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Both challenges and opportunities are inherent with a growth in Chinese international students in UK Higher Education. However, teachers from the West may not understand the differences in Chinese educational practices, which can lead to negative stereotyping of these students as passive and problematic. This paper rejects this deficit perspective, focusing on the views of Chinese students as to what might need to change about the UK teaching and campus environment to improve their learning experience. Two focus groups were held with Chinese social science Masters' students in a UK university. Some of their key requests included to reduce class sizes; to provide more guidance around study skills; to offer more timely and accessible information; to provide a more flexible range of services and learning support; and to create more social time with staff and other students. The discussions particularly brought out the importance of 'relational pedagogy'. These requirements will need more staff time and institutional flexibility which will necessitate adequate funding. The authors conclude that, despite Chinese students' significant contribution to the local economy and to University finances, there does not seem to be a commensurate investment in protecting their wellbeing and ensuring they receive a quality education. We consider it is important to listen to and act on the students' suggestions outlined here if UK Higher Education is to remain the destination of choice for many Chinese and other international students.

Entrepreneurship education in higher education has been actively encouraged by the Chinese government. However, entrepreneurship education using active learning methods can be at odds with traditional Chinese educational practices. Value creation pedagogy has been posited as an innovative teaching method to bridge the gap between didactic and progressive pedagogy to support entrepreneurship education across a range of students. However, there is a paucity of research into the use of value creation pedagogy and the application of novel pedagogy in the Chinese context. This research explores the views of students at a Chinese university on the value and limitations of value creation pedagogy in supporting learning and developing entrepreneurial behaviours.

Courses: Public Speaking, Rhetorical Criticism, Intercultural Communication. Objectives: By utilizing a culturally competent Asiacentric approach to public speaking, students will be able to: (1) identify public-speaking techniques that more readily align with culturally relevant paradigms; (2) adopt a mindful approach to public speaking that takes into account multicultural audiences; and (3) deploy speech preparation and development skills that resonate with Chinese audiences.

Travelling from Hong Kong to Dimen, China, requires a full day. Creating and implementing an original course to teach English as a foreign language in rural China offered to some of the university's most talented undergraduates the opportunity to integrate hands-on learning with scholarship, cross-cultural understanding, and community service. At the same time, the two-year venture made use of these students' diverse academic interests while fostering individual and collective leadership, a strong work ethic, and intrinsic motivation. The caliber of the project will shape expectations for the Powell Scholars Program for years to come. The lessons learned will hopefully spur the thinking of other honors educators and serve as a model in developing new honors opportunities for service learning abroad. This article describes how the Dimen project came about within the Powell Scholars Program.

Encouragement by the Chinese government for education to move from an emphasis on passive learning, rote memorisation and mechanical training towards the development and delivery of education using active, student-centred education approaches has resulted in tensions and challenges, one of which is the reaction of students previously used to traditional passive transmission learning. To study the challenges that Chinese students face when undertaking a constructivist experience-based entrepreneurship course focused on process rather than content, eight groups of business students at a Chinese university were tasked with developing projects which would add value to the university's international community. The qualitative research identified four key themes: a lack of familiarity with the constructivist learning process; group work and group dynamics; the linkage of taught content to practical activities; and the reflective process of learning in constructivist education. The findings and suggested remedies as to how these challenges can be minimised are discussed.

Research Findings: This study investigates the role of fine motor and mathematics instruction in mathematics achievement in an international sample of kindergarteners from the United States and China. Multilevel modeling was used to assess the interaction between students' entering skills and classroom time spent on basic math, higher-order math and fine-motor instruction. For American children, the effect of basic math and higher-order math instruction on student achievement depended on entering skills; however, fine motor instruction had negative average effects on student achievement and did not depend on students' entering skills. Instruction time was not a significant predictor of achievement for Chinese students. Practice or Policy: Though fine motor skills have a robust correlation with mathematics achievement, a causal link has not been established. Our study indicates that time spent in fine motor instruction does not advance mathematics achievement in kindergarten and in fact may weaken mathematics achievement, given the limited time in the instructional day. American teachers in our sample who spent more time in fine-motor instruction tended to spend less time on basic math and higher-order mathematics instruction. Educators should weigh instructional trade-offs carefully and work to tailor instruction to students' skill levels.

