Genetically engineered pig heart transplanted to a US man at his final stage of heart disease - the world's first

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

遺伝子操作したブタの心臓、心疾患末期の米男性に移植　世界初

2022.01.11 Tue posted at 12:10 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） 米メリーランド大学医学部は１０日、５７歳の男性に遺伝子操作したブタの心臓を移植する手術を行ったと発表した。術後３日の時点で経過は良好だとしている。

発表によると、患者のデビッド・ベネットさんは心疾患の末期状態にあり、ブタの心臓移植は現時点で唯一の選択肢だった。通常の心臓移植や人工心臓ポンプには適さないと診断されていた。

ベネットさんは「死にたくなければこの移植を受けるしかなかった。私は生きたかった。危険は承知していたが、それが私の最後の選択だった」とコメントしている。

米食品医薬品局（ＦＤＡ）は１２月３１日、この手術の緊急承認を認めた。

ドナー（臓器提供）のブタからは、人の免疫のはたらきによって拒絶反応を引き起こす３種類の遺伝子が取り除かれ、ブタの心臓組織の過大な成長を防ぐためにもう１つの遺伝子が除去された。さらに、免疫受容にかかわる人の遺伝子６種類が挿入された。

移植による救命効果については医師団が数日から数週間の経過観察を行う必要があり、免疫系の問題などの合併症についても観察を続ける。

発表の中でバートレイ・グリフィス医師は、人の心臓はドナーが足りず、移植を待つ多数の患者に対応できない状態にあると指摘。「世界初のこの手術が、未来の患者にとって重要な新しい選択肢になることを期待する」とした。

ブタの心臓弁の人への移植は何年も前から行われている。

昨年１０月には医師団が、ニューヨークで脳死状態の女性に遺伝子を操作したブタの腎臓を移植する実験に成功していた。

Translation

(CNN) The University of Maryland School of Medicine announced on the 10th that it had operated on a 57-year-old man by transplanting a genetically engineered pig's heart. The progress was said to be good 3 days after the operation.

According to the announcement, patient Dave Bennett was in the terminal stage of heart disease and pig heart transplantation was the only option at this time. He was diagnosed as unsuitable for normal heart transplants or artificial heart pumps.

Bennett commented, "If I don't want to die, I have to get this transplant. I want to live. I know the danger, but that is my last choice”.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted urgent approval for the surgery on December 31st.

Three genes that caused rejection in the immune system in humans were removed from donating pig, and another gene was removed to prevent overgrowth of pig heart tissue. In addition, 6 types of human genes involved in immunity reception were inserted.

This life-saving effect of transplantation required a group of doctors to follow up for days to weeks, and they would continue to observe complications such as immune system problems.

In the announcement, Dr. Bartley Griffith pointed out that the human heart was in a state where there were not enough donors to accommodate the large number of patients waiting for a transplant. He said, “I hope this surgery as the world's first will be an important new option for future patients".

Transplantation of pig heart valves into humans had been done for many years.

Last October in New York a group of doctors succeeded in transplanting a genetically engineered pig kidney into a brain-dead woman.

              So, this is a breakthrough in the field of human heart transplantation by using genetically engineered pig organs. As there are not enough donors to accommodate the large number of patients waiting for a transplant, this success would offer new hope to those who cannot wait for human organs.

中國啓動了比太陽熱5倍的核聚變裝置

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

The artificial sun (source: BGR)

China switched on its nuclear fusion device that’s 5 times hotter than the Sun

BGR - Joshua Hawkins

Tue, January 11, 2022, 10:25 AM

Last week, China switched on a nuclear fusion reactor. The “artificial sun” is known as the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (or EAST for short). After turning it on, China noticed record high levels for sustained temperatures. According to China’s state media, the EAST reactor ran five times hotter than the real Sun for over 17 minutes.

China’s artificial sun is a bid for clean energy

China says its overall goal with the nuclear fusion reactor is to provide near limitless clean energy. The hope is that the reactor can mimic the natural reactions that occur within stars like the Sun. The idea is one that has been proposed for years. However, creating a working artificial sun has proven to be difficult, despite decades of research. This latest run, though, could help China break through the walls that have been holding back researchers for years.

“The recent operation lays a solid scientific and experimental foundation towards the running of a fusion reactor,” Gong Xianzu, one of the experiment’s leaders and a researcher with the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said (via The Independent).

If China can continue work on its artificial sun, we could see more breakthroughs in the future. 17 minutes might not sound like long, but when you have something running at more than 70,000,000° C for that long, it’s pretty impressive, to say the least. Previously we've also seen other artificial suns reach upwards of 100 million degrees, another record level.

How nuclear fusion works

The idea behind nuclear fusion reactors isn’t exactly easy. The entire basis of the idea is built on replicating the physics of the actual Sun. Artificial suns do this by merging atomic nuclei together to generate massive amounts of energy. Researchers are then trying to find ways to transfer all of that energy into electricity. There’s probably a lot more math involved in the actual process, but that’s the basic gist of what scientists are trying to accomplish.

Because artificial suns don’t require any fossil fuels to run, and they also leave behind no hazardous waste, physicists say there is far less risk to the environment. This is especially true when you compare it to other energy sources out there, like nuclear fission reactors.

China isn’t the only country working on creating an artificial sun, either. As mentioned before, the research into the idea has been ongoing for decades at this point. The same team from China’s reactor will also work with a team in Marseille, France. Once completed, the artificial sun in Marseille will be the world’s largest reactor. It’s known as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The United Kingdom also has plans to build its own nuclear fusion power station.

Onlookers were amazed by it

When it debuted, some people in China went outside to see it. It glowed in the sky, as you can see in this video viewed all over Twitter. China looks to change the future of energy.

Translation

上週，中國啟動了一座核聚變反應堆。 “人造太陽” 是 Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak（或簡稱 EAST）。中國啓動它後，注意到創歷史新高的持續溫度。據中國官方媒體報導，EAST 反應堆在真實太陽溫度的 5 倍運行超過17 分鐘。

中國的人造太陽是清潔能源的競標出價

中國表示其核聚變反應堆的總體目標是提供近乎無限的清潔能源。希望該反應堆可以模仿太陽等恆星內部發生的自然反應。這個想法已經提出了多年。然而，儘管進行了數十年的研究，但事實證明，創造一個有效的人造太陽是很困難的。不過，這次最新的運作可以幫助中國突破多年來一直阻礙研究人員的圍牆。

中科院等離子體物理研究所的實驗負責人之一研究員龔先祖（透過 The Independent）說: “最近的操作為聚變反應堆的運行奠定了堅實的科學和實驗基礎” 。

如果中國能夠繼續研究人造太陽，我們將來會看到更多的突破。 17 分鐘可能聽起來並不長，但是當你有一個東西在超過 70,000,000°C 的溫度中運行這麼長時間時，至少可以說是相當令人印象深刻的。此前，我們還看到其他人造太陽達到 1 億度以上，這是另一個創紀錄的水平。

核聚變的運作原理

核聚變反應堆背後的想法並不容易。這個想法的整個基礎是建立在複製實際太陽的物理之上。人造太陽通過將原子核合併在一起產生大量能量來做到這一點。然後，研究人員正試圖找到將所有這些能量轉化為電能的方法。實際過程中可能涉及更多數學，但這是科學家試圖完成的基本要點。

由於人造太陽不需要任何化石燃料來運行，而且它們也不會留下危險廢物，物理學家說對環境的風險要小得多。尤其是當您將它比較其他能源,如核裂變反應。

中國也不是唯一一個致力於製造人造太陽的國家。如前所述，這個想法的研究已經持續了幾十年。來自中國反應堆的同一團隊還將與法國馬賽的一個團隊合作。一旦完成，馬賽的人造太陽將成為世界上最大的反應堆。它被稱為國際熱核實驗反應堆（ITER）。英國亦計劃建造自己的核聚變電站。

圍觀者為之驚嘆

當它首次被啟動時，在中國有一些人就到外面去看看。它在天空中發光，正如你在 Twitter 上觀看的這段視頻中看到的那樣。中國希望改變能源的未來。

       So, China switches on a nuclear fusion reactor, creating an “artificial sun "through a set up that could merge atomic nuclei together and is known as the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (or EAST for short). The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being developed to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. The next hurdle for researchers is to find a way to transfer all of that energy into electricity.

