一種令兒童迅速老化的疾病越來越接近治癒 (1/2)

Recently The New York Times on-line reported the following:

(Source: The New York Times)

A Disease That Makes Children Age Rapidly Gets Closer to a Cure (1/2)

The New York Times - By Gina Kolata

July 24, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

A cure for an ultrarare disease, progeria, could be on the horizon. The disease speeds up aging in children and dramatically shortens their lives. But, until recently, there was no path toward a highly effective treatment.

Now, a small group of academics and government scientists, including Dr. Francis Collins, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, is working with no expectation of financial gain to halt progeria in its tracks with an innovative gene editing technique.

If gene editing is effective in slowing or halting progeria, researchers say, the method may also help to treat other rare genetic diseases that have no treatments or cures and, like progeria, have aroused little interest from drug companies.

After a quarter-century of research, the group is approaching manufacturers and planning to seek approval from regulators for a clinical trial on progeria gene editing.

The project “has merit, but also risk,” said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a gene editing researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, who also advises a gene editing company. He cautioned that although the editing worked well in mice, there is no guarantee that it will work in human patients.

Dr. Collins first became interested in progeria while he was training in medical genetics at Yale University in 1982, almost three decades before he was appointed to lead the N.I.H. One day, he saw a new patient, Meg Casey. She was less than four feet tall, hairless under her wig and wrinkled like an older woman. She was only in her 20s.

She had progeria.

Dr. Collins was saddened and moved. Almost nothing was known about the disease, which affects just one in 18 to 20 million people. According to the Progeria Research Foundation, there are only 18 known, living patients in the United States. While Ms. Casey and others have survived into their 20s, people with the disease often live to be only 14 or 15 years old, and many of them die from heart attacks or strokes.

“I thought, ‘Gosh, somebody should work on this,’” Dr. Collins recalled. “Then I went on to other things.”

Nineteen years later, Dr. Collins, who then headed a federal project to map the human genome, was at a party when he was approached by Dr. Scott Berns, a pediatric emergency room physician. He told Dr. Collins that his toddler, Sam, had a fatal disease.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard about it,” Dr. Berns said. “It’s called progeria.”

“I do know a little bit about it,” Dr. Collins replied.

He remembered Ms. Casey.

Dr. Collins invited Dr. Berns ; his wife, Dr. Leslie Gordon, a pediatrics resident; and 4-year-old Sam to his house. Dr. Collins spoke to Sam’s parents about the disease and played Frisbee with the boy. Sam lived to the age of 17.

Dr. Gordon told Dr. Collins she was under no illusions — the disease was a curiosity, but not a research priority because of its rarity. So she, Dr. Berns and her sister Audrey, a lawyer, established the Progeria Research Foundation to support promising studies.

“There was nothing else,” she said.

Dr. Collins was inspired. Although he was an administrator at the N.I.H., he also had a small lab and was free to study whatever he wanted. He decided to take on progeria.

But it took years, and the emergence of a new era of molecular medicine with advances in gene editing, for the prospect of a cure for progeria to seem possible.

The new types of gene editing are “potentially the answer to a dream we all want to come true,” Dr. Collins said. “There are roughly 7,000 genetic diseases for which we know the mutation.”

Of these genetic diseases, 85 percent are ultrarare, affecting fewer than one in a million people.

And among them, Dr. Collins said, “only a few hundred have treatments.”

(to be continued)

Translation

治療一種極為罕見的疾病 - 早衰症- 可能即將出現。這種疾病會加速兒童的衰老並大大縮短他們的壽命。但是，直到最近，還沒有找到高效率的治療方法。

現在，一小群學者和政府科學家，包括美國國立衛生研究院 (NIH)前院長 Francis Collins 博士，在不期望經濟收益的情況下，正透過一種創新的基因編輯技術來阻止早衰症的發展。

研究人員表示，如果基因編輯能有效減緩或阻止早衰症，那麼這種方法也可能有助於治療其他沒有治療方法或治癒方法的罕見遺傳疾病，例如早衰症，都是製藥公司不感興趣的。

經過四分之一個世紀的研究，該小組正在與製造商接洽，並計劃尋求監管機構批准進行早衰基因編輯的臨床試驗。

賓州大學基因編輯研究員 Kiran Musunuru 博士說，該計劃 “有優點，但也有風險”，他也為一家基因編輯公司提供諮詢。他警告說，雖然編輯在小鼠身上效果很好，但不能保證它也適用於人類患者。

