Late 1980s Research Articles

Банковская система России в 1987-1994: новая организация и новые проблемы

The article delves into the evolution of the banking institutions in Russia from 1987 to 1994. The necessity to move away from a single-level banking system by the late 1980s became apparent as it failed to meet the demands of a market economy. The emergence of specialized banks significantly expanded the functionality of banking operations, accompanied by the establishment of numerous regional branches. However, their dependence on the government persisted, and the banks' own capital increased slowly. The advent of commercial banks marked the beginning of the development of a full-fledged two-level structure of the Russian banking system. The number of commercial banks increased rapidly, attributed to the low requirements for obtaining licenses to conduct banking operations. Many banks encountered either liquidation or merging with the others as control over their activities was tightened and new regulations were introduced. The article outlines the legislative history regulating the monetary and credit system. The development and establishment of the banking system in Russia constitute a complex and contradictory process, including the criminalization of this sector in the early 90s, linked to the insufficient regulatory activity of the Central Bank of Russia. This led to citizens mistrust in banks, especially during the growth and subsequent collapse of financial pyramids. Unresolved issues in the banking and financial sectors led to another institutional crisis in 1995.

'Down pythons' throats we thrust live goats': snakes, zoos and animal welfare in nineteenth-century Britain.

In nineteenth-century Britain, captive snakes in menageries and zoological gardens were routinely fed with live prey - primarily rabbits, pigeons and guinea pigs. From the late 1860s, this practice began to generate opposition on animal welfare grounds, leading to a protracted debate over its necessity, visibility and morality. Focusing on the c.1870-1914 period, when the snake-feeding controversy reached its zenith, this article charts changing attitudes towards the treatment of reptiles in captivity and asks why an apparently niche practice generated so much interest. By looking at the biological arguments put forward for and against live feeding, the article traces the changing nature of humanitarian activism in the late nineteenth century and shows how the shifting character of the live-feeding debate paralleled wider trends in the animal welfare movement. It also highlights the different types of knowledge and expertise involved in the debate, as naturalists, veterinary surgeons, legal professionals, zookeepers and humanitarians offered conflicting perspectives on questions of reptilian dietary requirements and animal sentience.

Measuring global monetary damages from particulate matter and carbon dioxide emissions to track sustainable growth

An integrated framework that tracks global stocks and flows of natural capital is needed to assess sustainable economic growth. Here, we develop a set of globally comprehensive monetary damages from particulate matter air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in 165 countries from 1998 to 2018. Our results show that pollution intensity began to rise after a decade during which the global economy became less pollution-intensive from the late 1990s until the Great Recession. Larger economic production shares and higher pollution intensity in China and India drove this change. Deducting pollution damage from output from the late 1990s until the Great Recession yields higher growth estimates. After the Great Recession, this adjustment for pollution damage attenuated growth. We show that modeling monetary damages instead of physical measures of environmental quality affects inferences about sustainable development. Further, the monetary damages from exposure to particulate emissions peak earlier in the development path than damages due to carbon dioxide emissions. Monetary damages peak later than physical measures of both pollutants. For carbon dioxide, per capita emissions maximize at just over 60,000 dollars while monetary damages peak at nearly 80,000 dollars. In 2018, all but two countries were below this income level. Our results suggest that the global economy is likely to exhibit rising damages from particulates and carbon dioxide emissions in the years to come as nations grow and develop.

Unfulfilled Future Perfect? Comics as a Site of Liberty in Post-Mao China

ABSTRACT This study examines the changing ideological landscape of post-Mao China through the prism of the science fiction work, The Three Courts, published in the late 1970s. This work and its comic adaptations are not landmark works of literary history and popular culture but rather a utopian fable addressing the profound issues of the reform. We demonstrate how the comic version received a temporary ideological license to support the popular liberty movement, which reflects the cooperation of officials and civil society in the face of the socialist faith crisis and how such collaboration broke down in 1979. By analyzing the two revisions made to this work, we argue that the comic can be seen as a site of liberty that contains radical political content, but its visual output has not been censored. Thus, before the new myth of post-socialism took shape, this text reveals the unfulfilled expectations of democratized reforms by pro-democratic knowledge elites and cultural bureaucrats standing among the ruins of Mao-era China.

