Global Framework Research Articles

Optimizing pharmaceutical inventory management: A global framework for efficiency and cost reduction

Pharmaceutical inventory management is critical in ensuring continuous drug availability and cost efficiency in healthcare institutions globally. However, maintaining optimal inventory levels is challenging due to factors such as overstocking, stockouts, and global supply chain disruptions. This paper reviews best practices for efficient pharmaceutical inventory management, emphasizing the integration of data analytics and predictive models to forecast demand, reduce waste, and streamline procurement. It explores strategies for implementing unified inventory systems across diverse healthcare settings, balancing cost efficiency with uninterrupted drug availability. Additionally, the paper examines the impact of global supply chain disruptions on pharmaceutical supply and recommends solutions for building resilience. Through real-world examples and recommendations for future improvements, this review highlights the potential for enhanced global inventory management practices to reduce costs while ensuring the continuous availability of essential medications. Keywords: Pharmaceutical Inventory Management, Data Analytics, Cost Efficiency, Predictive Models, Supply Chain Resilience, Drug Availability

Using key and critical biodiversity areas to identify gaps in the protected area network in the Limpopo Province, South Africa

AbstractThe Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) commits signatories to expand the global protection of land and sea by 30% in 2030. Additionally, in South Africa, a local target set in 2016 aims to conserve 16% of terrestrial areas using protected areas within a two‐decade time frame. Concurrently, it is crucial to recognize and prioritize sites where biodiversity must be protected immediately. This recognition has given rise to global Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and South Africa's Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs). KBAs are sites of significance for the global persistence of biodiversity. In South Africa, CBAs delineate primarily or partially natural areas needing management. Despite their significance, an assessment of KBAs and CBAs in South Africa's Limpopo province, specifically the Vhembe District, is lacking. Employing GIS techniques, our evaluation focused on the coverage, size, and distribution of protected areas in the Vhembe District. Our analysis revealed that protected areas cover an impressive 38% of the Vhembe District. Critical Biodiversity Areas cover 9465 km2 (36%) of the region. Alarmingly, 70% (6809 km2) of these CBA sites lack protection. Additionally, KBAs cover 30% of the region, with 39% of sites covering approximately 3273 km2 and laying outside the protected area network, rendering them entirely unprotected. Sluggish protected areas establishment rates and a deficiency in the strategic targeting of significant sites have resulted in over 10,000 km2 of land warranting protection, particularly along the Soutpansberg Mountain Range. Moreover, South Africa's national target, established in 2016, which aims to protect a mere 16% of terrestrial areas by 2036, falls short of the global KMGBF target, reinforcing the urgency for an update in national policy and embracing other conservation methods. These findings suggest that, despite the commendable 38% protection of the district, setting a precedent for the rest of the country, there is a crucial need for municipalities, districts, and provinces to draw insights from the shortfalls of the Vhembe District.

Identifying climate‐smart tropical Key Biodiversity Areas for protection in response to widespread temperature novelty

AbstractKey Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are a cornerstone of 21st‐century area‐based conservation targets. In tropical KBAs, biodiversity is potentially at high risk from climate change, because most species reside within or beneath the canopy, where small increases in temperature can lead to novel climate regimes. We quantify novelty in temperature regimes by modeling hourly temperatures below the forest canopy across tropical KBAs between 1990 and 2019. We find that up to 66% of KBAs with tropical forests have recently transitioned to novel temperature regimes. Nevertheless, 34% of KBAs are providing refuge from novelty, 58% of which are not protected. By conducting the first pan‐tropical analyses of changes in below‐canopy temperature conditions in KBAs, we identify KBAs that are acting as climate refugia and should be considered for expansion of the conservation network in response to the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework target to conserve 30% of land area by 2030.

Strengths and complementarity of systematic conservation planning and key biodiversity area approaches for spatial planning.

