Closure Of Ports Research Articles

‘Battleship at the port of Europe’: Italy's closed-port policy and its legitimizing narratives

From March 2018 to August 2019, during Matteo Salvini's mandate as Minister of the Interior, Italy implemented the so-called ‘closed-port policy’, the closure of Italy's ports to migrant-rescue ships. This policy was initially pursued by Salvini's direct will through circulars before being justified ex-post by a legislative act. This paper analyses the lively parliamentary debates around rescue at sea in order to illustrate the majority's discursive rationales in support of the closed-port policy and its transformation into law. Theoretically, this work adopts a multidisciplinary perspective which combines the works on critique and justification (Boltanski, Thévenot 2006; Boltanski, 2011) with those on legitimacy (Schulze, 2015) to speak to the political geography debate concerning border and migration regimes. These literatures enable the paper to innovatively approach the crucial role of parliaments as conflictual arenas which require governing majorities to enact specific legitimation strategies. By adopting this perspective, this work sheds light on the disputed rationale of migration policies while exploring how legitimation practices worked within the Italian Parliament. My argument unfolds in three main stages: first, the article examines the genealogy of the closed-port policy; second, it explores the legitimation strategies put in place by the majority in order to justify its policy and law; and last, it looks at how specific geographical imaginaries underpin the main narratives constructed through these different legitimation strategies.

The impact of the Ukraine conflict in internal and external grain transport costs

Armed conflicts are known to have significant consequences forthe shipping industry, namely the closure of ports and increased risks for navigation, thus preventing or hindering the steady flow of imports and exports. The recent conflict in Ukraine illustrates this, as it has disrupted severely global grain transport chains. A number of alternative transport chains have been used but its capacity is limited and costs, both internal and external, are deemed to be much more significant, impacting on the economies but also on the environment. This paper presents a quantification of the impact of this conflict for various possible alternative transport chains. A methodology is presented to evaluate the internal costs, emissions, and external costs of transport and applied to evaluate these parameters for chains having a common origin in Ukraine and destination in a representative major North African port. The main conclusion drawn regarding the impact of this conflict is that costs and emissions may easily double for the alternative transport chains.

A randomized double-blind controlled proof-of-concept study of alanyl-glutamine for reduction of post-myomectomy adhesions

Study ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that intraperitoneal instillation of a single bolus dose of l-alanyl-l-glutamine (AG) will reduce the incidence, extent and/or severity of adhesions following myomectomy and establish preliminary safety and tolerability of AG in humans. DesignPhase 1,2 Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (DBRCT). SettingTertiary care gynecology surgical centre. PatientsThirty-eight women who underwent myomectomies by laparoscopy (N = 38; AG-19 vs Placebo-19) or laparotomy (N = 10; AG-5 vs Placebo-5) with a scheduled second-look laparoscopy (SLL) 6–8 weeks later. Thirty-two patients in the laparoscopy arm completed SLL. InterventionsBolus dose of AG or normal saline solution control (0.9% NaCl) administered intraperitoneally immediately prior to suture closure of the laparoscopic ports. The average dose was 170 mL of AG or control based on a dosing scheme of 1 g/kg bodyweight. MeasurementsDigital recordings obtained for all procedures. The primary endpoint was reduction in the incidence, severity and extent of post-operative adhesions analyzed by intention-to-treat (ITT) approach. Three independent, blinded reviewers evaluated all operative video recordings to assess presence of adhesions. Post-hoc analysis assessed presence or absence of adhesions in the peritoneal cavity. Secondary endpoints assessed safety and tolerability of AG. Main resultsAdministration of AG reduced the incidence, severity and/or extent of post-operative adhesions (p = 0.046). The presence of adhesions in the AG group was lower than in the Control group (p = 0.041). Adhesion improvement was achieved in 15 of 15 (100%) in the AG group versus 5 of 17 (29.6%) in the placebo group. No serious adverse events were reported. No differences in safety parameters were observed. ConclusionsIntraperitoneal l-alanyl-l-glutamine reduced adhesion formation in all patients following laparoscopic myomectomy. Complete absence of adhesions was achieved at all abdominal sites in 93% of patients. Results confirm AG’s known effects on cellular mechanisms of adhesiogenesis and lay the foundation for new adhesion prophylaxis research and treatment.

The effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on malaria transmission in South Africa

BackgroundFor a country such as South Africa which is targeting malaria elimination, mobile and migrant populations pose a substantial risk to importation of malaria parasites. It has been hypothesized that halting cross-border movement of mobile and migrant populations will decrease the importation of malaria, however this option is not a politically, operationally, and financially viable prospect. It has social impacts as well, since families live on either side of the border and preventing travel will challenge family ties. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of ports of entry (land and air) for non-essential travel into South Africa, a unique opportunity arose to test the hypothesis.MethodologyAn interrupted time series analysis was done to assess whether the post-lockdown trends (April–December 2020) in monthly reported imported and local cases differed from the pre-lockdown trends (January 2015–March 2020). The analysis was conducted separately for KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo provinces.ResultsOn average, imported cases were lower in the post-intervention period in all three provinces, and local cases were lower in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, though no results were statistically significant.ConclusionSince population movement continued after the travel restrictions were lifted, border screening with testing and treating should be considered for reducing parasite movement. Another option is reducing malaria cases at the source in neighbouring countries by implementing proven, effective vector and parasite control strategies and through a downstream effect reduce malaria entering South Africa.

Quarantine Ships as Spaces of Bordering: The Securitization of Migration Policy in Italy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for bordering, that is, for measures that aim to delineate foreigners’ access to citizenship and membership and to further securitize migration policy. Across the globe, new border controls were introduced, stringent new international regulations applied, and hundreds of thousands of flights cancelled, all of which resulted in millions of travelers, including migrant workers and transnational commuters, being stranded. Among the areas affected by these bordering measures is the central Mediterranean migratory route to Italy. In Spring 2020, the Italian government introduced two measures aimed to block migrant arrivals by sea: the closure of ports to search-and-rescue (SAR) operations and the use of ships to quarantine migrants arriving on SAR ships. While the former was only partially implemented and then lifted in the summer of 2020, the latter has become a cornerstone of current securitization policies in Italy. This article — relying on semi-structured interviews with activists, non-governmental organization volunteers, human rights lawyers, and journalists — interrogates the use of quarantine ships during the pandemic as a means of stopping COVID-19's spread by irregular migrants arriving along the central Mediterranean. It shows how this measure, presented as a humanitarian mission to preserve public health, became an opportunity to securitize national and EU borders and how quarantine ships became spaces aimed at filtering and containing arriving migrants. The article aims to contribute to the debate around the bordering policy measures that characterize current EU migration governance and to consider their application during the pandemic.

부품 공급망 위험이 공급사슬과 해운 분야에 미치는 영향

Of late, various risk factors, such as the closure of container ports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, decline in container fleets, and instability in final demand, have had a detrimental impact on the business environment. Such negative effects could prevent companies from achieving their goals. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the risk and implement appropriate risk management strategies based on the impact factors of the risk. This study analyzed the impact of supply chain risks on the domestic automobile production network and maritime car carrier market. We quantified supply chain risks that arise in domestic automobile production processes and employed the vector auto regression models to analyze the effects of these risks on the automobile supply chain and pure car carrier market. In addition, using impact reaction function, we analyzed the process through which the risk in the supply chain extends to automobile production and pure car carrier market. It is expected that this study will help set long-term and short-term targets for production plans and demarcate corporate strategies through effective response to market conditions.

