Current Global Crisis Research Articles

Design of an Innovative Dashboard for Assessment of Risks that are Specific to E-Commerce Activity

The current global sanitary crisis determined consumers to use e-commerce in all its forms. It has led to an expansion of e-commerce activity and increased associated risk, as companies must adapt quickly to new market conditions and cope with all the risks that arise in such context. This paper aims to identify and assess the relevant risks specific to e-commerce activity and prevent unethical behavior that is often associated with entities operating in this sector by consumers. The review of a significant part of the literature confirms that e-commerce business directly impacts performance and sustainability, being positively associated with organizational innovation. However, investigating the nature and intensity of the risks associated with the operational activity is difficult to assess. It is the main reason for mistrust increasing among many consumers and stakeholders. This research also derives from the fact that it provides real tools to prevent, reduce and even eliminate risks specific to e-commerce activities. Therefore, it could directly contribute to increasing the sustainability of businesses and gaining the trust of consumers regarding online shopping activities. An investigation was conducted in the following logical sequence: identifying the main risk categories and triggers; establishing the link between working hypotheses and the minimum threshold argumentation associated with them. According to the above, it is possible to establish a specific risk function for each risk category. To determine the minimum threshold of risk influence, the unitary risk assessment methodology was applied using a scale of values from 1 to 5, depending on the impact on the operational activity, performance, and sustainability of the e-commerce business. The research methods are specific to quantitative research, the object of the research being a sample of 208 economic entities operating in the e-commerce sector. The statistical analysis regarding the behavior of the most relevant financial indicators was achieved by collecting data from financial reporting and other internal sources. The results serve as an empirical confirmation regarding the specific difficulties encountered in e-commerce activity that need to be solved. Therefore, a dashboard was developed to monitor triggers by risk segments. The designed dashboard is intended to support management in the decision-making process to ensure business sustainability and improve the business model in line with the adopted business strategies. At the same time, with the help of the risk functions developed by risk segments, management could monitor and control the threats to which the operational activity in the online environment is exposed, which will lead to business consolidation and penetration of new online markets.

One Antarctic slug to confuse them all: the underestimated diversity of

The Antarctic marine environment, although rich in life, is predicted to experience rapid and significant effects from climate change. Despite a revolution in the approaches used to document biodiversity, less than one percent of Antarctic marine invertebrates are represented by DNA barcodes and we are at risk of losing biodiversity before discovery. The ease of sequencing mitochondrial DNA barcodes has promoted this relatively ‘universal’ species identification system across most metazoan phyla and barcode datasets are currently readily used for exploring questions of species-level taxonomy. Here we present the most well-sampled phylogeny of the direct-developing, Southern Ocean nudibranch mollusc, Doris kerguelenensis to date. This study sampled over 1000 new Doris kerguelenensis specimens spanning the Southern Ocean and sequenced the mitochondrial COI gene. Results of a maximum likelihood phylogeny and multiple subsequent species delimitation analyses identified 27 new species in this complex (now 59 in total). Using rarefaction techniques, we infer more species are yet to be discovered. Some species were only collected from southern South America or the sub-Antarctic islands, while at least four species were found spanning the Polar Front. This is contrary to dispersal predictions for species without a larval stage such as Doris kerguelenensis. Our work demonstrates the value of increasing geographic scope in sampling and highlights what could be lost given the current global biodiversity crisis.