Developing biodiversity-inclusive spatial plans at a national level is the focus of Target 1 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). There are 2 general approaches to identifying areas of value for biodiversity plans: criteria-based, such as the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) process, and systematic conservation planning (SCP) approaches, which apply complementarity to efficiently achieve specific quantitative targets. We examined the benefits of both approaches and considered how the KBA approach can best complement SCP. We reviewed 200 papers articles that applied SCP to real-world data with the Marxan conservation design software. Our review showed that targets for biodiversity elements are poorly selected in many SCP publications, with more than 75% of the studies applying uniform percentage target amounts to planning elements. Uniform targets favor more widespread species and ecosystems that are likely to be more common and less important for conservation. The strengths and complementarities of KBA and SCP approaches were reviewed and we identified the elements from both approaches that should be considered for spatial planning to achieve Target 1 in the KMGBF. In particular, the global approach of KBAs (i.e., identifying sites of global significance for species or ecosystems) better complements SCP, which often has a national or subnational focus. The KMGBF will fail if conservation of globally significant sites is not targeted and these sites are not incorporated in national spatial planning.

STRAIN SELECTION AND CULTIVATION OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE VIRUSES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TRIVALENT INACTIVATED VACCINE

Foot-and-mouth disease is a well-known transboundary animal disease and has been recognised as a priority disease by the Steering Committee of the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases in Europe. The territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan is generally free of foot-and-mouth disease, however, sporadic cases of foot-and-mouth disease occur in various regions of the country as a result of importation from unfavorable countries. Epizootic safety in the Republic of Kazakhstan is maintained by vaccinating animals in the border areas of the southern and eastern regions. Inactivated vaccines against serotypes A, O, Asia produced by the All-Russian Research Institute of Animal Health (Russia) are used for vaccination. Continuous seromonitoring is carried out to maintain the level of post-vaccination antibodies at a high level, ensuring the immunity of animals to foot-and-mouth disease. However, despite all the measures taken, sporadic outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease cause damage to livestock farming in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The effectiveness of preventive measures using vaccination depends on the strain used in the vaccine. The closer the strain used in the vaccine is genetically to the viruses circulating in that area, the more effective the preventive measures will be and the research conducted to create the most immunogenic domestic anti-foot-and-mouth disease vaccines have scientific and practical significance. This article presents the results of the selection of foot-and-mouth disease virus strains previously circulating in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan and studies their cultural and biological properties. Studies of the above-mentioned strains on adaptation to a transplantable cell culture line were conducted, the stability of cultural properties was studied over 10 generations and the stability was confirmed by the PCR method. Also, based on the studies, it was found that the maximum accumulation of the virus in cell culture occurs at a multiplicity of infection of 0.01-0.1 TCID50/cell. The reproductive activity of the studied isolates was within 6.5-7.25 lg TCID50/cm3 when cultivated for 16 hours.

Generalized stochastic Petri net-based performance analysis of a Wi-Fi network probe in a dynamic QoX management system

Over the years, the concept of Quality of Service (QoS) has evolved from traditional network performance metrics to include Quality of Experience (QoE) considerations. This evolution also encompasses various business-related aspects, such as the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction, the alignment of service offerings with market demands, and the optimization of resource allocation to ensure cost-effectiveness and competitive advantage. This comprehensive approach, considering all the QoS dimensions (QoX), ensures the proper management of QoS across different services, contexts and technologies. Building on this broader QoX framework, it is essential to rely on advanced monitoring tools capable of handling the complexity introduced by these new demands. In this context, this paper describes a Generalized Stochastic Petri Net (GSPN) based model to analyze the performance of a Wi-Fi network probe in terms of computational capacity. The probe node plays a crucial role in a distributed monitoring system designed to implement a machine learning based global QoX management framework. Hence, the model explores the probe's computational resources to handle supplementary machine learning tasks alongside its typical packet capture and data processing responsibilities. Additionally, the model can evaluate the efficiency of the probe node under different scenarios, providing valuable insight into the potential need for additional resources at the node as operational demands continue to evolve.

America the Beautiful: Meeting “30 × 30” Conservation Goals Through Connected Protected Areas

Protected areas are a primary instrument for biodiversity conservation, and area-based targets have become a hallmark of global efforts with the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biological Framework recommending at least 30 percent of land and water be protected by 2030. In parallel, the United States has implemented “America the Beautiful,” a call for local, state, and regionally led efforts to conserve, connect, and restore 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. Achieving these goals is complicated, however, by the multiple policy scales at which conservation decisions are made and governed and the limited guidance provided on how gains to protected and connected areas should be evaluated. We assess the connectedness of U.S. protected areas at multiple scales and find that less than 3 percent of the United States is protected and connected. Connectedness increases when the area under investigation is partitioned into smaller policy units (e.g., counties), a product of the modifiable areal unit problem. Similarly, connectedness values increase by an order of magnitude when assessed relative to the protected area network rather than considering all land area. Both findings support the need for standardized reporting frameworks and highlight the challenges in coordinating conservation goals across administrative units.

