Strengthening International Disaster Risk Reduction through Collaboration with China

Natural disasters hit developing countries particularly hard. Worldwide, the incidence and intensity of such disasters remain substantial. There were 6,873 natural disasters worldwide between 1994 and 2013, with 1.35 million lives lost (around 68,000 lives on average annually). Some 218 million people were affected by natural disasters on average per annum during this period. China’s history of catastrophic and major natural disasters has led it to reform its disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster response systems. China is opening-up to international dialogue, cooperation and coordination regionally and globally. China’s arrival on the international DRR landscape offers the international community new opportunities for closer policy cooperation with a particular focus on knowledge and skills exchange, international coordination and technical research collaboration

China as a Development Actor in Southeast Asia

This Evidence Report identifies and explains the central factors driving China’s policies towards Southeast Asia. It examines China’s foreign relations through the perspective of foreign policy. In this context, as the title indicates, the report gathers together and evaluates the evidence on China’s role as a development actor in this neighbouring region. The study aims to contribute to evidence-based policy deliberation, formulation and implementation. It finds that, since the accession of President Xi Jinping, Southeast Asia has gained additional importance for Chinese foreign relations as a key region in China’s new ‘neighbourhood policy’ and the twenty-first century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) initiative. China’s economic cooperation and its development assistance are said (by the Chinese government) to provide investment and logistical know-how, skills and experience to undertake infrastructure capacity building in Southeast Asia. Yet the strength of Sino-regional relations is tempered by continuing tensions. These include unresolved territorial disputes, China’s unilateral action in declaring an Air Defense Identification Zone in the South China Sea, and growing concerns over weaknesses in Chinese corporate social responsibility. This report concludes that: (1) Southeast Asia’s policy portfolio would be strengthened through enhanced multilateral and national economic diversification strategies; (2) Sino-regional development partnerships can draw upon the new post-2015 global development agenda to strengthen trilateral cooperation; and (3) civil society should be engaged as a full partner in policy determination.UK Department for International Developmen

E-HR and employee self-service in a British public sector organisation: an exploratory analysis

The purpose of the paper is to present empirical research on the use of an Employee Self-Service (ESS) system in a British public sector work organization, and issues associated with its introduction. A case study approach, detailing interviews with managers and employees is used. Content analysis and selective coding are employed to analyze data. Results indicate that management and employee perceptions of using ESS differ, and challenges arise in ESS implementation, including: the relevant HR role; cultural/emotional adjustments needed from staff; and those associated with appropriate organizational development/change and project organization/management. The limitations of this study include interviews with a small number of staff, which limits the generalizatility of results. Practical implications and recommendations are provided, namely HR staff need to build a coherent approach regarding ESS implementation. The value of the paper is that it represents new empirical data on ESS in practice, and a critical appraisal of it from remote home workers. Moreover, it contributes to research via contrasting findings with the prescriptive/descriptive consultancy-led literature

miR-375 gene dosage in pancreatic β-cells: implications for regulation of β-cell mass and biomarker development

MicroRNAs play a crucial role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Mice with genetic deletion of miR-375 exhibit impaired glycemic control due to decreased β-cell and increased α-cell mass and function. The relative importance of these processes for the overall phenotype of miR-375KO mice is unknown. Here, we show that mice overexpressing miR-375 exhibit normal β-cell mass and function. Selective re-expression of miR-375 in β-cells of miR-375KO mice normalizes both, α- and β-cell phenotypes as well as glucose metabolism. Using this model, we also analyzed the contribution of β-cells to the total plasma miR-375 levels. Only a small proportion (≈1 %) of circulating miR-375 originates from β-cells. Furthermore, acute and profound β-cell destruction is sufficient to detect elevations of miR-375 levels in the blood. These findings are supported by higher miR-375 levels in the circulation of type 1 diabetes (T1D) subjects but not mature onset diabetes of the young (MODY) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. Together, our data support an essential role for miR-375 in the maintenance of β-cell mass and provide in vivo evidence for release of miRNAs from pancreatic β-cells. The small contribution of β-cells to total plasma miR-375 levels make this miRNA an unlikely biomarker for β-cell function but suggests a utility for the detection of acute β-cell death for autoimmune diabetes

Seasonal cycle of precipitation variability in South America on intraseasonal timescales

The seasonal cycle of the intraseasonal (IS) variability of precipitation in South America is described through the analysis of bandpass filtered outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomalies. The analysis is discriminated between short (10--30 days) and long (30--90 days) intraseasonal timescales. The seasonal cycle of the 30--90-day IS variability can be well described by the activity of first leading pattern (EOF1) computed separately for the wet season (October--April) and the dry season (May--September). In agreement with previous works, the EOF1 spatial distribution during the wet season is that of a dipole with centers of actions in the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) and southeastern South America (SESA), while during the dry season, only the last center is discernible. In both seasons, the pattern is highly influenced by the activity of the Madden--Julian Oscillation (MJO). Moreover, EOF1 is related with a tropical zonal-wavenumber-1 structure superposed with coherent wave trains extended along the South Pacific during the wet season, while during the dry season the wavenumber-1 structure is not observed. The 10--30-day IS variability of OLR in South America can be well represented by the activity of the EOF1 computed through considering all seasons together, a dipole but with the stronger center located over SESA. While the convection activity at the tropical band does not seem to influence its activity, there are evidences that the atmospheric variability at subtropical-extratropical regions might have a role. Subpolar wavetrains are observed in the Pacific throughout the year and less intense during DJF, while a path of wave energy dispersion along a subtropical wavetrain also characterizes the other seasons. Further work is needed to identify the sources of the 10--30-day-IS variability in South America

Going green in the Norwegian fossil fuel sector? The case of sustainability culture at Equinor

As the effects of climate change continue to impact society, organizations within the fossil fuel sector are seen as principal contributors to the climate crisis through their numerous practices. In the hopes of mitigating climate change at source, this study suggests that a strong sustainability-oriented organizational culture can contribute to reversing “business as usual” practices towards seeking strategic greener solutions. Such results are partly achieved by strong responsible leaders at the organizational helm in combination with a high sustainability-oriented national culture. Additionally, it critically questions the secrecy surrounding the case organization’s ‘choice’ and ‘format’ of promotion and support for their operational status quo (e.g., greenwashing), to challenge the insider perspective unearthed herein. Finally, the study contributes to the newer and under-investigated field of green human resource management by better identifying the role of organizational culture as a critical lever in bringing about much-needed organizational greener policies, and offering a critical analysis less seen in green HRM