China’s Debt Revisited

This paper updates the dataset on the structure of China’s debt published in Sun (2015, 2019) with the debt effects. The new dataset extends the sample to the end of 2018 including the collected annual and the estimated quarterly data covering the period 1985-2018, and presents the updated changes in deleverage ratios for all debt categories in China. In addition, we examine the effects of the debt on the monetary policy transmission and the macroeconomy in China with the GMM approach and a VAR model. We find that the monetary policy transmissions have been weakened in times of high indebtedness by both the public and the private debt despite at the heterogenous magnitude. Our study sheds new lights to policy design and debt management in China

The Status and Prospects of Community Education Workers in China

Professionalization, career development prospects, and social value are the three basic components of the status and prospects of community education workers, which influence their choice to continue their careers or not. In China, these problems are complex and lacking in systematic research, and the current situation does not meet the needs of community education. This study interviewed 24 community workers regarding their salaries, working conditions, and training and career advancement opportunities to evaluate this situation in Ningbo City. The findings highlight challenges in the evaluation processes and work motivations of community education workers, including teams without professional knowledge, lack of training opportunities, unsupportive policies, and low salaries. These findings can be used by governments and community workers to find collaborative ways to facilitate community education processes, including the provision of adult education for community educators. New legal policies to raise the status of community educators are also suggested

On Fenchel-Nielsen coordinates on Teichm\"uller spaces of surfaces of infinite type

We introduce Fenchel-Nielsen coordinates on Teicm\"uller spaces of surfaces of infinite type. The definition is relative to a given pair of pants decomposition of the surface. We start by establishing conditions under which any pair of pants decomposition on a hyperbolic surface of infinite type can be turned into a geometric decomposition, that is, a decomposition into hyperbolic pairs of pants. This is expressed in terms of a condition we introduce and which we call Nielsen convexity. This condition is related to Nielsen cores of Fuchsian groups. We use this to define the Fenchel-Nielsen Teichm\"uller space associated to a geometric pair of pants decomposition. We study a metric on such a Teichm\"uller space, and we compare it to the quasiconformal Teichm\"uller space, equipped with the Teichm\"uller metric. We study conditions under which there is an equality between these Teichm\"uller spaces and we study topological and metric properties of the identity map when this map exists

Stabilizing single atoms and a lower oxidation state of Cu by a ½[110]{100} edge dislocation in Cu-CeO₂

Stabilizing atomically dispersed catalytic metal species at surfaces is a significant challenge for obtaining high-performance single atom catalysts. This is because of the strong tendency for the dispersed metal atoms to agglomerate. We propose that dislocations can provide a strong anchor for stabilizing single atoms. A ½[110]{100} edge dislocation in Cu doped ceria, Cu-CeO₂, is investigated as a model system with density functional theory. The defect formation energies are found to be lower at the dislocation core, with a large segregation energy ranging within 0.8–2.5 eV depending on the site and species at the dislocation core. The high segregation energy indicates that the edge dislocations can enrich Cu defects in an atomically sized area and, thus, have a potential to strongly anchor single atom species at surfaces. Moreover, the edge dislocation also stabilizes reduced cation species, Cu (1+) and Ce (3+). The more reduced dislocation core can offer high concentration of oxygen vacancy as well as in-gap electronic states which provide more reactivity for surface reactions.United States. Department of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Grant DE-SC0002633

Market integration in China

Over the last three decades, China's product, labor, and capital markets have become gradually more integrated within its borders, although integration has been significantly slower for capital markets. There remains a significant urban-rural divide, and Chinese cities tend to be under-sized by international standards. China has also integrated globally, initially through the Special Economic Zones on the coast as launching grounds to connect with world markets, and subsequently through the accession to the World Trade Organization. For future policy considerations, this paper argues that its economic production needs to be spatially concentrated, and its social services need to be spread out to the interior to ensure harmonious development and domestic integration (through inclusive rural-urban transformations and effective territorial development).Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Debt Markets,Emerging Markets,Access to Finance

Edge dislocation slows down oxide ion diffusion in doped CeO2 by segregation of charged defects

Strained oxide thin films are of interest for accelerating oxide ion conduction in electrochemical devices. Although the effect of elastic strain has been uncovered theoretically, the effect of dislocations on the diffusion kinetics in such strained oxides is yet unclear. Here we investigate a 1/2{100} edge dislocation by performing atomistic simulations in 4–12% doped CeO₂ as a model fast ion conductor. At equilibrium, depending on the size of the dopant, trivalent cations and oxygen vacancies are found to simultaneously enrich or deplete either in the compressive or in the tensile strain fields around the dislocation. The associative interactions among the point defects in the enrichment zone and the lack of oxygen vacancies in the depletion zone slow down oxide ion transport. This finding is contrary to the fast diffusion of atoms along the dislocations in metals and should be considered when assessing the effects of strain on oxide ion conductivity.United States. Department of Energy (DE-SC0002633)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (TG-DMR110004)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (TG-DMR120025

PhOBF1, a petunia ocs element binding factor, plays an important role in antiviral RNA silencing.

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a common reverse genetics strategy for characterizing the function of genes in plants. The detailed mechanism governing RNA silencing efficiency triggered by viruses is largely unclear. Here, we reveal that a petunia (Petunia hybrida) ocs element binding factor, PhOBF1, one of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors, was up-regulated by Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) infection. Simultaneous silencing of PhOBF1 and a reporter gene, phytoene desaturase (PDS) or chalcone synthase (CHS), by TRV-based VIGS led to a failure of the development of leaf photobleaching or the white-corollas phenotype. PhOBF1 silencing caused down-regulation of RNA silencing-related genes, including RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RDRs), Dicer-like RNase III enzymes (DCLs), and Argonautes (AGOs). After inoculation with the TRV-PhPDS, PhOBF1-RNAi lines exhibited a substantially impaired PDS silencing efficiency, whereas overexpression of PhOBF1 resulted in a recovery of the silencing phenotype (photobleaching) in systemic leaves. A compromised resistance to TRV and Tobacco mosaic virus was found in PhOBF1-RNAi lines, while PhOBF1-overexpressing lines displayed an enhanced resistance to their infections. Compared with wild-type plants, PhOBF1-silenced plants accumulated lower levels of free salicylic acid (SA), salicylic acid glucoside, and phenylalanine, contrarily to higher levels of those in plants overexpressing PhOBF1. Furthermore, transcripts of a number of genes associated with the shikimate and phenylpropanoid pathways were decreased or increased in PhOBF1-RNAi or PhOBF1-overexpressing lines, respectively. Taken together, the data suggest that PhOBF1 regulates TRV-induced RNA silencing efficiency through modulation of RDRs, DCLs, and AGOs mediated by the SA biosynthesis pathway

China’s Debt: Structure, Determinants and Sustainability

In this paper, we analyse the evolution of China’s debt structure in terms of a new comprehensive debt dataset and then identify the determinants of China’s debt structure using stepwise multivariate regression; furthermore, employing a fiscal space framework and DSR approach, we assess the sustainability of China’s domestic and external debt. The empirical results suggest that first, China’s GDP growth rate, the borrowing costs and the financial markets’ development are key common determining factors for China’s debt structure; second, the highly indebted local governments and non-financial corporations could lead to potential risks for China’s financial stability. Nevertheless, China’s debt by sector is sound and sustainable in the near and medium term