The influence of national culture on responsible innovation: A case of CO2 utilisation in Indonesia

Responsible innovation (RI) offers a promising step towards a more responsible adoption of innovations, such as new and emerging technologies. However, how RI would be practised in different cultural contexts and settings is still less studied, especially in the context of developing countries. Taking the utilisation of CO₂ in Indonesia as an empirical case, the purpose of this paper is to explore this issue through examining the influence of key characteristics of Indonesia's national culture on core dimensions of RI: anticipation, reflexivity, deliberation, responsiveness and participation. The different RI dimensions are applied in practice in a focus group discussion (FGD) and a round of interviews with different stakeholders that explored CO₂ utilisation in the country. Hofstede's classification of national cultural dimensions is used to single out key focus points for attention in these RI processes in the Indonesian context. The results from the experiment illustrate that culture matters in the application of RI dimensions in practice. In the sense that in order for RI to work well, the governance of core RI processes such as participation and deliberation has to be adjusted to social norms of what is considered legitimate, desirable and good behaviour. These norms differ across societies. The findings further suggest ways of applying RI dimensions in practice.     

Creative clusters in the regeneration of Valletta and the cultural politics of Strait Street

The paper aims to unfold the narrative of development in a creative cluster project for the regeneration of Strait Street in Valletta, Malta. This is approached by first examining the distinctive, historically contentious background of the neighbourhood and, thereafter, unpacking the development narrative of policy documents and the discursive and material constructs about the creative city approach to regeneration strategies in the city. Using a ‘system-wide’ analytical framework, this material is then scrutinized to gain an understanding of the specificities involved and, finally, discuss the crucial features of the key dimensions elucidating the potential strengths and weaknesses of the case     

综合传动装置胀圈密封轴槽间隙设计方法

研究一种基于理论计算与CFD仿真的胀圈密封环轴槽间隙尺寸设计方法。基于流体力学的基本方程,建立胀圈密封流场的数学模型;结合实际工况与使用要求,确定胀圈密封环与轴槽径向间隙、轴向间隙及配流衬套与旋转轴之间的间隙尺寸的约束范围;建立流场的计算流体力学模型,通过正交试验设计,分析影响胀圈密封性能的高灵敏度因素;以密封泄漏量最小为目标函数,选取最佳的轴槽间隙设计参数。结果表明,研究的3种间隙中,相比于胀圈密封环与轴槽的径向间隙、轴向间隙,配流衬套与旋转轴之间的间隙对密封环的泄漏量影响更为显著,当配流衬套与旋转轴之间的间隙增大,泄漏量也随之增大。     

Novel low‐dielectric‐constant fluorine‐functionalized polysulfone with outstanding comprehensive properties

In this work, a series of fluorine‐functionalized polysulfone (F‐PSU) copolymers with intrinsic low dielectric constants (low ε) are reported, which are derived from the polycondensation reaction of 4,4′‐dichlorophenyl sulfone with bisphenol A and bisphenol F (BPF) compounds. The resulting F‐PSU copolymers show high glass transition temperatures (T_g) varying from 187 to 201 °C and are thermally stable up to 500 °C under an N₂ atmosphere. The introduction of BPF units into the PSU copolymers imparts enhanced hydrophobic properties to the F‐PSU films with increased water contact angle values from 66.2° to 93.7°. Moreover, the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the F‐PSU (sample V) film are as low as 2.2 and 0.003 at 1 kHz, respectively. Interestingly, the dielectric properties are relatively stable to near the glass transition temperature, which is because of the existence of BPF structures in the molecular backbone. Furthermore, the F‐PSU copolymers are soluble in common solvents and can be readily fabricated into flexible transparent films by the spin casting method. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

α–ω Alkenyl-bis-S-Guanidine Thiourea Dihydrobromide Affects HeLa Cell Growth Hampering Tubulin Polymerization

