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Economic instruments of political control: Hong Kong businesses under China’s comprehensive jurisdiction
No full textPolitical control is pervasive in authoritarian contexts; however, the use of economic instruments as a means of political repression has been underexplored. Embedded in Hong Kong’s political upheavals triggered by the 2019 extradition bill, this paper underpins the erosion of Hong Kong’s political environment by analysing economic pressure exerted on businesses, or ‘economic repression’, to eliminate, convert, and/or silence their dissenting behaviour. Drawing on Earl’s repression typology, it distinguishes between two forms of repression: economic channelling and economic duress. The former involves covert actions that increase the operational costs of targeted businesses, including administrative inspections and the severance of economic ties, while the latter embodies overt actions that disrupt their operations, such as asset freezes and vandalism of shop premises. Although both businesses and individuals may be subject to economic repression, this paper pays special attention to businesses, as their responses have far-reaching implications for the political and economic landscape. Employing the cases of Cathay Pacific, Taipan Bakery, Apple Daily, and Chickeeduck, which were well-known players in their respective industries in 2019–2021, it is observed that economic channelling was usually deployed at a defiant company first, followed by economic duress if the target did not conform to the new political norms. Economic repression not only stifles political resistance in the marketplace but also hampers the competitiveness of the international financial city.Peer-reviewe
One-body dynamical correlation function of the Lieb-Liniger model at finite temperature
No full textThe dynamical correlated properties of one-dimensional (1D) Bose gases provide profound understanding of novel physics emergent from collective excitations, for instance, the breakdown of off-diagonal long-range order, and the establishment of Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid theory. However, due to the nonperturbative nature of 1D many-body systems, the exact evaluation of correlation functions is notoriously difficult. Here, by means of a form factor approach based on an algebraic Bethe ansatz and numerics, we present a thorough study on the one-body dynamical correlation function (1BDCF) of the Lieb-Liniger model at finite temperature. The influence of thermal fluctuation and interaction on the behavior of 1BDCF has been demonstrated and analyzed from various perspectives, including the spectral distribution, the line shape at fixed momentum, and the corresponding static correlations.This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants No. 12104372, No. 12088101, No. 12047511, No. 12247103, No. 12134015, and No. 92365202, HK GRF Grants No. 17306024 and No. 17313122, CRF Grants No. C4050-23GF and No. C7012-21G, and RGC Fellowship Award No. HKU RFS2223-7S03.Peer-reviewe
Bimetallic organic framework derived Co-Mo<sub>x</sub>N/Mo<sub>2</sub>C catalyst for HER/OER bifunctional electrocatalytic reaction
No full textMetal organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely used as precursors due to their tunable morphology and high specific surface area. Molybdenum nitride (MoN) and molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) are promising catalyst materials with electronic structures similar to the noble metal platinum. However, the preparation and modification of the composite systems comprising MoN and Mo2C are complex, often leading to significant agglomeration and limiting their application in various catalytic fields. In this work, we designed and developed a novel bimetallic Co-MOFs-Mo with a stable and unique framework morphology. By varying the organic ligand content, we controlled the morphology and enhanced the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity through Mo doping. Using the Co-MOFs-Mo sample as the Co source, we fabricated a Co-MoxN/Mo2C catalytic material with a special framework structure. Compared to Mo2N and Mo2N/Mo2C, this catalyst exhibits a larger specific surface area and superior performance in both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The Co-MoxN/Mo2C catalyst achieves an HER overpotential of 297 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 and an OER overpotential of 480 mV at 20 mA·cm−2. This research provides valuable insights into the rational design of molybdenum-based noble-metal-free catalyst materials.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52204399), Key Research and Development Plan Project in Shaanxi Province (2024QCYKXJ-116, 2023JBGS-14), the Scientific and Technological Innovation Team Project of Shaanxi Innovation Capability Support Plan (2022TD-30), Xi'an Science and Technology Plan Project (24ZDCYJSGG0043), Young Talent Fund of Xi'an Association for Science and Technology (959202313061), and the Science and Technology Project of Universities and Institutes Staff Serving Enterprises in Xi'an (22GXFW0059). This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China ( 52204399 ), Key Research and Development Plan Project in Shaanxi Province ( 2024QCYKXJ-116 , 2023JBGS-14 ), the Scientific and Technological Innovation Team Project of Shaanxi Innovation Capability Support Plan ( 2022TD-30 ), Xi\u2019an Science and Technology Plan Project ( 24ZDCYJSGG0043 ), Young Talent Fund of Xi\u2019an Association for Science and Technology ( 959202313061 ), and the Science and Technology Project of Universities and Institutes Staff Serving Enterprises in Xi\u2019an ( 22GXFW0059 ).Peer-reviewe
