What are the determinants of producer services FDI in China? Aggregate and sub-sectoral data analyses

This PhD thesis joins a vibrant conversation in a vastly under researched area pertaining to the determinants of producer services foreign direct investment (FDI). It begins by extensively revisiting the existing literature and discussing critically gaps from past study to then adopt a quantitative research method assisted by secondary data collected from various databases. The research question that this thesis addresses is: “What are the determinants of producer services FDI in China? Aggregate and sub-sectoral data analyses”. With this aim in mind, this thesis employs aggregate as well as provincial and sub-sectoral data obtained from the CEIC Data’s China Premium Database, National Bureau of Statistics of China, Provincial Statistical Yearbooks, Ministry of Commerce of China, Ministry of Transport of China, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as well as a range of other relevant data drawn from national and provincial sources.China is exhibiting an enormous amount of economic and urban development accompanied by a transformation from its past manufacturing-focused economy towards one based on producer services. The conceptual framework developed for this research is guided by the identified research gap found in the literature on the determinants of FDI. The methodology employed is the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration approach and panel data regression techniques to quantitatively investigate the determinants of Chinese producer services FDI at the aggregate and sector-disaggregated level.This research has revealed that there is a significant difference between the determinants of aggregate FDI and Producer Services FDI (PSFDI). The empirical evidence demonstrates that in contrast to the general influencing factors determining aggregate FDI (e.g., GDP, trade openness, low wages and environmental quality), high wages and research intensity are strikingly discovered to have a notable influence on determining PSFDI inflows to China. The evidence captured contends that following appropriate strategies and policies to specifically foster the attraction of PSFDI is of paramount importance for Chinese regulators. Collectively, the main novel findings of this research that make a significant contribution to knowledge rest with a broader understanding of the newly identified determinants of PSFDI inflows in China through a rigorous, evidence-based scientific process of inquiry. The thesis’ contribution adds to ongoing literature by accentuating that China’s aggregate FDI attraction differs from PSFDI’s attraction and that stimulating PSFDI inflows requires different policy measures. The pivotal implication for Chinese policymakers is to develop appropriate policies specifically targeted at attracting inward PSFDI and to implement sub-sector specific policies to encourage PSFDI in those sub-sectors most susceptible to attract PSFDI

Emotional Regulation Mechanism of Smartphone Use on Positive Aging: From the Perspective of Elasticity

The booming global digital economy has not only changed the mode of economic development, but also deeply affected the lifestyle of the elderly. In particular, the use of smart phones has increased the channels for the elderly to obtain information, improved the degree of social participation of the elderly, and objectively promoted the practice of active aging. At present, nearly 100 countries in the world have entered an aging society, with a global elderly population of nearly 1 billion, accounting for 13% of the total global population. Almost all the elderly in the world's major economic countries use smartphones. In this context, this paper focuses on the psychological mechanism of using smart phones to promote active aging (or active aging). At the same time, it also includes that the elderly can quickly recover from the negative emotions caused by serious stress / adversity, and accompany individuals to eliminate the negative effects of negative emotions and promote long-term coping resources by generating positive emotions

Determinants of FDI in producer services:evidence from Chinese aggregate and sub-sectoral data

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in producer services in China using both country aggregate and provincial sub-sectoral data. Design/methodology/approach: This paper applies autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration and panel data regression approaches in examining the determinants of Producer Service FDI (PSFDI). Findings: Our results show differences between the determinants of aggregate FDI and PSFDI. Contrary to the typical influencing factors of general FDI (that include GDP, openness, low wages and environmental quality), the two main determinants of PSFDI inflows to China are found to be high wages and research inputs (specifically the number of research workers as a proxy for research intensity). Data drawn from 26 Chinese provinces disaggregated at sub-sector level of producer services corroborate the results. Originality/value: We add to existing literature by identifying the key determinants of inward PSFDI in China also via a provincial-level data analysis and disaggregation at sub-sectoral level of producer services.</p

Roles of Exosomes Derived From Immune Cells in Cardiovascular Diseases

Therapies aimed at minimizing adverse remodeling in cardiovascular diseases on a molecular and cellular basis are urgently needed. Exosomes are nanosized lipid vesicles released from various cells that are able to mediate intercellular signaling and communication via their cargos. It has been increasingly demonstrated that exosomes from cardiomyocytes or stem/progenitor cells can promote cardiac repair and regeneration, but their mechanism has not been fully explained. Immune responses mediated by immune cells also play important and complicated roles in the progression of various cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis. Exosomes derived from immune cells have shown pleiotropic effects on these pathological states, whether similar to or different from their parent cells. However, the underlying mechanism remains obscure. In this review, we first describe the biological characteristics and biogenesis of exosomes. Then we critically examine the emerging roles of exosomes in cardiovascular disease; the exosomes we focus on are derived from immune cells such as dendritic cells, macrophages, B cells, T cells, as well as neutrophils and mast cells. Among the cardiovascular diseases we discuss, we mainly focus on myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis. As active intercellular communicators, exosomes from immune cells may offer prospective diagnostic and therapeutic value in cardiovascular disease

The African Swine Fever Virus with MGF360 and MGF505 Deleted Reduces the Apoptosis of Porcine Alveolar Macrophages by Inhibiting the NF-κB Signaling Pathway and Interleukin-1β

African swine fever virus (ASFV) poses serious threats to the swine industry. The mortality rate of African swine fever (ASF) is 100%, and there is no effective vaccine currently available. Complex immune escape strategies of ASFV are crucial factors affecting immune prevention and vaccine development. CD2v and MGF360-505R genes have been implicated in the modulation of the immune response. The molecular mechanisms contributing to innate immunity are poorly understood. In this study, we discover the cytopathic effect and apoptosis of ΔCD2v/ΔMGF360-505R-ASFV after infection in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) was significantly less than wild-type ASFV. We demonstrated that CD2v- and MGF360-505R-deficient ASFV decrease the level of apoptosis by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway and IL-1β mRNA transcription. Compared with wild-type ASFV infection, the levels of phospho-NF-κB p65 and p-IκB protein decreased in CD2v- and MGF360-505R-deficient ASFV. Moreover, CD2v- and MGF360-505R-deficient ASFV induced less IL-1β production than wild-type ASFV and was attenuated in replication compared with wild-type ASFV. We further found that MGF360-12L, MGF360-13L, and MGF-505-2R suppress the promoter activity of NF-κB by reporter assays, and CD2v activates the NF-κB signaling pathway. These findings suggested that CD2v- and MGF360-505R-deficient ASFV could reduce the level of ASFV p30 and the apoptosis of PAMs by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway and IL-1β mRNA transcription, which might reveal a novel strategy for ASFV to maintain the replication of the virus in the host