Cancer is going to be the first cause of mortality worldwide in the 21th century. It is considered a multifactorial disease that results from the combined influence of many genetic aberrations, leading to abnormal cell proliferation. As microtubules are strongly implicated in cellular growth, they represent an important target for cancer treatment. The well-known microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) including paclitaxel, colchicine and vinca alkaloids are commonly used in the treatment of various cancers. However, adverse effects and drug resistance are major limitations in their clinical use. To find new candidates able to induce microtubule alteration with reduced toxic effects or drug resistance, we studied a small new series of derivatives that present imidazolinic, guanidinic, thioureidic and hydrazinic groups ( 1 – 9 ). All the compounds were tested for their antitumor activity against a panel of six tumoral cell models. In particular, compound 8 (nonane-1,9-diyl-bis-S-amidinothiourea dihydrobromide) showed the lowest IC₅₀ value against HeLa cells, together with a low cytotoxicity for normal cells. This compound was able to induce the apoptotic mitochondrial pathway and inhibited tubulin polymerization with a similar efficacy to vinblastine and nocodazole. Taken together, these promising biological properties make compound 8 useful for the development of novel therapeutic approaches in cancer treatment.     

First experimental results of intrinsic torque on EAST

Direct measurements of the intrinsic torque profile in L-mode plasmas on the EAST tokamak have been performed using the balanced neutral beam injection. Co-and counter-current neutral beams are modulated to balance the intrinsic and externally injected torques, which result in the rotation profile close to zero and flat. The experimental results show that the intrinsic torque derived from momentum balance equations is found to be in the co-current direction, peaked in the plasma edge and negligibly small in the core.     

感悟好白酒蕴含的曼妙画卷

从白酒产区、酿酒原料、发酵容器、酿造工艺等角度解析了它们对白酒品质的影响,并揭示了好白酒内在品质应该具备的科学特性,进而彰显了“好白酒犹如一副曼妙画卷”的文化之美。     

Multiemotional product color design using gray theory and nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-III

When users select products, they consider the emotional experience resulting from the color of the product. However, the emotional demands of users for product color are multidimensional and diverse. It is very important yet difficult to accurately grasp multiemotional image requirements and effectively convert them into design elements. Therefore, multiemotional product color design (MEPCD) has become a very important and challenging research topic. In this article, a novel MEPCD system using gray theory (GT) and nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-III (NSGA-III) is proposed to effectively solve the MEPCD problem. First, the image perception spaces of users, which exist in different emotional dimensions, were collected using factor analysis and the semantic differential technique. Then, GT was used to establish a multidimensional emotional product color image evaluation model. Finally, NSGA-III was used to optimize and design a multiemotional color scheme for a product. Furthermore, according to actual conditions, an MEPCD system was established based on the proposed method. The design case study shows that the method and design system proposed in this article have a certain range of applicability and can effectively improve the practicality of MEPCD.     

煤矿井下钻孔内涡轮发电机的设计

针对煤矿井下孔内仪器续航能力差且现有的发电技术难以满足煤矿钻探安全性要求等技术问题,设计开发了一套煤矿井下涡轮发电机装置。流动的泥浆进入转子涡轮叶片流道,带动涡轮高速旋转,从而驱动发电机组件的转子旋转,产生交流电能;将交流电能转化为直流电后对充电电池组进行充电,电池组经过本安保护后提供电能给负载使用。经过搭建试验平台,对样机转速和水流驱动性能进行了测试,试验数据证明样机符合设计目标,能够满足煤矿井下钻孔内探测仪器的使用要求。     

The Un(f)told Story of General Anesthesia

Inhalational anesthetics are routinely employed in clinical practice to accomplish general anesthesia. Concerns have recently emerged regarding the deleterious impact of these volatile agents on cognitive performance, immune functions, and tumor recurrence and metastasis. These agents have been shown to modify the gene‐expression pattern as well as cell signaling in tumor cells, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain a matter of conjecture. Regulatory/signaling proteins either of cytosolic or membrane origin abundantly contain intrinsically disordered sequences, the conformational pliability of which is pivotal in their biological functions. It is well known that chloroform (an anesthetic itself), trifluoroethanol, hexafluoroisopropanol, and related haloalcohols markedly affect the structure of disordered proteins and protein regions by inducing folding, misfolding, or even aggregation. Taking into consideration the physicochemical similarities and protein interaction modes of these volatile solvents and inhaled anesthetics, it is postulated that administration of these drugs can also modify the secondary structure of disordered protein segments. Accordingly, pharmacological effects of anesthetics may, at least in part, be mediated by conformational perturbations of intrinsic disorder‐based regulatory protein networks of cells.