The United Kingdom's trade relations with the Indo-Pacific and China

The primary purpose of this study is to analyse the United Kingdom’s (UK) trade relations with the Indo-Pacific region, especially with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) members and India. The main focus of the study is trade between the United Kingdom and China & Hong Kong, followed by other RCEP countries and India, and to find out where the United Kingdom stands in the region. Finally, conclusions are drawn from the results of the study about the future of the United Kingdom and its relations with both China & Hong Kong and the Indo-Pacific as a whole

From frontlines to online: examining target preferences in the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have become a prominent threat in the digital landscape, with their frequency and impact magnifying during geopolitical conflicts. The Ukraine-Russia conflict, which commenced in February 2022, witnessed a surge in DDoS attacks, becoming the most common type of cyber assault during this period. This study examines the frequency and patterns of DDoS attacks throughout the Russo-Ukraine cyberwarfare, identifying the sectors most affected. By analyzing messages from Telegram channels containing IP addresses and URLs, we identified 4,612 unique victim domain names, with 3,090 targeted by Ukrainian hacktivist groups (pro-Ukrainian) and 1,522 by Russian hacktivist groups (pro-Russian). We observed distinct DDoS attack patterns between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian collectives. Ukrainian groups exhibited peak activity during May, June, and July, with a noticeable decline towards the end of 2022. In contrast, the pro-Russian group’s activities intensified in late 2022. Our investigation highlights that pro-Ukrainian collectives, particularly ‘IT Army of Ukraine 2022’, were the most active in conducting DDoS attacks and operated with higher synchronicity. Our findings also indicate that crucial portals for information and services, particularly those related to news, government, business, finance, and travel, were consistently targeted by DDoS attacks. The majority of these victim domains lacked adequate DDoS protection during the assaults, with few improving their security measures post-attack. The study also reveals that DDoS attacks predominantly occurred on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. Our results underscore the necessity for enhanced cybersecurity measures in vulnerable sectors to mitigate the impact of DDoS attacks during times of conflict

Cavitating flow morphology determination in cavitation-on-a-chip devices based on local real-time pressure measurements

This study presents a practical approach for the characterization and control of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) behavior in microfluidic devices by utilizing real-time static pressure measurements. Two geometrically identical micro-orifice devices were specifically designed for this purpose. Pressure measurement locations were strategically positioned along the embedded microchannel in both devices. These locations were determined as a function of the hydraulic diameter of the microchannel. Pressure measurements were simultaneously made with high-speed imaging. Particular attention was directed to the prediction and monitoring of cavitation inception, cavitating flow patterns, and cavitation development. Thus, the dynamic and complex nature of hydrodynamic cavitation in microdomains could be captured by local pressure variations along the microchannel walls. According to the results, cavitation inception and subsequent formation of twin sheet cavities could be detected by changes in local pressure values. Moreover, the analysis of local pressure variations could be employed to predict the length of sheet cavities. The findings of this study offer valuable guidelines for designing microfluidic systems involving hydrodynamic cavitation. Moreover, this study proves the potential of local wall pressure measurements as a stand-alone practical approach, which will reduce reliance on high-speed visualization. It could thus enhance the affordability and accessibility of HC-on-a-chip platforms for emerging applications, including biomedical engineering, wastewater treatment, and 2D material exfoliation

Mineral profiling of Turkish wheat genetic resources unveiled their conserved potential for biofortification in combating hidden hunger

Micronutrient deficiencies, also known as hidden hunger, pose a threat to the global population alongside food scarcity. Wheat is a staple food for a huge population and available commercial cultivars generally lack sufficient mineral contents. Crop wild relatives harbor novel variation crucial for crop improvement programs including biofortification. The southeastern region of Türkiye is blessed with diverse wheat germplasm. This study aimed to explore the mineral content diversity in different wheat species germplasm; i.e., Triticum boeoticum, T. dicoccoides, T. durum, and T. aestivum. Various mineral elements; i.e., Zn, Fe, K, P, S, Mg, Ca, and Mn were investigated in the grains of 192 genotypes. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed highly significant genotypic effects of all traits in T. boeoticum, T. dicoccoides, and T. durum. The highest seed Zn concentration (77.8 mg kg−1) was found in T. boeoticum genotype-36 and the lowest (24.9 mg kg−1) was recorded in genotype T. aestivum genotype-4. A total of 16 genotypes belonging to T. dicoccoides had > 50 mg kg−1 grain Zn content and can be a potential source for developing Zn-enriched durum wheat cultivars. Maximum Fe content (109 mg kg−1) was found in T. dicoccoides genotype-11, while minimum (29 mg kg−1) was recorded in T. durum genotype-55. Zinc and Fe contents in T. boeoticum and T. dicoccoides genotypes were found more than twice as reported previously with T. durum and bread wheat germplasm. Grain Zn contents showed a highly significant and positive correlation with the various studied traits. Principal components analysis (PCA) and biplot confirmed that first two principal components accounted for a total of 79.14% variation. The present investigation confirmed that available bread wheat's genetic resources have low genetic diversity and its wild relatives conserve unexplored variation that can be helpful for wheat biofortification

