Genghis Khan…the Great Wall…Gourmet Coffee? Chinese Consumption Identity and the Launch of Starbucks in Inner Mongolia

This study analyzes the “Othering” process in Inner Mongolia. Using the establishment of several Starbucks stores as examples of Westernization, the study examines how young professionals in Inner Mongolia think Starbucks is \u27\u27exotic : strange and different, yet intriguing and exciting. At the same time, Starbucks is more than coffee; it is an upscale and sophisticated coffee experience with a wholly new coffee vocabulary. This study will analyze the contexts and cultural identity markers surrounding the Starbucks brand. Existing research (Bookman, 2013; Clarke, Micken & Hart, 2002; Garner, 2005; Maguire & Hu，2015) found that global brands in China are commonly held to be of superior quality. Even global brand is more much expensive than local brand, but more and more middle-class consumers in China are able to afford it, they tend to emphasize status rather than quality in the advantages of foreign goods (Croll, 2006; Doctoroff, 2005; Flew, 2006). These two dimensions are both present in the middle-class consumption patterns, and in fact, quality was more prevalent than status. Many consumers in mainland China believe is Starbucks as a bridge between cultures (Maguire & Dan, 2015). Chinese consumers believe their experience in Starbucks is one kind of “American” experience, along with having iphones, ipads, and Nike shoes. The “American” in Starbucks, is actually questionable, given that Starbucks uses Italian coffee beans, and has based their stores on the Italian coffee shop culture (Koehn, 2001). Nevertheless, Starbucks has succeeded in establishing itself as a major American brand, exported across the globe. Such exporting, of coffee and other American products, has caught on in massive ways in mainland China and Inner Mongolia. While there has been some academic research assessing the impact of Starbucks in China (see, for instance, Han & Zhang, 2009) and elsewhere in Asia (see, for instance, Lin, 2012), to date there has been no research on the impact of Starbucks in Inner Mongolia. The first Starbucks store in China was opened in Beijing in 1999. Since then Starbucks has opened more than 1,000 stores in 60 cities in mainland China cities. In 2014, China became second only to the U.S. to the nation having the largest number of Starbucks stores (Soto Ouchi, 2005). After achieving tremendous business success in top-level cities in China, Starbucks extended their business map to second and third level cities across the mainland. This study explores Starbucks in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, a typical third-level city in China. Hohhot is capital of Inner Mongolia, its population was 2,866,615 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,980,774 lived in the metro area, which is made up of four urban districts. Hohhot is a major industrial center within Inner Mongolia. Hohhot, together with Baotou and Ordos, account for more than 60 percent of the total industrial output of Inner Mongolia. Hohhot is also the largest consumer center in the region, recording ¥102.2 billion retail sales of consumer goods in 2012, an increase of 14.9 percent from 2011. The first Starbucks store opened in Hohhot at January of 2014, located in central business district of Hohhot. Within a year Starbucks expanded from one store to four, in each of the four districts of the city. The study examines young professionals’ perception of Starbucks as an upscale brand in Inner Mongolia and how Starbucks shapes young professionals’ identity. This work in progress will eventually involve in-depth interviews and ethnographic participant observation in Hohhot. References Bookman, S. (2013). Branded cosmpolitanisms: ‘Global’ coffee brands and the co-creation of ‘cosmopolitan cool’. Cultural Sociology, 7(1), 56-72. Clarke, I., Micken, K. S., & Hart, S. (2002). Symbols for sale…at least for now: Symbolic consumption in transition economies. Advances in Consumer Research, 29(1), 25-30. Croll, E. (2006). China’s new consumers: Social development and domestic demand. London, England: Routledge. Doctoroff, T. (2005). Billions: Selling to the new Chinese consumer. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Flew, T. (2006). The new middle class meets the creative class: The Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and creative innovation in 21st-century China. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(3), 419-429. Garner, J. (2005). The rise of the Chinese consumer: Theory and evidence. Chichester, England: Wiley. Han, G. K., & Zhang, A. (2009). Starbucks is forbidden in the Forbidden City: Blog, circuit of culture and informal public relations campaign in China. Public Relations Review, 35(4), 395-401. Koehn, N. F. (2010). Starbucks\u27 logo debate shows customers\u27 engagement, Harvard Business Review Blogs. Smith Maguire, J. & Hu, D. (2015). Not a simple coffee shop: Local, global and global dimensions of the consumption of Starbucks in China. Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture, 19(5), 37-41. Soto Ouchi, M. (2005). Opportunity brewing for Starbucks in China. The Seattle Times

