328 research outputs found
Hydrophoria longissima Fan & Zhong 1984
No full textlongissima Fan & Zhong in Fan et al., 1984b: 256 (Hydrophoria). Holotype male with labels: (1) handwritten on white label: “ Tibet Amdo / 1976.7”; (2) handwritten on white label: “1”; (3) handwritten on white label: “close to Hydrophoria albiceps ”; (4) handwritten on white label: “ Hydrophoria limboforceps / sp.n.”; (5) handwritten on white label: “collector Hongbing Wang ”; (6) handwritten on white label: “ Hydrophoria longissima ”; (6) printed with handwritten inscriptions on red label: “ TYPE / Hydrophoria / longissima / Fan et Zhong ”. Preservation: pinned; left fore leg mounted at the tip of a pinned paper with the specimen. Paratype male with labels: (1) handwritten on white label: “ Tibet Amdo / 1976.7”; (2) handwritten on white label: “1”; (3) printed with handwritten inscriptions on red label: “ PARATYPE / Hydrophoria / longissima / Fan et Zhong ”. Preservation: pinned; genitalia dissected and mounted on a pinned paper. Additional notes: Paratype collected by Hongbin Wang. Current name: Hydrophoria longissima Fan & Zhong, 1984.Published as part of ZHANG, XUFENG & ZHU, WEIBING, 2014, The types of Anthomyiidae (Diptera) in the Shanghai Entomological Museum, Chinese Academy of Science, China, pp. 1-67 in Zootaxa 3756 (1) on page 33, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3756.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/503313
Chemically Modified Graphene Films with Tunable Negative Poisson’s Ratios
No full textIncludes supplementary materialGraphene-derived macroscopic assemblies feature hierarchical nano- and microstructures that provide numerous routes for surface and interfacial functionalization achieving unconventional material properties. We report that the microstructural hierarchy of pristine chemically modified graphene films, featuring wrinkles, delamination of close-packed laminates, their ordered and disordered stacks, renders remarkable negative Poisson’s ratios ranging from −0.25 to −0.55. The mechanism proposed is validated by the experimental characterization and theoretical analysis. Based on the understanding of microstructural origins, pre-strech is applied to endow chemically modified graphene films with controlled negative Poisson’s ratios. Modulating the wavy textures of the inter-connected network of close-packed laminates in the chemically modified graphene films also yields finely-tuned negative Poisson’s ratios. These findings offer the key insights into rational design of films constructed from two-dimensional materials with negative Poisson’s ratios and mechanomutable performance. © 2019, The Author(s).National Natural Science Foundation of China (51673108 and 51433005) and National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFA0200202); National Natural Science Foundation of China through Grants 11825203 and 11472150; National Science Foundation CMMI-1636306, CMMI-1661246, and CMMI-1726435Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Scienc
Confucianism and metaphysics : studies on the analects in Wei, Jin, southern and northern dynasties
No full textFrom the establishment of the Wei Dynasty by Cao Pi曹丕 in 220 to the conquest of the Chen Dynasty by Yang Jian杨坚 in 589, the period of Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties was the most turbulent period of political power transition in Chinese history. Academic research during this period also demonstrated the most active and critical aspects of Chinese academic history. Given the openness of interpretation, the popular orientation, and the special issues, "The Analects" provides an important perspective for understanding the changes that occurred during this period——it not only refers to the rise and fall of classical scholars and their subjects, but also reflects the evolution of problem awareness and thinking routes. Different from the research methods in the academic community that mostly adopt the approach of literature or intellectual history in studying "The Analects" during this period, this research chooses a perspective of the history of philosophy, and through in-depth exploration of the "problems" behind the annotations, it unfolds the study of "The Analects" in Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.
The main body of the dissertation is divided into four chapters. When corresponding to the main characteristics of the study of "The Analects" during the late Han and early Wei, Cao Wei and Western Jin, Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties periods, these words also roughly summarize the main clues of the evolution of the study of "The Analects" in Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties: in the late Han and early Wei periods, Confucianism became more "fussy" 文 and the voice of "Refuting Zheng" was prevalent; under the re-evaluation of the value of returning to the origin and "Understanding the Sage" by the metaphysical scholars, metaphysics rose while Confucianism declined; after the migration to the south during the Yongjia period永嘉, although the academic community used the "teachings" to criticize the emptiness of metaphysics, it also weakened both Confucianism and metaphysics; after the Song and Chen periods, Confucianism integrated metaphysics into the interpretation of classic studies, and academic research once again returned to the " classics."