Progress in developing and operationalizing the Monitoring Framework of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

The failure to halt the global decline in biodiversity by 2020 contributed to the adoption of the ambitious Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which includes transparency and responsibility as foundations. The Global Biodiversity Framework identifies the actions needed so that societies are living in harmony with nature by 2050. To support the delivery of this ambition, the transparency and responsibility mechanisms defined in the Global Biodiversity Framework include a detailed Monitoring Framework designed to prompt evidence-based actions and track progress towards its goals and targets at the national and global level. The Monitoring Framework includes a set of indicators selected by the Parties through a political process. These indicators have since been operationalized through a scientific process led by an expert group focused on assessing and clarifying their methods. Most indicators are now ready to inform on progress, but key limitations of data availability and methodological challenges remain. The onus is now on the Parties to resource implementation and on the scientific community to support indicator use and development. Implementation of the Monitoring Framework will provide an unprecedented view of the state of biodiversity at the national level, which can be used to assess both national and global progress. Investment to overcome the Monitoring Framework's weaknesses will improve our ability to measure progress and mobilize the actions needed to protect and restore biodiversity and the many benefits we receive from nature.

A Global Resilience Analysis-Based Benchmark Framework for Comparing Reliability Surrogate Measures of Water Distribution Systems

Various reliability surrogate measures have emerged over the last three decades to design water distribution systems. However, existing comparative studies cannot assess surrogate measures from the resilience perspective considering the dynamic absorption–recovery process imposed by pipe failures. In this work, we propose a novel benchmark framework based on the global resilience analysis to examine surrogate measures’ performance. Surrogate measures were compared via the stress–strain curve derived from the global resilience analysis under extended period simulation. In particular, we identify the comparable stress range to articulate the differences among surrogate measures and significantly reduce the computational burden. Then, we develop the normalized resilience score (NRS) to evaluate the quality of solutions to network design. Five well-known measures are compared for the multiobjective design of two benchmark networks. Results show that the Network Resilience Index achieves 2.5% to 10.1% better NRSs than the mean NRSs over five surrogate measures, implying that both nodal surplus energy and pipe diameter uniformity greatly impact the network system’s resilience. The uniformity of pipe diameters is more significant than the uniformity of flow rate. Our findings contribute to the design of new and better surrogate measures for network resilience evaluation.

Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Higher Education: A Critical Examination of Governance and Policy

The contemporary university has evolved into a multifaceted institution, serving not only as a hub for research, professional training, and knowledge dissemination, but also as a pivotal component of economic machinery and societal advancement, especially within the context of globalization and intense competition. These institutions are now expected to significantly contribute to the socio-economic development of their surroundings, striving for excellence and competing within an increasingly interconnected global framework. To meet these heightened expectations, universities have undergone profound transformations over recent decades. This period of change is particularly notable within the Spanish context, mirroring the broader societal shifts since the onset of the democratic transition in 1975 through to the present day in 2024. This era has necessitated substantial reforms in university governance, equipping these institutions with the requisite tools to navigate and address emerging challenges effectively. A pivotal moment in this transformative journey was the enactment of the University Reform Law of 1983. Grounded in constitutional principles, this law marked a significant milestone in updating and revitalizing university education in Spain. After this, the Organic Law on Universities of 2001 further aligned the Spanish university framework with the broader European educational landscape, reinforcing the integration and competitiveness of Spanish institutions on a continental scale. However, to comprehensively grasp the magnitude and implications of these changes, it is essential to extend our analysis beyond the immediate past and explore the historical trajectory of Spanish universities over previous centuries. By examining this extensive historical context, we can better understand the foundational elements that have shaped the current state of higher education. This article aims to meticulously analyze the evolution of the Spanish university system, delineating the chronological progress, identifying persistent challenges, and engaging in a critical discourse on potential solutions. Through this examination, the article seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of the interplay between historical legacies and contemporary reforms, offering insights that are essential for shaping the future trajectory of higher education in Spain.

