The Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM), once regarded as the jewel in the crown of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been facing a variety of serious criticisms for its inherent limitations and problems while its appellate review function has been paralyzed. Discussions on the reform of the WTO DSM have been under way for several years now. Many key items are on the reform agenda, one of which is to introduce Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) proceedings to the WTO DSM. Among several options of ADR, ‘mediation’ can offer an important set of tools for the WTO and its Members to resolve disputes in a more efficient and prompt manner. If properly structured, mediation can complement the existing binding proceedings of panels and the Appellate Body. At the same time, introduction of mediation to the WTO DSM may also cause additional legal and practical problems. It may cause further delays, confidentiality traps, due process myriads, and enforcement loopholes. It is vital to introduce mediation provisions to address those critical problems. Systematized and structuralized mediation in the WTO DSM will be able to offer a viable alternative path to resolve certain complex and sensitive disputes.

This article deals with the confiscation of property from the German-speaking inhabitants of Czechoslovakia and its redistribution to the new settlers of the Czech borderlands. It shows how the social revolution—that is, the emergence of an egalitarian postwar society—was made possible by the national revolution—that is, the expulsion of the German-speaking inhabitants of Central Europe. Using the example of the industrial center of Liberec in northern Bohemia, the author shows how the Czech administration that was established after the Second World War applied the dichotomy of the Czech–German conflict to an ethnically complex postwar society and how, despite the ideology of distributing property to the “Slavs,” non-Czech minorities were discriminated against with respect to redistribution. Eventually, she analyzes how postwar Czechoslovak society was shaped, with an emphasis on the material demands of workers and collectives, even as individuals sought to achieve a middle-class lifestyle through participation in property distribution.

The crisis over Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses exposed the contrasting ways Western and Muslim actors understand the place of religion in international order and the responsibilities of states in religious controversies. No other Muslim national leader supported Ayatollah Khomeini’s call for Rushdie’s death in 1989, but many Muslims expressed anger and disbelief that Britain and Western powers could not restrict a book that caused so much international disturbance. This paper seeks to understand this discord through the overlapping but conflicted language games of Western and Muslim national leaders. It analyses a previously unreported exchange of letters between British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, along with other recently released archival material from the diplomatic crisis. These letters reflected different unwritten rules informing the actors’ understandings and practices of international order, despite their shared acceptance of the sovereignty of national states. For Mahathir, the Western world was itself a religious identity, and its collective propagation of The Satanic Verses compounded a religious insult to the Muslim world. But Thatcher and other British actors did not see religious identities, especially their own, as basic elements of international relations, instead reasserting the secular primacy of national states.

The burgeoning nineteenth-century public-museum sector built a significant part of its natural-history specimen collections through extensive international trading. The early 2020s has seen an upsurge of scholarly interest in this largely overlooked trade. Exchange was a distinctive aspect of the natural-history trade that reveals much about the diverse practices and motives of the institutional collectors. Economic-geographic benefits included conserving the limited financial resources of museums and exploiting complementarities in the geographic distribution of specimens. Collection management, institutional reputation, social connection and international diplomacy were also part of a complex mix of value making that shaped this important international trade. We analyse the exchange practices of the three largest museums in the Australian colonies in the final three decades of the nineteenth century who exchanged Australia’s ‘rare and curious’ fauna with collectors across the globe. By deploying and analysing extensive, comparative data on a particular form of natural history, zoology, and a particular kind of trade, exchange trading, among three Australian museums, this paper extends and enriches recent scholarship on the mobility of natural-history specimens and how they were traded.

We provide well-posedness results for nonlinear parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs) given by reaction–diffusion equations describing the concentration of oxygen in encapsulated cells. The cells are described in terms of a core and a shell, which introduces a discontinuous diffusion coefficient as the material properties of the core and shell differ. In addition, the cells are subject to general nonlinear consumption of oxygen. As no monotonicity condition is imposed on the consumption, monotone operator theory cannot be used. Moreover, the discontinuity in the diffusion coefficient bars us from applying classical results on strong solutions. However, by directly applying a Galerkin method, we obtain uniqueness and existence of the strong form solution. These results provide the basis to study the dynamics of cells in critical states.

We investigate the discrepancy between the distributions of the random variable $\log L (\sigma , f \times f, X)$ and that of $\log L(\sigma +it, f \times f)$, that is,

$$ \begin{align*} D_{\sigma} (T) := \sup_{\mathcal{R}} |\mathbb{P}_T(\log L(\sigma+it, f \times f) \in \mathcal{R}) - \mathbb{P}(\log L(\sigma, f \times f, X) \in \mathcal{R})|, \end{align*} $$

where the supremum is taken over rectangles $\mathcal {R}$ with sides parallel to the coordinate axes. For fixed $T>3$ and $2/3 <\sigma _0 < \sigma < 1$, we prove that

$$ \begin{align*} D_{\sigma} (T) \ll \frac{1}{(\log T)^{\sigma}}. \end{align*} $$

