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"Lei, Wen"
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The Contentious Public Sphere : Law, Media, and Authoritarian Rule in China
\"Since the mid-2000s, public opinion and debate in China have become increasingly common and consequential, despite the ongoing censorship of speech and regulation of civil society. How did this happen? [This book] shows how the Chinese state drew on law, the media, and the Internet to further an authoritarian project of modernization, but in so doing, inadvertently created a nationwide public sphere in China--one the state must now endeavor to control. [The author] examines the influence this unruly sphere has had on Chinese politics and the ways that the state has responded. Using interviews, newspaper articles, online texts, official documents, and national surveys, [the author] shows that the development of the public sphere in China has provided an unprecedented forum for citizens to influence the public agenda, demand accountability from the government, and organize around the concepts of law and rights. [The author] demonstrates how citizens came to understand themselves as legal subjects, how legal and media professionals began to collaborate in unexpected ways, and how existing conditions of political and economic fragmentation created unintended opportunities for political critique, particularly with the rise of the Internet. The emergence of this public sphere--and its uncertain future--is a pressing issue with important implications for the political prospects of the Chinese people. Investigating how individuals learn to use public discourse to influence politics, [this book] offers new possibilities for thinking about the transformation of state-society relations.\"-- Book jacket flap.
Book
Delivering Solidarity: Platform Architecture and Collective Contention in China’s Platform Economy
This study examines how and when labor control and management leads to collective resistance in China’s food-delivery platform economy. I develop the concept of “platform architecture” to examine the technological, legal, and organizational aspects of control and management in the labor process and the variable relationships between them. Analyzing 68 in-depth interviews, ethnographic data, and 87 cases of strikes and protests, I compare the platform architecture of service and gig platforms and examine the relationship between their respective architecture and labor contention. I argue that specific differences in platform architecture diffuse or heighten collective contention. Within the service platform, technological control and management generates work dissatisfaction, but the legal and organizational dimensions contain grievances and reduce the appeal of, and spaces for, collective contention. Conversely, within the gig platform, all three dimensions of platform architecture reinforce one another, escalating grievances, enhancing the appeal of collective contention, and providing spaces for mobilizing solidarity and collective action. As a result, gig platform couriers are more likely to consider their work relations exploitative and to mobilize contention, despite facing higher barriers to collective action due to the atomization of their work.
Journal Article
FDM 3D Printing and Properties of WF/PBAT/PLA Composites
Fused deposition molding (FDM) is a commonly used 3D printing method, and polylactic acid (PLA) has become one of the most important raw materials for this technology due to its excellent warping resistance. However, its mechanical properties are insufficient. Polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) is characterized by high toughness and low rigidity, which can complement the performance of PLA. The biodegradable polymers produced by blending the two have thus been used to replace petroleum-based plastics in recent years, but the high cost of the blends has limited their wide applications. Introducing plant fibers into the blends can not only maintain biodegradability and improve the overall performance of the plastics but also reduce their costs greatly. In this study, the PBAT/PLA blends with a mass ratio of 70/30 were selected and mixed with wood flour (WF) to prepare ternary composites using a FDM 3D printing technique. The effects of WF dosage on the mechanical properties, thermal properties, surface wettability, and melt flowability of the composites were investigated. The results showed that the proper amount of WF could improve the tensile and flexural moduli of the composites, as well as the crystallinity and hydrophobicity of the printed specimens increased with the content of WF, while the melt flow rate decreased gradually. Compared to PBAT/PLA blends, WF/PBAT/PLA composites are less costly, and the composite containing 20 wt.% WF has the best comprehensive performance, showing great potential as raw material for FDM 3D printing.
