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Synergizing public incentives and private capital: a hybrid RAB‐RBF framework for low‐carbon energy infrastructure access in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Get PDFRegulated asset base (RAB) and results-based financing (RBF) are key emerging infrastructure finance models, offering stable returns (RAB) and outcome-based incentives (RBF). This perspective proposes a hybrid RAB-RBF model to bridge the “viability gap” in developing regions and catalyze low-carbon energy infrastructure access where cost-reflective tariffs are unaffordable. The integration uses RBF to “write down” the initial capital cost of low-carbon energy assets. The remaining net asset value is then placed under a light-handed RAB framework. This combined approach aims to attract private capital (via RAB stability) while ensuring climate-friendly access (via RBF incentives). We argue this hybrid creates a sustainable pathway for private investment by aligning investor and societal incentives. This article outlines the theoretical basis and provides a mathematical model for tariff setting. It details necessary regulatory innovations and illustrates the financial mechanics through a hypothetical case study. Finally, it emphasizes the critical need for robust regulation and reliable funding to ensure access
Coupling Social Networks with Space: The Embeddedness of Low-skilled Returnee’ Entrepreneurship in Rural China
Get PDFUrban-to-rural return migration has become an increasingly important force reshaping rural livelihoods in China. Yet existing research on returnee entrepreneurship often assumes that migrants can transfer trans-local networks and resources accumulated during migration back to their hometowns and convert them directly into entrepreneurial advantage. This paper challenges this assumption by conceptualizing returnee entrepreneurship as a context-dependent process of network-space coupling, in which the effectiveness of network-based resources depends on their alignment with place-specific conditions. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork conducted in a county-level agricultural region in central China, this study combines participant observation, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and documentary analysis involving 19 participants. The findings show that low-skilled return migration is primarily driven by structural pressures in urban areas, including hukou-based exclusion, informal employment, unstable incomes, high living costs, and family obligations, which severely limit the accumulation of transferable financial, human, and social capital. Entrepreneurial formation after return is enabled through three interrelated local embeddedness: social embeddedness based on kinship and friendship ties, industrial embeddedness within county-level agricultural sectors, and institutional embeddedness shaped by rural governance and revitalization policies. At the same time, such embeddedness may generate path dependence and lock-in within low value-added activities. By advancing a network-space coupling perspective, this study deepens understanding of returnee entrepreneurship and rural transformation and offers policy-relevant insights into place-based rural development in peripheral regions
Mixed Criticality Systems - (A Review: 14th and Final Edition, February 2026)
Get PDFThis review covers research on the topic of mixed criticality systems that has been published since Vestal’s 2007 paper. It initially covers the period up to end of 2022. The review is organised into the following topics: introduction and motivation, models, single processor analysis (including job-based, hard and soft tasks, fixed priority and EDF scheduling, shared resources and static and synchronous scheduling), multiprocessor analysis, related topics, realistic models, formal treatments, systems issues, industrial practice and research beyond mixed-criticality. A list of PhDs awarded for research relating to mixed-criticality systems is also included. A new section has been added that covers publications since 2022 up to the end of 2025. This is the last update for this review
Key protective factors that mitigate the impact of childhood trauma on poor mental health in adulthood: a scoping review protocol
Get PDFIntroduction
A significant proportion of adults in England and Wales report experiencing childhood trauma, which is often associated with poor health and negative social outcomes including a significant increase in the risk of poor mental health outcomes in adulthood. This proposed scoping review adopts a broad definition of childhood trauma and applies both a salutogenic framework and ecological systems theory to explore how protective factors at five ecological levels can support mental well-being. The review will also examine how protective factors vary across different population groups and contexts.
Methods and analysis
The scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) protocol for scoping reviews. The databases that will be searched are Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Medline. Studies will be included if they include protective factors and involve adults aged 18 and over who have experienced childhood trauma, whether self-identified, retrospectively self-reported or measured using a validated instrument. Studies will be excluded if they focus on participants under the age of 18.
All search results will be uploaded to Covidence, duplicates removed, and titles/abstracts screened by at least two reviewers based on inclusion criteria. Full texts of potentially relevant sources will be imported into EndNote 21. Reasons for exclusions will be documented and disagreements resolved through discussion or a third reviewer. The full process will be reported using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram. Data will be extracted by at least two reviewers using a tool developed by the team based on the JBI guidance. A best-fit framework analysis will be used, using a matrix developed by the researchers including the four salutogenic domains and the five levels of the ecological framework.
Ethics and dissemination
Formal ethical approval is not necessary for this scoping review as it does not involve the collection of primary data. The outcomes of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal articles, conference/seminar presentations, and developed into resources for stakeholders and collaborators.