Diffusion basis spectrum imaging detects axonal loss after transient dexamethasone treatment in optic neuritis mice

Optic neuritis is a frequent first symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) for which corticosteroids are a widely employed treatment option. The Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial (ONTT) reported that corticosteroid treatment does not improve long-term visual acuity, although the evolution of underlying pathologies is unclear. In this study, we employed non-invasive diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI)-derived fiber volume to quantify 11% axonal loss 2 months after corticosteroid treatment (vs. baseline) in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse optic nerves affected by optic neuritis. Longitudinal DBSI was performed at baseline (before immunization), after a 2-week corticosteroid treatment period, and 1 and 2 months after treatment, followed by histological validation of neuropathology. Pathological metrics employed to assess the optic nerve revealed axonal protection and anti-inflammatory effects of dexamethasone treatment that were transient. Two months after treatment, axonal injury and loss were indistinguishable between PBS- and dexamethasone-treated optic nerves, similar to results of the human ONTT. Our findings in mice further support that corticosteroid treatment alone is not sufficient to prevent eventual axonal loss in ON, and strongly support the potential of DBSI as a

Diffusion basis spectrum imaging measures anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of fingolimod on murine optic neuritis

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively determine whether diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI) detects, differentiates and quantitates coexisting inflammation, demyelination, axonal injury and axon loss in mice with optic neuritis (ON) due to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), and to determine if DBSI accurately measures effects of fingolimod on underlying pathology. METHODS: EAE was induced in 7-week-old C57BL/6 female mice. Visual acuity (VA) was assessed daily to detect onset of ON after which daily oral-treatment with either fingolimod (1 mg/kg) or saline was given for ten weeks. In vivo DBSI scans of optic nerves were performed at baseline, 2-, 6- and 10-weeks post treatment. DBSI-derived metrics including restricted isotropic diffusion tensor fraction (putatively reflecting cellularity), non-restricted isotropic diffusion tensor fraction (putatively reflecting vasogenic edema), DBSI-derived axonal volume, axial diffusivity, λ RESULTS: Optic nerves of fingolimod-treated mice exhibited significantly better (p \u3c 0.05) VA than saline-treated group at each time point. During ten-week of treatment, DBSI-derived non-restricted and restricted-isotropic-diffusion-tensor fractions, and axonal volumes were not significantly different (p \u3e 0.05) from the baseline values in fingolimod-treated mice. Transient DBSI-λ CONCLUSION: DBSI was used to assess changes of the underlying optic nerve pathologies in EAE mice with ON, exhibiting great potential as a noninvasive outcome measure for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic efficacy for MS

The Spatial Differentiation of the Suitability of Ice-Snow Tourist Destinations Based on a Comprehensive Evaluation Model in China

Ice, snow, and rime are wonders of the cold season in an alpine climate zone and climate landscape. With its pure, spectacular, and magical features, these regions attract numerous tourists. Ice and snow landscapes can provide not only visually-stimulating experiences for people, but also opportunities for outdoor play and movement. In China, ice and snow tourism is a new type of recreation; however, the establishment of snow and ice in relation to the suitability of the surrounding has not been clearly expressed. Based on multi-source data, such as tourism, weather, and traffic data, this paper employs the Delphi-analytic hierarchy process (AHP) evaluation method and a spatial analysis method to study the spatial differences of snow and ice tourism suitability in China. China’s ice and snow tourism is located in the latitude from 35°N to 53.33°N and latitude 41.5°N to 45°N and longitude 82°E to 90°E, with the main focus on latitude and terrain factors. A poor fit is concentrated at latitude 20.45°N to 35°N and longitude 100°E to 122°E; the difference is that the latitude is low and affected by the Japanese warm current. The analysis of the suitability of ice and snow tourism can be employed as a reference for the development of ice and snow tourism

Folic Acid-Decorated <i>β</i>-Cyclodextrin-Based Poly(ε-caprolactone)-dextran Star Polymer with Disulfide Bond-Linker as Theranostic Nanoparticle for Tumor-Targeted MRI and Chemotherapy

