Realizing the Re-Emergence of the Chinese Stock Market: Fact or Fiction?

The stock market which currently exists in the People\u27s Republic of China (PRC) is a product of the open door policy introduced by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, following the death of Mao Zedong, to promote economic development over class struggle. Following limited experimentation with stock issuance at the local level, the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges opened in 1990 and 1991 respectively. Since its recent inception, China\u27s stock market--which comprises the trading of domestically owned A-Shares and foreign-owned B-Shares--has experienced impressive growth together with periods of volatility as well as lackluster performance. Recent performance of A-Share trading has been strong, while B-Share trading has been riddled with problems due to the lack of enforcement of the foreign ownership only rule. In February of 1997, the death of Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China\u27s current socialist market economy, surprisingly did not cause any significant downturn in the stock market This Note first offers a brief history of the recent re-emergence of the stock market in China, which has thrived several other times in China\u27s long history. Second, the author questions the Chinese market\u27s future viability as an internationally competitive stock market. In determining what the future holds for China\u27s stock market, the author first examines the PRC\u27s commitment to resolving the ideological counter-socialist dilemma presented by the introduction of capitalist reforms into China\u27s socialist economy. Although Chinese leaders disagree as to how to resolve the counter-socialist dilemma, they are committed to resolving it The Note suggests that in order to truly realize the re-emergence of its stock market, the PRC must enact and enforce a national securities law and repeal its policy of censoring all foreign news and financial information entering the country. Until such steps are taken, the author concludes that China\u27s stock market will remain an inefficient and highly risky emerging market

Comparaison de deux méthodes d'estimation du broutage des bactéries par les protozoaires en milieux aquatiques [Courte note]

L'objectif du présent travail est de comparer deux méthodes indépendantes permettant d'estimer, dans les milieux aquatiques, le flux de carbone transitant du compartiment bactérien vers les protozoaires. Les deux méthodes utilisées sont, d'une part, celle basée sur le suivi de la décroissance de radioactivité du matériel génétique bactérien après marquage à la thymidine tritiée (SERVAIS et al., 1985) et, d'autre part, celle de mesure du taux d'ingestion de bactéries fluorescentes (FLB) par les protozoaires. Elles ont été appliquées en parallèle sur des échantillons de la rivière Meuse (Belgique). L'emploi de la première méthode a montré des taux de broutage compris entre 0.002 h-1 et 0.016 h-1 qui représentent en moyenne 72 % des taux de mortalité totale. Une excellente corrélation entre les estimations de flux de broutage obtenues par les deux techniques a été trouvée, mais les valeurs estimées à partir de la méthode FLB sont systématiquement inférieures (d'environ 30% en moyenne) à celles obtenues par l'autre méthode. Une part de cette différence peut vraisemblablement s'expliquer par la non prise en compte par la méthode FLB du broutage par des organismes de taille supérieure à 100 µm.The goal of the present work was to compare two methods allowing to estimate, in aquatic ecosystems, the carbon flux due to grazing of bacteria by protozoa. The first method follows the decrease of labeling in the DNA of natural assemblages of bacteria previously labeled with tritiated thymidine (SERVAIS et al., 1985) and the second procedure is based on the estimation of bacterial ingestion rate by protozoa using fluorescently labeled bacteria (FLB). Both methods were applied in parallel on river Meuse (Belgium) samples. Using the first method, grazing rates in the range 0.002 h-1 to 0.016 h-1 were observed; they represented in average 72 % of the total bacterial mortality rates. A very good correlation between both estimates of the grazing fluxes was found but the data obtained by the FLB method were systematically lower (around 30% in average) than those estimated with the other method. A part of this difference is probably due to he fact that the FLB method does not take into account grazing by organism higher than 100 µm

El suplemento de la imaginación en la narración. O de cómo Husserl aporta un complemento a la perspectiva de Ricoeur

