs. <40 years; OR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.2,0.7) and unemployed status (OR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.3-0.6) were significantly associated with lower odds of use of genetic testing. In stratified analyses, only older age among breast cancer survivors (≥65 vs. <40 years; OR=0.2, 95% CI: 0.0,0.9) was associated with lower odds of use of genetic testing. Conclusion: Our study provides valuable insights into genetic testing awareness and utilization among a large sample of cancer survivors in the United States. The identified factors associated with awareness and utilization can be used by healthcare providers to target interventions aimed at improving genetic testing awareness and utilization among cancer survivors. Citation Format: Kirithiga Ramalingam, Aaron Scheffler, Erin Van Blarigan, Stephen Li, Robin C. Vanderpool, Sarah H. Nash, Salma Shariff-Marco, Scarlett Gomez, Mindy Hebert-DeRouen. Awareness and use of genetic testing among cancer survivors in the United States: A HINTS-SEER study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 768.

Monetary cost, time cost, and mode choice: Transit and ridehailing in California

Recent studies explore how ridehailing competes with transit, documenting drops in transit ridership when ridehailing became available. However, few examine the extent to which ridehailing substitutes for other modes, such as walking or private automobiles. Using travel diary survey data and travel times and costs from the San Francisco Bay Area, we employ a mixed logit model to analyze how trip characteristics such as travel time and travel cost influence traveler’s mode choices. The results show that if ridehailing costs increase by 10%, ridehailing trips decrease by 6.97%. About half of the lost riders would switch to driving, and 20% to transit. Therefore, driving, rather than transit, is the closest substitute for ridehailing. Furthermore, 10% reductions in transit time and transit cost are associated with a 24.63% and 5.03% increase in transit trips, respectively, suggesting that reducing travel time is more effective in increasing transit ridership than lowering fares.

Research on Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Innovation Network Structure

Under the background of factor-driven to innovation-driven, urban innovation is very important in the regional development pattern.In this paper, Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are taken as the research objects. Based on the co-authored data of papers among cities, a theoretical knowledge innovation network is constructed.With the help of social network analysis method, the overall characteristics and network centrality are compared and analyzed, thus revealing the development status of Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area knowledge innovation network.The empirical research shows that: (1) During the research period, the overall density and agglomeration capacity of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area theoretical knowledge innovation cooperation network are higher than those of Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration. (2) Dual-core cities Chongqing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have significant innovation polarization effects.

Legal Approaches and Regulatory Methods for Fintech in the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area

Objective: To look at the fintech regulatory policy and regulatory system in the Greater Bay Area through the lens of the Trilemma of Innovation doctrine in order to identify the applicability and extrapolation of existing legal models in the zone of accelerated economic and innovation development in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.Methods: The article is based on the comparative legal research of the regulation regarding models, existing within the regulatory framework for fintech. For that matter we conduct a generalization, introducing the classification of methods and systems that, in our opinion, can be recognized as the Lego-like systems of instruments.Results: The research evaluates difficulties that may be faced by the participants within GBA on the way of legal harmonization regarding fintech. Special attention is paid to Hong Kong SAR, being one of the bestknown examples of successful fintech regulation, and to comparing fintech regulation in Mainland China and in SAR (Macau, in particular). The author states that the last amendments to the financial law of Macau SAR also add an element of uncertainty, even though they aim to develop the situation within the framework. The author compares a technocratic approach, according to which fintech regulation is completely national (created only for the domestic market and reflects its structure) and traditional approach to regulation, a part of which is the Trilemma of Innovation. The latter implies the possibility of over-national (international) standardization, including in the form of soft law, which may eliminate the difference in understanding the fintech characteristics, its concepts and scope. Besides, the author analyses the correlation between the concepts of financial regulatory system and financial system of fintech regulation, extrapolation of the existing regulatory framework to the developing market of innovative technological solutions and their various models. The author highlights the regulatory response method, changing during the fintech market evolution, and applied, as a rule, together with other approaches.Scientific novelty: the article presents a comprehensive review of the different systems of fintech legal regulation in the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macau Greater Bay Area, whose unique experience demonstrates various trajectories of the fintech market development in southern China within the “One Country – Two Systems” concept.Practical significance: the main conclusions and proposals resulting from the study are of significant interest for further research, regulatory policy and fintech regulatory system, as Mainland China and the special administrative regions of the Greater Bay Area use different approaches and methods of legal response that have no analogues in the modern world.

