United States International Trade Commission

Abstract This study presents a detailed investigation of the dynamics of massless test particles (photons) to analyze the stability of null circular geodesics around the Kerr–Sen black hole (KSBH) spacetime. KSBH is a new solution arising in the low-energy effective field theory of heterotic string theory. The analysis proceeds by obtaining the radial effective potential, which serves as the foundation for calculating the Lyapunov exponent, a central quantity used to describe the stability or instability of geodesic motion in dynamical systems. The study employs the Lyapunov exponent approach to determine the stability or instability of circular orbits under varying values of the charge parameter Q and Kerr parameter a . Additionally, the analytical expressions for the radius of circular photon orbits and the corresponding impact parameter, defined as the ratio of conserved angular momentum to energy are also derived explicitly. To further analyze the orbital behavior, techniques such as Poincaré maps, the Lyapunov Exponent, and FLI are utilized to distinguish between regular and chaotic trajectories. The sign and magnitude of the Lyapunov exponent provide a rigorous criterion to distinguish between stable and unstable circular orbits. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the geodesic structure and perturbative stability in string-inspired rotating charged black hole backgrounds. The findings are also compared with those of the KBH case to highlight the impact of the BH charge on the stability of null geodesics. This study provides deeper insights into the dynamical properties of null geodesics in charged rotating BH spacetimes in GR and alternative theory of gravity.

Introduction: The July Uprising 2024 in Bangladesh inflicted enormous psychological trauma on the victims. During the July movement of 2024, over 1400 civilians, predominantly youth, were killed, and more than 13539 individuals sustained injuries due to the Hasina government. Purpose: This study aims to explore the mental health status of protestors and victims’ families during the July Uprising 2024 in Bangladesh; and suggest policy recommendations to protect the victims of July Uprising 2024 based on the findings. Methodology: This study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to analyze the mental health status of July’s protestors. The study collected data from secondary sources, and also used 3 studies which collected from secondary sources. Results: The analysis showed that a significant number of injured protestors are hospitalized, and their families have lost all of their savings in order to continue the treatment. Depression, anxiety, distress, and sleep disruption are frequent experiences among those family members. The protestors continue to experience trauma five to six months post-incident. Conclusion: The Government of Bangladesh must provide accessible mental health treatments, counseling, awareness campaigns, and financial support for victims and families impacted by the July 2024 movement through public-private partnerships

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. SUMMARY………418 1.1. The challenges of adapting to climate change………418 1.2. Adaptation Measures Already Implemented In Several Countries………419 1.3. General Principles For Adaptation………419 1.4. Technical Advances And Other New Ideas………421 2. INTRODUCTION………422 2.1. Question 108 title………423 2.2. Approach Adopted………423 2.3. Contributions………424 2.3.1. National Committee Reports………424 2.3.2. Individual Contributions………424 2.4. Note On The Time Horizon………425 2.5. Two Central Concepts: Uncertainty And Local Effects………425 2.6. Definitions………425 3. CHALLENGES OF ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE………430 3.1. Climate Change Is Driven Globally, But Manifests Locally………430 3.1.1. Global Drivers………430 3.1.2. Uncertainties and Local Variability, but More Droughts………431 3.1.3. Relationship with Dams and Levees………432 3.2. Increased Hazards………432 3.3. Biodiversity crisis………434 3.4. Experiences from different countries, affected or not………436 4. GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR ADAPTATION………440 4.1. Thinking ahead, exploring options, engaging in dialogue………440 4.2. Key points………442 4.2.1. Adaptation Requires Reducing Vulnerability………442 4.2.2. Adaptability requires flexibility………443 4.3. Fresh water storage………447 4.3.1. Current overview………447 4.3.2. Increasing Storage When Possible………448 4.3.3. The Limitations of Storage in Reservoirs………450 4.3.4. Storage Strategies………451 4.4. Limiting floods………454 4.4.1. Integrated approaches………454 4.4.2. Additional storage in dams………454 4.4.3. Keeping in mind the limitations of flood storage………456 4.5. Promoting biodiversity………456 4.6. Governance: making the right decisions………457 4.6.1. A question of methodology………457 4.6.2. Thinking in Terms of Sustainability………458 4.6.3. Accepting and Covering the Additional Cost of Adaptation………461 4.6.4. Sharing water………462 4.6.5. Sharing and enhancing space………465 4.7. Research and engineering: study requirements………465 4.7.1. Data!………465 4.7.2. Reference models and scenarios: a necessity………466 5. TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS………471 5.1. Off-river storage………471 5.1.1. Overview, principles and benefits………471 5.1.2. Some recent examples………473 5.1.3. The Issue of reservoir watertightness………478 5.1.4. The "Overflow": A Cost-Effective Tool for Ultimate Safety………479 5.2. Pumped-storage hydropower (PSH) plants………480 5.2.1. Role and general principles………480 5.2.2. Some recent examples………483 5.2.3. Optimizing Costs and Construction Pace: Example of the Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) Construction Policy in China………484 5.2.4. Exploring Low-Head (High-Flow) PSH Systems………485 5.2.5. Utilization of Seawater in Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH)………487 5.2.6. Key Technical Aspects………487 5.2.7. Interest of CMDs for PSP reservoir dams [ML].………491 5.2.8. Reorienting Traditional Hydropower Production Toward Energy Storage………491 5.3. Hydro-solar association………492 5.3.1. Overview, principles and benefits………492 5.3.2. Technologies that still need to mature………495 5.3.3. New risks for dams?………496 5.3.4. Hybridization………497 5.4. Other pumping solutions………499 5.4.1. Flood Mitigation………499 5.4.2. Seasonal storage reserves………500 5.5. Aquifer storage and underground dams………500 5.5.1. Overview, Principle, and Benefits………500 5.5.2. Surface aquifer storage………501 5.5.3. Maintaining Aquifer Renewal Through Additional Surface Storage………505 5.6. Offshore dams and Sea Barriers………505 5.6.1. Overview, Principles and Benefits………505 5.6.2. Coastal Protections: Examples and Ideas………507 5.6.3. Tidal Energy: the Tidal garden concept………509 6. ACRONYMS………510 7. BIBLIOGRAPHY………511 7.1. Question 108 reports………511 7.2. Personal contributions………513 7.3. General bibliography………514 7.4. Bibliography by world regions………517