Collins博士於 1982 年在耶魯大學接受醫學遺傳學培訓時首次對早衰症產生了興趣，大約三十年後，他被任命為 國立衛生研究院負責人。有一天，他見到了一位新病人，Meg Casey。她身高不到四英尺，假髮下沒有頭髮，滿臉皺紋，像個年長的女人。她才20多歲。

她患有早衰症。

Collins 博士既悲傷又感動。人們對這種疾病幾乎一無所知，這種疾病只影響 1800 萬 至 2000 萬人中的一個。據早衰症研究基金會稱，美國已知的活著的患者只有 18 名。雖然Casey女士和其他人都活到了 20 多歲，但患有這種疾病的人通常只能活到 14 或 15 歲，其中許多人死於心臟病或中風。

Collins 博士回憶道: 「我想，『啊呀，應該有人研究這個吧』」; 「然後我就去做其他事情了」。

十九年後，當時負責繪製人類基因組圖譜的聯邦計畫的 Collins 博士正在參加一個聚會，兒科急診室醫生 Scott Berns 找到了他。他告訴 Collins 博士，他的孩子 Sam 患有致命的疾病。

Berns 醫生說: 「我不知道你是否聽說過」; 「這就是所謂的早衰症」。

Collins 博士回答: 「我確實知道一點點」。

他記得 Casey 女士。

Collins 博士邀請了 Berns 醫生及他的妻子 Leslie Gordon 醫生, 是一名兒科住院醫生；和 4 歲的 Sam 到他家。Collins 博士向 Sam 的父母講述了這種疾病，並與男孩一起玩飛盤。Sam 活到了17歲。

Gordon 醫生告 Collins 博士，她並不抱持任何幻想 - 這種疾病引出一種好奇心，但由於其稀有性而不是研究重點。因此，Gordon 醫生、Berns醫生 和她的律師妹妹 Audrey 建立了早衰症研究基金會來支持有前景的研究。

她說:“ 除此之外再沒有別的事可做”。

Collins 博士受到了啟發。雖然他是國家衛生研究院的行政人員，但他也有一個小實驗室，可以自由地研究他想研究的任何東西。他決定對抗早衰症。

但這需要數年時間，隨著基因編輯技術的進步，分子醫學新時代的出現，治癒早衰症的前景似乎成為可能。

Collins 博士說，新型基因編輯「可能是我們都想去實現的夢想的答案」。 「我們知道大約 7,000 種遺傳疾病的突變」。

在這些遺傳疾病中，85% 是極為罕見的，影響的人數不到百萬分之一。

Collins 博士說，其中「只有幾百種有方法治療」。

（待續）

Note:

1. Progeria (早年衰老症候群,簡稱早衰症) also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, is an extremely rare, progressive genetic disorder. It causes children to age rapidly, starting in their first two years of life. Children with progeria generally appear healthy at birth. During the first year, symptoms such as slowed growth, loss of fat tissue and hair loss begin to appear. Heart problems or strokes are the eventual cause of death in most children with progeria. The average life expectancy for a child with progeria is about 15 years. Some with the condition may die younger and others may live longer, even to about 20 years. (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/progeria/symptoms-causes/syc-)

2. Francis Sellers Collins ForMemRS (Fellowship of the Royal Society) is an American physician-scientist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. Before being appointed director of the NIH, Collins led the Human Genome Project and other genomics research initiatives as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the 27 institutes and centers at NIH. Before joining NHGRI, he earned a reputation as a gene hunter at the University of Michigan. He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science. (Wikipedia)

氧氣的發現挑戰了深海知識 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-in reported the following:

Oxygen discovery defies knowledge of the deep ocean (2/2)

BBC - Victoria Gill - Science correspondent

Updated Tue, July 23, 2024 at 6:21 a.m. PDT·4 min read

(continue)

The researchers put this theory to the test in the lab, collecting and studying the potato-sized metal nodules. Their experiments measured the voltages on the surface of each metallic lump - essentially the strength of the electric current. They found it to be almost equal to the voltage in a typical AA-sized battery.

This means, they say, that the nodules sitting on the seabed could generate electric currents large enough to split, or electrolyse, molecules of seawater.

