Academic Value Research Articles

An examination of sources fostering student teachers’ academic well-being

ABSTRACT This study examined student teachers’ perspectives on the sources of their academic well-being within the context of a four-year undergraduate teacher education programme in Qatar. A survey was developed and validated using a conceptual framework entailing cognitive, social and emotional dimensions. Statistical analyses involving 806 responses revealed five factors that contributed to participants’ academic well-being, namely: (F-1) self-regulated learning, (F-2) academic values, (F-3) social engagement, (F-4) peer learning and (F-5) emotional engagement. Comparative analyses between gender, age, reported GPA and credit hours verified the different influence of the five factors on fostering academic well-being. These results are further discussed in light of implications for using the validated instrument and devising tailored interventions.

Rational Design for Enhancing Cellobiose Dehydrogenase Activity and Its Synergistic Role in Straw Degradation.

Addressing the demand for efficient biological degradation of straw, this study employed rational design coupled with structural biology and enzyme engineering techniques to enhance the catalytic activity of cellobiose dehydrogenase (PsCDH, CDH form Pycnoporus sanguineus). By predicting and modifying the active site and key amino acids of PsCDH, several CDH immobilized enzyme preparations with higher catalytic activities were successfully obtained. The excellent mutant T1 (C286Y/A461H/F464R) exhibited a 2.7-fold increase in enzyme activity compared to the wild type. Simulated calculations indicated that the enhancement of catalytic activity was primarily due to the formation of additional intermolecular interactions between CDH and the substrate, as well as the enlargement of the substrate pocket to reduce steric hindrance effects. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed a potential correlation between structural stability and enzyme activity. When PsCDH was added to a multienzyme synergistic straw degradation system, the cellulose degradation rate increased by 1.84-fold. Moreover, mutant T1 further increased the degradation of lignocellulose in the mixed system. This study provides efficient enzyme sources and modification strategies for the high-efficiency biological conversion of straw and unconventional feedstock degradation, thereby possessing significant academic value and application prospects.

Public sentiment and ethical considerations of ChatGPT in higher education: Insights from data analytics of conversations on platform X

In today’s fast-paced digital world, generative AI, especially OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has become a game-changing technology with significant effects on education. This study examines public sentiment and discourse surrounding ChatGPT’s role in higher education, as reflected on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Employing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted a thematic analysis using Leximancer and Voyant Tools and sentiment analysis with SentiStrength on a dataset of 18,763 tweets, subsequently narrowed to 5655 through cleaning and preprocessing. Our findings identified five primary themes: Authenticity, Integrity, Creativity, Productivity, and Research. The sentiment analysis revealed that 46.6% of the tweets expressed positive sentiment, 38.5% were neutral, and 14.8% were negative. The results highlight a general openness to integrating AI in educational contexts, tempered by concerns about academic integrity and ethical considerations. This study underscores the need for ongoing dialogue and ethical frameworks to responsibly navigate AI’s incorporation into education. The insights gained provide a foundation for future research and policy-making, aiming to enhance learning outcomes while safeguarding academic values. Limitations include the focus on English-language tweets, suggesting future research should encompass a broader linguistic and platform scope to capture diverse global perspectives.

Dimensional Interaction, Intimacy Building: Roles of Perceived Intimacy and Parasocial Effects on Fans Relations with Virtual Idols

Abstract: The appearance of virtual idols has introduced discussions about the connection with fans, even though their idols are always disembodied and fictitious. To some degree, the theory of parasocial interaction can have academic value in the virtual characters, extending beyond the impact on the real stars and fans. This study emphasizes particularly on exploring the role of intimacy in the parasocial relationship, which contains the perspective of fan psychology and youth subculture. By exerting structured interview, the survey collects records from 7 college students who are fans of popular virtual idols including A-SOUL, Luxiem, LASER, etc. The results provide insights into how fans perceive the presence of intimacy and what factors influence the levels of intimacy based on the behaviors of online media usage. Compared with the real idols and life, there are some findings showcasing characteristics of virtual idol-fan intimacy when fans have developed the parasocial interaction.

