Latest news with #ShenzhenUniversity
Edinburgh Reporter
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025 – Ego Tourism: How the Tao Made Me (a bit less) Weird ⭐⭐⭐
Mark Saltveit could have trained to be a lawyer like his mother, his grandfather and his great grandfather; but having read 'The happy fish' tale in a book on Taoist philosophy, which suggests that by letting go of striving and embracing one's natural state, à la a fish in water, one can find fulfilment, he decided not to. 'The fish tale changed my life. I realised you become what you do,' he says. 'I wanted to be happy like a fish.' Saltveit, 63, the author of three books including 'The Tao of Chip Kelly', which analyses the coaching philosophy of a former National Football League head coach and suggests his leadership style and team-building strategies can be applied in other fields, works in the library at Middlebury College, a private liberal arts college in Vermont, where his wife, Olga, is assistant professor of theatre. He's also 'a palindrome pundit' and, well, as happy as a fish. A bookish, 'goofy' child, whose parents bought a bargain-priced home in a well-heeled part of Portland, in Oregon, in 1968 after its owners wanted shot of it fearing it had been damaged by work blasting a tunnel for a highway, Saltveit draws lessons from good fortune as well as ill. Landing a $15,000 home in a nice part of town was not great for him as he stood out as gawky and was bullied. However, he was a smart kid. 'I did learn one place bullies will never chase you was into the library.' He spent a lot of time there reading sci-fi and at 13 'stumbled on two books of Chinese philosophy'. His enthusiasm oozes out in his love letter to the 2,300-year-old (or so) Chinese philosophy that charts his course from a socially awkward eight-year-old to 'a physically worthless, totally in my head' teenager at a working-class Catholic school and on to a motley array of jobs. These included being a crew member on films such as 'Drugstore Cowboy', but realising he was not cut out for 'LA schmooziness' he packed it in and landed a post at Shenzhen University in China as a professor of English, for which he had no training or credentials (but, usefully, an American accent). 'I was never a barrister, but I was a barista,' he says, adding that he became a stand-up comedian at 38 and several years later a sportswriter. His tales are illustrated by sweet pictures on a spiral-bound sketchpad of him growing up, including one with thick-framed black glasses which his frugal father had got cheaply, and sprinkled with moral-rich readings from Thomas Merton's 'The Way of Chuang Tzu', a spiritual interpretation of the classic philosopher of Taoism. Plus there's slow-mo demonstrations of Saltveit doing tai chi, 'a sort of meditative martial art' (in one of which he accidentally kicked one of the ten-strong audience members in the tiny room), to instrumental music including 'Pigs in Zen' by Jane's Addiction. Jimi Hendrix's 'Midnight' would also have featured but a low battery on Saltveit's technical equipment put paid to that. There's also a reading from 'The Huainanzi', a collection of teachings from Taoist sages, which is the source of 'The man on the frontier loses his horse' story charting the ups and downs of the loss of a horse, its return with other horses, making its distraught owner suddenly wealthy, the hobbling of his son after a horse-riding accident, followed by the son's inability to serve in the army when a devastating war breaks out. Unintended consequences abound in life; don't make comparisons all-important; be yourself as best you can, Saltveit suggests. In the middle of it all, in a clever feat of going against the flow, he recalls working his way to the front at Simon and Garfunkel's free benefit concert in Central Park in 1981 by hiding behind trees with a friend to avoid the surging of the 500,000-strong crowd and then moving forwards when the press eased. 'Taoism is the subversive, mischievous, dissident alternative to the mainstream culture of Confucianism, which is the traditional, orderly philosophy of China,' says Saltveit helpfully. Equally helpfully, he's self-deprecating. 'Welcome to my little patch of mud. I can read social cues better now and I know you're ready for this show to end.' PBH's Free Fringe @ Carbon (Room 3) (Aug 7 to 11, 13-18, 20-24) Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Light-powered robot swarms may replace antibiotics for tough sinus infections
