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China's rare earth monopoly: a study of the U.S. discourse
Lee, Chi Sin ; Riegl, Martin (advisor) ; Romancov, Michael (referee)
This thesis examines the way in which China's share of the rare earths global industry is constructed as a threat. The central argument of the research is that the US discourse presented a new form of danger through the lens of classical geopolitical thinking, thus, creating a new type of prospective conflict derived from resources that are perceived to be scarce and yet relatively abundant. It argues that the construction of this 'threat' that the US faces is a constant articulation of perceived vulnerabilities in shaping geopolitical identities and reinforcing ideologies through which are carried out by different actors. Rare earths are crucial for modern conditions and their applications include commercial, military and green technology but mining and production are neither economical nor environmentally friendly. The People's Republic of China is the principal exporter of these rare metals, but because of a territorial dispute in the South China Sea in 2010 it has been labelled as a monopoly power. This study seeks to examine the constructed threat that China poses to the US. China, here, is not only constructed to be a resource hungry giant but also a malicious state that would utilise its 'monopoly' status as geopolitical leverage. The thesis will employ discourse analysis and wisdoms of...
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Political Engagement and Identity Awareness among Czech-Vietnamese University Students
Lee, Shang-Yen ; Young, Mitchell (advisor) ; Augusteijn, Joost (referee)
The Vietnamese have been resided in Czech Republic since 1950s. Literature claims that the Vietnamese is a rather successfully integrated group in Czech Republic comparing with other minority. Hence, the master thesis aims at exploring the political participation as well as civic engagement of university students with Vietnamese ethnicity and are conceived as second generation of the Vietnamese group in Czech Republic. Based on a review on literature on theories and relevant studies on political participation, the research employed qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with 15 Vietnamese university students in Prague. Analysis of the responses demonstrates that most of the participants perceive political participation as their duty of citizenship and do not link their political participation with minority identity. Meanwhile, a distinction of attitude towards civic engagement and political participation for the target group and the trend of replacing political activities with civic activities is discovered. At the end of the research, this study indicates that conventional theories of political participation are not be able to cover the complexity of political participation in the modern society. Keywords Vietnamese minority, political participation, civic participation, minority...
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China's rare earth monopoly: a study of the U.S. discourse
Lee, Chi Sin ; Riegl, Martin (advisor) ; Romancov, Michael (referee)
This thesis examines the way in which China's share of the rare earths global industry is constructed as a threat. The central argument of the research is that the US discourse presented a new form of danger through the lens of classical geopolitical thinking, thus, creating a new type of prospective conflict derived from resources that are perceived to be scarce and yet relatively abundant. It argues that the construction of this 'threat' that the US faces is a constant articulation of perceived vulnerabilities in shaping geopolitical identities and reinforcing ideologies through which are carried out by different actors. Rare earths are crucial for modern conditions and their applications include commercial, military and green technology but mining and production are neither economical nor environmentally friendly. The People's Republic of China is the principal exporter of these rare metals, but because of a territorial dispute in the South China Sea in 2010 it has been labelled as a monopoly power. This study seeks to examine the constructed threat that China poses to the US. China, here, is not only constructed to be a resource hungry giant but also a malicious state that would utilise its 'monopoly' status as geopolitical leverage. The thesis will employ discourse analysis and wisdoms of...
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Qualitative study of itinerant specialist support for the inclusion of preschoolers with disabilities in the Czech Republic
Lee, Soo Hoon ; Šiška, Jan (advisor) ; Strnadová, Iva (referee)
Why is the brilliant concept of inclusion so complex and is failing?. What has gone wrong or rather what is not right in practice? Maybe, one of the answers could be found in the way the inclusive practitioners in practice use disability terminologies in educational settings. In this view, the study seeks to sensitize education professionals practicing inclusion in all educational settings to pay attention to the terminologies that they use in their day to day language communication with others to describe people with disabilities. In writing and speaking about, and with people with disabilities, whether they are young or old, it is most important to use appropriate terminology. Firstly, it demonstrates to all that we value people with disabilities as members of our society. Secondly, it educates those who read and hear what we say, about appropriate terminology, and therefore gives them an opportunity too, to help develop and promote, inclusive and equitable values. The main aim of this study is to identify the effects of using appropriate disability terminologies by inclusive professionals in interacting and communicating with students with special educational needs. Ultimately, education professionals are viewed as agents of change and appeared to play a vital role in enhancing inclusive practices....
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Structure of an immunoactive polysaccharide isolated from Korean mulberry fruit (Morus alba L.)
Bleha, R. ; Lee, J. S. ; Capek, P. ; Pohl, Radek ; Kim, H. B. ; Choi, D. J. ; Lee, S. ; Lee, J. ; Jang, S. J. ; Synytsya, A. ; Park, Y. I.
A water-soluble polysaccharide (JS-MP-1) was isolated from the water extract of Korean white mulberry fruits (Morus alba L.) by ethanol precipitation and then purified by DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. Obtained final polysaccharide (1600 KDa) consisted of galactose, arabinose and rhamnose as major neutral sugars. JS-MP-1 also contains galacturonic and glucuronic acids (4:1). Sugar linkage, FTIR and correlation NMR analyses confirmed that it is a rhamnogalacturonan type I (RG I), which contains the alternating sequence of 1,4-alpha-D-GalAp and 1,2-alpha-L-Rhap units in the backbone. Neutral sugar side chains of JS-MP1 were identified as (1 -> 5)-alpha-L-arabinan and arabinogalactan type II (AG II) having the (1 -> 6)-beta-D-galactan core. The arabinan side chains are bound to the backbone at the O-4 position of some alpha-L-Rhap units, while the way of linkage between RG I and AG II chains is unclear. It was demonstrated that JS-MP-1 significantly stimulates murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells to release chemokines (RANTES and MIP-1 alpha) and proinflammatory cytokines like INF-alpha and IL-6, and induce the iNOS and COX-2 gene expression, which are responsible for the production of NO and prostaglandin PGE2, respectively. These results suggest that JS-MP-1 can act as a potent immunomodulator and these observations may support the applicability of this polysaccharide or the water extracts of mulberry fruit can be used as an immunotherapeutic adjuvant or health beneficial food material.
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