Businesses from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) aiming for a global reach must navigate through different levels of rule of law—with different degrees of strength—to access foreign markets. The rule of law is essential from a business perspective as it reduces the costs of transactions on the global market. However, the paper aims to demonstrate that there are transaction costs due to the frictions between the rules of law in the multilevel system, which the MENA business must take into consideration in its search for contract partners and new markets. The focus is on the overall rule of law components of the World Trade Organization, the European Neighbourhood Policies, and the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and their interaction.

There is an “underrepresentation problem” in philosophy departments and journals. Empirical data suggest that while we have seen some improvements since the 1990s, the rate of change has slowed down. Some posit that philosophy has disciplinary norms making it uniquely resistant to change. We present results from an empirical case study of a philosophy department that achieved and maintained male-female gender parity among its faculty as early as 2014. Our analysis extends beyond matters of gender parity because that is only one, albeit important, dimension of inclusion. We build from the study to reflect on strategies that may catalyze change.

Dysnoetoporidae is a family of cheilostome bryozoans including only the genus Dysnoetopora Canu and Bassler, 1926, with three recognized species from the Late Cretaceous of the United States, Crimea, and Germany. The aim of this study was to record for the first time the presence of a fossil dysnoetoporid bryozoan in South America by describing Chenquepora miocenica new genus new species. This taxon was found in Miocene deposits of the Chenque Formation (early Langhian, ~15.37 Ma), on the Atlantic coast of Argentine Patagonia. Chenquepora n. gen. differs from Dysnoetopora in its encrusting colony and, consequently, in the absence of an endozone with long zooids arranged parallel to growth direction. This new record extends its paleobiogeographic distribution to the Southern Hemisphere and its stratigraphic range from the Campanian (Late Cretaceous) to the Miocene, showing that this extinct family survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass-extinction event.

We analyse the effect of natural catastrophes on insurance demand in a developing economy and the role of insurance regulation in this relationship. The analysis is based on a theoretical model and a panel regression using data for Vietnam. What makes Vietnam especially interesting is the fact that it is strongly affected by natural catastrophes and experienced a change in insurance regulation in recent years. The theoretical results indicate that a loss experience likely has a less positive effect on demand in developing economies than in developed economies. A higher insurance penetration and a tighter insurance regulation, however, can make the impact of a loss event more positive. These findings are mirrored by our empirical analysis: overall natural catastrophes decrease insurance demand of affected households in Vietnam. The enhancement of regulation was not only accompanied by increased insurance demand but it also reverses the effect of natural catastrophes on demand.

Target tracking technology is a key research area in the field of mobile robots, with wide applications in logistics, security, autonomous driving, and more. It generally involves two main components: target recognition and target following. However, the limited computational power of the mobile robot’s controller makes achieving high precision and fast target recognition and tracking a challenge. To address the challenges posed by limited computing power, this paper proposes a target-tracking control algorithm based on lightweight neural networks. First, a depthwise separable convolution-based backbone is introduced for feature extraction. Then, an efficient channel attention module is incorporated into the target recognition algorithm to minimize the impact of redundant features and emphasize important channels, thereby reducing model complexity and enhancing network efficiency. Finally, based on the data collected from visual and ultrasonic sensors, a model predictive control strategy is used to achieve target tracking. Validation of the proposed algorithm is conducted using a mobile robot equipped with Raspberry Pi 4B. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves rapid target tracking.

Adverse environmental conditions during early life are known to determine adult metabolic phenotype in laboratory species and human populations. However, less is known about developmental programming of adult metabolic phenotype in livestock, given their size and longevity compared to laboratory animals. As maternal and/or fetal glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations rise in stressful conditions during pregnancy, GCs may act as a common mechanism linking early-life environmental conditions to the subsequent metabolic phenotype. This review examines prenatal and longer-term postnatal programming of metabolism by early-life GC overexposure in livestock species with a particular emphasis on sheep. It examines the effects of both cortisol, the natural glucocorticoid and more potent synthetic GCs used clinically to treat threatened pre-term delivery and other conditions during pregnancy. It considers the effects of early- life GC overexposure on the metabolism of specific feto-placental and adult tissues in relation to changes in the growth trajectory, other metabolic hormones and in the functioning of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis itself. It highlights the role of GCs as maturational and environmental signals in programming development of a metabolic phenotype fit for survival at birth and future homeostatic challenges. However, the ensuing metabolic phenotype induced by early GC overexposure may become inappropriate for the prevailing postnatal conditions and lead to metabolic dysfunction as functional reserves decline with age. Further studies are needed in livestock to establish whether the metabolic outcomes of early-life GC overexposure are sex-linked, more pronounced in old age and inherited transgenerationally in these species.