The level of satisfaction and quality of E-learning in medical universities of Iran during the epidemic of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND:E-learning is web-based learning for education and training. The current global pandemic crisis created due to COVID-19 has made worldwide online learning. This study aimed to investigate the level of satisfaction and quality of E-learning in medical universities from the students' point of view during the epidemic of COVID-19 and assessing the obstacles and solutions proposed to improve the quality of E-learning.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted among 400 medical university students of Iran during the epidemic of COVID-19. After getting written consent, three parts questionnaire contains demographic, user satisfaction, quality questionnaire, and three open-ended questions were distributed randomly using social media. Descriptive analysis, t-test, Chi-square, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to achieve the objective of this study, with significance set to P < 0.05. Furthermore, three open-ended questions were reviewed qualitatively and the problems and solutions suggested by the students were reported.RESULTS:Based on the findings of the descriptive section, 277 of the respondents were girls (69%) with a mean age of 21 ± 2 years. Sixty-nine percent of students were studying in medical sciences universities and 31% were studying in Islamic Azad University. The level of satisfaction was in the upper range of low (34.0 ± 10.0); P < 0.001, and intention to reuse was moderate (23.06 ± 6.0); P = 0.064. Student's perception of quality in most domains was in the upper range of low to medium. User satisfaction, intention to reuse, the quality of knowledge, and participatory quality for evaluating online courses were significantly higher in the Azad University group than in medical universities.CONCLUSION:Given that this is the first experience in the use of E-learning in Iran, both universities have not yet fully succeeded in satisfying students and it is necessary to increase the quality of E-learning based on student suggestions.

РОСІЙСЬКА ВІЙНА ПРОТИ УКРАЇНИ ЯК ГЛОБАЛЬНА ЗАГРОЗА ПРОДОВОЛЬЧОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ: КОРОТКОТЕРМІНОВІ ЕФЕКТИ

The causal linkage between food security and global threats has not been fully resolved, whereas the relationship between food insecurity and armed conflict has been a key question in both policy and academic circles for recent decades. However, at both the global and national levels, the short-term impacts of such shocks on food security pillars is not well understood. Drawing on latest research and insights, this study attempted to prove that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a global threat to food security and investigate the short-term war-induced effects on food security in the world. It overviews the reasons contributing to the current global food crisis, the impact on food security dimensions, as well as the global community responses. According to WFP-FAO report, the consequences of a looming food crisis may be more pronounced and ultimately the number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide is expected to rise from currently 222 million people regarded food insecure globally. As far as the current food crisis goes on and the war continues it is difficult to assess future outcomes.

ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ РЫНКОВ РЕСУРСОВ С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ «ЗЕЛЕНЫХ» ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ

The current global energy crisis has given new urgency to accelerating the transition to clean energy and re-emphasized the key role of "green" technologies. This paper examines the opportunities and challenges of scaling up and accelerating the deployment of clean energy technologies to secure energy markets and increase gas supplies. An analysis based on a dynamic model makes it possible to draw conclusions about the prospects for increasing supplies only through the introduction of new technologies for processing raw materials without increasing production. The article raises questions that are of interest to a wide range of the scientific community and are quite relevant today, since the topic related to ensuring the security of energy markets, gas supplies, energy prices, requirements for reducing emissions in adverse conditions of climate change can be solved using modern "green" technologies. The International Energy Agency has proposed an action plan to introduce environmentally friendly technologies without burning associated gas and preventing methane leaks. As a result of the introduction of these technologies, measures to reduce methane leaks, discharges and flaring, according to experts, can increase the supply of gas in world markets by 210 billion cubic meters. At the same time, not only energy security and a reduction in the resource market deficit will be ensured, but environmental pollution will also decrease, the greenhouse effect and other associated negative effects will decrease. In terms of economic indicators, the use of "green" technologies will bring high net profit at a meager cost. However, how quickly green technologies can stabilize resource markets depends on many uncertain factors, and non-economic ones at that. When constructing a dynamic model, empirical data were used, given in all areas of issues raised in the work over the past decades, which makes it possible to build forecasts in today's rather turbulent resource market.

Održivost u modi - uloga modnog dizajnera u oblikovanju ekološki prihvatljive i društveno odgovorne budućnosti

In this paper the relationship between the current global crisis of environmental protection, the modern vision of sustainability in fashion and the creative process of realization of clothing items in the fashion industry is investigated from the aspect of fashion design. The fashion industry is expected to change the way garments are produced and designed, the way it communicates with consumers, and the way garments are handled at the end of a product's lifespan. In addition to all the usual aspects of creativity, a fashion designer nowadays and especially in the future is expected, to have an additional sort of creativity that should contribute to sustainable development by seeking and developing new creative-experimental design solutions. Different strategies are available to a designer for achieving this goal. In the process of creating a product that has aesthetic and functional values on the market and at the same time the least possible environmental impact on the planet a designer is a key factor of the fashion industry.

