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Introduction -- Development theories -- Development in Pacific Asia -- The political economy of 'Confucian' capitalisms -- The political economy of 'ersatz capitalism' in Southeast Asia -- Political development in Japan : a model of 'illiberal democracy'? -- Political development in Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand : the triumph of democratisation -- Political development in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia : democratisation blocked -- 'Welfare orientalism' and social development in Pacific Asia -- The changing context of development : democratisation, globalisation and the 1997 crisis -- The rise of regionalism in Pacific Asia : contested visions, changing realities

China has been enjoying rapid economic growth ever since it embarked upon its reform programme over a decade ago. This has brought about a series of socio-political consequences for Chinese society, not all of which are encouraging developments. In an age of democratization, China is now faced with the critical choice between democratization and recentralization. Examining the economic and political situation in China, the author concludes that a reassertion of central authority is not only in the interest of social and political stability, but also of the economic growth so cherished by the regime itself. (DÜI-Sen)

Jianfeng Jin,1 Dongdong Fei,1 Yumei Zhang,2 Qintao Wang1 1State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Periodontology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Prosthodontics, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China Background: Biological complications are an issue of critical interest in contemporary dental and orthopedic fields. Although titanium (Ti), graphene oxide (GO) or silver (Ag) particles are suitable for biomedical implants due to their excellent cytocompatibility, bioactivity, and antibacterial properties, the exact antibacterial mechanism is not understood when the three substances are combined (Ti-GO-Ag). Materials and methods: In this work, the material characterization, antibacterial property, antibacterial mechanisms, and cell behavior of Ti-GO-Ag fabricated by electroplating and ultraviolet reduction methods respectively, were investigated in detail. Results: The material char­acterization of Ti-GO-Ag tested by atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nanoindentation, nanoscratch, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, and contact angle tester revealed the importance of GO concentration and Ag content in the preparation process. The antibacterial tests of Ti-GO-Ag clearly demonstrated the whole process of bacteria interacting with materials, including reactive oxygen species, endocytosis, aggregation, perforation, and leakage. In addition, the behavior of Ti-GO-Ag showed that cell area, length, width, and fluorescence intensity were affected. Conclusion: Briefly, Ti-GO-Ag nanocomposite was a dual-functionalized implant biomaterial with antibacterial and biocom­patible characterization. Keywords: functionalized titanium implant, Ti-GO-Ag nanocomposite, surface topography, material characterization, antibacterial mechanism, cell behavior

China has recently been spending more than 10 % of total annual government expenditures on public infrastructure. In late 2008, when the global financial crisis occurred, a four trillion yuan package was put into action to stimulate domestic economic growth. Public infrastructure investment in 2009 and 2010 was respectively 60 % and 80 % higher than in 2008. China has managed to sustain rapid economic growth in recent years. However, disparities between rich and poor have risen, and China has become one of the most unequal countries in the world. Despite high overall economic growth rates, the Chinese government is becoming increasingly concerned about high and rising income inequality. Reducing poverty and inequality through inclusive growth has become a major mandate of development policy. President Hu Jintao formally endorsed inclusive growth as a national development strategy at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in November, 2009. ; IFPRI3 ; DSGD ; PR

Jianfeng Jin,1,2 Li Zhang,3 Mengqi Shi,3 Yumei Zhang,3 Qintao Wang11State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Periodontology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 2Department of General Dentistry, Kunming Municipal Stomatology Hospital, Kunming, 3State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Prosthodontics, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China Abstract: Surface modification of titanium (Ti) implants are extensively studied in order to obtain prominent biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity, especially preventing implant-associated infection. In this study, Ti substrates surface were modified by graphene oxide (GO) thin film and silver (Ag) nanoparticles via electroplating and ultraviolet reduction methods so as to achieve this purpose. Microstructures, distribution, quantities and spectral peaks of GO and Ag loading on the Ti sheets surface were characterized. GO-Ag-Ti multiphase nanocomposite exhibited excellent antimicrobial ability and anti-adherence performance. Subsequently, morphology, membrane integrity, apoptosis and relative genes expression of bacteria incubated on the Ti samples surface were monitored to reveal the bactericidal mechanism. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of Ti substrates incorporating GO thin film and Ag nanoparticles were investigated. GO-Ag-Ti composite configuration that have outstanding antibacterial properties will provide the foundation to study bone integration in vitro and in vivo in the future.Keywords: GO-Ag-Ti multiphase nanocomposite, microstructure and quantities, antibacterial activity, bactericidal mechanism, cytotoxicity