Notes:

1. A tokamak is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field to confine plasma in the shape of a torus. The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being developed to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. As of 2021, it is the leading candidate for a practical fusion reactor. By the mid-1970s, dozens of tokamaks were in use around the world. As of 2020, JET (the Joint European Torus) remains the record holder for fusion output, reaching 16 MW of output for 24 MW of input heating power. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokamak)

2. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), internal designation HT-7U (Hefei Tokamak 7 Upgrade), is an experimental superconducting tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor in Hefei, China. The Hefei Institutes of Physical Science is conducting the experiment for the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It becomes operational since 2006. (https://en.wikipedia.org/)

來自普通感冒的 T 細胞可以提供針對 COVID-19 的保護 - 研究

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

T-cells from common colds can provide protection against COVID-19 - study

Mon, January 10, 2022, 2:12 AM

By Alistair Smout

  LONDON (Reuters) - High levels of T-cells from common cold coronaviruses can provide protection against COVID-19, an Imperial College London study published on Monday has found, which could inform approaches for second-generation vaccines.

  Immunity against COVID-19 is a complex picture, and while there is evidence of waning antibody levels six months after vaccination, T-cells are also believed to play a vital role in providing protection.

  The study, which began in September 2020, looked at levels of cross-reactive T-cells generated by previous common colds in 52 household contacts of positive COVID-19 cases shortly after exposure, to see if they went on to develop infection.

  It found that the 26 who did not develop infection had significantly higher levels of those T-cells than people who did get infected. Imperial did not say how long protection from the T-cells would last.

  "We found that high levels of pre-existing T cells, created by the body when infected with other human coronaviruses like the common cold, can protect against COVID-19 infection," study author Dr Rhia Kundu said.

  The authors of the study, published in Nature Communications, said that the internal proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which are targeted by the T-cells could offer an alternative target for vaccine makers.

  Current COVID-19 vaccines target the spike protein, which mutates regularly, creating variants such as Omicron which lessen the efficacy of vaccines against symptomatic infection.

  "In contrast, the internal proteins targeted by the protective T-cells we identified mutate much less," Professor Ajit Lalvani, co-author of the study, said.

  "Consequently, they are highly conserved between the various SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron. New vaccines that include these conserved, internal proteins would therefore induce broadly protective T cell responses that should protect against current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants."

  (Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Translation

  倫敦（路透社）- 倫敦帝國理工學院週一發表的一項研究發現，來自普通感冒冠狀病毒的高水平 T 細胞可以提供針對 COVID-19 的保護，這可以為第新一代疫苗提供對應的方法。

  針對 COVID-19 的免疫力是一幅複雜的景像，雖然有證據表明疫苗接種六個月後抗體水平下降，但 T 細胞也被認為在提供保護方面發揮著至關重要的作用。

  該研究於 2020 年 9 月開始， 對52 名 COVID-19 陽性病例接觸者的家庭,在他們接觸COVID-19後不久, 研究他們之前因普通感冒而產生的交叉反應性 T 細胞的水平，以了解他們是否繼續有感染。

  研究發現，26 名沒有感染的人的 T 細胞水平明顯高於被感染的人。帝國理工沒有說明對 T 細胞的保護能持續多久。

  研究作者 Rhia Kundu 博士說： “我們發現，人體在感染其他人類冠狀病毒（如普通感冒）時產生的高水平的預先存在的 T 細胞可以預防 COVID-19 感染” 。

 在 Nature Communications 中, 該研究的作者發表說，被 T 細胞靶向的 SARS-CoV-2 病毒的內部蛋白質可以為疫苗製造商提供替代目標。

  目前的 COVID-19 疫苗針對的是刺突蛋白，該蛋白會定期突變，產生諸如 Omicron 之類的變體，從而降低疫苗對症狀性感染的功效。

 該研究的合著者 Ajit Lalvani 教授說:  “相比之下，我們發現的保護性 T 細胞靶向的內部蛋白質的突變要少得多” 。

  “因此，它們在包括 Omicron 在內的各種 SARS-CoV-2 變體之間高度不變保。因此，包含這些不變的內部蛋白質的新疫苗將誘導廣泛的保護性 T 細胞反應，從而防止當前和未來的 SARS-CoV-2 變體” 。

              So, current COVID-19 vaccines target the spike protein which mutates regularly. In contrast, to aim at the internal proteins targeted by the protective T-cells may be more effective in vaccination. This discovery could be a game changer in future vaccine productions.

中國從伊朗、委內瑞拉大量進口受制裁的廉價石油

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China Gorges On Cheap, Sanctioned Oil From Iran, Venezuela

Bloomberg News

Mon, January 10, 2022, 10:05 PM

(Bloomberg) -- China doubled down on imports of Iranian and Venezuelan crude in 2021, taking the most from the U.S.-sanctioned regimes in three years, as refiners brushed off the risk of penalties to scoop up cheap oil.

Crude processors in the world’s biggest importer were observed to have bought 324 million barrels from Iran and Venezuela in 2021, about 53% more than the year before, according to data from market intelligence firm Kpler. That’s the most since 2018, when China took 352 million barrels from the two nations.

Chinese buyers, particularly private refiners, have benefited from Washington’s tough line on Iran and Venezuela, continuing to buy their oil long after their counterparts elsewhere in Asia ceased purchases. The risk that non-U.S. entities may lose access to the U.S. financial system or have their American assets frozen if found guilty of breaching the sanctions hasn’t dissuaded them.

A glut of unsold cargoes, rising international prices, and the issuance of more crude import quotas by Beijing, have incentivized the private refiners, known as teapots, to snap up more oil from the pariah states. These shipments typically don’t show up in official customs data.

“This surge was triggered by rising crude prices, making Iranian crude, anecdotally, up to 10% cheaper when delivered into China,” said Anoop Singh, head of tanker research at Braemar ACM Shipbroking Pte Ltd. The U.S. also eased sanctions enforcement as it tried for a nuclear deal with Iran, he said.

 Going Dark

Sanctioned oil is typically transported on old ships that would have otherwise been set for the scrapyards, providing cost savings, according to Singh. Cargoes may be shipped directly from the country of origin on tankers that have gone dark -- meaning their transponders are turned off -- or transferred between vessels at sea to mask where the crude has come from, he said.

Iranian and Venezuelan crudes are often re-branded and passed off as oil from Oman and Malaysia. China hasn’t received any Iranian crude since December 2020, while imports from Oman and Malaysia have risen, official data show.