Pandemic Fault Lines: The Black Death in the Age of Covid

Pandemic Fault Lines:The Black Death in the Age of Covid Dorsey Armstrong It will be a surprise to no one that in this current time of the Covid-19 pandemic, many people have turned their attention to earlier pandemics in an attempt to make sense of the current global crisis. The turn to the past provides a context or historical framework into which our present circumstances may be fitted, a comparative measure alongside which similarities and differences may be gauged. This look backward to earlier moments of devastating illness and death, oddly, provides a kind of solace: humanity has suffered through this kind of catastrophe before, and we have come out the other side. We are living through a pandemic that is slightly different in both degree and kind from, for example, either the 1918 influenza outbreak or the Second Plague Pandemic (commonly referred to as the "Black Death" during its initial outbreak in the European world in the fourteenth century), but by many measures of comparison, Covid-19 is less lethal and less devastating than these earlier pandemics. Modern science and medicine have given us knowledge and tools that, when used correctly, are able to slow the spread of the virus and may be used (often successfully) to treat those who become ill; the rapid development of vaccines has given us the means to lessen the virus's transmission and lethality. But by some other measures of comparison, however, Covid-19 is worse than any of these earlier pandemics. While modern advances have given us weapons to fight the disease, the disease has also revealed how much of our modern infrastructure and social organization is alarmingly fragile. Indeed, as I suggest below, the experience of pandemic disease in a technologically-advanced world such as ours unsheathes—and brandishes—a double-edged sword. When the first wave of the Black Death struck medieval Europe, it both revealed and exacerbated serious flaws in the spheres of religion, economics, politics, and more; so too did it seriously impact physical infrastructure, trade in essential [End Page 1] goods, and have a negative effect on social order. In the mid-fourteenth century, much of medieval Europe was more interconnected and was becoming more urbanized than it had been since the time of the Roman Empire; it was a world on the point of transitioning out of a primarily rural, subsistence, agrarian culture to one in which craft and trade specialization was significantly increased, a newly burgeoning merchant class was on the rise, and a cash economy existed alongside but was gaining ground on barter-and-trade. When the Black Death disrupted these social and economic advances, medieval society was not so far advanced that the majority of the population were unable to adapt and shift their activities, livelihoods, crafts, and trades (briefly) slightly backward toward a more localized, subsistence economy. By contrast, the flaws and fault lines the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed about our modern society—more specialized, more globalized, more mechanized, more urbanized, and more critically dependent on those factors to continue functioning as they have in order for us to continue—suggest that it is our reliance on modern advances in science and technology that could, ironically, be our undoing. It is a point that is made explicitly in Robert Harris's 2019 novel The Second Sleep, a story that at first appears to be set in the Middle Ages, but as we slowly learn, is actually set in a post-catastrophic future. According to the novel, in the year 2025 the character of Nobel Laureate Peter Morgenstern issues the following warning: We regard our society as having reached a level of sophistication that renders it uniquely vulnerable to total collapse. The gravity of the threat has increased vastly since 2000, with the transfer of so much economic and social activity to cyberspace . . . a prolonged general interruption to computer networks . . . would lead within 24 hours to food and fuel shortages—especially in urban areas—a dramatic curtailing of money supply (due to the loss of ATMs, credit card transactions, and online banking), communications and information breakdowns, transport shutdown, panic buying, mass exodus, and civil disorder . . . 30 years ago, the average...