Knowledge sharing (KS) and team creativity are crucial to achieving complex goals in a construction project. However, in the information age, there is a lack of research on exploring the influencing mechanisms among two dimensions of information technology (IT) innovations (i.e., intra- and interorganizational IT innovations) and two types of KS (i.e., tacit and explicit KS), along with team creativity in construction projects. Therefore, this paper builds a theoretical model of the relationships among the aforementioned variables. To validate the feasibility of this model, 289 valid questionnaires from the construction industry in China are analyzed. Results indicate that the influence of interorganizational IT innovation on team creativity is significant, and the influence is partially mediated by tacit and explicit KS. The influence of intraorganizational IT innovation on team creativity is significant, and the influence is partially mediated by explicit KS but not tacit KS. This study addresses the controversial issue of whether or how IT can promote tacit KS. This study also provides fresh insights into the influencing mechanisms of team creativity in construction projects owing to changes in the KS level affected by organizational IT innovations. There are also important practical implications relating to how project managers may rationally use IT to enhance KS and team creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this commentary, we build on Xinying Yin and Gayle Buck's discussion by exploring the cultural practices which are integral to formative assessment, when it is viewed as a sociocultural practice. First we discuss the role of assessment and in particular oral and written formative assessments in both western and Samoan cultures, building on the account of assessment practices in the Chinese culture given by Yin and Buck. Secondly, we document the cultural practice of silence in Samoan classroom's which has lead to the use of written formative assessment as in the Yin and Buck article. We also discuss the use of written formative assessment as a scaffold for teacher development for formative assessment. Finally, we briefly discuss both studies on formative assessment as a sociocultural practice.

The Covid-19 pandemic, which probably arose from zoonotic sources, has provoked wide-ranging discussion on which wildlife policies can best prevent future pandemics. More work needs to be done to investigate support for regulatory frameworks in China post-Covid-19 and specifically to model how perceptions of the relationship between wildlife consumption and risk of zoonotic diseases combine with other variables to influence support for wildlife policies. We report on a 2021 quantitative survey conducted in China. The objectives were to measure attitudes towards the current wildlife consumption ban and wildlife regulations in China and to model which variables correlate with support for bans on wild-caught and farmed wildlife. The sample was almost evenly split between considering the ban on wild animal consumption in China to be adequate (45%) or not strict enough (42%). Protection against future pandemics and protection of the environment were motivators for supporting the ban for c. 80% of respondents. The results also indicated strong support for wildlife bans. A majority of respondents supported bans of both wild-caught and farmed wildlife, although support for bans of wild-caught animals was greater for most taxa. Furthermore, the perceived zoonotic risk of a taxon was a more prevalent correlate of support for a ban for wild-caught wildlife than for farmed wildlife. Our results indicate substantial support for the current wildlife consumption ban in China, and opportunities to further mitigate the environmental and zoonotic risks of wildlife consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education to improve knowledge of animal welfare is not a universal component of training for zoo staff, and little is reported about the perspectives of zoo staff on the need for such education. This paper reports results from structured telephone interviews of a diverse sample of eight Chinese and eight European zoo staff about aspects of zoological animal welfare, education and zoological practices. These qualitative data were thematically analyzed and key themes generated. Similar themes emerged across regions: Zoo staff consider professional attributes including motivation and enthusiasm to be important alongside formal training, zoo staff value learning opportunities but don't always feel supported, and contextual information including wild animal ecology was considered important content in zoo animal welfare education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been much discussion in the conservation and policy realms of COVID-19 as a zoonotic disease, or a disease transmitted from wildlife to humans. However, wildlife consumption in China is not only a potential source of disease but also a practice embedded in complex beliefs about health. This paper used survey data (N = 974) collected in China in June 2021 to examine attitudes and behaviors related to (a) wildlife consumption, (b) Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and (c) zoonotic risk after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. 