Provincial variations and entrepreneurialism in the development of China’s Distant Water Fisheries (2011–2020)

This study rescales the current state-centric understanding of the development of China’s distant water fishing (DWF) and explores the instrumental role of Chinese provinces in actualizing and shaping this development. The rapid growth of China’s DWF during 2011–2020 can be attributed primarily to five subnational provinces and actors. As a case study, this article shows that the Fujian provincial government proactively carved out development space for boosting its DWF industry, despite Beijing’s growing efforts to tighten central control out of concern over environmental externalities. Central–Local relations remain a critical perspective for those who seek to understand the challenges faced by China’s central government as it tries to rein in the rapid expansion of the country’s DWF activities

Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels: drug diffusion investigated by HR-MAS NMR and release kinetics

Hydrogels based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and agarose–carbomer (AC) units have been prepared and explored as drug delivery systems. The complex architecture of the polymer network, such as mesh size, HA molecular weight and drug-polymer non-covalent interactions across the 3D polymer matrix, strongly influence the release capability/profile of these materials. In this study, High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HR-MAS) NMR Spectroscopy has been used to investigate the transport behaviour of two different drugs, such as ethosuximide (neutral molecule) and sodium salicylate (net negative charge) within the AC and AC-HA hydrogel networks prepared with different mesh sizes. Analysis of the experimental data provides evidence of superdiffusive motion for all formulations containing sodium salicylate, while ethosuximide molecules undergo unrestricted diffusion within the gel matrix. We further speculate that the superdiffusive motion observed at the nanoscale can be responsible for the faster release of sodium salicylate from all hydrogel formulations

Mobile money as a driver of digital financial inclusion

Meeting the mobile money needs of the less privileged in developing and emerging markets opens up enormous possibilities for banks and newly emerged financial-technology firms. Many consider mobile money services a separate domain within the banking and payment sector, different from its siblings: automated teller machines, net banking, point-of-sale banking, etc. This study was conducted to investigate how mobile money services act as a reliable driver of digital financial inclusion and to determine the role of mobile money agents in the transformation from the traditional services to mobile money services. This paper presents a conceptual model based on the stimulus-organism-response paradigm. We propose that the mobile money agent characteristics are the stimuli, that the mobile money customer is the organism, and that the response of the organism to the stimuli is continuous usage, which leads to financial inclusion in the developing country of Ghana. The continuous usage of mobile money services by customers encourages more engagement experiences and advocacy intentions. We provide empirical evidence suggesting that mobile money agent credibility and service quality stimulate customer empowerment. Furthermore, we argue that for the less financially empowered customer segment, mobile money agent credibility provides the needed impetus for the continuous usage of mobile money services

Total dominator chromatic number of k-subdivision of graphs

Let G be a simple graph. A total dominator coloring of G, is a proper coloring of the vertices of G in which each vertex of the graph is adjacent to every vertex of some color class. The total dominator chromatic (TDC) number χdt(G) of G, is the minimum number of colors among all total dominator coloring of G. For any k ∈ ℕ, the k-subdivision of G is a simple graph G1/k which is constructed by replacing each edge of G with a path of length k. In this paper, we study the total dominator chromatic number of k-subdivision of G

The more experienced, the better prepared? New evidence on the relation between teachers’ experience and their readiness for online teaching and learning

In the present study, we tested the common assumption that teachers with more experience consider themselves better prepared for online teaching and learning (OTL). Utilizing the data from a survey of 366 higher-education teachers from Portugal at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we performed structural equation modeling to quantify the experience-readiness relationship. The survey contained an assessment of teachers' OTL readiness which was measured by their perceptions of the institutional support, online teaching presence, and TPACK self-efficacy. In contrast to the linearity assumption “the more experienced, the better prepared”, we found robust evidence for a curvilinear relationship. Teachers’ readiness for OTL increased first and then decreased with more experience—this applied especially to the self-efficacy dimension of readiness. Further analyses suggested that the experience-readiness relationship does not only exist at the level of aggregated constructs but also at the level of indicators, that is, specific areas of knowledge, teaching, and support. We argue that both novice and experienced teachers in higher education could benefit from experience-appropriate, pedagogical, and content-related support programs for OTL

Global sensitivity analysis and optimal design of heat recovery ventilation for zero emission buildings

Energy-efficient building services are necessary to realise zero-emission buildings while maintaining adequate indoor environmental quality. As the share of ventilation heating needs grow in well-insulated and airtight buildings, heat recovery in mechanical ventilation systems is increasingly common. Ventilation heat recovery is one of the most efficient and viable means to reduce ventilation heat losses and save energy. Highly efficient heat exchangers are being developed or applied to maximise the energy-saving potential of heat recovery ventilation. Nevertheless, the effects of practical operating conditions and the constraints of heat recovery – such as variations in ventilation rates, frost protection, and the prevention of an overheated air supply over a long-term period, which may significantly influence realistic recovery rates – have been less considered in efforts to maximise the energy savings. It is unclear which design parameters for heat recovery devices have the greatest effect on the annual energy savings from ventilation. This study proposes annual efficiency and annual net energy saving models for heat recovery ventilation that consider ventilation rate variations, the longitudinal heat conduction effect and operating controls. We use a global sensitivity analysis to quantify the contributions of various design input parameters to the variation in annual recovery efficiency and annual net energy savings. We identify the most influential parameters and their significant interaction effects for the annual energy performance of heat recovery ventilation. More attention should be paid to these most influential parameters during the design process. Furthermore, the optimal designs for rotary heat exchangers (as identified by a pattern-search optimisation algorithm) can improve annual net energy savings in demand-controlled ventilation by 33–48%, depending on the building areas. In combination with the reference year analysis presented in this study, heat recovery and demand-controlled ventilation can help to meet the need for highly efficient ventilation systems and zero-emission buildings

The more experienced, the better prepared? New evidence on the relation between teachers’ experience and their readiness for online teaching and learning

In the present study, we tested the common assumption that teachers with more experience consider themselves better prepared for online teaching and learning (OTL). Utilizing the data from a survey of 366 higher-education teachers from Portugal at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we performed structural equation modeling to quantify the experience-readiness relationship. The survey contained an assessment of teachers' OTL readiness which was measured by their perceptions of the institutional support, online teaching presence, and TPACK self-efficacy. In contrast to the linearity assumption “the more experienced, the better prepared”, we found robust evidence for a curvilinear relationship. Teachers’ readiness for OTL increased first and then decreased with more experience—this applied especially to the self-efficacy dimension of readiness. Further analyses suggested that the experience-readiness relationship does not only exist at the level of aggregated constructs but also at the level of indicators, that is, specific areas of knowledge, teaching, and support. We argue that both novice and experienced teachers in higher education could benefit from experience-appropriate, pedagogical, and content-related support programs for OTL

Phytochemical characterization and anti-inflammatory activity of a water extract of Gentiana purpurea roots

Ethnopharmacological relevance Gentiana purpurea was one of the most important medicinal plants in Norway during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the roots were used against different types of gastrointestinal and airway diseases. Aim of the study To explore the content of bioactive compounds in a water extract from the roots, a preparation commonly used in traditional medicine in Norway, to assess the anti-inflammatory potential, and furthermore to quantify the major bitter compounds in both roots and leaves. Materials and methods G. purpurea roots were boiled in water, the water extract applied on a Diaion HP20 column and further fractionated with Sephadex LH20, reverse phase C18 and normal phase silica gel to obtain the low molecular compounds. 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and ESI-MS were used for structure elucidation. HPLC-DAD analysis was used for quantification. The inhibition of TNF-α secretion in ConA stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was investigated. Results Eleven compounds were isolated and identified from the hot water extract of G. purpurea roots. Gentiopicrin, amarogentin, erythrocentaurin and gentiogenal showed dose-dependent inhibition of TNF-α secretion. Gentiopicrin is the major secondary metabolite in the roots, while sweroside dominates in the leaves. Conclusions The present work gives a comprehensive overview of the major low-molecular weight compounds in the water extracts of G. purpurea, including metabolites produced during the decoction process, and show new anti-inflammatory activities for the native bitter compounds as well as the metabolites produced during preparation of the crude drug

Thin steel plates exposed to combined ballistic impact and partially confined airblast loading

Pre-formed defects created by high-velocity impact have the potential to reduce the structural integrity of lightweight, flexible structures. This study evaluates the effect of complex, partially confined detonations on thin steel plates with realistic pre-formed defects. Target plates containing pre-cut circular holes with a diameter of 8.0 mm are compared to target plates exposed to an initial ballistic impact from 7.62 mm APM2 projectiles. The target plates were exposed to blast loading generated from detonating C-4 inside a steel tube. The stand-off distance was fixed and set equal to the tube radius, where the rear end of the tube was kept open. All blast tests were recorded with several pressure sensors, synchronized with two high-speed cameras monitoring the dynamic response of the target plates. This allowed for a reliable experimental procedure, serving as a benchmark for different numerical methods. For similar loading conditions, the target plates containing initial ballistic impact showed a reduced fracture resistance during blast loading compared to the target plates with pre-cut circular holes. Two different numerical approaches were tested and compared, i.e., a purely Lagrangian particle-based approach and a fully coupled simulation approach using an ALE description of the blast domain. The ALE simulations were found to underestimate the structural response, while the particle-based approach overestimated the structural response

Entrapment

The word ‘entrapment’ has three common usages in legal discourse. First, it is used in connection with acts of entrapment: it applies, at least, to a class of acts in which a party, whom we call the ‘agent’, intentionally brings it about that another party, whom we call the ‘target’, performs a distinct act that is of a criminal type. Secondly, it is used to refer to a method of proactive law enforcement: the use of acts of entrapment to secure convictions. Thirdly, it is used, predominantly in the USA, to refer to the entrapment defence: under this usage, it is argued that the offence with which the defendant is charged resulted from an act of entrapment. In most jurisdictions, and in the literature, the focus has been, as it is here, on acts of entrapment, called ‘legal’, ‘state’, ‘government’ or ‘police’ entrapment, in which the agent is, or is a deputy of, a law-enforcement officer. We mention entrapment by other agents, called ‘civil’, ‘non-state’ or ‘private’ entrapment, only in passing