Some aspects of food security in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe

Among the complex of issues dealt with by the theory of food security, the problems of the impact on food inflation, which especially grew in the Visegráld countries and Albania in the 2nd-3rd quarter of 2022, are being studied. The focus of the paper is on researching the possibilities of increasing the product supply due to imports. The countries selected for the study demonstrated a common strategy to use the problems with the export sales of grain experienced by Russia and Ukraine in 2022 in the interests of developing their own infrastructure and increasing the security of national grain markets, as well as to strengthen the ruling political forces. However, due to multiple differences between the countries (the level of self-sufficiency in grain crops, the degree of geographical proximity to Ukraine, the availability of financial resources, etc.), they chose different tactical models: the Visegrad countries and Romania, despite the rhetoric of solidarity with countries with a high level of food insecurity, are aimed at obtaining additional financial dividends from their role as transit countries for Ukrainian grain; Albania, due to its geographical remoteness from Ukraine, the closure of Ukrainian ports before the start of a grain deal and small financial reserves, is forced to focus on other available sources of grain.

Spatial and sectoral imbalances in the economic development of Ukrainian regions: the impact of business relocation

The relocation of businesses (production facilities) from regions where active hostilities were taking place and from frontline areas to relatively safer regions, which was actively carried out starting in late March 2022, helped revive economic activity in the face of the war shock. The article shows that the relocation of business in the context of a full-scale war has led to the deindustrialization of the eastern regions and the strengthening of the industrialization of the western regions. The article reveals that the relocation of business, which was accompanied by a change in the spatial structure of the economy, was also characterized by the migration of economic, financial, investment, and innovation capital from the east to the west of the country. On the other hand, the relocation of a large number of enterprises to regions far from the combat zone was accompanied by tensions between relocated and local companies due to the difference in organizational and behavioral models of doing business. As a result, there was a low level of integration of relocated businesses into the local economy and little cooperation with local governments. The authors identify the main problems most often encountered by enterprises during relocation (first of all, the mismatch of engineering, transport infrastructure and industrial sites in the host regions with the needs of large industrial enterprises; the need to train specialists with appropriate qualifications at the relocation sites; high cost and legal and technical complexity of relocation procedures; loss of resources, goods, and fixed assets during relocation; restrictions on mobility for certain types of business due to their territorial “tying” (primarily agribusiness and large manufacturing and logistics companies)). The article identifies that the change in the spatial structure of the economy is also associated with a decrease in the business activity of agricultural enterprises whose business is tied to a specific territory. The authors emphasize that the temporal and spatial uncertainty of the hostilities, as well as the relocation of business, have led to the processes of reorientation of transport and logistics routes of business entities. This includes the destruction of critical and production infrastructure; logistical problems due to the limited capacity of Ukrzaliznytsya and the closure of Black Sea ports (primarily for industrial enterprises); increased production and export losses due to military disruption of normal supply chains; and a lack of orders and demand for goods (works and services). The article reveals that in the context of the reorientation of transport and logistics routes of business entities, the regions of southern Ukraine suffered the most, where sea transportation became impossible in the first months of the war. In general, the regions of Western Ukraine and Poltavska oblast demonstrated faster adaptation and post-shock recovery of the business environment. The main factors that impeded the resilience of the business sector in the Central and Eastern regions included geographic location (proximity to the front line), as well as logistical and energy challenges.

A Four-Channel Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor Functionalized Online for Simultaneous Detections of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody, Free Viral Particles, and Neutralized Viral Particles.

