Varieties of state capital:What does foreign state-led investment do in a globalized world?

Existing studies have scrutinized the rise of states as global owners and investors, yet we still lack a good understanding of what state investment does in a globalized economy, especially in host states. Comparative capitalisms research has analyzed foreign state investment as a potential source of patient capital for coordinated and mixed-market economies. However, this patient capital framework cannot explain the recent surge of protectionist sentiments, even among the "good hosts" of state-led investment. Therefore, we go beyond the patient capital argument and develop a novel framework centered on the globalized nature of foreign state investment. We create and empirically illustrate a novel typology based on different modes of cross-border state investment-from financial to strategic-and different categories of host states. Our results provide a new pathway to study the rise and effects of cross-border state investment in the 21st century

Capturing Nano‐Scale Inhomogeneity of the Electrode Electrolyte Interface in Sodium‐Ion Batteries Through Tip‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

A prime challenge in the development of new battery chemistries is the fundamental understanding of the generation of the electrode–electrolyte interface (EEI) and its evolution upon cycling. Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) under an inert gas atmosphere is employed to study the chemical components of the anode/cathode electrolyte interface in a sodium-ion battery. After the first cycle, TERS reveals that the EEI mostly consists of organic carbonate/dicarbonate, oligoethylene oxides, α,β-unsaturated vinyl ketones/acetates, and inorganic species ClO$_4$$^−$, ClO$_3$$^−$, and Na$_2$CO$_3$. Whereas after 5× cycling, the EEI composition has evolved to contain long chain monodentate or bridging/bidentate carboxylates and alkoxides. The TERS map reveals the nano-scale heterogeneity present in the EEI layers and elucidates a multilayered nano-mosaic coating structure. The sheer volume of Raman signature present in the TERS signal can completely unravel the mysteries regarding the chemical composition and may shed light to the physicochemical behavior of the EEI

Electric Vehicle Procurement Decisions in Fleets : Results of a Case Study in South-Western Germany

In order to increase the market share of electric vehicles (EV) in Germany, further insights on actors and structures of EV specific procurement decisions for fleets are necessary. Our analysis focuses on vehicles registered by companies/organizations as they dominate new vehicle registrations in Germany. The following question is examined empirically: Which departments influence EV procurement decisions in small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), in large-scale enterprises (LSE) and in public organizations (PO) and what are the differences compared to these departments' influences on internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) procurement decisions? Our results show that EV procurement decisions of organizations in South-West Germany are decisively influenced by upper management levels and partly by organizations' fleet management departments. In small and medium-sized enterprises sales- and public relations departments have a major influence on EV procurement decisions. These findings are important for stakeholders interested in selling EVs or in designing policies that are more effective in influencing organizations' decision making concerning future EV procurement decisions

A Generalized Diffusion Tensor for Fully Anisotropic Diffusion of Energetic Particles in the Heliospheric Magnetic Field

The spatial diffusion of cosmic rays in turbulent magnetic fields can, in the most general case, be fully anisotropic, i.e. one has to distinguish three diffusion axes in a local, field-aligned frame. We reexamine the transformation for the diffusion tensor from this local to a global frame, in which the Parker transport equation for energetic particles is usually formulated and solved. Particularly, we generalize the transformation formulas to allow for an explicit choice of two principal local perpendicular diffusion axes. This generalization includes the 'traditional' diffusion tensor in the special case of isotropic perpendicular diffusion. For the local frame, we motivate the choice of the Frenet-Serret trihedron which is related to the intrinsic magnetic field geometry. We directly compare the old and the new tensor elements for two heliospheric magnetic field configurations, namely the hybrid Fisk and the Parker field. Subsequently, we examine the significance of the different formulations for the diffusion tensor in a standard 3D model for the modulation of galactic protons. For this we utilize a numerical code to evaluate a system of stochastic differential equations equivalent to the Parker transport equation and present the resulting modulated spectra. The computed differential fluxes based on the new tensor formulation deviate from those obtained with the 'traditional' one (only valid for isotropic perpendicular diffusion) by up to 60% for energies below a few hundred MeV depending on heliocentric distance.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted in Ap

Short-range ordering in the Li-rich disordered rock salt cathode material Li2_{2}VO2_{2}F revealed by Raman spectroscopy

Li‐rich disordered rock salt (DRS) materials are new promising high‐capacity cathode candidates for Li‐ion batteries. DRS structures were initially assumed to have a completely random cation and anion distribution, but recent reports suggest that some of these structures can exhibit local atomic arrangements, or short‐range ordering (SRO). Here, we prove the existence of SRO in the Li‐rich DRS material Li$_{2}$VO$_{2}$F by employing Raman spectroscopy supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our results suggest that this combination of Raman spectroscopy with computational tools is useful for SRO estimation in this new class of Li‐rich DRS cathode materials

Human Female Genital Tract Infection by the Obligate Intracellular Bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis Elicits Robust Type 2 Immunity

While Chlamydia trachomatis infections are frequently asymptomatic, mechanisms that regulate host response to this intracellular Gram-negative bacterium remain undefined. This investigation thus used peripheral blood mononuclear cells and endometrial tissue from women with or without Chlamydia genital tract infection to better define this response. Initial genome-wide microarray analysis revealed highly elevated expression of matrix metalloproteinase 10 and other molecules characteristic of Type 2 immunity (e.g., fibrosis and wound repair) in Chlamydia-infected tissue. This result was corroborated in flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry studies that showed extant upper genital tract Chlamydia infection was associated with increased co-expression of CD200 receptor and CD206 (markers of alternative macrophage activation) by endometrial macrophages as well as increased expression of GATA-3 (the transcription factor regulating TH2 differentiation) by endometrial CD4+ T cells. Also among women with genital tract Chlamydia infection, peripheral CD3+ CD4+ and CD3+ CD4- cells that proliferated in response to ex vivo stimulation with inactivated chlamydial antigen secreted significantly more interleukin (IL)-4 than tumor necrosis factor, interferon-γ, or IL-17; findings that repeated in T cells isolated from these same women 1 and 4 months after infection had been eradicated. Our results thus newly reveal that genital infection by an obligate intracellular bacterium induces polarization towards Type 2 immunity, including Chlamydia-specific TH2 development. Based on these findings, we now speculate that Type 2 immunity was selected by evolution as the host response to C. trachomatis in the human female genital tract to control infection and minimize immunopathological damage to vital reproductive structures. © 2013 Vicetti Miguel et al