Miao Lu
Biographic Data
| ID | 3919806 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Miao Lu |
| GIVEN NAMES | Miao |
| FAMILY NAME | Lu |
| SIGNATURE | LU M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8455-8308 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Coupled Dynamics of Land-Use Change and Landscape-Pattern Responses Under Multiple Scenarios in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins
Understanding land-use change and landscape-pattern responses in large river basins is important for spatial optimization and ecological-security maintenance. Previous studies have often examined land-use dynamics or landscape-pattern change separately, leaving limited evidence on their coupled structural relationships and on how future land-use configurations may diverge under alternative policy scenarios. To address this gap, this study examine…
An Integrated Multi‐Source Factor Screening Strategy for Unraveling Response Mechanisms of Organic Matter Variability in the Coastal Saline Soil of China
Accurately interpreting the response mechanisms of soil organic matter (SOM) with the assistance of environmental factors is crucial for promoting high‐quality agricultural development in coastal saline‐alkali land and maintaining ecosystem stability. However, a single screening method is often insufficient to comprehensively characterize the integrated effects of multiple complex environmental gradients on SOM. Here, we proposed an integrated sc…
Infastructuring the last mile
China's infrastructure footprint is expanding to rural Africa with a growing number of last-mile initiatives to address the digital divide. Supported by Huawei's RuralStar base station solution and financed by a Chinese loan, Ghana rolled out a large-scale rural telephony project (RTP) to densify its mobile network in 2020. Drawing from interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, this paper elucidates the multi-layered yet contradictory techno-politic…
Research on Multi-Scale Vector Road-Matching Model Based on Isod Descriptor
In geographic information data processing, the matching of road data at different scales is crucial. Due to scale differences, road features can change, posing a challenge to multi-scale matching. Spatial relationship is the key to matching because it remains stable at different scales. In this paper, we propose an improved summation product of direction and distance (ISOD) descriptor, which combines features such as included angle chain and camb…
Evaluation of Spatial Variability of Soil Nutrients in Saline–Alkali Farmland Using Automatic Machine Learning Model and Hyperspectral Data
Saline–alkali soils represent a significant reserve of arable land, playing a vital role in ensuring national food security. Given that saline–alkali soil has low soil organic matter (SOM) and soil nutrient contents, and that soil quality degradation poses a threat to regional high-quality agricultural development and ecological balance, this study took coastal saline–alkali land as a case study. It adopted the extreme gradient boosting (XGB) mod…
Gaming the mobility regimes during Covid-19
Transnational border crossing presented new complexities during the COVID-19 pandemic due to a series of emergency measures. Based on in-depth interviews and analysis of policy documents and social media posts, this article examines the border logics and mobility patterns between China and Africa during the pandemic. First, we propose a five-fold typology to map themobility regimes governing Sino-African cross-border travel. Using the ‘medical-po…
Connecting the last mile in Africa
In the competition to connect the next billion users, Africa’s last mile is becoming a frontier for big tech companies to experiment with new infrastructure ideas. Based on interviews and archival research, this article examines two cases of connecting the last mile through high-latitude balloons in the sky (Google Loon) and rural base stations on the ground (Huawei RuralStar). Following the “volumetric turn,” this article approaches infrastructu…
Impact of lightweight materials substitution on material stock and carbon emission of private vehicles in China
Examining the impact of digital information environments, information processing, and presumed influence on behavioral responses to Covid-19 misinformation in Asia
This study examines exposure to, perception of, and behavioral responses to misinformation about COVID-19 on social media from the influence of presumed influence (IPI) framework. To understand how the digital information environment of a society shapes the spread and responses to pandemic misinformation, four culturally similar Asian cities—Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taipei—were selected, generating a sample of 4094 respondents. Our find…
Under the Socialist Gaze
Based on visual analysis of the China Pictorial magazine in two historical periods (Mao and post-Mao), this article identifies six key themes of representing Africa in Chinese state media and finds a parallel between China's representation of Africa, Sino-African relations, and the shifting geopolitics. Different from Western stereotypes about Africa, China Pictorial constructs a romanticized image of Africa, which is interpreted through the conc…
Exploring the emergence and changing dynamics of a new integrated rice-crawfish farming system in China
Crop-aquaculture systems are widely adopted around the world as they can provide high protein and energy outputs per unit of land and raise farm incomes, particularly for smallholder farmers. Recently, a new crop-aquaculture system, which combines rice production with crawfish breeding (integrated rice-crawfish farming), has emerged and rapidly expanded in China. However, the spatial extent and temporal dynamics of this integrated farming system …
Transfer or Translation? Rethinking Traveling Technologies from the Global South
Technology flows are becoming increasingly diverse in the twenty-first century, calling for an update of concepts and frameworks. Reflecting on the inherent tensions of technology transfer, including its technocratic dreams, insensitivity to technological materiality, and narrow focus on certain human actors, we propose technology translation as a complementary conceptual framework to understand traveling technologies. Taking a socio-technical ap…
Understanding Globalization, Global Gaps, and Power Shifts in the 21st Century
This book covers the rise of China and shifts in geopolitics, as well as the evolving nature of globalization and transnational threats. This is an open access book.