Journal Article
Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Vegetable Species Planted in Contaminated Soils and the Health Risk Assessment
The objectives of the present study were to investigate heavy metal accumulation in 22 vegetable species and to assess the human health risks of vegetable consumption. Six vegetable types were cultivated on farmland contaminated with heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, and As). The target hazard quotient (THQ) method was used to assess the human health risks posed by heavy metals through vegetable consumption. Clear differences were found in the concentrations of heavy metals in edible parts of the different vegetables. The concentrations of heavy metals decreased in the sequence as leafy vegetables > stalk vegetables/root vegetables/solanaceous vegetables > legume vegetables/melon vegetables. The ability of leafy vegetables to uptake and accumulate heavy metals was the highest, and that of melon vegetables was the lowest. This indicated that the low accumulators (melon vegetables) were suitable for being planted on contaminated soil, while the high accumulators (leafy vegetables) were unsuitable. In Shizhuyuan area, China, the total THQ values of adults and children through consumption of vegetables were 4.12 and 5.41, respectively, suggesting that the residents may be facing health risks due to vegetable consumption, and that children were vulnerable to the adverse effects of heavy metal ingestion.
Journal Article
Neuroinflammation and energy metabolism: a dual perspective on ischemic stroke
Ischemic stroke is a prevalent form of cerebrovascular accident, with its pathogenesis involving the intricate interplay between neuroinflammation and energy metabolism. Cerebral ischemia disrupts oxygen and energy supply, triggering metabolic dysregulation and activating neuroinflammatory responses, ultimately resulting in cellular damage. This review provides an exhaustive analysis of the complex mechanisms of ischemic stroke, with a particular focus on the interaction between neuroinflammation and energy metabolism. The interruption of oxygen and energy supply due to cerebral ischemia initiates metabolic dysregulation and activates neuroinflammatory responses, including the release of inflammatory cytokines and the activation of immune cells, contributing to cellular damage and further metabolic disturbances. Studies indicate that dysregulation of energy metabolism significantly impairs neural cell function and interacts with neuroinflammation, exacerbating ischemic brain injury. Therapeutic strategies primarily concentrate on modulating energy metabolism and suppressing neuroinflammatory responses, emphasizing the importance of in-depth research into their interaction to provide a theoretical foundation for new treatment strategies for ischemic stroke. Future research should focus on how to balance anti-inflammatory treatment with energy regulation to minimize neural damage and promote recovery.
Journal Article
Effects of Printing Parameters on Properties of FDM 3D Printed Residue of Astragalus/Polylactic Acid Biomass Composites
In order to develop a new kind of filament material for the fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, the residue of Astragalus (ROA), one of the most important Chinese herbal medicines, and polylactic acid were chosen as the raw materials to FDM 3D print biomass composite specimens, the effects of the printing parameters on the properties of the specimens were investigated. The results indicated that the mechanical properties and thermal stability of the printed specimen were affected obviously by the parameters while the melting and crystallization behavior of the specimens were little affected. For the wettability, it was also little affected by the printing parameter except for the printing speed. Increasing the printing temperature and the filling density or reducing the printing speed and the layer thickness could improve both the mechanical properties and the thermal stability of the FDM 3D printed PLA/ROA composite specimen; reducing the deposition angle could also improve the mechanical properties while having little effect on the thermal stability of the specimen.
Journal Article
Nanocarriers surface engineered with cell membranes for cancer targeted chemotherapy
Background
Inspired by nature, the biomimetic approach has been incorporated into drug nanocarriers for cancer targeted chemotherapy. The nanocarriers are cloaked in cell membranes, which enables them to incorporate the functions of natural cells.
Key scientific concepts of review
Nanocarriers surface engineered with cell membranes have emerged as a fascinating source of materials for cancer targeted chemotherapy. A distinctive characteristic of cell membrane-coated nanocarriers (CMCNs) is that they include carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, in addition to being biocompatible. CMCNs are capable of interacting with the complicated biological milieu of the tumor because they contain the signaling networks and intrinsic functions of their parent cells. Numerous cell membranes have been investigated for the purpose of masking nanocarriers with membranes, and various tumor-targeting methods have been devised to improve cancer targeted chemotherapy. Moreover, the diverse structure of the membrane from different cell sources broadens the spectrum of CMCNs and offers an entirely new class of drug-delivery systems.
