Consistency Analysis and Accuracy Assessment of Eight Global Forest Datasets over Myanmar

Accurate and up-to-date forest monitoring plays a significant role in the country’s society and economy. Many open-access global forest datasets can be used to analyze the forest profile of countries around the world. However, discrepancies exist among these forest datasets due to their specific classification systems, methodologies, and remote sensing data sources, which makes end-users difficult to select an appropriate dataset in different regions. This study aims to explore the accuracy, consistency, and discrepancies of eight widely-used forest datasets in Myanmar, including Hansen2010, CCI-LC2015, FROM-GLC2015/2017, FROM-GLC10, GLC-FCS2015/2020, and GlobeLand30-2020. Firstly, accuracy assessment is conducted by using 934 forest and non-forest samples with four different years. Then, spatial consistency of these eight datasets is compared in area and spatial distribution. Finally, the factors influencing the spatial consistency are analyzed from the aspects of terrain and climate. The results indicate that in Myanmar the forest area derived from GlobeLand30 has the best accuracy, followed by FROM-GLC10 and FROM-GLC2017. The eight datasets differ in spatial detail, with the mountains of northern Myanmar having the highest consistency and the seaward areas of southwestern Myanmar having the highest inconsistency, such as Rakhine and the Ayeyarwady. In addition, it is found that the spatial consistency of the eight datasets is closely related to the terrain and climate. The highest consistency among the eight datasets is found in the range of 1000–3500 m above sea level and 26°–35° slope. In the subtropical highland climate (Cwb) zone, the percentage of complete consistency among the eight datasets is as high as 60.62%, which is the highest consistency among the six climatic zones in Myanmar. Therefore, forest mapping in Myanmar should devote more effort to low topography, seaward areas such as border states like Rakhine, Irrawaddy, Yangon, and Mon. This is because these areas have complex and diverse landscape types and are prone to confusion between forest types (e.g., grassland, shrub, and cropland). The approach can also be applied to other countries, which will help scholars to select the most suitable forest datasets in different regions for analysis, thus providing recommendations for relevant forest policies and planning in different countries.

Mapping varied mental representations: The case of representing illegalized immigrants

How do people represent social categories? To answer this question, aggregate mental representations would typically be estimated at the sample level or within theory-derived individual differences (e.g., conservatives vs. liberals). However, these approaches can fail to capture the heterogeneous contours of collective beliefs. We introduce a novel data-driven approach that first clusters mental representations by similarity and then identifies which measures best differentiate between clusters. We apply this approach to understand mental representations of illegalized immigrants. Representations were estimated using face-based reverse correlation from border states, Texas and California (N = 1002), along with various measures thought to influence perceptions of immigrants: attitudes, demographics, ideologies, social geographic characteristics, and a manipulation of labels (i.e.., “undocumented” vs “illegal” immigrant). Comparative analyses revealed how the aggregate approach hid representational clusters that differed on visualized facial phenotype and affective expressions. Furthermore, the clusters were differentiated by characteristics not typically measured in social psychology: age and local population size perceptions. Data-driven approaches therefore offer a useful tool for identifying unexpected sources of shared beliefs by centering representational variation in investigations of mental representations.

СУТНІСНА ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКА ІНТЕГРАЦІЙНОЇ ВЗАЄМОДІЇ ЯК ПЕРЕДУМОВА ФОРМУВАННЯ ІНТЕГРОВАНИХ БІЗНЕС-СТРУКТУР

The article offers a comprehensive study on the essential characteristics of integrative interaction as a pattern for building integrated business structures. Based on a deepened understanding of an integration concept, it is argued that regardless of the scope of integration, this term could be considered twofold: either as an association, one way or another (often of equal single-profile business entities at the same level), or as an affiliation with a larger actor or with an existing association, sometimes its acquisition. In each case, integration is carried out to gain competitive advantages, obtain a particular benefit, and according to certain criteria. A literature review of the vast body of economic theories and approaches demonstrates that the integration concept is employed at all levels: local (refers to production processes within a single microeconomic unit); at a microlevel (within several business units); at the national level (within a certain state); at a mesolevel (within several border states); at a macrolevel (in a certain region), at a megalevel (within the global economic area). The in-depth-study of the essential characteristics of integrative interaction as a pattern for building integrated business structures allowed to consider integration as a polygamous category from the following perspectives: as an integration of individual units, activities, functions, elements; as a structural element of social development; as a management concept of cooperation; as a strategy and tactics of market behavior in competitive environment; as a strategy for integrating efforts, actions and opportunities; as forms of association (interaction) or as a system-based business unit; as a novel management approach; as a model for creating and developing integrated structures, implementation of innovative organizational patterns; as the process that leads towards a contingence state (launching, developing, evolving, strengthening of ties); as the processes of building and developing interaction, partnership and cooperation.