There are any number of arguments against the idea that it is possible to write the history of Habsburg Jews, or even to locate a common, coherent, Jewish experience in the Habsburg lands. These include the inherent disunity of the empire itself, the geographic dispersion of its Jewish population, and the multiplicity of legal jurisdictions under which Jews lived. This essay nevertheless makes the case for a Habsburg Jewish experience that surpassed differences in geography, legal jurisdiction, local culture. The Habsburg monarchy itself, in its quest for imperial expansion, administrative and legal reform, and social control, had much to do with this process. So, too, did the consolidation of an Ashkenazi rabbinic leadership that was both authoritative and distinctive to Central Europe, and the laying down of an intricate network of cross-regional family and communal ties, which themselves were partly a response to repressive state legislation. Jews in the Habsburg Empire moved about, reassembled and regrouped in ever new ways, while maintaining an overarching structure of human connection.

Prior research shows that the pro-Trump, anti-democratic January 6th insurrection (J6) led to a short-term reduction in Republican support for President Trump. However, it remains unclear why the anti-Trump backlash occurred among his electoral base. We theorize that white Republicans concerned about the declining status of Anglo whites in the American ethno-racial hierarchy were the least likely to backlash against Trump after J6. Leveraging an unexpected-event-during-survey design (UESD) and a large survey fielded shortly before and after J6, we find no difference in support for Trump due to J6 among white Republicans who strongly perceived anti-white discrimination (Study 1). We replicate this result with another UESD with a separate survey fielded during J6 (Study 2) and a difference-in-differences approach with additional panel surveys fielded around J6 (Study 3). Moreover, across four cross-sectional surveys, we find the negative relationship between J6 disapproval and Trump support post-J6 between 2021 and 2024 is attenuated among status-threatened white Republicans (Studies 4–7). Our evidence suggests racial status threat undercuts the ability of the white Republican mass public to hold co-partisan anti-democratic elites accountable for norm violations.

Franco Basaglia (1924–1980) has a particular relevance to psychiatry today as he combined social critique with psychiatric reform. In the new ‘metacommunity’ era in psychiatry, his radical and critical thinking provides important tools, as does his enduring message that ‘freedom is (still today) therapeutic’.

A three-dimensional robust nonlinear cooperative guidance law is proposed to address the challenge of multiple missiles intercepting manoeuvering targets under stringent input constraints and thruster failure. The finite-time convergence theory is used to design a distributed nonlinear sliding mode guidance law, ensuring that the system converges in finite time, with the upper limit of convergence time related to the initial state. A nonlinear sliding surface is adopted to mitigate actuator saturation issues. Then, considering thruster failure, a robust cooperative guidance law is further introduced, ensuring mission completion through the reconstruction of the guidance law. The closed-loop system is proven to be stable using Lyapunov theory, and the influence of hyperparameters on the cooperative guidance law is analysed. Additionally, the results of numerical simulations and hardware-in-the-loop experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm in dealing with stringent input saturation and various disturbances.

