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.
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BFBNIB, INZLJ, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, ZRSKP
The canine anti‐tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) monoclonal antibody is a potential therapeutic option for treating canine arthritis. The current treatments for arthritis in dogs have limitations ...due to side effects, emphasizing the need for safer and more effective therapies. The crystal structure of canine TNF‐α (cTNF‐α) was successfully determined at a resolution of 1.85 Å, and the protein was shown to assemble as a trimer, with high similarity to the functional quaternary structure of human TNF‐α (hTNF‐α). Adalimumab (Humira), a known TNF‐α inhibitor, effectively targets and neutralizes TNF‐α to reduce inflammation and has been used to manage autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. By comparing the structure of cTNF‐α with the complex structure of hTNF‐α and adalimumab‐Fab, the epitope of adalimumab on cTNF‐α was identified. The significant structural similarities of epitopes in cTNF‐α and hTNF‐α indicate the potential of using adalimumab to target cTNF‐α. Therefore, a canine/human chimeric antibody, Humivet‐R1, was created by grafting the variable domain of adalimumab onto a canine antibody framework derived from ranevetmab. Humivet‐R1 exhibits potent neutralizing ability (IC50 = 0.05 nM) and high binding affinity (EC50 = 0.416 nM) to cTNF‐α, comparable to that of adalimumab for both hTNF‐α and cTNF‐α. These results strongly suggest that Humivet‐R1 has the potential to provide effective treatment for canine arthritis with reduced side effects. Here, we propose a structure‐guided antibody design for the use of a chimeric antibody to treat canine inflammatory disease. Our successful development strategy can speed up therapeutic antibody discovery for animals and has the potential to revolutionize veterinary medicine.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common hepatic disease with an increasing prevalence but an unclear aetiology. This study aimed to investigate the functional implications of ...microRNA-122 (miR-122) in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and the possible molecular mechanisms.
Both in vitro and in vivo models of NAFLD were generated by treating HepG2 and Huh-7 cells with free fatty acids (FFA) and by feeding mice a high-fat diet (HFD), respectively. HE and Oil Red O staining were used to examine liver tissue morphology and lipid deposition, respectively. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was used to examine Sirt1 expression in liver tissues. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were employed to measure the expression of miR-122, Sirt1, and proteins involved in lipogenesis and the AMPK pathway. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to quantify triglyceride (TG) levels in HepG2 and Huh-7 cells and in liver tissues. The interaction between miR-122 and the Sirt1 gene was further examined by a dual luciferase reporter assay and RNA-immunoprecipitation (RIP).
NAFLD hepatic tissues and FFA-treated HepG2 and Huh-7 cells presented excess lipid production and TG secretion, accompanied by miR-122 upregulation, Sirt1 downregulation, and potentiated lipogenesis-related genes. miR-122 suppressed Sirt1 expression via binding to its 3'-untranslated region (UTR). Knockdown of miR-122 effectively mitigated excessive lipid production and suppressed the expression of lipogenic genes in FFA-treated HepG2 and Huh-7 cells via upregulating Sirt1. Furthermore, miR-122 knockdown activated the LKB1/AMPK signalling pathway.
The inhibition of miR-122 protects hepatocytes from lipid metabolic disorders such as NAFLD and suppresses lipogenesis via elevating Sirt1 and activating the AMPK pathway. These data support miR-122 as a promising biomarker and drug target for NAFLD.
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We show a holographic model of a strongly coupled topological nodal line semimetal (NLSM) and find that the NLSM phase could go through a quantum phase transition to a topologically trivial ...state. The dual fermion spectral function shows that there are multiple Fermi surfaces each of which is a closed nodal loop in the NLSM phase. The topological structure in the bulk is induced by the IR interplay between the dual mass operator and the operator that deforms the topology of the Fermi surface. We propose a practical framework for building various strongly coupled topological semimetals in holography, which indicates that at strong coupling topologically nontrivial semimetal states generally exist.