Chinese imports of sanctioned crude should stay elevated around current levels early this year amid slow progress on the nuclear talks, according to Braemar and industry consultant Energy Aspects Ltd.

Global oil prices that have jumped almost 50% over the past year are also making cheaper, sanctioned barrels more attractive. That could be exacerbated by tax and pollution probes into Chinese teapots, which are putting more pressure on them, said Yuntao Liu, an analyst at Energy Aspects in London.

The price of sanctioned oil will always be discounted, said Emma Li, a Singapore-based analyst at Vortexa Ltd. “For teapots, the incentive is always the low price, compared with other popular grades.”

Translation

（彭博社）- 中國在 2021 年將伊朗和委內瑞拉原油的進口量翻了一番，從被美國製裁的政權中, 三年裡獲得了最大得益，因為煉油商因避免受到處罰的風險了而不收購廉價石油。

根據市場情報公司 Kpler 的數據，2021 年，這個全球最大進口國的原油加工商從伊朗和委內瑞拉購買了 3.24 億桶原油，比前一年增加了約 53%。這是自 2018 年以來的最高水平，當時中國從兩國進口了 3.52 億桶石油。

中國買家，尤其是私營煉油商，受益於華盛頓對伊朗和委內瑞拉的強硬立場，在亞洲其他地區的同行停止購買石油很久之後，他們繼續購買石油。非美國實體如果被判違反制裁，可能無法進入美國金融體系, 或其在美國資產凍結的風險, 但這並沒有欄阻他們購買石油。

大量未售出的貨物、不斷上漲的國際價格以及北京發布更多的原油進口配額，促使被稱為茶壺的私人煉油廠從被国际社会拒绝的國家搶購更多石油。這些貨物通常不會出現在官方海關數據中。

Braemar ACM Shipbroking Pte Ltd 油輪研究主管 Anoop Singh 表示： “這一飆升是由原油價格上漲引發的，傳聞說，伊朗原油運往中國時的價格要便宜 10%” 。他說，美國在試圖與伊朗達成核協議時也放寬了製裁執行力度。

走向隱蔽

據 Singh 稱，受制裁的石油通常使用原本用於廢料場的舊船運輸，從而節省成本。他說，貨物可能會直接從原產國乘坐已經變隱蔽的油輪（意味著它們關閉信號轉發器）或在海上船隻之間轉移以掩蓋原油的來源。

伊朗和委內瑞拉的原油經常被重新命名並假冒阿曼和馬來西亞的石油。官方數據顯示，自 2020 年 12 月以來，中國沒有收到任何伊朗原油，而從阿曼和馬來西亞的進口量有所增加。

Braemar 和行業諮詢公司 Energy Aspects Ltd 表示，在核談判進展緩慢之際，今年年初中國對受制裁原油的進口應保持在當前水平附近。

過去一年上漲近 50% 的全球油價也使得便宜、受制裁的桶裝原油更具吸引力。倫敦 Energy Aspects 的分析師 Yuntao Liu 表示，這可能會加劇調查對中國茶壺稅收和污染的吸引力，給它們帶來了更大的壓力。

Vortexa Ltd. 駐新加坡分析師 Emma Li 表示，受制裁的油的價格總是會打折。 “對於茶壺來說，與其他受歡迎的等級油相比，價格總是較低。”

So, China doubles down on imports of Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil and benefits the most from the U.S. sanctioned regimes as refiners ignore the risk of penalties to scoop up sanctioned cheap oil.

Is it possible to reduce the risk of the new corona by reducing the weight? A new research report

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

減量で新型コロナのリスク低減か　新たな研究報告も

2022.01.09 Sun posted at 11:11 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） 新型コロナウイルスの感染、重症化、死亡リスクは太りすぎの人ほど高いことが知られている。減量によってそのリスクが低減することを示す、新たな研究結果も報告された。

新型コロナ感染症のパンデミック（世界的大流行）が始まる前から長年、肥満は米国人の健康を脅かしてきた。米国人の予防可能な死因として、喫煙に続く２位に位置している。

その危険性は、新型コロナによってさらに高まる。新型コロナによる入院患者の３割が肥満だとする研究報告もある。

ボストン市内の肥満治療クリニックでは、パンデミックで待機リストの患者が大幅に増え、すでに１０００人を超えた。十数人の専門スタッフでも手が回らない状態だ。

昨年８月に発表された研究によると、体重（キログラム）を身長（メートル）の２乗で割った体格指数（ＢＭＩ）で肥満に分類される人はそうでない人に比べ、新型コロナに感染するリスクが４６％も大きかった。入院のリスクは１１３％増、集中治療室（ＩＣＵ）に収容されるリスクは７４％増、そして死亡リスクは４８％増に達した。研究チームによれば、ＢＭＩが１ポイント増えるごとに、リスクは増大するという。

米疾病対策センター（ＣＤＣ）の研究でも、重症化リスクが最も低いのはＢＭＩが正常と過体重の境目に近いグループで、そこからＢＭＩが上がるにつれてリスクが増大するという結果が出た。英国で６９０万人あまりのデータを分析した研究でも、同様の結果が報告されている。

減量で新型コロナのリスクは低減するのか

減量でリスクを低減できるかどうかを比較する臨床試験は倫理上、ほぼ不可能とされるが、減量の効果を過去にさかのぼって調べた大規模な研究の結果が先ごろ、米医師会の外科専門誌「ＪＡＭＡサージャリー」に発表された。

減量手術用の医療機器を扱うメドトロニック社の出資で、２万人あまりの対象者を６年間以上、追跡した研究だ。

そのデータによると、新型コロナの検査で陽性反応を示す率は、減量手術を受けたグループが９．１％、受けていないグループが８．７％だった。手術したグループは新型コロナで入院したり、酸素吸入が必要になったり、重い症状を示したりする率が低いことも分かった。

研究チームは、新型コロナの重症化に対し、肥満は「修正可能なリスク要因」だと指摘。重要なのは減量手術そのものでなく、体重を減らすことだとしたうえで、体重が減れば重症化や死亡のリスクが大幅に抑えられると結論付けた。

なぜ肥満が脅威なのか

専門家によれば、肥満がリスク要因となる理由はいくつか考えられる。

脂肪細胞が蓄積すると体内の免疫システムに悪影響を及ぼし、慢性的な炎症が起きる。血液も固まりやすくなり、横隔膜の下に脂肪がたまって心臓が動きにくくなる。脂肪が胸郭を圧迫して、普段から呼吸が浅くなっているのも、重症化の一因となり得る。

特に、腹部にたまる内臓脂肪が増えるとコレステロール値が上がりやすく、動脈硬化の原因にもなる。体重が何キロ減ったかより、腹囲が何センチ減ったかが重要とされるのは、このためだ。

専門家らはまた、太り過ぎの人が２～３キロ減量しただけで、糖尿病や高血圧が改善することもあると強調。新型コロナ対策として、減量にワクチン接種ほどの効果はないものの、メリットがあることは確かだと訴えている。

 

Translation

2022.01.09 Sun posted at 11:11 JST

  (CNN) It ​​was known that the risk of infection, aggravation, and death of the new coronavirus was higher among overweight people. New finding reports had showed that a weight loss could reduce the risk.

Obesity had threatened the health of Americans for many years before the new coronavirus pandemic infection began. It ranked second only to smoking as a preventable cause of death for Americans.

That danger was further enhanced by the new Corona. There was also a research reporting that 30% of hospitalized patients with the new corona were obese.