John Stuart Mill is central to parallel debates in mainstream contemporary political epistemology and philosophy of federalism concerning the epistemic dimension(s) of legitimate authority. Many scholars invoke Mill to support epistemic arguments for democratic decision-making and decentralized federalism as a means of conferring democratic legitimacy. This article argues that Millian considerations instead provide reason to reject common epistemic arguments for decentralized federalism. Combining Mill's own insights about the epistemic costs of decentralization and recent work in philosophy, politics, and economics undermines purportedly Millian arguments for federalism focused on political experimentation, diversity and participation. Contrary to many interpretations, Millian considerations weaken, rather than strengthen, arguments for federalism. Any valid justification for federalism must instead rest on non-epistemic considerations. This conclusion is notable regardless of how one interprets Mill. But it also supports Mill's stated preference for local decisions subject to central oversight.

This article aims to analyze the impact of memory on security/foreign policy using the example of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s bilateral relations. The basis for these considerations is the concept of ontological security. It indicates the construction of the identity of the state and is implemented through political decisions and social practices (for example remembering important historical events). Here, memory is treated as a social construct. In addition, the article focuses on memory leading to the formation of state identity, also seen in the international sphere. Historical memory has a considerable impact on bilateral relations between countries that used to be in conflict, like Serbia and BiH. In the example analyzed, leaders use historical memory to create separate identities, commemorate chosen and appropriate victims/heroes or important dates, historical sites, monuments events and develop selective narratives. The most significant elements in the analysis of the historical memory of Serbia and BiH relations are (1) the goals of foreign and security policy of Serbia and BiH (2) the contemporary narrative of the Srebrenica genocide and its perception by governments of Serbia, BiH, and by Bosnian Serbs and Bosniaks, and (3) an official Srebrenica commemoration (memorials, Srebrenica Memorial Day).

Artificial sweeteners are generally used and recommended to alternate added sugar for health promotion. However, the health effects of artificial sweeteners remain unclear. In this study, we included 6371 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with artificial sweetener intake records. Logistic regression and Cox regression were applied to explore the associations between artificial sweeteners and risks of cardiometabolic disorders and mortality. Mendelian randomisation was performed to verify the causal associations. We observed that participants with higher consumption of artificial sweeteners were more likely to be female and older and have above medium socio-economic status. After multivariable adjustment, frequent consumers presented the OR (95 % CI) for hypertension (1·52 (1·29, 1·80)), hypercholesterolaemia (1·28 (1·10, 1·50)), diabetes (3·74 (3·06, 4·57)), obesity (1·52 (1·29, 1·80)), congestive heart failure (1·89 (1·35, 2·62)) and heart attack (1·51 (1·10, 2·04)). Mendelian randomisation confirmed the increased risks of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, an increased risk of diabetic mortality was identified in participants who had artificial sweeteners ≥ 1 daily (HR = 2·62 (1·46, 4·69), P = 0·001). Higher consumption of artificial sweeteners is associated with increased risks of cardiometabolic disorders and diabetic mortality. These results suggest that using artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes may not be beneficial.

This paper examines how Britain, through ‘gunboat diplomacy’ campaigns against so-called Arab pirates, overran the pre-existing Gulf suzerain system and became the predominant power in its waters. By filling a gap in the classical English School ‘international society’ expansion thesis, this article describes how and when political and ideational shifts in the Gulf allowed sovereignty to manifest into its present dynastic form. It argues British imposition of rules, norms, and institutions through a series of nineteenth-century Anglo-Arab treaties against Arab ‘pirates’ broke traditional conditions of divisible sheikhly authority to embed a new telos of sovereign indivisibility, facilitating indirect colonisation. Colonialism as an overlooked primary institution in the classical international society expansion story reinforced political inequality to create dynasticism to simplify colonial statecraft. The 1836 Restrictive Line was a central institution introduced by Britain to manage the transition from divisible to indivisible authority. Drawing from colonial archives, the paper argues that British control over cross-coastal movements through a Restrictive Line reinforced domestic sovereignty of British treaty signatories while weakening agency of maritime sheikhs outside the Anglo-Arab treaties framework. This unsettled traditional structures, transforming maritime tribal confederacies from participation to compliance and reconfiguring Gulf coastal security imperatives for treaty-signatory sheikhs from sea to desert.

Translingual knowledge allows sociolinguists to appreciate more ‘playful’ negotiation and the assemblages of linguistic, cultural, and semiotic resources for meaning-making. Yet, this very idea of ‘translingual playfulness’ should never lose sight of the subversive purpose of this apparent playfulness: to destabilise norms and boundaries. The reason behind all of this translingual playfulness is precisely the ‘precarious’ positions of the creators of the playful. In this article, I urge sociolinguists to think more carefully about how translingual playfulness may connect to precarity and argue that it is important not to construe playfulness and precarity as dichotomous or even as opposite ends of a spectrum but rather to view them as symbiotically (re)constituting each other. The idea of ‘precarity’, thereby, deserves much more attention than the representation of ‘playfulness’; that is, explicit/implicit translingual precarity needs to be revealed in translingual scholarship. (Translingualism, playfulness, precarity)*