Abstract P146: Strength Training Effectiveness in Normal-Weight Type 2 Diabetes Amongst Asian Americans

Introduction: Normal weight type-2 diabetes (NWD), characterized by body mass index (BMI) below 25 kg/m 2 , is more prevalent amongst Asian Americans (AA). While recent studies have shown strength training (ST) was superior to aerobic (AER) or combination training (COMB) in lowering HbA1c levels in individuals with NWD, it is unclear if these exercises have the same effects across AA subgroups, which differentiate due to cultural norms. Methods: We used data from a 9-month randomized control trial for NWD (conducted in San Francisco Bay Area in 2019-2020) to evaluate the effectiveness of weekly planned ST, AER, and COMB training sessions for Chinese and Asian Indian populations. Our primary outcome was change in diabetic control (HbA1c). Secondary outcomes included changes in body composition (e.g. fat and lean mass) and muscle strength (e.g. leg extension).We performed intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol analysis (PP, restricted to those with 50% minimum adherence) to evaluate changes to HbA1c and body composition using repeated measures ANOVA and paired t-tests. Results: Of 129 participants, 59 were Chinese (19 ST, 20 AER, 20 COMB), and 70 were Asian Indian (26 ST, 20 AER, 24 COMB). Average baseline HbA1c was 7.5% for both groups (p=0.96). Chinese participants (77.3%) showed higher adherence than Asian Indian (56.6%) participants. Chinese participants showed reduced HbA1c for each intervention group (ITT: ST -0.42% [-0.742, -0.11], AER -0.6% [-0.92 -0.28], and COMB -0.13% [-0.43, 0.17], all p < 0.05), with AER intervention yielding the largest decrease (p<0.01). Results from PP provided a similar conclusion. Asian Indians had no meaningful reductions in HbA1c levels ( ITT: ST -0.36% [-0.83, -0.11], AER 0.26% [-0.27, 0.78], and COMB -0.42% [-0.97, 0.13]. For body composition, Chinese participants showed significantly reduced FMI-Z (ST: -1.03 [-1.94, -0.12], AER: -0.17 [-0.31, -0.04], COMB: -0.17 [-0.23, -0.10]) in all intervention groups. Asian Indian participants only showed significant reduction in FMI-Z (fat mass adjusted for height, age, sex) in the ST group -0.22 [-0.40, -0.03]. Body composition changes were associated with improvement in HbA1c. Conclusion: Overall, AA persons in over 50% of prescribed exercise improved their diabetic control. In Chinese participants, all interventions lowered HbA1c with higher reductions observed in ST and AER interventions. They also experienced significant reductions in fat mass in all exercise interventions. Asian Indian participants showed no significant reductions in HbA1c in any exercise intervention, but showed significant reductions in fat mass in ST. By recognizing unique cultural and social factors that influence AA behaviors and choices, healthcare professionals can develop tailored interventions that foster cultural understanding, thus empowering individuals to take control of their health and reduce the burden of diabetes.

Comprehensive risk assessment of typhoon disasters in China's coastal areas based on multi-source geographic big data

Typhoons can bring substantial casualties and economic ramifications, and effective prevention strategies necessitate a comprehensive risk assessment. Nevertheless, existing studies on its comprehensive risk assessment are characterized by coarse spatial scales, limited incorporation of geographic big data, and rarely considering disaster mitigation capacity. To address these problems, this study combined multi-source geographic big data to develop the Comprehensive Risk Assessment Model (CRAM). The model integrated 17 indicators from 4 categories of factors, including exposure, vulnerability, hazard, and mitigation capacity. A subjective-objective combination weighting method was introduced to generate the indicator weights, and comprehensive risk index of typhoon disasters was calculated for 987 counties along China's coastal regions. Results revealed a pronounced spatial heterogeneity of the comprehensive typhoon risk, which exhibited an overall decreasing trend from the southeast coastal areas toward the northwest inland territories. 61.7 % of the counties exhibited a medium-to-high level of comprehensive risk, and counties with very-high risks are predominantly concentrated in the Shandong Peninsula, Yangtze River Delta, Hokkien Golden Triangle, Greater Bay Area, Leizhou Peninsula, and Hainan Province, mainly due to high exposure and hazard factors. The correlation coefficient between the risk assessment results and typhoon-induced direct economic losses reached 0.702, indicating the effectiveness and reliability of the CRAM. Meanwhile, indicators from intrinsic attributes of typhoons and geographic big data had pronounced importance, and regional mitigation capacity should be improved. Our proposed method can help to scientifically understand spatial patterns of comprehensive risk and mitigate the effects of typhoon disasters in China's coastal regions.