Fields into houses: local actors, society, and the making of a new urban landscape in Tarlabaşı and Tatavla in late Ottoman Istanbul

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as Istanbul’s modernization led to its expansion northward from Galata, uninhabited or sparsely inhabited areas evolved into a dense urban sprawl. This urbanization process has been studied primarily through the lenses of architectural history and urban studies while broader historical examinations have often concentrated on state planning and administrative reorganization. This article, however, explores the role of local agency in driving these changes, highlighting the active participation of diverse social actors in shaping the new urban landscape. It argues that wide sections of society did not merely react to change, but they created, perceived and acted upon new urban opportunities. Specifically, the article weaves together the role of property owners and entrepreneurs, professional and occupational sectors, lower-income groups and local communities in constructing, renting and utilizing urban spaces. Focusing on the Tatavla and Tarlabaşı neighborhoods, which were key areas in the immediate growth zone of the city, the article draws on state and community records, contemporary histories, memoirs and maps

Advanced flexible supercapacitors: vertical 2D MoS2 and WS2 nanowalls on graphenated carbon nanotube cotton

Flexible supercapacitors (SCs), which are mostly produced from carbon-based materials, are emerging devices for lightweight, portable, miniaturized, and wearable electronic products. However, it is important to improve the energy density, power density and durability of flexible SCs, for which newly developed materials and composites are required. In this study, we developed flexible SCs with enhanced capacitance and stability using the advantages of high volume/surface ratio of vertical two-dimensional MoS2 and WS2 structures. Electrodes were grown on graphenated carbon nanotube (G-CNT) cotton using Radio Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering in a time varying manner to investigate the impact on the vertical structure densities on the performance of the as-developed SCs. Galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) measurements revealed a maximum aerial capacitance value of 131.2 mF cm−2 for the best WS2 electrode and a value of 97.60 mF cm−2 for the best MoS2 electrode. The flexibilities of the SC devices were examined using angle-dependent CV measurements, which revealed almost no change. Stability tests for 10 000 cycles showed a retention rate of over 96% capacitance for both electrodes. This research demonstrates the potential of integrating the conductivity, large surface/volume ratio, and processability of G-CNTs with the unique features of transition metal dichalcogenides to develop SCs with improved efficiencies and flexibilities

House prices and sectoral output: a cross-country analysis

This paper empirically analyzes the medium-run impact of house price fluctuations on sectoral output dynamics. Using an unbalanced panel of 47 countries, we find that house price expansions negatively affect the tradable sector, with no significant impact on the nontradable sector. Our results further show that house price expansions lead to real exchange rate appreciation, which raises domestic costs and diminishes the country's competitiveness in international markets. We also study the importance of exchange rate flexibility for the link between house prices and sectoral output and show that the negative impact on the tradable sector is less pronounced in countries with more flexible exchange rate regimes, highlighting the importance of the real exchange rate's response to house price changes

Gender inequality and economic growth: evidence from industry-level data

This paper examines whether higher gender equality facilitates economic growth by enabling better utilization of female labor. By allocating female labor to its more productive use, we hypothesize that reducing gender inequality should disproportionately benefit industries with relatively higher female share in their employment. In a sample of manufacturing industries from 65 EMDEs over the period of 1990–2018, we find a positive growth differential of about 26 percentage points over a decade between industries with a high and low female share in employment when they are located in a low gender inequality country compared to a country with high gender inequality

Nucleic acid-functionalized gold nanowires co-fabricated with millimeter-scale contact pads by oxygen plasma-assisted e-beam lithography for microchannel integrated biosensing applications

Nucleic acid-based biosensor technologies are useful to precisely detect genetic footprints at low concentrations with high specificity and selectivity. They commonly rely on incorporating nucleic acid probes onto optical, electrochemical, or electrical transducers. Among various sensing modalities, approaches based on direct electrical measurements offer advantages in label-free detection, portability for point-of-care analysis, and direct integration with electronic readout circuits facilitating data processing, transfer and remote interpretation. In this work, we demonstrate a novel fabrication approach which couples conventional optical lithography and oxygen plasma-based etching with high-resolution electron-beam lithography to rapidly pattern poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) e-beam resist at varying feature sizes (i.e. both large and small device areas), which would otherwise require extremely long exposure durations up to days with standalone e-beam lithography. This allows the fabrication of realistic biosensor chips in arrayed format, co-integrating millimeter (mm)-scale electrical peripherals and nanoscale (nm) sensing elements utilizing a simple and high-throughput process. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated by successful immobilization of thiol-functionalized peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes on ~ 60 nm-wide gold nanowires (AuNWs) integrated with a PDMS microchannel. Fabrication of biochips, integration with microfluidics and self-assembly of PNA probes are characterized by optical microscope imaging, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)