The researchers think the same process - battery-powered oxygen production that requires no light and no biological process - could be happening on other moons and planets, creating oxygen-rich environments where life could thrive.

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone, where the discovery was made, is a site already being explored by a number of seabed mining companies, which are developing technology to collect the nodules and bring them to a ship at the surface.

The US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that this seabed mining could “result in the destruction of life and the seabed habitat in the mined areas”.

More than 800 marine scientists from 44 countries have signed a petition highlighting the environmental risks and calling for a pause on mining activity.

New species are being discovered in the deep ocean all the time - it is often said that we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the deep sea. And this discovery suggests that the nodules themselves could be providing the oxygen to support life there.

Prof Murray Roberts, a marine biologist from the University of Edinburgh is one of the scientists who signed the seabed mining petition. “There’s already overwhelming evidence that strip mining deep-sea nodule fields will destroy ecosystems we barely understand,” he told BBC News.

“Because these fields cover such huge areas of our planet it would be crazy to press ahead with deep-sea mining knowing they may be a significant source of oxygen production.”

Prof Sweetman added: “I don't see this study as something that will put an end to mining.

“[But] we need to explore it in greater detail and we need to use this information and the data we gather in future if we are going to go into the deep ocean and mine it in the most environmentally friendly way possible.”

Translation

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研究人員在實驗室中測試了這個理論，收集並研究了馬鈴薯大小的金屬小瘤。他們的實驗測量了每個金屬塊表面的電壓 - 本質上是電流的強度。發現它幾乎等於典型 AA 電池的電壓。

他們說，這意味著海底的小瘤可以產生足夠大的電流來分裂或電解海水的分子。

研究人員認為，同樣的過程 - 用電池供電生產氧氣，不需要光和生物過程 - 可能會發生在其他衛星和行星上，創造出生命可以繁衍生息的充足氧氣環境。

這項發現所在的 Clarion-Clipperton 區已經被許多海底採礦公司勘探過，這些公司正在開發技術去收集小瘤並將其運送到水面的船隻。

美國國家海洋和大氣管理局警告說，這種海底採礦可能「導致採礦區的生命和海底棲息地遭到破壞」。

來自 44 個國家的 800 多名海洋科學家簽署了一份請願書，強調環境風險並呼籲暫停採礦活動。

 深海中一直發現新物種 - 人們常說，我們對月球表面的了解比對深海的了解還要多。這項發現表明，小瘤本身可以提供氧氣來維持那裡的生命。

愛丁堡大學海洋生物學家 Murray Roberts 教授是簽署海底採礦請願書的科學家之一。他告訴英國廣播公司: 「已經有壓倒性的證據表明，在深海小瘤區進行露天採礦 (strip mining) 將破壞我們幾乎不了解的生態系統」。

“因為這些小瘤區覆蓋了地球上如此大的面積，所以在知道它們可能是氧氣生產的重要來源的情況下仍去繼續進行深海採礦將是瘋狂的。”

Sweetman 教授補充說：「我不認為這項研究會停止採礦行為」。

“[但是]我們需要更詳細地探索它如果我們預備進入深海, 並以盡可能最環保的方式開採它，我們需要使用收集得來的數據和信息來進行開採。”

              So, Scientists have discovered “dark oxygen” on seafloor. Several mining companies plan to collect these nodules, which marine scientists fear could disrupt marine life that depends on the oxygen. Scientists have signed a petition highlighting the environmental risks and calling for a pause on mining activity. I hope mining company will be careful not to upset the environmental balance at the sea bottom.

Note:

Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral, by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock (the overburden); this activity is also referred to as overburden removal. It is most commonly used to mine coal and lignite (brown coal). Strip mining is only practical when the ore body to be excavated is relatively near the surface. (Wikipedia)

氧氣的發現挑戰了深海知識 (1/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Oxygen discovery defies knowledge of the deep ocean (1/2)

BBC - Victoria Gill - Science correspondent

Updated Tue, July 23, 2024 at 6:21 a.m. PDT·4 min read

Scientists have discovered “dark oxygen” being produced in the deep ocean, apparently by lumps of metal on the seafloor.

About half the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean. But, before this discovery, it was understood that it was made by marine plants photosynthesizing - something that requires sunlight.