40.1% of respondents self-reported that they are less likely to consume wild animals since the outbreak of COVID-19. Respondents who used wildlife supplements for TCM, who believed in the benefits of wild animal consumption and fresh slaughter of wildlife, and who had higher levels of agreement with the zoonotic origin of COVID-19 were more likely to report that they had decreased their wildlife consumption after the outbreak of COVID-19. Use of wildlife in TCM significantly increased the odds that a respondent believed that COVID-19 was very likely zoonotic. We discuss how situating wildlife consumption within complex beliefs about health and disease can assist with protecting wildlife and public health in the wake of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender discrimination (sexual harassment and use of gender in job decisions--gender evaluation) was compared using data from 583 working women in the United States, China, and Hong Kong. Discrimination negatively affected job satisfaction, commitment, and stress. Harassment was more significant in the United States, unwanted attention in China, and gender evaluation in Hong Kong. (Contains 86 references.) (SK)

Scholars have developed a large and robust literature examining the impact of IT on firm innovation. However, this literature often produces divergent, likely context-dependent, results and tends to be limited to developed economies. As a result, we have only partial knowledge about how IT use impacts product innovation. This study rectifies that deficiency and resolves prior divergent findings by employing fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to investigate the contingent effects of IT use for exploration and exploitation on product innovation in China, which is transitioning from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. We draw on a unique sample of 262 Chinese manufacturing firms that responded to the World Bank's Enterprise Survey and developed several configurations of conditions where IT use fostered product innovation depending on the institutional characteristics of a transitional economy, specifically its degree of market competitiveness and legal enforcement. Our findings share similarities to prior studies set in developed economies, while demonstrating features unique to a transition economy. Using a configurational approach reveals the combinational and asymmetric relationships among IT use, the institutional environment, and resultant product innovation. This helps understand situational characteristics often unexamined in prior studies and complements the findings from regression-based studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term intensive use of mineral fertilizers in double rice-cropping systems has led to soil acidification and soil degradation. Manure fertilization was suggested as an alternative strategy to mitigate soil degradation. However, the effects of long-term mineral and manure fertilization on rice grain yield, yield stability, soil organic carbon (SOC) content, soil total nitrogen (TN) content, and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Based on a long-term experiment established in 1981 in southern China, we compared four treatments: no fertilizer application (Control); application of nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium (NPK); NPK plus green manure in early rice (M1); and M1 plus farmyard manure in late rice and rice straw return in winter (M2). Our results showed that 37 years of NPK, M1, and M2 significantly increased rice grain yield by 54%, 46%, and 72%, and yield stability by 22%, 17%, and 9%, respectively. M1 and M2 significantly increased SOC content by 39% and 23% compared to Control, respectively, whereas there was no difference between Control and NPK. Regarding soil TN content, it was significantly increased by 8%, 46%, and 20% by NPK, M1, and M2, respectively. In addition, M2 significantly increased bacterial OTU richness by 68%, Chao1 index by 79%, and altered the bacterial community composition. Changes in soil nutrient availability and bacterial Simpson index were positively correlated with the changes in grain yield, while shifts in bacterial community were closely related to yield stability. This study provides pioneer comprehensive assessments of the simultaneous responses of grain yield, yield stability, SOC and TN content, nutrient availability, and bacterial community composition to long-term mineral and manure fertilization in a double rice-cropping system. Altogether, this study spanning nearly four decades provides new perspectives for developing sustainable yet intensive rice cultivation to meet growing global demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to investigate the association of glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) variability score (HVS) with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) slope in Chinese adults living with type 2 diabetes. This cohort study included adults with type 2 diabetes attending outpatient clinics between 2011 and 2019 from a large electronic medical record-based database of diabetes in China (WECODe). We estimated the individual-level visit-to-visit HbA1c variability using HVS, a proportion of changes in HbA1c of ≥0.5% (5.5 mmol/mol). We estimated the odds of people experiencing a rapid eGFR annual decline using a logistic regression and differences across HVS categories in the mean eGFR slope using a mixed-effect model. The analysis involved 2397 individuals and a median follow-up of 4.7 years. Compared with people with HVS ≤ 20%, those with HVS of 60% to 80% had 11% higher odds of experiencing rapid eGFR annual decline, with an extra eGFR decline of 0.93 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year on average; those with HVS > 80% showed 26% higher odds of experiencing a rapid eGFR annual decline, with an extra decline of 1.83 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year on average. Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes and HVS > 60% could experience a more rapid eGFR decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avian influenza subtype A(HxNy) viruses are zoonotic and may occasionally infect humans through direct or indirect contact, resulting in mild to severe illness and death. Member States in the Western Pacific Region (WPR) communicate and notify the World Health Organization of any human cases of A(HxNy) through the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) mechanism. This report includes all notifications in the WPR with illness onset dates from 1 November 2003 to 31 July 2022. During this period, there were 1972 human infections with nine different A(HxNy) subtypes notified in the WPR. Since the last report, an additional 134 human avian influenza infections were notified from 1 October 2017 to 31 July 2022. In recent years there has been a change in the primary subtypes and frequency of reports of human A(HxNy) in the region, with a reduction of A(H7N9) and A(H5N1), and conversely an increase of A(H5N6) and A(H9N2). Furthermore, three new subtypes A(H7N4), A(H10N3) and A(H3N8) notified from the People's Republic of China were the first ever recorded globally. The public health risk from known A(HxNy) viruses remains low as there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission. However, the observed changes in A(HxNy) trends reinforce the need for effective and rapid identification to mitigate the threat of a pandemic from avian influenza if person-to-person transmission were to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite few human cases of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), high rates of TBEV seroprevalence were reported among humans and animals in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. In this study, the Karshi virus (KSIV) was identified and isolated from Hyalomma asiaticum ticks in Xinjiang. It belongs to the genus Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae and is closely related to TBEV. KSIV infects cell lines from humans, other mammals and ticks, and causes encephalitis in suckling mice. High minimum infection rates (4.96%) with KSIV were detected among tick groups. KSIV infections have occurred in sheep and marmots, resulting in antibody-positive rates of 2.43 and 2.56%, respectively. We further found that, of the KSIV antibody-positive serum samples from animals, 13.9% had TBEV exposure showing cross-reaction to KSIV, and 11.1% had KSIV infection resulting in cross-reaction to TBEV; 8.3% were likely to have co-exposure to both viruses (or may be infected with one of them and present cross-reactivity with the other). The results revealed a substantial KSIV prevalence among ticks in Xinjiang, indicating exposure of animals to KSIV and TBEV. The findings implied misinterpretation of the high rates of TBEV seroprevalence among humans and animals in previous studies. There is a need to develop detection methods to distinguish KSIV from TBEV and to perform an in-depth investigation of KSIV and TBEV prevalence and incidence in Northwestern China, which would enhance our preparation to provide medical treatment of emerging diseases caused by tick-borne viral pathogens such as KSIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the pandemic lockdown period, residents had to stay at home and increased stress and other mental health problems have been associated with the lockdown period. Since most public parks were closed, community parks within gated residential areas became the most important green space in Chinese cities, and the use of such space might help to reduce the residents' stress levels. This study aimed to investigate to what extent urban residents in China used community parks, engaged in outdoor activity during the lockdown period (23 January–8 April 2020) and if the use of such spaces helped to reduce their stress levels. An online questionnaire survey (n = 1342) was carried out from 23 March to 23 April 2020. Ordinary Least Squares regression was used to analyse the association between community park use, outdoor activity, willingness to engage in outdoor activity, and stress level. All results have been further analysed by two-sampled t -test to explore the difference between young and old age groups. We found that the overall self-reported stress level of the respondents was relatively moderate during the lockdown period. Respondents had generally reduced their use of community parks and engagement in outdoor activity. There was no significant association between stress level and the use of community parks or the engagement in outdoor activities. However, we found that older people showed much lower stress