War in Ukraine creates a significant impact on global air transportation system due to the wide area of involved airspaces. On February 24, 2022, Ukrainian air navigation service provider closed national airspace and suspended all navigation services. The ground network of radio navigation aids has been locked. Ukrainian network of radio navigation aids includes 16 Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and 7 collocated VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) stations, which is also a part of the European radio navigation aids network. Service areas of Ukrainian radio navigation aids were provided in airspaces of neighboring countries that allow this equipment to participate in the pair formation process of the on-board positioning system. In the paper, we estimate the configuration of the European navigation aids network and study the impact of closed network on the performance of positioning by pairs of DME/DME and VOR/VOR in airspaces of neighboring countries: Poland, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. Key performance parameters including availability, number of available pairs, positioning accuracy, and system reliability (mean time between failures and probability of failure-free operation) are used in area analysis to identify the impact of closing Ukrainian sub-network of navigational aids. Proposed methodological framework provides a systematic approach for assessing navigation network performance and highlights the implications of network disruptions for aviation safety in European airspace.
This article evaluates the firm-level impact of the Employment Investment Incentive Scheme (EIIS), a tax relief programme designed to mobilise private capital for small and medium-sized enterprise growth. Drawing on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory, we assess the effect of EIIS funding on employment, revenue, productivity, profitability and survival. Using a matched sample of 1254 firms and a staggered difference-in-differences approach, we find that EIIS recipients experience gains in employment, revenue and labour productivity, increasingly from the second-year post-investment. These gains do not translate into improved profitability, however, and recipient firms face a modest but persistent increase in failure risk. Our findings highlight that performance depends not only on acquiring capital but also on the ability to deploy it effectively. We offer theoretical and policy insights into the design of taxation-based business supports, emphasising the need to complement financial assistance with non-financial guidance and more targeted eligibility mechanisms.
This study examines how biodiversity risk affects corporate cash holdings and the mechanisms shaping this relationship. We find that firms facing higher biodiversity risk significantly increase cash reserves. Internal CSR governance and external institutional pressures both reinforce precautionary cash policies, highlighting the importance of internal capabilities and external pressures. The increase in cash is sourced primarily from reductions in discretionary spending rather than external financing. Higher cash reserves mitigate the adverse effects of biodiversity risk, helping firms preserve financial performance, mitigate uncertainty, and maintain ESG commitments. Overall, our results underscore the precautionary nature of corporate cash management under biodiversity pressures.
This article examines the impact of specialising in global citizenship education (GCE) on the professional practice of primary-based newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in Ireland, within the context of the DICE (Development and Intercultural Education) Project. Since 2003, DICE, funded by Irish Aid, has worked to embed development education (DE) and intercultural education (ICE) into initial teacher education (ITE), aiming to equip graduates with the knowledge, values, and pedagogical skills to engage critically with global issues in their classrooms. With an understanding and appreciation of the rich history of DE as a forerunner to GCE in Ireland and internationally, both terms are used interchangeably within the project. Despite the project's longevity, little is known about how GCE specialisation influences teachers' practice once they enter the profession. This case study follows four graduates who specialised in GCE during their degrees. One year into their teaching careers, they were interviewed to explore how their GCE training shaped their classroom experiences and approaches. Findings reveal both opportunities and constraints in implementing GCE, shaped by school culture, curriculum priorities, and the broader context of intersecting global crises. The article reflects on the tensions between critical pedagogical intentions and institutional realities, offering insights into how initial teacher education can support sustained engagement with GCE in practice.
Climate change poses a growing threat to water resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where both surface and groundwater are essential for ecological stability and human livelihoods. The Zagros Mountains of Iran host extensive karst aquifers and springs that serve as critical sources of drinking water and sustain regional hydrological systems. Despite their importance, the response of these karst water systems to future climate change remains poorly quantified. This study aims to evaluate the long-term impacts of climate change on karst spring discharge and water resource sustainability in the Zagros region. To achieve this, we integrated downscaled outputs from three CMIP6 General Circulation Models (GCMs) with the Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG) to generate high-resolution projections of temperature, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration for the period 2021–2100. The XGBoost machine learning model was calibrated and tested using time-aware modeling to simulate and forecast monthly discharge from 17 major karst springs under three shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5). The results indicate a significant warming trend and a pronounced decline in precipitation (P), leading to an increase in potential evapotranspiration (PET) and a substantial reduction in the aridity index (AI = P/PET). Under the high-emission SSP5-8.5 scenario, localized maximum reduction of precipitation up to 83 This graphical abstract presents a comprehensive visual synthesis of the study “Climate Change Threatens Karst Water Resources in the Zagros Mountains: Insights from CMIP6 and Machine Learning” It illustrates the methodology, datasets, and key hydro-climatic outcomes for the period 2021–2100. The upper section summarizes projected changes in major climatic variables including precipitation (P), temperature (T), potential evapotranspiration (PET), and aridity index (AI) across four representative time slices (2020, 2040, 2060, and 2100) under the high-emission scenario (SSP5-8.5). These maps depict a progressive shift toward hotter and drier conditions, marked by declining precipitation, increasing temperature and evapotranspiration, and a substantial reduction in AI. The central panel outlines the modeling workflow, coupling CMIP6-based climate projections with statistical downscaling using the LARS-WG model and hydrological simulation through the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm. This integration enabled simulation of monthly discharge for 17 major karst springs, linking climatic drivers to hydrological responses. The lower section presents a time-series plot of projected total spring discharge, revealing a consistent downward trend and an estimated 40