Empowerment or warfare? dark skin, AI camera, and Transsion’s patent narratives
Through document analysis and interviews, this paper examines the patent narratives of Transsion, a Chinese company dominating Africa’s smartphone market and a leading innovator in facial recognition technologies (FRTs) optimized for darker skin tones. We identify two major narratives concerning Transsion’s FRT patenting practice. First is ‘empowerment’, through which Transsion argues that there are ‘blind spots’ in conventional AI technologies a…
Technology Translations between China and Ghana
Mobile phone repair in Ghana
Mobile phone repair is booming in the Global South, creating new players and approaches. Based on ethnographic research in Ghana’s major phone markets, this article maps the local repair ecosystem by illustrating two sets of repair actors: “company repairers” and “independent repairers.” Paying attention to their internal diversity and complex interactions, this article categorizes three types of repair practices, including the high-end approach …
Back to Bandung for the Future
As intellectuals in modern education systems, “we are all foreigners,” foreign to our histories, local conditions, and commoners living next to us. The proposal for a global Bandung School (BS) has been on the table, with the mission to transform existing modes of thought and carry on the de-imperializing spirit of Bandung. By establishing Mandarin-World Bandung School (MBS), we propose to rediscover the spirit of anti-imperialism through locally…
Algorithmic Empowerment or Imperialist Warfare? Dark Skin, Ai Camera, and a Chinese Company’s Patent Strategy
Through document analysis and participant observation, this paper examines the patent strategy of Transsion, a Chinese company that dominates Africa’s smartphone market and a leading innovator in facial recognition technologies optimised for darker skins. We identify two major narratives surrounding Transsion’s facial recognition patent strategy. First is the “empowerment” narrative, in which Transsion argues that there are “blind spots” in conve…
Designed for the bottom of the pyramid
Through the case study of itel, a low-end Chinese phone brand, this article examines the cross-cultural design for the bottom of the pyramid population in Africa. Focusing on the process that an artifact comes into existence, this article shows that itel’s design practice has been shaped by local culture, infrastructure, and social structure, which may challenge, modify, and reshape global design norms. Being cost-sensitive, context-conscious, an…
China’s International Talent Policy (ITP)
This article explores the development of China’s international talent policy (ITP) during 1978–2020. An analytical framework is constructed to track the profound changes of ITP and examine the main driving forces for these changes. Four main phases of ITP development are identified through analyzing significant changes in the four core components of China’s ITP, including guiding frameworks, hierarchy of goals, policy instruments, and governance …
Translating a Chinese approach? Rural distribution and marketing in Ghana’s phone industry
Ghana’s mobile phone markets are currently dominated by a Chinese company called Transsion. Based on 7-month ethnographic research, this article examines Transsion’s distribution and marketing practices in Ghana, which are largely labor-intensive, rural-centric, low value-added, and lower-class-oriented. Taking a historical approach, this article reveals that this business strategy originated in China and has been translated to Ghana by a wide va…
In this together
Utilization of the extract of Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D.Don) G. Don against the biofilm formation and the expression of virulence genes of cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans
Global land cover mapping at 30 m resolution
Global Land Cover (GLC) information is fundamental for environmental change studies, land resource management, sustainable development, and many other societal benefits. Although GLC data exists at spatial resolutions of 300 m and 1000 m, a 30 m resolution mapping approach is now a feasible option for the next generation of GLC products. Since most significant human impacts on the land system can be captured at this scale, a number of researchers…
China’s International Talent Policy (ITP)
This article explores the development of China’s international talent policy (ITP) during 1978–2020. An analytical framework is constructed to track the profound changes of ITP and examine the main driving forces for these changes. Four main phases of ITP development are identified through analyzing significant changes in the four core components of China’s ITP, including guiding frameworks, hierarchy of goals, policy instruments, and governance …
Translating a Chinese approach? Rural distribution and marketing in Ghana’s phone industry
Ghana’s mobile phone markets are currently dominated by a Chinese company called Transsion. Based on 7-month ethnographic research, this article examines Transsion’s distribution and marketing practices in Ghana, which are largely labor-intensive, rural-centric, low value-added, and lower-class-oriented. Taking a historical approach, this article reveals that this business strategy originated in China and has been translated to Ghana by a wide va…
Back to Bandung for the Future
As intellectuals in modern education systems, “we are all foreigners,” foreign to our histories, local conditions, and commoners living next to us. The proposal for a global Bandung School (BS) has been on the table, with the mission to transform existing modes of thought and carry on the de-imperializing spirit of Bandung. By establishing Mandarin-World Bandung School (MBS), we propose to rediscover the spirit of anti-imperialism through locally…