At the Obesity Clinic in Boston the number of patients on the waiting list had increased significantly due to a pandemic, and had already exceeded 1,000. Even with a dozen professional staff the situation could not be handled.

According to a study published last August, people who were classified as obese by body mass index (BMI), which was the weight (kilograms) divided by the squared height (meters), were more infected with the new corona than those who were not, and the risk was as high as 46%. The risk of hospitalization increased by 113%, the risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) increased by 74% while the risk of death reached 48%. According to the research team, the risk increased for every 1 point of BMI.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also found that the group with the lowest risk of aggravation was those people near the boundary between normal and overweight, and the risk increased as the BMI increased. A study that analyzed data from more than 6.9 million people in the United Kingdom reported similar results.

Would weight loss reduce the risk of the new corona?

Clinical experiments to compare whether weight loss could reduce risk were ethically almost impossible to do, but the results of a large study retroactively examined the effects of weight loss was published in the American Medical Association’s surgical specialist magazine "JAMA Surgery" recently.

The study was funded by Medtronic which handled medical equipment for weight loss surgery had followed more than 20,000 subjects for more than 6 years.

According to the data, the rate of positive test for the new corona was 9.1% in the group who underwent weight loss surgery and was 8.7% in the group who did not. The group with surgery performed were found to be less likely to be hospitalized with the new corona, or require oxygen inhalation, or had severe symptoms.

The research team pointed out that obesity was a "correctable risk factor" for the aggravation of the new corona. It came to the conclusion that not the weight loss surgery itself was important, and it was the losing weight that could significantly reduce the risk of aggravation and death.

Why obesity would be a threat

According to experts, there were several possible reasons why obesity would be a risk factor.

Accumulation of fat cells adversely affected the body's immune system and causes chronic inflammation. Blood also tended to clot, and fat accumulated under the diaphragm, making it difficult for the heart to move. The fact that fat pressed on the thorax and made breathing shallower than usual could also contribute to the aggravation.

In particular, when the amount of visceral fat accumulated in the abdomen increases, the cholesterol level tended to rise, which also caused arteriosclerosis. This is why it would be more important to lose a few centimeters waist circumference than the amount of kilograms body weight you had lost.

Experts also emphasized that overweight people who lost a few kilograms could improve their diabetes and high blood pressure, and stressed that as a measure against the new corona, weight loss would not be as effective as vaccination, but it certainly had a merit.

              So, the research team points out that obesity is a "correctable risk factor" for the aggravation of the new corona. Accumulation of fat cells can adversely affect the body's immune system and causes chronic inflammation. Blood also tends to clot, and fat accumulates under the diaphragm can make the heart difficult to move. The fact that fat presses on the thorax and thus making breathing shallower than usual can also contribute to the aggravation.

中國計劃在廣州建立第一個“自由數據港”，因為北京著眼於全面控制跨境信息流動

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China plans its first 'free data port' in Guangzhou as Beijing eyes total control over cross-border information flows

South China Morning Post

Sat, January 8, 2022, 1:30 AM

China is building its first "free trade port for data" with an investment of 31.8 billion yuan (US$5 billion) in Nansha, Guangzhou city as part of the country's efforts to build up controllable cross-border information flows, according to state media outlet Nanfang Daily on Friday.

The Nansha International Data Free Trade Port, identified as a key digital infrastructure project by local and state governments last year, will be the country's trial project for cross-border data transfer, powered by a global network of undersea cables planned for the district, according to the report.

Apart from the undersea cable network, the project will also include a cross-border data centre, industrial parks for big data and labs for telecommunications for the Greater Bay Area, with the aim of supporting cross-border trade, offshore finance, and artificial intelligence industries among others. The Greater Bay Area covers Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities in southern Guangdong province.

Apple blocks mainland Chinese geographic data on its Compass app

The project is expected to play an important role in future data exchanges between China and the outside world. Hong Kong is traditionally a data centre hub for many multinational companies, which have historically put servers in the city to run data gathered from mainland operations. However, China's rigid control of data flows and recent changes in regulations including mandatory local storage of sensitive data, is bringing change to this practice.

The local authority of Nansha district signed partnership deals on Thursday with digital infrastructure company China Aviation Cloud and several banks to start building the 450-acre data port, which is expected to be put into operation by 2025.

Nansha wants to become a data transfer hub in the Greater Bay Area and is aggressively building up data facilities with two data centres completed on Thursday. Spending on data facilities has been encouraged by Beijing as it seeks to build up digital infrastructure investment.

China's Weibo fined by regulator for allowing 'forbidden' posts

China has tightened control over cross-border data flows, with the Data Security Law (DSL) rolled out in September, and the Personal Information Protection Law taking effect on November 1. Both impose tough penalties for the unauthorized collection, processing, storage and use of data generated in the country.

Translation

據官方媒體南方日報週五報導，中國正在廣州市南沙投資 318 億元人民幣（50 億美元）建設首個“數據自由貿易港”，作為該國建立可控跨境信息流的一部分。。

根據報告, 去年被地方和州政府確定為重點數字基礎設施項目的南沙國際數據自由貿易港將成為該國跨境數據傳輸的試點項目，由規劃给該地區的全球海底電纜網絡提供支持。。

除海底光纜網絡外，該項目還將為大灣區建設跨境數據中心、大數據產業園和電信實驗室，以支持跨境貿易、離岸金融和人工智能。行業等。大灣區涵蓋香港、澳門和廣東省南部的九個內地城市。

蘋果在其 Compass 應用程序中屏蔽了中國大陸的地理數據

該項目有望在未來中國與外界的數據交流中發揮重要作用。香港傳統上是許多跨國公司的數據中心樞紐，這些公司歷來在香港放置服務器來運行從大陸業務收集的數據。然而，中國對數據流的嚴格控制以及近期法規的變化, 包括敏感數據的強製本地存儲,正在改變這種做法。

南沙區地方當局週四與數字基礎設施公司中航雲 (China Aviation Cloud) 和幾家銀行簽署了合作協議，開始建設佔地450英畝的數據港，預計將於2025年投入運營。

南沙希望成為大灣區的數據傳輸樞紐，並正在積極建設數據設施，週四完成了兩個數據中心。在尋求建立數字基礎設施投資的過程中，北京一直鼓勵花费在進行數據設施上的開支。

中國微博因准許“被禁止”發帖而被監管機構罰款

中國加強了對跨境數據流動的管控，9月出台了《數據安全法》（DSL），11月1日起實施了《個人信息保護法》。兩者都對國內產生的數據的未經授權收集、處理、存儲和使用進行了嚴厲處罰。

So, China is building its first "free trade port for data" in Nansha of Guangzhou city as part of the country's efforts to build up controllable cross-border information flows.  It has also tightened control over cross-border data flows through its Data Security Law (DSL), and also the Personal Information Protection Law.

澳大利亞與日本簽署防務協議，因為對中國的擔憂上升

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Australia, Japan Sign Defense Pact as China Concerns Loom

6 Jan 2022

Associated Press | By Haruka Nuga and Steve McMorran

SYDNEY — The leaders of Japan and Australia signed a “landmark” defense agreement Thursday that allows closer cooperation between their militaries and stands as a rebuke to China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in a virtual summit to sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement, the first such defense pact signed by Japan with any country other than the United States.

The agreement follows more than a year of talks between Japan and Australia aimed at breaking down legal barriers to allow the troops of one country to enter the other for training and other purposes.

