Appropriate Governance Responses to Infectious Disease Threats: Developing Working Hypotheses

Addressing the global health security agenda

Pandemic Preparedness and Responses to the 2009 H1N1 Influenza: Crisis Management and Public Policy Insights

For each layer of information security there is a number of techniques and tools that can be used to ensure information superiority. Indeed some experts would argue that you cannot have the former without the latter. In today's technological & interconnected world, however, information superiority is very hard to achieve and almost impossible to maintain. This paper will argue that the art of deception is a reliable and cost effective technique that can assure the security of an infrastructure. The paper will conclude by presenting a technical solution of the above statement.

A very high proportion of the seafood we eat comes from abroad, mainly from China and southeast Asia. Most of the active ingredients in medicines we take originate in other countries. A substantial share of the produce we consume is grown in Latin America. Many low- and middle-income countries have lower labor costs and fewer and less-stringent environmental regulations than the United States, making them attractive places to produce food and chemical ingredients for export. The diversity and scale of imports makes it impractical for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) border inspections to be sufficient to ensure product purity and safety, and incidents such as American deaths due to adulterated heparin imported from China propelled the problem to public awareness. The integrated global economy demands cooperation across borders, to thwart terrorists, reduce environmental hazards, and ensure that our food and medical products are safe and effective. This requires coordination across both industrialized trading partners and emerging economies that have not had the benefit of decades of legal and technical development to ensure the safety of food and medical products

In today's interconnected world, where businesses operate globally, Cross-Cultural Competence (CCC) in Human Resource Development (HRD) has become indispensable. This review explores the significance of CCC in fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce, focusing on strategies for its development. Cross-cultural competence refers to the ability of individuals and organizations to navigate and interact across different cultural contexts effectively. In the realm of HRD, cultivating CCC is essential for creating inclusive workplaces that embrace diversity, promote understanding, and harness the potential of all employees. One of the critical strategies for developing CCC in HRD is cultural awareness training. It involves educating employees about cultural norms, values, and communication styles, fostering empathy, and understanding. Organizations can minimize misunderstandings and conflicts by equipping employees with cultural knowledge, leading to enhanced collaboration and productivity. Another crucial aspect is the promotion of cultural sensitivity and open-mindedness within the organizational culture. HRD initiatives should emphasize the value of diversity and inclusion, encouraging employees to appreciate and respect differences. This can be achieved through policies celebrating diversity, such as diversity training programs, affinity groups, and inclusive leadership development. Effective communication is fundamental to CCC in HRD. Organizations must facilitate transparent and open communication channels accommodating diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Encouraging multilingualism, providing translation services, and utilizing cross-cultural communication training can bridge language barriers and facilitate meaningful staff interactions.

Modern globalisation has transformed the field of translation, requiring skills that go beyond traditional linguistics. Using frameworks such as the European Master's in Translation (EMT) and literary analysis, this research explores how digital transformation, cultural convergence and market forces have reshaped translator competence. The findings show that translators must maintain strong linguistic foundations while also developing technological proficiency and intercultural mediation skills. Translators now act as cultural bridgebuilders, navigating complex contexts that require specialised knowledge, technological adaptability and market awareness. The study emphasises the importance of interdisciplinary education and adaptable learning in preparing translators for 21st century challenges, highlighting the need for skills such as collaborating with AI program, advanced intercultural communication and adapting multimodal content. The study contributes an updated competency framework that balances technological progress with the human element of translation. Comprehensive professional development strategies are proposed that respect both traditional craftsmanship and innovative methodologies in today's interconnected world.

Multi-agent learning is a crucial method to control or find solutions for systems, in which more than one entity needs to be adaptive. In today's interconnected world, such systems are ubiquitous in many domains, including auctions in economics, swarm robotics in computer science, and politics in social sciences. Multi-agent learning is inherently more complex than single-agent learning and has a relatively thin theoretical framework supporting it. Recently, multi-agent learning dynamics have been linked to evolutionary game theory, allowing the interpretation of learning as an evolution of competing policies in the mind of the learning agents. The dynamical system from evolutionary game theory that has been linked to Q-learning predicts the expected behavior of the learning agents. Closer analysis however allows for two interesting observations: the predicted behavior is not always the same as the actual behavior, and in case of deviation, the predicted behavior is more desirable. This discrepancy is elucidated in this article, and based on these new insights Frequency Adjusted Q- (FAQ-) learning is proposed. This variation of Q-learning perfectly adheres to the predictions of the evolutionary model for an arbitrarily large part of the policy space. In addition to the theoretical discussion, experiments in the three classes of two-agent two-action games illustrate the superiority of FAQ-learning.