The Dual Leverage and Mechanism of ESG Information Disclosure on Investor Behavior

Abstract: With the global emphasis on sustainable development, ESG information disclosure has become a key factor for investors to assess corporate value and risk. The academic value of this paper lies in an in-depth analysis of the reverse effect, which is not mentioned in most literature. It stands from the perspective of investors' investment purposes and interests, the attitudes of long-term investors who desire sustainable development and short-term investors who only care about immediate returns in a short period when facing ESG information disclosure. On the other hand, there are negative impacts on investors due to reasons such as government policy standards or the level of corporate ESG information disclosure itself, which may also prevent investors from achieving their expected goals, leading to investment risks and ultimately investors may flow out of the company. At the same time, some external factors can also lead to a dual leverage effect, such as the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.

Hemodynamics simulation and analysis of left coronary artery aneurysms with concomitant stenosis

The hemodynamic parameters in arteries are difficult to measure non-invasively, and the analysis and prediction of hemodynamic parameters based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become one of the important research hotspots in biomechanics. This article establishes 15 idealized left coronary artery bifurcation models with concomitant stenosis and aneurysm lesions, and uses CFD method to numerically simulate them, exploring the effects of left anterior descending branch (LAD) stenosis rate and curvature radius on the hemodynamics inside the aneurysm. This study compared models with different stenosis rates and curvature radii and found that as the stenosis rate increased, the oscillatory shear index (OSI) and relative residence time (RRT) showed a trend of increase; In addition, the decrease in curvature radius led to an increase in the degree of vascular curvature and an increased risk of vascular aneurysm rupture. Among them, when the stenosis rate was less than 60%, the impact of stenosis rate on aneurysm rupture was greater, and when the stenosis rate was greater than 60%, the impact of curvature radius was more significant. Based on the research results of this article, it can be concluded that by comprehensively considering the effects of stenosis rate and curvature radius on hemodynamic parameters, the risk of aneurysm rupture can be analyzed and predicted. This article uses CFD methods to deeply explore the effects of stenosis rate and curvature radius on the hemodynamics of aneurysms, providing new theoretical basis and prediction methods for the assessment of aneurysm rupture risk, which has important academic value and practical guidance significance.

Exploring information demand in the maritime industry: a Google Trends approach

ABSTRACT The fundamental impetus for this research is the documented wide use of Google and the ensuing applications of Google Trends in behavioural economics. Expanding the existing literature, we focus on addressing the question of whether information demand from individual investors can reflect a freight rates sentiment. This is achieved by analysing Google queries referring to investment in maritime stocks and other related markets. These searches comprise essentially a blend of information and intuition. More specifically, we examine whether the most frequently searched term and topic referred to Baltic Dry Index (BDI) can serve as a reliable and valid positive or negative sentiment market proxies. We find a negative impact on freight rates, capital markets, and the number of available dry bulk fleet, providing evidence aligned with the risk-averse investor theory. We unveil bidirectional interactions between our sentiment index and the two out of three examined maritime markets, supporting the rejection of the efficient market hypothesis. Our study also verifies the similar effects of information demand and media-produced sentiment indexes on the corresponding market. We succeed in confirming sentiment’s predictability out-of-sample for BDI. Beyond the academic value, our findings suggest a manner of enhancing the accuracy of freight rates predictions for practitioners.

Institutional Mechanisms for Enhancing Production of Doctoral Research Outputs at Makerere University

In the contemporary knowledge society, research production is being re-purposed in terms of not just its academic value, but also its wider societal value. As such, doctoral research ought to be produced in the context of application. Therefore, universities have a responsibility to enhance the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs. This necessitates institutional mechanisms for enhancing the production of doctoral research outputs for uptake and use beyond the academia. We examined the institutional mechanisms for enhancing production of doctoral research outputs at Makerere University using the research knowledge infrastructure (RKI) framework as the analytical lens. This was in light of the dismal uptake and use of research produced at Makerere University by students and staff. We used qualitative single case study research design. We collected data through interviewing and review of documents. We interviewed 10 doctoral program coordinators, three managers of research and graduate training and 13 PhD students we selected purposively. We reviewed seven institutional documents pertaining graduate training at Makerere University: two plans, three policies, one framework and one guideline. We used thematic data analysis to make sense of the data. The findings revealed that due to policy-practice gaps and funding constraints, mechanisms to enhance doctoral research production to facilitate uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond the academia were not adequately integrated into doctoral research training. This was shown by the lack of mechanisms to enhance doctoral research commissioning and execution, and gaps in priority setting. Opportunities for productive interactions between doctoral researchers and potential users were missed. As such, doctoral research outputs largely remained within the scholarly community. We recommend that the university should establish interface structures and co-creation spaces to leverage doctoral research commissioning, execution and priority setting to facilitate the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond the scientific community