Nomads and international relations: post-sedentarist dialogues
No full textThe key concepts and reference points of International Relations (IR) are informed by a sedentarist worldview anchored on the territorial state. IR’s conception of its subject-matter is thus ‘static’ in both senses of the word: state-centric and immobile. One of the consequences of this sedentarist worldview has been a neglect of the world’s nomads. Defined by their spatial mobility, nomads have been either ignored or, less frequently, brought in as an exceptional ‘Other’ against which concepts such as statehood and territoriality can be defined. The interventions in this forum challenge IR’s sedentarism by recovering the world’s nomads as international political actors past and present, thus enriching the range of empirical cases upon which IR scholars may build their theories and challenging teleological narratives that view the history of the international system as the inevitable triumph of the territorial state. At the same time, the forum cautions against the reification of the nomad as the ‘Other’ of the state by disaggregating nomadism from mobility and problematising the sedentarism/nomadism binary. The goal of the forum is not to provide a blueprint for how IR scholars should study nomads, but to promote a critical reflexivity about IR’s sedentarist assumptions.Jaakko Heiskanen received financial support for this research from the Leverhulme Trust through a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (ECF-2020-243).Peer-reviewe
Bolognstein
No full textA ‘Science & Humour’ Project (SCOM2006, 2025)Employing science fiction and fantasy as a framework for cinematic storytelling, I aim to uncover the effects humour has on challenging and dismantling the stereotypes of female scientists. Following the night of a young vaccinologist, Bolognstein entertains and engages an audience that is reflected, not in a mad scientist, but in a girl coming to terms with her choices and identity in modern society. Satirising subversive feminist tropes, I encourage a deeper discussion to be had on the role of women in science and the space they occupy
Reassessing the Predictive Power of the Yield Spread for Recessions in the United States
No full textRudebusch and Williams (2009) predict recessions in the United States utilising a probit model with the lagged yield spread as a real-time predictor. Mindful of the importance of recent yield curve movements, we update their analysis and evaluate quarterly forecasts from their probit model up to the end of 2023. We also analyze lagged financial conditions as an alternative real-time predictor. We find that both the yield spread and financial conditions perform relatively well at the longer horizons considered by the experts in the Survey of Professional Forecasters.Peer-reviewe
Deep Learning Approaches to Text Simplification for English as Second Language (ESL) Readers
No full textInternational university students often face challenges with English language proficiency, which can significantly impact their academic performance. A common issue is the difficulty in comprehending academic content due to limited English reading skills. This PhD thesis in computer science addresses this problem by leveraging natural language processing (NLP) techniques to simplify academic reading materials. The goal is to enhance students' reading comprehension while preserving the essential information in the texts.
To bridge this gap, this thesis explored the extent to which text can be simplified and investigated methods to improve existing text simplification techniques for our target audience. This research was conducted in two phases: case studies and the development of NLP-based simplification approaches.
In the first phase, three case studies were conducted, focusing on both individual needs and linguistic aspects. From an individual perspective, the first case study assessed the reading abilities of 30 students using a set of texts and quizzes with varying levels of conceptual and readability difficulty. This enabled the determination of the optimal level of text simplification required. Additionally, In the second case study, the learning progress of 155 students was tracked by analyzing their performance in a series of semester writing assignments. This provided insights into their learning experiences and helped refine strategies to improve their conceptual reading abilities. On the linguistic side, the third case study investigated correlations between multiple languages were identified, revealing that bi-directional translation could reduce the readability difficulty of the original text.