Trial registration number
Open Science Framework (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/CJRUY)
Diversidade epistêmica na gestão dos rios urbanos: notas a partir de Barranquilla e Belo Horizonte
Get PDFCognitively enabled urbanisms: a critical commentary on the emerging governance of the mind
Get PDFAs neurotechnology, artificial intelligence, and cognitive science increasingly shape urban imaginaries, new visions of the ‘cognitive city’ are emerging. This commentary identifies and critically reflects on three distinct modes through which urban life is being cognitively enabled: (1) neurourbanism, where cities are redesigned to promote brain health and emotional well-being; (2) consultancy-led cognitive urbanism, which advances a post-smart city paradigm of reflexive, learning cities underpinned by AI and data analytics; and (3) neurotechnical governance, where infrastructures of thought and emotion are being operationalised through state-led experimentation, exemplified by recent developments in Chinese cities. Rather than treating these as empirical categories, we interpret them as competing socio-technical imaginaries that project different futures of urban governance, subjectivity, and intervention. Across all three, the figure of the citizen as a cognitive subject becomes central, being measured, modulated, and responsibilised through new forms of expertise and infrastructure. We examine who is shaping these imaginaries, what claims they make, and how they differently reconfigure urban life. The commentary concludes by proposing a critical research agenda for urban studies that takes cognition seriously without succumbing to neurohype and that focuses on power, ethics, and the right to mental sovereignty in the future city
Interlinking Land Use Change, Carbon Emissions, and Surface Temperature in the Palakkad Gap of Western Ghats: Insights for Climate Resilience and Sustainability
No full textThe Palakkad Gap, the lowest-altitude mountain pass in the Western Ghats, serves as an important bioclimatic corridor that facilitates for biodiversity exchange. However, it is currently experiencing intensifying and unsustainable land-use transformations. Using multi-temporal Landsat imagery (Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +), and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager/Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLI/TIRS)), this study analyses the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use/land cover (LULC), land surface temperature (LST), and land-specific carbon emissions (LCEs) across the Palakkad Gap from 1994 to 2024. Supervised classification (Maximum Likelihood) and the InVEST carbon model were employed to analyze LULC transitions, thermal landscape evolution, and carbon storage changes. Built-up areas expanded significantly by 9,101.86 ha, primarily at the expense of 7,216.54 ha of agricultural land. This land-use shift corresponded with significant thermal alterations—Medium and High LST zones increased by 57,049.18 ha and 12,927.98 ha, respectively. Carbon-rich ecosystems suffered extensive degradation with the Critical carbon category (25 tC/ha) expanding fourfold while Normal and Salubrious zones declined by > 7,000 ha. Total carbon emissions reached 555,619 tons over three decades, demonstrating urbanization’s compounded impact on regional microclimates and carbon sequestration. Land-Specific Carbon Emissions (LCEs) peaked in 2004 (1,906 × 103 tons/year) before declining marginally to 1,853 × 103 tons/year by 2024, with built-up and agricultural lands as dominant emission sources. High-emission sectors (e.g., WSW) exhibited elevated LST, while carbon sinks (e.g., NNW) showed significant LST increases (+ 4.54 °C) due to urbanization legacy effects. Regression analyses indicated a weak inverse relationship between LCEs and LST (R2 = 0.11–0.26), suggesting emissions reductions alone may not fully mitigate warming. This study presents one of the first integrated assessments of LULC, LST, and carbon emissions in the Palakkad Gap using InVEST model. It highlights the urgency of integrated land-use planning, heat mitigation strategies, and ecological zoning to protect this biodiversity hotspot. The findings provide a scientific foundation for policy making in ecologically vulnerable regions, advocating for targeted emissions control and green infrastructure to enhance climate resilience and sustainability across the Palakkad Gap and broader Western Ghats landscape. The 2034 projection highlights a strong forward trajectory of land transformation, with built-up area increasing to 15,663 ha (an additional 3,954 ha from 2024) and agricultural land declining to 95,380 ha (a reduction of 4,127 ha). Carbon storage in high-density categories contracts further, while critical low-carbon zones expand to 16,707 ha. Net land-based emissions rise to 56.6 × 103 t C per year, and mean LST reaches 31.33 °C, dominated by medium (80,786 ha) and high (17,504 ha) temperature zones. These future estimates underscore the likelihood of sustained warming and reduced carbon resilience under continued land-use pressures.Graphical AbstractThis visual summary serves as a pivotal entry point into the research, offering a concise overview of the study’s core findings and methodologies in the Palakkad Gap, the lowest pass in the Western Ghats. The graphical abstract captures the integration of land use/land cover (LULC) transitions, carbon emissions, and land surface temperature (LST) dynamics from 1994 to 2024 using Landsat satellite data and the InVEST carbon model. The diagram showcases urban expansion, agricultural decline, and increasing surface temperature zones. It also highlights spatial patterns of land-specific carbon emissions, peaking in high urbanization areas. The study identifies a weak inverse correlation between carbon emissions and LST, suggesting complex climatic interactions. The visual conveys a clear message: despite emissions control, surface warming persists due to land conversion legacy effects. Through arrows, maps, and charts, the abstract efficiently guides the viewer through the research process and outcomes. It emphasizes the urgent need for integrated