Unconditional quantile regressions, earnings disparity and gender discrimination in post-transformation of urban China

Market-oriented economic reform has gone through several key stages to bring substantial changes to current Chinese economy. It has accelerated after 1992, and meets the pattern transformation of economic development in 2002. During this dramatic and complicated economic transitional process, some issues caused people’s attention included the questions as: how does the earnings distribution change between genders from early market economy to post market economy; how do education, work experience, marriage and other factors affect gender earnings and what is the difference in internal group of women. In this paper, it will be used the data of the Chinese household income projects in 2002 and 2007 to analyse earnings disparity between genders and inner woman group. The unconditional quantile regression finds that comparing with past, the negative effect on earnings of marriage and taking care of child has much decreased, especially to women. However, high return rate to education of female workers is not as significant as before, the rate of work experience even fall faster. Along with the gender earnings gap increasing, the unexplained gap (discrimination gap) also increased over time, and is particularly pronounced for the lower and higher earnings group of women

Unconditional quantile regressions, earnings disparity and gender discrimination in post-transformation of urban China

Market-oriented economic reform has gone through several key stages to bring substantial changes to current Chinese economy. It has accelerated after 1992, and meets the pattern transformation of economic development in 2002. During this dramatic and complicated economic transitional process, some issues caused people’s attention included the questions as: how does the earnings distribution change between genders from early market economy to post market economy; how do education, work experience, marriage and other factors affect gender earnings and what is the difference in internal group of women. In this paper, it will be used the data of the Chinese household income projects in 2002 and 2007 to analyse earnings disparity between genders and inner woman group. The unconditional quantile regression finds that comparing with past, the negative effect on earnings of marriage and taking care of child has much decreased, especially to women. However, high return rate to education of female workers is not as significant as before, the rate of work experience even fall faster. Along with the gender earnings gap increasing, the unexplained gap (discrimination gap) also increased over time, and is particularly pronounced for the lower and higher earnings group of women

Approaching Chineseness：Investigating the cultural transfer of behavioural factors in and through Chinese industrial design

This PhD research by project is for designers investigating relations between culture and design through an experiential perspective of Chi- nese culture in terms of developing a new understanding of ‘Chineseness’. ‘Chineseness’ in my work, can be re-mapped as a form of communication that deals with Chinese culture in design. It is not just along with historical stereotypes, nor a remote copy of other countries’ successful cultural trans- fers, but rather should be inseparable from the radical social phenomena and design culture already emerging within contemporary China. Through a series of design projects, my research is ultimately allowing Chineseness to be less implied and instead, to be made manifest, in terms of what behav- iours over symbolism and decoration. New knowledge is articulated through exploring my understanding and its shifts during my approach to re-map Chinese cultural elements in design and search for the meaning of ‘Chineseness’. This research remarks the stereotypes, generalisations and categorisations when designers deal with cross-cultural design from both non-Chinese and Chinese angles. The thesis comprises three parts. The first part is a contextual review of cultural elements and appropriate methods. The second part explores a systematic approach to reflecting Chineseness from various cultural an- gles. These action-research method-led projects describe three ways of ex- ploring the transfer of Chinese culture into design: symbolic, behavioural and political/philosophical. They culminate in an enabling developmental structure through which designers can deal with Chinese cultural com- plexity in design. The third part sees two final projects that reflect back and re-evaluate what Chineseness could be. The thesis contributes a three-layer structure that reflects Chinese cultural elements into design through meth- ods and analysis of values in practice. Additionally, for the readers sympa- thetic with a systematic design approach or cultural identitarianism, this work addresses a view of critical understanding for facing Chinese culture in design

Remodeling of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone during axial tooth movement in mice with type 1 diabetes

ObjectivesTo observe the elongation of the axial tooth movement in the unopposed rodent molar model with type 1 diabetes mellitus and explore the pathological changes of periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, and their correlation with tooth axial movement.MethodsThe 80 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into the streptozotocin(STZ)-injected group (n = 50) and the control group (n = 30). Mice in the streptozotocin(STZ)-injected group were injected intraperitoneal with streptozotocin (STZ), and mice in the control group were given intraperitoneal injection of equal doses of sodium citrate buffer. Thirty mice were randomly selected from the successful models as the T1DM group. The right maxillary molar teeth of mice were extracted under anesthesia, and allowed mandibular molars to super-erupt. Mice were sacrificed at 0, 3, 6,9, and 12 days. Tooth elongation and bone mineral density (BMD) were evaluated by micro-CT analysis(0,and 12 days mice). Conventional HE staining, Masson staining and TRAP staining were used to observe the changes in periodontal tissue(0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days mice). The expression differences of SPARC, FGF9, BMP4, NOGGIN, and type I collagen were analyzed by RT-qPCR.ResultsAfter 12 days of tooth extraction, our data showed significant super-eruption of mandibular mouse molars of the two groups. The amount of molar super-eruption in the T1DM group was 0.055mm( ± 0.014mm), and in the control group was 0.157( ± 0.017mm). The elongation of the T1DM mice was less than that of the control mice(P<0.001). It was observed that the osteoclasts and BMD increased gradually in both groups over time. Compared with the control group, the collagen arrangement was more disordered, the number of osteoclasts was higher (P<0.05), and the increase of bone mineral density was lower(2.180 ± 0.007g/cm3 vs. 2.204 ± 0.006g/cm3, P<0.001) in the T1DM group. The relative expression of SPARC, FGF9, BMP4, and type I collagen in the two groups increased with the extension of tooth extraction time while NOGGIN decreased. The relative expression of all of SPARC, FGF9, BMP4, and type I collagen in the T1DM group were significantly lower, and the expression of NOGGIN was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05).ConclusionThe axial tooth movement was inhibited in type 1 diabetic mice. The result may be associated with the changes of periodontal ligament osteoclastogenic effects and alveolar bone remodeling regulated by the extracellular matrix and osteogenesis-related factors

