RESUMO
To what extent do China's linkages to the global economy translate into political influence in other countries? This topic is the focus of copious amounts of policy and scholarly attention in the USA and around the world. Yet without thoughtful conceptualization of key assumptions and creation of research designs that allow identification of mechanisms of potential influence, we cannot gain an accurate understanding of Chinese influence. How can we assess Beijing's intentions? Through what mechanisms-both intended and unintended-might influence arise, and under what conditions is influence most likely to occur? To what degree are Chinese companies agents of the state and therefore tools of economic statecraft? What factors condition how host countries react to economic ties with China? In this article, we explore existing scholarship on these questions, and assess promising directions for future research.
RESUMO
Excess amounts of skin surface oil can lead to adverse psychological consequences. Grease-spot photometry-based techniques measure sebum production rate. However, besides being tedious, these measurements are influenced by contact area, applied pressure, and time of application. Image analysis of polarized images has the potential to provide objective, quantitative information of skin oiliness. This study was designed to set up an imaging device for capturing and enhancing the changes in skin surface oiliness and to clinically and quantitatively, (via image analysis), evaluate varying levels of skin surface oiliness. Mineral oil was used to simulate skin surface oil. 40.5 µL of the mineral oil was applied within a two inch square area of interest on facial skin in twelve steps, from 1 to 40.5 µL, at 40% increments. The results indicate a strong correlation between the quantitative skin surface oiliness measurements and the clinical assessments. This sensitive technique has the potential to be utilized in future studies to evaluate product efficacies in reducing skin oiliness.
