Regional Network Research Articles

Research on the Measurement of Digitalization on the Integration of China’s Manufacturing Industry into the RCEP Regional Value Chain

In this paper, the industry classification of digital economy is determined, the comprehensive index framework of digital economy development level in China is constructed, and the input-output analysis method and index method are used to measure the digital investment status of manufacturing industry in China. At the same time, based on the realistic demand that China’s manufacturing industry needs to climb the regional value chain, this paper constructs the forward participation index, backward participation index, regional value chain position index, and regional value chain Balassa, and analyzes the current situation of China’s manufacturing industry in RCEP region. Construct a semi-parametric additive model to explore the impact of digital investment on China’s manufacturing industry’s participation in the RCEP regional value chain. In addition, this paper uses the community analysis method to build the RCEP regional manufacturing digital input trade network, and comprehensively evaluates the trade network pattern of digital input from multiple dimensions. The results show that: (1) the digital investment in China’s manufacturing industry is increasing year by year. (2) The indicators of manufacturing industry’s participation in RCEP regional value chain show a fluctuating situation, which is generally consistent with China’s economic development. (3) Within a certain range, digital investment will promote the participation of China’s manufacturing industry in the RCEP regional value chain. China is gradually becoming an important participant in RCEP regional trade. According to the corresponding measurement results, it provides policy suggestions for the deep integration of China’s manufacturing industry and digital economy.

Innovation and Teaching: Barriers and Opportunities

This study explores the role of professional learning communities (PLCs) in mitigating barriers to innovative instruction. Using a cross-sectional survey with selected and open-response items, data were collected from educators participating in either a cohort-based immersive PLC training or a regional network train-the-trainer model. Both groups agreed on the definition and implementation of innovative instructional strategies. External barriers identified include limited resources and students’ resistance to alternative learning methods, which may reflect internal barriers such as reduced teacher efficacy. While survey responses suggest that professional development in innovative teaching is perceived as beneficial, many educators do not view innovative strategies as integral to their practice. A significant difference emerged between the two groups regarding the perceived impact of PLCs, with the cohort reporting a greater influence on their instructional strategies than the regional network. Although PLCs fostered collaboration and peer learning, evidence of widespread implementation of innovative strategies in classroom practice was insufficient. These findings suggest that while PLCs raise awareness of innovative teaching methods, persistent barriers hinder their execution. The report concludes with a discussion of these results, their implications, and recommendations for future research to enhance the integration of innovative instruction.

Multi-layer regional railway network and equitable economic development of megaregions

Multi-layer regional railway network and equitable economic development of megaregions

A flux tower site attribute dataset intended for land surface modeling

Abstract. Land surface models (LSMs) require reliable forcing, validation, and surface attribute data as the foundation for effective model development and improvement. Eddy covariance flux tower data are widely regarded as the benchmark for LSMs. However, currently available flux tower datasets often require multiple aspects of processing to ensure data quality before application to LSMs. More importantly, these datasets frequently lack site-observed attribute data, such as fractional vegetation cover and leaf area index, which limits their utility as benchmarking data. Here, we conducted a comprehensive quality screening of the existing reprocessed flux tower dataset, including the proportion of gap-filled data, energy balance closure (EBC), and external disturbances such as irrigation and deforestation, leading to 90 high-quality sites. For these sites, we collected vegetation, soil, and topography data as well as wind speed, temperature, and humidity measurement heights from literature; regional networks; and Biological, Ancillary, Disturbance, and Metadata (BADM) files. We then compiled the final flux tower attribute dataset by filling in missing attributes with global data and classifying plant functional types (PFTs). This dataset is provided in NetCDF (Network Common Data Form) format with necessary descriptions and reference sources. Model simulations revealed substantial disparities in the output between the attribute data observed at the site and those commonly used by LSMs, underscoring the critical role of site-observed attribute data and increasing the emphasis on flux tower attribute data in the LSM community. The dataset addresses the lack of the site attribute to some extent, reduces uncertainty in LSM data source, and aids in diagnosing parameter and process deficiencies. The dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12596218 (Shi et al., 2024).

