Legacy Problems Research Articles

Approaches and Methods of Optimazing Long-Term Strategy of Pulling Projects of Nuclear Legacy out of Operation

The article studies a new approach to shaping possible variants of long-term strategies of pulling projects of nuclear legacy out of operation, which is based on optimization with criteria on min costs and restrictions on resources, radioactive risks and duration of the implementation period. The author put forward different variants of criteria and restrictions of strategy of pulling projects of nuclear legacy out of operation. Methods of resolving the task of optimization were studied that are based on principles of dynamic programming and an example of getting a solution was demonstrated. Benefits and drawbacks of the approach were discussed in comparison with accepted in global and Russian practice methods of prioritization of the procedure of pulling projects out of operation. The article analyzed prospects of using the proposed approach for the development of long-term road map aimed at settling problems of nuclear legacy in the Russian Federation.

Christopher R. Seitz. Essays on Prophecy and Canon

Christopher R. Seitz. <i>Essays on Prophecy and Canon</i>

Exploring the research landscape of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction: A bibliometric study.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, olfactory dysfunction (OD) has become an important and persistent legacy problem that seriously affects the quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively analyze and visualize the current research status and development trend of COVID-19 related OD by using VOSviewer software. Based on the Web of Science database, a total of 1,592 relevant documents were retrieved in January 2023, with publication time spanning from 2020 to 2023. The bibliometric analysis revealed that the most influential research results in the field of COVID-19 related OD were concentrated in journals of related disciplines such as otorhinolaryngology, medicine, general and internal, virology, neurosciences, etc. The knowledge base of the research is mainly formed in two fields: COVID-19 clinical research and OD specialized research. The research hotspots are mainly concentrated in six directions: COVID-19, long COVID, smell, anosmia, OD, and recovery. Based on the results of the bibliometric analysis, the temporal trends of COVID-19 related OD studies were visually revealed, and relevant suggestions for future research were proposed.

Capital controls as a bargaining device: The case of Iceland

AbstractIceland imposed strict capital controls when its banks failed in October 2008. Legacy problems and a large stock of carry‐trade funds locked in by the controls hindered lifting them, but they also helped in resolving the banks. We formulate and calibrate a bargaining model describing the strategic interaction between Iceland and international investors. Outcomes indicate a judicious bargaining approach by Icelandic authorities which was ultimately successful and led to resolution by settlement. The results are robust to reasonable variations in parameter values and are consistent with outcomes in investment arbitration trials and anecdotal evidence from Icelandic case law.

Semantic interoperability in health records standards: a systematic literature review.

The integration and exchange of information among health organizations and system providers are currently regarded as a challenge. Each organization usually has an internal ecosystem and a proprietary way to store electronic health records of the patient’s history. Recent research explores the advantages of an integrated ecosystem by exchanging information between the different inpatient care actors. Many efforts seek quality in health care, economy, and sustainability in process management. Some examples are reducing medical errors, disease control and monitoring, individualized patient care, and avoiding duplicate and fragmented entries in the electronic medical record. Likewise, some studies showed technologies to achieve this goal effectively and efficiently, with the ability to interoperate data, allowing the interpretation and use of health information. To that end, semantic interoperability aims to share data among all the sectors in the organization, clinicians, nurses, lab, the entire hospital. Therefore, avoiding data silos and keep data regardless of vendors, to exchange the information across organizational boundaries. This study presents a comprehensive systematic literature review of semantic interoperability in electronic health records. We searched seven databases of articles published between 2010 to September 2020. We showed the most chosen scenarios, technologies, and tools employed to solve interoperability problems, and we propose a taxonomy around semantic interoperability in health records. Also, we presented the main approaches to solve the exchange problem of legacy and heterogeneous data across healthcare organizations.

PNS43 Have NMPA Priority Review Designations Supported Accelerated Regulatory Approval and Patient Access?

In 2016, CFDA(the former name of the NMPA) announced a new ‘priority review’ process to address the legacy problems of the backlog of drug registration and the procrastinated marketing of new drugs. A long-awaited update to the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) was completed in 2017, some new drugs with a focus on major illnesses had been added to the list. This study evaluate the NMPA priority review designations from 2016 to 2019 and how these have translated into reimbursement and patient access.