“Japan is our closest partner in Asia as demonstrated by our special strategic partnership — Australia’s only such partnership,” Morrison said. “An equal partnership, shared trust between two great democracies committed to the rule of law, human rights, free trade and a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Kishida hailed the agreement as “a landmark instrument which will elevate security cooperation between the nations to new heights.”

While China wasn’t mentioned, its significance at the signing was implicit.

Japan’s ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, said that “in light of the deteriorating security environment, what Japan and Australia can do together is first of all to increase deterrence.”

Morrison said the agreement “will form an important part of Australia and Japan’s response to the uncertainty we now face and will underpin greater and more complex engagement in operability between the Australia Defense Force and Japan Self-Defense Forces.”

He called the pact a "pivotal moment for Australia and Japan and (for) the security of our two nations and our people.”

Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the agreement recognized the importance of establishing firm defense partnerships to deter an increasingly aggressive China.

“Japan is breaking away from its post-war constitutional constraints on the use of military force because Tokyo recognizes the challenges it is facing from China,” he told Sky News. “There is a territorial dispute between China and Japan ... and more significantly there is a growing concern China will make a move over Taiwan in the next few years.”

The pact builds on the strategic dialogue known as “the Quad,” which includes Japan, Australia, the United States and India. Australia last year also signed the AUKUS agreement with the United States and Britain, both of which have pledged to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Translation

悉尼 - 週四，日本和澳大利亞領導人簽署了一項“具有里程碑意義的”防務協議，該協議允許兩國軍隊之間進行更密切的合作，這是對中國在印太地區日益增強的獨斷行為的訓誡。

澳大利亞總理斯科特·莫里森和日本首相岸田文雄在虛擬峰會上會面，簽署了互惠准入協議，這是日本與美國以外的任何國家簽署的第一個此類防務協議。

該協議是在日本和澳大利亞進行了一年多的談判之後達成的，旨在打破法律障礙，允許一個國家的軍隊進入另一個國家進行訓練和其他目的。

莫里森說: “日本是我們在亞洲最親密的伙伴, 正如我們的特殊戰略夥伴關係所證明 - 澳大利亞是唯一的這樣的伙伴”; “有著平等夥伴關係的兩個共同信任致力於法治、人權、自由貿易和自由開放的印太地區的偉大民主國家” 。

岸田稱該協議是“具有里程碑意義的,將兩國安全合作提升到新高度的文書”。

雖然沒有提到中國，但它在簽署時的意義是隱含的。

日本駐澳大利亞大使Shingo Yamagami表示， “鑑於安全環境不斷惡化，日本和澳大利亞可以共同做的事是首先增加威懾力” 。

莫里森表示，該協議 “將成為澳大利亞和日本應對我們現在面臨的不確定性的重要組成部分，並將支持澳大利亞國防軍和日本自衛隊在可操作性方面進行更廣泛、更複雜的接觸。”

他稱該協議是“澳大利亞和日本的一個關鍵時刻,亦是對我們兩國和其人民的安全(而言)”。

澳大利亞戰略政策研究所的高級分析師 Malcolm Davis 表示，該協議承認建立牢固的國防夥伴關係以阻止日益咄咄逼人的中國的重要性。

他告訴天空新聞(Sky News),“日本正在擺脫戰後憲法對使用武力的限制，因為東京認識到它面臨來自中國的挑戰” ;  “中國和日本之間存在領土爭端……更重要的是，人們越來越擔心中國將在未來幾年內對台灣採取行動。”

該協議建立在被稱為 “the Quad” 的戰略對話之上，其中包括日本、澳大利亞、美國和印度。澳大利亞去年還與美國和英國簽署了AUKUS協議，兩國都承諾幫助澳大利亞獲得核動力潛艇。

So, the leaders of Japan and Australia have signed a “landmark” defense agreement as a rebuke to China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. In the past year Australia has become more active in dealing with China.

日本幫助比爾蓋茨在懷俄明州建造高科技核反應堆 - 讀賣新聞

Recently Yahoo news on-line reported the following:

Japan to help build Bill Gates' high-tech nuclear reactor in Wyoming -Yomiuri

Fri, December 31, 2021, 8:26 PM

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd are set to cooperate with the United States and Bill Gates' venture company to build a high-tech nuclear reactor in Wyoming, the daily Yomiuri reported on Saturday.

The parties will sign an agreement as early as January for JAEA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to provide technical support and data from Japan's own advanced reactors, the report said citing multiple unidentified sources.

TerraPower, an advanced nuclear power venture founded by Gates, is set to open its Natrium plant in Wyoming in 2028. The U.S. government will provide funding to cover half of the $4 billion project.

Terrapower had initially explored the prospect of building an experimental nuclear plant with state-owned China National Nuclear Corp, until it was forced to seek new partners after the administration of Donald Trump restricted nuclear deals with China.

The United States has been competing with China and Russia which also hope to build and export advanced reactors.

Japan, on the other hand, has a bitter history of decommissioning its Monju prototype advanced reactor in 2016, a project which cost $8.5 billion but provided little results and years of controversy.

The Monju facility saw accidents, regulatory breaches, and cover-ups since its conception, and was closed following public distrust of nuclear energy after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Both JAEA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries could not be reached for comment, as their offices were closed for the New Year holidays.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Translation

東京（路透社）- 據《讀賣新聞》週六報導，日本原子能機構（JAEA）和三菱重工將與美國和比爾蓋茨的風險投資公司合作，在懷俄明州建造一座高科技核反應堆。

報導報導援引多個身份不明的消息來源稱，雙方最早將於 1 月簽署一項協議，JAEA 和三菱重工將提供技術支持及日本自己的先進反應堆的和數據。

由蓋茨創立的先進核電企業 TerraPower 將於 2028 年在懷俄明州開設 Natrium 工廠。美國政府將提供資金，支付這價值40 億美元項目的一半。

Terrapower 最初曾與國有的中國核工業集團公司探討建設試驗核電站的前景，直到德特朗普政府限制與中國的核交易後，它被迫尋找新的合作夥伴。

美國一直在與也希望建造和出口先進反應堆的中國和俄羅斯競爭。

另一方面，日本在 2016 年退役其 Monju 原型先進反應堆的歷史令人痛苦。該項目耗資 85 億美元，但收效甚微，且導致爭議多年。

自構想以來，Monju設施發生了事故、監管違規和掩飾，並在 2011 年福島核災難後因公眾對核能的不信任而關閉。

因為辦公室因新年假期而關閉, 所以無法聯繫到 JAEA 和三菱重工置評。

So, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd are set to cooperate with the United States and Bill Gates' venture company to build a high-tech nuclear reactor in Wyoming.

Note: According to its web-site, TerraPower together with another company, have based on decades of unparalleled design expertise and technical capabilities to develop the Natrium™ technology which features a cost-competitive sodium fast reactor combined with a molten salt energy storage system. This unique combination will provide clean, flexible energy and stability, and integrate seamlessly into power grids with high penetrations of renewables.