“Come to Java”: Colonial Tourism and the Fragile Illusion of an “Island Paradise”

Abstract The proliferation of mountain resorts and the establishment of tourist itineraries in late colonial Indonesia reflected and reaffirmed colonial hierarchies of race, class, and gender. In the mild mountain climate, Europeans visited hotels reminiscent of European architectural styles, consumed European meals and enjoyed flora and fauna that reminded them of home. The location of these resorts was inspired by nearby natural, cultural, and ethnographic “wonders” that further served to emphasise colonial superiority. As spaces where pseudo-scientific concerns over race, civilisation, and the environment coalesced to legitimise colonial ideology, these mountain resorts were crucial elements in the development of a regional and national tourist network. The infrastructure needed to access these resorts and the identification of tourist destinations in the colonial era laid the foundation for many of Indonesia's contemporary tourist draws. Furthermore, thanks to a targeted international advertising campaign, these sites drew visitors both from within the Netherlands Indies as well from throughout colonial Asia and Oceania. Finally, these tourist networks traversed colonial (national) boundaries and played an important role in the articulation and experience of a shared colonial mindset. This history illustrates the extent to which contemporary tourism is profoundly shaped by the colonial discourse of power and difference.

Cardiovascular Anesthesia and Critical Care in the French West Indies: Historical Evolution and Current Prospects

Anesthesiology, the medical specialty that deals with the management of vital functions in patients undergoing surgery, has played an important role in the successful development of cardiac interventions worldwide. Tracing the historical roots of cardiac anesthesia and critical care from its inception in the late 1950s, a paradigm shift in perioperative care has been driven by a better understanding of the mechanisms of organ dysfunction in stressful conditions and technological advances regarding surgical approach, patient monitoring, and organ protection. Although progress in cardiac anesthesia and critical care lagged a little behind in Caribbean territories, successful achievements have been accomplished over the last forty years. Compared with Western countries, the greater prevalence of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension as well as specific diseases such as cardiac amyloidosis, sickle cell anemia, rheumatic heart disease, and tropical infections may reduce a patient’s physiologic reserve and increase the operative risk among the multi-ethnic population living in the French West Indies and Guiana. So far, cardiac anesthesiologists at the University Hospital of Martinique have demonstrated their abilities in implementing evidence-based clinical care processes and adaptating to efficiently working in a complex environment interacting with multiple partners. Attracting specialized physicians in dedicated cardiac surgical centers and the creation of a regional health network supported by governmental authorities, insurance companies, and charitable organizations are necessary to solve the unmet needs for invasive cardiac treatments in the Caribbean region.

Clinical genetic services in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy: current activity and open issues: a mixed-method study.

In 2002, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, a comprehensive strategic plan was developed with the aim of improving the integration and efficiency of the genetic services. Two decades later, this report aims to explore the current functioning of the regional network, with special focus on clinical genetics in the evolving scenarios. To this aim, we analyzed the activity data of the medical genetics services in the region, to identify and possibly improve currently open issues. This is a mixed-method study, analyzing quantitatively and qualitatively the activities of seven medical genetics services in Emilia-Romagna region. Quantitative analysis considered the number of consultations and the composition of the staff in the year 2021. Qualitative analysis examined a focus group of directors of the services through reflexive thematic analysis. A total of 14,925 counseling sessions have been delivered by the medical genetics services, staffed with 22.4 full-time equivalent clinical geneticists. A physician performed an average of 14.5 consultations per week and approximately 1166h of patient care per year. The clinical geneticists/inhabitants ratio was 0.54 per 100,000 inhabitants, and it is estimated that one every 278 inhabitants, on average, underwent a genetic counseling session in 2021. Qualitative analysis highlighted issues concerning patients' access to service, general organization and staff composition. In order to meet the growing demand for genetic counseling services, expansion of the workforce and adjustment of current practice models are required to increase the access to genetic services and the application of test results to clinical management.