Epidemiology of peste des petits ruminants in selected districts of Borena zone, Ethiopia

BackgroundPeste des petits ruminant (PPR) is a contagious disease caused by the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). The disease poses a significant economic threat to small ruminant production in Ethiopia, particularly to the striving pastoral production system. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of PPR in the small ruminants of the Borena Zone. A total of 384 serum samples were collected randomly from sheep and goats and examined for the presence of PPRV antibodies using competition enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (c-ELISA). Additionally, a retrospective analysis of five years of outbreak data was performed to provide insight into the spatial and temporal distribution of the disease.ResultsThe seroprevalence of PPRV antibodies in nonvaccinated, vaccinated, and unknown vaccination status of small ruminants in this study was found to be 32.1%, 68.8%, and 45.5%, respectively. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed a statistically significant association between PPRV seropositivity and several factors, including age, animal origin, flock size, and veterinary services status. A retrospective analysis revealed 53 PPR outbreaks in the Borena Zone from 2018 to 2022, exacerbated by low vaccination coverage relative to the at-risk animal population.ConclusionThe study revealed significant gaps in current vaccination efforts, with herd immunity levels falling below the FAO-WOAH recommended threshold of 80%. Despite Ethiopia’s ambitious goal to eradicate PPR by 2027, the frequent outbreaks and insufficient herd immunity highlight the inadequacy of the existing strategies. To effectively move toward eradication, Ethiopia must align its approach with the global PPR eradication framework, which emphasizes a comprehensive strategy that includes diagnostics, surveillance, prevention, and the establishment of a robust veterinary regulatory system, rather than relying solely on vaccination. Overcoming logistical challenges, improving vaccination coverage, and optimizing the timing of vaccination campaigns, especially in hard-to-reach areas, will be crucial for reducing outbreaks and making progress toward eradication.

A first determination of the strong coupling αS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha _S$$\\end{document} at approximate N3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extrm{N}^3$$\\end{document}LO order in a global PDF fit

We present the first determination of the value of the strong coupling via a simultaneous global fit of the proton parton distribution functions (PDFs) at approximate N3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extrm{N}^3$$\\end{document}LO (aN3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extrm{N}^3$$\\end{document}LO) order in QCD. This makes use of the MSHT global PDF fitting framework, and in particular the recent theoretical advances t l;;mhat allow a PDF fit to now be performed at this order. The value of the strong coupling is found to be αS(MZ2)(aN3LO)=0.1170±0.0016\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha _{S}(M_Z^2)(\\mathrm{aN^3LO}) = 0.1170 \\pm 0.0016$$\\end{document}. This is in excellent agreement with the NNLO value of αS(MZ2)(NNLO)=0.1171±0.0014\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\alpha _{S}(M_Z^2)(\ extrm{NNLO}) = 0.1171 \\pm 0.0014$$\\end{document}, indicating that good perturbative convergence has been found. The resulting uncertainties, calculated using the MSHT dynamic tolerance procedure, are somewhat larger, but more accurate, at aN3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extrm{N}^3$$\\end{document}LO, due to the missing higher order theoretical uncertainties that are included at this order, but not at NNLO. We in addition present a detailed breakdown of the individual dataset sensitivity to the value of the strong coupling, with special focus on the impact of fitting dijet rather than inclusive jet data. This choice is found to have a non-negligible impact, but with overall good consistency found, especially at aN3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extrm{N}^3$$\\end{document}LO.

Ecological indicators of water quality and marshland impact area (MARia) index of Ligawasan Marsh: a critically important wetland in the Southern Mindanao, Philippines

Wetland ecosystems are vital for both biodiversity and communities that depend on them. The Ligawasan Marsh in the southern part of the Philippines is one of the most threatened wetlands in the country. Apart from increasing anthropogenic development, wetlands have faced warfare-driven threats that have hindered research and conservation efforts in the area for many decades. Our study is the first to investigate the patterns of physicochemical parameters, patterns of land use cover, and the relationship between land use change and marshland environmental status. We also developed the Marshland Impact Area (MARia) index to assess the potential impact contributions of the surrounding towns. We found a strong negative correlation between dissolved oxygen (DO) and indicators of pollution such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and heavy metals. Interestingly, we observed elevated levels of phosphate and mercury at all sampling sites in the Ligawasan Marsh. Our landscape-level modelling showed that these elevated levels are associated with expanding croplands and urbanisation surrounding the marsh. We found that the potential impact contribution of cropland and urbanisation from surrounding towns of the Ligawasan Marsh varied significantly, suggesting the importance of implementing local policies to reduce land use change impacts. With the current yet remaims limited knowledge and beyond safe pollution levels in the Ligawasan Marsh, it is crucial to implement collaborative and science-based governance to integrate conservation initiatives with the priorities of global targets, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, for a comprehensive and sustainable approach to Ligawasan Marsh conservation.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR PREPARING FUTURE PEDAGOGUES