‘The mendacious Irish character:’ Molly Maguire, anti-Irish sentiment, and anti-labor propaganda in the American press, 1880–1920

ABSTRACT This paper evaluates the prevalence and impact of nativist and anti-labor narratives built on the claim that the ‘Molly Maguires’, a vague 1860s and 70s militant Irish labor phenomenon of the Pennsylvania anthracite region, was still active between the 1880s and the 1910s. It finds that such narratives were widespread until the late 1890s, and still regionally significant until the late 1900s, finally fading into obscurity in the 1910s. ‘Molly Maguirism’ as a media narrative was primarily directed at organized labor and the (Irish) working class; it is best understood as a form of ethnicized proto-Red Scare tactic, but could incorporate other elements, such as broader nativist ideology and sectarianism. Based on these findings, prevailing models of Irish acculturation, such as Painter’s ‘second enlargement of whiteness’, are obsolete; the paper recommends a thorough revision of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Irish American working-class history, accounting for the continued and hitherto massively underestimated presence of anti-Irish sentiment.

Is Thailand Attractive to Japanese Companies?

This study examines the relationship between the business sentiment of Japanese companies regarding promising or potential countries for investment and macroeconomic statistics, such as economic or population growth in Thailand, using data from the Survey Report on Overseas Business Operations by Japanese Manufacturing Companies from 1992 to 2022. Although investing in Thailand has been popular among Japanese companies since the late 1980s, it has seemingly become relatively inactive in recent years. The present study’s results are summarized as follows: First, the business sentiment of Japanese companies has some relationships with relatively short-term economic growth and the business cycle in the short run. Second, business sentiment depends on long-term trends, and this stance may have changed after 2020. Third, other elements, such as minimum wage or fewer young people, do not necessarily have a relationship with business sentiment. Although more studies including capital accumulation or the global value chain should be conducted, improving the sentiments of Japanese businesspersons is desirable.

An alternative experimental configuration to generate wrench zone above a viscous layer

Analogue modelling of wrench tectonics typically utilizes a rigid basement with a velocity discontinuity under a brittle or brittle-viscous cover, such as in Riedel experiments, which confines fault localization in the overlaying model. However, such a set-up is hardly compatible with modeling brittle-ductile systems such as the upper and lower crust or a brittle sedimentary cover overlying a viscous evaporitic layer. To achieve a more realistic experimental approach, Bruno Vendeville designed an alternative experimental set-up decoupling the basement from the brittle overburden with a viscous layer in which the basement is not involved. In this configuration, strike-slip movement is driven laterally rather than from the base up, facilitated by “weak zones” that preferentially localize the deformation during shortening and enable sliding between compartments. This original approach provides greater flexibility for modeling complex strike-slip settings, allowing for more freedom for strike-slip structures to form and evolve through time.Although the experiments described in this work were conducted in the late 1990s, the co-authors have chosen to revisit and adapt this earlier work for this Special Issue to underscore Bruno’s influence on another aspect of salt tectonics and his pioneering foresight in the field of analogue modelling.

History and formation of “Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Surgery - LLRS” as a subspecialty of orthopedic surgery

In the late 1970s, Italian orthopedic surgeons learned about the Ilizarov Method from patients who returned to Italy after being treated for serious motor scooter injuries sustained while vacationing in nearby communist Yugoslavia. Likewise, Carlo Mauri, a famous Italian explorer/writer went to Siberia to be personally treated by Dr. Ilizarov for a recalcitrant infected non-union of his tibia. Mauri’s return to his native land after a successful cure stimulated interest among Italian doctors.