Development and maturation of school principals’ viewpoint of physical education's value to the academic mission

School principals are responsible for leadership toward meeting an academic mission predicated on student achievement in core subjects. Socialization experiences of principals relative to physical education (PE) may impact their perception of PE's academic value. Our purpose was to investigate the development and maturation of school principals’ perspective of the value of PE to their school’s academic mission. Eleven principals completed two in-depth interviews about their perception of PE's value to their school's academic mission. Interviews occurred prior to and following their PE teacher participating in extended professional development. Principals observed and assessed the teaching performance of their current PE teacher on two separate occasions between interviews. Occupational Socialization Theory guided inquiry and analysis. Principals’ positive and negative experiences during K-12 influenced their beliefs about the value of PE to the academic mission and were evident in performance expectations of their respective PE teacher. Professional training had little effect, but instructional leadership interactions with their PE teacher impacted principals’ beliefs about PE's value to the school’s academic mission. Positive changes in principal perceptions about the academic nature of PE were noted over the course of the study. Principal preparation programs offer little guidance in supporting PE. Opportunities to observe and reflect upon best practices with PE teachers may positively alter their beliefs. More guidance on evaluating teachers of specific content areas such as PE is warranted, and PE teachers may offset marginalization by engaging their principal about best practices that align with and support the school’s academic mission.

Drivers of digital currency adoption and their configurational impact assessment in tourism and hospitality: loss aversion under prospect theory

ABSTRACT With accelerated digitalisation in all business sectors, digital currencies (DC) are increasingly popular. This study aimed to identify the effects of central bank digital currency (CBDC) innovation characteristics and perceived risks on CBDC adoption intention in the tourism and hospitality field. This study devised a research model incorporating research hypotheses addressing CBDC customers’ perceptions of CBDC's innovative technology and risks. To test the hypotheses, data were obtained from the USA, Korea, and China. CBDC's innovation characteristics and perceived risks affected the adoption of CBDC for transactions during travel. The results have academic and practical value because they aid understanding of customers’ reactions to the new transaction system and establish proactive marketing strategies such as promotional message development to reduce perceived risks in lieu of strengthening innovative characteristics.

“It’s not like we go and chat just because we see each other’s name on the screen”: online students’ experiences of social and academic community

Online students are becoming an increasingly big part of the student population in higher education. Interaction and collaboration is beneficial for academic performance and well-being, but can be challenging to facilitate in the online context. Through individual in-depth interviews, we have investigated online students’ experiences of academic and social community, as well as the role study flexibility can play in their participation in such communities. The thematic analysis resulted in four themes. Theme 1, Expectations of being self-sufficient, shows that many participants made good use of the flexibility of the studies by being organised and independent. However, the expectation of independence became a potential barrier to participation. Theme 2, Collaboration if valuable and flexible, describes how most participants desired increased collaboration with their peers, given that it was flexible and of academic value. Theme 3, Study groups as important but fragile communities, illustrates study groups as the participants’ primary learning communities, but finds that maintaining them over time could be challenging. Theme 4, Digital distance, depicts many participants’ challenges with connecting digitally with others. We discuss these findings in the light of self-determination theory, showing how flexibility can become both a facilitator and a barrier for basic need satisfaction in online education, and that participation and collaboration seemed to be more closely connected to the need for competence than for relatedness. The main implication of the study is that online studies should strive to create a need-supportive environment that facilitates academic community while acknowledging many online students’ necessity for flexibility.