The Olympic Games and the Problems of Legacy: The London Stadium Story

Abstract The main stadium is the most high-profile part of any Olympic legacy plan. The London stadium has an end user, West Ham United Football Club. The process resulted in extra capital expenditure from public sources and a commitment to extensive annual expenses. The private tenant, by contrast, benefits from a remarkable deal that increases their income, reduces their expenditure, and enables them to make a capital gain from disposal of their previous ground. As this article reveals, there were failures in public policy and legacy planning from the start of the process. A flawed model, which was not economically viable, was adopted. Subsequent decision-making was handicapped by the complexity of governance, and the public interest was undermined. By contrast the eventual private stakeholder, West Ham United Football Club, exploited the second round of bidding brilliantly, recognizing there was a desperate landlord and only one possible tenant. This article traces the story and offers pointers for future Olympic Game host cities.

On the Reform, Measures and Evolution of the Journalism System in Late Soviet Union

Abstract Using a combination of literature analysis and historical literature comparison methods, the study analyzes the international and domestic social background of Glasnost and journalism reform, reviews and studies Gorbachev’s objectives, measures and development process of carrying out journalism reform. Journalism reform is a part of Glasnost and also a method demand of other reforms within socialism. The implementation of the reform of the journalism has taken a variety of measures, and has gone through three historical stages: impediment stage, expansion stage and development of liberalization stage. The results show that the failure of journalism reform and the disintegration of the state are caused by the political and economic situation in the Soviet Union and the historical legacy problems. However, a series of improper measures carried out by the journalism reform undoubtedly accelerated the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

About sad legacies: a study of the intergenerational occupational legacy in Brazil

PurposeThis article aims to analyze the workers' probabilities of following their parents’ occupational legacy and whether these individuals are paid differently compared to those who opted for occupations different from their parents, in Brazil.Design/methodology/approachTo that end, the occupational legacy probability equation was estimated as the quantile wage equations with sample selection bias correction and the wage decomposition for Brazil from the microdata of the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) of 2014. It was found that families have a strong influence on the process of choosing the careers of their children. The average probability of a young person following the occupational legacy of their parents was 41.63%. This percentage is different when analyzing different groups of individuals, such as being male or female, being in a traditional or single parent family, being in an income household lower or higher per capita.FindingsThe results also confirm the hypothesis that workers who tend to follow the occupational legacy have lower wages than individuals who choose other occupations and that this may cause a “poverty trap” since the lower the salary quantile, the stronger the “trap” as economically disadvantaged young people tend to follow in their parents' footsteps and to contribute to family income they face a tradeoff, opt between work or study, which ends up disrupting their education and forcing young people to entering the job market early, performing secondary occupations with lower income and arduous work, generating a “vicious cycle of poverty”.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the database, we are comprised to its most recent version.Practical implicationsThis is the first work on Latin American problem of occupational legacy.Originality/valueThis is the first work on Latin American problem of occupational legacy.

EMU and the Italian debt problem: destabilising periphery or destabilising the periphery?

ABSTRACTWhile during the first decade the common currency helped stabilise the Italian economy by overcoming political constraints that blocked debt reduction, during its second decade the euro has rather served to destabilise the country politically and economically. The combination of a single currency and a single market in financial services turned into an engine of massive macroeconomic imbalances that came to a head in a typical sudden stop in the years following 2009. While Italy had steered clear of the financial imbalances of the southern periphery during the first decade of EMU, its debt legacy problem, despite continuous primary surpluses, made it a target for financial contagion during the second. The EU’s recipe of austerity and structural reform exacerbated the problem thus reversing the long-term trend of falling debt to GDP ratios and handing an electoral victory to populist Euro-sceptics by a public that increasingly came to see the EU as a threat to prosperity and social inclusion.

