Search results for "China"

The Challenges of Reforming the International Monetary System in the Post COVID-19 World

2020

Abstract The paper analyzes if the international monetary system calls for reform and whether China and the renminbi will play a decisive role in the post COVID-19 world. It also evaluates the main scenarios and trends that is being discussed since the global crisis – selecting the relevant authors, journals, institutions and opinions – examines present conditions and tries to extrapolate into future trends. Opting for a nontechnical approach, the article could be a good insight into the international monetary system, for academics, non-experts and policy makers. The paper concludes that if the 2008 crisis has induced the growth of the China role in the international monetary governance and…

China in Pakistan and the wider region: A cautious but effective leader?

2018

This article assesses China–Pakistan-Afghanistan relations in the period 2014–2018 and asks whether China has exercised distinct pressure on Pakistan to be a more constructive partner for Afghanistan. A central argument is that even as China has failed to alter Pakistan’s policies significantly in the short term it is still continuing to successfully build power and trust in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as with their neighbours to the north and west. This bodes well for China’s exercise of regional leadership in a long-term perspective.

Analysis of New Concept English from the Perspective of Cross-cultural Communication–A Case Study in Book 2

2018

New Concept English (NCE) is a series of English language textbooks, four volumes in total, which have gained national popularity and wide acceptance by English teachers, learners and parents in China. In the academic circle, apart from the analysis of the contents of NCE, which has been mostly discussed, many contrast studies between NCE and other English course-books are not new topics either. This paper focuses on the analysis of NCE from the perspective of cross-cultural communication and develops a detailed study on the second volume based on eight parameters: norm, value, art, custom, religion, language, ways of life, material culture. Hopefully, the current study will shed new light …

Critical appraisal of tubular putative eumetazoans from the Ediacaran Weng'an Doushantuo biota

2015

Molecular clock analyses estimate that crown-group animals began diversifying hundreds of millions of years before the start of the Cambrian period. However, the fossil record has not yielded unequivocal evidence for animals during this interval. Some of the most promising candidates for Precambrian animals occur in the Weng'an biota of South China, including a suite of tubular fossils assigned to Sinocyclocyclicus, Ramitubus, Crassitubus and Quadratitubus, that have been interpreted as soft-bodied eumetazoans comparable to tabulate corals. Here, we present new insights into the anatomy, original composition and phylogenetic affinities of these taxa based on data from synchrotron radiation …

Changes of coagulation parameters during high altitude expedition

2010

Data on changes of haemostatic parameters at altitudes above 5000 m are very limited. So far it is unknown, whether altered coagulation could contribute to the development of acute mountain sickness.Thirty four healthy mountaineers were randomised to two acclimatisation protocols and undertook an expedition on Muztagh Ata (7549 m) in China. Tests were performed at five altitudes up to 6865 m. Haemostatic parameters, such as PT, aPTT, D-Dimer, APC-Resistance (APCR), von Willebrand Factor activity (RCo), ADAMTS-13C-Natriuretic Peptide (CNP) were assessed together with Lake Louise AMS score.D-Dimer significantly increased with increasing altitude (median 0.62 to 0.81 mcg/L, p0.0001). During as…

COVID-19 Infection Process in Italy and Spain: Are the Data Talking?

2020

Background: COVID-19 has spread successfully worldwide in a matter of weeks. After the example of China, all the affected countries are taking hard-confinement measures to control the infection and to gain some time to diminish the big amount of cases that arrive to hospital. Although the measures in China reduced the percentages of new cases, this is not seen in other countries that have taken similar measures, such as Italy and Spain. Now we are in the middle of a battle trying to prevent the healthcare system from collapsing while it effectively responds to the needs of patients who are infected and require hospitalization. Methods: Using China as a mirror of what could happen in our cou…

COVID-19 and economy.

2020

Learning from the past in the COVID-19 era: rediscovery of quarantine, previous pandemics, origin of hospitals and national healthcare systems, and e…

2020

Abstract After the dramatic coronavirus outbreak at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on 11 March 2020, a pandemic was declared by the WHO. Most countries worldwide imposed a quarantine or lockdown to their citizens, in an attempt to prevent uncontrolled infection from spreading. Historically, quarantine is the 40-day period of forced isolation to prevent the spread of an infectious disease. In this educational paper, a historical overview from the sacred temples of ancient Greece—the cradle of medicine—to modern hospitals, along with the conceive of healthcare systems, is provided. A few foods for thought as to the conflict between ethics in medicine and shortage of personne…

Lielvaru (ASV un Ķīnas) sāncensība 21. gadsimtā

2022

Maģistra darba “Lielvaru (ASV un Ķīnas) sāncensība 21. gadsimtā” mērķis ir vairāku lielvaru augšupejas un lejupslīdes teoriju aplūkošana un analīze, saistot tās ar empīriskajiem novērojumiem par šādu sāncensību. Maģistra darbā apskatītās teorijas tiks pretnostatītas ASV un Ķīnas kā lielvaru sāncensībai mūsdienās, tādējādi veicinot izpratni par iespējamo šādas sāncensības izcelsmi un norisi, izrietot no vēsturiskiem gadījumiem, kas saistīti ar lielvaru sāncensību. Darba teorētiskā bāze ietver izklāstu par lielvaru raksturojumu un vairāku citu jēdzienu apskatīšanu, kā arī apskata četras lielvaru sāncensības teorijas. Maģistra darba empīrisko daļu veido lielvaru sāncensības vēsturiskā ietvara …

Alkamides from Echinacea angustifolia Interact with P-Glycoprotein of Primary Brain Capillary Endothelial Cells Isolated from Porcine Brain Blood Ves…

2013

The blood-brain barrier prevents the passage of toxic compounds from blood circulation into brain tissue. Unfortunately, drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, brain tumors, and other diseases also do not cross the blood-brain barrier. In the present investigation, we used isolated porcine brain capillary endothelial cells and a flow cytometric calcein-AM assay to analyze inhibition of P-glycoprotein, a major constituent of the blood-brain barrier. We tested 8 alkamides isolated from Echinacea angustifolia and found that four of them inhibited P-glycoprotein-mediated calcein transport in porcine brain capillary endothelial cells.