Engagement with the EU by Local and Regional Authorities from South East Europe

This article applies MLG theory to the study of engagement of local and regional authorities from South East Europe with the EU. It identifies the EU policies that impact the local and regional authorities from the region. This is a reliable predictor of the areas in which they are likely to engage with the EU. The article also identifies the various epiphanies of this engagement. Local and regional authorities from South East Europe engage with the EU through their own national associations but also through the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS). This is a region-wide organisation of which all the national associations of local and regional authorities from South East Europe are members. Lobbying with EU institutions does not play a big role for the local and regional authorities from South East Europe. These authorities, however, both those from EU and those from non-EU countries, attempt to influence EU policy through the national governments and, where the interests of the national government are not aligned with those of sub-national authorities, through the regional network NALAS or other channels, such as European networks of local and regional authorities, the Committee of the Regions, and Brussels- based representation offices. These offices are limited in number and size due to their high cost and the limited benefits they generate, e.g., in terms of impact on policy. The study evidences a different approach to engagement with the EU in EU and non-EU countries from South East Europe. Whilst NALAS creates momentum around the interests of local and regional authorities from South East Europe, its existence also reveals the relative weakness of these sub-national authorities that, due to their limited powers and resources, are unable to engage with the EU directly and must do so through NALAS, European networks, the CoR or, where viable, the national governments.

"Facilitate" or "Hinder"： Impact of Spatial Connectivity Networks in the Digital Economy on Carbon Performance

This study took 254 cities in China from 2011 to 2021 as samples to empirically test how the spatial correlation network characteristics and node centrality of the urban digital economy affect carbon emission performance. The research showed that ① China's urban digital economy showed an obvious network development mode, but from the perspective of network node centrality, there were still significant spatial differences, showing the hierarchical distribution law of "eastern region-central and western region" and "four core urban agglomerations-four non-core urban agglomerations." ② A significant positive correlation was observed between the digital economy spatial correlation network and carbon emission performance. This conclusion was still supported after the control of the endogeneity problem and the robustness test. ③ Human capital investment had a positive moderating effect on the spatial correlation network of the digital economy and carbon emission performance. ④ The impact mechanism showed that the spatial correlation network of the digital economy could promote the improvement of carbon emission performance through industrial regional linkages and innovation cooperation networks. ⑤ Upon further analysis, the empirical results showed heterogeneity in four dimensions： geographic region, core urban agglomeration, urban resource endowment, and city size.

تقنيات شبكات LoRa-Man المدمجة للتغلب على عدم وجود اتصال -خدمات الإنترنت لتطبيقات إنترنت الأشياء -تصميم مقترح جديد

This paper proposes a singular layout for a combined LoRa (Long Range) and MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) over the constraints of no-internet offerings for Internet of Things (IoT). The integration of LoRa generation with MAN network abilities pursuits to provide reliable verbal exchange in regions lacking traditional net infrastructure. The problem addressed in these studies is the dearth of net connectivity in faraway and underserved regions, which hinders the deployment and effectiveness of IoT packages. Current solutions often rely upon internet get right of entry to, making them unsuitable for no-internet situations. The primary aim of this look at is to discover the ability of mixing LoRa and MAN technology to enhance connectivity, reduce latency, and improve information transmission efficiency in IoT applications. by leveraging the long-range competencies of LoRa and the dynamic, of MAN, the proposed layout seeks to permit strong and reliable IoT networks in regions without internet get right of entry. The proposed solution includes growing a hybrid LoRa-MAN network structure that could operate independently of the internet. Key aspects of the layout include node sorts (sensor nodes, relay nodes, and sink nodes), network topology (mesh topology), verbal exchange protocols (routing and data transmission), and implementation techniques (simulation, testing, and real-global deployment). The successful integration of LoRa and MAN technologies has the potential to significantly enhance IoT applications in remote and underserved areas, where net connectivity is limited or unavailable. This research contributes to addressing the demanding situations of IoT in phrases of no-net offerings with the aid of providing a unique solution that combines the strengths of LoRa, MAN, and intranet services within organizations to meet the challenge of no-internet connectivity. Keywords: LoRa, Man (Metropolitan Area Network), IoT, no connectivity- Internet.