A 25-Year Record of Childhood Blood Lead Exposure and Its Relationship to Environmental Sources

Background: Broken Hill, the oldest silver (Ag) –zinc (Zn) –lead (Pb) mining community in Australia, has an ongoing and legacy problem of environmental Pb exposure that began as early as 1893. To reduce Pb exposure risks, identifying potential exposure pathways and related factors is a critical first step. Methods: This study examined PbB levels of children ≤ 60 months old (n = 24,106 samples), along with corresponding soil (n = 10,160 samples), petri-dish dust (n = 106 houses) and ceiling dust (n = 80 houses) Pb concentrations at homes over a 25-year period from 1991-2015. Regression analysis was used to identify potential factors driving blood Pb exposures as well as the relationship between environmental Pb sources and children’s blood lead (PbB) outcomes. Findings: Analysis of the dataset showed there were multiple statistically significant (p<0.01) independent predictors of PbB including age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and age of housing. The presence of multiple co-variates renders the identification of a single primary cause of elevated PbB as implausible. Nevertheless, the data reveal the relative role of different variables in driving PbB levels. Aboriginal children in Broken Hill had geometric mean PbB of 7.4 μg/dL (95% CI: 6.7-7.4) being significantly higher (p<0.01) than non-Aboriginal children (PbB 6.2 μg/dL, 95% CI: 6.2-6.3) for all years between 1991-2015. Children at the age of 24-36 months had a higher PbB compared with other age groups. Higher PbB levels were also statistically associated with lower socio-economic status and for children living in houses built before 1940 (p<0.01). Blood Pb was also significantly correlated with both soil Pb and indoor petri-dish dust Pb loadings, confirming that these are important pathways for PbB exposure in Broken Hill. A 100 mg/kg increase in soil Pb was associated with a 0.12 μg/dL increase in childhood PbB. In addition, PbB concentrations increased with higher indoor petri-dish dust Pb loadings (i.e., 0.08 μg/dL per 100 μg/m2/30 days). Spatial analysis of PbB exposures over the 25-year period shows that children living adjacent to the mining leases frequently report with levels ≥ 10 µg/dL, the primary level of concern during the sample period. Interpretation: The 25-year data paint a stark picture of persistent exposures with children of all ages presenting with a ≥ 10 µg/dL across the whole city area. In other words, the risk of exposure at > 10 µg/dL was seemingly unavoidable irrespective of residential address. In terms of moving forward and mitigating harmful early-life Pb exposures, the data show that children aged 24–36 months and Aboriginal children should be prioritised for feasible intervention practices. The primary intervention must focus on mitigating contemporary ongoing dust emissions from the mining operations and the associated mine-lease areas followed by household soil remediation, to help prevent recontamination of homes. Additional practices of dust cleaning using wet mopping and wiping techniques, vacuuming of carpets and furnishings, ongoing monitoring of children and household dust remain important short-lived abatement strategies, but the key aim should be to eliminate risk by removing contamination in the wider environment as well as in individual homes. Funding Statement: C. Dong was funded via an International Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship (iMQRES No. 2014098). He received technical and practical support from the Broken Hill Environmental Lead Program (BHELP) as part of a Macquarie University-BHELP collaboration agreement, which included funding support from NSW EPA to MP Taylor. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests. M.P. Taylor has completed an independent Review of the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority’s Management of Contaminated Sites for the NSW Minister for the Environment (available at: http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/resources/epa/Contaminated-Sites-Review-2016.pdf) and is also an occasional advisor to the NSW EPA’s Broken Hill Environmental Lead Program. M.P. Taylor is also the lead author of an independent review (in progress) of the scientific evidence related to PbB exposures and sources for the NSW EPA’s Broken Hill Environmental Lead Program. B. Gulson has been nominated as an independent reviewer of that report. Ethics Approval Statement: Data access and its subsequent analysis were subject to ethics approval from NSW Health and Macquarie University.

Assessment of nitrogen application limits in agro-livestock farming areas using quantile regression between nitrogen loadings and groundwater nitrate levels

