The New Face of Chinese Industrial Policy: Making Sense of Anti-Dumping Cases in the Petrochemical and Steel Industries

Why have China's petrochemical and steel industries behaved so differently in seeking trade protection through antidumping measures? We argue that the patterning of antidumping actions is best explained in terms of the political economy of economic restructuring in pillar industries and its effect on industry structures. In the petrochemical industry, the shift toward greater horizontal consolidation and vertical integration reduces the collective action problems associated with antidumping petitions among upstream companies. It also weakens downstream companies lobbying in favor of the general protection of highly integrated conglomerates. In the steel industry, by contrast, national industrial policy in the absence of exogenous economic shocks fails to weaken local state interests sufficiently. Fragmented upstream and downstream channels instead persist, with strong odds against upstream suppliers waging a successful defense of material interests.

Building an Agent-Based Model for exploring how informal rules impact the functioning of newly-established Water User Associations in Central Asia

International audienceIn transition countries informal institutions play a major role and often interfere with new formal institutions leading to large discrepancies between rules on paper and rules in use. We develop an agent-based model to explore the interaction between formal and informal rules and its effect on the performance of the formal institutions, based on the example of water user associations (WUA) in Uzbekistan. The model is based on field experience such as community-based work and role playing games, complemented by available literature. In this paper we present the conceptualization of the model, its empirical foundation and a first baseline scenario. We model a water user association where rules based on formal and informal institutions can be used. The baseline scenario represents the results of a totally formal WUA. In a next step we will introduce informal rules and explore how they can coexist with formal ones. Further work will bring us to question rules' implementation and roles and relationships evolution through selective rules adoption. The model will allow exploring under which conditions the institution WUA can function well and what might be mechanisms for the selection and adoption of rules by individual members

Pathogens, toxins, and lipid rafts

Summary: The plasma membrane is not a uniform two-dimensional space but includes various types of specialized regions containing specific lipids and proteins. These include clathrin-coated pits and caveolae. The existence of other cholesterol- and glycosphingolipid-rich microdomains has also been proposed. The aim of this review is to illustrate that these latter domains, also called lipid rafts, may be the preferential interaction sites between a variety of toxins, bacteria, and viruses and the target cell. These pathogens and toxins have hijacked components that are preferentially found in rafts, such as glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, sphingomyelin, and cholesterol. These molecules not only allow binding of the pathogen or toxin to the proper target cell but also appear to potentiate the toxic action. We briefly review the structure and proposed functions of cholesterol- and glycosphingolipid-rich microdomains and then describe the toxins and pathogens that interact with them. When possible the advantage conferred by the interaction with microdomains will be discusse

Investigation on the thermal gelation of Chitosan/\u3b2-Glycerophosphate solutions

This work deals with the effect of temperature on the thermal-gelation process of water solutions containing chitosan \u3b2-glycerolphosphate disodium salt hydrate. In particular, the attention is focused on the role played by temperature on the gel final properties, a very important aspect in the frame of drug delivery systems. The study was performed by combining rheology and low field nuclear magnetic resonance, two approaches that revealed to be highly synergic as they can detect different aspects of the developing polymeric network. This study indicates that 30 \ub0C represent a sort of threshold for both the gelation kinetics and the gel final properties. Indeed, above this temperature, gelation kinetics was rapid and yielded to a strong gel. On the contrary, a slow kinetics and a final weak gel occurred below 30 \ub0C. Finally, rheology and low field NMR allowed, independently, evaluating the time evolution of the network mesh size upon gelation

A meta-analysis of blended learning and technology use in higher education: From the general to the applied

This paper serves several purposes. First and foremost, it is devoted to developing a better understanding of the effectiveness of blended learning (BL) in higher education. This is achieved through a meta-analysis of a sub-collection of comparative studies of BL and classroom instruction (CI) from a larger systematic review of technology integration (Schmid et al. in Comput Educ 72:271-291, 2014). In addition, the methodology of meta-analysis is described and illustrated by examples from the current study. The paper begins with a summary of the experimental research on distance education (DE) and online learning (OL), encapsulated in meta-analyses that have been conducted since 1990. Then it introduces the Bernard et al. (Rev Educ Res 74(3):379-439, 2009) meta-analysis, which attempted to alter the DE research culture of always comparing DE/OL with CI by examining three forms of interaction treatments (i.e., student-student, student-teacher, student-content) within DE, using the theoretical framework of Moore (Am J Distance Educ 3(2):1-6, 1989) and Anderson (Rev Res Open Distance Learn 4(2):9-14, 2003). The rest of the paper revolves around the general steps and procedures (Cooper in Research synthesis and meta-analysis: a step-by-step approach, 4th edn, SAGE, Los Angeles, CA, 2010) involved in conducting a meta-analysis. This section is included to provide researchers with an overview of precisely how meta-analyses can be used to respond to more nuanced questions that speak to underlying theory and inform practice-in other words, not just answers to the big questions. In this instance, we know that technology has an overall positive impact on learning (g+ = +0.35, p \u3c.01, Tamim et al. in Rev Educ Res 81(3):4-28, 2011), but the sub-questions addressed here concern BL interacting with technology in higher education. The results indicate that, in terms of achievement outcomes, BL conditions exceed CI conditions by about one-third of a standard deviation (g+ = 0.334, k = 117, p \u3c.001) and that the kind of computer support used (i.e., cognitive support vs. content/presentational support) and the presence of one or more interaction treatments (e.g., student-student/-teacher/-content interaction) serve to enhance student achievement. We examine the empirical studies that yielded these outcomes, work through the methodology that enables evidence-based decision-making, and explore how this line of research can improve pedagogy and student achievement. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Are contextual and designed student-student interaction treatments equally effective in distance education?