Here, at depths of 5km, where no sunlight can penetrate, the oxygen appears to be produced by naturally occurring metallic “nodules” which split seawater - H2O - into hydrogen and oxygen.

Several mining companies have plans to collect these nodules, which marine scientists fear could disrupt the newly discovered process - and damage any marine life that depends on the oxygen they make.

“I first saw this in 2013 - an enormous amount of oxygen being produced at the seafloor in complete darkness,” explains lead researcher Prof Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Association for Marine Science. “I just ignored it, because I’d been taught - you only get oxygen through photosynthesis.

“Eventually, I realized that for years I’d been ignoring this potentially huge discovery,” he told BBC News.

He and his colleagues carried out their research in an area of the deep sea between Hawaii and Mexico - part of a vast swathe of seafloor that is covered with these metal nodules. The nodules form when dissolved metals in seawater collect on fragments of shell - or other debris. It's a process that takes millions of years.

And because these nodules contain metals like lithium, cobalt and copper - all of which are needed to make batteries - many mining companies are developing technology to collect them and bring them to the surface.

But Prof Sweetman says the dark oxygen they make could also support life on the seafloor. And his discovery, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, raises new concerns about the risks of proposed deep-sea mining ventures.

The scientists worked out that the metal nodules are able to make oxygen precisely because they act like batteries.

“If you put a battery into seawater, it starts fizzing,” explained Prof Sweetman. “That’s because the electric current is actually splitting seawater into oxygen and hydrogen [which are the bubbles]. We think that’s happening with these nodules in their natural state.”

“It's like a battery in a torch,” he added. “You put one battery in, it doesn't light up. You put two in and you've got enough voltage to light up the torch. So when the nodules are sitting at the seafloor in contact with one another, they’re working in unison - like multiple batteries.”

(to be continued)

Translation

科學家發現深海中正在產生“暗氧”，顯然是由在海床的金屬塊產生的。

我們呼吸的氧氣大約有一半來自海洋。但是，在這次個發現之前，人們認為氧氣是由海洋植物光合作用所產生的 - 它是需要陽光來產生。

在這裡，在陽光無法穿透的 5 公里深處，氧氣似乎是由天然存在的金屬「小瘤」產生的，這些金屬「小瘤」將海水 - H2O - 分解為氫氣和氧氣。

幾家採礦公司計劃收集這些小瘤，但海洋科學家擔心這些行動可能會破壞這新發現的氧氣形成過程，並損害任何依賴所產生的氧氣的海洋生物。

蘇格蘭海洋科學協會的首席研究員 Andrew Sweetman 教授解釋道:「我第一次看到這一現像是在 2013 年，海底會在完全黑暗的情況下產生大量氧氣」; 「我就是忽略了它，因為我被教導 - 你只能透過光合作用才獲得氧氣」。

他告訴英國廣播公司新聞:「最終，我意識到多年來我一直忽視了這一潛在的巨大發現」。

他和他的同事在夏威夷和墨西哥之間的深海區域進行了研究，該區域是覆蓋著這些金屬小瘤的大片海底的一部分。當被海水溶解出來的金屬聚集在貝殼碎片或其他碎片上時，就會形成小瘤。這是一個需要數百萬年的過程。

由於這些結核含有鋰、鈷和銅等金屬 - 所有這些金屬都是製造電池所必需的 - 許多礦業公司正在開發技術來收集它們並將它們帶到地面。

但Sweetman教授表示，小瘤產生的暗氧也可以維持海底的生命。他的發現發表在《自然地球科學》雜誌上，引發了人們對提議中的深海採礦計劃有關風險的新擔憂。

科學家發現，金屬小瘤之所以能夠產生氧氣，正是因為它們發揮類似電池的作用。

Sweetman教授解釋道: 「如果你把電池放入海水中，它就會開始發出嘶嘶聲」。 「那是因為電流實際上將海水分解成氧氣和氫氣（即氣泡）」。我們認為這些小瘤在自然狀態下就會發生這種情況。

他補充道: 「這就像手電筒中的電池」。 「你裝了一顆電池，它就不會亮。只要放入兩個，就有足夠的電壓來點亮手電筒。因此，當這些小瘤在海底相互接觸時，它們就會像多個電池一樣協同工作。

（待續）

期待已久的中國政策更新並未出現重大轉變 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Long-awaited Chinese policy update presents no major shift (2/2)

Reuters

Updated Sun, July 21, 2024 at 5:52 a.m. PDT·4 min read

(continue)

STATE-LED INNOVATION AND GROWTH

Gary Ng, Asia-Pacific senior economist at Natixis, said that the plenum painted a future of "state-led economic growth, innovation and security".