The excessive application of nitrogen in agro-livestock farming areas has led to serious groundwater contamination around the world; thus, the efficient control of N loads is crucial to manage nitrate contamination of groundwater. In this study, to suggest an optimal N application limit as a key guideline of N management, we examine the impact of anthropogenic N loading on nitrate levels of shallow groundwater, using a large dataset (n = 4,000) collected in 2012–2014 from 100 agro-livestock farming districts in South Korea. Not considering the time lag and legacy problem, quantile regression is performed to overall assess the relationship between nitrate contamination and anthropogenic N input across the full range of conditional distribution of groundwater nitrate concentrations because of heteroscedasticity. As a result, positive gradients (βτ) meaning the rates of changes are found between groundwater nitrate concentrations and land-derived N loads at all quantiles; βτ increases as the quantile is higher and is as large as 36.48 ± 10.73 mg NO3−/L per land-derived N input (on a log scale) at the 90% quantile. The quantile map indicates that the high gradient (i.e., the large sensitivity to N loading) is related to agricultural land use, low elevation, and low topographic slopes. In fact, groundwater nitrate concentrations increase as the percentage of agricultural land increases but the percentage of forest, elevation and slope angle decreases, which suggests that land use, elevation, and slope should be considered when attempting to evaluate N application limits. This study suggests the N limits below 170 kg ha-1 year-1 based on the drinking water standard (44.3 mg/L as NO3−) at the quantiles higher than 70% which mostly occur in flat agricultural lowland areas. Our method used in this study can be applied elsewhere to establish efficient management practices for groundwater nitrate contamination, considering local environmental factors.

Optimally Solving Banks' Legacy Problems

We characterize policy interventions directed to minimize the cost to the deposit guarantee scheme and the taxpayers of banks with legacy problems. Non-performing loans (NPLs) with low and risky returns create a debt overhang that induces bank owners to forego profitable lending opportunities. NPL disposal requirements can restore the incentives to undertake new lending but, as they force bank owners to absorb losses, can also make them prefer the bank being resolved. For severe legacy problems, combining NPL disposal requirements with positive transfers is optimal and involves no conflict between minimizing the cost to the authority and maximizing overall surplus.

HCH and lindane contaminated sites: European and global need for a permanent solution for a long-time neglected issue

During the last 70 years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) has been one of the most extensively used pesticides. Only the gamma-isomer has insecticidal properties. For the marketing of gamma-HCH (lindane) the other 85% HCH isomers which are formed as by-products during HCH production had to be separated and became finally hazardous waste. For each tonne of lindane 8–12 tonnes of waste HCH isomers were produced and production of the approximately 600,000 t of lindane has therefore generated 4.8 to 7.2 million tonnes of HCH/POPs waste. These waste isomers were mostly buried in uncontrolled dumps at many sites around the world. The stockpiles and the large contaminated sites can be categorized as “mega-sites”. Countries with HCH legacy problems include Albania, Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Macedonia, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, The Netherlands, UK, Ukraine and the USA.As lindane and alpha- and beta-HCH have been listed as POPs in the Stockholm Convention since August 2010, the problem of stockpiles of HCH waste is now documented and globally acknowledged.This article describes briefly the legacy of HCH and lindane that has been created. Three of the mega-sites are being discussed and demonstrate the increase in pollution footprint over time. Recent developments in the EU (including the Sabinanigo project in Aragon/Spain) and on a global level are presented. A short overview is given on lack of activities and on actions of countries within their obligations as Parties of the Stockholm Convention. Furthermore, current country activities supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the “financing mechanism” of the convention, are listed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are formulated that will contribute to the solution of this problem over the next 25 years.

Optimally Solving Banks’ Legacy Problems

We characterize policy interventions directed to minimize the cost to the deposit guarantee scheme and the taxpayers of banks with legacy problems. Non-performing loans (NPLs) with low and risky returns create a debt overhang that induces bank owners to forego profitable lending opportunities. NPL disposal requirements can restore the incentives to undertake new lending but, as they force bank owners to absorb losses, can also make them prefer the bank being resolved. For severe legacy problems, combining NPL disposal requirements with positive transfers is optimal and involves no conflict between minimizing the cost to the authority and maximizing overall surplus.

The Veneto Banks Resolution: It Shall Be Called ‘Liquidation’

The establishment of Banking Union and the Single Resolution Mechanism has been arguably a success for the Eurozone. However, the enforcement of the new rules seems to meet significant challenges related to legacy problems that could make bank resolution economically and politically unfavourable for Member States. Italy and the two Veneto banks that were liquidated under national laws in June 2017 constitute such a case. This paper argues that this ‘orderly liquidation’ was, in essence, a hidden resolution, which raises logical legality concerns as to the actions ultimately taken by the European and national resolution authorities. The fact that public interest for resolution was not established by the Single Resolution Board, but was instead established by the Commission to provide liquidation aid on grounds of 107(3)(b) TFEU, combined with the reasoning of the Commission’s decision do not seem to conform with the bank resolution and state aid rules currently in place.