Посткризисная регионализация глобальных цепочек создания стоимости в стратегиях транснациональных компаний

The current global crisis led to the transformation of global value chains (GVC) in strategies of transnational companies (TNCs). The present study aims to establish a causal relationship between the volatility of the world economy and regionalisation of global value chains. Based on historical analysis and a systemic-functional approach, scattered information about the impact of global value chains on the development of TNC strategies was integrated. Thus, various aspects of TNC activities (their participation in international trade, international capital flows, etc.) were analysed together in order to identify the consequences of regionalisation for the strategic development of such companies. The study revealed that the established international production system carries many risks, which are exacerbated by continuing protectionism in international trade. Under the influence of digitalisation, regionalisation of value chains and partial reshoring of production facilities are the key directions for further development of GVCs. Given the rapid cross-border transmission of exogenous shocks, the stability and sustainability of global value chains will determine their development; however, there is no evidence whether GVCs will lengthen or shorten. The high cost of the complex reconfiguration of GVCs towards regionalisation will lead to only minor changes in their architecture. The redesign will affect only some aspects of activities, in particular, the organisation of work with global suppliers. While the weak integration of developing countries into GVCs will remain, the barriers to internationalisation will be reduced under the influence of digitalisation, creating new opportunities for the incorporation of small business into the international production system. In general, global value chains will still be considered a reliable source to reduce the risks of global operating activities of TNCs. The research results can be used for further theoretical and methodological development of internationalisation strategies.

The COVID-19 vaccines as extension of foreign policies by other means

Existing knowledge of the geopolitics of public health and the coronavirus pandemic indicates that states, particularly the most powerful ones (the United States, China, Russia), have used the current global crisis to strengthen their influence worldwide, in line with their geopolitical, economic, and military aspirations. Geopoliticisation of the COVID-19 vaccines have not been explored so far. Based on the qualitative analysis of the media content and statistics on the vaccines' distribution, this article makes two arguments. First, these vaccines have become an extension of foreign policy by other means. Second, geopoliticisation of the distribution of vaccine contributes to an instrumentalisation of the pandemic, raising global insecurity and the destabilisation of states and economies on the periphery and semi-periphery. Due to this new Cold War between the 'vaccine superpowers' , the world has become divided into Western and the Eastern 'vaccine-blocs'. Within this context, the chances for multilateral cooperation to counter global threats are on a downward trajectory.

UNIQUE AND NATURALLY DETERMINED ATTRIBUTES OF THE MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF A STATE

The article analyzes the issues of the modern understanding of a state, as well as the factors and determinants that define its essence. The idea is put forward that the most important factor determining the necessity to rethink the essence of the state is the modern global crisis and chaotic instability. A methodology for research of the state is proposed that meets post-non-classical scientific and managerial rationality. The article substantiates a new European nature and attributes of modern statehood, which is also influenced by the three-level structure of statehood in the world system, as well as the peculiarities of the historical genesis of specific countries. The author proposes researching of the state through the correlation of the triad of parameters «power – population – territory», the interaction of which generates various types of power organization. Purpose: to propose new methods suitable for studying the state in the context of the current global crisis, accompanied by a decrease in the heuristic and cognitive potential of the methodology formed within the framework of liberal geoculture; to analyze the essence and nature of modern statehood on the basis of the proposed methods. The author uses the following methods: post-non-classical scientific paradigm, the principle of the observer's involvement in the cognizable reality, world-system analysis, subjective approach, spatial dimension, historical approach. Results: the research reveals a new European nature of modern statehood, which is declining as a result of the global crisis, and historical features of the formation of this type of statehood, in relation to the Republic of Belarus in particular.

Efficiency of Herbal Medicines in Containment of COVID-19

Background: SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This virus is responsible for the pandemic which has resulted in the current global health crisis. Remdesivir is now used as an FDA-approved medication in addition to some emergency use authorization (EUA) agents such as Actemra (Tocilizumab), Sotrovimab, and REGEN-COV (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) to contain the COVID-19 infection. However, they are not 100% effective in all cases, and there are several hundreds of daily deaths worldwide. Furthermore, since nearly one year as of the beginning of global vaccination, various vaccines have been evaluated not completely efficient in containing new variants of SARS-CoV-2, although they have significantly reduced mortality. Herbal medicines with evidence-based beneficial effects can have positive roles in immunity enhancement, prevention of infection, and antiviral effects. This review presents the updates of some herbal medicines that may have potential effects on the containment of the COVID-19, especially those with antitussive, antipyretic, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. Methods: In this narrative review, a thorough literature review was conducted on the entries of Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics), Scopus and, and Science Direct published since 2019. This study includes the recently published papers, randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and World Health Organization updates about the COVID-19. The inclusion criteria were the papers that described the effects of the most efficient types of herbal medicines on the containment of the COVID-19. Results: Analyzing nearly more than 40 medicinal plants, we found seven herbals (Myrtus communis, Zingiber officinale, Allium Sativum, Nigella Sativa, Glycyrrhiza glabra, and Thymus Vulgaris) that might have some positive effects on deferent stages of the COVID-19. Conclusion: Since some herbal medicines might help alleviate or relieve the symptoms of the COVID-19 or have other therapeutic effects, randomized controlled trials should be conducted to confirm these effects.