Current tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detect either the constituent nucleic acids/proteins of the viral particles or antibodies specific to the virus, but cannot provide information about viral neutralization by an antibody and the efficacy of an antibody. Such information is important about individuals' vulnerability to severe symptoms or their likelihood of showing no symptoms. We immobilized online SARS-CoV-2 spike (S1) protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) into separate surface plasmon resonance (SPR) channels of a tris-nitrilotriacetic acid (tris-NTA) chip to simultaneously detect the anti-S1 antibody and viral particles in serum samples. In addition, with a high-molecular-weight-cutoff filter, we separated the neutralized viral particles from the free antibody molecules and used a sensing channel immobilized with Protein G to determine antibody-neutralized viral particles. The optimal density of probe molecules in each fluidic channel can be precisely controlled through the closure and opening of the specific ports. By utilizing the high surface density of ACE2, multiple assays can be carried out without regenerations. These three species can be determined with a short analysis time (<12 min per assay) and excellent sensor-to-sensor/cycle-to-cycle reproducibility (RSD < 5%). When coupled with an autosampler, continuous assays can be performed in an unattended manner at a single chip for up to 6 days. Such a sensor capable of assaying serum samples containing the three species at different levels provides additional insights into the disease status and immunity of persons being tested, which should be helpful for containing the SARS-CoV-2 spread during the era of incessant viral mutations.

Ensuring food sovereignty in modern conditions of challenges and threats

Food security issue is extremely important in many parts of the world. It is no coincidence that the right to food is enshrined today at the level of international and national law. The agenda of sustainable development of individual states and the whole world is formed taking into account the fact that there are new challenges and threats to economic security (rising food prices, financial crises, climate change and related weather shocks, wars), which lead to significant changes in the production, distribution and consumption of food worldwide. They must be resolved if we want to live in a world based on food security. Food sovereignty is an important element in fighting against poverty. The Russian-Ukrainian war of 2022 led to the closure of ports, the cessation of oilseed processing, and the introduction of export and licensing restrictions and bans on certain crops and food. The main problems that need to be resolved in the context of food security include: disruption of spring sowing; availability of agricultural labor; availability of agricultural resources, especially fuel; obstacles in logistics and food chains; restrictions on access to agricultural land; damage to crops as a result of hostilities; destruction of the infrastructure of the food system. In this paper the author tries to answer the most acute problems of food security in the context of globalization and regional integration, as well as the Ukrainian-Russian war.

Հայաստան-Ուկրաինա առևտուրը՝ ռուս-ուկրաինական հակամարտության համատեքստում/Armenia-Ukraine Bilateral Trade Relations in the Context of Russia-Ukraine War

Russia-Ukraine crisis, military operations in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia have disrupted global supply chains. Ukraine is one of the leading suppliers of food products in the global economy. Product supply hit hard due to production disruption, closure of sea ports, as well as flight cancelations. Ukraine is the sixth largest import partner, and the sixteenth largest export partner of Armenia. The paper aims at studying Armenia-Ukraine trade relations and potential impact of Russian-Ukrainian tensions.

Accounting of fixed assets of enterprises and analysis of their value in the conditions of armed aggression

Introduction. The armed aggression of the russian federation lead to deterioration of the external environment in Ukraine. In particular, this was manifested in the form of interruptions and stoppages in business activities, damage and destruction of business assets, closure of transport routes and ports, disruptions in supply chains, reduced market demand and high inflation. The mentioned factors mainly had a negative impact on the financial condition and financial results of the enterprises, and, accordingly, on the value of the business and its assets. In the structure of assets, fixed assets were significantly affected: some were destroyed or damaged, some remained in temporarily occupied territories, and for the rest, expectations regarding generating economic benefits from the use of such objects worsened. New challenges caused by armed aggression actualize the revision of approaches and procedures to the accounting of fixed assets, as well as the appraisal and analysis of their value. The purpose of the study is to explore approaches to accounting for fixed assets and analysis of their value in the environment of armed aggression. In particular, the procedures for accounting for fixed assets in case of damage or destruction, property being in a temporarily occupied territory were analyzed, the accounting assessment of fixed assets was considered according to the cost model and the revaluation model, and the change in the value of fixed assets in the event of an impairment and revaluation of assets was also analyzed. Method (methodology). The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was made up of scientific research by Ukrainian and foreign scientists, methodology standards, practical comments, and recommendations of experts. A literature review indicates that the topic of the impact of armed aggression on the approach to the accounting of fixed assets of enterprises in Ukraine is not new, but not sufficiently studied. In the article, the methods of systematization and generalization were used when studying practical recommendations of experts, induction and deduction when studying the peculiarities of the accounting of fixed assets for various consequences of armed aggression (damage, destruction, location in the occupied territory), analysis and synthesis when studying the accounting models of fixed assets and analysis the value of objects according to these models in the environment of armed aggression. Results. According to the study, the authors came to the conclusion that the issue of identification and accounting of fixed assets located in the temporarily occupied territories is not fully resolved and is contrary to international accounting and financial reporting standards. In particular, the authors proposed possible solutions to this issue, such as assigning fixed assets in temporary occupation to separate groups of accounts or off-balance sheet accounts and ceasing deprecation of such assets. An important accounting consequence of armed aggression is the need to determine depreciation or revaluation of fixed assets, depending on the chosen accounting model. In the conditions of armed aggression, the implementation of such procedures is complicated by the need to update business plans, develop scenarios of cash flow forecast, incorporate additional risks of war in the discount rate.