Long-term field experiments have shown that continuous potassium (K) removal depletes soil K levels and alters clay minerals, leading to significant fertility decline. This study aimed to replicate similar findings through a laboratory investigation. The objectives included examining K-release behavior in three soils under continuous K depletion, and analyzing changes in available and non-exchangeable K, K-fixation capacity, and clay minerals. Additionally, the study sought to identify the clay minerals involved in K release and assess the feasibility of simulating long-term cultivation effects through laboratory leaching. A red soil (Alfisol), a black soil (Vertisol), and an alluvial soil (Entisol) from three states of India were each leached 60 times with 1 M CaCl2. The K released after each step was measured. The NH4OAc-K, non-exchangeable K by nitric acid (NEK-HNO3), and sodium tetraphenyl borate (NEK-NaTPB) methods (5 min), clay mineralogy, and K-fixation capacity before and after the 60× leaching were assessed. Total K released over 60× leaching followed the order black > alluvial > red soil. The constant rate of K release was the same for all three soils. The NH4OAc-K showed a significant decrease in all soils, while NEK-HNO3 did not change significantly. The NEK-NaTPB decreased significantly, while the K-fixation capacity increased significantly in the red and the alluvial soils. The K depletion caused a noticeable decline in the relative abundance of 2:1 mixed-layer minerals in the red and the black soils and of illite in the alluvial soil. The trioctahedral illite became depleted in all three soils. The center of gravity of the X-ray diffraction peaks of the 2:1 clay minerals was reduced slightly due to K depletion, which contradicts current beliefs. Sixty leachings of soils with 1 M CaCl2 could only partially simulate the long-term, cultivation (without K fertilization)-induced changes in soil K fertility and clay minerals.

This article challenges the dominant narrative of AI in Iran as a symbol of national success and technological sovereignty by examining its materiality. The Iranian government often underscores AI’s role in countering sanctions and securing national interests. However, this national narrative overlooks the complex realities of AI’s implementation. By examining the material endpoints of AI – such as data centers, supercomputers, and digital labor – this article reveals a fragmented vision of AI, one that is entangled with global neoliberal practices. The analysis uncovers the sociopolitical and economic forces shaping AI in Iran, arguing that it reflects both the nation’s ambitions and its vulnerabilities, offering a nuanced perspective on AI and its role in contemporary Iranian society.

Agriculture, as the largest consumer of freshwater, plays a crucial role in managing limited water resources. However, uncertainties in water supply, particularly in water-scarce regions, hinder further agricultural development. Balancing agricultural development with environmental sustainability is especially demanding in the Karkheh River Basin (KRB), western Iran. Traditional irrigation networks in the upper KRB are inefficient, exacerbated by unregulated water use and over-extraction. This study explores the Water Supply-Demand Balance (WSDB) dynamics under current cropping patterns in the semi-arid Honam sub-basin of the upper KRB. Time-series Landsat imagery and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms classified crop types and estimated major crop cultivation areas during 2019–2021. Regional Crop Water Requirement (ETcreg) and Regional Net Irrigation Requirement (INETreg) estimated the Regional Gross Irrigation Water Demand (GIWDreg), while inflow-outflow analyses determined Surface Irrigation Water Supply (SIWS). The study achieved high crop classification accuracy, facilitating precise water demand estimation across large-scale traditional irrigation networks. Results indicated the highest GIWDreg in 2020 (11.3 × 106 m3/year), driven by increased forage cultivation with crop water requirements (ETc) exceeding 1000 mm. That year also recorded the maximum SIWS (14.8 × 106 m3/year). The Water Scarcity Index (WSI) classified shortages as severe to extreme, indicating WSDB instability due to drought and cropping pattern shifts. This study highlights the necessity for government initiatives promoting water-efficient cropping to align agriculture with water availability. The proposed approach offers practical insights for policymakers seeking to optimize food security while ensuring sustainable water management in traditional irrigation networks, where cropping patterns are difficult to assess.

The Bābīs and Bahā’īs have worked towards a gradual revolutionary conceptual and social transformation within their community which is based on a change in values and ethics. This paper looks first at the underlying transformation in worldview that has resulted in a move away from hierarchy and patriarchy, by creating social structures and pathways of action that are not led by powerful individuals, but rather are consultative and collaborative. Then, more specific examples are given of how this change in worldview played out with regard to social and religious leadership, education, and the role of women. What may be called a Bahā’ī counter-culture has thus been created. Evidence is provided of how these changes may have impacted the wider Iranian society and contributed to misunderstandings and persecutions of the Bahā’ī community.