Confucianism and capitalist development in the East Asian newly industrialised societies

The immediate concern of this thesis is to understand the role played by Confucianism in the capitalist development of the East Asian NISs. In pursuit of this aim, it focuses on the relationship between Confucian political philosophy and state intervention in economic activities, on Confucian family practice and its links to modem organisations, on the Confucian emphasis on frugality and hard work and the work ethic, and on the Confucian stress on knowledge and high level modem education. It contends that through these mechanisms contemporary Confucian values have helped to facilitate the development of capitalist order and economic growth in the East Asian NISs. The thesis also explores the Confucian tradition and its modern transformations. It traces the historical evolution of Confucianism and shows how, more recently, it has changed in response to the challenge of capitalist development. It further identifies the contemporary forms of Confucian values and illustrates their variations across different East Asian societies. This line of enquiry is pursued empirically through an analysis of the development of Confucian themes in one of the principal spaces for public commentary and debate on economic, social and political issues - the popular press. The present analysis is one of the first to investigate the practical deployment of Confucian themes in everyday public discourse. The thesis approaches the questions in a Weberian tradition, which takes culture as an explanatory variable in social change, and recognises the influence of socioeconomic conditions on cultural change at the same time. It believes that change is an integrated process which involves all sectors of society. During this process cultural, social, political and economic forces compete and interact with each other within the specific contexts that conditioned the change. The capitalist development in the East Asian NISs is a process which involves the interaction between Confucianism and capitalism. Capitalism failed to develop in the Far East when it first emerged, due to the inhibitions of traditional Confucianism. But after it had triumphed in the West and been introduced to these societies by the colonisers, Confucianism could no longer resist the force of capitalist modernity, it had no choice but to adapt to the new situations. As a result, Confucian culture absorbed the idea of profit seeking, competition and rationalisation of economic activity, but retained its emphasis on collectiveness, family, and harmony. Combined with the continuing Confucian emphasis on education, merit, hard work, discipline and high achievement motivation, these values form a potent underpinning for economic growth. And this force has given rise to a special kind of capitalism in the East Asian NISs

Chiral-at-Metal Rh(III) Complex Catalyzed Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Unactivated Alkenes with α,β-Unsaturated 2‑Acyl Imidazoles

A newly prepared chiral-at-metal Rh­(III) complex catalyzed highly efficient asymmetric conjugate addition of <i>para</i>-vinylanilines with α,β-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles is developed, affording the corresponding adducts in 67–95% yields with 86–95% ee. Remarkably, employing as low as 0.05 mol % of Rh­(III) complex as catalyst, a gram-scale reaction still affords the desired product in 81% yield with 92% ee

Rational Design of Dithienopicenocarbazole-Based Dyes and a Prediction of Their Energy-Conversion Efficiency Characteristics for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

A series of metal-free organic donor–acceptor (D–A) derivatives (<b>ME01</b>–<b>ME06</b>) of the known dye <b>C281</b> were designed using first-principles calculations in order to evaluate their potential for applications in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Their physical and electronic properties were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). These include molecular properties that are required to assess the feasibility of a dye to function in DSSCs: UV–vis absorption spectra, light-harvesting efficiency (LHE), and driving forces of electron injection (<i>Δ<i>G</i></i>_inj). <b>ME01</b>, <b>ME02</b>, and <b>ME04</b> are predicted to exhibit broad absorption optical spectra that cover the entire visible range, rendering these three dyes promising DSSC prospects. Device-relevant calculations on these three short-listed dyes and the parent dye <b>C281</b> were then performed, whereupon the dye molecules were adsorbed onto anatase TiO₂ surfaces to form the DSSC working electrode. Associated DSSC device characteristics of this dye···TiO₂ interfacial structure were determined. These include the light-harvesting efficiency, the number of injected electrons, the electron-injection lifetime, and the quantum-energy alignment of the adsorbed dye molecule to that of its device components. In turn, these calculated parameters enabled the derivation of the DSSC device performance parameters: short-circuit current density, <i>J</i>_SC, incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency, IPCE, and open-circuit voltage, <i>V</i>_OC. Thus, we demonstrate a systematic <i>ab initio</i> approach to screen rationally designed D–A dyes with respect to their potential applicability in high-performance DSSC devices