Solidarity and Responsibility in the Euro Area: Foes or Friends?

Abstract The recent debate on the reform of the economic governance in the euro area has been marred by a stark disagreement on the correct sequence between risk-reduction (responsibility) and risk-sharing (solidarity). In fact, the dichotomy between risk-reduction and risk-sharing may be fallacious as they reinforce each other, particularly in a monetary union with no lender of last resort for the public sector and no common macroeconomic stabilization mechanisms. The lack of risk-sharing mechanisms is per se a major source of redenomination and default risks and thus it makes the euro area prone to financial market segmentation along national borders and ultimately weaker. At the same time, greater structural convergence has to be achieved through structural reforms and fiscal prudence in order to reduce the likelihood of future negative idiosyncratic shocks in currently vulnerable countries. Notwithstanding some progress towards a politically viable solution encompassing both responsibility and solidarity, a number of important issues remain controversial. This short article summarizes the debate and introduces some of these controversial issues, ranging from the correct role of market discipline when markets are prone to self-fulfilling prophecies and multiple equilibria, to the (dis)advantages of sovereign debt restructuring mechanisms based on rules rather than discretion, from the pros and cons of new safe assets in the euro area to the primacy of coping with debt legacy problems, and the like.

Crystal Balls and Cooling Ponds: An Insight into Financial Forecasting and Funding Problems of the Nuclear Legacy

Globally, ageing civilian nuclear plant and their toxic wastes are in need of decommissioning and disposal as operational lives end. In the UK, a legacy (DTI 2002) of such plant has emerged from an embryonic nuclear industry that initially prospered but ultimately failed. This legacy’s estimated financial forecasts and liabilities are increasing while no sustainable funding solution is in place. Using a historical analytical approach, the paper aims to identify uncontained financial matters and in the context of this industry to determine if the application of accounting conventions is appropriate. Possible solutions that may have relevance to other nuclear nations are suggested forming the papers primary contribution.

On the future of the EMU: Is more fiscal integration indispensable?

It is often maintained that the euro debt crisis showed that the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) was not sustainable without more fiscal integration. However, important causes of the crisis were extraordinary and are highly unlikely to occur again. While the legacy problems of the crisis have been grave, they can be deemed temporary. Therefore, these problems should be combated pragmatically, but with temporary instruments only. A systematic analysis shows that the root causes have been tackled with a wide variety of reforms, both to the EMU itself and by way of structural reforms of the member states. In particular, evidence is presented that the adjustment capacities of the EMU countries are better than commonly recognised. Additional reforms are suggested, especially in the financial sector. With these reforms in place, future crises would have less serious effects. A reformed EMU should be able to withstand such crises without further fiscal integration.

Колониальное наследие как проблема и ресурс сотрудничества Юг-Юг: случай Бразилии

The aim of this article is to identify the key narratives of colonial legacy as nodal points in the articulation of the Brazilian agenda in the South-South cooperation. Brazil’s aspirations for regional leadership and attempts to increase its international prestige are analyzed in a constructivist framework. Most importantly, our theoretical reasoning departs from the constructivist take on the agent-structure debate, proposed by A. Wendt in 1987. This approach, firstly, helps to clarify the main difficulties which Brazil faced in Latin America and to examine Brazilian efforts to overcome colonial legacy in order to secure regional leadership, one of the principal goals of its foreign policy. Secondly, colonial legacy can be seen as an unconditional source for the geographical expansion of Brazil’s influence and the increasing the number if its allies by means of the South-South cooperation. Thirdly, we demonstrate the very complex relationship on the structural level between the BRICS project and the problem of colonial legacy. Using the example of Brazil as a state which, on the one hand, has not been able to overcome the postcolonial complex, and on the other, is actively performing political rituals aimed at demonstrating its increasing power, we can more clearly outline the possibilities and limitations inherent in the structure of contemporary international system. Finally, this research suggests that BRICS, a group that claims to articulate the principles of the new world order, more beneficial for the states of the South, has limited chances to succeed with that mission.