Covid-19 Induced Diabetes: Disclosing Truth behind the Potential Attention Seeker

<p style="text-align: justify;">Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the zoonotic virus answerable for the current global health crisis is ringing its dangerous bells on its post disease status. COVID-19 is causing multiple organ damage probably with its entry site. Insulin-Dependent Diabetes (IDDM) also known as Type I Diabetes is a multifactorial disease that typically occurs as a result of the interaction of genetic, environmental and immunologic factors. The mechanisms behind the development of Diabetes and associated consequences are complicated. The morphological mass of Insulin producing &beta;-cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans and the functional status determine plasma Insulin levels. Insufficient Insulin levels may develop as a result of a lack of &beta;-cell function resulting in hyperglycemia and Diabetes. <em>Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2</em> (ACE2) receptor, the binding agent which allows Corona virus to enter and migrate to various organs such as lungs, heart, liver, pancreas, and kidneys is assumed to be responsible for this damage. The over expression of ACE2 receptor on pancreatic endocrine cells paves a way for extensive damage to Islets of Langerhans causing Insulin resistance and deficiency. Another common assumption among the researchers and health care professionals are the dreadful relationship shared by viruses and Diabetes which can exacerbate or provoke autoimmunity leading to &beta;-cell auto-oxidation. The metabolic complications like Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) and Hyper osmolar hyperglycemia are predominantly seen in various regions of the world in people with Pre-Diabetes and non-diabetics. However, this review explored the probable truth behind COVID-19 induced new-onset Diabetes mellitus and its complications. <strong>Key words:</strong> COVID -19, Type-1 Diabetes, ACE2 receptor, Diabetic, Ketoacidosis.

Insects as a food source for indigenous communities in Colombia: a review and research perspectives

Insects have been used worldwide as a source of food, and edible species are eaten both as immature (eggs, larvae, pupae, and nymphs) and in some cases as adults. In this regard, several scholars and researchers seek to promote an alternative entomological trend and highlight the potential of insects as a high-quality nutritional option. The consumption of various edible species contributes to the nutritional health of indigenous, rural peoples, as well as those individuals who live in urban areas and use this kind of food resource, in accordance with insects’ seasonal abundance. Colombia, due to its sociocultural origin, stands out as one of the Latin American countries that have the habit of consuming insects by presenting both biological and ethnic diversity. However, the use and diversity of edible insects in the country have been little studied. This review summarises the current status related to the knowledge of insects as food resources, with emphasis on ethnic groups established in the country. In Colombia, 69 edible insect species are currently reported, distributed in 49 genera, 27 families and 10 orders, and ingested by approximately 13 ethnic groups belonging principally to the Amazon and Caribbean regions. Guidelines and protocols are provided to establish research priorities in the study and use of edible insects in Colombia. In this way, the proposal of a general framework for the study and conservation of edible insect species, integrating a bioecological, socio-economic and institutional approach, will provide new perspectives for food security in this era of world food scarcity, and can play an interdisciplinary role (forestry, traditional medicine, agriculture, livestock) in mitigating the current global food crisis.