levels, used community parks more frequently, and engaged in more outdoor activities than younger adults. The findings suggest that outdoor activities and spatial characteristics in urban China differ from Western studies and advance the need to integrate the stress management role of community parks with urban green space policy to optimise the use of community parks blended in with everyday life, particularly during the lockdown period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) initiated by China involves the construction of a new form of regional economic cooperation between China and the associated countries. Priority is given to eliminating maritime bottlenecks and improving maritime connectivity in the shipping network along the MSR. However, such potential bottlenecks have rarely been quantitatively identified. In this paper, we present a recursive spectral bi-partitioning method to detect the bottlenecks in the container shipping network along the MSR. This method identifies the bottlenecks by locating the cuts with the least total link frequency, normalised by the size of the port communities on either side of the cut. The results of the case study show that the proposed method performs well. Four bottlenecks with strategic geographical positions along the key trade lanes are found, namely: Suez Canal, Cape of Good Hope, northern Oceania, and the South China Sea, indicating locations in need of connectivity improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study draws on the institutional void and institutional support perspectives to examine the contingent effect of institutional environments on the relationship between corporate religiosity and individual entrepreneurial activity in the context of emerging markets. We employ a composite dataset that covers 7109 individuals in 69 major cities across 25 provinces in China. Our study provides convincing evidence that individuals with strong corporate religiosity may be disinclined to conduct entrepreneurial activity in corrupted markets, but are more likely to engage in entrepreneurship in well-developed markets (ones characterized by high levels of marketization). This study displays the interplay of both institutional void and institutional support with corporate religiosity in shaping individual behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although studies have demonstrated that knowledge hiding is an important inhibitor of organizational innovation, current research does not clearly address how intragroup relationship conflict influences knowledge hiding. This study aims to identify the underlying mechanism between intra-group relationship conflict and knowledge hiding. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on affective events theory (AET), the authors propose a theoretical model and empirically test it by applying hierarchical regression analysis and a bootstrapping approach to data from a multi-wave survey of 224 employees in China. Findings: Consistent with AET, the empirical results show that envy mediates perceived intragroup relationship conflict and knowledge hiding. As predicted, trait competitiveness moderates the indirect effect of perceived intragroup relationship conflict on knowledge hiding via envy. Originality/value: The results support an AET perspective whereby knowledge hiding is shaped by relationship conflict, envy and trait competitiveness. This study introduces the novel proposition that relationship conflict and competitiveness influence envy, and consequently knowledge hiding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic has had a profound worldwide impact on the laboratory hematology community. Nevertheless, the pace of COVID‐19 hematology‐related research has continued to accelerate and has established the role of laboratory hematology data for many purposes including disease prognosis and outcome. The purpose of this scoping review was to assess the current state of COVID‐19 laboratory hematology research. A comprehensive search of the literature published between December 1, 2019, and July 3, 2020, was performed, and we analyzed the sources, publication dates, study types, and topics of the retrieved studies. Overall, 402 studies were included in this scoping review. Approximately half of these studies (n = 202, 50.37%) originated in China. Retrospective cohort studies comprised the largest study type (n = 176, 43.89%). Prognosis/ risk factors, epidemiology, and coagulation were the most common topics. The number of studies published per day has increased through the end of May. The studies were heavily biased in favor of papers originating in China and on retrospective clinical studies with limited use of and reporting of laboratory data. Despite the major improvements in our understanding of the role of coagulation, automated hematology, and cell morphology in COVID‐19, there are gaps in the literature, including biosafety and the laboratory role in screening and prevention of COVID‐19. There is a gap in the publication of papers focused on guidelines for the laboratory. Our findings suggest that, despite the large number of publications related to laboratory data and their use in COVID‐19 disease, many areas remain unexplored or under‐reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's response to the global financial crisis