Chemical compositions and oxidative stabilities of cold-pressed walnut oils (Juglans regia L.): Effects of chemical refining, water degumming, and molecular distillation.

Walnut oils are of important academic and economic value, and are becoming one of the most important woody oils. Accurate and moderate refining techniques are required to produce high-quality walnut oils. In this work, walnut oils obtained from cold processing were refined in three typical techniques, mainly chemical refining, water degumming, and molecular distillation. Physicochemical properties (acid value and peroxide value [POV]), minor components (tocopherol, polyphenols, and phytosterol), oxidative stability indices, and volatile compounds were analyzed to find out the appropriate refining method for the cold-pressed walnut oils. Quality indices of all the refined oils from the three different refining methods met the requirements of the national standard, of which the POV of chemically refined oil (0.241g/100g) was higher than crude oil (0.058g/100g). Water degumming was most suitable for retaining of bioactive compounds, for example, the tocopherol was 259.40mg/kg, the polyphenols was 44.54mgGAE/kg, and the phytosterol was 987.32mg/kg, but oxidation stability of the obtained oil (3.09h) was lower than that of molecular distilled oil (4.18h). Initial physicochemical properties especially the POV had a significant impact on oxidation stability. There is a trade-off between the retention of nutrients and extending shelf life, indicating appropriate refining techniques should be developed; that is, water degumming is suggested to be involved in producing high-quality cold-pressed walnut oils.

First Report of Bacterial Leaf Spot Disease on Ginger Caused by Enterobacter quasiroggenkampii in China.

In autumn 2023, an unknown leaf spot disease has occurred on ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) in two fields of approximately 1800 m2 in Yongning District (22°49'N; 108°48'E), Nanning, China, with a incidence of 20-30%. The symptoms began as yellow spots on the leaves, expanding into elliptical to irregular lesions with yellow edges, the middle of the lesion turning grey-white in dry weather. Finally, multiple spots caused necrosis of the whole leaf. Twelve diseased leaves from six plants of two fields were collected, surface disinfected and ground. The ground samples were diluted and plated on nutrient agar (NA) medium at 28 °C for 48-72 h. The purified colonies appeared milky white and round, with smooth edges. Three isolates (GL1, GL2 and GL3) were selected for identification and pathogenic determination. They were gram negative, could utilize sorbitol, mannitol, inositol, raffinose, melibiose, disaccharides, and citrate; negative for methyl red, phenylalanine decarboxylase, hydrogen sulfide, urease; positive for voges-proskauer test and ornithine decarboxylase. These characteristics were consistent with Enterobacter genus (Wu et al., 2020). Genomic DNA was extracted from three isolates. The 16S rDNA region was amplified using 27F/1492R primers (Weisburg et al. 1991) and sequenced (accession no. PP837703-PP837705). Blastn analysis revealed that 16S rDNA sequences for GL1 was 99% identical (1373/1387 nt), GL2 96% (1364/1422 nt) and GL3 95% (1365/1435 nt) to Enterobacter quasiroggenkampii WCHECL1060 (NR_179166). To determine the species, the sequences of gyrB, rpoB and atpD genes were amplified using primers gyrB 01-F/gyrB 02-R, rpoB CM7/rpoB CM31b, and atpD 01-F/atpD 02-R, respectively (Lin et al. 2015; Zhu at al. 2010; Zhang et al. 2013). The GenBank accession numbers for the sequences were PP857680-PP857688. A multilocus phylogenetic tree was constructed with the concatenated sequence of 16S rDNA-gyrB-rpoB-atpD by using the Neighbor-Joining (NJ) method with 1000 bootstrap replicates in MEGA6 software. The three isolates clustered with E. quasiroggenkampii. Fifteen Darou ginger variety plants at the 4-5 leaf stage were tested for pathogenicity. Two to three leaves of each ginger plant were pricked with a syringe needle of 0.36mm in diameter or not and inoculated by spraying the bacterial suspension (108 CFU/mL), sterile water was used as a control. Five plants were inoculated with each isolate and the test was repeated three times. After 3-4 days of inoculation, all wounded leaves and about 10% of the unwounded leaves showed symptoms similar to those observed in the field. Control plants did not develop symptoms. Enterobacter quasiroggenkampii isolates were re-isolated from the inoculated leaves with symptoms, and their identity was confirmed by gyrB sequencing and colony morphology, completing Koch's postulates. Enterobacter quasiroggenkampii is a pathogen of humans that can cause nosocomial infections (Wu et al., 2020). In Guangxi, E. quasiroggenkampii was identified as one of the pathogens causing mulberry wilt (Jiao, 2022). To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. quasiroggenkampii causing bacterial leaf spot disease of ginger. The results of this study not only have practical significance for the control of ginger leaf spot, but also can provide excellent materials for the study of the differentiation and pathogenic mechanism of the genus Enterobacter, which has important academic value.

