A Conceptual Forecasting Analysis of International Trade Aspects Based on Globalization Impact Issues

Global GDP is really important for trade, since the larger the global economy, the more goods and services available for trade. Global GDP grew by around two-thirds in real terms between 2000 and 2020 – or 2.6% per year on average.2020 saw some of the largest trade reductions and output volumes for both industrial production and goods trade since WWII. The year 2020 was marked by some of the largest reductions in trade and output volumes since WWII. The declines in both world industrial production and goods trade in the first half of 2020 were of similar depth to those at the trough of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). In addition, trade and production impacts across specific goods, services and trade partners were highly varied. Initial pandemic-era expectations for a double-digit decline in world merchandise trade in 2020 did not materialise. Global trade turned out to recover from the shock at an extraordinarily fast pace from around mid-2020.

Diversity and distribution of sediment bacteria across an ecological and trophic gradient

Can we cluster bacterial sediment communities based on lake size, depth, and trophic status? Or, are bacterial microbial communities an emergent property of their geography, integrating regional physical and climatic conditions? Lakes in Minnesota are uniquely situated to address these questions because of their wide geographic range and variability in size and basin land-use. In this study, we selected twenty lakes with varying morphological and chemical properties across four ecological regions of Minnesota. Our objectives were to (i)) evaluate the diversity and spatial variation of the bacterial community at the sediment-water interface and (ii) determine how lake location and watershed land-use impact aqueous chemistry and influence community structure. Our data indicate that sediment communities from similar depth intervals are more likely to cluster by ecological region rather than any individual lake properties (e.g., trophic status, TP concentration, lake depth). However, composition is tied to a given lake, wherein samples from the same core were more alike than samples at similar depths across lakes. Our results illustrate the diversity within lake sediment microbial communities and provide insight into relationships between taxonomy, physicochemical, and geographic properties of north temperate lakes.

The significance of pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Borneo peat core for the reconstruction of fire history

The reconstruction of fire history is essential to understand the palaeoclimate and human history. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been extensively used as a fire marker. In this work, the distribution of PAHs in Borneo peat archives was investigated to understand how PAHs reflect the palaeo-fire activity. In total, 52 peat samples were analysed from a Borneo peat core for the PAH analysis. Pyrogenic PAHs consist of 2–7 aromatic rings, some of which have methyl and ethyl groups. The results reveal that the concentration of pyrogenic PAHs fluctuated with the core depth. Compared to low-molecular-weight (LMW) PAHs, the high-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs had a more similar depth variation to the charcoal abundance. This finding also suggests that the HMW PAHs were mainly formed at a local fire near the study area, while the LMW PAHs could be transported from remote locations.

1. Geology or biology?

For centuries, reefs were used and valued for their food and shelter from storms, though for mariners they were a constant danger to be avoided because of their position at shallow depths in tropical seas. Scientific understanding started with European travellers trading with the Caribbean region and then with traders going eastwards to the Indian and Pacific oceans, especially when naturalists, commonly sponsored by patrons, accompanied the traders. The main questions included how the obviously living veneer could make the vast amounts of rock, as well as what the huge variety of sea creatures were. Darwin was the most famous naturalist who became intrigued by them and, following his Beagle voyage, he formed his theory of how they developed, which was proved true a century later. The basic underlying mechanism he proposed unified how they grew and why reefs around the world had so many common characteristics, especially why they nearly all had a similar depth and profile.

A Morphometric Analysis of Hamate Autograft for Proximal Scaphoid Reconstruction

Objective Recently, authors have investigated using the proximal hamate as osteochondral autograft for proximal pole scaphoid reconstruction in the case of nonunion with avascular necrosis. The aim of our study was to analyze the morphology and anatomic fit of the proximal hamate compared with the proximal pole of the scaphoid using cadaveric specimens. Materials and Methods Ten cadaver specimens (five males and five females) were dissected. Scaphoid and proximal hamate bones were measured by two independent investigators using electronic calipers and radius of curvature gauges. After measurements were determined to have good correlation, the average value of the two observers' measurements were used for further analysis. Sagittal radius of curvature (ROC), coronal ROC, depth, width, and maximum graft length were compared. Results The average depth of the scaphoid proximal pole was 12.3 mm (standard deviation [SD] = 1.12) compared with 11.3 mm (SD = 1.24) for the proximal hamate (p = 0.36). The average width was 7.8 mm (SD = 1.00) in the scaphoids compared with 8.6 (SD = 1.05) in the hamates (p = 0.09). There was also no significant difference in the sagittal ROC between hamates (9.1 mm, SD = 1.13) and scaphoids (9.5 mm, SD = 0.84; p = 0.36). All of these average measurements were within 1 mm. There was a significant difference between the coronal ROC of the hamate (23.4 mm) and scaphoid (21.1 mm) bones in our samples (p = 0.03). Females were on average smaller than their males, but there was no significant difference in fit based on sex alone. Conclusion The proximal pole of the hamate has similar morphology and size as the scaphoid, with similar depth, width, and sagittal ROC. It has potential as an osteochondral autograft for proximal pole scaphoid reconstruction.