Disrupting the global refugee crisis or celebrity humanitarianism? Media frames of the refugee olympic team at 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo summer games

The world is witnessing the highest levels of human displacement on record. Journalists play an active role shaping the evolution and magnitude of a crisis as well as how they frame refugees in media. The Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) was introduced by IOC President Thomas Bach in October 2015. The purpose of this paper was to examine how the EOR team was referenced in relation to the current global refugee crisis across international news media during the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. We conducted a content analysis of the EOR team and athletes as they appeared in international news media from October 2015 until August 2021.After removing duplicate articles, the analysis capped at 310 original articles from 23 countries. Three central frames emerged from the international news media to characterize the EOR team and athletes: disrupting the crisis frame, Olympic celebrity humanitarian frame, and flat frame. Thomas Bach and representatives from the IOC and UNHCR were quoted most often in over 50% of all articles. EOR athlete, Yusra Mardini, of Syria, was the most individually covered and quoted athlete. Based off our media analysis, we discuss whether the Olympics public involvement with the global refugee crisis can be viewed as a form of celebrity humanitarianism, which rather than “helping” communities in the global South, can reproduce the same hierarchies and inequalities.

The impact of a global pandemic on persons living with dementia and their care partners: An analysis of 417 survey responses

BackgroundIn the midst of the current global health crisis, it is critical to capture the lived experiences of older adults and their care partners to inform priorities for health care services. The COVID‐19 pandemic that surfaced in 2019 impacted the physical and emotional health of older adults living with dementia and their care partners. The goal of this project was to explore the experiences and needs of people living with dementia and their care partners during the COVID‐19 pandemic as part of an ongoing evaluation of dementia support services provided by the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia in British Columbia, Canada.MethodPeople living with dementia and care partners were recruited from the communication channels of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. Participants completed an online survey that was developed around the priorities identified in the context of the COVID‐19 and Dementia Task Force convened by the Alzheimer Society of Canada.ResultA total of 417 completed surveys were analysed (395 care partners, 22 people living with dementia). Overall, respondents indicated that they were able to access information that was helpful for maintaining their own health and managing a period of social distancing (74% care partners, 86% people living with dementia). Care partners reported a number of serious concerns, including the inability to visit the person that they care for in long‐term or palliative care. Participants also reported that the pandemic increased their levels of stress overall (58%, 62%) and that they felt more isolated than they did before the pandemic (74%, 81%). The use of technology was reported as a way to connect socially with their loved ones, with the majority of participants connecting with others at least twice per week (79%, 75%). Many indicated an interest in learning more about using technology to connect with others (32%, 50%).ConclusionEvaluating the complex effects of a global pandemic through the experiences of people living with dementia and their care partners is vital to inform healthcare priorities to restore their quality of life and health and better prepare for the future.

A new cooling method for photovoltaic panels using brine from reverse osmosis units to increase efficiency and improve productivity

According to the rise in the use of PV-powered reverse osmotic (RO) systems due to the current global water crisis, brine management has become a serious issue for scientists. To deal with such difficulty, this study proposes a method in which the rejected brine is used to improve the efficiency of the PV panels by cooling the PV panels and also increase the productivity of the conventional RO systems by preheating the feedwater. Thus, an experimental investigation has been performed on a stand-alone PV-powered RO system to assess the electrical and thermal performance of the solar system and to study in parallel the influence of the thermal treatment on the feeding saline water. Conducting a series of tests under five feeding temperature levels (20, 25, 30, 35, 40 °C), with three feedwater salinity levels (1500, 3000 and 4500 mg L-1) at the outdoor conditions, the cooling performance of the brine with various operating parameters was achieved in terms of the growth in PV electrical efficiency. The experimental results demonstrated that when the temperature of the feedwater increases, the salt rejection decreases which leads to a higher recovery factor. Moreover, for the PV cooling purpose, when the brine with temperature below or equal to the ambient temperature is used as the coolant, the temperature reduction on the PV modules is more significant. The maximum improvement in electrical efficiency was found as 3.3% on the PV panels, which shows a 20% increase compared to without cooling conditions. The economic approach also revealed that, if the conventional water used for PV cooling is replaced with the brine rejected from RO systems, the payback period will decrease by 2–4 years depending on the working parameters.

