A globalizáció jövője a koronavírus-válság árnyékában : Harold James: „Globalization’s Coming Golden Age –Why Crisis Ends in Connection”. Foreign Affairs, 100(3), 20212

Harold James a Foreign Affairs folyóiratban publikált dolgozatában amellett érvel, hogy bár a koronavírus-válság a laikus szemlélő számára a globalizációt ért végzetes csapásnak tűnhet, valójában egy fellendülési szakasz várható. Ehhez történelmi párhuzamokat von az 1840-es, illetve 1970-es évek válságaival. Mindezek alapján igazoltnak látja azt a tézist, miszerint a mély krízisek végeredményben a globalizáció erősödéséhez vezetnek. In his publication in Foreign Affairs, Harold James uses historical parallels from the 1840s and 1970s to demonstrate that even though the effects of the coronavirus crisis on globalization seems to be deeply destructive, it will roar back very soon. He argues that globalization follows a cyclical pattern in which increasing integration is followed by backlashes and crises, and history shows that crises often produce more globalization.

Understanding the Relationship between Depression and Chronic Diseases Such as Diabetes and Hypertension: A Grounded Theory Study

There is a bi-directional relationship between depression and chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. This comorbidity is associated with higher mortality risk and diminishes the efficacy of interventions. The specific mechanisms of this mutual influence are still not fully understood, and most intervention protocols address these conditions separately. This study aims to improve our understanding of this relationship. We interviewed 18 patients and 24 health care professionals, focusing on understanding the different ways in which depression and chronic illness could influence each other. Our results show a common cyclical pattern and specific situations where the reported bi-directional relationship does not occur. We discuss the importance of opening a space for the patient’s grief process after the chronic illness diagnosis, managing the demands and stress of the patient’s treatment, and how to adjust the treatment to the different needs and possibilities of each person.

The Baby Buddy app: views of first-time mothers understanding and use of a pregnancy and parenting mobile application. (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Internationally, there is an increasing emphasis on early intervention in the first 1000 days to support pregnant mothers and optimise the health and development of newborns. To increase intervention reach, digital and app-based interventions have been advocated. This paper reports on the qualitative arm of the independent multicomponent evaluation of the Baby Buddy app, a pregnancy related app supported by several professional bodies and developed by a UK young child health and wellbeing charity Best Beginnings. OBJECTIVE To understand when, why and how first-time mothers use the Baby Buddy app and the perceived potential benefits. METHODS An Appreciative Inquiry (AI) qualitative approach was used with semi-structured interviews (n = 17) undertaken with pregnant mother either by telephone or in a focus group. Thematic analysis was used to synthesise the rich data and present findings. RESULTS Four over-riding themes were collated with regard to women’s use of the Baby Buddy app and its influence on interactions with health care professionals and family: Accessibility of information, Knowledge, Reassurance and Reliability, and Confidence. CONCLUSIONS The findings demonstrated a cyclical pattern between the emergent themes, which could provide a framework on which to support first-time mothers’ engagement with digital health management tools. CLINICALTRIAL NA INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.1017/S1463423618000294

M&A Movements: An Analysis of Patterns of Indian Trends

Indian industrial landscape had been completely redrawn by the forces of globalization, deregulation and unprecedented technological advancements for the last three decades. Corporate enterprises have responded to the competitive pressures unleashed by these forces through extensive repositioning activities involving corporate restructuring in general and mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in particular. This article has carried out a survey of Indian M&As for different industry groups by creating a database of 1990–2011 to find the presence of M&As waves in India. Empirical construct revealed the trends of Indian M&As for 24 industry groups and identified three distinct waves of M&As. The survey of Indian M&As has revealed that there was a significant reduction of Indian M&As in international deals than domestic deals during the economic recession period (2008–2009). Using VAR and VECM model, it emerged that M&As waves for different sectors of Indian industry move in the same cyclical pattern. Their behaviour, apparently independent corporate decisions, are most likely affected by the conditions of the economy, which may be changed by various macroeconomic factors which are in line with the findings of several other studies. This study contributes towards finding the answer to this question by establishing the underlying common factors that cause the cyclical behaviour in all the M&A waves. This article also establishes the basic interdependence and co-movements between the waves, and how this interdependence changed over time.

Radial growth of Scots pine and Norway spruce stands as an indicator of soil and environmental conditions

The study presents an analysis of radial growth of Scots pine and Norway spruce trees growing on drained soils formed on varved clays at the sample sites of the Lisino Experimental Forestry (Lisino). Based on dendrochronological studies in Lisino, it has been found that the radial growth of Scots pine and Norway spruce is a sensitive indicator of changes in the soil water regime, climate, and phytocenotic relationships. On the basis of the character of tree-ring width growth, the growth charts allowed distinguishing zones with close to average growth values, as well as with increased and decreased values of radial growth. The cyclical pattern of tree ring width is well expressed in the successive change of zones. The availability of dendrochronological research materials with precise spatial and temporal reference makes it possible to organize monitoring of radial growth of trees as an indicator of changes in climate and habitat conditions.