Why Do More People Commit Suicide after the Economic Bubble

This paper examines the relationship between the economic recession and the high suicidal rates in Japan during the post-economic bubble in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between the economic recession, mental health, suicide prevalence and sociocultural dynamics. The literature review and empirical analysis show compelling evidence linking economic instability, financial distress, and unemployment to increased suicide rates. In addition, this paper explores the interplay of cultural factors for instance, stigma surrounding mental health and collective norms, in explaining the vulnerability experienced by individuals during economic recessions and hard times. Key findings emphasize the role of economic stability in increasing vulnerabilities as well as the effects of unemployment, familial relationships and self-esteem. The findings also show that the societal pressure to adhere to traditional roles, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is a key stressor affecting mental well-being. The study advocates for detailed research strategies such as interviews and surveys to further investigate causal relationships. This research provides key insights into the varying factors that contribute to suicide during economic crises, suggesting the need for holistic interventions that address both sociocultural and economic dimensions.

A Systematized Review of Quantitative Ultrasound Based on First-Order Speckle Statistics.

Since the late 1970s, the speckle interference patterns ubiquitous in pulse-echo ultrasound images have been used to characterize sub-resolution tissue structure. During this time, new models, estimation methods, and processing techniques have proliferated, offering a wealth of recommendations for the task of tissue characterization. A literature review was performed to draw attention to these various methods and to critically track assumptions and gaps in knowledge. A total of 388 articles were collected from a systematic search for first-order speckle statistics in diagnostic ultrasound in the NIH PubMed database and Elsevier's Scopus database. Articles were grouped by basic characteristics and evaluated for addressing fundamental assumptions. A sampling of models and methods is presented in order to reveal the state of the art in speckle statistics as well as sources of measurement error and other important considerations. While this body of literature emphasizes the value of speckle analysis in diagnostic ultrasound, it is shown that relatively little attention is devoted to basic assumptions such as the linearity of system response and scatterer geometry. Additionally, several areas of investigation are available to improve upon speckle statistics analysis, potentially leading to the advancement of this unique tool.

Hydrogels in the clinic: An update

AbstractHydrogels have been used in the clinic since the late 1980s with broad applications in drug delivery, cosmetics, tissue regeneration, among many other areas. The past three decades have witnessed rapid advances in the fields of polymer chemistry, crosslinking approaches, and hydrogel fabrication methods, which have collectively brought many new hydrogel products, either injectable or non‐injectable, to clinical studies. In an article published in 2020 entitled “Hydrogels in the clinic”, we reviewed the clinical landscape and translational challenges of injectable hydrogels. Here, we provide an update on the advances in the field and also extend the scope to include non‐injectable hydrogels. We highlight recently approved hydrogel products, provide an update on the clinical trials of injectable hydrogels, and discuss active clinical trials of topically applied and implantable hydrogels.

From raw seismic data to quantitative interpretation via cloud-based FWI

Full-waveform inversion (FWI) has evolved in recent years from a technique for recovering long- to intermediate-wavelength updates of acoustic overburden velocities as part of a broader model building workflow to a standalone tool for high-fidelity seismic imaging using raw seismic data – with ever greater resolution and ever more sophisticated physics being sought. In doing so, it has moved notably closer to fulfilling the vision of its original inventors in the late 70s and early 80s. In this work, two novel approaches to FWI along with enabling technologies for their effective deployment are considered. The first of these allows for robust long-wavelength updates to be generated from raw seismic data in the absence of diving wave energy, providing reliable estimates of acoustic velocity at depths equivalent to or greater than the longest offsets available in the data – thereby enabling more effective imaging with data of limited quality. The second allows for the estimation of elastic amplitude-versus-angle behaviour while still using an acoustic wave equation, thereby mitigating the significant computational burden typically associated with elastic FWI. Finally, it is demonstrated that these approaches can be deployed in a reliable and cost-effective manner via the considered use of public cloud resources, with learnings relevant for analogous massively parallel scientific applications. Case studies from two marine environments are provided for discussion, one being from deep-water US Gulf of Mexico and the other from intermediate water depths offshore Western Australia.