Historical War - Mr. Putin tries to rewrite the past, and to see Russian future from that (2/2)

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

Analysis

歴史戦争 - 過去の書き換え図るプーチン氏、そこから見えるロシアの未来 (2/2)

2021.12.29 Wed posted at 18:00 JST

(continue)

プーチン氏が歴史に言及してから数カ月の間に、ロシア軍がウクライナ国境に集結し、侵攻が有力な選択肢であるという明確なシグナルを送る結果となった。

ウクライナの安全保障分析によると、ロシアは国境付近の兵力を１２万人に増強。米国はウクライナ付近での兵士や装備品の動きについて、侵攻への準備を示す可能性があるとみて、北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）加盟国や欧州のパートナー国と情報共有している。

一方、ロシア大統領府はウクライナ攻撃の計画を否定している。

プーチン氏は今月２３日、毎年恒例の長時間に及ぶ記者会見で、集まった国内外の記者にロシアは「いかなる軍事行動も欲しない」と表明する一方、米国やＮＡＴＯに批判の矛先を向けた。

「我々はＮＡＴＯの東方拡大がこれ以上あってはならないと直接要請した。ボールは彼らの側にある」。プーチン氏はそう指摘したうえで、「（ロシアとＮＡＴＯは）まるで別の惑星にいるように感じられることがある」と付け加えた。

これは外交政策の形を取った自己憐憫（れんびん）と呼んでいいだろう。超大国の地位の喪失から、サンクトペテルブルクでのタクシードライバーの副業まで、１９９０年代の屈辱はプーチン氏が掲げる「大ロシア」復興計画を正当化する役を果たしているのだ。

確かに、プーチン氏がウクライナをめぐる不満を示すのは目新しいことではない。同氏は２００７年のミュンヘン安全保障会議での演説でも同じテーマに言及し、ロシアの玄関先にＮＡＴＯを拡大することの不誠実さを指摘するとともに、欧米諸国が裏でウクライナの街頭デモをけしかけていると主張していた。

プーチン氏はアマチュア歴史家の役を務めているのかもしれないが、同氏の歴史記憶が都合のいい部分だけを切り取っていることは疑いない。

ロシア検察はこのところ、ソ連全体主義の歴史の記録と教育に尽力する市民団体「メモリアル」を解散させようと動いている（訳注：ロシア最高裁は２８日、メモリアルの解散を命じた）。メモリアルの調査対象にはグラーグの強制労働システムや反体制派の投獄、ソ連で起きた相次ぐ処刑などが含まれる。

ロシアの調査記者ドミトリー・ムラトフ氏は最近のノーベル平和賞受賞演説で、メモリアルを「人民の友」と呼んだが、これはソ連体制の犠牲者の記憶を保存しようと孤独な闘いを強いられることが多いメモリアルの形容として妥当だろう。

メモリアルはロシア政府によって「外国の代理人」に指定されている。

ムラトフ氏はウクライナにも言及し、ロシアによるウクライナ東部の分離主義者への支援は実のところ、両国の友好のチャンスをついえさせたと指摘した。

さらに「一部の正気を失った地政学者の頭の中では、ロシアとウクライナの戦争はもはやあり得ないことではない」「だが私は、戦争が（死んだ）兵士の身元確認と捕虜交換で終わることを知っている」とも語った。ムラトフ氏は１９９０年代、ロシアからの分離独立を求めたチェンチェンでの紛争を取材した。

とはいえ、プーチン氏がウクライナに侵攻すると決まったわけではない。１０月下旬、東欧へのＮＡＴＯ拡大の可能性を阻止するためどのような提案をするかと問われ、プーチン氏は「あなたを失望させてしまうだろうが、その質問の答えはまだ分からない」と述べている。

Translation

(continue)

In the months following Putin's mention of history, Russian troops gathered at the Ukrainian border, resulting in a clear signal that invasion was a viable option.

According to Ukrainian security analysis, Russia had increased its troops near the border to 120,000. The United States was sharing information with NATO members and European partners about the movement of soldiers and equipment near Ukraine, as it could indicate preparations for an invasion.

Meanwhile, the Russian presidential office denied any plan to attack Ukraine.

Putin said at an annual long press conference on the 23rd of this month and expressed to the gathered domestic and foreign reporters that Russia "does not want any military action", while pointing criticism to the United States and NATO.

He said, "We directly requested that NATO's eastern expansion should be ended. The ball is on their side." Putin added that "it can be felt like that (Russia and NATO) are on different planets".

This could be called a self-pity in the form of foreign policy. From the loss of superpower status to the side job of a taxi driver in St. Petersburg, the humiliation of the 1990s served to justify Putin's "Great Russia" reconstruction plan.

To be sure, Putin's dissatisfaction with Ukraine was nothing new. He mentioned the same theme in his speech at the 2007 Munich Security Council, pointing out the dishonesty of expanding NATO to Russia's front door, and was insisting that Western countries were behind the scenes in street demonstrations in Ukraine.

Putin might be acting as an amateur historian, but there was no doubt that his historical memory only cut out the parts that were convenient for him.

The Russian prosecutor's office had recently been working to disband the "Memorial", a civic group dedicated to recording and educating the history of Soviet totalitarianism (note: the Russian Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Memorial on the 28^th). The Memorial did investigations including Gulag's forced labor system, dissident imprisonment, and successive executions in the Soviet Union.

Russian research reporter Dmitry Muratov called the Memorial the "people's friend" in a recent Nobel Peace Prize-winning speech, and it would be an appropriate description of Memorial as it was forced to into a lonely fight in preserving the memories of victims in the Soviet Union.

The Memorial had been designated as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government.

Mr. Muratov also referred to Ukraine, noting that Russia's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine actually provided an opportunity for friendship between the two countries.

He further said "In the minds of some insane geopoliticians, the war between Russia and Ukraine is no longer impossible"; "but I know that the war would end with identifying (dead) soldiers and exchanging prisoners. " Mr. Muratov had covered the conflicts in Chechen in the 1990s that sought independence from Russia.

However, Mr. Putin had not decided to invade Ukraine. In late October, when asked what suggestions he would make to prevent the possibility of NATO expansion into Eastern Europe, Putin said, " you may be disappointed, as I still don't know the answer to that question."

              So, Putin’s perception on Ukraine is guided by his historical view and personal experience. In a similar fashion, Xi in China views Taiwan by his historical view, claiming that Taiwan is part of China and must be put under Chinese rule. Both have no consideration for the feeling and wishes of local people involved. Yet local people’s plight and worries are shared by many the western world leaders as they believe in people’s right for self determination.

Historical War - Mr. Putin tries to rewrite the past, and to see Russian future from that (1/2)

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

Analysis

歴史戦争 - 過去の書き換え図るプーチン氏、そこから見えるロシアの未来 (1/2)

2021.12.29 Wed posted at 18:00 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） ロシアのプーチン大統領が最近、ソ連崩壊後の混乱期にタクシードライバーとして副収入を得ていたことを認め、同氏の過去がより鮮明になった。

プーチン氏は国営テレビのドキュメンタリー用に行われたインタビューの抜粋で、「時には副業でタクシーを運転しなければいけないこともあった」と説明。「これについて話すのは不快だが、残念ながら事実だ」と語った。

実のところ、国家保安委員会（ＫＧＢ）の将校だったプーチン氏のソ連崩壊後の人生について、この打ち明け話から分かることはほとんどない。１９９０年代の経済的混乱の中では、ロシア人ドライバーが乗客を乗せて収入の足しにするのはごく普通のことだった。配車アプリ登場前、白タクに乗ろうと思えばただ通りがかった車を止め、料金について決めるだけでよかった。

従って、タクシーを運転していたというプーチン氏の「告白」は全てを率直に語ったわけではない。結局のところクレムリン（ロシア大統領府）はプーチン氏の私生活の詳細について固く口を閉ざしている。ただ、この余談めいた人生のエピソードは、テープを９１年に巻き戻し、その後の数十年に関して別の筋書きを描こうとするプーチン氏の包括的な政治目標について何かを語ってはいる。