Building on these findings, text simplification approaches were designed, developed, and evaluated. The first contribution was a sentence compression method that extracts key information from sentences. This approach significantly outperformed existing methods, achieving a processing speed more than 10 times faster than recurrent neural network-based methods while maintaining comparable accuracy. The work was then extended to academic content by creating a dataset of 1,876 ACL papers for lexical simplification. A complex word identification approach tailored to the academic genre was developed, enabling the detection of challenging vocabulary. Finally, the scope was expanded to simplify the lexical content of scientific papers by replacing complex words and phrases with simpler alternatives. The unsupervised machine learning method achieved multi-gram lexical simplification, demonstrating its effectiveness in making academic texts more accessible.
The significance of this study is three-fold. First, it addresses the gap in applying NLP techniques to solve real-world problems for a specific target group. Empirical evidence is provided on the extent to which academic texts can be simplified to improve comprehension for non-native English speakers, along with the role of bi-directional translation in reducing readability challenges. Second, a specialized dataset of 1,876 ACL papers was created, and a complex word identification approach tailored to academic texts was designed. This contribution directly tackles the unique challenges of simplifying scholarly content. Third, an unsupervised machine learning method was developed to simplify complex words and phrases in scientific papers, enhancing accessibility for readers with limited English proficiency. This approach is both scalable and effective for multi-gram simplification. Overall, this work advances the field of NLP-driven text simplification by introducing innovative solutions tailored to academic contexts, ultimately contributing to improved educational outcomes for non-native English speakers
How do chat apps support the use of farming videos in agricultural extension: A case study from Bihar, India
No full textFarmers and extension workers increasingly use chat apps like WhatsApp to access and share information, including farming videos. Few empirical studies have critically examined the roles of these novel extension practices in agricultural innovation systems. We asked 294 extension workers in Bihar, eastern India, to circulate three wheat agronomy videos. Extension workers relied on WhatsApp to share these videos in 70% of surveyed cases (n = 131). Follow-up interviews revealed that WhatsApp enabled highly efficient video sharing with farmers extension workers already knew, given that WhatsApp was embedded like “breakfast tea” in some communities in rural Bihar. However, interviewed extension workers expressed concern that WhatsApp-shared videos facilitated limited social inclusivity, limited two-way discussion, and thereby limited localisation of farming advice, feedback loops, and relationship building, at least in this context. Looking further, we anticipate these challenges with person-to-person chat apps in agricultural extension may also apply to emerging agricultural advisory chatbots powered by large language models. For researchers, our results imply that socio-technical theories, rather than transfer-of-technology theories, are required to anticipate and observe heterogeneous uses and impacts of digital extension tools. For practitioners, our results imply that chat apps can helpfully support, not replace, face-to-face extension practices. In the words of one interviewed extension worker, treat chat apps like “chutney”: a helpful complement and inadequate substitute for “rice and dal” conversations and field demonstrations.The work was supported by the\u00A0Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [OPP1052535]; Australian Government Research Training Program; United States Agency for International Development [BFS-G-11-00002]; Westpac Scholars Trust. First, we acknowledge the 294 extension workers that participated in this research, particularly the 20 extension workers that generously shared their time and insights in the semi-structured interviews. Second, we acknowledge the many other collaborators that facilitated this research. These collaborators include extension service managers from the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (JEEViKA), as well as extension service managers from the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia. These collaborators also include the six expert farmers who co-developed videos used in this trial, namely B. Devi, P. Devi, K. Kumar, K. Pandey, S. Rai, and G. Rani. These collaborators also include those from Bihar Agricultural University that not only provided advice on the videos but also hosted them on their YouTube channel named 'Bihar Agricultural University Sabour'. These collaborators also include research associates who facilitated telephonic surveys, interview translations, and interview transcriptions, all with precision and care for participant privacy. Third, we would like to acknowledge funders that enabled this research. This work was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship; a Westpac Future leaders Scholarship; and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA; http://csisa.org/), itself funded by USAID under Grant BFS-G-11-00002 and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under Grant OPP1052535 and Grant OPP1133205. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any individual or organisation acknowledged above. First, we acknowledge the 294 extension workers that participated in this research, particularly the 20 extension workers that generously shared their time and insights in the semi-structured interviews. Second, we acknowledge the many other collaborators that facilitated this research. These collaborators include extension service managers from the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (JEEViKA), as well as extension service managers from the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia. These collaborators also include the six expert farmers who co-developed videos used in this trial, namely B. Devi, P. Devi, K. Kumar, K. Pandey, S. Rai, and G. Rani. These collaborators also include those from Bihar Agricultural University that not only provided advice on the videos but also hosted them on their YouTube channel named 'Bihar Agricultural University Sabour'. These collaborators also include research associates who facilitated telephonic surveys, interview translations, and interview transcriptions, all with precision and care for participant privacy. Third, we would like to acknowledge funders that enabled this research. This work was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship; a Westpac Future leaders Scholarship; and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA; http://csisa.org/ ), itself funded by USAID under Grant BFS-G-11-00002 and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under Grant OPP1052535 and Grant OPP1133205. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any individual or organisation acknowledged above.Peer-reviewe
Education shapes episodic memory measurement via test specifications: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
No full textBACKGROUND: Many studies have examined how education influences cognitive decline trajectories, often reflected through episodic memory deficits measured by word recall tests. However, little is known about how education affects episodic memory measurement in longitudinal studies where word-list complexity and test form vary. Our study aims to explore whether education influences episodic memory measurement via test specifications in a Chinese context. METHODS: 23,951 respondents aged over 45 (78,364 person-years) from five waves (2011-2020) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were included. We fitted two random-intercept models-one for immediate and one for delayed test scores-to examine how education influences episodic memory measurement across varying test formats and word list complexities. Based on these results, we applied a hybrid frequency-estimation equating approach to facilitate longitudinal studies in CHARLS, accounting for education's impact when word recall tests use varying specifications. RESULTS: Respondents with higher education scored better on immediate and delayed word recall tests, but all education groups were negatively affected by increased word-list complexity, with lower-educated individuals more vulnerable. Higher-educated respondents also gained more improvement in word recall outcome from extra practice trials when complexity remained constant. After equating, the predicted trajectories reflected more accurate cognitive decline over time, enhancing the measurement's validity. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that education strongly influences episodic memory assessment, as test specifications-word-list complexity and test form-interact with participants' education and shape performance gaps between higher- and lower-educated groups. For equating techniques in longitudinal studies, frequency estimation suits waves with similar complexity, whereas equipercentile equating better addresses substantial complexity differences, thereby enhancing measurement validity.Yizhou Chen was supported by the China Scholarship Council (File No. 202508190005) and Australian National University (No. 675/2014) . James O'Donnell received funding from the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (Project No. DE240100232) funded by the Australian Government.Peer-reviewe
Social learning and culture in birds: emerging patterns and relevance to conservation
No full textThere is now abundant evidence for a role of social learning and culture in
shaping behaviour in a range of avian species across multiple contexts,
from migration routes in geese and foraging behaviour in crows, to
passerine song. Recent emerging evidence has further linked culture to
fitness outcomes in some birds, highlighting its potential importance for
conservation. Here, we first summarize the state of knowledge on social
learning and culture in birds, focusing on the best-studied contexts of
migration, foraging, predation and song. We identify extensive knowledge
gaps for some taxa but argue that existing evidence suggests that: (i)
social learning and culture are taxonomically clustered and that (ii) reliance
on social learning in one behavioural domain does not predict reliance
across others. Together, we use this to build a predictive framework to
aid conservationists in species-specific decision-making under imperfect
knowledge. Second, we review evidence for a link between culture and
conservation in birds. We argue that understanding which behaviours
birds are likely to learn socially can help refine conservation strategies,
improving the trajectories of threatened populations. Last, we present
practical steps for how consideration of culture can be integrated into
conservation actions including reintroductions, translocations and captive
breeding programmes.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Animal culture: conservation in a
changing world’.L.A. was supported by the Swiss Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under contract number MB22.00056. R.C. was supported by a grant from New South Wales Local Land Services under the Commonwealth of Australia’s National Landcare programme. A.F. was supported by the German Research Council (DFG, Emmy Noether Fellowship: 463925853).Peer-reviewe