The making of Holocaust education in Britain, 1945–1991

ABSTRACT Despite the prevalence of research in Holocaust memory and Holocaust education, the historical development of British Holocaust education remains understudied. This paper reconstructs this history, presenting Anglo-Jewish efforts to teach about the Holocaust in the 1970s for the first time and using the concept of ‘cosmopolitan memory’ to explain its proliferation in the early 1980s. This article argues that the origins of contemporary Holocaust education should not be found in the increase of its teaching with the National Curriculum of 1991 but in the changing culture of memory and history teaching in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

On the basis of sex: a liberal feminist analysis of women’s struggle for education

This study delves into the portrayal of women's struggles for education as depicted in the Hollywood film “On the Basis of Sex.” It seeks to address the pervasive influence of patriarchal dominance that impedes women's educational rights. The narrative is primarily framed around the life experiences of the film's central figure, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who contends with male counterparts in her quest for admission to prestigious law school programs in the United States. Simultaneously, feminists advocate for education as a cornerstone for women's empowerment and gender equality. It empowers women to become agents of change, thereby emphasising their equal rights to shape a better world. The research adopts a qualitative approach, collecting both primary and secondary data, and employs liberal feminist critical theory for data analysis. Key findings reveal the disadvantaged state of American women in the late 1950s, marked by limited educational access. Despite these obstacles, women, exemplified by Ginsburg, displayed unwavering determination and unity in their pursuit of improved educational opportunities, subsequently expanding their presence in the legal profession and public employment. Ginsburg’s remarkable journey serves as an enduring symbol of resilience and inspiration for others, reaffirming the notion that education is a universal right transcending gender barrier.

Printing Ochre

The discipline of geology was relatively new at the start of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the late 1800s, but through the organisation of an efficient government bureau and the voice of its printed page, it became a dominant perspective in the way generations of citizens relate to and view the natural world, human and nonhuman, life and nonlife. I choose to position my press in direct opposition to the maintenance of these dualisms. I will argue the critical role of print in facilitating USGS domination of terrestrial beings in a practical sense, yet beyond the methods and reach of publication, I believe the products of the USGS mediate our understanding of and relation to these beings. Instead, design practices can be directed towards changing attitudes and understanding between humans and nonhumans. Monika Bakke argues for the importance of artistic endeavours in addressing our collective futurity: Drawing on both life’s mineral origins and its key role in shaping mineral species, artists are turning to technoscience in order to develop, outside expert circles, better understanding of physical, chemical, and biological environments, not just of the geological past but also those to come in the future. ... Yet, their methodologies are specific to art which offers creative ontological and ethical contributions to public debate. (2017, p. 43) I am developing a design research paradigm relating to ochre as an epistemic tool for human and nonhuman intersubjectivity and ontological reconciliation or reunification between life and nonlife. I model my practice after a simplification of the USGS: to survey (observe, describe, collect) and to report (archive, document, record), with some critical variance in method and outcomes.

Firearm and Criminal Milieu Homicide in Sweden

This study analyzes the trend in firearm and criminal milieu–related homicides in Sweden in the past three decades. A particular focus is on the 2010–2019 period, during which a dramatic increase was noted, although an increase in firearm homicides with illegal guns had already started in the late 1990s. In extant literature, the rapid increase in the 2010s is posited to be associated with fast access to illegal weapons, especially among youth in the most urban regions, Stockholm and Skaane County in particular. As a result, many victims and perpetrators are young men. This issue is proposed to be exacerbated by the new possibilities for organized crime setups in the wake of the digital revolution, a heightened level of social problems in the aftermath of high immigration from developing countries in combination with the dismantling of welfare institutions, and a self-increasing chain reaction of violence triggered by random episodes in the criminal milieu. These hypotheses are largely supported by this study’s findings.

Borrelia burgdorferi

Since its recent discovery in the late 1970s, Lyme Disease (LD) has been a growing public health concern, especially in the United States where it accounts for the majority of vector-borne infections each year. The causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected Ixodes tick. This pathogen uses many unique mechanisms to both shield itself from the host immune response and cause disease. Clinically, LD presents in successive phases, with each increasing in severity as the bacterial cells migrate to new tissues and organ systems. On the epidemiological and ecological fronts, limitations in reporting, ecological changes, and a lack of public support hinder accurate surveillance and enhance the spread of the disease. The goal of this literature review is to increase public knowledge of B. burgdorferi, its vector, and the disease it causes, along with suggesting preventative measures to protect individuals who reside in high-risk areas. A collective and coordinated public health effort represents our greatest chance of restraining the LD-causing pathogen.

