The foreign policy of the People's Republic of China : towards global integration or a tactical quest for super-power status?

Includes bibliographical references (leaves. 100-108).This paper assesses the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China, determining whether it is pursuing an agenda to fully integrate into the international political order, or whether its policy comprises of a tactical quest for super-power status; it concludes by making a tentative prediction as to the trajectory of China's foreign policy in the coming decades. Optimists maintain that China's formation of complex economic and political ties with regional and international countries will bring both prosperity and security in the region, claiming that China's foreign affairs will focus on the maintenance and protection of these relations, upholding the political status quo. Pessimists, conversely, assert that Beijing's policy of integration is part of a wider strategy designed to build national power to a system-contending level. To establish the nature of China's foreign policy, this paper looks at two opposing theories of international relations which describe both interpretations: Complex Interdependence (supporting the optimists' interpretation) and Realism (supporting the pessimists' interpretation). In Part One, it reviews the key theorists of the twentieth century; it concludes that the Realist principles of Robert Gilpin, and the Complex Interdependence principles of Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye, represent the most reliable tenets of each theory. Thus the theoretical framework of the paper rests on the principles of these two interpretations of the Realist and Complex Interdependence theories. In Part Two of the paper, four indicators of China's foreign policy are assessed: 1. China in the World Economy; 2. China's International and Regional Relations; 3. China's National Defence; 4. China's Domestic Policy and Internal Characteristics. Each indicator is then analysed by applying the theories of Complex Interdependence and Realism to the data. The paper concludes by amalgamating the analyses of each indicator, making an overall assessment as to whether the theory of Realism or Complex Interdependence

Investigating disease mechanisms in autosomal dominant optic atrophy with retinal ganglion cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells

Dominant Optic Atrophy (DOA) is the most common inherited optic neuropathy in the UK, characterised by the preferential loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and progressive blindness. 60-70 % of DOA patients harbour mutations in the OPA1 gene, encoding a mitochondrial protein that regulates mitochondrial morphology, bioenergetics and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) quality. Currently, DOA has no therapeutic options and the mechanisms driving RGC degeneration are poorly understood. In this study, a biobank of induced pluripotent stem cells iPSCs (iPSCs) encompassing the clinical and genetic DOA spectrum was created using patient-derived OPA1 mutant fibroblast cell lines, and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to generate isogenic cell lines. RGC differentiation was optimized and characterised in 2D and 3D in vitro methods, demonstrating expression of RGC-associated genes including BRN3B and ISL1. OPA1 mutant iPSCs showed no differentiation deficit compared to wild-type control cell lines, exhibiting comparable expression of all relevant markers. 2D-RGCs demonstrated enrichment of neuronal associated markers, including ELAVL3 and TAU, when compared to 3D retinal organoids. Phenotypic analysis demonstrated significant deficits in respiration, ATP production and increased mtDNA mutation in fibroblasts, iPSCs and 2D-RGCs compared to isogenic controls. Characterisation of mitochondrial stress through induction of stress associated gene expression demonstrated significant levels of upregulation in iPSCs, however, 3D- and 2D-RGCs exhibited fewer upregulated genes indicating that mitochondrial stress may be a cell type specific response. Importantly, correction of patient-derived iPSCs restored mitochondrial homeostasis, demonstrating that restoration of WT OPA1 expression is able to mitigate mutant associated phenotypes. Thus, an OPA1 mutant iPSC biobank has been established encompassing the clinical disease spectrum, enabling effective in vitro modelling to establish RGC specific disease mechanisms. OPA1 mutant RGCs demonstrate significant reductions in mitochondrial homeostasis, including reduced bioenergetic output and mtDNA quality. This work provides a platform for further investigation of OPA1-mediated disease mechanisms and therapeutic design

Status of Superconducting Cavities in LEP

The upgrade of the Large Electron Positron collider (LEP) with superconducting cavities is nearing a successful completion. There are presently 240 superconducting cavities installed which, together with the original copper RF system, provide up to 2.6GV per turn. The majority of the superconducting cavities is of niobium sputtered on copper and runs at an operating gradient of 6MV/m. In 1997, LEP has operated routinely at an energy of 91.5GeV per beam and with a total current of over 5mA. The operation of the RF system has been very satisfactory, with only a few cavities limited in field. This paper will concentrate on describing the operation of this system during 1997, including new features, operational procedures and present limitations. Future plans, notably the work towards improving performance and the installation of the remaining cavities, will also be covered

First Tests of a Precision Beam Phase Masurement System in CTF3

High precision beam phase measurements will be vital for synchronization of main and drive beams in CLIC. Development work is underway with the aim to demonstrate 0.1 degree resolution for a wideband 30 GHz measurement. In order to be able to test this with a beam exhibiting much higher phase jitter, two prototypes have been built so that the difference in their outputs can be measured. Results of measurements made with bunch trains in CTF3 are presented