Preclinical safety testing and initial experience of a morcellation bag with four sealable ports

Electromechanical morcellation—so called power morcellation—is a minimally invasive approach to remove bulky lesions such as uterine fibroids. The spread of benign and malignant tissue due to morcellation is a major concern that might limit the use of laparoscopic interventions. We present an in vitro evaluation of the safety characteristics of a four-port endobag with closable trocar sleeves, and describe physical properties of the bag that may or may not allow passage through the hole. In addition, we report our preliminary experience of this tool when used for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomies. The behavior of the endobag during the extraction process was analyzed by extracting opened and re-sealed bags filled with 20 ml blue dye solution through a wooden template, with incisions measuring 10 to 24 mm. The endobag was used in 50 subtotal hysterectomies during the morcellation procedure. In the in vitro test, no dye loss was recorded for incisions measuring 11–24 mm. The mean force required to pull the bag through the template was inversely proportional to incision size. No bag rupture occurred during the surgical procedures. The mean time taken to prepare the bag for morcellation was 7.1 min (range, 4–14 min), the mean duration of subtotal hysterectomy was 53.4 min (range, 20–194 min). The mean weight of the removed body of the uterus was 113.8 g (range, 13–896 g), the mean weight of tissue and fluid remaining in the bag after morcellation 7.9 g (range, 0–39 g). In the in vitro setting, the improved endobag signifies greater patient safety during bag extraction, along with less tissue traumatization due to a smaller incision in the abdominal wall. The improved ergonomic features of the bag permit the insertion of three trocars in the lower abdomen and avoid closure of unused access ports. Our preliminary experience has shown that the device can be used under routine conditions. Failure rates will be evaluated in future studies.

Recovering Supply Chain Disruptions in Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Through Transport Intelligence and Logistics Systems: India's Experiences and Policy Options

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian firms have focused on interconnected and lean supply chains to ameliorate the gaps through increased efficiency of supply chains. However, the pandemic has exposed most Indian firms to severe supply chain disruptions (SCDs) due to undiscovered supply chain vulnerabilities. Against this background, we reviewed the existing relevant literature on SCDs and transportation disruption in general context and pandemic specific context and identified that there exists very little research on this issue especially in the context of Indian firms, and offered policy options by developing a new model of robust transport and advanced logistics system (ALS) for speedier supply chains recovery (SCR). We have utilized and analyzed the rich available literature on SCDs, transport intelligence (TI), and ALS using gray literature. The study revealed that many Indian firms have experienced major disruptions in transportation and logistics services, including impact on transportation and logistics data, time delays, and cargo cancellations due to cramped freight capacity, restricted circulation, closure of ports, and slow customs clearances. This has also impacted adversely the production and transport consignments including logistics services and led to delays and rerouting to final consumers. With the gradual removal of restrictions, firms are making concerted efforts to recover from SCDs; however, with weak applications of robust TI and ALS, the SCR is relatively very slow. This called for a review of current transport and ALS used by priority firms. Therefore, we offered a new model for addressing the SCDs using robust intelligence transportation systems and ALS.