Solar-driven enhanced chemical adsorption and interfacial evaporation using porous graphene-based spherical composites

Solar-energy-driven water purification is a promising technology for obtaining clean water during the current global climate crisis. Solar absorbers with high light absorption capacity and efficient energy conversion are critical components of solar-driven water evaporation and purification systems. Herein, we demonstrate that porous reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-based composite spheres facilitate efficient water evaporation and effective organic pollutant adsorption from water. Most solar light (>99% for 1 mm thick composites) is absorbed by the porous rGO-based composite spheres floating on water and is subsequently converted into heat, which is efficiently transferred to water at the air–water interface. Evaporation efficiency via energy conversion by the floating sphere composites reaches ∼74%. The increase in surface temperature of water also contributes to improving the adsorption capacity of the rGO-based composite spheres for organic pollutants. Furthermore, the composites can effectively block ultraviolet radiation, preventing the chemical reaction of water pollutants into harmful components.

EVALUATING CONSERVATION STATUS, THREATS AND POPULATION TRENDS OF LEUCADENDRON, A PLANT GENUS ENDEMIC TO THE CAPE REGION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Declines in endemic species have significant impact on global biodiversity loss. More efforts need to be harnessed to further protect endemic species from the current global extinction crisis. This study evaluated the current conservation status, factors responsible for risk of extinction and the trends in populations of Leucadendron, a plant genus endemic to the Cape region in South Africa. The SANBI (South African National Biodiversity Institute) Red List was employed in this study. The results revealed that over 50% of taxa in this genus are threatened and most of the species are exposed to habitat destruction and the presence of invasive species. It was also discovered that two species of this genus are currently extinct, which implies this genus is facing a high risk of extinction. More efforts, such as designing effective methods of controlling forces responsible for the risk of extinction of taxa in this genus, should be put in place to prevent their complete extirpation in future.

Evolution of Beak and Feather Disease Virus across Three Decades of Conservation Intervention for Population Recovery of the Mauritius Parakeet

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are key contributors to the current global biodiversity crisis. Psittaciformes (parrots) are one of the most vulnerable avian taxa and psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) is the most common viral disease in wild parrots. PBFD is caused by the beak and feather disease virus (BFDV), which belongs to the Circoviridae family and comprises a circular, single-stranded DNA genome. BFDV is considered to have spread rapidly across the world and, in 2005, an outbreak of PBFD was documented in the recovering population of the Mauritius parakeet (Alexandrinus eques). The Mauritius parakeet was once the world’s rarest parrot and has been successfully recovered through 30 years of intensive conservation management. Molecular surveillance for the prevalence of BFDV was carried out across a 24-year sample archive spanning the period from 1993 to 2017, and DNA sequencing of positive individuals provided an opportunity to assess patterns of phylogenetic and haplotype diversity. Phylogenetic analyses show variation in the extent of viral diversification within the replicase protein (Rep). Timeseries of BFDV prevalence and number of haplotypes reveal that two subsequent waves of infection occurred in 2010/2011 and 2013/2014 following the initial outbreak in 2005. Continued disease surveillance to determine the frequency and intensity of subsequent waves of infection may benefit future translocation/reintroduction planning. The continued growth of the Mauritius parakeet population despite the presence of BFDV bodes well for its long-term persistence.

Remaking international higher education for an unequal world

AbstractPrior to the current global health crisis, the value, and benefits of international education for different social groups have been questioned. Critics of the internationalisation of education emphasise that international student mobility only favours the elites in society but has disadvantaged for those groups with less fortunate socioeconomic status. In view of the COVID‐19 pandemic, leading scholars in the field of international higher education believe that a broad‐based global crisis for higher education has emerged, of which one major consequence is intensifying inequality in education during and after the pandemic crisis. This article sets out against the COVID‐19 pandemic crisis context to critically examine whether and how Asian students would continue going abroad for studies. Special attention is given to those major factors that shape the destination choices of students and their desire for international education. Based on a survey on Asian students' overseas learning preferences, this article reflects upon the future of international higher education from the geo‐political and socio‐psychological perspectives. This article also highlights the major challenges that hinder international higher education development and draws crucial lessons from the impact of the COVID‐19 crisis on such a development.