Development of specific antiviral agents is an urgent unmet need for SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This study focuses on host proteases that proteolytically activate the SARS-CoV-2 spike ...protein, critical for its fusion after binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as antiviral targets. We first validate cleavage at a putative furin substrate motif at SARS-CoV-2 spikes by expressing it in VeroE6 cells and find prominent syncytium formation. Cleavage and the syncytium are abolished by treatment with the furin inhibitors decanoyl-RVKR-chloromethylketone (CMK) and naphthofluorescein, but not by the transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) inhibitor camostat. CMK and naphthofluorescein show antiviral effects on SARS-CoV-2-infected cells by decreasing virus production and cytopathic effects. Further analysis reveals that, similar to camostat, CMK blocks virus entry, but it further suppresses cleavage of spikes and the syncytium. Naphthofluorescein acts primarily by suppressing viral RNA transcription. Therefore, furin inhibitors may be promising antiviral agents for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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•The furin cleavage site in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mediates syncytium formation•The SARS-CoV-2 spike-mediated syncytium is suppressed by specific furin inhibitors•Furin inhibitors block SARS-CoV-2 virus entry and virus replication•Furin inhibitors are potential antiviral agents for SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis
Development of effective antiviral agents is an urgent unmet need for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cheng et al. find that cleavage of the furin substrate site in the viral spike protein is critical for virus production and cytopathic effects. Two inhibitors targeting furin are potential antiviral agents to control SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Reflective functioning or mentalizing is the capacity to interpret both the self and others in terms of internal mental states such as feelings, wishes, goals, desires, and attitudes. This paper is ...part of a series of papers outlining the development and psychometric features of a new self-report measure, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), designed to provide an easy to administer self-report measure of mentalizing. We describe the development and initial validation of the RFQ in three studies. Study 1 focuses on the development of the RFQ, its factor structure and construct validity in a sample of patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Eating Disorder (ED) (n = 108) and normal controls (n = 295). Study 2 aims to replicate these findings in a fresh sample of 129 patients with personality disorder and 281 normal controls. Study 3 addresses the relationship between the RFQ, parental reflective functioning and infant attachment status as assessed with the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) in a sample of 136 community mothers and their infants. In both Study 1 and 2, confirmatory factor analyses yielded two factors assessing Certainty (RFQ_C) and Uncertainty (RFQ_U) about the mental states of self and others. These two factors were relatively distinct, invariant across clinical and non-clinical samples, had satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest stability, and were largely unrelated to demographic features. The scales discriminated between patients and controls, and were significantly and in theoretically predicted ways correlated with measures of empathy, mindfulness and perspective-taking, and with both self-reported and clinician-reported measures of borderline personality features and other indices of maladaptive personality functioning. Furthermore, the RFQ scales were associated with levels of parental reflective functioning, which in turn predicted infant attachment status in the SSP. Overall, this study lends preliminary support for the RFQ as a screening measure of reflective functioning. Further research is needed, however, to investigate in more detail the psychometric qualities of the RFQ.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
"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."--.
Softening is a common phenomenon of texture changes associated with plant cell walls, inducing a decrease in the quality of fruit. Inhibiting the softening is effective to extend the shelf life of ...fruit. Cold plasma (CP), as a novel nonthermal technology, has been applied to keep the freshness of the fruit. This review centers on applying cold plasma treatments to the inhibition of fruit softening. Different pathways for inhibiting fruit softening by CP treatments, including maintenance of fruit firmness, reduction in the activities of enzymes, inactivation of fungal pathogens and lowering of respiration rates, are discussed. The biochemistry of fruit softening and the fundamental of cold plasma are also presented. In general, among all postharvest technologies, cold plasma is a promising method with many advantages, showing great potential in maintaining the quality and inhibiting the softening of the fruit. Future work should focus on process optimization to achieve better results in maintaining fruit freshness, and commercial applications of cold plasma technology should also be explored.
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BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, KISLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
Transport of fluid through a pipe is essential for the operation of macroscale machines and microfluidic devices. Conventional fluids only flow in response to external pressure. We demonstrate that ...an active isotropic fluid, composed of microtubules and molecular motors, autonomously flows through meter-long three-dimensional channels. We establish control over the magnitude, velocity profile, and direction of the self-organized flows and correlate these to the structure of the extensile microtubule bundles. The inherently three-dimensional transition from bulk-turbulent to confined-coherent flows occurs concomitantly with a transition in the bundle orientational order near the surface and is controlled by a scale-invariant criterion related to the channel profile. The nonequilibrium transition of confined isotropic active fluids can be used to engineer self-organized soft machines.
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