COVID-19 Impact on Sri Lankan Economics

COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the world since 2019(2020 WHO) it has been a biggest challenge for mankind in the recent past years. The pandemic outbreak drastically effected China’s economy, the slowdown in China’s economy effected rest of the world as well. Sri Lanka is also not an exception for this. The first COVID-19 case was reported in Mar 11 in Sri Lanka after that many other positive COVID-19 cases were identified and government has taken pre caution methods to control the pandemic successfully for about six months but now the situation is out of our hand. COVID-19 pandemic created more negative effects in key income sectors like tourism, export earnings, small and medium entrepreneurship, tea, apparel and textile exports. Sri Lanka’s tea production for the period January - December 2019 totalled 300.1 million kgs and it was reduced to 278.5million kgs in January – December 2020 (Tea Exporters Association Sri Lanka). Apparel exports for the year 2019 was 481mn$ reduced to 382.28mn$ in 2020(Apparel exporters association) Also, Colombo stock exchange reported a historical low in mid-March, moreover Sri Lanka’s external sector performance weakened due to lack of exports this was due to the travel restrictions, Closure of ports and airports. Meanwhile the inflation of the country in 2019 reported 4.3% increased to 4.56% in 2020. However, some recommendations implemented by Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to strengthen and rebuild the economic. Moratorium facilities granted for the loans, working capital loans with a low interest rate to support the small-scale retailers and small medium entrepreneurship. As of now Sri Lanka recovering from the pandemic impact and trying to recover the economic slowdown.

COVID-19 Impact on Sri Lankan Economics

COVID-19 is quickly spreading across the world since 2019(2020 WHO) it has been really difficult for humankind in the new past years. The pandemic outbreak radically affected China's economy, the stoppage in China's economy affected rest of the world too. Sri Lanka is additionally not an exemption for this. The first COVID-19 case was accounted for in Mar 11 in Sri Lanka after that numerous other positive COVID-19 cases were recognized and government has taken pre alert techniques to control the pandemic effectively for around a half year yet presently the circumstance is out of our hand. COVID-19 pandemic made more adverse consequences in key pay areas like the travel industry, send out profit, little and medium business, tea, clothing and material fares. Sri Lanka's tea creation for the period January - December 2019 totaled 300.1 million kgs and it was decreased to 278.5million kgs in January – December 2020 (Tea Exporters Association Sri Lanka). Clothing trades for the year 2019 was 481mn$ diminished to 382.28mn$ in 2020(Apparel exporters affiliation) Also, Colombo stock exchange detailed a verifiable low in mid-March, in addition Sri Lanka's outer area execution debilitated because of absence of fares this was because of the movement limitations, Closure of ports and air terminals. In the interim the swelling of the country in 2019 announced 4.3% increased to 4.56% in 2020. Be that as it may, a few suggestions carried out by Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to reinforce and reconstruct the financial. Ban offices allowed for the advances, working capital advances with a low loan fee to help the limited scale retailers and little medium business. As of now Sri Lanka recuperating from the pandemic effect and attempting to recuperate the monetary log jam.

Algunas reflexiones sobre la covid-19 y turismo en Cuba.

