Knowledge production at the global frontier : the case of China

Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2009.Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-132).China is increasingly seen as a participant in the global knowledge economy, with recent studies have highlighted the rising number of scientists and engineers educated in Chinese institutions of higher education, and the growing funding allocated to the production of knowledge. Question remains as to whether China is producing scientific knowledge at the global frontier, and whether the production of scientific research in China is globally competitive. Since the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, Chinese policymakers have distinguished scientific modernization as essential to long-term economic prosperity and endogenous growth, and, more recently, to addressing the modern socioeconomic and environmental challenges confronting China. The State Council, largely through the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Education, have invested heavily in universities and research institutes to promote the development of world-class research. To evaluate the state of scientific innovation in China, three bibliometric analyses are conducted. First, United States patents with full or partial Chinese ownership are used to provide a measure of high-impact industrial and applied innovation. Second, all SCI-indexed articles affiliated with at least one Chinese institution are evaluated. Finally, articles published in the journal Nature and subject-specific Nature journals are used as a proxy for high-impact scientific research. The results suggest that while the majority of Chinese scientific research is of low impact, that frontier research is becoming increasingly common in a growing number of Chinese institutions.(cont.) There is evidence of a learning effect, suggesting that China engages in international consortia to participate in frontier research and uses the resulting experience to independently produce frontier knowledge, particularly in the fields of genetics and nanotechnology.by Devin Robert Fensterheim.S.M.in Technology and Polic

Sirtuin 2 Deficiency Increases Bacterial Phagocytosis by Macrophages and Protects from Chronic Staphylococcal Infection.

Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is one of the seven members of the family of NAD(+)-dependent histone deacetylases. Sirtuins target histones and non-histone proteins according to their subcellular localization, influencing various biological processes. SIRT2 resides mainly in the cytoplasm and regulates cytoskeleton dynamics, cell cycle, and metabolic pathways. As such, SIRT2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative, metabolic, oncologic, and chronic inflammatory disorders. This motivated the development of SIRT2-directed therapies for clinical purposes. However, the impact of SIRT2 on antimicrobial host defense is largely unknown. Here, we address this question using SIRT2 knockout mice. We show that SIRT2 is the most highly expressed sirtuin in myeloid cells, especially macrophages. SIRT2 deficiency does not affect immune cell development and marginally impacts on intracellular signaling and cytokine production by splenocytes and macrophages. However, SIRT2 deficiency enhances bacterial phagocytosis by macrophages. In line with these observations, in preclinical models, SIRT2 deficiency increases survival of mice with chronic staphylococcal infection, while having no effect on the course of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, LPS or TNF-induced shock, fulminant Escherichia coli peritonitis, sub-lethal Klebsiella pneumoniae pneumonia, and chronic candidiasis. Altogether, these data support the safety profile of SIRT2 inhibitors under clinical development in terms of susceptibility to infections