The diversity and health of insects that feed on plants are closely related to their mutualistic symbionts and host plants. These symbiotic partners significantly influence various metabolic activities in these insects. However, the symbiotic bacterial community of toxic plant feeders still needs further characterisation. This study aims to unravel bacterial communities associated with the different species of insect representing three insect orders: Thysanoptera, Hemiptera, and Lepidoptera, along with their predicted functional role, which exclusively feeds on latex-rich plant species Ficus microcarpa. By using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, the analysis was able to define the major alignment of the bacterial population, primarily comprising Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota. Significant differences in symbiotic organisms between three insect groups were discovered by the study: hemipterans had Burkholderia and Buchnera, and lepidopterans had Acinetobacter. At the same time, Pseudomonas was detected in high abundance in both lepidopteran and thysanopteran insects. Furthermore, these symbionts exhibit consistent core functions, potentially explaining how different insects can consume the same host plant. The identified core functions of symbionts open avenues for innovative approaches in utilising these relationships to develop environment-friendly solutions for pest control, with broader implications for agriculture and environmental conservation.

Smectite may impact the ability of saline aquifer–caprock systems to store CO2 effectively, because of changes in pressure, temperature, and brine concentration induced by the injection of CO2. These changes influence the molar volume of smectite, affecting the short-term structural and stratigraphic trapping, or the dissolution of smectite via the long-term geochemical trapping. This study investigated the d001 value of an interlayer-cation-exchanged smectite, Na-rich SWy-2 (Na-SWy-2), with Ca or Mg (hereafter CaSWy-2 and MgSWy-2). Molar volume experiments used X-ray diffraction and a high-pressure environmental chamber. The extent of smectite dissolution was simulated at experimental conditions by geochemical modeling using a rate equation derived from the transition state theory. CaSWy-2-CaCl2 and MgSWy-2-MgCl2 brine systems showed that increasing the brine concentration from 0.17 M to saturation results in a <18% decrease in d001 values, and increasing the temperature from approximately 33 to 150°C results in <11% decrease. The effect of the interlayer cation shows the d001 values of MgSWy-2 are <0.4 Å higher compared with CaSWy-2. Geochemical modeling shows the extent of dissolution of Na-SWy-2, CaSWy-2, or MgSWy-2 is only <1.1% in acidic conditions. Furthermore, the calculated swelling pressure needed to decrease the H2O sheets in the interlayer, from 3W to 2W, of MgSWy-2 and CaSWy-2 are higher compared with Na-SWy-2. The swelling pressure was approximated from the sum of the osmotic repulsive pressure, the van der Waals attractive pressure, and the hydration pressure. The data suggest that Na-SWy-2, CaSWy-2, and MgSWy-2 may affect saline aquifer–caprock systems to store CO2. The molar volume is affected by changes in pressure, temperature and brine concentration, or swelling pressure from the injection of CO2. An increase in the d001 value of SWy-2 can enhance the sealing capabilities of a caprock by making saline aquifers less porous and less permeable and thus increasing the capability for CO2 storage. In contrast, a decrease in the d001 value can create cracks in a caprock and thus provide conduits for the CO2 to escape. Furthermore, the CO2 injection will cause a decrease in pH, causing smectite to dissolve until it reaches a steady state. However, despite acidic aquifer conditions, SWy-2 has low solubility.

While unethical acts are common in the business world, we know little about how employees react when they observe coworkers caught engaging in unethical behavior. This is both theoretically and practically relevant, given that many supervisors take unethical behavior in the workplace very seriously. Drawing on appraisal theory, we argue that observing a coworker caught engaging in unethical behavior elicits feelings of schadenfreude. Then, this positive feeling spills over to a separate task and enhances performance. Finally, we suggest that trait empathy can weaken this effect because individuals with high trait empathy are more likely to understand the motivations of the person caught. Across two studies, our results showed that perpetrators getting caught increased schadenfreude among observers, which then increased their subsequent task performance. However, trait empathy did not significantly affect these results. Our work contributes to the literature on unethical behavior and emotions in the workplace.

Global warming has driven changes in the biology and fitness of organisms that need to adapt to temperatures outside of their optimal range to survive. This study investigated aspects of reproduction and survival of the lady beetle Tenuisvalvae notata (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) subjected to temperatures that varied from its optimal (28°C) to a gradual decrease (12, 14, 16, and 18°C) and increase (32, 34, 35, and 36°C) over time at a rate of 1°C/day. Fertility, fecundity, oviposition period, and survival were determined. There was a significant reduction in fertility and fecundity at temperatures below 18°C and above 34°C, whereas survival was reduced only above 34°C. Additionally, we evaluated that fecundity was the lowest when females were kept at low temperature, and when males were kept under high temperature. Therefore, if the T. notata remained for a long period under exposure to temperatures outside the ideal range, then the species could present different reproductive responses for each sex to high and low temperatures. This factor must be considered when releasing natural enemies into an area to understand the effect of temperature on the decline of a local population a few generations after release.