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Context: The research field at the boundary between learning and working is multidimensional, fuzzy, dynamic, and characterized by high growth. A study that comprehensively maps and aggregates this research field is missing. Approach: Using tools of bibliometric analysis (bibliographic coupling, co-citation analysis and co-occurrence analysis), we map the research at the boundary between learning and working in a scoping review study. Our study considers peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2020 and recorded in Scopus. In total, 5,474 articles are included in our analysis. Findings: Focusing on the intellectual structure of the research field, we identified the most publishing and most cited countries, journals, and authors, as well as latent collaborative networks among countries, journals, and authors. Furthermore, we used references and keywords to identify the conceptual structure of the research field and distinguished four types of conceptual clusters: motor clusters, highly developed and isolated clusters, emerging or declining clusters, and basic and transversal clusters. Conclusions: Research at the boundary between learning and working is highly parcelled out internationally. This scientific parcelling represents a disadvantage for exchanging ideas and accumulating knowledge. In addition to forming a parcelled field, a dividing line runs between centre, periphery and excluded countries and scientists. Especially scientists from developing countries and nations, economies in transition and those from post-conflict situations are excluded from the international discourse. This situation is more than just a disadvantage for the exchange of ideas and the accumulation of knowledge. Instead, there is a systematic bias in the research landscape here.

The relationship between labour and social policy is at the heart of the social question. Scholars often treat this link as either a causal relation out there or a conceptual connection in policy makers' minds. This article examines its sociotechnical materiality instead. It follows anthropologists who ask how bureaucrats practice policy and scholars of science and technology studies who explore how social and technical aspects are interrelated in knowledge processes. China studies has suggested that the minimum livelihood guarantee (dibao) was originally designed as a market-oriented response to transformations of labour such as mass layoffs, peasant proletarianisation and associated unrest but later revamped to only combat extreme poverty. Ethnographic insights into dibao policy in a village in Sichuan show how its designed links to labour were erased and transformed through different methods of bureaucratic targeting, as well as expectations about the bureaucratic ability to know. For a time, dibao was even integrated into alternative rural development projects aimed at decommodification. Studying social policy as a knowledge process uncovers how its sociotechnical links to labour reconfigure it as an answer to the social question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certification schemes and alternative food networks have often been studied separately or using different analytical concepts. Ethnographic research in Sichuan Province, China shows how a cooperative used both labels and people to inform consumers about the ecological quality and trustworthiness of its food, thereby obtaining price premiums. Using information infrastructure as the common analytical vocabulary for exploring both certification and performances of face-to-face relations unearths unexpected commonalities amidst presumed otherness. The infrastructure lens draws attention to the importance of scientific planning and materiality: the force of specific features of different crops and modes of production. Information infrastructures – whether labels or people – depend on, and affect, the materiality of whatever they are supposed to be informing about. They do not simply convey information, but shape value as they interact with and intervene in what is produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining the "world's largest cash-based social policy" through the lens of care reveals widely shared scalar imaginaries and the productivity of care in constituting scale. In standardizing the minimum livelihood guarantee (dibao), officials, applicants and researchers in rural Sichuan cited both "too much" and "not enough" care at the scale of the family in recommending or rejecting state assistance. Different levels of organization (scale1) were not stable bases with specific sizes and qualities (scale2) that enabled or limited care. Dibao -related practices were evaluated as an appropriate ("filial piety"), insufficient ("individualism") or excessive ("corruption") amount of family care. Care became an indicator of kinship measurements and a marker of state boundaries. Thus, scale (in both meanings) was enacted in China, as elsewhere, through negotiations of needs and responsibilities, through evaluations of care practices and their outcomes. In this sense, care scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What drives Chinese MNEs’ global CSR integration and local CSR responsiveness? Drawing on institutional theory, we argue that both antecedents reflecting globally isomorphic patterns of adaptation and antecedents mirroring the distinct characteristics of China’s institutional context are relevant. We support our argument using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis on a sample of 29 of China’s globally most influential companies. We find that state influence and global CSR associations affect global CSR integration, whereas presence in the West and internationalization through mergers and acquisitions predict local CSR responsiveness. Our study thus suggests that home-country characteristics are an important co-determinant of the CSR approaches of emerging-market MNEs. We further find that multicultural experience in top management teams is associated with both global CSR integration and local CSR responsiveness, supporting notions of transnational CSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined biases in the global GEOS-Chem chemical transport model for the period of February–May 2010 using weak-constraint (WC) four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation and dry-air mole fractions of CH 4 (XCH 4) from the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT). The ability of