Transfer or Translation? Rethinking Traveling Technologies from the Global South
Technology flows are becoming increasingly diverse in the twenty-first century, calling for an update of concepts and frameworks. Reflecting on the inherent tensions of technology transfer, including its technocratic dreams, insensitivity to technological materiality, and narrow focus on certain human actors, we propose technology translation as a complementary conceptual framework to understand traveling technologies. Taking a socio-technical ap…
Global land cover mapping at 30 m resolution
Global Land Cover (GLC) information is fundamental for environmental change studies, land resource management, sustainable development, and many other societal benefits. Although GLC data exists at spatial resolutions of 300 m and 1000 m, a 30 m resolution mapping approach is now a feasible option for the next generation of GLC products. Since most significant human impacts on the land system can be captured at this scale, a number of researchers…
In this together
Utilization of the extract of Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D.Don) G. Don against the biofilm formation and the expression of virulence genes of cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans
Algorithmic Empowerment or Imperialist Warfare? Dark Skin, Ai Camera, and a Chinese Company’s Patent Strategy
Through document analysis and participant observation, this paper examines the patent strategy of Transsion, a Chinese company that dominates Africa’s smartphone market and a leading innovator in facial recognition technologies optimised for darker skins. We identify two major narratives surrounding Transsion’s facial recognition patent strategy. First is the “empowerment” narrative, in which Transsion argues that there are “blind spots” in conve…
Designed for the bottom of the pyramid
Through the case study of itel, a low-end Chinese phone brand, this article examines the cross-cultural design for the bottom of the pyramid population in Africa. Focusing on the process that an artifact comes into existence, this article shows that itel’s design practice has been shaped by local culture, infrastructure, and social structure, which may challenge, modify, and reshape global design norms. Being cost-sensitive, context-conscious, an…
China’s International Talent Policy (ITP)
This article explores the development of China’s international talent policy (ITP) during 1978–2020. An analytical framework is constructed to track the profound changes of ITP and examine the main driving forces for these changes. Four main phases of ITP development are identified through analyzing significant changes in the four core components of China’s ITP, including guiding frameworks, hierarchy of goals, policy instruments, and governance …
Translating a Chinese approach? Rural distribution and marketing in Ghana’s phone industry
Ghana’s mobile phone markets are currently dominated by a Chinese company called Transsion. Based on 7-month ethnographic research, this article examines Transsion’s distribution and marketing practices in Ghana, which are largely labor-intensive, rural-centric, low value-added, and lower-class-oriented. Taking a historical approach, this article reveals that this business strategy originated in China and has been translated to Ghana by a wide va…
Understanding Globalization, Global Gaps, and Power Shifts in the 21st Century
This book covers the rise of China and shifts in geopolitics, as well as the evolving nature of globalization and transnational threats. This is an open access book.
Empowerment or warfare? dark skin, AI camera, and Transsion’s patent narratives
Through document analysis and interviews, this paper examines the patent narratives of Transsion, a Chinese company dominating Africa’s smartphone market and a leading innovator in facial recognition technologies (FRTs) optimized for darker skin tones. We identify two major narratives concerning Transsion’s FRT patenting practice. First is ‘empowerment’, through which Transsion argues that there are ‘blind spots’ in conventional AI technologies a…
Technology Translations between China and Ghana
Mobile phone repair in Ghana
Mobile phone repair is booming in the Global South, creating new players and approaches. Based on ethnographic research in Ghana’s major phone markets, this article maps the local repair ecosystem by illustrating two sets of repair actors: “company repairers” and “independent repairers.” Paying attention to their internal diversity and complex interactions, this article categorizes three types of repair practices, including the high-end approach …
Back to Bandung for the Future
As intellectuals in modern education systems, “we are all foreigners,” foreign to our histories, local conditions, and commoners living next to us. The proposal for a global Bandung School (BS) has been on the table, with the mission to transform existing modes of thought and carry on the de-imperializing spirit of Bandung. By establishing Mandarin-World Bandung School (MBS), we propose to rediscover the spirit of anti-imperialism through locally…
Exploring the emergence and changing dynamics of a new integrated rice-crawfish farming system in China
Crop-aquaculture systems are widely adopted around the world as they can provide high protein and energy outputs per unit of land and raise farm incomes, particularly for smallholder farmers. Recently, a new crop-aquaculture system, which combines rice production with crawfish breeding (integrated rice-crawfish farming), has emerged and rapidly expanded in China. However, the spatial extent and temporal dynamics of this integrated farming system …
Transfer or Translation? Rethinking Traveling Technologies from the Global South