‘Helping academics shine’: An exploration into the relationships working-class professional services staff have with others in UK higher education

AbstractDrawing on research interviews with thirteen self-identifying working-class professional services employees in Russell Group institutions, this article attempts to develop a nuanced approach to understanding institutional cultures in UK universities, through the relationships within these establishments. Throughout the study, the tensions between working-class professional services or administrative staff and their counterparts working on academic trajectories became clear. Often highly qualified themselves, the participants in this study describe feelings relating to inadequacy and often negative attitudes proliferated towards them by academic staff. These relationships are framed within the perspective of three themes: academic hierarchies and superior academic value, treatment of staff, and language codes and patterns. In contrast, the participants in this sample often describe their relationships with their networks in professional services as highly positive, developmental, and enriching. This study focused on working-class professional services staff specifically. In the field of working-class research, professional services staff from working-class backgrounds have currently been largely omitted from research, which tends to focus on working-class students and working-class academics. Not all professional services staff identify as working-class, but due to this deficit of evidence in the research field, it is this group in particular that this paper focuses on. The findings in this paper suggest that the relationships these professional services staff have with academics are often fraught, difficult to manage, and at times, derogatory in their nature. This finding comes at the juxtaposition of the wider inclusion agenda UK universities pursue.

Lifespan Evaluation for a Standard RV Reducer based on Fatigue Strength Theory

Rotate vector (RV) reducers are the two-stage deceleration device comprising involute and cycloid-pin gear transmission mechanisms. As the typical deceleration elements, they are widely applied in industrial robots, digitally controlled machine tools and automation fields due to their compact structure and high precision. However, a reducer may lose precision after a long-term operation. Moreover, pitting and metal peeling of internal components may also occur, leading to a fatigue failure. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct investigations on lifespan evaluation for RV reducers. In this study, the CRV-80E reducer is taken as the research object. Firstly, according to its transmission characteristics, the lifespan evaluation model for a standard RV reducer is established based on fatigue strength theory and Palmgren-Miner linear cumulative damage law, with the internal crankshaft bearing is considered as the key component. Then, the simulations are carried out on crankshaft bearing by the ANSYS Workbench and SKF SimPro. The contact stress, deformation on bearing rollers, and the rated lifespan of the reducer are simulated. Finally, the accelerated life test is conducted on an RV reducer by increasing the external load with the positioning precision as an output and criterion. After the test, the reducer is disassembled, and metal peeling failure is observed on the crankshaft bearing while other parts are relatively intact. The test results validate the feasibility and accuracy of the service life evaluation model and simulation analysis. This study provides a new research approach for researchers and manufacturers and a design reference for engineers to improve the lifespan of RV reducers by optimizing crankshaft bearings, which have a certain academic value.