A comparative analysis of information gathering meetings conducted by novice design teams across multiple design project stages

Designers often gather information, for instance through stakeholder or domain expert meetings, to understand their design problems and develop effective solutions. However, few previous studies have provided in-depth descriptions of novice engineering designers' approaches to conducting information gathering meetings. In this preliminary study, we analyzed data from six capstone mechanical engineering design teams to identify the types of individuals from whom teams gathered information, when these meetings occurred, and how teams solicited information during meetings. Teams in our study demonstrated a range of information gathering behaviors that aligned with recommended practices, particularly in their early meetings. Furthermore, we observed relatively few instances of teams exhibiting behaviors that were less similar to recommended practices during meetings. However, our findings also revealed two key trends across teams that represented specific opportunities for improvement and that may reflect novice approaches to conducting information gathering meetings. First, teams consistently explored domain experts' perspectives in depth during meetings but did not typically explore the perspectives of their project partners in similar depth. Teams also met with additional domain experts to inform their projects. In addition, teams seemed to finalize their design decisions in their early design meetings and were less likely to conduct information gathering meetings in later design phases. The comprehensive descriptions of novice mechanical engineering designers' approaches provided in our preliminary study provide an entry point for further investigations that can inform engineering training, tools, and pedagogy for conducting effective information gathering meetings.

An Investigation of the Influence of Video Types and External Facilitation on PE Inservice Teachers’ Reflections and Their Perceptions of Learning: Findings From the AMPED Cluster Controlled Trial

Teacher professional development (TPD) programs are increasingly using video recordings of teaching practice to develop teacher capacity and foster student learning. However, consensus has yet to be reached about how to utilize video recordings in TPD for physical education (PE) teachers. We used semi-structured interviews and evaluations of PE teachers’ written reflective statements to investigate how they reacted as they engaged with different video material and external facilitators during a TPD program. Teachers believed video-based reflection on their own teaching, rather than viewing others’ practice, was the most useful, even though both forms of analysis produced a similar depth of reflection. PE teachers also benefited from dialogue with external facilitators during the TPD program. These results highlight the importance of researchers, teachers, and facilitators delivering and participating in TPD collaboratively and focusing on strategies that may increase the depth of teacher reflection on their own practices, which is considered a first step toward changing classroom practice and improving student outcomes.

Dual symbiosis in the deep-sea hydrothermal vent snail Gigantopelta aegis revealed by its hologenome

Animals endemic to deep-sea hydrothermal vents often form obligatory relationships with bacterial symbionts, maintained by intricate host-symbiont interactions. Endosymbiosis with more than one symbiont is uncommon, and most genomic studies focusing on such ‘dual symbiosis’ systems have not investigated the host and the symbionts to a similar depth simultaneously. Here, we report a novel dual symbiosis among the peltospirid snail Gigantopelta aegis and its two Gammaproteobacteria endosymbionts – one being a sulphur oxidiser and the other a methane oxidiser. We assembled high-quality genomes for all three parties of this holobiont, with a chromosome-level assembly for the snail host (1.15 Gb, N50 = 82 Mb, 15 pseudo-chromosomes). In-depth analyses of these genomes reveal an intimate mutualistic relationship with complementarity in nutrition and metabolic codependency, resulting in a system highly versatile in transportation and utilisation of chemical energy. Moreover, G. aegis has an enhanced immune capability that likely facilitates the possession of more than one type of symbiont. Comparisons with Chrysomallon squamiferum, another chemosymbiotic snail in the same family but only with one sulphur-oxidising endosymbiont, show that the two snails’ sulphur-oxidising endosymbionts are phylogenetically distant, agreeing with previous results that the two snails have evolved endosymbiosis independently and convergently. Notably, the same capabilities of biosynthesis of specific nutrition lacking in the host genome are shared by the two sulphur-oxidising endosymbionts of the two snail genera, which may be a key criterion in the selection of symbionts by the hosts.

Foucault's toolbox: use of Foucault's writings in LIS journal literature, 1990–2016

PurposeTo provide a close, detailed analysis of the frequency, nature, and depth of visible use of Michel Foucault's works by library and information science/studies (LIS) scholars.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted extensive full-text searches in a large number of electronically available LIS journal databases to find citations of Foucault's works, then examined each cited article to evaluate the nature and depth of use.FindingsMost uses of Foucault are brief or in passing. In-depth explorations of Foucault's works are comparatively rare and relatively little-used by other LIS scholars. Yet the relatively brief uses of Foucault encompass a wide array of different topics spread across a wide spectrum of LIS journal literature.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to articles from particular relatively prominent LIS journals. Results might vary if different journals or non-journal literature were studied. More sophisticated bibliometric techniques might reveal different relative performance among journals and might better test, confirm, or reject various patterns and relationships found here. Other research approaches, such as discourse analysis, social network analysis, or scholar interviews, might reveal patterns of use and influence not visible in this literature sample.Originality/valueThis intensive study of both quality and quantity of citations may challenge some existing assumptions regarding citation analysis, plus illuminating Foucault scholarship. It also indicates possible problems for future application of artificial intelligence (AI) approaches to similar depth-of-use studies.

Robust Semiautomatic 2D-to-3D Conversion with Welsch M-Estimator for Data Fidelity

Semiautomatic 2D-to-3D conversion plays an important role in generating 3D contents for display. However, most existing methods assume that user scribbles are perfectly correct, and only give acceptable results when user provides accurate labels. To address this problem, Welsch M-estimator data fidelity is used to resist erroneous scribbles. The Welsch M-estimator data fidelity which is able to alleviate the influence of inaccurate scribbles has theoretical guarantee by means of its redescending property. First, the Welsch M-estimator is introduced to measure the fidelity between estimated depth and user provided depth; then local smoothness is built by using color weighted Welsch M-estimator to make neighboring pixels with similar colors have similar depth values. Finally, we solve the problem using generalized iteratively reweighted least squares algorithm. Experiments demonstrate that our method obtains competitive performance in the absence of inaccurate scribbles and outperforms the state of the art both visually and quantitatively in the presence of inaccurate scribbles.