プーチン氏はインタビューで、「我々は全く別の国に変貌してしまった。１０００年をかけて築き上げたものがほぼ失われた」と嘆いた。

ここ数カ月プーチン氏が注力しているのは、近年の欧州の歴史上もっとも重要な章の一つを書き換えること、つまり独立した主権国家ウクライナが９１年にロシアの隣に誕生した事実を書き換えることだ。

プーチン氏は６月、全国放送された国民との対話番組で、ウクライナ人とロシア人は「一つの民族」だと宣言。さらに５０００語に上る論文でこの主題について詳しく論じ、「ロシア人とウクライナ人の人為的な分裂」を嘆いた。

プーチン氏の主張は突き詰めていえば、ウクライナとロシアはより大きな「歴史的ロシア」の一部であり、９１年に独立した現在のウクライナはソ連指導部がつくり出した行政的、領土的境界の産物に過ぎないというものだ。

もちろん、プーチン氏は独立を支持した大勢のウクライナ人には触れなかった。

いや、プーチン氏の見方では、ソ連崩壊後のウクライナはロシアの弱体化を図る欧米の道具となったのである。

「ウクライナは危険な地政学ゲームに引きずり込まれた。その目的はウクライナを欧州とロシアを隔てる障壁とし、ロシアに対抗する足がかりとすることだ」。プーチン氏は論文でそう指摘し、「『ウクライナはロシアではない』との考え方が選択肢でなくなる時が来るのは避けられなかった。我々には決して受け入れられない『反ロシア』の考え方が必要になった」としている。

言い換えれば、プーチン氏はウクライナのレジームチェンジ（体制転換）が必要になった場合に備え、歴史的な正当化を試みているように見える。

(to be continued)

 Translation

(CNN) Russia's President Vladimir Putin recently admitted that he had earned extra income as a taxi driver during the turmoil after the collapse of the Soviet Union, making his past clearer.

Putin said in an excerpt from an interview conducted for a national television documentary that "Sometimes I had to drive a taxi as a side business". He said “It's unpleasant to talk about this, but unfortunately it's true”.

In fact, little could be said from this confession about the post-Soviet life of Mr. Putin, an officer of the KGB. In the economic turmoil of the 1990s, it was quite common for Russian drivers to carry passengers to add to their income. Before the ride-hailing app appeared, if one wanted to ride an unlicensed taxi, just to stop a passing car and decide on the fare.

So, Putin's "confession" that he was driving a taxi didn't say everything frankly. After all, the Kremlin (Russian Presidential Administration) was tight-lipped on the details of Mr. Putin's private life. While this digressive episode of his life rewound the tape to 1991, it was an attempt to enter into another story line to say something that included Mr. Putin's comprehensive political goals related to several decades that followed.

In an interview, Putin lamented, "We have transformed into a completely different country. Most of what we have built over 1000 years has been lost."

In recent months Putin had been focusing on rewriting one of the most important chapters in European history in recent years: to rewrite the fact that an independent sovereign state Ukraine was born next to Russia in 1991.

In June, Putin declared that Ukrainians and Russians were "one ethnic group" in a national dialogue program with the people. He further elaborated on this subject in a 5,000-word article and lamented the "artificial division between Russians and Ukrainians."

When looked into Putin's claim closely, it said that Ukraine and Russia were part of a larger "historic Russia", and the current Ukraine, which became independent in 1991, was nothing but a product of the administrative and territorial boundaries created by Soviet leadership.

Of course, Mr. Putin did not mention the many Ukrainians who supported independence.

More and more, in Putin's view, Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union became a Western tool to weaken Russia.

"Ukraine is dragged into a dangerous geopolitical game, the purpose of which is to make Ukraine a barrier separating Europe and Russia and a stepping stone against Russia." Putin had pointed out in his article that "the time has come when the idea that 'Ukraine is not Russia' is no longer an option. What is essential is a that that we never accept 'anti-Russian' thinking’. "

In other words, Mr. Putin seemed to be trying to make a historical justification in case a Ukrainian regime change is needed.

(to be continued)

中國概述了四個大型數據中心集群的願景

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China outlines vision for four mega data center clusters

Tue, December 28, 2021, 7:47 PM

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has approved plans to build four mega clusters of data centers in the country's north and west with the aim of supporting the data needs of Beijing and major coastal centers, according to the country's top state planner on Wednesday.

The clusters will be built in the northern Inner Mongolia region, northwestern Ningxia region, Gansu province and southwestern Guizhou province, the National Development and Reform Commission said in four separate statements.

The four locations can use their energy and environmental advantages to set up green and low-carbon mega data centers, the state planner said.

The move comes as energy-hungry data centers located in China's east have found it difficult to expand due to limits imposed by local governments on electricity consumption.

Some cities in China's northern and western regions rich in renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power have already built data centers to serve the economically developed coast.

But their distant locations have meant the centers have struggled to provide the near-instantaneous retrieval demanded by coastal clients with little tolerance for delays.

It is unclear how China would turn western and northern regions such as Ningxia and Gansu, which are 1,000 km (600 miles) from the coast, into actively operating centres of computing power given the data latency caused by the huge distances to data users in the east.

A marine economy development plan published on Dec. 14 encouraged major coastal cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai to relocate high energy-consuming data centers to underwater locations to cut energy used for cooling.

China aims to expand its big data industry into a more than 3 trillion-yuan ($470 billion) sector by 2025 through the building of several clusters of data centers, according to a 2021-2025 plan by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released in November.

 (Reporting by Liangping Gao, Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Richard Pullin)

Translation

北京（路透社）- 中國國家最高規劃人員周三表示，中國已批准在該國北部和西部建設四個大型數據中心集群的計劃，旨在支持北京和主要沿海中心的數據需求。

國家發展和改革委員會在四份單獨的聲明中說，這些集群將在內蒙古北部地區、寧夏西北部地區、甘肅省和貴州省西南部建設。

國家規劃師說，這四個地點可以利用其能源和環境優勢建立綠色低碳的大型數據中心。

此舉是因為位於中國東部的, 需要大量耗能的數據中心發現, 由於當地政府對電力消耗施所加的限製而難以擴展。

中國北部和西部地區一些擁有豐富風能、太陽能等可再生能源資源的城市已經建設了數據中心，去支援經濟發達的沿海地區。

但它們的遙遠位置意味著這些中心, 一直掙扎地去滿足沿海客戶幾乎不能容忍延遲, 及近乎即時的檢索要求。

鑑於與東部數據用戶之間有因超遠距離造成的數據延遲，目前尚不清楚中國將如何將距海岸 1,000 公里（600 英里）的寧夏和甘肅等西部和北部地區轉變為活躍的計算能力中心。。

在12 月 14 日發布的海洋經濟發展規劃, 鼓勵廣州、深圳和珠海等沿海主要城市將高能耗數據中心搬遷至水下位置，以減少用於冷卻的能源。

根據工業和信息化部 11 月發布的 2021-2025 年計劃，中國的目標是到 2025 年通過建設多個數據中心集群, 將其大數據產業擴展成一個到超過 3 萬億元人民幣（4,700 億美元）的行業.

So, China will in four remote locations use their energy and environmental advantages to set up green and low-carbon mega data centers. China is making an effort to improve green energy production.