and its post-2008 stimulus package and credit surge marked a critical juncture for its state-directed banking system. One result was the subsequent growth of the shadow banking sector marked by incremental 'informal institutional adaptation' and a greater role for markets. We employ historical institutionalist (HI) theory to help explain these developments but critique its current approach to critical junctures which has a limited, temporarily specific and overly static account of institutional change; one which overlooks the importance of changes on either side of the critical junctures and which is unable to integrate its emphasis on critical junctures with alternative theories, such as incremental accounts of institutional change. Using the empirical case of the evolution in China's post-GFC banking and finance, a revised institutional approach is developed which is able to bridge these theoretical divides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Servant leadership is a popular style of ethically-based leadership developed in the cultural context of the United States and other Anglo-Saxon (Anglo) countries with a similar culture and managerial context. However, much of the empirical research on this leadership style has been conducted in China, a country with very different cultural and managerial traditions. It is not known whether the results of research conducted in China can be integrated into a general theory of servant leadership. It is also unknown whether servant leadership, which is widely promoted as an effective leadership style in Anglo countries, will be equally effective for all employee outcomes in China. To answer these questions, we perform a meta-analysis of servant leadership research (k = 112, n = 35,716) which compares the effects of servant leadership on employees in China with its effects on employees in Anglo countries. Results show that there is no significant difference in effect sizes between Chinese and Anglo employees for job performance, organizational citizenship behaviour, creative behaviour, affective commitment, and job satisfaction. The effect of servant leadership on leader-member exchange may be stronger for Anglo employees. Implications for servant leadership theory and managerial practices in China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Democratic elections, whatever the flaws, tend to produce a sense of social cohesion as ordinary citizens, treated as equals, gather together to select their country's political leaders. In China, leaders are not selected by means of democratic elections. How can China secure social cohesion without national elections? We will discuss some responses from the government and from scholars and 'ordinary people'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's burgeoning outbound tourist market has become a priority for Australian tourism, with national and state tourism reports advocating for 'China‐ready' marketing, policy and planning and increased industry training around Chinese consumer behaviour and preferences to capitalise on this market. However, studies demonstrate that Chinese tourists are generally not interested in Indigenous tourism experiences. Nevertheless, the state of Victoria is adamant about investing in Indigenous‐themed tourism products which are considered appropriate for Chinese preferences in an attempt to attract tourists from this growing inbound market. This article presents a review of relevant state government policies relating to Indigenous tourism alongside a case study of the tourism experiences developed and provided by Gunditjmara people along the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in southwest Victoria. We demonstrate the ways that notions of 'authenticity' continue to shape, and constrain, Indigenous economic engagement and participation via tourism, and discuss the impact of these notions on the provision of Indigenous tourism products and experiences for Chinese and other visitors. We argue that the marketing of Gunditjmara tourism to fluctuating market demand highlights the arbitrariness of Australian governments' policies with respect to Indigenous development, and call for policymakers to focus renewed attention on the local aspirations of Indigenous entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate the Chinese government, foreign investors and private investors' financial impact upon Chinese banking performance. The paper focuses on major banks within China and evaluates the relationship between the ownership structure and the overall financial performance of the Chinese banks. Our findings span the period of 2001-2016 and show a very strong inverse relationship between bank performance measures in high government ownership Chinese banks. Furthermore, we find positive relationship between private and foreign ownership levels and Chinese bank performance. We conclude that Chinese government ownership's primary motive is not optimal financial performance, but other non-financial motives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the ways in which social capital influences people's environmental concern in China. Using data obtained from the 2010 Chinese General Social Survey, we measure social capital through social networks and trust. We find that the ways people think about and act toward others