Abstract In the 1990s, while the world economies continued to integrate, the Soviet Union faced severe economic challenges that resulted in its dissolution. The fall of the Soviet Union brought considerable new challenges and opportunities in the international trade relations of its member countries and partners in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA). This chapter covers the long-term transformation in trade relations of the newly emerged countries of the Former Soviet Union and the transitioning countries of the CMEA, including the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Cuba, Mongolia, and Vietnam, during the period from 1989 to 2020. It studies the evolution of trade relations and trade flows in the thirty-one countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union and the transitions in the CMEA countries. It begins by describing trade relationships at the end of the Soviet era and continues by looking into countries’ propensity for integration and the pretransition pricing strategies for traded goods. It describes how two shocks, the 2014 sanctions related to the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, affected the new trade relations of these countries. Finally, it describes the changes in trade flows over time. The analysis concludes that most of these countries liberalized their trade policies and became active participants in the world economy in the post-Soviet era.

We construct a new global dataset on common language. The data cover 242 countries and territories and are based on information about the speakers of 6,675 languages. Using data from Ethnologue, we provide 11 bilateral measures reflecting different dimensions of linguistic connections within and between countries, including common official languages, common native and acquired languages, and linguistic proximity across different languages. A key novelty of the dataset is that it includes consistently defined information on linguistic relationships not only between different countries but within the administrative borders of countries as well.

We present a structural approach toward achieving equal opportunity in systems of algorithmic decision-making called algorithmic pluralism.Algorithmic pluralism describes a state of affairs in which no set of algorithms severely limits access to opportunity, allowing individuals the freedom to pursue a diverse range of life paths.To argue for algorithmic pluralism, we adopt Joseph Fishkin's theory of bottlenecks, which focuses on the structure of decision-points that determine how opportunities are allocated.The theory contends that each decision-point or "bottleneck" limits access to opportunities with some degree of severity and legitimacy.We extend Fishkin's structural viewpoint and use it to reframe existing systemic concerns about equal opportunity in algorithmic decisionmaking, such as patterned inequality and algorithmic monoculture.In proposing algorithmic pluralism, we argue for the urgent priority of alleviating severe bottlenecks in algorithmic decision-making.We contend that there must be a pluralism of opportunity available to many different individuals in order to promote equal opportunity in a systemic way.We further show how this framework has several implications for system design and regulation through current debates about equal opportunity in algorithmic hiring.

This paper takes a first look at new data on the content of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs). The data contain detailed information on the eighteen policy areas most frequently covered in PTAs, focusing on the stated objectives, substantive commitments, and other aspects such as transparency, procedures and enforcement. A number of new stylized facts emerge: (i) PTAs have reduced trade-weighted average tariff rates to less than 5 percent for more than two-thirds of countries; (ii) the number of commitments in PTAs has increased over time, particularly since the 2000s and in areas aiming at facilitating flows of services, goods and capital; (iii) deepening commitments have been accompanied by an increase in regulatory requirements, namely on enforcement; (iv) developing countries tend to have fewer commitments in PTAs, with larger gaps in areas such as labor and environment; (v) PTAs are more similar within blocs, but similarity can be significant even across blocs. The paper also discusses the challenges of quantification of PTA “depth” and its effects and proposes a research agenda for future work on trade agreements.

Abstract This article presents a new methodology to detect corruption in customs and applies it to Madagascar’s main port. Manipulation of assignment of import declarations to inspectors is identified by measuring deviations from random assignment prescribed by official rules. Deviant declarations are more at risk of tax evasion, yet less likely to be deemed fraudulent by inspectors, who also clear them faster. An intervention in which inspector assignment was delegated to a third party validates our approach, but also triggered a novel manifestation of manipulation that rejuvenated systemic corruption. Tax revenue losses associated with the corruption scheme are approximately 3% of total taxes collected and are highly concentrated among a select few inspectors and brokers.

Earth and Space Science Open Archive This preprint has been submitted to and is under consideration at Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth. ESSOAr is a venue for early communication or feedback before peer review. Data may be preliminary.Learn more about preprints preprintOpen AccessYou are viewing the latest version by default [v1]Brittle Creep and Brittle Failure of Rocks: a reformulation of the wing crack modelAuthorsYvesBernabeMatejPeciDSee all authors Yves BernabeM.I.T.view email addressThe email was not providedcopy email addressMatej PeciDCorresponding Author• Submitting AuthorMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyiDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2712-8445view email addressThe email was not providedcopy email address