Balloon drift estimation and improved position estimates for radiosondes

Abstract. When comparing model output with historical radiosonde observations, it is usually assumed that a radiosonde has risen exactly above its starting point and has not been displaced by wind. This changed only relatively recently with the availability of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers aboard radiosondes in the late 1990s, but even then the balloon trajectory data were often not transmitted, although this information was the basis for estimating the wind in the first place. Depending on the conditions and time of year, radiosondes can sometimes drift a few hundred kilometres, particularly at the middle latitudes during the winter months. The position errors can lead to non-negligible representation errors when the corresponding observations are assimilated. This paper presents a methodology to compute changes in the balloon position during its vertical ascent, using only limited information, such as the vertical profile of wind contained in the historical observation reports. The sensitivity of the method to various parameters is investigated, such as the vertical resolution of the input data, the assumption about the vertical ascent speed of the balloon, and the departure of the surface of Earth from a sphere. The paper considers modern GNSS sonde data reports for validation, for which the full trajectory of the balloon is available, alongside the reported wind. Evaluation is also conducted by comparison with ERA5 and by conducting low-resolution data assimilation experiments. Overall, the results indicate that the trajectory of the radiosondes can be accurately reconstructed from original data of varying vertical resolutions and that the more accurate balloon position reduces representation errors and, in some cases, systematic errors.

Changes in potential evaporation with the extension of water‐saving irrigation in Xinjiang, north‐western China

AbstractSince the late 1990s, the irrigation quota in Xinjiang, northwestern China has witnessed a decline, owing to the widespread adoption of highly efficient water‐saving irrigation technologies. This phenomenon prompts the question: has there been a corresponding impact on potential evaporation? To explore changes in potential evaporation resulting from irrigation advances, we conducted a comprehensive analysis spanning the years 1978–2017 in Xinjiang. Our investigation focused on a pairwise examination of agricultural stations with substantial irrigation effects, enveloped by a substantial proportion of cultivated land, and reference stations with negligible irrigation effects, surrounded by a comparatively smaller proportion of cultivated land. The findings unveiled a noteworthy reduction in potential evaporation at agricultural stations during the period 1978–1997. However, a contrasting trend emerged in the subsequent period of 1998–2017, wherein there was a significant increase in potential evaporation. In contrast, reference stations did not exhibit statistically significant reversals in potential evaporation. The observed changes in potential evaporation at agricultural stations were primarily attributed to shifts in aerodynamic components. These changes were closely associated with the reversed changes in irrigation intensity, a consequence of the widespread adoption of water‐saving irrigation practices since 1998.

Forests high on CO2: A glimpse into how scientists study the biochemical machinery of forest ecosystems

Are forests across the planet storing more carbon as a result of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration? In this text, I propose to reflect on the work of researchers who are asking that very question. The focus is on a particular approach called free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments, in which forests in their local environment are subjected to a CO2 concentration higher than in the ambient air, to test the CO2 fertilization hypothesis. This hypothesis predicts that forests store more carbon in those conditions. FACE studies held the promise of establishing cause–effect relations and transcending the here and now. They emerged in the United States in the late 1980s, at a time when ecology scaled up to make itself relevant to the then nascent Earth System science. FACE experiments in forests are now conducted in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, and their results are closely scrutinized by a small research community. The text, first, presents the engineering feat that underpins FACE experiments in forests and discuss two problems highlighted by scientists because they impede hasty generalization from the data: the timescale needed to witness forests change and the spatial heterogeneity of forest soils. It then shows how scientists contend with their incomplete understanding of forest ecosystems as they bring together computer models and empirical data to build consensus around the sources of epistemic uncertainty. To conclude, I propose to rework the idea of “the macroscope” to conceptualize what scientists do when they seek to study forests as complex, layered, multi-scale systems. I wish to capture how researchers, who willingly endorse a planetary gaze, problematize their own predicament. This, as I suggest, has to do with the immanence of forests in the world.