"An all-in bet on manufacturing and new productive forces may not be adequate as it is full of uncertainties," Ng said.

The document also reiterated that markets will play a decisive role in resource allocation, that the government will work on legislation to improve conditions for the private sector, and flagged fiscal and financial reforms.

Other policy targets included boosting affordable housing, improving job opportunities for young people and the standard of living for the elderly.

Like most documents of this kind, it did not say how Chinese leaders intended to reach those goals, many of which would require policies that are contradictory in nature, as Party officials acknowledged on Friday.

Beijing has never explained, for instance, how to get consumers to spend more when resources flow primarily to producers and infrastructure, or how it plans to stimulate growth, while curbing debt.

At a plenum in 2013, Beijing launched a policy agenda that included most of the goals listed in Sunday's document, but also ambitions to liberalise financial markets and make domestic consumption a more prominent driver of growth.

A capital outflows scare in 2015 halted many of these plans.

Many analysts say national security considerations have pushed China in the opposite direction in recent years, tightening control over large parts of the economy and carrying out regulatory crackdowns on industries, including tech and finance.

TAX CHANGES

One area where analysts expect to see new measures soon is local government finances, as policymakers look to ease concerns over municipal debt of more than $13 trillion that poses risks to financial institutions and economic growth.

In 2023, local governments' fiscal revenues accounted for 54% of the nation's total, while their expenditure accounted for 86%, data from the finance ministry showed.

The plenum flagged plans to address that imbalance.

It said local administrations would be allowed to gradually retain more of the consumption tax, which is currently fully transferred to the central government and accounts for almost a tenth of all revenues.

"It is the most urgent thing to expand the tax sources for local governments," said Zhaopeng Xing, senior China strategist at ANZ. "The current fiscal situation is definitely not good."

Translation

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國家主導的創新與成長

法國外貿銀行(Natixis)亞太區高級經濟學家 Gary Ng 表示，全會描繪了「國家主導的經濟成長、創新和安全」的未來。

Ng 說: 「全力押注製造業和新生產力可能還不夠，因為它充滿了不確定性」。

文件也重申，市場將在資源配置中發揮決定性作用，政府將致力於立法以改善私部門的條件, 及提出了財政和金融改革。

其他政策目標包括增加經濟適用房、改善年輕人的就業機會和老年人的生活水平。

與大多數此類文件一樣，它沒有說明中國領導人打算如何實現這些目標，正如共產黨官員週五所承認的那樣，其中許多目標需要在本質上政策是相互矛盾的。

例如，北京方面從未解釋過，當資源主要流向生產商和基礎設施時，如何讓消費者增加支出，或計劃如何在抑制債務的同時去刺激成長。

在2013年的一次全體會議上，北京推出了一項政策議程，其中包括星期日文件中列出的大部分目標，但也包括雄心去開放金融市場和使國內消費成為更重要的成長動力。

2015 年的資本外流恐慌導致許多此類計劃停止。

許多分析家表示，近年來，國家安全考量已將中國推向相反的方向，加強對大部分經濟領域的控制，並對科技和金融等產業進行監管打壓。

稅收變化

分析師預計很快就會看到新措施的一個領域是地方政府財政，因為政策制定者希望緩解人們對超過13 兆美元的市政債務的擔憂，這些債務給金融機構和經濟成長帶來了風險。

財政部數據顯示，2023年，地方政府財政收入佔全國的54%，支出佔全國的86%。

全會提出了解決這種不平衡問題的計劃。

報告稱，地方政府將被允許逐步保留更多的消費稅，目前消費稅已全部轉移到中央政府，幾乎佔所有稅收的十分之一。

澳新銀行高級中國策略師 Zhaopeng Xing 表示： “擴大地方政府的稅源是當務之急” 。 “目前的財政狀況肯定不好。”

So, China releases a policy document outlining known ambitions, from developing advanced industries to improving the business environment, with no sign of imminent structural shifts. Like most documents of this kind, it does not say how Chinese leaders will reach those goals, many of which would require policies that are contradictory in nature. It seems that individual local governments may have to implement the policy documents according to their own interpretation and imagination.