The first chapter discusses the problems and rebellions of Confucianism in the late Han Dynasty through the annotations of Zheng Xuan郑玄, Wang Su王肃, and He Yan何晏 on "The Analects". In the development of Confucianism during the Han Dynasty, which focused on the study of classics, there was intense contradiction between the two factions of schools of contemporary texts and schools of ancient texts. The outstanding scholar, Zheng Xuan, simultaneously accepted the classics respected by both factions based on the logic of "different systems in the Three Dynasties", "same path for hundreds of kings", and thus constructed a new school of comprehensive and refined studies. However, the short-lived "unification" brought about by Zheng Xuan did not receive universal recognition in the academic community at that time. The main problem of Zheng Xuan was "fussy". Under the wave of "Refuting Zheng", scholars of the old school, represented by Wang Su, launched a multi-dimensional critique based on ritual system and practice, Confucius and classical studies, among others. However, this specific critique of classical studies actually exacerbated the "fussy " in academia. Scholars of the new school, represented by He Yan, created a "collective interpretation" in "Lunyu Jijie"论语集解（Collected Explanations of The Analects）, and liberated "The Analects" from the problems of classical studies by deleting old annotations and avoiding controversies.
The second chapter explores the study of "The Analects" during the era of metaphysics, and specifically discusses how metaphysicians digest "The Analects" and Confucius himself. He Yan, based on the distinction between "unity" and "multiplicity" in classical interpretation, constructed a metaphysical framework for metaphysics through the exploration of "unity." However, due to He Yan's excessive insistence on the metaphysical "Dao" 道, he inevitably neglected the focus of "The Analects" on the concrete "person". Wang Bi王弼, starting from Confucius' emotions, revised He Yan's stereotypical interpretation of the problem of the sage in metaphysics. However, this exploration of the problem of the sage was ultimately philosophical and abstract, which created tension with the concrete life of Confucius in "The Analects." Including the concrete Confucius in the abstract problem of the sage is the core task of metaphysicians in interpreting "The Analects" and the most interesting aspect of "The Analects" in the context of metaphysics. In addition, Guo Xiang's郭象 "Lunyu Tilue"论语体略 （General Outline of The Analects） in the Western Jin Dynasty specifically understands and digests the image of Confucius from the perspective of Daoist philosophy. It is worth noting that existing metaphysical studies often focus on philosophical concepts such as "Dao", "emptiness无", or "naturalness自然", but neglect the focus of metaphysicians on "person." The metaphysical study based on "The Analects" to some extent complements this research gap.
The third chapter studies the turning point and new ideas in the study of "The Analects" after the migration to the south during the Yongjia period. The so-called "turning point" refers to the reflection and criticism of the emptiness of metaphysics by the literati with the idea of "intellectual discussions harming the country", and as a replacement, they incorporated "Dao" into "teachings" and embarked on a path of integrating Confucianism and metaphysics. However, the weak central government was unable to support the revival of Confucianism, and the so-called "clarifying teachings" failed to provide specific practical solutions. In this context of neither metaphysics nor Confucianism, Jiangnan scholarship not only provided an opportunity for the dissemination of foreign studies, but also allowed many traditional disciplines to achieve their own academic self-awareness, resulting in a situation of multiple disciplines and coexistence of multiple values. The new ideas here not only involve the interpretation of "The Analects" in the style of Buddhism, history, and literature, but also the ornamentalization of annotations themselves. However, these so-called new ideas, due to the lack of attention to the "Dao", inevitably reduced the study of "The Analects" then to one of the many arts.
