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Developing novel synthesis technologies is crucial to expanding bifunctional electrocatalysts for energy‐saving hydrogen production. Herein, we report an ambient and controllable γ‐ray radiation reduction to synthesize a series of noble metal nanoparticles anchored on defect‐rich manganese oxides (M@MnO2‐x, M=Ru, Pt, Pd, Ir) for glycerol‐assisted H2 evolution. Benefiting from the strong penetrability of γ‐rays, nanoparticles and defect supports are formed simultaneously and bridged by metal‐oxygen bonds, guaranteeing structural stability and active site exposure. The special Ru−O−Mn bonds activate the Ru and Mn sites in Ru@MnO2‐x through strong interfacial coordination, driving glycerol electrolysis at low overpotential. Furthermore, only a low cell voltage of 1.68 V is required to achieve 0.5 A cm−2 in a continuous‐flow electrolyzer system along with excellent stability. In situ spectroscopic analysis reveals that the strong interfacial coordination in Ru@MnO2‐x balances the competitive adsorption of glycerol and OH* on the catalyst surface. Theoretical calculations further demonstrate that the defect‐rich MnO2 support promotes the dissociation of H2O, while the defect‐regulated Ru sites promote deprotonation and hydrogen desorption, synergistically enhancing glycerol‐assisted hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross‐border transmission of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources is an emerging global governance issue, particularly since its inclusion in the post‐2020 framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Based on a brief review of the value of DSI and the need for global governance, this paper identifies three elemental regimes on 'physical' genetic resources that are in conflict: divergent principles of sovereignty claim, global multilateral sharing and intellectual property rights protection. It then traces the progress of each elemental regime on DSI and describes their ongoing conflicts. Two reform strategies for better governance are suggested: one gradual and path‐dependent and one more radical. The basis of the radical strategy is to promote labour division and cooperation among institutions of different elemental regimes within a three‐layered system of DSI values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more Chinese high- and new-technology companies have entered the global market in the recent years. While their business success has attracted widespread attention, their engagement in governance innovation has been largely ignored by previous studies. This special issue explores the governance challenges and opportunities for Chinese high- and new-technology companies at multiple levels. The empirical case studies of prominent Chinese companies, such as Alibaba, Huawei, the China Railway Corporation, and the State Grid Corporation of China, show a variety of experiences and approaches regarding governance innovation. We hope these studies will encourage more scholars to explore wider patterns of business actor engagement in governance innovation, paying special attention to the new actors from the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business actors from the global South have traditionally been marginalized in global private governance. But this may be changing. A growing number of business actors in China have become involved in global governance, with some showing an ambition to act as rule makers. What have motivated these Chinese companies? How do they go about promoting their initiatives? What is their relationship with the Chinese government in this endeavor? We explore these questions by empirically investigating two cases—the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) initiated by the Alibaba Group and the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) supported by the State Grid Corporation of China. We identify several areas where the Chinese experience can enrich the literature on global private governance, which has been primarily derived from studies of actors from the global North. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory safety is particularly important for scientific research. Advanced laboratory security measures and comprehensive supervision system are conducive to ensuring the smooth development of scientific research. By taking the laboratory safety management system of the Department of Engineering and Biotechnology of Cambridge University as an example, and from the perspective of hardware facilities, safety training system, supervision and management, safety concept, this paper summarizes its characteristics, compares with the domestic status quo, and considers the methods to improve the level of laboratory safety management and puts forward countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are primarily dormant in a cell-cycle quiescence state to preserve their self-renewal capacity and long-term maintenance. How HSC maintain the balance between activation and quiescence remains largely unknown. Herein, we found that phosphatase, Mg2+/Mn2+ dependent 1B (Ppm1b) is