Zooarchaeology through the lens of collagen fingerprinting at Denisova Cave

Denisova Cave, a Pleistocene site in the Altai Mountains of Russian Siberia, has yielded significant fossil and lithic evidence for the Pleistocene in Northern Asia. Abundant animal and human bones have been discovered at the site, however, these tend to be highly fragmented, necessitating new approaches to identifying important hominin and faunal fossils. Here we report the results for 8253 bone fragments using ZooMS. Through the integration of this new ZooMS-based data with the previously published macroscopically-identified fauna we aim to create a holistic picture of the zooarchaeological record of the site. We identify trends associated with climate variability throughout the Middle and Upper Pleistocene as well as patterns explaining the process of bone fragmentation. Where morphological analysis of bones from the site have identified a high proportion of carnivore bones (30.2%), we find that these account for only 7.6% of the ZooMS assemblage, with large mammals between 3 and 5 more abundant overall. Our analysis suggests a cyclical pattern in fragmentation of bones which sees initial fragmentation by hominins using percussive tools and secondary carnivore action, such as gnawing and digestion, likely furthering the initial human-induced fragmentation.

Genetic slippage after sex maintains diversity for parasite resistance in a natural host population

Although parasite-mediated selection is thought to be a major driver of host evolution, its influence on genetic variation for parasite resistance is not yet well understood. We monitored a large population of the planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna over eight years, as it underwent yearly epidemics of the bacterial pathogen Pasteuria ramosa. We observed a cyclical pattern of resistance evolution: resistant phenotypes increased in frequency throughout the epidemics, but susceptibility was restored each spring when hosts hatched from sexual resting stages, a phenomenon described as genetic slippage in response to sex. Collecting and hatching D. magna resting stages across multiple seasons showed that largely resistant host populations can produce susceptible offspring through recombination. Resting stages produced throughout the planktonic season accurately represent the hatching population cohort of the following spring. A genetic model of resistance developed for this host-parasite system, based on multiple loci and strong epistasis, is in partial agreement with these findings. Our results reveal that, despite strong selection for resistance in a natural host population, genetic slippage after sexual reproduction has the potential to maintain genetic diversity of host resistance.

The Decline of Religious Life in the Twentieth Century

The decline in numbers of religious in the West is discussed in numerous studies. While there is a consensus about the statistical reality of decreasing numbers, scholars disagree about the alleged reasons for this decline. This article maps the field and presents a survey of four categories of answers to the question of why religious life declined during the twentieth century. A distinction is made between theories that ascribe the decline to (1) historical, (2) societal, (3) ecclesial, and (4) theological reasons. The first category views the decline as part of a historical-cyclical pattern of growth and decline. The second encompasses explanations that focus on secularization, professionalization, or new societal opportunities for women. Thirdly, post-conciliar church-organizational reasons will be discussed. Finally, pre-conciliar theology is investigated as a potential reason for the decline. While none of the reasons discussed here can be excluded from at least contributing to the decline, we demonstrate that some authors are mistaken in their conclusions due to misinterpreting data in a way that obscures the possibility of an emerging decline before the statistics peak in 1965 (which marks the end of the Council). We also demonstrate how theology has been an underestimated but significant influence on the statistics of religious life.

Natural Changes in a Soil of the Mediterranean Climate Under Low Agronomic Inputs

: This study was conducted to evaluate the behavior of nitrate, moisture and organic matter in a soil with low agronomic input. The test was conducted on silty-sandy soil, a temporal variability of the variables in the different seasons was observed in the three theses. The theses were observed in parallel twice a week. Nitrates showed an increase during the summer-autumn season with higher values ​​in the thesis containing organic matter, “bare soil” followed by the thesis “fallow” and finally by the “cultivated” (see below in experimental set up). The humidity was higher in the “bare soil” thesis followed by “fallow” and “cultivated” one during the summer, in winter the “cultivated” showed the lowest humidity compared to the other two theses. The organic matter does not show great variability in the seasons but is higher in the “fallow” thesis followed by “bare soil” and “cultivated” one. The Montecarlo test informed us that organic matter and humidity were autocorrelated within 5-7.5 m of distance (10-15 lag) while nitrates even if they seemed to be not autocorrelated with each other and have a cyclical pattern.

The FTZ-F1 gene encodes two functionally distinct nuclear receptor isoforms in the ectoparasitic copepod salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis)

The salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, is an ectoparasitic crustacean that annually inflicts substantial losses to the aquaculture industry in the northern hemisphere and poses a threat to the wild populations of salmonids. The salmon louse life cycle consists of eight developmental stages each separated by a molt. Fushi Tarazu Factor-1 (FTZ-F1) is an ecdysteroid-regulated gene that encodes a member of the NR5A family of nuclear receptors that is shown to play a crucial regulatory role in molting in insects and nematodes. Characterization of an FTZ-F1 orthologue in the salmon louse gave two isoforms named αFTZ-F1 and βFTZ-F1, which are identical except for the presence of a unique N-terminal domain (A/B domain). A comparison suggest conservation of the FTZ-F1 gene structure among ecdysozoans, with the exception of nematodes, to produce isoforms with unique N-terminal domains through alternative transcription start and splicing. The two isoforms of the salmon louse FTZ-F1 were expressed in different amounts in the same tissues and showed a distinct cyclical expression pattern through the molting cycle with βFTZ-F1 being the highest expressed isoform. While RNA interference knockdown of βFTZ-F1 in nauplius larvae and in pre-adult males lead to molting arrest, knockdown of βFTZ-F1 in pre-adult II female lice caused disruption of oocyte maturation at the vitellogenic stage. No apparent phenotype could be observed in αFTZ-F1 knockdown larvae, or in their development to adults, and no genes were found to be differentially expressed in the nauplii larvae following αFTZ-F1 knockdown. βFTZ-F1 knockdown in nauplii larvae caused both down and upregulation of genes associated with proteolysis and chitin binding and affected a large number of genes which are in normal salmon louse development expressed in a cyclical pattern. This is the first description of FTZ-F1 gene function in copepod crustaceans and provides a foundation to expand the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of molting in the salmon louse and other copepods.