Impacts of Central Bank Digital Currency on Regional Economic Integration: Evidence from the Greater Bay Area of China

An increasing number of countries have launched their central bank digital currencies (CBDC) in recent years, but the economic impacts of CBDC adoption are underexplored. To empirically assess how CBDC adoption influences regional economic integration, this paper investigates the Greater Bay Area, where China carried out one of its first digital renminbi pilot programs. The Greater Bay Area provides a good example because the growing acceptance of digital renminbi in the area can potentially mitigate transaction costs and risks due to the exchange rate volatility of the Chinese renminbi, Hong Kong dollar, and Macao pataca. CBDC adoption can lead to greater real and financial integrations by facilitating cross-border trade in goods and services. This paper evaluates deviations from uncovered interest rate parity, purchasing power parity, and real interest rate parity across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao based on monthly interest rate and price data from January 2016 to December 2022. The time series have mean values near zero, which validate the parity conditions and indicate high degrees of financial, real, and economic integrations. The Markov regime-switching regression model identifies three regimes: (1) pre-Covid, (2) post-Covid, and (3) post-CBDC. The Covid-19 outbreak brought lower integration and stability, but the launch of the CBDC restored some of the pre-Covid integration and stability. Regimes 1 and 2 are persistent, and transitions from Regime 3 back to Regime 1 are probable. Hence, this study finds evidence that CBDC adoption improves regional economic integration in the short and long run.

Tourism Development Policy in Tomini Bay Area Gorontalo, Indonesia

This study is intended to describe all local government problems in tourism development policies in the Tomini Bay area of Gorontalo. It outlines dynamic capability collaboration, relational perspectives, and resource-based theory to explain mechanisms and dynamics. The results of this study require collaboration, innovation, and integration of the interests of stakeholders of various parties in the development of a sustainable and innovative regional system. The tourism sector is one of the opportunities to increase local income. However, this has experienced constraints on aspects of local culture that are still attached to community customs, other things such as involvement and empowerment, education, technical guidance of the community that stand out in tourist destination services. This encourages local governments to continue to develop the tourism sector in improving community welfare. This study obtained novelty of new study findings in tourism development policy by the Gorontalo local government, namely the need for the role of stakeholders still requires the synergy of various parties in the Penta helix perspective (academics, business, community, government, and media). The collaborative governance process through face-to-face dialogue, trust building, commitment to the process, shared understanding, and intermediate outcomes has contributed positively in accelerating the development and promotion of digital platform-based tourism potential.
 Keywords: policy, development, tourism, collaboration

Projects for queering disaster: reciprocal knowledge exchange and practice

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify LGBTQ+ perceptions of and experiences with hazards, vulnerabilities and disasters in the San Francisco Bay Area in the USA and to co-develop applied projects to “queer” disaster knowledge production and risk reduction activities in the region.Design/methodology/approachThis is a community science project in which we collaborate with community members to enhance both community and scientific knowledge with the goal of utilizing it to produce a positive change to pressing social issues and their underlying causes. We do this through a series of four focus group workshops to identify community priorities, hazards, vulnerabilities and local action. We follow this with further ethnographic research and projects to apply findings from phase one.FindingsThe authors have found that: LGBTQ+ people in the Bay Area have unique experiences with hazards, vulnerabilities and disasters; there are significant gaps in the representation of LGBTQ+ hazard exposure in local scientific models that we can address through alternative methodologies; and tabletop exercises, learning modules and podcasts help orient and train disaster response agencies and personnel on LGBTQ+ inclusive operations.Originality/valueThis initiative entails novel approaches to community science for disaster risk reduction and creative collaboration with community-based organizations to foster the development of LGBTQ+ inclusive disaster risk reduction and response.