Free trade as a force of political stability? The case of mainland China and Hong Kong

Is free trade a force of political stability? This article argues that, while political stability could be a cause, it is not always a consequence of free trade. To test this argument, the article analyses the political causes and consequences of the external and internal trade liberalisation initiatives of Mainland China and Hong Kong through a selection of their current and proposed free trade agreements and free trade zones, namely, the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, China-Japan-Korea Free Trade Agreement, Hong Kong Free Port, and China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Together, these initiatives comprise a uniquely outlier case study on individual customs territories in a common state jurisdiction with contrary political economies. This article concludes that the effectiveness of free trade as a force of political stability is, by and large, more of a perception than a reality

A Closer Look into Recent Video-based Learning Research: A Comprehensive Review of Video Characteristics, Tools, Technologies, and Learning Effectiveness

People increasingly use videos on the Web as a source for learning. To support this way of learning, researchers and developers are continuously developing tools, proposing guidelines, analyzing data, and conducting experiments. However, it is still not clear what characteristics a video should have to be an effective learning medium. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of 257 articles on video-based learning for the period from 2016 to 2021. One of the aims of the review is to identify the video characteristics that have been explored by previous work. Based on our analysis, we suggest a taxonomy which organizes the video characteristics and contextual aspects into eight categories: (1) audio features, (2) visual features, (3) textual features, (4) instructor behavior, (5) learners activities, (6) interactive features (quizzes, etc.), (7) production style, and (8) instructional design. Also, we identify four representative research directions: (1) proposals of tools to support video-based learning, (2) studies with controlled experiments, (3) data analysis studies, and (4) proposals of design guidelines for learning videos. We find that the most explored characteristics are textual features followed by visual features, learner activities, and interactive features. Text of transcripts, video frames, and images (figures and illustrations) are most frequently used by tools that support learning through videos. The learner activity is heavily explored through log files in data analysis studies, and interactive features have been frequently scrutinized in controlled experiments. We complement our review by contrasting research findings that investigate the impact of video characteristics on the learning effectiveness, report on tasks and technologies used to develop tools that support learning, and summarize trends of design guidelines to produce learning video

The Kwangsi Clique in Kuomintang politics, 1921-1936.

This thesis examines the question of regional independence in China under the Kuomintang rule and takes as a case study the Kwangsi Clique, which ruled the province of Kwangsi from 1925 to 1949, and whose leaders periodically played important roles in Kuomintang politics. The Introduction describes the development of regionalism and militarism in the late 19th century and their further growth in the early years of the Republic. Chapter I gives a historical account of the province of Kwangsi gind sets out the career of Lu Yung-t'ing, who ruled the province from 1911 to 1921. Chapter II deals with the background, education and early careers of the men who were to lead the Kwangsi Clique. Chapter III describes the rise of these men within Kwangsi during the long period of civil war which racked the province after 1921 and ended with the alliance of Kwangsi with the Kwangtung of the Kuomintang in 1926. Chapter IV is an account of the activities of the Kwangsi leaders in 1926 and 1927 and of the evolution of the Kwangsi Clique as a force in Kuomintang politics. Chapter V describes events within Kwangsi between 1926 and 1929, when a strong regional base was consolidated for the Clique. Chapter VI examines the role of the Clique in national politics in 1928 and 1929, when its great regional power holding threatened the authority of the Kuomintang government at Nanking, and relates the Clique's defeat by the National Government in 1929. Chapter VII gives an account of the Clique's reduced independence, within one province, between 1930 and 1936 and of its Reconstruction Movement, which attempted to develop an alternative form of government to that practised from Nanking. The Conclusion attempts to assess the effect of independent regional power holding on the fortunes of the Kuomintang; it also gives a brief description of the careers of the leaders of the Kwangsi Cliuqe after 1936, when its autonomy was finally shattered

Advances in Intelligent Vehicle Control

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Advances in Intelligent Vehicle Control that was published in the journal Sensors. It presents a collection of eleven papers that covers a range of topics, such as the development of intelligent control algorithms for active safety systems, smart sensors, and intelligent and efficient driving. The contributions presented in these papers can serve as useful tools for researchers who are interested in new vehicle technology and in the improvement of vehicle control systems

1924: Polk-Husted's Directory of Honolulu and the Territory of Hawaii

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