The forth chapter specifically explores the shift of the study of "The Analects" to classical studies after the Southern Dynasties. It is worth mentioning that the "classical studies" here does not refer to the practical studies for governing the country in the Han Dynasty, but rather the replication of the study of Buddhist scriptures in Confucianism. This interaction between Confucianism and Buddhism stems from the acceptance of local scholars by Master Huiyuan 慧远of Mount Lu 庐山under the backdrop of political turmoil in the late Jin and early Song Dynasties. As a result, it gave rise to the study of annotated editions of Confucian classics. As for metaphysics, considering that it had lost its vitality in the Southern Dynasties, the interaction between Confucianism and metaphysics during this period mainly manifested as how Confucianism digested metaphysics. In response to this, scholars of then integrated metaphysical principles into the interpretation of classics, bringing metaphysics back to its birthplace: the interpretation of classics. Of course, for Confucianism itself, the realization of the transformation of classical studies at the social level also lies in its no longer insisting on the impractical "teachings." As a substitute, the scholars of the Southern Dynasties, centered around Huang Kan皇侃, shifted the focus to the "learning" of Confucius.从曹丕称帝建魏（公元220年），到杨坚南下灭陈（公元589年），魏晋南北朝的这三百多年时间是中国历史上政权更迭最频繁的时期。处在这种动荡局面下的学术研究也同样展现出中国学术史上活跃而深具批判性的一面。鉴于诠释的开放性、大众化的面向和所附带的特殊问题，《论语》这部经典便为窥析此中的流变提供了一个重要视角：它不仅有经典研究者和研究对象的迭兴，还包括问题意识与致思理路的沿革。不同于学术界在研究魏晋南北朝《论语》学史时多采用文献学或思想史的研究方式，本文选择以哲学史为视角，通过深度挖掘注家背后的“问题”以展开这段时期的《论语》学研究。
文章正文共分四章，分别是“汉末儒学的问题与反思”“《论语》与孔子的玄学化”“东晋《论语》学的转折与新意”与“南朝《论语》学的经学化”。在各自对应到汉魏之际、曹魏和西晋、东晋和南朝时期《论语》学的主要特征时，他们也基本勾勒魏晋南北朝《论语》学演变的主要线索：汉魏之际儒学积“文”成弊；在玄学家返本、体圣的价值重审下，玄学起而儒学衰；永嘉南渡后，学界虽以“教”弥补玄学的虚无之弊，但空言其“教”未免儒、玄皆衰；宋陈之后，儒学融玄学于经典诠释之中，学术再度返“经”。
具体来说，第一章从郑玄、王肃和何晏的《论语》注出发探讨了汉末儒学的问题与反思。以经学研究为中心的两汉儒学发展至汉代末年，其内部的今文经学和古文经学两派矛盾尖锐。经学大家郑玄在“三代异制”“百王同道”的逻辑下同时接纳了两派经学所尊信的经典，并由此构建出一套博而精的新学。然而，由郑玄新学所带来的短暂“一统”并没有得到当时学术界的普遍认可。这里郑学存在的主要问题便是“文弊”。在这场“难郑”思潮下，旧派学者以王肃为代表。他从礼制与实践、孔子与经学等角度展开了多重维度的批判，但这种具体的经学批判反而加剧学术的“文弊”。新派学者以何晏为代表，他在《论语集解》中创制了一种“集解”之体，并在删削旧注、搁置争议的思路下使《论语》从经学问题中解放。
第二章探讨的是玄学时代的《论语》学，具体论述的是玄学家们如何消化《论语》和孔子。其中，何晏基于经典诠释中的“一”“多”之辨，在探“一”的思路下构建起玄学的形而上学骨架。但由于何晏过分执着于形而上的“道”，也就不免忽略了《论语》对于具体之“人”的关注。对此，王弼从孔子的情感出发修缮了何晏玄学对于圣人问题的解读。然而，这种对于圣人问题的探讨毕竟是抽象的，这与《论语》中有具体生命的孔子存在着明显的张力。将具体的孔子纳入到抽象的圣人问题中也就是玄学家们注释《论语》的核心任务，亦为玄学语境下《论语》最具意趣之所在。此外，西晋郭象的《论语体略》还具体从道家哲学出发理解和消化了孔子的形象。值得注意的是，现有的玄学研究往往侧重“道”“无”或“自然”等哲学概念，而忽略了玄学家们对“人”学的关注。由《论语》展开的玄学研究在一定程度上补充了此项研究的不足。
第三章研究的是永嘉南渡之后《论语》学的转折与新意。所谓“转折”，指的是东晋名士以“清谈误国”为思路对玄学的虚无之弊展开反思与批判；作为取代，他们将“道”寓于“教”，转向了一条统合“儒”“玄”的路径。但是，孱弱的中央政府无力支持儒学的复兴，所谓“明教”也未能给出具体的实践方案。在这种玄而不玄、儒而不儒的背景下，江左学术不仅给了佛学传播的契机，也让许多传统学问实现了自身的学术自觉，从而呈现出多元学术并存的局面。因而，这里的“新意”也就包括了佛学式、史学式、文学式的《论语》诠释以及注释本身的绮辞化。然而，这些所谓的新意由于缺乏对于“道”的眷顾，这一时期的《论语》学也就不免沦为百术之一端。
第四章则具体探讨了南朝以后《论语》学的经学转向。值得一提的是，这里的“经学”并非两汉的经世致用之学，而更多是对佛家佛经讲授之学的复刻。这种儒佛的互动来自晋宋政治动荡背景下庐山慧远大师对本土学者的接纳。作为结果，它衍生出儒家的义疏之学。至于玄学，考虑到它在南朝已经基本失去了生命力，这一时期的儒玄互动便主要表现为儒学如何消化玄学的问题。对此，南朝学者将玄理融于经典诠释之中，将玄学带回到它的诞生地：经典诠释。当然，对儒学自身而言，它得以实现社会层面的经学化转向还在于它不再执着于无从落实的“教”。作为取代，以皇侃为中心的南朝学者将问题转向了孔子的“学”
Protective effects of Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn against fatty liver disease induced by high fat diet in rats
No full textOBJECTIVES: Study the effects of alcohol extract of Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn (AESM) on the metabolism of blood fat, morphology of fenestrated liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC), and the ultrastructure of liver cells of the rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).METHODS: Divide SD rats into control group, model group, simvastatin (7.2 mg/kg) group, and S.mukorossi Gaertn group with high dosage (0.5 g/kg), moderate dosage (0.1 g/kg), and low dosage (0.05 g/kg). After feeding with fat-rich nutrients for 3 weeks and establishing the model of hepatic adipose, conduct intragastric administration and provide the rats with fat-rich nutrients at the same time. At the 43rd day, take blood sample and measure aminotransferase and different indexes of blood fat; take hepatic tissue for pathological section, and observe the hepatic morphological patterns under light microscope; obtain and fix the hepatic tissue after injecting perfusate into the body, and observe the changes of fenestrated LSEC under scanning electron microscope; observe the ultrastructure of liver cells under transmission electron microscope.RESULTS: High-dosage alcohol extracts of S.mukorossi Gaertn can alleviate the AST, ALT, TC, TG, LDL, γ-GT, and ALP level, as well as raise the HDL and APN level in the serum of NAFLD-rat model. In addition, through the observation from light microscope and electron microscopes, the morphology of the hepatic tissue and liver cells as well as the recovery of the fenestrated LSEC in the treatment group has become normal.CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol extracts of S.mukorossi Gaertn can regulate the level of blood fat and improve the pathological changes of the hepatic tissues in NAFLD-rat model, which demonstrates the effects of down-regulating fat level and protecting liver.</p
A combinatorial switch block design technique for reconfigurable interconnection networks
Get PDFSwitch blocks are fundamental switch components in reconfigurable interconnection
networks such as FPGA routing networks and circuit switching communication
networks. A switch block consists of a set of terminals usually partitioned
into some sides, and programmable switches joining terminals on different sides,
it is used to implement various routing requirements through reconfiguring its
switches. This dissertation presents a combinatorial design technique to tackle
the connection topology design problem for a wide assortment of switch blocks
including hyper-universal switch blocks and universal switch blocks. We prove
that large switch blocks can be constructed by a finite number of prime switch
blocks, and show how to design the prime switch blocks and how to combine
them into large switch blocks. We demonstrate the design scheme by examining
and designing in detail the commonly used 4^sided switch blocks, as well as the
generic universal switch blocks.Graduat
Noninvasive vaccination against infectious diseases
Get PDFThe development of a successful vaccine, which should elicit a combination of humoral and cellular responses to control or prevent infections, is the first step in protecting against infectious diseases. A vaccine may protect against bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral infections in animal models, but to be effective in humans there are some issues that should be considered, such as the adjuvant, the route of vaccination, and the antigen-carrier system. While almost all licensed vaccines are injected such that inoculation is by far the most commonly used method, injection has several potential disadvantages, including pain, cross contamination, needlestick injury, under- or overdosing, and increased cost. It is also problematic for patients from rural areas of developing countries, who must travel to a hospital for vaccine administration. Noninvasive immunizations, including oral, intranasal, and transcutaneous administration of vaccines, can reduce or eliminate pain, reduce the cost of vaccinations, and increase their safety. Several preclinical and clinical studies as well as experience with licensed vaccines have demonstrated that noninvasive vaccine immunization activates cellular and humoral immunity, which protect against pathogen infections. Here we review the development of noninvasive immunization with vaccines based on live attenuated virus, recombinant adenovirus, inactivated virus, viral subunits, virus-like particles, DNA, RNA, and antigen expression in rice in preclinical and clinical studies. We predict that noninvasive vaccine administration will be more widely applied in the clinic in the near future. © 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor and Francis. © 2018, © Zhichao Zheng, Diana Diaz-Arévalo, Hongbing Guan, and Mingtao Zeng
Developing Antihypertensive Peptides from Spent Laying Hen Muscle Proteins
Get PDFHypertension is the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, afflicting > 20% of adults worldwide (~1 in 4 in Canada). Pharmaceutical drugs are the primary treatment for hypertension, but are generally associated with side effects. Recently, food-derived antihypertensive peptides are emerging alternatives. Central to the pathophysiology of hypertension is the renin-angiotensin system, which is regulated by two enzymes, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2. ACE converts angiotensin (Ang I) into Ang II that elevates blood pressure (BP) via Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R), whereas ACE2 reverts this process by degrading Ang II into Ang (1–7) followed by binding with Mas receptor (MasR).
