Which Social Media Facilitate Online Public Opinion in China?

Why does online public opinion emerge in some social media more easily than in others? Building on research on authoritarian deliberation, we describe spaces for political discussion in Chinese cyberspace in terms of interactivity, which results in different forms of political discussion. Drawing on semi-structured qualitative expert interviews with information and communications technology professionals at Tencent, Weibo, and Baidu, we explain how major social media differ in terms of their structure and the company’s motivation. We specify which features are more likely to facilitate the emergence of online public opinion in Chinese social media and provide preliminary evidence from 92 semi-structured interviews with Internet users

Implication of bisphosphonate use in the treatment of SAPHO syndrome: Case report and discussion of current literature

AbstractEven though increasing knowledge is emerging about synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome its pathogenesis remains enigmatic. Women are preferentially affected by SAPHO syndrome. Here we present the case of a 39-year-old woman suffering from this syndrome whose bone involvement was first interpreted as diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis of the mandible. As treatment with clindamycin did not improve the symptoms, the decision was made to administer bisphosphonates intravenously. This treatment led to a rapid improvement in symptoms, which could be explained by the apparent tendency of bisphosphonates to exert a positive effect on the jaw. With this case report we attempt to offer an explanation for the influence of this group of medications on patients suffering from SAPHO syndrome with mandibular involvement

Carboplatin effect on canine benign mixed tumour-derived cells cultured under three-dimension system: apoptosis, cell viability and mitochondrial dysfunction

Canine mammary carcinomas represent an important pathology in small animal clinic, and benign mixed type carcinomas (MC-BMT) are one of the most diagnosed worldwide. The use of chemotherapeutic carboplatin has been one of the new protocols for the treatment of BMT. In this respect, three-dimensional cell culture (3D) represents an alternative in the evaluation of drugs by simulating what occurs in vivo. The present study aimed to verify the effect of carboplatin on 3D culture of cells derived from TMB, in addition to possible changes in cell viability, ballpoint size, apoptosis and Bcl-2/Bax ratio. For this, tumours samples were collected during mastectomy surgery procedure in private veterinary clinics, which were submitted to in vitro culture and part to histopathological analysis. After 28 days of 3D culture, spheroids were documented in both groups (treated and control) and sizes and morphology were compared. The carboplatin interfered in the cell viability by affecting their division and promoting apoptotic events. In the treated group, a higher transcription of Bax and caspase 3 was observed, in addition to low levels of caspases 2, 8 and 9, which was not observed in the control group. We thus suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in cancer progression and that targeting mitochondrial alterations and mitochondrial retrograde signalling might be a promising strategy for the development of selective anticancer therapy. Thus, it was possible to demonstrate that the results achieved may contribute to the establishment of a new chemotherapy therapy in female dogs with MC-BMT

Wielding the sword: President Xi’s new anti-corruption campaign

A state achieves legitimacy through multiple sources, one of which is the effectiveness of its governance. Generations of scholars since Hobbes have identified the maintenance of peace and order as core functions of a legitimate state. In the modern world, economic prosperity, social stability and effective control of corruption often provide adequate compensation for a deficit of democracy. Corruption closely correlates with legitimacy. While a perceived pervasive, endemic corruption undermines the legitimacy of a regime, a successful anti-corruption campaign can allow a regime to recover from a crisis of legitimacy (Gilley 2009; Seligson and Booth 2009). This is the rationale behind the periodical campaigns against corruption that have been conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (‘Party’ or ‘CCP’) (Manion 2004; Wedeman 2012). Political leaders in China have found it expedient to use anti-corruption campaigns to remove their political foes, to rein in the bureaucracy and to restore public confidence in their ability to rule. Through anti-corruption campaigns, emerging political leaders consolidate their political power, secure loyalty from political factions and regional political forces, and enhance their legitimacy in the eyes of the general public. In an authoritarian state that experiences a high level of corruption, an anti-corruption campaign is a delicate political battle that addresses two significant concerns. The first concern is to orchestrate the campaign so that it is regime-reinforcing instead of regime-undermining. To remain credible, the regime must demonstrate its willingness and capacity to punish corrupt officials at the highest levels.preprin

Designing authoritarian deliberation: how social media platforms influence political talk in China

Discussion is often celebrated as a critical element of public opinion and political participation. Recently, scholars have suggested that the design and features of specific online platforms shape what is politically expressed online and how. Building on these findings and drawing on 112 semi-structured qualitative interviews with information technology experts and internet users, we explain how major Chinese social media platforms differ in structure and motivation. Drawing upon a nationwide representative survey and an online experiment, we find that platforms aiming to make users a source of information through public, information-centred communication, such as the Twitter-like Weibo, are more conducive to political expression; while platforms built to optimize building social connections through private, user-centred communication, such as WhatsApp and Facebook-like WeChat, tend to inhibit political expression. These technological design effects are stronger when users believe the authoritarian state tolerates discussion, but less important when political talk is sensitive. The findings contribute to the debate on the political consequences of the internet by specifying technological and political conditions

Managing digital contention in China

This paper explores new developments in cyber content management strategies in China by highlighting the rise of participatory, peer-to-peer censoring practices, and examining how the People's Daily have responded to the contentious events in the top 20 public opinion incidents of 2016, to illustrate how official media uses different types of management strategies to mediate and demobilise contention, on top of information containment strategies such as censorship. I also discuss briefly the creation of a Digital United Front which seeks to incorporate social influencers and cyber elites into mainstream political institutions such as the CPPCC. Not only do these strategies further undermine the formation of a political locus opposite the state, they continue to subsume previously oppositional narratives into grander narratives of stability and national progress. Online political participation in Chinese cyberspace must seek further paternalistic protection from Party authorities in order to legitimise their contention. Although this strengthens the Party-state's claim to legitimacy, ultimately this weakens the emergence of civil society in China as the only form of contention that can survive is those that are legitimised by the Party-state, and the political space oppositional to the state remain closed off

Towards Area-Smart Data Science: Critical Questions for Working with Big Data from China

While the Internet was created without much governmental oversight, states have gradually drawn territorial borders via Internet governance. China stands out as a promoter of such a territorial‐based approach. China's separate Web infrastructure shapes data when information technologies capture traces of human behavior. As a result, area expertise can contribute to the substantive, methodological, and ethical debates surrounding big data. This article discusses how a number of critical questions that have been raised about big data more generally apply to the Chinese context: How does big data change our understanding of China? What are the limitations of big data from China? What is the context in which big data is generated in China? Who has access to big data and who knows the tools? How can big data from China be used in an ethical way? These questions are intended to spark conversations about best practices for collaboration between data scientists and China experts

Greasing the Reels: Advertising as a Means of Campaigning on Chinese Television

This article examines a major change in campaigning through the means of mass media during the reform era. As the media commercialized and partially privatized, the state has tried increasingly to involve societal actors in the production of public service advertisements (PSAs) on television. Today, PSA campaigns are initiated by state and Party units, but their funding, production and broadcasting is made possible by a collaborative effort between broadcasters, advertising companies and commercial enterprises who voluntarily support their further development. I conducted 27 in-depth interviews with officials, broadcasters and producers in Beijing to tap into the policy rationale behind the use of public service advertisements in campaigning and the incentive structure facilitating collaboration between companies and state units. Interviews with judges of PSA competitions and content analysis of price-winning advertisements reveal the standards of the central government to employ public service advertising as a means of campaigning