Signatures of the Venezuelan Humanitarian Crisis in the First Wave of COVID-19: Fuel Shortages and Border Migration

Testing and isolation have been crucial for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Venezuela has one of the weakest testing infrastructures in Latin America and the low number of reported cases in the country has been attributed to substantial underreporting. However, the Venezuelan epidemic seems to have lagged behind other countries in the region, with most cases occurring within the capital region and four border states. Here, we describe the spatial epidemiology of COVID-19 in Venezuela and its relation to the population mobility, migration patterns, non-pharmaceutical interventions and fuel availability that impact population movement. Using a metapopulation model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics, we explore how movement patterns could have driven the observed distribution of cases. Low within-country connectivity most likely delayed the onset of the epidemic in most states, except for those bordering Colombia and Brazil, where high immigration seeded outbreaks. NPIs slowed early epidemic growth and subsequent fuel shortages appeared to be responsible for limiting the spread of COVID-19 across the country.

Public policies against criminal assets in mexico: challenges and opportunities from the north border states

Given its vast border with the United States, Mexico is a strategic trade and economic development region, which creates significant challenges in combating crime and violence. In recent years, Mexico´s federal and state governments have focused their efforts on the development of strategies to combat and weaken the criminal structures operating in the country by using legal instruments such as seizure, abandonment, and extinction of domain. This study seeks to identify the challenges faced by the states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, and Tamaulipas in their efforts to combat crime through the collection of primary and secondary data and interviews with key actors. Mexico faces major challenges in the development of public policies to fortify the legal precepts of extinction of domain, in addition to fostering institutional links with the Financial and Patrimonial Intelligence Units of Mexico's northern Border States. There are few studies about subnational efforts for asset forfeiture as a policy instrument against criminal elements in developing countries. The Mexican case presents important subnational efforts to improve security strategies that may provide guidance for other subnational governments or regions that may be facing similar challenges or are pursuing parallel initiatives.

Signatures of the Venezuelan Humanitarian Crisis in the First Wave of COVID-19: Fuel Shortages and Border Migration

Testing and isolation have been crucial for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Venezuela has one of the weakest testing infrastructures in Latin America and the low number of reported cases in the country has been attributed to substantial underreporting. However, the Venezuelan epidemic seems to have lagged behind other countries in the region, with most cases occurring within the capital region and four border states. Here, we describe the spatial epidemiology of COVID-19 in Venezuela and its relation to population mobility, migration patterns, non-pharmaceutical interventions and fuel availability. Using an SEI metapopulation model, we explore how movement patterns could have driven the observed distribution of cases. Low within-country connectivity most likely delayed the epidemic in most states, except for those bordering Colombia and Brazil where high immigration seeded outbreaks. NPIs slowed early epidemic growth and subsequent fuel shortages appeared to be responsible for limiting the spread of COVID-19 across the country.

Virtual Seminar on Coronavirus 2019 for the US-Mexico Border Region: Building Opportunities for Communication and Collaboration

While the US-Mexico border region has had increasing restrictions due to coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the economically and socially integrated region continues to facilitate necessary movement between the two countries. Binational partners representing universities, government, and health delivery worked together to develop a COVID-19 Virtual Seminar for the US-Mexico Border Region, which consisted of weekly sessions in Spanish designed to better facilitate communication and collaborative systems between border states. In total 835 participants registered for the virtual seminar with attendance ranging from 394 in Session 1 to 269 in Session 6. From evaluation surveys (n = 297), organizers observed a large plurality of healthcare professionals, followed by students, researchers, and government employees. The seminar’s contribution to increasing collaborative and communication systems identified major needs in the region surrounding surveillance and monitoring; increased resources for migrant shelters to control outbreaks; an increase in personal protective equipment; tracking binational cases.