期待已久的中國政策更新並未出現重大轉變 (1/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Long-awaited Chinese policy update presents no major shift (1/2)

Reuters

Updated Sun, July 21, 2024 at 5:52 a.m. PDT·4 min read

BEIJING (Reuters) -China released a policy document on Sunday, outlining known ambitions, from developing advanced industries to improving the business environment, with analysts spotting no sign of imminent structural shifts in the world's second biggest economy.

The 60-point document's publication follows the closed-doors meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee, led by President Xi Jinping, which takes place roughly every five years, and is known as a plenum.

It was held from July 15-18 as China verges on deflation and faces a prolonged property crisis, surging debt and weak consumer and business sentiment. Trade tensions are also flaring, as global leaders grow increasingly wary of China's export dominance.

These challenges have led some economists to urge Beijing to shift focus to boosting consumer demand and away from a debt-fuelled, investment-led model that funnels resources into manufacturing and infrastructure at the expense of households.

China's long-term growth potential is at stake, these economists say.

But the plenum reasserted China's quest for "new productive forces", a term Xi coined last year that envisions scientific research and technological upgrades of the country's sprawling industrial complex.

It set out to "promote revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and in-depth industrial transformation and upgrading," the policy document said.

It listed as strategic industries "new generation information technology, artificial intelligence, aviation and aerospace, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment, biomedicine, and quantum technology".

"The overall industrial system is large but not strong, comprehensive but not refined, key and core technologies are controlled by others," state media quoted Xi as telling the plenum.

The plenum was initially expected late last year, but was postponed without explanation.

(to be continued)

Translation

北京（路透社） - 中國週日發布了一份政策文件，概述了從發展先進產業到改善營商環境等已知的雄心，分析師沒有發現這世界第二大經濟體即將發生結構性轉變的跡象。

這份包含 60 點內容的文件是在習近平主席領導的中共中央委員會閉門會議之後發布的，該會議大約每五年舉行一次，被稱為「全體會議」。

這次會議於 7 月 15 日至 18 日舉行，正當中國正瀕臨通貨緊縮，並面臨長期的房地產危機、債務激增, 以及消費者和企業信心疲軟。隨著全球領導人對中國的出口主導地位越來越警惕，貿易緊張局勢也加劇。

這些挑戰促使一些經濟學家敦促北京將重點轉向提振消費需求，放棄以債務驅動、投資主導的模式，這種模式以犧牲家庭利益為代價，將資源投入製造業和基礎設施。

這些經濟學家表示，中國的長期成長潛力受到威脅。

但這次全會重申了中國對「新生產力」的追求，這是習近平去年創造的術語，是對中國龐大的工業園區進行科學研究和技術升級的設想。

該政策文件稱，其目的是「推動技術革命性突破、生產要素創新配置、產業深度轉型升級」。

將「新一代資訊科技、人工智能、航空航太、新能源、新材料、高端裝備、生物醫藥、量子技術」列為戰略產業。

官方媒體引述習近平在全會上的演講稱，「整個產業體系大而不強、綜合而不精、關鍵核心技術受制於人」。

全會最初預計於去年年底舉行，但在沒有任何解釋的情況下被推遲。

（待續）

越南向聯合國提出擴展南海大陸棚的主張

Recently Yahoo News on-lines reported the following:

Vietnam files UN claim to extended continental shelf in South China Sea

Reuters

Updated Thu, July 18, 2024 at 3:22 a.m. PDT·2 min read

HANOI (Reuters) -Vietnam has filed a claim with the United Nations for an extended continental shelf (ECS) in the South China Sea, a month after regional neighbour the Philippines made a similar move, Vietnam's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Hanoi is asking to extend the continental shelf beyond the current 200 nautical miles from relevant baselines in its territorial waters, the ministry said in a statement.

The submission also reaffirms Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, which it said was in accordance with international law.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Portions of the strategic waterway, where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually, are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits, as well as fish stocks.

China said it firmly opposed Vietnam's submission and had lodged solemn representations with the Vietnamese side.

"Vietnam's relevant claim covers part of China's Nansha Islands, which violates China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," said Lin Jian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.