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the PedsQL™ stem cell transplant module in China: A methodological and cross-sectional study

BackgroundHematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), as a mature technology, has significantly improved the survival rate of children. However, there lack efficient scales to assess the quality of life (QoL) of children with HSCT in China, which has important implications in the care of this population. This study aimed to translate the original English Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) Stem Cell Transplant Module into a Chinese mandarin version, and evaluate its reliability.MethodsChildren of ages 2–18 years who had received HSCT at Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and Children's Hospital of Fudan University were recruited. Children or their parents were asked to fill the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales, PedsQL™ Stem Cell Transplant Module, and PedsQL™ Family Information Form. Feasibility was evaluated by completion rate and the percentage of missing items, reliability by the internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and validity by factor analysis and correlation analysis between the scores of total scale and each dimension.ResultsA total of 120 children (mean age 6.37, SD = 3.674) and some parents were included. A low percentage of items were missed in returned reports. Cronbach's alpha coefficient reached 0.70 in the majority of dimensions of both child self-report and parent proxy-report. Test-retest reliability was 0.685 in parents' forms and 0.765 in child's forms. Eight factors were extracted, with a cumulative contribution rate of 74.54%. The correlation between PedsQL™ 4.0 and Transplant Module was 0.748 for children self-report and 0.808 for parent proxy-report.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that the Chinese mandarin version of the PedsQL™ Stem Cell Transplant is feasible, reliable and valid in evaluating the QoL of Chinese children after HSCT

Skin inflammatory responses in cutaneous melanoma and in the atopic march

Dans la première partie de ma thèse, nous avons étudié le rôle de la TSLP, une cytokine produite par les kératinocytes, dans la mélanogenèse. Nous avons montré que l'expression de TSLP était induite dans l'épiderme de la peau atteinte de mélanome chez la souris et l'humain. Notre resulats indiquent que la TSLP murine joue un rôle dans la croissance de la tumeur et que ce rôle s'exerçait via les cellules immunitaires. Nos résultats suggèrent l'existence d'un dialogue entre les cellules du mélanome, les kératinocytes et les cellules immunitaires jouant un rôle important dans la croissance et la métastase du mélanome. Dans la seconde partie, nous avons exploré les cytokines produites dans le contexte de la dermatite atopique et leur rôle dans l'initiation de l'asthme. Nous avons trouvé que TSLP est différemment impliquée dans la sensibilisation allergique épicutanée et dermocutanée, et nous avons identifiée l'IL-1β comme un acteur majeur dans la marche atopique. Cette étude expose de nouvelles approches pour le développement de stratégies pour prévenir ou stopper la marche atopique.My PhD thesis aimed at studying skin inflammatory responses under two pathogenic contexts, melanoma and atopic march. In the first part, we studied the role of keratinocyte-produced cytokine TSLP in melanomagenesis. We showed that TSLP expression was induced in skin epidermis of both mouse and human melanoma. We further provided evidence that TSLP played a tumor-promoting role by ablating or overexpressing TSLP in mouse melanoma, and that such role of TSLP was mediated through immune cells. Our results suggest that a crosstalk between melanoma cells, epidermal keratinocytes and immune cells plays an important role for melanoma growth and metastasis. In the second part, we explored the cytokine factors derived from atopic dermatitis (AD) in driving the asthma. By using an innovative laser-assistant microporation system, we established novel atopic march mouse models. We found that TSLP was differentially implicated in allergen epicutaneous or dermacutaneous sensitization, and further identified IL-1β as an important player in atopic march. This study adds new insight into the development of potential strategies for preventing or stopping the atopic march