A Region and Category Confidence-Based Multi-Task Network for Carotid Ultrasound Image Segmentation and Classification

A Region and Category Confidence-Based Multi-Task Network for Carotid Ultrasound Image Segmentation and Classification

Functional connectivity abnormalities in clinical variants of progressive supranuclear palsy.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) can present with different clinical variants which show distinct, but partially overlapping, patterns of neurodegeneration and tau deposition in a network of regions including cerebellar dentate, superior cerebellar peduncle, midbrain, thalamus, basal ganglia, and frontal lobe. We sought to determine whether disruptions in functional connectivity within this PSP network measured using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) differed between PSP-Richardson's syndrome (PSP-RS) and the cortical and subcortical clinical variants of PSP. Structural MRI and rs-fMRI scans were collected for 36 PSP-RS, 25 PSP-cortical and 34 PSP-subcortical participants who met the Movement Disorder Society PSP clinical criteria. Ninety participants underwent flortaucipir-PET scans. MRIs were processed using CONN Toolbox. Functional connectivity between regions of the PSP network was compared between each PSP group and 83 healthy controls, and between the PSP groups, covarying for age. The effect of flortaucipir uptake and clinical scores on connectivity was assessed. Connectivity was reduced in PSP-RS compared to controls throughout the network, involving cerebellar dentate, midbrain, basal ganglia, thalamus, and frontal regions. Frontal regions showed reduced connectivity to other regions in the network in PSP-cortical, particularly the thalamus, caudate and substantia nigra. Disruptions in connectivity in PSP-subcortical were less pronounced, with the strongest disruption between the pallidum and striatum. There was moderate evidence that elevated subcortical flortaucipir uptake correlated with both increased and reduced connectivity between regions of the PSP network. Lower connectivity within the PSP network correlated with worse performance on clinical tests, including PSP rating scale. Patterns of disrupted functional connectivity revealed both variant-specific and shared disease pathways within the PSP network among PSP clinical variants, providing insight into disease heterogeneity.

An increasing mutual promotion of economic growth between China and the world observed from nighttime light remote sensing

ABSTRACT Assessing the promotion of economic growth between China and the world is challenging given data limitations and the lack of consideration of time delay. Based on the time-series nighttime light (NTL) data from satellites covering more than 100 months, we found that the world is lighting in most countries, even after a sudden jump due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Then, we conducted the convergent cross-mapping before COVID-19 (2014.1-2019.12) and during/after COVID-19 (2020.1-2022.11), we found that the influences from China to the world economic growth in these two phases are widely expanded to more and more economies, the number of which increases from 65 to 73, with a longer time lag, which averagely increased from 4.6 to 6.6 months. On the contrary, the number of economies, which can influence China’s economy, is increasing from 48 to 55 but the average lag time is stable at around 4.5 months. Meanwhile, a regional multilateral economic network related to China’s economy was found. The economies with mutual causalities with China were mostly concentrated in Asia, Africa, and Europe. China indeed can warm the world economy partially, especially in developing countries and has also benefited from the multilateral economy.