I am deeply honoured to assume the role of co-Editor-in-Chief of Respirology alongside Professor Paul Reynolds. Respirology is the flagship publication of our society, the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR). Our journal was established in 1995, with the fundamental mission of facilitating knowledge exchange among respiratory clinicians and researchers across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, a mission that remains more relevant than ever in today's interconnected world. First, I must acknowledge the outstanding achievements of my predecessor, Professor Philip Bardin, who, together with Professor Reynolds, has significantly elevated Respirology's status in the field of respiratory medicine and science. Their dedicated leadership has led to an impressive Impact Factor of 6.6 in 2024, a testament to the Respirology's growing influence and the quality of research it publishes. This milestone reflects not only the hard work of our editorial management team including Deputy, Senior and Associate Editors and the Advisory Board, but also the trust and support of our contributing authors and reviewers who maintain the highest standards of scientific rigour. The Asia-Pacific region represents a unique and complex landscape in healthcare. The region's vast geographical expanse encompasses countries with distinct economic conditions and demographic characteristics, resulting in varying disease patterns and diverse healthcare systems. These differences extend beyond those observed in North America and Europe, where the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) are based. Notably, the Asia-Pacific region represents over 60% of the world's population, making Respirology's role in facilitating knowledge exchange particularly crucial. I believe this exchange will significantly contribute to globally advancing our understanding and management of respiratory diseases within these diverse contexts. Recent years have witnessed remarkable transformations in respiratory medicine and science. The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors for lung cancer has opened new possibilities for long-term survival in advanced cases, fundamentally changing our approach to treatment. Similarly, biological agents have made clinical remission achievable for patients with severe asthma, offering hope where traditional treatments had limited success. These therapeutic advances have sparked new research directions, such as the search for biomarkers to predict treatment efficacy, demonstrating how clinical innovations drive scientific inquiry and vice versa. The field of respiratory medicine and science continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace. Looking ahead, we stand at the threshold of even more dramatic changes. The clinical application of multi-omics research combining genetics, genomics, proteins, metabolomics and microbiota promises to revolutionise our understanding of disease mechanisms and treatment responses. The integration of generative AI to enhance diagnostic capabilities offers potential improvements in accuracy and efficiency. The emergence of remote medical care enabled by 5G technology is beginning to reshape how we deliver healthcare services. These technological advances will undoubtedly give rise to research questions we cannot yet imagine, creating exciting opportunities for scientific discovery and clinical innovation. As we navigate these exciting developments and challenges, I look forward to working closely with my co-Editor-in-Chief, Professor Reynolds, and our dedicated editorial office team, led by Dr. Lieve Bultynck. Together, we will embrace this exciting role and continue to advance our journal's mission. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of scientific publishing while adapting to the evolving landscape of respiratory medicine and science. In this era of advancing AI technology and widespread social media use, clinical demands on practitioners continue to grow alongside evolving medical technologies. Many respiratory clinicians and researchers are increasingly concerned with how to efficiently gather essential information for clinical practice and research, while effectively disseminating their own findings to the broader medical community. Our editorial management team remains committed to building upon our predecessors' achievements, ensuring the delivery of accurate, high-impact knowledge to our respiratory medical and scientific community. I am enthusiastic about this new opportunity and confident that, with the support of our editorial management team and the broader respiratory community, we will continue to strengthen our journal's position as a respected platform for sharing knowledge and advancing the field of respiratory medicine and science. We are always open to and welcome your new ideas and feedback, as these contributions are essential for enhancing the quality and value of Respirology. Toshiaki Kikuchi, MD, PhD

Digital literacy is a basic life skill in today's interconnected world. So, integrating digital education in the overall educational planning even globally becomes a necessity eventually creating a more knowledgeable and responsible generation of citizens. A common-sense option might be to teach students the tools and knowledge they need to thrive in the digital space, as well. Others like the teaching of digital literacy, critical thinking, problem solving and effective communication are administered as well. Additionally, schools should be teaching digital citizenship as how to use technology in ways that are safe, secure, and ethical. Digital literacy and Citizenship will empower students to be engaged and thoughtful world citizens who can support the promise of our digital age.