land-use policy, climate-resilient zoning and ecological restoration. By providing a rapid visual comprehension of the paper’s essence, the graphical abstract enhances visibility and impact, making it an effective tool for broader scientific dissemination. A simplified topographic map outlines the study area’s location and boundaries, establishing the geographical context. Sequential panels illustrate the timeline of land use/land cover (LULC) transitions from 1994 to 2024, highlighting significant landscape changes—shrinking agricultural land, expanding built-up areas, and degrading vegetation and water bodies—driven by anthropogenic activities. Carbon dynamics are depicted using red arrows for emissions from built-up and agricultural areas and green arrows for carbon sinks like vegetation and water bodies, with quantitative labels showing agricultural emissions. Despite ongoing sequestration, net carbon emissions have risen, disrupting the regional carbon balance. A bar chart shows the land surface temperature (LST) gradient shifting from Very Low ( 38 °C), underscoring increased thermal stress due to land conversion and urban heat island effects. The summary panel visually encapsulates the findings—built-up ↑, agriculture ↓, LST ↑, and carbon storage ↓—emphasizing that land-use change is intensifying climate impacts in the Palakkad Gap. The 2034 projection panel shows built-up land increasing to 15,663 ha and agricultural land declining to 95,380 ha. Critical low-carbon zones expand to 16,707 ha as higher-density carbon classes continue to shrink. Net land-based emissions rise to 56.6 × 103 t C per year. Mean land surface temperature reaches 31.33 °C, with medium and high temperature zones covering 80,786 ha and 17,504 ha. This future scenario highlights continued warming and declining carbon resilience if present land-use trends persist. Together, these elements follow a logical flow from spatial context to transformation, thermal response, emissions, and conclusions, offering a clear and impactful overview of the study’s core findings and implications
Conservation status of species used in the UK herbal medicine industry
Get PDFSocietal Impact Statement
Given the ongoing biodiversity crisis, sustainable use and management of medicinal plants is critical. We assessed the conservation status, threats and conservation actions of 298 species sold by UK suppliers to medical herbalists. We found that most species used are unevaluated, representing a gap in conservation knowledge, and of those with assessments, biological resource use and agriculture were the two key threats. More comprehensive evaluation of the extinction risk of medicinal plants is needed, and sustainable management of threatened species, especially through sustainability schemes such as FairWild, would also be beneficial.
Summary
Collection of medicinal plants from the wild has been implicated in the decline of target species abundance in their natural habitats and possible local extinction. However, conservation status differs widely between species used in herbal medicine. Here, we conduct a broad survey of herbal remedies to evaluate the extent to which species involved are at conservation risk.
We created a list of 298 species used in herbal remedies commonly available from online retailers in the United Kingdom. The list was cross-referenced with IUCN and CITES databases to evaluate the extent to which traded species are considered to be threatened, including particular threats faced by the species.
We found that 203 (68.1%) of species used in the UK herbal medicine market are unevaluated by the IUCN. Of the 95 species that had been evaluated, 13 (13.7%) were in categories of Near Threatened (NT) or higher. The most common threats to endangered species were intentional exploitation as biological resources and threats from agriculture relating to non-timber crops. Only seven species (2.4% of the total) are featured on CITES.
The results show that medicinal plants supplying the UK herbal medicine industry lack comprehensive conservation evaluations. Whilst the overall number of endangered species in trade is low, this number may rise if more evaluations are carried out.
We have included a list of species which may be more sustainable alternatives for 11 species that are of conservation concern. We also recommend that herbalists and suppliers increase sourcing from sustainability schemes such as FairWild. Additional work is required to further detail knowledge about the trade of medicinal plants in the WHM industry
Strategies for enhancing vaccine uptake among children under two years of age in low and middle-income countries (LMICs):A scoping review
Get PDFIntroduction Over 14.5 million infants remain unvaccinated globally, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where health system gaps and inequities impede progress toward the Immunisation Agenda 2030. Objective This scoping review synthesised health system strengthening strategies aligned with the WHO Health Systems Framework to enhance vaccine uptake among children under two years of age in LMICs. Methods Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, six databases were searched until January 2025. Results Of 2897 records, 53 studies met the inclusion criteria: 54.7% from lower-middle-income and 41.5% from low-income countries, with 81.1% being community-based interventions. The mean intervention duration was 39.3 months (SD = 62.1). Health information systems (83.0%), leadership and governance (79.2%), and service delivery (60.4%) were the most frequently targeted, while the health workforce was the least addressed (35.8%). The key strategies included data monitoring (88.7%), coverage tracking (86.8%), and data-driven decision-making (86.8%). Community-centred, data-informed interventions improved service accessibility (67.9%) and quality (41.5%). Conclusion Multiple interventions addressing multiple WHO building blocks have demonstrated better outcomes. Strengthening workforce capacity, adopting an integrated health system approach, and addressing financing barriers are essential for achieving the Global Immunisation Agenda 2030
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