Research on the monitoring system for induced voltage and ground current of 27.5 kV cable sheath in railways

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to address the deficiency in safety monitoring technology for 27.5 kV high-voltage cables within the railway traction power supply by analyzing the grounding methods employed in high-speed railways and developing an effective monitoring solution.Design/methodology/approachThrough establishing a mathematical model of induced potential in the cable sheath and analyzing its influencing factors, the principle of grounding current monitoring is proposed. Furthermore, the accuracy of data collection and alarm function of the monitoring equipment were verified through laboratory simulation experiments. Finally, through practical application in the traction substation of the railway bureau on site, a large amount of data were collected to verify the stability and reliability of the monitoring system in actual environments.FindingsThe experimental results show that the designed monitoring system can effectively monitor the grounding current of high-voltage cables and respond promptly to changes in cable insulation status. The system performs excellently in terms of data collection accuracy, real-time performance and reliability of alarm functions. In addition, the on-site trial results further confirm the accuracy and reliability of the monitoring system in practical applications, providing strong technical support for the safe operation of high-speed railway traction power supply systems.Originality/valueThis study innovatively develops a 27.5kV high-voltage cable grounding current monitoring system, which provides a new technical means for evaluating the insulation status of cables by accurately measuring the grounding current. The design, experimental verification and application of this system in high-speed railway traction power supply systems have demonstrated significant academic value and practical significance, contributing innovative solutions to the field of railway power supply safety monitoring.

Institutional Mechanisms for Enhancing Production of Doctoral Research Outputs at Makerere University

In the contemporary knowledge society, research production is being re-purposed in terms of not just its academic value, but also its wider societal value. As such, doctoral research ought to be produced in the context of application. Therefore, universities have a responsibility to enhance the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs. This necessitates institutional mechanisms for enhancing the production of doctoral research outputs for uptake and use beyond academia. We examined the institutional mechanisms for enhancing production of doctoral research outputs at Makerere University using the research knowledge infrastructure (RKI) framework as the analytical lens. This was in light of the dismal uptake and use of research produced at Makerere University by students and staff. We used qualitative single case study research design. We collected data through interviewing and review of documents. We interviewed 10 doctoral program coordinators, three managers of research and graduate training and 13 PhD students we selected purposively. We reviewed seven institutional documents pertaining graduate training at Makerere University: two plans, three policies, one framework and one guideline. We used thematic data analysis to make sense of the data. The findings revealed that due to policy-practice gaps and funding constraints, mechanisms to enhance doctoral research production to facilitate uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond the academia were not adequately integrated into doctoral research training. This was shown by the lack of mechanisms to enhance doctoral research commissioning and execution, and gaps in priority setting. Opportunities for productive interactions between doctoral researchers and potential users were missed. As such, doctoral research outputs largely remained within the scholarly community. We recommend that the university should establish interface structures and co-creation spaces to leverage doctoral research commissioning, execution and priority setting to facilitate the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond the scientific community.

The gloomy side of value co-creation for service employees

PurposeThere is a paucity of published research regarding service employees’ side of gloomy consequences emanating from value co-creation (VCC). The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the activities and interactions of VCC that can result in negative well-being for service employees.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a theory synthesis paper and, as such, seeks to accomplish conceptual integration of multiple theories and literature streams.FindingsThe origins of negative outcomes of VCC are infinite, and for the purpose of this study, the potential triggers of negative outcomes are limited to typical processes and behaviours initiated by VCC of services. For the purposes of this paper, dysfunctional customer behaviour, customer incivility, value co-destruction, boundary-spanning activities, organisational structure and policies and resource integration are investigated as sources of negative well-being for service employees.Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation is the focus on offline transactions. Although the accepted definition of a service ecosystem provides for it to be a “self-adjusting system” a need could emerge for some formal management structure to cope with the increasing complexity of service transactions. A theoretical implication of this paper is that it includes a few lesser researched elements in the context of VCC. A starting point to deal with undesirable VCC interactions is to distinguish between undesirable interaction outcomes that originated inside the firm (own service employees) and those that originated from outside the firm (dysfunctional customers).Practical implicationsA first suggestion on how managers could deal with undesirable VCC interactions is to distinguish between undesirable interaction outcomes that originated inside the firm (e.g. own service employees, firm policies and structure) and those that originated from outside the firm (e.g. customer incivility and dysfunctional customers), as these two types of interaction outcomes require different interventions. Firms will need to bring together, study, analyse and assess all service employee experiences and challenges generated by VCC interactions. The frequency and significance of negative incidents should indicate the amount of effort and time to be spent on types of negative incidents.Social implicationsA challenge for service ecosystems is how they will adjust to comply with novel and traditional non-business objectives in the light of transformational, upliftment and other calls from society, whilst at the same time improving the well-being of the entire service ecosystem (i.e. providers, users and society). The improvement of well-being versus reducing suffering/losses/risks is not an option. The words of Hammedi et al. (2024, p. 159) “we move towards the conceptualization of service ecosystem health as a harmonious state in which private, public and planetary well-being merge” are exceptionally fitting here.Originality/valueThe negative consequences of VCC impact the well-being of service employees and are costly for a firm. Suggestions to prevent or limit the impact of undesirable or harmful consequences are made. This study is of value for service businesses, service academics and society. A greater awareness of the destructive nature of negative consequences of VCC will hopefully transpire from this study.