Vietnam's foreign ministry said it also sent a note verbale to the Secretary-General of the U.N. to state Vietnam's position regarding a similar submission filed by the Philippines last month.

In response, the Philippines said it was ready to engage with Vietnam on ways to achieve a mutually beneficial solution to South China Sea issues, in accordance with international law.

This is Vietnam's third submission of an ECS, the statement added, including a submission in respect of the North Area of the South China Sea, or Vietnam's East Sea, and a joint submission with Malaysia in respect to the southern part of the area in 2009.

(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Sharon Singleton)

Translation

河內（路透社） - 越南外交部週四表示，在地區鄰國菲律賓向聯合國提出南海擴展大陸架（ECS）主張後一個月, 越南已採取類似行動

越南國防部在聲明中表示，河內要求將大陸棚擴大到距其領海相關基線200海里以外。

該意見書也重申越南對黃沙群島 (Paracel)和長沙群島(Spratly)的主權，並稱這是符合國際法的。

中國自稱對幾乎整個南海擁有主權，但包括菲律賓、汶萊、馬來西亞、台灣和越南也聲稱擁有這地區的主權。據信，每年經這條戰略航道的貿易貨運額達 3 兆美元, 部分航道蘊藏著豐富的石油和天然氣以及魚類資源。

中方對此表示堅決反對，已向越方提出嚴正交涉。

中國外交部發言人 Lin Jian 說 "越南有關主張涉及中國南沙群島部分海域，侵犯了中國的領土主權和海洋權益” 。

越南外交部表示，它也向聯合國秘書長發出了一份普通照會，顯示出越南對於菲律賓上個月所提交的類似訴求的立場。

菲律賓回應稱，準備根據國際法與越南就南海問題達成互利解決方案進行接觸。

聲明補充說，這是越南第三次提交擴展大陸架 (ECS)，其中包括2009年就南海北部海域（即越南東海）及與馬來西亞聯合提交的該地區南部海域 。

               So, Vietnam has filed a claim with the United Nations for an extended continental shelf (ECS) in the South China Sea, a month after regional neighbor the Philippines made a similar move. I am wondering why Vietnam puts forward such a claim at this point in time.

Note:

1. The extended continental shelf, or ECS, (大陸架)refers to that portion of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast. ECS limits are determined using the provisions set forth in Article 76 of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention.

中國農村學生在全球數學競賽中擊敗數學精英引發驚嘆和懷疑 (2/2)

Recently CNN News on-line reported the following:

Rural Chinese student sparks awe and suspicion after beating math elites in global contest (2/2)

Joyce Jiang, CNN

Mon, July 8, 2024 at 2:24 a.m. PDT·6 min read

(continue)

Social stigma for vocational students

Among the cacophony of commentary, some suspect the harsh public scrutiny of Jiang is rooted in social prejudice against vocational students.

“The fact that Jiang, the vocational student, has garnered so much public attention per se mirrors social discontent with China’s education system,” Zhao Yong, distinguished professor in educational psychology at the University of Kansas, told CNN.

These students make up the bottom 40% in China’s senior high school entrance exam, or “zhongkao.” They do not qualify to enter regular high schools, where students cram for “gaokao,” China’s notoriously daunting college entrance exam.

In a society where poor academic performance is often equated with moral failings, “lazy bones,” “small-timers,” and “delinquents” have become bywords for the cohort who perform poorly on the zhongkao at 15 and are generally resigned to toil in factories for the rest of their lives.

This represents a stark reversal from the 1980s and 90s when vocational schooling was respected as a sought-after path to “iron rice bowls,” a popular term for secure jobs, amid the country’s urgent need for technical workers. However, the boom soon died down as higher education expanded in 1999.

As China races to meet its ambitious “Made in China 2025” goal to become “a world manufacturing power,” Beijing has been strengthening vocational education in recent years. But structural discrimination in China’s schools, universities and workplaces means society still favors academic degrees over trades.

Another ‘disappeared Einstein’?

In an interview with The Beijing News, a Communist Party-owned newspaper, Jiang said she wanted to go college and that her dream school was Zhejiang University, a top academy in the e-commerce hub Hangzhou. But that could still be difficult despite her apparent maths proficiency.