I apply Edmund Husserl’s notion of “phantasma”, which he sees as the support for pure imagination, to Ricoeur’s understanding of a narrative of real facts or events. I argue, first, that the phantasma, which plays in pure imagination the same role as sensations in perception, allows us to visualize and experience what is recounted in a narrative; and, second, that this phantasma is analogous to the sensations of perceptions that observers had of these facts and events. This component of imagination in a narrative is precisely what allows a narrative to render facts and events “as they really happened.”Empleo la noción de “phantasma” de Edmund Husserl, que él ve como el soporte para la imaginación pura, a la interpretación de Ricoeur sobre la narrativa de hechos reales o acontecimientos. En primer lugar, sostengo que el phantasma, que desempeña en la imaginación pura el mismo papel que las sensaciones en la percepción, nos permite visualizar y experimentar lo que es relatado en una narración; y, en segundo lugar, que este phantasma es análogo a las sensaciones de las percepciones que los observadores tuvieron de estos hechos y acontecimientos. Este componente de la imaginación en la narración es precisamente lo que permite a ésta representar hechos y acontecimientos “tal como ellos realmente sucedieron”

Salt water intrusion modeling in the Flemish coastal plain based on a hydrogeological database

The Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) is responsible for providing recommendations related to the withdrawal of groundwater in the phreatic aquifer of the Flemish Coastal Plain. To assess the impact of this withdrawal on the freshwater heads and on the distribution of fresh and salt water in the aquifer, the agency uses a 3D density dependent groundwater flow model MOCDENS3D (Lebbe & Oude Essink 1999). Although a large number of hydrogeological data were already collected and stored in a database of the agency, the draw up of the input file for this model was very time consuming. Therefore, an interface was needed between the model and the hydrogeological database to reduce the time for the set up of the needed input files

Erfahrungen aus Entwicklung und Einsatz eines interdisziplinären Blended-Learning-Wahlpflichtfachs an zwei tiermedizinischen Hochschulen

Seit 2007 treffen sich die acht deutschsprachigen, tiermedizinischen Bildungsstätten regelmäßig zu E-Learning-Symposien, um einen Austausch von Lernmaterialien vorzubereiten und Synergien auf diesem Gebiet zu nutzen. In Spezialfächern, die nicht an allen Universitäten mit einem Lehrstuhl besetzt werden können, wäre E-Learning eine ideale Ergänzung zum Präsenzunterricht. Als Pilotprojekt wurde daher ein gemeinsames Wahlpflichtfach „Neuroimmunologie“ zwischen der Vetsuisse-Fakultät Universität Bern und der Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover verabredet. Hiermit konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine Zusammenarbeit mehrerer Universitäten und verschiedener Disziplinen möglich ist, um Kurse zu erstellen und durchzuführen, und dass die Akzeptanz dieser Kurse bei den Studierenden hoch ist. 24.06.2010 | Michael Koch (Hannover), Martin R. Fischer (Witten-Herdecke), Marc Vandevelde (Bern), Andrea Tipold (Hannover) & Jan P. Ehlers (Hannover

Steady state and transient thermal analysis of hot spots in 3D stacked ICs using dedicated test chips

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Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections and prediction of moderate-to-severe outcomes during rituximab therapy in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in the UK: a single-centre cohort study