required for the expansion of phenotypic HSC in vitro. By using a conditional knockout mouse model in which Ppm1b was specifically depleted in hematopoietic cells, we demonstrated that loss of Ppm1b impaired the HSC homeostasis and hematopoietic reconstitution. Ppm1b deficiency mice also exhibited B-cell leukocytopenia, which is due to the compromised commitment and proliferation of B-biased lymphoid progenitor cells from common lymphoid progenitors. With the aid of a small molecular inhibitor, we confirmed the roles of Ppm1b in adult hematopoiesis that phenocopied the effects with loss of Ppm1b. Furthermore, transcriptome profiling of Ppm1b-deficient HSC revealed the disruptive quiescence of HSC. Mechanistically, Ppm1b interacted with β-catenin and mediated its dephosphorylation. Loss of Ppm1b led to the decrease in the active β-catenin (non-phosphorylated) that interrupted the Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HSC, which consequently suppressed HSC expansion. Together, our study identified an indispensable role for Ppm1b in regulating HSC homeostasis via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Developing novel synthesis technologies is crucial to expanding bifunctional electrocatalysts for energy-saving hydrogen production. Herein, we report an ambient and controllable γ-ray radiation reduction to synthesize a series of noble metal nanoparticles anchored on defect-rich manganese oxides (M@MnO 2-x , M=Ru, Pt, Pd, Ir) for glycerol-assisted H 2 evolution. Benefiting from the strong penetrability of γ-rays, nanoparticles and defect supports are formed simultaneously and bridged by metal-oxygen bonds, guaranteeing structural stability and active site exposure. The special Ru-O-Mn bonds activate the Ru and Mn sites in Ru@MnO 2-x through strong interfacial coordination, driving glycerol electrolysis at low overpotential. Furthermore, only a low cell voltage of 1.68 V is required to achieve 0.5 A cm -2 in a continuous-flow electrolyzer system along with excellent stability. In situ spectroscopic analysis reveals that the strong interfacial coordination in Ru@MnO 2-x balances the competitive adsorption of glycerol and OH* on the catalyst surface. Theoretical calculations further demonstrate that the defect-rich MnO 2 support promotes the dissociation of H 2 O, while the defect-regulated Ru sites promote deprotonation and hydrogen desorption, synergistically enhancing glycerol-assisted hydrogen production., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: COVID-19 vaccines are in short supply worldwide. China was among the first countries to pledge supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine as a global public product, and to date, the country has provided more than 600 million vaccines to more than 200 countries and regions with low COVID-19 vaccination rates. Understanding the public's attitude in China toward the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines could inform global and national decisions, policies, and debates., Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of adults living in China regarding the global allocation of COVID-19 vaccines developed in China and how these attitudes vary across provinces and by sociodemographic characteristics., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among adults registered with the survey company KuRunData. The survey asked participants 31 questions about their attitudes regarding the global allocation of COVID-19 vaccines developed in China. We disaggregated responses by province and sociodemographic characteristics. All analyses used survey sampling weights., Results: A total of 10,000 participants completed the questionnaire. Participants generally favored providing COVID-19 vaccines to foreign countries before fulfilling domestic needs (75.6%, 95% CI 74.6%-76.5%). Women (3778/4921, 76.8%; odds ratio 1.18, 95% CI 1.07-1.32; P=.002) and those living in rural areas (3123/4065, 76.8%; odds ratio 1.13, 95% CI 1.01-1.27; P=.03) were especially likely to hold this opinion. Most respondents preferred providing financial support through international platforms rather than directly offering support to individual countries (72.1%, 95% CI 71%-73.1%), while for vaccine products they preferred direct provision to relevant countries instead of via a delivery platform such as COVAX (77.3%, 95% CI 76.3%-78.2%)., Conclusions: Among our survey sample, we found that adults are generally supportive of the international distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, which may encourage policy makers to support and implement the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines developed in China worldwide. Conducting similar surveys in other countries could help align policy makers' actions on COVID-19 vaccine distribution with the preferences of their constituencies., (©Hanzhi Yu, Runming Du, Minmin Wang, Fengyun Yu, Juntao Yang, Lirui Jiao, Zhuoran Wang, Haitao Liu, Peixin Wu, Till Bärnighausen, Lan Xue, Chen Wang, Shannon McMahon, Pascal Geldsetzer, Simiao Chen. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (https://publichealth.jmir.org), 07.06.2022.)