β-cyclodextrin(βCD)-based star polymers have attracted much interest because of their unique structures and potential biomedical and biological applications. Herein, a well-defined folic acid (FA)-conjugated and disulfide bond-linked star polymer ((FA-Dex-SS)-βCD-(PCL)14) was synthesized via a couple reaction between βCD-based 14 arms poly(ε-caprolactone) (βCD-(PCL)14) and disulfide-containing α-alkyne dextran (alkyne-SS-Dex), and acted as theranostic nanoparticles for tumor-targeted MRI and chemotherapy. Theranostic nanoparticles were obtained by loading doxorubicin (DOX), and superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles were loaded into the star polymer nanoparticles to obtain ((FA-Dex-SS)-βCD-(PCL)14@DOX-SPIO) theranostic nanoparticles. In vitro drug release studies showed that approximately 100% of the DOX was released from disulfide bond-linked theranostic nanoparticles within 24 h under a reducing environment in the presence of 10.0 mM GSH. DOX and SPIO could be delivered into HepG2 cells efficiently, owing to the folate receptor-mediated endocytosis process of the nanoparticles and glutathione (GSH), which triggered disulfide-bonds cleaving. Moreover, (FA-Dex-SS)-βCD-(PCL)14@DOX-SPIO showed strong MRI contrast enhancement properties. In conclusion, folic acid-decorated reduction-sensitive star polymeric nanoparticles are a potential theranostic nanoparticle candidate for tumor-targeted MRI and chemotherapy

The Spatial Differentiation of the Suitability of Ice-Snow Tourist Destinations Based on a Comprehensive Evaluation Model in China

Ice, snow, and rime are wonders of the cold season in an alpine climate zone and climate landscape. With its pure, spectacular, and magical features, these regions attract numerous tourists. Ice and snow landscapes can provide not only visually-stimulating experiences for people, but also opportunities for outdoor play and movement. In China, ice and snow tourism is a new type of recreation; however, the establishment of snow and ice in relation to the suitability of the surrounding has not been clearly expressed. Based on multi-source data, such as tourism, weather, and traffic data, this paper employs the Delphi-analytic hierarchy process (AHP) evaluation method and a spatial analysis method to study the spatial differences of snow and ice tourism suitability in China. China’s ice and snow tourism is located in the latitude from 35°N to 53.33°N and latitude 41.5°N to 45°N and longitude 82°E to 90°E, with the main focus on latitude and terrain factors. A poor fit is concentrated at latitude 20.45°N to 35°N and longitude 100°E to 122°E; the difference is that the latitude is low and affected by the Japanese warm current. The analysis of the suitability of ice and snow tourism can be employed as a reference for the development of ice and snow tourism

A GdW₁₀@PDA-CAT Sensitizer with High-Z Effect and Self-Supplied Oxygen for Hypoxic-Tumor Radiotherapy

Anticancer treatment is largely affected by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME), which causes the resistance of the tumor to radiotherapy. Combining radiosensitizer compounds and O2 self-enriched moieties is an emerging strategy in hypoxic-tumor treatments. Herein, we engineered GdW10@PDA-CAT (K3Na4H2GdW10O36·2H2O, GdW10, polydopamine, PDA, catalase, CAT) composites as a radiosensitizer for the TME-manipulated enhancement of radiotherapy. In the composites, Gd (Z = 64) and W (Z = 74), as the high Z elements, make X-ray gather in tumor cells, thereby enhancing DNA damage induced by radiation. CAT can convert H2O2 to O2 and H2O to enhance the X-ray effect under hypoxic TME. CAT and PDA modification enhances the biocompatibility of the composites. Our results showed that GdW10@PDA-CAT composites increased the efficiency of radiotherapy in HT29 cells in culture. This polyoxometalates and O2 self-supplement composites provide a promising radiosensitizer for the radiotherapy field

In Vitro Antifungal Activity and Mechanism of Ag3PW12O40 Composites against Candida Species

Fungal infections pose a serious threat to human health. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are metal&ndash;oxygen clusters with potential application in the control of microbial infections. Herein, the Ag3PW12O40 composites have been synthesized and verified by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), elemental analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The antifungal activities of Ag3PW12O40 were screened in 19 Candida species strains through the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the microdilution checkerboard technique. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50) values of Ag3PW12O40 are 2~32 &mu;g/mL to the Candida species. The MIC80 value of Ag3PW12O40 to resistant clinical isolates C. albicans HL963 is 8 &mu;g/mL, which is lower than the positive control, fluconazole (FLC). The mechanism against C. albicans HL963 results show that Ag3PW12O40 can decrease the ergosterol content. The expressions of ERG1, ERG7, and ERG11, which impact on the synthesis of ergosterol, are all prominently upregulated by Ag3PW12O40. It indicates that Ag3PW12O40 is a candidate in the development of new antifungal agents