The Chinese economy has recently experienced a rapid and fundamental transformation, and the public expenditure on agriculture has also changed to reflect shifts in policy priorities. This paper reviewed public agricultural expenditure in a comprehensive way using detailed expenditure data at different administrative levels. The paper found that public expenditure for agriculture has increased steadily in China; however, the definition of agricultural spending might not precisely measure resources allocated to agricultural production. Some unique features of Chinese agricultural expenditure are identified, namely high decentralization and substantial intergovernmental transfer. The highly decentralized and hierarchical administrative system caused fragmentation in budget and implementation, resulting in rampant inefficiencies. Government expenditure also exhibits considerable regional disparity. This study recommends improving the fiscal system by rebalancing expenditure with revenues, prioritizing agricultural expenditure, and addressing regional disparities. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; CRP2 ; DSGD; PIM ; CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)

A dynamic computable general equilibrium model is developed to assess the impact of the recent global recession and the Chinese government's stimulus package on China's economic growth. The model is first used to capture the actual sector-level economic growth in 2008 and the possible economic performance in 2009 without the intervention of the Chinese government through its stimulus package. Under this global recession scenario, the GDP growth rate in 2009 falls to 2.9 percent mainly as a result of the sharp drop in exports of manufactured goods, while the agricultural sector is more crisis-resilient. Because export-oriented manufacturing sectors are often import-intensive, the weakened economy is accompanied by a reduction in Chinese firms' import demand for materials, intermediates, and capital goods. The model also shows that without government intervention, the negative effect of a one-year shock on the Chinese economy would last for many years. Also, over the next five to six years, China is unlikely to replicate its strong economic performance of the past two decades. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1 ; DSGD

Jing Luo,1,2,* Yide He,1,* Fanhui Meng,1,3,* Ning Yan,1 Yumei Zhang,1 Wen Song1 1State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Department of Prosthodontics, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Stomatology, General Hospital of Southern Theater Command, PLA, Guangzhou 510010, People's Republic of China; 3State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Department of Dental Materials, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, People's Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yumei Zhang Email wqtzym@fmmu.edu.cnWen Song Email songwenfmmu@hotmail.comBackground: The proper topography of implant surface can induce macrophages polarization, whereas the regulation mechanism has not been fully deciphered. The study aimed to examine the regulation mechanism of macrophages M2 polarization by titanium (Ti) implant surface micro/nano topography.Results: Firstly, the titanium implant micropits-nanotubular surface with ∼ 30 nm diameters (MNT) can induce the M2 polarization of RAW264.7 spontaneously, as indicated by the spindle-like cell morphological alteration and specific molecular marker arginase-1 (Arg1) expression. Next, the autophagic vacuoles (AVs) number is significantly increased on MNT surface, as confirmed by the monodansylcadaverine (MDC) and CYTO-ID staining as well as the transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation. In addition, increasing or decreasing the autophagosomes number by rapamycin or 3-methyladenine (3-MA) will result in augmentation or attenuation of Arg1. Furthermore, blocking the fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes by bafilomycin also significantly reduces Arg1, even in the presence of rapamycin. Finally, the ERK phosphorylation is selectively upregulated on MNT surface and the AVs number and Arg1 expression are significantly suppressed by U0126 treatment.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the ERK-Beclin-1-autophagy axis may play a pivotal role in the regulation of M2 polarization induced by nanotopography.Keywords: macrophages polarization, micro/nano topography, TiO2 nanotubes, autophagy, ERK

IFPRI3; ISI; CRP2 ; DSGD; PIM ; PR ; CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)