Swarms of microrobots have been designed to help get rid of bacterial sinus infections. After completing the task, these tiny robots can be easily expelled from the nose. Interestingly, these tiny, light-activated robots are reportedly as small as a "dust speck." These are called CBMRs (copper single–atom–loaded bismuth oxoiodide photocatalytic microrobots). The China-Hong Kong team has successfully inserted newly developed microrobots into animal sinuses during preclinical trials to treat bacterial infections. 'Our proposed microrobotic therapeutic platform offers the advantages of noninvasiveness, minimal resistance, and drug-free intervention,' the researchers from Guangxi University, Shenzhen University, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong stated. Chronic sinusitis treatments have long been problematic, offering a choice between invasive surgery and often ineffective drug delivery. In the past, magnetic microrobots have been created, but it's tough for them to move through inflamed areas in the body that are clogged with thick pus and cellular debris. Driven by the limitations of current treatments, scientists, under the leadership of Haidong Yu, engineered these light-activated microbots to combat deep-seated bacterial infections in the sinuses effectively. Researchers first created tiny magnetic particles (CBMRs) containing antibacterial copper. They then built a special magnetically guided optical fiber to both control the movement of these microrobots and shine visible light on them. Here's how these tiny bots work. Reportedly, microrobot swarms are injected into the sinus cavity through the nostril duct. A magnetic field can precisely steer them, navigating even the most inflamed and viscous sinus environments directly to the infection site. 'They constructed a magnetically guided optical fiber that could coordinate the movements of CBMR swarms and illuminate them with visible light. Under a magnetic field, CBMRs exert collective mechanical forces that disrupt bacterial cell walls,' the team explained. Once in place, this designed optical fiber shines visible light, activating the CBMRs, and causing them to release heat for better movement. When activated by light, these microrobots perform two key functions: they exert collective mechanical forces to break apart robust bacterial biofilms. Moreover, they generate antibacterial reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are free radicals that effectively kill the now-exposed bacteria. The team tested the microbots on animal models. In preclinical trials, these microrobots proved highly effective: they eliminated bacterial biofilms in lab settings and successfully cleared infections in rabbit models of sinusitis. Moreover, CBMRs were shown to effectively clear bacteria from pig sinuses outside of a living body. Remarkably, these positive outcomes occurred without tissue damage or side effects, and the microrobots were even naturally expelled from the nose. The team says this new approach comes with various benefits. As it's non-invasive, the technique eliminates the need for complex surgeries. Moreover, it promotes minimal resistance since it doesn't depend on traditional drugs, thereby reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance. Essentially, it offers a novel, drug-free intervention for fighting infections. 'The authors propose that their approach could be applied to treat other sinus-related diseases,' the press release noted. The findings were published in the journal Science Robotics.
The Mainichi
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Table tennis: Miu Hirano to join Super League in China
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Miu Hirano is joining the Chinese Table Tennis Super League, the Paris Olympian posted on her Instagram on Wednesday. "I'm really happy to participate with Shenzhen University. I'll do my best," the 25-year-old said of her new team, which counts the reigning two-time women's singles world champion Sun Yingsha among its members. Hirano made a second-round exit at the worlds in May in Qatar and later revealed she will be involved less frequently in Japan national team activities. "I want to take on table tennis with a different, renewed mindset. I want to change my environment," she said upon her return to Japan after the tournament. Hirano first played in the Super League in 2016 when she was 16, representing Ordos 1980. She won team silver with Japan both at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and in Paris.