Cuba es un destino turístico interesante y complejo de analizar por su gran cantidad y variedad de recursos de interés, así como por su ubicación privilegiada en el contexto geográfico del Caribe Insular y Centroamérica. También por la significativa importancia geopolítica durante los últimos 60 años con respecto a América Latina y por sus históricas y contradictorias relaciones con su cercano y poderoso vecino del Norte, los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica (EE. UU.). El turismo como fuente de divisas representó en el 2018, para Cuba el segundo lugar en la economía, con un crecimiento promedio anual del 11% entre 1990 ”“ 2007, y del 6%, más ajustado a la realidad mundial, hasta el 2016. A partir del 23 de marzo se canceló el turismo para Cuba con el cierre de aeropuertos y puertos dado el creciente número de personas contagiadas por el nuevo coronavirus (SARS COV.2) resultado del contacto entre cubanos y turistas y emigrados cubanos muchas veces asintomáticos. Desde el inicio de la COVID-19 en Cuba, el tratamiento a los enfermos contagiados no estableció diferencias entre turistas y nacionales, siendo totalmente gratuito para ambos, incluida la prueba diagnóstica, medicamentos y hospitalización. Resulta difícil realizar un pronóstico de cuánto durará este proceso de recuperación, en medio de una fuerte recesión de la economía mundial y las dificultades adicionales que afrontará Cuba para lograrlo, sometida a un bloqueo económico, financiero y comercial de los EEUU contra Cuba desde 1961. Se deberá promocionar la seguridad y como se manifiesta el desarrollo de un sistema de salud integral e inclusivo en el país, ello puede convertirse en una acción positiva para recuperar al turismo internacional, pues la preocupación por su seguridad será un elemento importante para los turistas -en el periodo de post pandemia-, para decidir los destinos a visitar. Esta pandemia demuestra, más que cualquier ideología o discurso, la necesidad e importancia ineludible de los bienes públicos: salud, investigación, educación… sin olvidar la solidaridad entre las personas.

Surgical considerations of combined laparoscopic cholecystectomy and cesarean delivery

A 32-year-old female, with history of two previous cesarean sections. She was scheduled for an elective cesarean section. The night before surgery, she hada spike of fever and abdominal pain in the epigastrium and felt nauseated. She was brought to the emergency room, and her ultrasound examination revealed edema n the peri- gallbladder area and cholecystitis. A general surgical consult was made, and the opinion was that she needs to be operated urgently. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was done with initial port placement at Palmer's point with a 5-cm Covidien optical port. Procedure completed with no complication. The obstetric team then made a Pfannenstiel incision to deliver the baby. The delivery was completed in 10 min after the closure of the laparoscopic ports. The patient was in hospital for the next 3 days, and her puerperium was unremarkable. There were no further complications during her stay. The baby was discharged from NICU on the1stpostoperativeday.

Assessing the costs for adaptation of marine constructions to sea-level rise

Marine constructions are highly vulnerable to climate change and sea-level rise (SLR), leading to increased risk rates of destruction and the potential closure of ports, harbors, and marinas along the coast. We present a cost-adjustment analysis for such constructions along the south-eastern Mediterranean coast, which takes into account the physical characteristics of the constructions, and environmental uncertainty factors. At 0.5 m SLR, the estimated adjustment cost is USD 280 million, and at 1 m SLR, the estimated cost is USD 505 million. These costs are equivalent to 0.091% and 0.165% of the Israeli gross domestic production, respectively. Although high, these adjustment costs are lower than the costs of future damage that will accrue if we fail to act. This implies that the adaptation-policy approach to controlling for the risk of SLR will provide benefits to the economic marine sectors and the public at large.

Recruitment of foreign male and female fighters to Jihad: Morocco’s multifaceted counter-terror strategy

ABSTRACTField research on ‘young Moroccan Jihadists in Syria and Iraq from northern Morocco’ unexpectedly revealed the mundane factors behind their recruitment represented in the self-realization and the search for heroism, adventure and money, were the main reasons for the recruitment of young people in northern Morocco terrorist organizations, especially the Daesh. The religious factor is secondary. To combat terrorism and extremism which is spreading in the MENA region requires political will. Appropriate laws should be enacted as soon as possible and policies must be implemented to ensure border control, the closure of financing ports, propaganda platforms, anti-addiction, etc.