influence the ways they think about and act toward the environment. The structural equation modeling results suggest that one's connections with others, including socializing with relatives and friends as well as general social networking, are significantly and positively related to various dimensions of environmental concern. Greater trust is positively related to one's willingness to make sacrifices for the benefit of the environment but is also negatively related to perceived dangerousness of pollution. Our findings highlight the value of social capital in promoting environmental concern. We discuss these findings in the context of existing literature, and propose policy implications and suggest directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The policy diffusion literature has often focused on external pressures on domestic policy. However, by analysing the evolution of China's monetary policy regime, we demonstrate a pattern of highly selective diffusion that is largely shaped by domestic political and institutional dynamics. We use an historical institutionalist approach to probe how the most relevant institutionally embedded agents, in this case, those within the Chinese central bank, have strategically engaged with this process. We show how selective diffusion has been shaped by epistemic policy learning through international engagement by China's central bankers, and, in particular, how they have strategically used imported policy ideas as an institutional empowerment strategy, furthering the interests and agenda of the People's Bank of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade, several Bohaiornis-like enantiornithine species—and numerous specimens—have been recognized from the celebrated Jehol Biota of northwestern China. In this paper, we describe the anatomy of another “bohaiornithid” species from the 125 million-year-old Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, China. The new taxon differs from previously recognized “bohaiornithids” on a number of characters from the forelimb and shoulder girdle. We also provide a new phylogenetic framework for enantiornithine birds, which questions the monophyly of the previously recognized bohaiornithid clade and highlights ongoing challenges for resolving enantiornithine interrelationships. Additionally, we offer the first assessment of the flight properties of Bohaiornis-like enantiornithines. Our results indicate that while “bohaiornithids” were morphologically suited for flying through continuous flapping, they would have been unable to sustain prolonged flights. Such findings expand the flight strategies previously known for enantiornithines and other early birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Studies found approximately linear short-term associations between particulate matter (PM) and mortality in Western communities. However, in China, where the urban PM levels are typically considerably higher than in Western communities, some studies suggest nonlinearity in this association. Health impact assessments (HIA) of PM in China have generally not incorporated nonlinearity in the concentration-response (C-R) association, which could result in large discrepancies in estimates of excess deaths if the true association is nonlinear. OBJECTIVES: We investigated nonlinearity in the C-R associations between with PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤2:5 lm (PM2:5) and mortality in Beijing, China, and the sensitivity of HIA to linearity assumptions. METHODS: We modeled the C-R association between PM2:5 and cause-specific mortality in Beijing, China (2009-2012), using generalized linear models (GLM). PM2:5 was included through either linear, piecewise-linear, or spline functions to investigate evidence of nonlinearity. To determine the sensitivity of HIA to linearity assumptions, we estimated PM2:5-attributable deaths using both linear- and nonlinear-based C-R associations between PM2:5 and mortality. RESULTS: We found some evidence that, for nonaccidental and circulatory mortality, the shape of the C-R association was relatively flat at lower concentrations of PM2:5, but then had a positive slope at higher concentrations, indicating nonlinearity. Conversely, the shape for respiratory mortality was positive and linear at lower concentrations of PM2:5, but then leveled off at the higher concentrations. Estimates of excess deaths attributable to short-term PM2:5 exposure were, in some cases, very sensitive to the linearity assumption in the association, but in other cases robust to this assumption. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate some evidence of nonlinearity in PM2:5-mortality associations and that an assumption of linearity in this association can influence HIAs, highlighting the importance of understanding potential nonlinearity in the PM2:5-mortality association at the high concentrations of PM2:5 in developing megacities like Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traces the evolution of Hong Kong as a factor in British Far Eastern policy between 1921 and 1941. Aspects of British policy which have been obscured by the focus on Singapore; Uncertainties precluding Hong Kong's development as Britain's principal Eastern base; Need for an appreciation of Hong Kong's role as an integral component of an offensive strategy.

