28 research outputs found
‘Whether any material being thinks, or no’: Leibniz’s critique of Locke on superaddition
No full textLeibniz discusses the relationship between matter and mentality in two places in the New Essays. The first, which features his famous ‘mill argument’, is in the Preface. The second is in Book 4, where Leibniz responds to Locke on the issue of whether we could ever know “whether any material being thinks, or no” (ECHU 4.3.6). The mill argument aims to show that matter conceived as passive extended stuff cannot think through its natural powers. This is something Locke is happy to accept, noting explicitly at ECHU 4.3.6: “matter …is evidently in its own nature void of sense and thought”. However, he considers two additional ways in which matter might be said to think via superaddition at ECHU 4.3.6. I shall be concerned with these here
FIGURES 25–36 in Four new species of Estheria Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae) from China and Nepal, with a review of the East Palearctic and Oriental species
No full textFIGURES 25–36. Estheria spp., phallic complexes in lateral view. 25. E. hirtinerva sp. nov., paratype from Geka-Echu Mountains, Daocheng, Sichuan, China (SYNU). 26. E. prostata sp. nov., paratype from Gezan, Shangri-La, Yunnan, China (SYNU). 27. E. tibetensis sp. nov., paratype from Geka- Echu Mountains, Daocheng, Sichuan, China (SYNU). 28. E. wangi sp. nov., paratype from Napahai wetland, Shangri-La, Yunnan, China (SYNU). 29. E. acuta (Portschinsky), speciumen from Hunyuan, Shanxi, China (SYNU). 30. E. cristata (Meigen), specimen from Baden-Willingen, Germany (SMNS). 31. E. decolor (Pandellé), specimen from Dongsheng, Inner Mongolia, China (SYNU). 32. E. flavipennis Herting, specimen from Xi Ujimqin Qi, Inner Mongolia, China (IZCAS). 33. E. maculipennis Herting, specimen from Dong Ujimqin Qi, Inner Mongolia, China (IZCAS). 34. E. magna (Baranov), specimen from Mt. Fenghuang, Fengcheng, Liaoning, China (SYNU). 35. E. pallicornis (Loew), specimen from Shule, Xinjiang, China (GSFPM). 36. E. petiolata (Bonsdorff), specimen from Kanas Lake, Burqin, Xinjiang, China (SEMCAS). Scale bars = 0.2 mm.Published as part of Zhang, Chun-Tian, Shima, Hiroshi, Liang, Hou-Can & Li, He-Nan, 2019, Four new species of Estheria Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae) from China and Nepal, with a review of the East Palearctic and Oriental species, pp. 1-38 in Zootaxa 4603 (1) on page 30, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/284192
The Language Question in Cameroon
No full textIn multilingual Cameroon, 247 indigenous languages live side by side with English and French (the two official languages) and Cameroon Pidgin English (the main lingua franca). While the two official languages of colonial heritage dominate public life in the areas of education, administration, politics, mass media, publicity and literature, both the indigenous languages and Cameroon Pidgin English are relegated to the background. This paper is a critique of language policy in Cameroon revealing that mother tongue education in the early years of primary education remains a distant cry, as the possible introduction of an indigenous language in the school system is not only considered unwanted by educational authorities but equally combated against by parents who believe that the future of their children lies in the mastery of the official languages. This persistent disregard of indigenous languages does not only alienate the Cameroonian child culturally, but further alienates the vast majority of Cameroonians who are illiterate (in English and French) since important State business is carried out in the official languages. As regards the implementation of the policy of official language bilingualism, there is clear imbalance in the use of the two official languages as French continues to be the dominant official language while English is relegated to a second place within the State. The frustration that ensues within the Anglophone community has led in recent years to the birth of Anglophone nationalism, a situation that seems to be widening the rift between the two main components of the society (Anglophones and Francophones), thereby compromising national unity. The paper is divided into five major parts. After a brief presentation of the country, the author dwells on multilingualism and language policy since the colonial period. The third, fourth and last parts of the paper focus on the critique of language policy in Cameroon with emphasis first on the policy of official language bilingualism and bilingual education, then on the place of indigenous languages, and finally on the national language debate
Household water treatment and the nutritional status of primary-aged children in India: findings from the India human development survey