Pilot Study of Methods to Support Stakeholder Prioritization of Transboundary Aquifers for Investigation along the US-Mexico Border

<p>Four US and six Mexican border states share significant interconnections in terms of trade, jobs, energy production, manufacturing, and natural resources such as water. The border states have a mutual interest in characterizing groundwater resources shared between the US and Mexico, a task made difficult by scarcity of information. To address this challenge, a number of US and Mexican federal agencies and universities via the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) have come together to jointly study the shared groundwater resources of the border region, and to develop the information needed by cities, states, industries and local communities to support decision making and land management.</p><p>Investigations of four binational aquifers selected in the first phase of TAAP are in progress. Carrying out these investigations has created a cohesive binational multi-institutional team of social and physical scientists and established relationships with a broad network of stakeholders. Completed products relevant to the present work include: (1) analysis of the availability and integration potential of binational data sets, (2) aquifer assessments including a review of US-Mexico aquifer classifications (3) development of water-balance models, (4) analysis of aquifer vulnerability to contamination, and (5) a set of protocols and agreements that address the specific physical, legal, cultural, and institutional setting of the US-Mexico border.</p><p>Additional aquifers along the border (estimates of the total range from of 8 to 38) could be investigated, but there are questions as to how to define them, which to choose, and what types of studies are needed. To help answer these questions, we developed a pilot project to investigate and develop methods and tools to assist decision makers and land managers in prioritizing additional aquifers for investigation along the US-Mexico border. First is an approach for rapid assessment of additional aquifers using existing data, published literature, and simple analytical tools including conceptual hydrogeologic model development and precipitation-groundwater lag-correlation analysis. Second, a groundwater modeling platform was developed for use by stakeholders for both learning and planning. Third, in preparation for stakeholder ranking of aquifers for investigation, we conducted a review of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) as applied to coupled human-natural resource systems and a review of real-world examples of aquifer prioritization schemes used by governmental entities. Finally, an assessment of uncertainty with respect to knowledge about and trajectory of the coupled human-biophysical system was carried out to aid in stakeholder discussions of prioritization criteria and weighting schemes. These results and tools can be used to support prioritization of any set of aquifers. However, some are specifically designed to address transboundary aquifers and will be used to inform binational discussions regarding prioritization of future aquifer investigations along the US-Mexico border.</p>

Another mystery snail in the Adirondacks: DNA barcoding reveals the first record of Sinotaia cf. quadrata (Caenogastropoda: Viviparidae) from North America

ABSTRACTAlien molluscs pose a serious threat to global freshwater diversity and have been implicated in many ecosystem-altering invasion events over the past few decades. Biomonitoring surveys are therefore a key tool for ensuring biosecurity in diversity hotspots and vulnerable habitats. In this study, we use DNA barcoding to provide the first record of the viviparid, Sinotaia cf. quadrata from North America. Reciprocal monophyly and low genetic divergence (uncorrected p-distance: 0.004) with a Bellamya quadrata individual from the type region (China) provides strong support for this identification. The species was recovered as part of a routine biomonitoring survey of the Adirondack region of northern New York. Only three adults were recovered (no populations or juveniles) indicating that the discovery represents a very recent arrival. Considering the proximity of the sampling site from the massive St. Lawrence River, it is likely that S. cf. quadrata was introduced into the St. Lawrence, probably via the aquarium plant trade, and was able to spread into smaller river system in northern New York and possibly other border states. This record represents the fourth alien viviparid, the third of which is of Asian origin, that have made its way to New York waters. Future biomonitoring efforts for the upcoming summer period will involve targeted searches for S. cf. quadrata to determine the extent of its spread in the region.

Labor in the Spanish and Early US–Mexican Borderlands (1540–1848)

The forced, coerced, and voluntary labor systems of the Spanish and early US–Mexico borderlands were as diverse as the territories where they predominated, and they evolved substantially over the course of three centuries. Spanish borderlands refers to an immense region that encompassed New Spain’s northern “interior provinces.” They were mostly inhabited and controlled by Indigenous peoples. In the 19th century, these provinces would become the modern border states and territories of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Texas to the north; and Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south. Thousands of Indigenous, Black, mulatto, and mestizo people worked in coerced and unfree labor systems that ranged from outright slavery to encomienda, repartimiento, and debt peonage. New labor forms emerged with expanding global trade, economic reform, and industrialization in Europe and the United States. Compensated labor coexisted alongside forced labor in the colonial period, until it came to rival and, in some cases, replace involuntary labor by the early 19th century. Yet debt peonage and chattel slavery grew in importance during the same period. Workers themselves struggled to maintain autonomy and resisted through means that ranged from flight, malingering, and migration to outright rebellion.