Spent hens are laying hens reaching the end of egg-laying cycle, with an average yearly production of > 30 million in Canada over the last decade. Despite being a byproduct, spent hen is a rich source of muscle proteins that can be biotransformed into bioactive peptides with antihypertensive properties. The overall objective of this thesis is to purify and characterize novel antihypertensive peptides from spent hen muscle proteins targeting both the ACE-Ang II-AT1R (by inhibiting ACE) and the ACE2-Ang (1-7)-MasR (by upregulating ACE2) axes.
In the first study, eighteen spent hen muscle protein hydrolysates (SPHs) were prepared and were screened for the ACE inhibitory (ACEi), ACE2 upregulating (ACE2u), antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as their fates during gastrointestinal digestion and transepithelial transport. Three SPHs were screened and fed to spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), while only SPH prepared by thermoase PC10F (SPH-T) reduced BP. The second study further investigated the antihypertensive effect of SPH-T at two doses (high dose, 1,000 mg/kg body weight [BW], and low dose, 250 mg/kg BW). Its BP reduction was associated with increased circulating ACE2 and Ang (1-7) but lowered Ang II levels, upregulated vascular expression of ACE2, as well as ameliorated vascular inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis.
The third study aims to purify ACEi peptides and ACE2u peptides from SPH-T. Finally, five potent ACEi peptides, VRP, LKY, VRY, KYKA, and LKYKA (IC50 values of 0.034–5.77 μg/mL) and four ACE2u peptides, VKW, VHPKESF, VVHPKESF (V-F), and VAQWRTKYETDAIQR-TEELEEAKKK (upregulated ACE2 expression by 0.52–0.84 folds) were identified. Among them, four with the highest ACEi and/or ACE2u activities from the major muscle proteins were selected for animal study; they were categorized into 3 groups: VRP (ACEi activity), V-F (ACE2u activity), and LKY and VRY (both ACEi and ACE2u activities).
Prior to assessing the in vivo efficacies of VRP, LKY, VRY, V-F, their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated in vascular smooth muscle A7r5 cells (VSMCs) and endothelial EA.hy926 cells (ECs), upon stimulation by Ang II and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF), respectively. All four peptides showed antioxidant activity in VSMCs, whereas only V-F attenuated inflammation, manifested by inhibiting expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) in VSMCs and VCAM-1 expression in ECs. VRP, LKY, and VRY exhibited antioxidant activity by acting as direct free radical scavengers whereas V-F also activated endogenous antioxidant enzymes. The anti-inflammatory effect of V-F was likely through modulation of the nuclear factor kappa B p65 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways and was partially dependent on MasR.
VRP, LKY, VRY, and V-F were orally administrated to SHRs at a dose of 15 mg/kg BW; only V-F reduced BP significantly over an 18-day treatment period. Associated with BP reduction were the increased circulating ACE2 and Ang (1-7) but reduced Ang II levels, upregulated vascular ACE2 and MasR expressions, as well as attenuated vascular inflammation and oxidative stress. Notably, V-F was not gastrointestinal stable and its fragment, VVHPK, was also an ACE2u peptide.
The present study demonstrated the presence of antihypertensive peptides in spent hen muscle proteins, supporting the use of spent hens as antihypertensive functional food ingredients. Furthermore, this study reported for the first time the antihypertensive effect of an ACE2u peptide (V-F) identified using in vitro method. The discovery and characterization of ACE2u peptides in this work manifested their feasibilities of being isolated from proteins and uses for hypertension management
REFORMING CHINA\u27S PARTNERSHIP LAW: ACHIEVEMENTS, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
Get PDFThis thesis proposes some measures to reform China\u27s partnership law after providing an overview of China\u27s partnership development in a historical perspective. After a brief introduction in Part I, Part II reviews the historical development of partnerships since the founding of the People\u27s Republic of China. Much emphasis is put on significant changes since 1978. Part III examines the basic structure and content of the present laws and regulations on partnership in China. Part V highlights the problems and limits facing China\u27s partnership law. Measures are proposed in Part IV with detailed reference to the United States partnership law. As a conclusion, the thesis predicts in Part IIV that China will establish a uniform partnership law that conforms to the international standard
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