the observations and the WC 4D-Var method to mitigate model errors in CH 4 concentrations was first investigated in a set of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs). We then assimilated the GOSAT XCH 4 retrievals and found that they were capable of providing information on the vertical structure of model errors and of removing a significant portion of biases in the modeled CH 4 state. In the WC 4D-Var assimilation, corrections were added to the modeled CH 4 state at each model time step to account for model errors and improve the model fit to the assimilated observations. Compared to the conventional strong-constraint (SC) 4D-Var assimilation, the WC method was able to significantly improve the model fit to independent observations. Examination of the WC state corrections suggested that a significant source of model errors was associated with discrepancies in the model CH 4 in the stratosphere. The WC state corrections also suggested that the model vertical transport in the troposphere at middle and high latitudes is too weak. The problem was traced back to biases in the uplift of CH 4 over the source regions in eastern China and North America. In the tropics, the WC assimilation pointed to the possibility of biased CH 4 outflow from the African continent to the Atlantic in the mid-troposphere. The WC assimilation in this region would greatly benefit from glint observations over the ocean to provide additional constraints on the vertical structure of the model errors in the tropics. We also compared the WC assimilation at 4 ∘ × 5 ∘ and 2 ∘ × 2.5 ∘ horizontal resolutions and found that the WC corrections to mitigate the model errors were significantly larger at 4 ∘ × 5 ∘ than at 2 ∘ × 2.5 ∘ resolution, indicating the presence of resolution-dependent model errors. Our results illustrate the potential utility of the WC 4D-Var approach for characterizing model errors. However, a major limitation of this approach is the need to better characterize the specified model error covariance in the assimilation scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To generate continuous growth curves for axial length (AL) in German children. We hypothesise that percentile curves of AL can be used as a predictive measure of myopia. Methods: In this longitudinal and cross‐sectional LIFE Child Study, children's non‐cycloplegic refraction data was collected using the Zeiss i.Profiler plus while AL was measured using the Haag‐Streit Lenstar. Reference growth curves were estimated as a continuous non‐parametric function of age. Results: Data from 4511 visits of 1965 participants (1021 boys and 944 girls) between 3 and 18 years of age were analysed. For all ages and percentiles, the estimated AL was higher in boys than girls. AL differences between boys and girls were most pronounced in the 98th percentile at 3 years of age, being 0.93 mm longer eyes in boys. This difference decreased to 0.21 mm at 18 years of age. While the lower percentiles of AL reach their final value around age 13, the 50th percentile was still increasing by 0.05 mm per year until the end of the observation period. While, in general, children with longer eyes are more likely to develop myopia, this relationship is weaker between the ages of 5 and 8. Conclusion: The LIFE Child Study data provides European AL data. In both Germany and China, AL has comparable growth rates when the baseline ALs are compared as percentiles. Thus, percentile curves of AL can be used as a predictive measure for the likelihood of developing as well as the progression of myopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GEOS-Chem simulation of atmospheric CH4 was evaluated against observations from the Thermal and Near Infrared Sensor for Carbon Observations Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) on the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT), the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS), and the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). We focused on the model simulations at the 4∘×5∘ and 2∘×2.5∘ horizontal resolutions for the period of February–May 2010. Compared to the GOSAT, TCCON, and ACE-FTS data, we found that the 2∘×2.5∘ model produced a better simulation of CH4 , with smaller biases and a higher correlation to the independent data. We found large resolution-dependent differences such as a latitude-dependent XCH4 bias, with higher column abundances of CH4 at high latitudes and lower abundances at low latitudes at the 4∘×5∘ resolution than at 2∘×2.5∘. We also found large differences in CH4 column abundances between the two resolutions over major source regions such as China. These differences resulted in up to 30 % differences in inferred regional CH4 emission estimates from the two model resolutions. We performed several experiments using 222Rn , 7Be , and CH4 to determine the origins of the resolution-dependent errors. The results suggested that the major source of the latitude-dependent errors is excessive mixing in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, including mixing at the edge of the polar vortex, which is pronounced at the 4∘×5∘ resolution. At the coarser resolution, there is weakened vertical transport in the troposphere at midlatitudes to high latitudes due to the loss of sub-grid tracer eddy mass flux in the storm track regions. The vertical air mass fluxes are calculated in the model from the degraded coarse-resolution wind fields and the model does not conserve the air mass flux between model resolutions; as a result, the low resolution does not fully capture the vertical transport. This produces significant localized discrepancies, such as much greater CH4 abundances in the lower troposphere over China at 4∘×5∘ than at 2∘×2.5∘. Although we found that the CH4 simulation is significantly better at 2∘×2.5∘ than at 4∘×5∘ , biases may still be present at 2∘×2.5∘ resolution. Their importance, particularly in regards to inverse modeling of CH4 emissions, should be evaluated in future studies using online transport in the native general circulation model as a benchmark simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The demand for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in chronic otitis media (COM) is increasing globally. The currently available Chinese-language patient-reported outcome measurement (PROM) specific for COM includes merely a limited range of related symptoms and dimensions. Hence, in this study, we aim to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Inventory (ZCMEI-21) in Chinese, to enable a comprehensive evaluation of the patients' subjective health outcome in COM.Methods: We sampled and surveyed 223 COM patients at three tertiary referral centers in China, using the Chinese translation of ZCMEI-21 (ZCMEI-21-Chn) and the EQ-5D questionnaire, a generic measure of HRQoL. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to investigate the structural model fit to the dataset. Cronbach's α and test-retest reliability coefficient were calculated to establish reliability, and correlation was tested between ZCMEI-Chn scores and EQ-5D scores for convergent validity.Results: A total of 208 adult patients with COM were included, with a mean age of 46 years (SD 14 years) and a male proportion of 41% (85/208). A modified bifactor model with ωH of 0.65 and ECV of 0.47 was found to fit the scale scores, indicating fair general factor saturation and multidimensionality of the instrument. ZCMEI-21-Chn demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.88, test-retest reliability = 0.88). The total scores of ZCMEI-21-Chn had a moderate correlation with a question directly addressing HRQoL (r = 0.40, p < 0.001), EQ-5D descriptive system score (r = 0.57, p < 0.001), and EQ-5D visual analogous scale (r = 0.30, p < 0.001).Conclusions: The ZCMEI-21-Chn is valid, reliable and culturally adapted to Chinese adult patients with COM. This study offers clinicians an efficient and comprehensive instrument to quantify COM patients' self-reported health outcomes, which could facilitate the standardization of HRQoL data aggregation in COM on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blurred boundaries between public and private have long been presented as signs of the Chinese state's "otherness." This othering is prone to continue in discussions of food safety regulation in China. In the dominant Western model of the independent regulator, personal relations are framed as corruption and presented as a threat to institutions. Anthropological writing on post-socialism offers the reverse argument, that personalistic ties such as guanxi compensate for institutional deficiencies. Both interpretations are limited because of their reliance on economic theory rather than on ethnographic theorising. During fieldwork in a food network of peasant cooperatives and consumer associations in Sichuan, I observed that images of personal relations are nurturing both urban middle class consumers' distrust in the state's regulatory capacity regarding organic food and their hope for transparency in a civic alternative. To understand these ambivalent interpretations of personal relatedness as either inducing corruption or enabling transparency, I adopt a relational approach to the state. The article shows how positive evaluations of personal relatedness emerge as state officials and other citizens in the food network distance "the state." This analytical focus on performative boundary work promises a way out of the dead-end of presupposed otherness in debates on regulation in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To transmit electric bulk power in an economic and efficient way over long distances up to several 1000 km it is necessary to use Ultra-High-Voltages (UHV), i.e. AC (alternating current)-voltages of 1000 kV and DC (direct current)-voltages of ±800 kV or higher. Especially the UHVDC (ultra high voltage direct current) transmission is one of the key solutions to transmit bulk power over very large distances. Two bipolar systems with transmission voltage of ±800 kV, transmission power up to 7.2 GW and length of up to 2000 km are in operation in China since 2010 and additional systems especially in China and India are planned. So it seems that the UHVDC technology is state of the art and can be used easily. But there are some restrictions which make it difficult to use UHVDC transmission in all cases. To analyze this in detail, the state of the art of long distance UHVDC transmission systems is summarized and the possible future development is analyzed. Different aspects are discussed, which will possibly limit the use of the UHVDC technology in future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Various studies showed that human capital is one of the key factors for economic development. China has a policy which tries to raise their stock of brainpower. One of the most remarkable characteristics of Chinese migration towards Europe is the substantial increase of qualified migrants and students, who are attracted above all by Northern Europe. We can consider student immigration as a precursor to highly skilled migration or as a specific category of highly skilled migration. The research about international student mobility is something recent and still has to deal with many methodological problems. In this article, the author deals with the immigration of Chinese students in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physicochemical characteristics and phytochemical profiles of red (Physalis alkekengi L., RP) and yellow (P. pubescens L., YP) Physalis fruits cultivated in three provinces of China were characterized. YP fruits showed significantly lower levels of total organic acids and elevated total sugars than those of RP. A total of 18 compounds was tentatively identified in hydromethanolic extracts of Physalis fruits applying HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS n and HR-ESI-MS. Cinnamoyl and hydroxycinnamoyl conjugates prevailed in both fruits. Diverse mono- and dihexosides of cinnamic, coumaric, caffeic, ferulic, and sinapic acid were found in YP, while RP merely contained feruloyl and sinapoyl hexosides. N , N ´-dicaffeoylspermidine isomers were found in YP fruits, whereas N , N ´-bis(dihydrocaffeoyl)spermine was exclusively detected in two of the RP samples. Additionally, two HDMF (4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2 H)-furanone) hexosides were tentatively identified for the first time in YP. Both RP and YP fruits collected from three different provinces in China showed a significant intraspecific variability regarding their phytochemical profiles, despite their similar morphological fruit traits. Unlabelled Image • Yellow and red Physalis fruits exhibited distinctly different phytochemical profiles. • Yellow Physalis fruit is a good nutritional source of hydroxycinnamoyl glycosides. • Flavor precursors like HDMF hexosides were identified for the first time in YP. • Phytochemical profiles differed depending on provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]