Critical infrastructure must withstand cyber and physical assaults in today's interconnected world. This study explores innovative strategies to shield these systems from cyber-physical threats. As networks become more connected, cyberattacks grow more sophisticated, making it imperative to safeguard sectors like transportation, energy, water, and information. The paper analyzes the present and future threat landscape, identifying vulnerabilities within critical infrastructures and proposing targeted mitigation strategies to enhance security. The research leverages AI and machine learning to develop detection tools that identify and predict cyber-physical attacks, enhancing response times and preventive measures. Additionally, resilience engineering and architecture are crucial in fortifying infrastructure, enabling it to withstand and recover from attacks while maintaining essential functions. The study also reviews legislation and policies surrounding infrastructure protection, pinpointing shortcomings and recommending improvements to bolster national security. Effective countermeasures against cyber-physical threats require collaboration and information sharing among government bodies, industry stakeholders, and educational institutions. These partnerships facilitate the exchange of knowledge, best practices, and tools to address threats efficiently. Furthermore, the paper highlights the importance of training programs that equip professionals with skills to integrate cyber and physical security defenses. Exploring the integration of blockchain, IoT, and autonomous technologies could further enhance the resilience of critical systems. These technologies foster secure communications and automated responses to incidents. Lastly, community awareness initiatives play a vital role in preparing for and mitigating cyber-physical attacks, ensuring that public readiness and resilience are maintained. This comprehensive approach aims to fortify critical infrastructure against evolving cyber threats, ensuring continuous operation and security.

ABSTRACTThis study examines coursebooks used to teach English to undergraduate students majoring in English at a public university in Vietnam. The aim is to evaluate the extent to which the coursebooks prepare students for future use of English as an international language. This is in response to a call made by key scholars, including those in Vietnam, for a paradigm shift in English language teaching (ELT) to adapt to the changing sociolinguistic landscape of the twenty‐first century. In today's interconnected world, English is commonly used as a global lingua franca. However, it is widely considered a foreign language in Vietnam. Three coursebooks were analyzed using an adapted Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT) framework. Focusing on four main features comprising ownership, target interlocutors, models and norms, and depiction of culture, the analysis revealed a predominantly traditional ELT orientation, although positive signs of change towards a Global Englishes‐oriented approach could be identified. The findings also showed that while the listening and speaking coursebook and the reading coursebook moved further along the continuum from traditional ELT towards GELT, the writing coursebook displayed the least tendency to incorporate a Global Englishes (GE) perspective. Implications for the design and selection of coursebooks for GELT, as well as for the adaptation of these coursebooks for GE‐aware language teaching, were discussed.

In today's interconnected world, the ability to access and critically analyze information is essential for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. This proposal seeks to explore challenges and strategies related to information literacy amidst political and policy confrontations to continuously achieve fundamental principles. Objectives:•Highlight the importance of information literacy in promoting diverse perspectives and combating bias.•Discuss strategies for equitable access to accurate information, particularly for marginalized communities.•Explore the role of media and education in shaping inclusive narratives and fostering informed dialogue.•Address the impact of misinformation and polarization on efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Panel Topics:Understanding Information Literacy: Define information literacy and its significance in empowering individuals to navigate complex information landscapes. Promoting Diverse Perspectives: Examine how access to diverse sources and viewpoints contributes to a more inclusive understanding of societal issues. Equitable Information Access: Discuss barriers to access reliable information, particularly in underserved communities, and propose solutions for greater equity. Expected Outcomes:•Increased awareness of the importance of information literacy in promoting diversity and inclusion.•Identification of actionable strategies for improving information access and combating bias in media.•Inspiration for collaborative initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive dialogues and empowering marginalized communities. Audience:Our target audience includes educators, media professionals, community organizers, policymakers, and individuals passionate about promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion through enhanced information literacy.

In response to the pandemic, higher education institutions (HEIs) have increasingly embraced virtual exchange (VE) as a key tool for internationalization, particularly as traditional study abroad opportunities were limited. VE has expanded access to global learning experiences, helping institutions maintain their international connections. Given the rapidly evolving workforce demands, this article argues that HEIs should prioritize VE as a core institutional strategy for enhancing teaching and learning, while fostering global competence as part of their commitment to student success. VE offers all students the opportunity to develop essential 21st-century skills -such as teamwork, digital literacy, global engagement, and intercultural competence - that are critical for thriving in today's interconnected world.

Leveraging digital technologies for advancing circular economy practices and enhancing life cycle analysis: A systematic literature review

From competitive advantage to nodal advantage: Ecosystem structure and the new five forces that affect prosperity