This article describes the crucial importance of the International Assessment System (IAS) in molding the training of prospective educators. Acknowledging the changing demands of the global educational landscape, the research seeks to unveil the pivotal role that the IAS plays in guiding teacher preparation programs worldwide. The article examines how involvement with this assessment framework contributes to the cultivation of competent and globally-aware educators. The paper deals with primary objectives include scrutinizing the alignment of teacher preparation programs with international assessment standards, identifying perceived benefits and challenges associated with IAS integration, and proposing recommendations to optimize the preparation of future educators within this global framework.

Data-driven inventory control for large product portfolios: A practical application of prescriptive analytics

Motivated by the real-world inventory management problem of a large network of pharmacies, this paper proposes and studies a practically relevant Prescriptive Analytics approach for data-driven dynamic inventory control of large portfolios of interrelated products. We extend existing research on weighted Sample Average Approximation by integrating a ‘global learning’ model that effectively exploits cross-learning opportunities within the product portfolio. The results of an extensive numerical evaluation on real-world data suggest that our approach outperforms relevant benchmarks—in particular, models that rely on ‘local learning’ strategies where weight functions are trained separately for each product. The numerical results also allow us to derive important practical and structural insights regarding the value of contextual information in our global learning framework.

Transformational Leadership As A Catalyst For Enhancing Gender Equality And Women's Representation In Public Administration: Opportunities For Increased Access And Involvement In South Sudan

The Gender Equality in Public Administration Study was carried at the National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI) of the University of Juba in partnership with the Ministry of Gender Child and Social Welfare and UNDP South Sudan. The Study employed UNDP’s global GEPA initiative framework and UNDP-OECD Toolkit for Mainstreaming and Implementing Gender Equality in Public Life. which consists of four pillars, namely,1) Institutional and governance frameworks for gender equality and mainstreaming; 2) Gender-sensitive practices in parliaments; 3) Gender-sensitive public employment systems; 4) Gender-sensitive practices in the judiciary. Based on South Sudan context and the systems alreadyestablished,some key aspects of the UNDP-OECD tool with particular emphasis on Pillars (1) and (3) were adopted. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection that include surveys, face-to-face interviews, consultation workshops and focus group discussions were used to reach out to gender focal persons from all government institutions (ministries, commissions and parastatal organizations), organized forces, Academia and Civic groups that include Faith Based Organizations, Civil Society Organizations and Disability Persons Organisations.The collated information was analysed using SPSS and interpretation provided. The studyfound the existence of considerable gender differentials in terms of genderrights, accessto humanrights and access to justice. Gender inequality and Sexual Gender-Based Violence are widespread and mostly intensified by cultural norms and insecurity caused by interstate and intracommunal conflicts. Gender equality and women’s access, involvement and representation in Public Administration are linked to multiple structural and functional constraints which differ across sectors in South Sudan. Analysis from this study, clearly underlines that participation and access to formal political power structures is impeded by inherent gender imbalance in institutionalstructures, unequal power sharing, socio-economic context, culture, ideological and psychologicalfactors, which remain sticky, normalized and increasingly accepted as part of life. From the foregoing, it is imperative that directed policy initiatives and legal framework be established to address the issues. The Government of the Republic of South Sudan should conduct a review of the legislative and policy framework to integrate the minimum of 35% quotas for womenin all public administration (National Gender Policy; National Strategic Plan Framework; LabourAct, Civil Service Act and Public Service Regulations);

Graph-GIC: A smart and parallelized geomagnetically induced current modelling algorithm based on graph theory for space weather applications