Skin inflammatory responses in cutaneous melanoma and in the atopic march

Dans la première partie de ma thèse, nous avons étudié le rôle de la TSLP, une cytokine produite par les kératinocytes, dans la mélanogenèse. Nous avons montré que l'expression de TSLP était induite dans l'épiderme de la peau atteinte de mélanome chez la souris et l'humain. Notre resulats indiquent que la TSLP murine joue un rôle dans la croissance de la tumeur et que ce rôle s'exerçait via les cellules immunitaires. Nos résultats suggèrent l'existence d'un dialogue entre les cellules du mélanome, les kératinocytes et les cellules immunitaires jouant un rôle important dans la croissance et la métastase du mélanome. Dans la seconde partie, nous avons exploré les cytokines produites dans le contexte de la dermatite atopique et leur rôle dans l'initiation de l'asthme. Nous avons trouvé que TSLP est différemment impliquée dans la sensibilisation allergique épicutanée et dermocutanée, et nous avons identifiée l'IL-1β comme un acteur majeur dans la marche atopique. Cette étude expose de nouvelles approches pour le développement de stratégies pour prévenir ou stopper la marche atopique.My PhD thesis aimed at studying skin inflammatory responses under two pathogenic contexts, melanoma and atopic march. In the first part, we studied the role of keratinocyte-produced cytokine TSLP in melanomagenesis. We showed that TSLP expression was induced in skin epidermis of both mouse and human melanoma. We further provided evidence that TSLP played a tumor-promoting role by ablating or overexpressing TSLP in mouse melanoma, and that such role of TSLP was mediated through immune cells. Our results suggest that a crosstalk between melanoma cells, epidermal keratinocytes and immune cells plays an important role for melanoma growth and metastasis. In the second part, we explored the cytokine factors derived from atopic dermatitis (AD) in driving the asthma. By using an innovative laser-assistant microporation system, we established novel atopic march mouse models. We found that TSLP was differentially implicated in allergen epicutaneous or dermacutaneous sensitization, and further identified IL-1β as an important player in atopic march. This study adds new insight into the development of potential strategies for preventing or stopping the atopic march

Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Test of Silicone Rubber: Considering Effects of Strain Rate and Temperature

Using a split-Hopkinson pressure bar test instrument with a temperature control device, in this work, silicone rubber was tested at different temperatures (−40 °C–200 °C) and different strain rates (1.2 × 103 s−1–7.2 × 103 s−1). The results showed that the dynamic mechanical properties of silicone rubber were strain-rate sensitive at different temperatures and the yield strength of the silicone rubber increased with an increase in the strain rate. At a higher strain rate, silicone rubber showed temperature sensitivity. With a decrease in the strain rate, the influence of temperature on silicone rubber gradually decreased. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that silicone rubber had good thermal stability at high temperatures. When the temperature was as low as −40 °C, the silicone rubber underwent a glass transition, showing the characteristics of brittle materials

Mechanical behavior and optimization of constitutive prediction model for Epoxy/Al energetic composite materials considering temperature and strain rate effects

Epoxy/Al as a functional structural energetic composite material that can be used as an adhesive, energetic fragments and warhead shells due to its high energy density, low density, and high strength. It can release a large amount of chemical energy (about 21.36 kJ/g) through chemical reactions when subjected to high-speed impact and thermal stimulation. Whether used as a matrix or auxiliary component, it has enormous development potential. Therefore, it is particularly important to study the mechanical properties of Epoxy/Al energetic composite materials under different temperature environments and strain rates of loading. This article describes the preparation of Epoxy/Al specimens with a mass percentage of 70%–30% using vacuum curing after 24 h under 0.8 Bar and 50 °C. The mechanical properties of Epoxy/Al specimens under different loading conditions were characterized using a high and low temperature universal testing machine and a separate Hopkinson experimental system. The modulus prediction method of binary composite materials was improved by combining SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and microstructure, and an adaptive constitutive model was developed combined with the K Srinivas model and neural network model based on the Sherwood Frost empirical constitutive relationship. The results show that Epoxy/Al energetic composite material has a significant temperature effect. When the temperature exceeds 100 °C, Epoxy/Al energetic composite material will be a significant physical and chemical property transition (the specimen exhibits viscous fluid characteristics and gradually begins to slowly decompose). As the temperature decreases, the specimen gradually exhibits a certain degree of brittleness and strength is improved. Due to the deformation, displacement, and interfacial debonding of internal particles during the loading process, Epoxy/Al materials exhibit excellent impact energy absorption effects, with energy absorption reaching 15.30 MJ/m3 at room temperature, and unit mass cost much lower than popular CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced polymer) materials (CFRP energy absorption cost is 0.268 J/g/£, while Epoxy/Al materials do not exceed 0.013 J/g/£). During the dynamic loading process, Epoxy/Al energetic composite materials exhibit a phenomenon of structural reconstruction and enhancement throughout the entire loading process. The maximum strength at room temperature can reach 240.70 MPa, which is superior to all existing energetic materials of the same type. By introducing interface effects and quantifying them in the Halpin Tsai model, the existing prediction method for the Young's modulus of binary particle added composite materials has been effectively improved, reducing the prediction error of the Young's modulus of Epoxy/Al energetic composite materials from 14.2% to 2.4%. The numerical simulation results indicate that the newly developed constitutive model has high accuracy and can better reflect the mechanical properties of Epoxy/Al materials. The development method of this constitutive model has a positive contribution to the development of composite materials