Background Concerns have been raised regarding the reduced immunogenicity of vaccines against COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune diseases treated with rituximab. However, the incidence and severity of breakthrough infections in unbiased samples of patients with specific rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases are largely unknown. We aimed to assess the incidence of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection, compare rates of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 with any severe infection event, and evaluate predictors of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 outcomes in patients treated with rituximab. Methods We did a retrospective cohort study in all rituximab-treated patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in a single centre in Leeds, UK between March 1, 2020 (the index date), and April 1, 2022. Adults aged 18 years and older, who fulfilled classification criteria for established rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, and received therapy with at least one rituximab infusion between Sept 1, 2019 (6 months before the pandemic in the UK), and April 1, 2022, were eligible for inclusion in the study. SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined by antigen test or PCR. COVID-19 outcomes were categorised as mild (from ambulatory to hospitalised but not requiring oxygen support) or moderate-to-severe (hospitalised and requiring oxygen support or death). The primary outcome was breakthrough COVID-19 infection, which was defined as an infection occurring 14 days or more after the second vaccine dose. Predictors of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 outcomes were analysed using Cox regression proportional hazards. Findings Of the 1280 patients who were treated with at least one cycle of rituximab since Jan 1, 2002, 485 (38%) remained on rituximab therapy on April 1, 2022. Of these patients, 400 fulfilled all inclusion criteria and were included in our final analysis. The mean age at the index date was 58·9 years (SD 14·6), 288 (72%) of 400 patients were female and 112 (28%) were male, 333 (83%) were White, and 110 (28%) had two or more comorbidities. 272 (68%) of 400 patients had rheumatoid arthritis, 48 (12%) had systemic lupus erythematosus, 48 (12%) had anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, and 46 (12%) had other rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. During the study, 798 rituximab cycles were administered. Of the 398 (>99%) of 400 patients with vaccine data, 372 (93%) were fully vaccinated. Over the 774·6 patient-years of follow-up, there was an incremental increase in all SARS-CoV-2 severity types over the three pandemic phases (wild-type or alpha, delta, and omicron), but most infections were mild. The rates of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 were broadly similar across these three variant phases. Of 370 patients who were fully vaccinated and with complete data, 110 (30%) had all severity type breakthrough COVID-19, 16 (4%) had moderate-to-severe breakthrough COVID-19, and one (<1%) died. In the post-vaccination phase (after Dec 18, 2020), the incidence rates of all severity type and moderate-to-severe COVID-19 were substantially lower in those who were fully vaccinated compared with unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals (22·83 per 100 person-years [95% CI 18·94–27·52] in those who were fully vaccinated vs 89·46 per 100 person-years [52·98–151·05] in those who were partially vaccinated or unvaccinated for infections of all severities, and 3·32 per 100 person-years [2·03–5·42] in those who were fully vaccinated vs 25·56 per 100 person-years [9·59–68·10] in those who were partially vaccinated or unvaccinated for moderate-to-severe infections). The rate of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 was broadly similar to other severe infection events in this cohort (5·68 per 100 person-years [95% CI 4·22–7·63]). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, factors associated with an increased risk of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 were the number of comorbidities (hazard ratio 1·46 [95% CI 1·13–1·89]; p=0·0037) and hypogammaglobulinaemia (defined by a pre-rituximab IgG concentration of <6 g/L; 3·22 [1·27–8·19]; p=0·014). This risk was reduced with each vaccine dose received (0·49 [0·37–0·65]; p<0·0001). Other factors, including concomitant prednisolone use, rituximab-associated factors (eg, rituximab dose and time to vaccination since last rituximab dose), and vaccine-associated factors (eg, vaccine type and peripheral B-cell depletion) were not predictive of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 outcomes. Interpretation This study presented detailed analyses of rituximab-treated patients during various phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. In later stages of the pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection rate was high but severe COVID-19 rates were similar to any severe infection event rate in patients who were vaccinated. The risk–benefit ratio might still favour rituximab in vaccinated patients with severe rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases who have few other treatment options. Increased vigilance is needed in the presence of comorbidities and hypogammaglobulinaemia for all infection types

Canine distemper virus persistence in demyelinating encephalitis by swift intracellular cell-to-cell spread in astrocytes is controlled by the viral attachment protein

The mechanism of viral persistence, the driving force behind the chronic progression of inflammatory demyelination in canine distemper virus (CDV) infection, is associated with non-cytolytic viral cell-to-cell spread. Here, we studied the molecular mechanisms of viral spread of a recombinant fluorescent protein-expressing virulent CDV in primary canine astrocyte cultures. Time-lapse video microscopy documented that CDV spread was very efficient using cell processes contacting remote target cells. Strikingly, CDV transmission to remote cells could occur in less than 6 h, suggesting that a complete viral cycle with production of extracellular free particles was not essential in enabling CDV to spread in glial cells. Titration experiments and electron microscopy confirmed a very low CDV particle production despite higher titers of membrane-associated viruses. Interestingly, confocal laser microscopy and lentivirus transduction indicated expression and functionality of the viral fusion machinery, consisting of the viral fusion (F) and attachment (H) glycoproteins, at the cell surface. Importantly, using a single-cycle infectious recombinant H-knockout, H-complemented virus, we demonstrated that H, and thus potentially the viral fusion complex, was necessary to enable CDV spread. Furthermore, since we could not detect CD150/SLAM expression in brain cells, the presence of a yet non-identified glial receptor for CDV was suggested. Altogether, our findings indicate that persistence in CDV infection results from intracellular cell-to-cell transmission requiring the CDV-H protein. Viral transfer, happening selectively at the tip of astrocytic processes, may help the virus to cover long distances in the astroglial network, “outrunning” the host’s immune response in demyelinating plaques, thus continuously eliciting new lesions