Jiang’s mentor Wang told the state-run Xinhua Daily that due to restrictions on major choices for future vocational education, she can only apply to three colleges in Jiangsu province, with her best option being a second-tier public university.

“China selects and categorizes talents way too early and too rigidly. This has greatly limited individuals’ future options and paths,” said Zhao, citing Germany and Finland as better examples of dual-track schooling with greater flexibility for students to shift between vocational and academic tracks.

Beijing’s attempt to emulate those European nations by encouraging resource exchanges between the two types of schools over the past decade has met a lukewarm response from high schools busy coaching students to score higher in the “gaokao” university entrance exam.

According to Zhao, Jiang is already “a lucky rarity if she’s truly gifted in math.” But he warned she may become a “disappeared Einstein” – one of the many buried talents in China’s education system.

The jury is still out, with second-round results due next month.

Jiang considers math her “Plan B,” prioritizing fashion design for future study, according to The Beijing News.

Zhao said working in a factory is a “reasonable choice” for the 17-year-old village girl, who as a vocational student has limited options for higher education.

“After all, she has a mouth to feed,” he said.

Translation

（繼續）

高職學生的社會恥辱

在一片刺耳嘈吵的評論中，有人懷疑大眾對 Jiang 的嚴厲審查源自於社會對高職學生的偏見。

Kansas大學的教育心理學傑出教授 Zhao Yong 對美國有線電視新聞網（CNN）表示： “Jiang 作為高職學生受到如此多的公眾關注，本身就反映了社會對中國教育體系的不滿。”

這些學生佔中國高中入學試或稱為“中考”最低的40%。他們沒有資格進入普通高中, 與普通高中學生擠塞在一起參加“高考”，即中國出了名的令人畏懼的大學入學試。

在一個把學業成績差等同於有道德弱點的社會裡，「懶骨頭」、「無名之輩小人物」、「不良少年」已經成為那些15歲中考表現不佳、一般都甘願一輩子在工廠辛苦工作埋頭苦幹的人的代名詞。

這與20 世紀80 年代和90 年代截然不同，當時，在國家急需技術工人的情況下，職業教育被視為通往有安穩工作的熱門途徑,普遍稱它為「鐵飯碗」。然而，隨著 1999 年高等教育的擴張，這種能賺很多錢的時期很快就消失了。

隨著中國競相實現「中國製造2025」成為「世界製造強國」的宏偉目標，北京近年來一直在加強職業教育。但中國學校、大學和工作場所的結構性歧視意味著社會仍然偏重學術學位而不是技能。

另一個「消失的愛因斯坦」？

Jiang 在接受中共黨報《新京報》採訪時表示，她想上大學，她的夢想學校是浙江大學，這是電子商務中心杭州的一所頂尖學府。但儘管她的數學水平明顯很高，但這仍然可能很困難。

Jiang 的 Wang 導師 告訴官方媒體《新華日報》稱，由於未來職業教育專業選擇的限制，她只能報考江蘇省的三所大學，最好的選擇是二線公立大學。

Zhao 引用德國和芬蘭作為雙軌教育的更好例子，為學生在職専和學術軌道之間轉換提供了更大的靈活性說: 「中國對人才的選拔和分類太早、太嚴格。這極大地限制了個人未來的選擇和道路。

過去十年，北京試圖效法歐洲國家，鼓勵兩類學校之間進行資源交流，但高中卻忙於輔導學生在高考中取得更高成績的而反應冷淡。

據Zhao 說， Jiang 已經「是個稀有的幸運如果她真的有數學天賦」。但他警告說，她可能會成為「消失的愛因斯坦」 - 中國教育系統中眾多被埋沒的人才之一。

目前尚未有任何決定或協議，第二輪結果將於下個月公佈。

據《新京報》報道，Jiang 認為數學是她的 “B 計劃” ，她未來會優先學習時裝設計。

Zhao 說，對於這位17歲的鄉村女孩來說，在工廠工作是一個 “合理的選擇” ，作為一名職業學生，她接受高等教育的選擇有限。

他說: 「畢竟，她要吃飯過活」。

 So, a vocational high school student in rural China has amazed the nation by outshining elite students in a global math contest and now her story is mired by controversy. Her encounter represents a clear reversal from the 1980s and 90s when vocational schooling was respected and sought-after due to the country’s urgent need for technical workers. China has changed and is changing.