The protection planning of small and micro habitats in urban fringe areas: Enlightenment from the management of high natural value farmland in the EU to the maintenance of bio-diversity in urban areas in China

<p>The habitat unit in urban fringe is an important link to support regional biodiversity; due to the influence of urban system and agricultural system, most of them are semi natural, appeared with diverse types, small patches, scattered layout, and generally relying on low intensity farming activities. Export-oriented expansion of urban construction land and intensive agricultural production are prone to reduce the scale and quality of semi natural habitats in urban fringe areas; and the existing measures cannot effectively protect them. High natural value farmland management is an effective measure of the EU to protect semi-natural habitats related to agriculture and maintain regional biodiversity. Through combing the main points of high natural value farmland such as type definition, evaluation, identification, maintenance management, etc., this paper proposes the suggestions for optimization of small and micro semi-natural habitat protection in China: (1) strengthening the recognition of the value of small and microhabitats and related land use; (2) identifying small and micro-habitats that are conducive to the maintenance of biodiversity, and incorporating them in the overall protection of regional network; (3) combining the rigidity and flexibility of land use control, with the consideration of complex function demands; (4) Converging with the existing statutory planning to enhance the protection efficiency of small and micro habitats.</p>

Differences in spatiotemporal dynamics for processing specific semantic categories: An EEG study

Semantic processing is an essential mechanism in human language comprehension and has profound implications for speech brain-computer interface technologies. Despite recent advances in brain imaging techniques and data analysis algorithms, the mechanisms underlying human brain semantic representations remain a topic of debate, specifically whether this occurs through the activation of selectively separated cortical regions or via a network of distributed and overlapping regions. This study investigates spatiotemporal neural representation during the perception of semantic words related to faces, numbers, and animals using electroencephalography. Source‐level analysis focuses on contrasting neural responses to different semantic categories. Critical intervals used in the source contrast analysis are defined using the peak duration of global field power. Effective connectivity, determined through a causality analysis of brain regions activated for semantic processing, is explored. The findings reveal the necessity of a distributed network of regions for processing specific semantic categories and provide evidence suggesting the existence of a neural substrate for semantic representations.

Connectivity during the first half of the 2nd millennium BC. Case study: the bronze industry from the Carpathian Basin

The bronze industry of the Carpathian Basin during the first half of the 2nd millennium BC is highly diverse, with a wide range of artefact types being produced and circulated during this period. This paper examines the different distribution patterns of selected bronze artefact types in order to highlight various local, regional and supra-regional networks of contact and interaction that existed during this period. These networks facilitated the flow not only of artefacts, but also of raw materials, ideas, people and technologies within and beyond the Carpathian Basin.

A Systematic Approach to Optimizing Regional Industrial Networks for High Eco-Efficiency Transformation.

Industrial networks have become intricately interwoven, utilizing material resources to meet humanity's needs. Recently, sustainable technologies have been pursued to enhance industrial efficiency and reduce environmental and resource impacts. However, current research lacks a comprehensive methodology and typical cases for constructing efficient resource-based industrial networks. Hence, this study employs a comprehensive approach to identify and construct efficient industrial networks from a holistic perspective. Using the Qinghai Saline Lake industrial zone as an example, this research elaborates on establishing and evaluating highly efficient regional industrial networks. It evaluates the eco-efficiency of 184 technologies based on resource development and constructs an efficient resource industry network for the development of the Qinghai Salt Lake using natural resources such as coal, oil, natural gas, and various types of ores as the initial stage and analyzes the characteristics of the industry network with different efficiencies. The research findings emphasize that solely scrutinizing technological efficiency and focusing on either the upstream raw processing network or the downstream deep-processing network while neglecting interactions within the industrial network can constrain the network's overall efficiency and hinder synergy between resources and the environment throughout the entire network. The method applies to constructing, evaluating, and optimizing industrial zones with resource endowments.