No full textAbstract Background Poor water quality, one of the leading causes of diarrhea, is an issue for most developing countries. Although the health burden of poor-quality water has been studied extensively, there is a paucity of research regarding the impact of household water treatment (HWT) on children’s nutritional status using data from large-scale surveys. In this research, we study the effect of HWT on the nutritional status of primary-aged children in India using a secondary data set consisting of 20,315 children between the ages of 6 and 14 (10,523 males and 9,792 females) in 12,839 households from the second wave of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS-II). Methods The IHDS-II is a nationally representative, household-based, comprehensive, and face-to-face survey. Households were selected using stratified random sampling, and a team consisting of one male and one female interviewer visited each household between November 2011 and October 2012. A knowledgeable member, typically the male head of household, was interviewed about the socioeconomic condition of the household. An ever-married woman between the ages of 15 and 49, typically the wife of the male head of household, answered questions related to education and health. The height and weight of all eligible household members were measured by interviewers. Correlation between HWT and nutritional status was computed first, and the estimation of a generalized simultaneous equation model, in which a binary indicator of HWT and other covariates was included, was carried out afterward. Results Bivariate analysis shows a negative association between the nutritional status of children and HWT. Additionally, findings from the generalized simultaneous equation model demonstrate that HWT increases the probability of producing normal-weighted primary-aged children by 1.7 %, while it decreases the probability of primary-aged children being thin by 2.5% and being severely thin by 1.7% in India. Conclusions This study indicates that HWT has the potential to advance the nutritional status of primary school-aged children in India
Rural Versus Urban Patients: Benchmarking the Outcomes of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction in Shanxi, China from 2013 to 2017
No full textRural-urban disparity in China attracts special international attention in view of the imbalance of economic development between rural and urban areas. However, few studies used patient level data to explore the disparity of health outcomes between rural and urban patients. This study aims to evaluate the trend of health outcomes between rural and urban patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in China. Using an electronic medical records (EMRs) database in Shanxi, China, we identified 87,219 AMI patients hospitalized between 2013 and 2017. We used multivariable binary logistic regressions and two-part models to estimate the association between region of origin (rural/urban) and two outcomes, in-hospital mortality and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses. Rural patients were associated with lower in-hospital mortality and the adjusted Odds Ratios (ORs) were 0.173, 0.34, 0.605, 0.522, 0.556 (p-values < 0.001) from 2013 to 2017, respectively. For the OOP expenses, rural patients were experiencing increasing risk of having OOP expenses, with the ORs of 0.159, 0.573, 1.278, 1.281, 1.65. The coefficients for the log-linear models in the five years were 0.075 (p = 0.352), 0.61, 0.565, 0.439, 0.46 (p-values < 0.001). Policy makers in China should notice and narrow the gap of health outcomes between rural and urban patients
Household water treatment and the nutritional status of primary-aged children in India: findings from the India human development survey
No full textDataSheet1.docx
No full textObjectives: This research examines the health insurance literacy and healthcare utilization of international students attending a university in the US Midwest.Methods: One hundred and forty-three undergraduate and graduate students attending a midsize metropolitan university in the Midwest completed an online survey in early 2022.Results: Many students surveyed could not identify the definitions of basic terms, such as copay. Furthermore, about 80% of students surveyed could not determine their financial responsibilities in two medical settings. Regression results show that the continent they are from and the length of their stay in the United States significantly predict their understanding of key health insurance terms. More than half of the international students surveyed indicated they often feel confused about their health insurance (57.34%). Only about 20% have delayed or skipped care due to unfamiliarity with the health insurance system.Conclusion: The health insurance literacy of most international students at the midwestern university we surveyed is not ideal. This and possibly other universities in the United States should take more initiatives to help their international students understand the health insurance system.</p
Metaterpna batangensis Han & Stuning, sp. nov.
No full textMetaterpna batangensis Han & Stüning, sp. nov. Figs 10–17, 21 –22, 25, 29, 33–34, 39 Description. Head. Antenna of male with basal three-fourths bipectinate, with short, rather narrow rami (longest rami about two times the diameter of flagellomer), simple filiform in terminal one-fourth. Antenna filiform in female, shape of flagellomers as in thyatiraria; frons rough-scaled (with narrow, elongated, obliquely upright scales), pale to dark brown (dark olive brown in one specimen from Echu, Sichuan), with blackish lateral sides, often with dark scales arranged as a vague transverse band in upper third, upper margin white. Vertex rough-scaled, with larger, olive green or brown scales, mixed with a few black or dark brown scales. Labial palpus reaching beyond frons, dark grey or black on second and third segment, basal segment lighter, decorated with pink and black; second segment with long hair-scales, almost concealing the third segment; length of the latter about one third of second segment in male, about three-fourths in female. Thorax. Dorsally black or brown, covered with narrow, elongated scales and hair-scales, a crest of differently modified, curled scales developed on metathorax. Ventral side of thorax and femora of legs with whitish hairscales, with pink scales on prothorax. Legs otherwise dark grey, tarsi ringed. Hind tibia in male light brown, not dilated, without