Malaysia Sun
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Malaysia Sun
Amateur An cements legacy with Sichuan win
CHENGDU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese amateur An Zining captured her first title against a pro field on Friday as the Tianjin teenager closed with a scorching seven-under 65 to win the inaugural China Golf Women's Legacy event by two strokes in the Sichuan capital. After starting the day two shots off the lead at the 500,000 yuan CLPG Tour stop, the 16-year-old An, a three-time winner on the China amateur circuit last year, finished with a 54-hole score of 15-under 201 at Poly Chengdu Golf Club. Her round included four birdies on the front nine, followed by five straight birdies to start the back nine. She then carded bogeys at the 15th and the last in only her third appearance in a CLPG Tour event. "My caddie only told me I had a three-shot lead when approaching the final green. I was quite surprised at that moment," said An, 457th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. "I started strong today, felt solid for most of the round. A few slips toward the end but overall it's a performance I can accept." In the tournament that featured 78 professionals and 26 amateurs playing in a dual individual-and-team format, Lin Xin'en (67) claimed the 75,000 winner's purse for finishing equal runner-up with amateurs Sophie Han Zilin (68), Zhou Shiyuan (68) and Wang Xinyu (67). Overnight leader Pan Yanhong was equal ninth at four shots back after faltering down the stretch to a one-under 71. Lin, a second-year pro from Guangzhou, was understandably thrilled to collect the winner's purse. Her round included six birdies and a bogey. "During the last two events, I was still fighting to make the cut and now I've earned my second runner-up. This check also happens to be the biggest payday of my career so far," said the Shenzhen University student. "The turning point came after realizing I'd been playing too cautiously in the previous two tournaments. This time I put in extra work and honestly assessed where I needed to improve. This is absolutely the ideal outcome." Zhou, one of the opening round co-leaders, lamented a missed opportunity to pick up her third CLPG Tour title. Starting the day one shot off the lead, the Chongqing teenager bogeyed the opening hole before settling to make four birdies, three of which came on the back nine. "I was too steady and not aggressive enough. Just couldn't make enough birdies. I'm disappointed with my game, especially that second round which really held me back." Hong Kong native Han was another disappointed with her final-round performance. The 17-year-old's card included six birdies and two bogeys. "On the final hole, for the third straight day, I had 200 yards in and again flew over the green. Really frustrating not to convert those birdie chances," she said. Thai veteran Onkanok Soisuwan (68) carded a hole-in-one at the 150-yard 16th hole when her perfect shot with an eight-iron hit the fringe of the green and rolled into the cup. For her fifth lifetime ace, the Bangkok native received a GolfJoy golf simulator valued at 299,000 yuan. Winnie Ng (67) also got a hole-in-one when the Malaysian aced the 185-yard third hole, her first in a competition. In the team event, where the pros partnered with junior amateurs, Team Zhou Shiyuan topped the leaderboard on day three with a two-stroke win on a score of 22-under 194. Amateur Liu Yujie carded a personal best nine-under 63 to lead the foursome featuring fellow amateur Zhou (68) and Thai veterans Prima Thammaraks (68) and Naphatsawan Pabsimma (71). "This team victory is definitely not my achievement alone. I'm incredibly proud and happy. All four of us played exceptionally well. There's no way we could've reached 22-under otherwise," said Liu, 129th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. "After finishing one stroke short yesterday, I made slight adjustments to my strategy today. It paid off. I matched my personal best score, which also happens to be my lowest round ever on the China LPG Tour."
Free Malaysia Today
22-05-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
A new battery can generate electricity using bacteria
Electroactive bacteria have properties that enable them to generate electricity. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : Researchers in China have developed a completely new form of bio-battery based on bacteria, capable of generating its own electricity and recharging itself for several cycles. This major breakthrough in miniaturised bio-batteries was developed by researchers at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shenzhen University. Their research is published in the journal Advanced Materials. This innovative bio-battery uses electroactive bacteria encapsulated in an alginate-based hydrogel to generate electricity. These living hydrogels are 3D-printed and can therefore be customised. For the moment, it's a very small device (20 mm in diameter and 3.2 mm high), but it works. Thanks to the bacteria's metabolism, the bio-battery can recharge itself for up to 10 cycles without any external energy input. The battery stands out for its sustainability and low environmental impact, using no critical raw materials like cobalt or lithium, or toxic components such as organic electrolytes. In fact, it is ideally suited to potential applications in medical devices, such as implants. Researchers have demonstrated, for example, that this bio-battery could be used for sciatic and vagus nerve stimulation, enabling very precise control of bioelectric stimulation and blood pressure signals. This approach could pave the way for innovative physical therapies, even if they are still currently a long way off.
