Inovação na diplomacia cultural: o caso da China

This study focuses on the innovation of China’s cultural diplomacy (CCD) by means of the Confucius Institute (CI). The main contents revolve around the following research goals: 1) to understand the strategic framework and practical path of CCD, and to clarify the context of its inheritance and innovation; 2) to analyze whether the CI, epitomized as a crucial innovation of CCD, has improved China’s national image in Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs) and enhanced the attraction and international competitiveness of Chinese culture; and 3) to explore how China can better formulate its CD strategy in line with the exigencies of the modern era. The study combines the methods of literature review, case study, and questionnaire research to explore the topics from different perspectives to strengthen the scientific nature of the research results. In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the connotation and value of CD. Chapter 2 expounds the development and innovation of CCD. Chapter 3 systematically summarizes China’s cultural interaction in its diplomatic process with PSCs. Chapter 4 elaborates on the CI in terms of its operation mode and diplomatic means. Chapter 5 forms the core of the study and involves empirical analysis of case-study and questionnaire data. It aims to investigate the functions, public image, influence, and practical means of CIs in the process of CD. Major findings indicate that CIs in PSCs have achieved ideal social feedback and play a positive role in shaping the image of China. However, according to the different continents where CIs are located, the survey results show distinct characteristics which are closely related to China’s different foreign policies towards Latin America, Europe, and Africa and are determined by the historical experiences and national conditions of the various countries. The future task for CCD is to clarify China’s institutional roots and the cultural genes behind its development by using cultural exchanges and China’s fluid culture to convey a message of China’s pursuit of peace, development, and cooperation.Este estudo tem como foco a inovação da Diplomacia Cultural da China (DCC) através do Instituto Confúcio (IC). Os principais conteúdos giram em torno dos seguintes objetivos de investigação: 1) compreender o enquadramento estratégico e o percurso prático da Diplomacia Cultural da China e clarificar o contexto da sua herança e inovação; 2) analisar se o IC, exemplo de inovação crucial da Diplomacia Cultural da China, melhorou a imagem nacional da China nos Países de Língua Oficial Portuguesa (PALOP) e aumentou a atração e competitividade internacional da cultura chinesa; e 3) explorar como a China pode formular melhor a sua estratégia de Diplomacia Cultural, de acordo com as exigências da era moderna. O estudo combina os métodos de revisão de literatura, estudo de caso e pesquisa de questionário para explorar os tópicos de diferentes perspetivas com o objetivo de fortalecer a natureza científica dos resultados de investigação. Além da introdução e da conclusão, a tese está dividida em cinco capítulos. O Capítulo 1 discute a conotação e o valor de Diplomacia Cultural (DC). O Capítulo 2 expõe o desenvolvimento e a inovação da Diplomacia Cultural da China (DCC). O Capítulo 3 resume sistematicamente a interação cultural da China no seu processo diplomático com os Países de Língua Oficial Portuguesa (PALOP). O Capítulo 4 discorre sobre o papel do IC em termos do seu modo de operar e dos seus meios diplomáticos. O Capítulo 5 constitui o núcleo da tese e envolve a análise empírica dos dados do estudo de caso e do questionário. Tem como objetivo investigar as funções, a imagem pública, a influência e os meios práticos dos IC no processo de Diplomacia Cultural (DC). As principais descobertas indicam que os IC nos PALOP alcançaram o feedback social ideal e desempenham um papel positivo na formação da imagem da China. No entanto, de acordo com os diferentes continentes onde os IC estão situados, os resultados da pesquisa apresentam caraterísticas distintas que estão intimamente relacionadas com as diferentes políticas externas da China para a América Latina, a Europa e a África e são determinadas pelas experiências históricas e pelas condições nacionais dos vários países. A futura tarefa da Diplomacia Cultural da China (DCC) será a de esclarecer as raízes institucionais da China e os genes culturais por trás do seu desenvolvimento, usando intercâmbios culturais e a cultura fluida da China para transmitir uma mensagem de busca de paz, de desenvolvimento e de cooperação por parte da China.Programa Doutoral em Políticas Pública

Fundamental studies of flame propagation in lean-burn natural gas engines

Lean-burn natural gas engines offer enhanced thermal efficiencies and reduced soot and NOx emissions. However, cycle-to-cycle variability in combustion that can result from unreliable ignition, variability in equivalence ratio and quenching is a challenge. Reliability of ignition can be improved by employing a dual-fuel ignition strategy in which a small quantity of diesel fuel is injected to initiate ignition. Computational studies of n-heptane/methane-air mixing layers are performed to provide insight into the fundamental physics of dual-fuel ignition. The results show that the characteristic time required for steady premixed flame propagation has three components: time for autoignition to occur, time for peak temperature to be achieved following autoignition, and time for steady flame propagation in the premixed fuel/air mixture to be achieved. The autoignition time correlates well with pressure and temperature of the unburned premixed charge. The time to achieve peak temperature is relatively short, but correlates with mixing layer thickness and premixed equivalence ratio. The time to achieve steady propagation correlates with mixing layer thickness and laminar flame speed and thickness. Subsequent work focuses on turbulent flame propagation in lean homogeneous mixtures by employing direct numerical simulations (DNS) under conditions that are relevant to lean-burn engines. Attention is specifically focused on the turbulent flame speed (ST) as a parameter of interest because of its importance in modeling combustion in engines. The studies are carried out in the thin reaction zone (TRZ) regime of turbulent premixed combustion. Normalized turbulence intensity (urms/SL) varies from 2 to 25 and the ratio of integral length scale to flame thickness (L o/δL) varies from 3.2 to 12.8. Initial studies show that the normalized turbulent flame speed (ST/SL) depends on more parameters than urms/SL suggested by some models. Although it is known that the turbulent flame speed varies with equivalence ratio, it is shown that the normalized turbulent flame speed does not change with equivalence ratio provided the Karlovitz (Ka) and Damköhler (Da) numbers are fixed. This suggests that Kaand/or Da are important parameters in characterizing the turbulent flame speed. Furthermore, ST/SL can be related to the flame area enhancement AT/AL and an efficiency factor Io which is close to unity. AT/AL is raised by increasing turbulent Reynolds number ReT and by reducing Ka. Increasing ReT leads to a broader spectrum of turbulent eddies that generate flame surface area. Increasing Karesults in fine wrinkling at the expense of larger scale wrinkling. This results in a net reduction in the effective surface area enhancement. Based on these insights, a correlation for ST that shows a dependence on Re T and Ka is proposed. Modeling of the Flame Surface Density (FSD) evolution is also considered. FSD is influenced by tangential strain rate and flame displacement speed. Surface averaged tangential strain rate is found to scale linearly with Ka. The effects of Ka on flame displacement speed are modeled using a Probability Density Function (PDF) based approach. The effects of premixed combustion on turbulence are investigated. For flames in the TRZ regime, the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) decays monotonically across the flame brush. Scaling analyses of the terms in the transport equation of TKE reveal that viscous dissipation is the dominant contribution in the TKE equation. The relative importance of the other terms in the TKE equation decreases with increasing Ka