Exploring subsea dynamics: A comprehensive review of underwater pipelines and cables

The development of marine resources is intrinsically linked to the utilization of various marine equipment. Among these, marine pipelines and cables are crucial for the exploitation of deep-sea oil and gas resources. Mooring cables, marine towed cables, marine umbilical cables, submarine cables, and marine pipelines are typical slender and flexible marine components. These slender marine flexible members present various dynamic challenges during laying, installation, and in-position operation. Facing these challenges, scholars from China and around the globe have explored theoretical, numerical, and experimental solutions to these challenges. The conclusions need to be condensed to improve their practical and academic value for engineering applications. This paper summarizes the explorations and provides general design methods and concepts of marine pipelines. Additionally, this paper looks forward to the future development trend of marine pipelines in engineering applications as well as theoretical research. The aim is to provide a reference for the research of underwater pipelines and cables.

The Role of Integration Associations in the Fight against Pandemics on the Example of the European Union and Eurasian Economic Union

INTRODUCTION. The academic value of this article lies in augmenting the scientific understanding of the role of integration unions in healthcare and the methods and means of combating pandemics and epidemics at an integration level. This is achieved by addressing the research objective: to identify the legal and institutional structures and mechanisms existing at the level of integration unions for combating pandemics and their consequences, and to assess their effectiveness. The research objectives are defined as follows: to examine the actions of integration unions in combating the pandemic from legal and material- economic perspectives; to determine the actual role of integration unions in combating pandemics and similar threats to public health for the further improvement of international cooperation and Eurasian integration; to evaluate the compliance of the actions of integration union institutions with their founding documents; and to develop ways to improve integrations in the field of health protection based on the experience gained.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The methodological basis of the research is grounded in the general philosophical method of dialectics. Special and specific scientific methods applied include: the comparative legal method (comparing the legal systems and regulations of different integration unions, and the various measures taken in response to the pandemic), the sociological method (examining the impact of pandemic conditions on society in different integration environments), and the axiological method (studying values as the foundation of integration unions, their reflection, and influence on making internationally significant decisions).RESEARCH RESULTS. In determining the effectiveness of the institutions, structures, and mechanisms of integration unions in ensuring epidemiological wellbeing, a significant role of integrations in counteracting pandemic and epidemiological threats to health has been identified. This is evidenced by the actions and measures taken by the EU and the EAEU during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Aspects of cooperation between member countries (transport communication, coordination of sanitary measures, support of the economy and social sphere, information and experience exchange) and the institutions of these integration unions (European Commission, European Parliament, Eurasian Economic Commission) were dictated by their founding acts (TEU, TFEU, Treaty on the EAEU) and other documents.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. During the crisis, not only challenges requiring solutions in ensuring well-being (balance of freedoms and restrictions, rational allocation of resources, balance of national and integration interests) emerged, but also prospects for the future development of integrations (NextGenerationEU Plan, the emergence of a Global Digital Health Certification Network). Judicial practice was formed (lawsuits by the European Commission, work of the EAEU Court). Conclusions highlight the need to increase the resilience and centralization of EU healthcare systems, prepare the budget for potential future threats, which serves as a useful experience for Eurasian integration, and the importance of deepening integration, reforming existing institutions, and establishing interstate dialogue for the EAEU. The crisis became a catalyst for the development of integrations, the cause of the emergence of new conflicts and contradictions, the solutions of which determined the direction of evolution in the future.