中國追求科技“自力更生”，增加全球不安 (2/2)

China pursues tech 'self-reliance,' fueling global unease (2/2)

JOE McDONALD

Mon, December 27, 2021, 7:27 PM PST

(continue)

Even companies such as Alibaba that can design chips likely will need Taiwanese or other foreign foundries to make them. Alibaba's Yitian 710 requires precision no Chinese foundry can achieve. The company declined to say which foreign producer it will use.

“My country still faces a big gap in chip technology,” said industry analyst Liu Chuntian of Zero Power Intelligence Group.

China accounts for 23% of global chip production capacity but only 7.6% of sales.

Packing millions of transistors onto a fingernail-size sliver of silicon requires some 1,500 steps, microscopic precision and arcane technologies owned by a handful of U.S., European, Japanese and other suppliers.

They include KLA Corp. in California for super-precise measurement and Japan’s TEL for machines to apply coatings a few molecules thick. Many are covered by restrictions on “dual use” technologies that can be used in weapons.

China “lags significantly” in tools, materials and production technology, the Semiconductor Industry Association said in a report this year.

Washington and Europe, citing security worries, block access to the most advanced tools Chinese chipmakers need to match global leaders in precision and efficiency.

Without those, China is falling farther behind, said Bain’s Hanbury.

“The TSMC horse is sprinting away and the Chinese horse is stopped,” he said. “They can’t move forward.”

Washington stepped up pressure on Huawei last year by barring global foundries from using American technology to produce its chips. U.S. vendors can sell chips to the company, but not for next-generation “5G” smartphones.

For its part, the European Union said it will review foreign investments after complaints China was eroding Europe’s technology lead by purchasing important assets such as German robot maker Kuka.

Alibaba’s Yitian 710 is based on architecture from Britain’s Arm, highlighting China’s enduring need for foreign know-how. Alibaba said it still will work closely with longtime foreign suppliers Intel, Arm, Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

T-Head’s first chip, the Hanguang 800, was announced in 2019 for artificial intelligence. Its second, the XuanTie 910, is for self-driving cars and other functions.

In November, Tencent Holding, which operates the WeChat messaging service, announced its first three chips for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and video.

Beijing says it will spend $150 billion from 2014 through 2030 to develop its chip industry, but even that is a fraction of what global leaders invest. TSMC plans to spend $100 billion in the next three years on research and manufacturing.

China is trying to buy experience by hiring engineers from TSMC and other Taiwanese producers. Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory and has threatened to attack, has responded by imposing curbs on job advertising.

Beijing encourages smartphone and other manufacturers to use suppliers within China, even if they cost more, but officials deny China wants to detach from global industries.

“We will never go back in history by seeking to decouple,” Xi said in a speech by video link to a November meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in Malaysia.

The latest conflict is over photolithography, which uses ultraviolet light to etch circuits into silicon on a scale measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter.

The leader is ASML in the Netherlands, which makes machines that can etch transistors just 5 nanometers apart. That would pack 2 million into a space one centimeter wide.

China’s SMIC is about one-third as precise at 14 nanometers. Taiwan’s TSMC is preparing to increase its precision to 2 nanometers.

SMIC wants to upgrade by purchasing ASML’s latest machine, but the Dutch government has yet to agree.

“We will wait for their decision,” said an ASML spokeswoman, Monica Mols, in an email.

Translation

(continue)

即使是像阿里巴巴這樣可以設計芯片的公司，也可能需要台灣或其他外國代工廠來製造。阿里巴巴的倚天 710 對精度的要求是中國代工廠無法達到的。該公司拒絕透露將使用哪家外國生產商。

Zero Power Intelligence Group的 行業分析師 Liu Chuntian 表示, “我國在芯片技術方面仍存在較大差距” 。

中國占全球芯片產能的23%，但銷售額僅佔7.6%。

將數百萬個晶體管組裝到指甲蓋大小的矽片上需要大約 1,500 個步驟、微細精度和神秘的技術現在由少數美國、歐洲、日本和其他供應商擁有。

它們包括位於加利福尼亞的用於超精密測量的 KLA Corp., 和用於生產可以做出幾個分子厚塗層的機器的日本 TEL。許多都受到可用於武器的“雙重用途”技術的限制。

半導體行業協會在今年的一份報告中稱，中國在工具、材料和生產技術方面 “明顯落後” 。

華盛頓和歐洲以安全擔憂為由, 阻止中國芯片製造商去取得需要在精度和效率方面與全球領先者匹敵的最先進工具。

Bain 的 Hanbury 說，如果沒有這些，中國就會更落後。

他說: “台積電的馬在衝刺，中國的馬被攔住了”; “他們無法前進” 。

華盛頓去年加大了對華為的壓力，禁止全球代工廠使用美國技術去生產華為芯片。美國供應商可以向該公司出售芯片，但不能用於新一代 “5G” 智能手機。

就歐盟而言，在有人抱怨中國通過購買德國機器人製造商 Kuka 等重要資產, 侵蝕歐洲的技術領先地位後，歐盟表示將審查外國投資。

阿里巴巴的 倚天710 是基於英國 Arm 的架構，凸顯了中國對外國技術的持久需求。阿里巴巴表示，它仍將與外國的長期供應商英特爾、Arm、Nvidia Corp. 和 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 密切合作。

平头哥(T-Head) 的第一款芯片含光 800 於 2019 年發布，用於人工智能。它的第二款玄鐵910用於自動駕駛汽車和其他功能。

在11 月，運營微信消息服務的騰訊控股發布了其首批用於人工智能、雲計算和視頻的三款芯片。

北京表示將從 2014 年到 2030 年斥資 1500 億美元發展其芯片產業，但即便如此，這也只是全球領導者投資的一小部分。台積電計劃在未來三年內斥資 1000 億美元用於研發和製造。

中國正試圖通過聘請台積電和其他台灣製造商的工程師來購買經驗。被北京聲稱是其領土的一部分並威脅要發動襲擊的台灣的回應是限制招聘廣告。

北京鼓勵智能手機和其他製造商使用中國境內的供應商，即使它們的成本更高，但官員否認中國希望脫離全球產業。

習近平在11月在馬來西亞舉行的亞太領導人會議上,通過視頻鏈接發表講話時說: “我們永遠不會重復歷史地去尋求脫鉤” 。

最新的爭持點是關於光刻技術，它使用紫外光將電路蝕刻到納米或十億分之一米大小的矽中。

領先者是荷蘭的 ASML，該公司製造的機器可以蝕刻僅相距5 納米的晶體管。這將把 200 萬個晶體管裝進一個 1 厘米寬的空間。

中國的中芯國際的精度約為其三分之一,即相距14納米。台灣台積電正準備將其精度提高到相距2納米。

中芯想通過購買ASML的最新機器進行升級，但荷蘭政府尚未同意。

ASML 發言人 Monica Mols 在一封電子郵件中說: “我們將等待它的決定” 。

         So, to help make China into a self-reliant “technology superpower,” the ruling Communist Party is pushing the world's biggest e-commerce company to take on the tricky and expensive business of designing its own processor chips. It is an ambitious plan and I am interested in knowing the result of this effort.

Note:  T-Head Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (平头哥) was founded on September 19, 2018 and is a wholly-owned semiconductor chip business entity of Alibaba Group.  T-Head possesses the terminal-cloud integrated full stack product series such as AI chip, CPU Processor IP, etc., covering end-to-end chip design process.