A critical analysis of European Union foreign policy towards China (1995-2005).

Abstract not available

Total and dark mass from observations of galaxy centers with Machine Learning

The galaxy total mass inside the effective radius encode important information on the dark matter and galaxy evolution model. Total "central" masses can be inferred via galaxy dynamics or with gravitational lensing, but these methods have limitations. We propose a novel approach, based on Random Forest, to make predictions on the total and dark matter content of galaxies using simple observables from imaging and spectroscopic surveys. We use catalogs of multi-band photometry, sizes, stellar mass, kinematic "measurements" (features) and dark matter (targets) of simulated galaxies, from Illustris-TNG100 hydrodynamical simulation, to train a Mass Estimate machine Learning Algorithm (Mela). We separate the simulated sample in passive early-type galaxies (ETGs), both "normal" and "dwarf", and active late-type galaxies (LTGs) and show that the mass estimator can accurately predict the galaxy dark masses inside the effective radius in all samples. We finally test the mass estimator against the central mass estimates of a series of low redshift (z$\leq$0.1) datasets, including SPIDER, MaNGA/DynPop and SAMI dwarf galaxies, derived with standard dynamical methods based on Jeans equations. Dynamical masses are reproduced within 0.30 dex ($\sim2\sigma$), with a limited fraction of outliers and almost no bias. This is independent of the sophistication of the kinematical data collected (fiber vs. 3D spectroscopy) and the dynamical analysis adopted (radial vs. axisymmetric Jeans equations, virial theorem). This makes Mela a powerful alternative to predict the mass of galaxies of massive stage-IV surveys' datasets

China's geoeconomic strategy: China’s approach to US debt and the Eurozone crisis

The sovereign debt crisis and the economic predicament of the West elicit mixed feelings and attitudes in China. On the one hand, the spiralling debt and worsening market conditions of the US and the eurozone are affecting China’s export-driven economy signifi cantly; on the other, the crisis in the West provides Beijing with the opportunity to raise its profi le internationally and challenge the existing international economic and monetary order. China’s financial resources are sought after, both to contribute to solving the eurozone’s debt problem and to continue sustaining the America’s structural defi cit. Beijing has protected its position as the largest investor in US treasuries by disinvesting away from dollar-denominated assets and increasing its holdings of the euro. Risk in the eurozone has been offset by reallocating Chinese purchases of bonds away from peripheral countries and into the core members, in particular Germany. Moreover, China has increased its investments in European industrial and infrastructure projects that guarantee safer returns. The debt crisis is changing global power relations: Chinese leaders are today, for the first time in modern history, in the position to take advantage of the West’s economic woes while also lecturing American and European policy makers on their economic and fi scal policies

China-US summit : why the EU is more present than ever

Published online: 24 January 2011It would be in the long-term interest of the EU to take the lead in discussions about global monetary order and avoid being a passive spectator of decisions taken in Washington or Beijing. For China, a strong Euro is an important element to diversify risk, challenge the predominance of the US dollar and prepare the conditions for the emergence of a new monetary order where the Yuan will also have a role. This explains why the Chinese have repeatedly intervened in recent weeks to reassure markets and the Europeans that they will continue to buy more Greek, Portuguese and Spanish bonds. By doing so, they have helped keep the Euro afloat and the value of the Yuan down. China is indeed playing the European card in the tug-of-war with the US over currency valuation. In these days in Washington it is not only about the arrival of China on the world scene, but also of what the Euro has become in the past decade. It is also about the relations between the EU and China that, especially in economic and monetary dimensions, are challenging the US-led international order created in the aftermath of the Second World War

Security developments in East Asia: what implications for the EU

Published online: 15 February 2011Recent security developments in East Asia have raised questions about peace and stability in a part of the world accounting for over a quarter of EU global trade. This Policy Brief assesses the changing power relations in East Asia and highlights potential implications of the region's security flashpoints for the EU