This systematic review draws from and builds upon the results of a meta-analysis of the achievement effects of three types of interaction treatments in distance education: student-student, student-teacher, and student-content (Bernard et al., Review of Educational Research, 79(3), 1243-1289, 2009). This follow-up study considers two forms of student-student interaction treatments, contextual interaction and designed interaction. Typical contextual interaction treatments contain the necessary conditions for student-student interaction to occur, but are not intentionally designed to create collaborative learning environments. By contrast, designed interaction treatments are intentionally implemented collaborative instructional conditions for increasing student learning. Our meta-analysis compared the effect of these two types of interaction treatments on student achievement outcomes. The results favored designed interaction treatments over contextual interaction treatments. Examples of designed interaction treatments and a discussion of study results and their potential implications for research and instruction in distance education and online learning are presented. © 2012 Copyright Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia, Inc

Educational Research in Educational Practice: Predictors of Use

This study investigates the predictors of school practitioners’ (N = 2,425) use of educational research. The suggested model explained significantly but modestly the infrequent use of educational research by practitioners. Of the four factors in the study, “opinions about research” had the most explanatory power. The results are discussed in connection with existing knowledge about school practitioners’ use of educational research and implications for further research and practice

Drug Nanocrystals: Theoretical Background of Solubility Increase and Dissolution Rate Enhancement

The peculiar higher solubility of drug nanocrystals compared to macrocrystals appeals to the pharmaceutical field. Indeed, until now, about 70 % of the potential drug candidates are discarded due to low bioavailability related with poor solubility in water. Since a modern and efficient design strategy for nanocrystal-based delivery systems requires the knowledge of the theoretical relation between nanocrystal size and solubility, the aim of this paper is to build up a physically-oriented thermodynamic model relating to nanocrystal dimensions with their melting temperature, enthalpy, solubility and dissolution rate. In particular, the developed model will be applied to vinpocetine, a poorly soluble drug used in the treatment of various types of cerebrovascular circulatory disorders

Drug Nanocrystals: Theoretical Background of Solubility Increase and Dissolution Rate Enhancement

The peculiar higher solubility of drug nanocrystals compared to macrocrystals appeals to the pharmaceutical field. Indeed, until now, about 70 % of the potential drug candidates are discarded due to low bioavailability related with poor solubility in water. Since a modern and efficient design strategy for nanocrystal-based delivery systems requires the knowledge of the theoretical relation between nanocrystal size and solubility, the aim of this paper is to build up a physically-oriented thermodynamic model relating to nanocrystal dimensions with their melting temperature, enthalpy, solubility and dissolution rate. In particular, the developed model will be applied to vinpocetine, a poorly soluble drug used in the treatment of various types of cerebrovascular circulatory disorders

Endocytosis of the Anthrax Toxin Is Mediated by Clathrin, Actin and Unconventional Adaptors

The anthrax toxin is a tripartite toxin, where the two enzymatic subunits require the third subunit, the protective antigen (PA), to interact with cells and be escorted to their cytoplasmic targets. PA binds to cells via one of two receptors, TEM8 and CMG2. Interestingly, the toxin times and triggers its own endocytosis, in particular through the heptamerization of PA. Here we show that PA triggers the ubiquitination of its receptors in a β-arrestin-dependent manner and that this step is required for clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In addition, we find that endocytosis is dependent on the heterotetrameric adaptor AP-1 but not the more conventional AP-2. Finally, we show that endocytosis of PA is strongly dependent on actin. Unexpectedly, actin was also found to be essential for efficient heptamerization of PA, but only when bound to one of its 2 receptors, TEM8, due to the active organization of TEM8 into actin-dependent domains. Endocytic pathways are highly modular systems. Here we identify some of the key players that allow efficient heptamerization of PA and subsequent ubiquitin-dependent, clathrin-mediated endocytosis of the anthrax toxin