Topological functional network analysis of cortical blood flow in hyperacute ischemic rats

Acute cerebral ischemia alters brain network connectivity, leading to notable increases in both anatomical and functional connectivity while observing a reduction in metabolic connectivity. However, alterations of the cerebral blood flow (CBF) based functional connectivity remain unclear. We collected continuous CBF images using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) technology to monitor ischemic occlusion-reperfusion progression through occlusion of the left carotid artery. We also used a dense cortical grid atlas to construct CBF-based functional connectivity networks for hyperacute ischemic rodents. Graph theoretical analysis was used to measure network topological characteristics and construct topological connection graphs. Coactivation pattern (CAP) analysis was utilized to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of the global network. Additionally, we measured evoked functional hyperemia and correlated it with network topologies. Network analysis indicated a significant increase in functional connectivity, global efficiency, local efficiency, small-worldness, clustering coefficient, and regional degree centrality primarily within the left ischemic intra-hemisphere, accompanied by weaker changes in the right intra-hemisphere. Inter-hemisphere networks exhibited reduced homologous connections, global efficiency, and small-worldness. CAP analysis revealed increased strength of the left negative activation brain network's state fraction of time and transition probability from equilibrium-to-imbalance states. Left network metrics declined following blood flow reperfusion. Furthermore, positive/negative correlations between barrel-evoked intensity and regional network topologies were reversed as negative/positive correlations after cerebral ischemia. These findings suggest a damaged CBF functional network mechanism following acute cerebral ischemia and a disrupted association between resting state and evoked hyperemia.

Global prevalence of Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance among children in the world health organization regions between 2000 and 2023: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundHelicobacter pylori infection causes gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. The infection is typically acquired in childhood and persists throughout life. The major impediment to successful therapy is antibiotic resistance. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively assess the global prevalence of antibiotic resistance in pediatric H. pylori infection.MethodsWe performed a systematic search of publication databases that assessed H. pylori resistance rates to clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, amoxicillin, and tetracycline in children. The WHO region classification was used to group pooled primary and secondary resistance estimates along with 95% confidence interval (CI). H. pylori antibiotic resistance rates were retrieved and combined with odds ratios (95% CI) to investigate the global prevalence and temporal trends. Subgroup analysis of the prevalence of antibiotic resistance was conducted by country, age groups, and susceptibility testing methods.ResultsAmong 1417 records obtained initially, 152 studies were selected for eligibility assessment after applying exclusion criteria in multiple steps. Ultimately, 63 studies involving 15,953 individuals were included comprising data from 28 countries in 5 WHO regions. The primary resistance rates were metronidazole 35.3% (5482/15,529, 95% CI: 28.7–42.6), clarithromycin 32.6% (5071/15,555, 95% CI: 27.7–37.9), tetracycline 2.1% (148/7033, 95% CI: 1.3–3.6), levofloxacin 13.2% (1091/8271, 95% CI: 9.3–18.4), and amoxicillin 4.8% (495/10305, 95% CI: 2.5–8.8). Raising antibiotic resistance was detected in most WHO regions.ConclusionsThe escalating trend of H. pylori antibiotic resistance in children warrants urgent attention globally. National and regional surveillance networks are required for antibiotic stewardship in children infected with H. pylori.Graphical

Industrial policy and complexity economics

Mainstream theory underlying industrial policy highlights the neoclassical and structuralist approaches. The discussion on structuralist theories readily segues to complexity economics where industrial policy foments structural transformation by creating reinforcing feedback loops, particularly among manufacturing, exports, and investment. Empirical evidence is provided by applying panel cointegration analysis to investigate coevolution patterns among the following variables: investment-GDP ratio, exports-GDP ratio and manufacturing-GDP ratio. Econometric estimates show that there is indeed a long-run relationship that is bidirectional among the three variables. However, this is only a necessary condition for reinforcing feedback loops to materialize. Idiosyncratic factors in each country determine whether industrial policy has led to growth-oriented feedback loops. In the Philippines, despite interventions to boost manufacturing, no growthoriented loop was established because of inadequate investment, particularly in infrastructure. Moreover, exports were hampered by the poor record in latching on to regional production networks. The Republic of Korea has had more success than Malaysia because it strengthened its innovation system. The missing link in Malaysia is own-technology creation.