hair-pencil, both sexes with two pairs of spurs. Forewing length: 6 19–22 mm, ♀ 23mm. Fore- and hind wings with outer margin wavy. Forewing dull yellowish green mixed with dark brown; apex blunt; basal, antemedial and postmedial lines black; basal line indistinct, oblique and rather straight anteriorly, becoming a little broader at costa, extended to a short streak basally on vein A1+2; antemedial line slightly curved outwards near costa and in cell, shallowly arched above vein A1+2, then bent outwards to inner margin; medial line absent, the discocellular lines are narrow, black streaks, angled anteriorly; postmedial line dentate, starting from distal one-fourth of costa, then bent inwards to M3, forming large teeth on M3, CuA1 and CuA2, deeply bent inwards between CuA2 and A1+2. Submarginal line white, wavy or dentate between costa and M2, and indistinct below M2; a dull brownish pink or rarely whitish pink subapical patch present between submarginal and postmedial lines above M2, and another similar patch between CuA2 and the subtornal area. Hind wing with a large, whitish basal area; postmedial line narrow, greyish black, dentate, only visible below vein M2, curved inwards between M2 and tornus, often interrupted (indistinct in the specimens from Zhongdui, and Batang, which have a broad, band-like submarginal line, the latter otherwise narrow, smooth, evenly curved between apex and tornus); area distal to submarginal line suffused with dark brown scales. Terminal line on both wings black, wavy; fringe brown, mixed with dark grey. Underside: transverse lines similar to those on upperside, but postmedial line on forewing broader, not clearly defined, running more proximally; forewing otherwise greyish brown, with a large, basal part paler; hind wing with large basal part white, area outside submarginal line suffused with grey, but paler than on upperside. Abdomen. Dorsally dark brown, mixed with light brown or olive scales, crests developed medially on segments 2-6 (crests on segments two and six small, the largest on segment three). A white dorsal patch on first tergite present. Ventral side of abdomen whitish. Male genitalia. Uncus stout and short, apex with a pair of diverging processes, both with a truncate tip; cleft on the base of the processes absent, only with a trace of spines. Socii tapered, with dorsal margin almost straight. Gnathos small, with medial region slightly expanded, with little dentation only; lateral arms of gnathos, besides the small basal lobe near the uncus base, with another long, more ventral process. Valva broad, distally tapered, with a blunt and narrow apex; costa strongly convex, with basal lobe strong, stout, almost completely spinose; sacculus distinct and rounded at apex, with a membranous, densely setose lobe near base of valva. Transtilla consisting of a pair of lightly sclerotized, long and narrow processes, arising dorsally from the valve bases (hemitranstillae). Saccus protruding and rounded. Coremata absent. Aedeagus slender, with a long and narrow, pointed apical process. Female genitalia. Ovipositor with papillae anales modified in shape, strongly sclerotized, tips rounded posteriorly and sharply angled anteriorly, central part deeply incurved and wrinkled on the inner margin. Length of apophyses posteriores about four times the length of the extremely short apophyses anteriores. Lamella postvaginalis a pair of short triangular processes, with a round, not very strongly sclerotized lobe in the middle. Ductus bursae narrow, corpus bursae pyriform, both membranous; signum absent. Diagnosis. Regarding the wing pattern, M. batangensis is close to M. thyatiraria, also having clear subapical and tornal patches on forewing. M. batangensis has, however, much darker and smaller (oval), dull pinkish brown or pinkish white patches, which are always pinkish white and rounded in the latter. In addition, the submarginal lines on the hind wings are broader than those of M. thyatiraria. In the male genitalia, M. batangensis also has distinctive characters, e.g., the uncus of M. batangensis is much broader and shorter than that of M. thyatiraria, the diverging processes are much longer and have truncate ends, and a dorsal cleft between them is absent. Another distinctive character of M. batangensis lies in the quite shorter gnathos, possessing a long, ventral process on the lateral arms, which is much longer than the basal lobe close to the uncus base, while in M. thyatiraria the lateral arms have a smaller ventral process or a trace of a process, or they are only slightly expanded, and if a process is present, it is never longer than the basal lobe close to the uncus. In the female genitalia, M. batangensis has the ovipositor lobes more strongly wrinkled than that of M. thyatiraria on the inner margin and a distinctly different shape (see figs 36, 39). Type-material examined. Holotype, 6 (ZFMK), CHINA: Batang (Tibet), Untere Urwaldzone (Ca. 3800 m), 22.IX.1936, H. Höne. Paratypes: China: Sichuan: 7 6 (ZFMK), Batang (Tibet), Untere Urwaldzone (Ca. 3800 m), 2.IX., 17.IX. (2 males; including genitalia prep. No. 2299-DS), 26.IX., 27.IX., 3.X. (genitalia prep. No. 2298-DS), 5.X.1936, H. Höne; 1 6 (BMNH), Batang (Tibet), Untere Urwaldzone (Ca. 3800 m), 6.X.1936, H. Höne; 1 6 1♀ (IZCAS), Sichuan Batang Yidun, 3350–3370 m, 16.VIII.1982, leg. Zhang Xuezhong; 2 6 (IZCAS), Sichuan Daocheng Zhongdui, 3290 m, 25.VII.2014, leg. Li Xinxin and Pan Xiaodan; 4 6 (IZCAS), Sichuan Daocheng Echu, 2880 m, 24.VII.2014, leg. Li Xinxin and Pan Xiaodan. Yunnan (IZCAS): 1 6, Lijiang Yuhu, 2768 m, 11.VII.2014, leg. Li Xinxin and Pan Xiaodan; 1 6, Lijiang Yuhu, 2700 m, 27.VII.1984, leg. