Corrupt Actions and Forest Loss: A Cross-National Analysis

Extant literature documents the negative environmental impacts of corruption on forest loss. More recently, research has shown that both grand and petty corruption are associated with higher levels of forest loss in low- and middle-income nations. However, the extant research neglects to assess how different types of grand and petty corruption impact forest loss. To address the gap in the literature, this article differentiates the effect of various types of corrupt actions on forest loss. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression for a sample of 87 low- and middle-income nations from 2000 is used to test if grand corrupt actions, namely embezzlement and bribes, and petty corrupt actions including theft and corrupt exchanges are related to increased forest loss. The dependent variable uses satellite forest data from 2001 to 2014. Results show that embezzlement, bribes, theft, and corrupt exchanges all impact forest loss, which suggests that policy measures to curb corruption should take a holistic approach to corruption, rather than rely on individual interventions

Do China’s Environmental Gains at Home Fuel Forest Loss Abroad?: A Cross-National Analysis

The theory and empirical research on ecologically unequal exchange serves as the starting point for this study. We expand the research frontier it in a novel way by applying the theory to China and empirically testing if forestry export flows from low-and middle-income nations to China  are related to increased forest loss in the exporting nations. In doing so, we analyze data for 75 low-and middle-income nations using ordinary least squares regression and find support for our main hypothesis

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Can democracy reduce forest loss?: A cross-national analysis

While democracies are thought to have the power, authority, and ability to make significant reductions in forest loss, cross-national research yields contradictory findings. Previous research finds that democracy increases forest loss, decreases forest loss, and has no impact on forest loss. This article argues that these mixed findings are because within democracies, institutional structures of governance vary. While some democracies may have strong governance, others may not, which may explain contradictory findings in previous research. To test this claim, this article includes an interaction term between four measures of democracy (polyarchy, vertical, diagonal, and horizontal) and three national governance measures (i.e., control of corruption, rule of law, and government effectiveness) using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression for a sample of 86 low‐ and middle‐income nations. The dependent variable is the change in forest loss from 2001 to 2014. The findings suggest that democracy decreases forest loss more at higher levels of governance than lower levels of governance. These results suggest that democracies alone will not reduce forest loss, but that democracies with strong governance can reduce forest loss

Is Virtual Reality Uniquely Effective in Eliciting Empathy?

It has been argued that virtual reality is uniquely effective at eliciting empathy, because it is the best technology for putting an audience "into the shoes" of another person. Is there really a difference between a virtual reality experience and reading an article when it comes to inducing empathy? In this experimental study, we gave participants a pre-test and post-test survey regarding their empathy, attitudes and intentions toward immigrants, refugees and endangered animals. Between the surveys, randomly selected participants engaged with a virtual reality experience relating to the U.S.-Mexican border, and others read an article on the same topic. A virtual reality experience increased participants' empathy toward immigrants, led to more positive attitudes toward immigration and increased the participants' stated likelihood of taking political action in favor of immigrants. However, in almost all cases these increases were statistically indistinguishable from the increase due to reading a print article. No evidence was found for a strong, diffuse effect of virtual reality beyond the specific subject of the virtual reality experience itself

Global governance for climate justice : A cross-national analysis of CO2 emissions

Sustainable energy transitions are key to achieving climate justice for all. Carbon dioxide emissions’(CO2) unequal distribution globally is one of the many issues preventing climate justice. Efforts to reduceglobal CO2impacts are vital for environmental justice efforts and a future free from climate change is-sues. Researchers have long been interested in how the rise of global governance initiatives, such asmultilateral treaties, impact environmental outcomes across the world. However, little is known abouthow global governance concerning energy usage and technologies impacts CO2emissions across theworld. Using two-wayfixed effects regression analysis from 1996 to 2011, we test how 24 multilateralenvironmental treaties with an energy focus impact CO2emissions per capita, CO2emissions as a per-centage of gross domestic product, and total CO2emissions for 162 nations. The multilateral energytreaties were collected from Ecolex. This analysis assesses how the legitimacy of global contracts mayimpact actual decreases in CO2emissions, resulting in climate justice outcomes. Additionally, thisanalysis considers how factors of institutional state governance, including control of corruption, rule oflaw, political stability, government effectiveness, and regulatory quality moderate the impact of multi-lateral energy environmental treaties and CO2emissions. Wefind that stocks of environmental treatyratification are associated with decreases in all three types of CO2emissions. Renewable energy con-sumption, GDP per capita, and urban and total population are associated with increased CO2 emissions.We alsofind some support for the idea that treaties are associated with larger decreases in emissions innations with higher levels of state governance. Understanding how state accountability, transparency,and legitimacy factor into the effectiveness of multilateral environmental treaties on reducing CO2emissions is essential to combating climate change issues

Can Virtual Reality Create Social Action?

Virtual reality devices have been celebrated as improving things such as empathy, education, and behaviors. However, can virtual reality actually create social action? Is virtual reality more effective at producing social action than a simulation in the physical world? In this study, we gave participants a pre-test and post-test survey regarding their feelings of social responsibility and dedication for global water crises. Between the surveys, randomly selected participants engaged with a virtual reality experience relating to the water crises, and others carried jugs of water to simulate the difficulties people experience in places where water is scare or not readily available. We examine the effect of each treatment on reported social action and responsibility