Geomagnetically Induced Current (GIC) refers to the electromagnetic response of the Earth and its conductive modern infrastructures to space weather and would pose a significant threat to high-voltage power grids designed for the alternative current operation. To assess the impact of space weather on the power grid, one needs to calculate the GIC on a national or continental scale. In this study, we developed a smart and parallelized GIC modelling algorithm, Graph GIC. This algorithm deploys a graph representing a power grid in a single-line diagram, in which substations/transformers act as nodes and transmission lines as edges. With these denotations, a power grid and its electric parameters are mathematically represented with an adjacency matrix and an admittance matrix. We used sparse matrix and parallelisation techniques to expedite the intensive computation in cases of large-scale power grids. The Graph GIC was validated with a benchmark grid, applied to the GIC calculation of the 500 kV power grid of Guangdong, China, and conducted preliminary analysis on the grid’s susceptibility to geomagnetic storms. The Graph GIC algorithm has the advantage of an intuitive and highly scalable graph representation of a power grid at any scale. It achieves high-accuracy calculation and a speedup of about 18 times after parallelisation. This algorithm could be applied to assess the impact of space weather on a power grid up to continental scales and could be incorporated into global space weather modelling frameworks.

Economic gains from geographic shifts in international sourcing

The geographic evolution of global value chains (GVCs) has been significantly changing the pace and structure of economic development in many countries. We first employ a global input-output (IO) model to quantify the contribution of geographic shifts in international sourcing to China's economic gains. In 2019, China's GDP per capita was 11% below the world average. We show, however, that the gap would have been 39% if there had been no international sourcing shifts between 1995 and 2019. We subsequently propose an optimization model in the global IO framework to explore potential strategies which further improve China's GDP per capita. The optimization results suggest that import substitution and export promotion could be two possible strategies. However, these strategies could fail if all countries adopt the same strategies and participate in the non-cooperative competition. Instead, our results suggest that promoting technological upgrading provides more sustainable opportunities for improving a country's gains.

Comparative Analysis Of Ai Governance In Africa Relative To Global Standards And Practices

Africa as a continent recognizes the need for Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance frameworks. However, despite initiatives like the African Union's Continental AI Strategy, African nations grappled with challenges in formulating comprehensive AI policies, while established global frameworks provided advanced benchmarks for comparison. To address this disparity, this study conducted a comparative analysis of AI governance in Africa relative to global standards and practices. Employing a comprehensive document analysis methodology, the research examined key policy documents, strategic frameworks, and regulatory guidelines across African, European, American, and Asian contexts. The findings revealed that while the African Union demonstrated commitment to coordinated AI governance, African approaches generally lagged behind global benchmarks in comprehensiveness, formalization, and ethical integration. The study identified a notable fragmentation in AI governance across African nations, contrasting with more unified approaches in other regions. African frameworks emphasized leveraging AI for socio-economic development, diverging from the risk mitigation focus seen in EU regulations. The integration of indigenous African ethical perspectives in AI governance frameworks was limited, presenting both challenges and opportunities. Significant disparities in digital infrastructure and AI capacity between Africa and other regions were found to affect governance implementation. The study concluded that despite these challenges, there was potential for Africa to develop innovative, context-specific AI governance models that could contribute valuable insights to the global discourse on responsible AI development. Recommendations included accelerating the implementation of the Continental AI Strategy, prioritizing investment in digital infrastructure, developing Africa-centric AI ethics frameworks, establishing mechanisms for regular benchmarking against global standards, fostering increased collaboration, and implementing AI literacy programs across the continent.

One health governance of antimicrobial resistance seen through an Urban Political Ecology lens: a critical interpretive synthesis

ABSTRACT Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to animal and ecosystem health, agriculture, water, and sanitation systems, posing risks not only to human health, but also to society and the systems upon which it depends. Global health governance draws on the One Health (OH) approach to combat AMR. However, the effective implementation of these approaches faces several constraints, including governance and implementation challenges arising from the interconnected nature of AMR with other global health threats, as well as local and structural socioecological factors that affect policy outcomes, that are often overlooked in governance approaches. This article aims to clarify how scientific literature has situated OH-AMR governance responses in relation to six socioecological dimensions: global health threats, broader concerns, governance frameworks, socioeconomic factors, health equity, and environmental justice. Informed by an Urban Political Ecology (UPE) lens and guided by the Critical Interpretive Synthesis (CIS) methodology of Dixon-Woods et al., our critical interpretive synthesis identified 18 articles situating OH-AMR arrangements within these socioecological dimensions. The role of global governance frameworks in shaping state governance arrangements has rarely been the object of analysis in the selected studies. The synthesis highlights the connections between urbanization, AMR risks, global health threats, and broader ecological challenges, calling for a reassessment of current global and state governance approaches. The study also offers a case for the adoption of a UPE lens to address AMR and related global health challenges.