A Study of Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Confucius Institute in the United States

This thesis used geographical information system (GIS) to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of Confucius Institutes (CIs) in the U.S. The GIS is used to identify the range of CIs services and to analyze relevant demographic, social and economic profiles. The major focus of this study is to present the temporal distribution pattern of CIs, to identify the factor which may impact the spatial distribution of CIs and the factor which may influence State’s demand for CIs.Several statistical methods such as kernel density estimation, Spearman’s rank correlation and multiple regression have been adopted in the study. Results found that (1) the temporal distribution of CIs from 2004-2013 are not evenly distributed. (2) The CIs are clustered around metropolitan regions, especially in East coast and the Great Lakes Megalopolis region. (3) There is a weak association between the spatial distribution pattern of CIs and their local demographic, socio-economics characteristics. (4) Two variables, including China-U.S. trade volume and the population with higher educational attainment, were found to have association with the state’s demand for CIs

The Time Preference of Chinese Tend to be Less Affected by Positive Emotions: As Proved by an Experimental Study

This paper aims at testing whether positive emotions have a different impact on Chinese participants’ time preference choices from American respondents on average, considering that the Chinese people own a different culture background and more inward-oriented national characteristic. The researcher conducted a controlled experiment based on random assignments, and the experiment is specifically adapted for Chinese participants. Further, in order to approach to a more accurate result, the research also determines such effect is influenced, if any, by personality factors such as risk preference. The BDM (Becker-DeGroot-Marschak) and an MPL（Multiple Price List）methods were utilized to gather sufficient data and to ensure accurate measures. This paper indicates that, on average, for a Chinese participant, positive emotion will still reduce their time preference over intertemporal decision regarding to cash payment, but in a smaller amount on average, compared to an American respondent. Also, the result shows that, risk preference does play a role and tend to risk neutral persons have a weaker time-preference, compared to risk-takers and risk-avoiders. Moreover, several other factors, such as the health state, family income, and gender may also have correlation with time preferences. Alternative explanations are proposed at the end. This research may contribute to explain the differences of credit card usages preferences between the Chinese and American consumers and to explicate the reasoning of the Chinese economic miracles in the recent decades

How does customer co-creation affect firm’s brand image and customer’s willingness to pay a price premium?

This study is aimed to investigate whether brand image and customer willingness to pay a premium can be affected by co-creation. Co-creation now has been a crucial part in firm‟s new product or service development process and a major factor of firm‟s competitive advantage. However, regarding the correlations between co-creation, brand image and willingness to pay a premium, most previous studies focused on co-creation effects on service-intensive industries, whereas the effects on new product development receive less attention. This study focuses on analysing the effects of co-creation on new product development rather than services. 282 respondents are involved in this study. They are tested purely by questionnaires. Co-creation is tested based on two measurements: „the degree of co-creation‟ and „satisfaction with co-creation experience‟. The results of this study show that: (1) The degree of co-creation is positively related to brand image. (2) Consumer satisfaction with co-creation experience is positively related to brand image. (3) The degree of co-creation is positively related to consumer WTP a price premium. (4) Consumer satisfaction with co-creation experience is positively related to their WTP a price premium. Further analysis based on each questionnaire items concludes several implications for managers. (1) Companies should identity deficient products and identify potential talented co-creators. (2) Companies should pay more attention for co-creation support. (3) Companies should maintain a stable relationship with consumers. (4) Companies should recognize different kinds of motivation system in order to establish the most suitable strategy for customer co-creation. (5) Companies should invest more in signalling activities, customize co-creation services and communications

Knowledge pricing structures on MOOC platform – A use case analysis on edX

University courses provided online in form of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are gaining increased attention, yet their pricing structure is rarely studied. MOOCs can be treated as knowledge products, and MOOC platforms, therefore, become the marketplace for market-participants to trade those products. A functional knowledge market cannot be established without an appropriate and reliable pricing model, but so far, there have only been a very limited number of studies focusing on the pricing strategies in MOOCs. This study fills this gap by providing a systematic price analysis on one of the largest non-for-profit MOOC platforms, edx.org. In doing so, we establish a model to explain the price differences among different courses. This study can act as a well-grounded starting-point for future MOOC-pricing studies and knowledge products\u27 valuation research

(Main Section: Ecological Planning)

Appropriate microclimate design for urban parks is important, as it impacts on thermal comfort and thereby influences the utilization of outdoor spaces by the public. Modifying the vegetation arrangement can improve the microclimate, especially under hot season conditions. However, it is difficult to measure microclimatic variations in the individual components within a park. Therefore, we combined in-situ measurements and a three-dimensional microclimate model ENVI-met, to examine variations in the microclimate of an urban neighborhood park in Seoul, Korea. Different vegetation arrangements were investigated with respect to their effects on microclimate and thermal comfort on a typical summer day. The study showed that: 1) the simulated results of ENVI-met were similar to the observed data, with an index of agreement of 0.69–0.88; 2) green spaces with multi-layered and dense canopy cover provided the most comfortable conditions. However, the cooling efficiency of vegetation may decrease when the plantation is too dense; and 3) the main factor affecting thermal comfort in the hot season was mean radiant temperature. The findings of this study provide useful information to guide planning of vegetation arrangements in future urban park designs

Hypermethylated gene ANKDD1A is a candidate tumor suppressor that interacts with FIH1 and decreases HIF1α stability to inhibit cell autophagy in the glioblastoma multiforme hypoxia microenvironment.

Ectopic epigenetic mechanisms play important roles in facilitating tumorigenesis. Here, we first demonstrated that ANKDD1A is a functional tumor suppressor gene, especially in the hypoxia microenvironment. ANKDD1A directly interacts with FIH1 and inhibits the transcriptional activity of HIF1α by upregulating FIH1. In addition, ANKDD1A decreases the half-life of HIF1α by upregulating FIH1, decreases glucose uptake and lactate production, inhibits glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) autophagy, and induces apoptosis in GBM cells under hypoxia. Moreover, ANKDD1A is highly frequently methylated in GBM. The tumor-specific methylation of ANKDD1A indicates that it could be used as a potential epigenetic biomarker as well as a possible therapeutic target