The new generation of modernity theorists have forecast the democratization of gender relations within intimate relationships in late‐modern times. Chinese society has undergone rapid and dramatic changes in its unique trajectory of political, social and economic reform. Using China as an example of a region which has been largely ignored in contemporary social theory, this article enters the debate to contest the extent to which conjugal relationships are democratized in line with modernity. We further test the assertion that modern marriages are characterized by increased self‐disclosure and communication between partners. Data from a national survey on Chinese families is analysed in relation to the level of self‐disclosure between husbands and wives; gender division of housework; household decision‐making; and home ownership. We highlight the impact of gender, cohort and location (urban, rural or migrant) on experiences of modernity and draw attention to the material, social and cultural factors which continue to shape conjugal relations in contemporary Chinese society. Based on our findings, we contest the argument that disclosing intimacy between intimate partners is a defining characteristic of modern relationships, and suggest that other social factors may condition degrees of self‐disclosure in marriage. Similarly, we question the extent to which heterosexual conjugal equality is attained: the cultural practices and values of patrilineal family organization, together with material circumstances, continue to influence marital relations in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first confirmed human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus was reported in Hong Kong SAR (China) in 1997, sporadic zoonotic avian influenza viruses causing human illness have been identified globally with the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region as a hotspot. A resurgence of A(H5N1) occurred in humans and animals in November 2003. Between November 2003 and September 2017, WHO received reports of 1838 human infections with avian influenza viruses A(H5N1), A(H5N6), A(H6N1), A(H7N9), A(H9N2) and A(H10N8) in the Western Pacific Region. Most of the infections were with A(H7N9) (n = 1562, 85%) and A(H5N1) (n = 238, 13%) viruses, and most (n = 1583, 86%) were reported from December through April. In poultry and wild birds, A(H5N1) and A(H5N6) subtypes were the most widely distributed, with outbreaks reported from 10 and eight countries and areas, respectively. Regional analyses of human infections with avian influenza subtypes revealed distinct epidemiologic patterns that varied across countries, age and time. Such epidemiologic patterns may not be apparent from aggregated global summaries or country reports; regional assessment can offer additional insight that can inform risk assessment and response efforts. As infected animals and contaminated environments are the primary source of human infections, regional analyses that bring together human and animal surveillance data are an important basis for exposure and transmission risk assessment and public health action. Combining sustained event-based surveillance with enhanced collaboration between public health, veterinary (domestic and wildlife) and environmental sectors will provide a basis to inform joint risk assessment and coordinated response activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Last June the author, a teacher of political theory at Tsinghua University, was asked by a Canadian television crew to get hold of some students for a special on modern China. During the discussion, the author observed that his Chinese students express a thoughtful and informed nationalism, and a distrust of Western-style democracy. Some of the students become "nationalistic" in the sense of being committed to learning more about Chinese culture and philosophy: They really confront the need to think about their roots only when they clash with another culture. That is not to say that students entirely reject Western influence; many still hope to go abroad and learn about the West. Today Chinese students commonly believe that any stable and legitimate political arrangement needs to be founded, at least partly, on political ideals from their own tradition.

The article offers information on vertical democratic meritocracy in China. Topics discussed include clarify the relationship between political meritocracy and democracy; political system which aim to select and promote public official with average ability and virtue; and mentions the idea for developing vertical democratic meritocracy which inspired political reform in China.

The article discusses the China model for political meritocracy and the limits of democracy. Topics include political meritocracy should begin with a critique of electoral democracy; aim is to promote electoral democracy in China and democracy appealing to the intrinsic value of voting; and the Chinese government who need the Chinese adaptation of vertical democratic meritocracy.