Data_Sheet_1_Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Between a Spontaneous Albino Mutant and Its Sibling Strain of Cordyceps militaris in Response to Light Stress.XLS

<p>Albinism has been used for new variety screening in some edible mushrooms and the underlying mechanisms are fascinating. Albino fruiting body of Cordyceps militaris, a well-known edible fungus and model organism for Cordyceps, has the potential to be a nutraceutical or functional food due to its high content of metabolites and antioxidant activities. In this study, a spontaneous albino mutant strain (505) of C. militaris was obtained. In comparison to its normal sibling strain (498), the albino strain stably remained white in response to light and had significantly decreased conidia and carotenoid production but accumulated more cordycepin. Transcriptome analysis of both strains revealed that all the seven photoreceptors were expressed similarly in response to light. However, many more genes in the albino strain were differentially expressed in response to light than its sibling strain. The significantly enriched pathways in 498L vs. 505L were mainly associated with replication and repair. Some secondary metabolite backbone genes including those encoding DMAT, two NRPS-like proteins, three NPRS, and lanosterol synthase were differentially expressed in the albino when compared with that of the normal strains. Transcriptome and real-time quantitative PCR analyses indicated that some cytochrome P450s and methyltransferases might be related to the phenotypic differences observed between the two strains. This study compared the genome-wide transcriptional responses to light irradiation in a spontaneous albino mutant and its normal sibling strain of an edible fungus, and these findings potentially pave the way for further investigation of the pigment biosynthetic pathway.</p

Image_1_Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Between a Spontaneous Albino Mutant and Its Sibling Strain of Cordyceps militaris in Response to Light Stress.PDF

<p>Albinism has been used for new variety screening in some edible mushrooms and the underlying mechanisms are fascinating. Albino fruiting body of Cordyceps militaris, a well-known edible fungus and model organism for Cordyceps, has the potential to be a nutraceutical or functional food due to its high content of metabolites and antioxidant activities. In this study, a spontaneous albino mutant strain (505) of C. militaris was obtained. In comparison to its normal sibling strain (498), the albino strain stably remained white in response to light and had significantly decreased conidia and carotenoid production but accumulated more cordycepin. Transcriptome analysis of both strains revealed that all the seven photoreceptors were expressed similarly in response to light. However, many more genes in the albino strain were differentially expressed in response to light than its sibling strain. The significantly enriched pathways in 498L vs. 505L were mainly associated with replication and repair. Some secondary metabolite backbone genes including those encoding DMAT, two NRPS-like proteins, three NPRS, and lanosterol synthase were differentially expressed in the albino when compared with that of the normal strains. Transcriptome and real-time quantitative PCR analyses indicated that some cytochrome P450s and methyltransferases might be related to the phenotypic differences observed between the two strains. This study compared the genome-wide transcriptional responses to light irradiation in a spontaneous albino mutant and its normal sibling strain of an edible fungus, and these findings potentially pave the way for further investigation of the pigment biosynthetic pathway.</p

Design and Experimental Study of the Steam Mining System for Natural Gas Hydrates

The mining technique for natural gas hydrates is an essential technology to enable natural gas hydrates to replace conventional energy sources. This paper presents a steam mining system for natural gas hydrates (SMSGH) for exploiting natural gas hydrates in terrestrial permafrost regions. The system comprises of the surface steam heating device, underground mining, sealing device, surface gas collection, and ignition device. The working principle, design and calculation process, and structure composition of the system are described. The heating effect of the system is verified by laboratory experiments. The optimal heating parameters are proposed; steam open/closed pressure is 1.0/0.5 MPa. A field experiment was conducted in drilling wells of natural gas hydrates in Qilian Shan permafrost in Qinghai province, China. A total of 3.28 m³ of natural gas was successfully exploited, and the ignition experiment was completed. This is the first study conducted in China that has successfully exploited natural gas hydrates in terrestrial permafrost