Technology flows are becoming increasingly diverse in the twenty-first century, calling for an update of concepts and frameworks. Reflecting on the inherent tensions of technology transfer, including its technocratic dreams, insensitivity to technological materiality, and narrow focus on certain human actors, we propose technology translation as a complementary conceptual framework to understand traveling technologies. Taking a socio-technical ap…
Impact of lightweight materials substitution on material stock and carbon emission of private vehicles in China
Examining the impact of digital information environments, information processing, and presumed influence on behavioral responses to Covid-19 misinformation in Asia
This study examines exposure to, perception of, and behavioral responses to misinformation about COVID-19 on social media from the influence of presumed influence (IPI) framework. To understand how the digital information environment of a society shapes the spread and responses to pandemic misinformation, four culturally similar Asian cities—Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taipei—were selected, generating a sample of 4094 respondents. Our find…
Under the Socialist Gaze
Based on visual analysis of the China Pictorial magazine in two historical periods (Mao and post-Mao), this article identifies six key themes of representing Africa in Chinese state media and finds a parallel between China's representation of Africa, Sino-African relations, and the shifting geopolitics. Different from Western stereotypes about Africa, China Pictorial constructs a romanticized image of Africa, which is interpreted through the conc…
Research on Multi-Scale Vector Road-Matching Model Based on Isod Descriptor
In geographic information data processing, the matching of road data at different scales is crucial. Due to scale differences, road features can change, posing a challenge to multi-scale matching. Spatial relationship is the key to matching because it remains stable at different scales. In this paper, we propose an improved summation product of direction and distance (ISOD) descriptor, which combines features such as included angle chain and camb…
Evaluation of Spatial Variability of Soil Nutrients in Saline–Alkali Farmland Using Automatic Machine Learning Model and Hyperspectral Data
Saline–alkali soils represent a significant reserve of arable land, playing a vital role in ensuring national food security. Given that saline–alkali soil has low soil organic matter (SOM) and soil nutrient contents, and that soil quality degradation poses a threat to regional high-quality agricultural development and ecological balance, this study took coastal saline–alkali land as a case study. It adopted the extreme gradient boosting (XGB) mod…
Gaming the mobility regimes during Covid-19
Transnational border crossing presented new complexities during the COVID-19 pandemic due to a series of emergency measures. Based on in-depth interviews and analysis of policy documents and social media posts, this article examines the border logics and mobility patterns between China and Africa during the pandemic. First, we propose a five-fold typology to map themobility regimes governing Sino-African cross-border travel. Using the ‘medical-po…
Connecting the last mile in Africa
In the competition to connect the next billion users, Africa’s last mile is becoming a frontier for big tech companies to experiment with new infrastructure ideas. Based on interviews and archival research, this article examines two cases of connecting the last mile through high-latitude balloons in the sky (Google Loon) and rural base stations on the ground (Huawei RuralStar). Following the “volumetric turn,” this article approaches infrastructu…
Coupled Dynamics of Land-Use Change and Landscape-Pattern Responses Under Multiple Scenarios in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins
Understanding land-use change and landscape-pattern responses in large river basins is important for spatial optimization and ecological-security maintenance. Previous studies have often examined land-use dynamics or landscape-pattern change separately, leaving limited evidence on their coupled structural relationships and on how future land-use configurations may diverge under alternative policy scenarios. To address this gap, this study examine…
An Integrated Multi‐Source Factor Screening Strategy for Unraveling Response Mechanisms of Organic Matter Variability in the Coastal Saline Soil of China
Accurately interpreting the response mechanisms of soil organic matter (SOM) with the assistance of environmental factors is crucial for promoting high‐quality agricultural development in coastal saline‐alkali land and maintaining ecosystem stability. However, a single screening method is often insufficient to comprehensively characterize the integrated effects of multiple complex environmental gradients on SOM. Here, we proposed an integrated sc…
Infastructuring the last mile
China's infrastructure footprint is expanding to rural Africa with a growing number of last-mile initiatives to address the digital divide. Supported by Huawei's RuralStar base station solution and financed by a Chinese loan, Ghana rolled out a large-scale rural telephony project (RTP) to densify its mobile network in 2020. Drawing from interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, this paper elucidates the multi-layered yet contradictory techno-politic…
Political science (11 works) · Computer Science (10 works) · China (9 works) · Geography (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Business (5 works) · Engineering (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Biology (4 works) · China's Global Influence and Migration (4 works)