Aim of review
This review will describe the manufacturing processes for CMCNs and the therapeutic uses for different kinds of cell membrane-coated nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems, as well as addressing obstacles and future prospects.
Graphical Abstract
Journal Article
Contributions of Zea mays subspecies mexicana haplotypes to modern maize
Maize was domesticated from lowland teosinte (
Zea mays
ssp.
parviglumis
), but the contribution of highland teosinte (
Zea mays
ssp.
mexicana
, hereafter
mexicana
) to modern maize is not clear. Here, two genomes for Mo17 (a modern maize inbred) and
mexicana
are assembled using a meta-assembly strategy after sequencing of 10 lines derived from a maize-teosinte cross. Comparative analyses reveal a high level of diversity between Mo17, B73, and
mexicana
, including three Mb-size structural rearrangements. The maize spontaneous mutation rate is estimated to be 2.17 × 10
−8
~3.87 × 10
−8
per site per generation with a nonrandom distribution across the genome. A higher deleterious mutation rate is observed in the pericentromeric regions, and might be caused by differences in recombination frequency. Over 10% of the maize genome shows evidence of introgression from the
mexicana
genome, suggesting that
mexicana
contributed to maize adaptation and improvement. Our data offer a rich resource for constructing the pan-genome of
Zea mays
and genetic improvement of modern maize varieties.
Maize was domesticated from wild lowland progenitors that co-existed with upland subspecies in Southwestern Mexico. Here Yang
et al
. use a meta-assembly approach to assemble an upland
mexicana
genome and find evidence of introgression suggesting it contributed to modern maize adaptation
Journal Article
Global profiling of RNA-binding protein target sites by LACE-seq
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have essential functions during germline and early embryo development. However, current methods are unable to identify the in vivo targets of a RBP in these low-abundance cells. Here, by coupling RBP-mediated reverse transcription termination with linear amplification of complementary DNA ends and sequencing, we present the LACE-seq method for identifying RBP-regulated RNA networks at or near the single-oocyte level. We determined the binding sites and regulatory mechanisms for several RBPs, including Argonaute 2 (Ago2), Mili, Ddx4 and Ptbp1, in mature mouse oocytes. Unexpectedly, transcriptomics and proteomics analysis of
Ago2
−/−
oocytes revealed that Ago2 interacts with endogenous small interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs) to repress mRNA translation globally. Furthermore, the Ago2 and endo-siRNA complexes fine-tune the transcriptome by slicing long terminal repeat retrotransposon-derived chimeric transcripts. The precise mapping of RBP-binding sites in low-input cells opens the door to studying the roles of RBPs in embryonic development and reproductive diseases.
Xue and colleagues developed LACE-seq to globally profile RNA targets of RNA-binding proteins at single-nucleotide resolution in low-input cells or even single oocytes.
Journal Article
FDM 3D Printing and Properties of PBAT/PLA Blends
Biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) has been widely used in fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing. In order to improve its comprehensive properties in 3D printing, in this study, 0-40% content of polybutylene adipate terephthalate(PBAT) was selected to be blended with PLA in a twin-screw extruder; the resulting pellets were drawn into a homogeneous filament; then, PBAT/PLA samples were prepared by FDM 3D printing, and the effects of the dosage of PBAT on the mechanical properties, thermal behavior, surface wettability and melt flowability of the samples were investigated. The results showed that all the samples could be printed smoothly, and the ductility was slightly improved by the increase in the PBAT dosage; the thermal stability of PLA was enhanced by blending with PBAT, and the crystallinity increased monotonically with the increase in PBAT. After blending with PBAT, the surfaces of the samples were more hydrophilic and flowable. The important conclusion achieved in this work was that the PBAT/PLA blends, especially those containing 30%PBAT, showed great potential to replace petroleum-based plastics and are suitable for use in FDM 3D printing technologies for different applications.
Journal Article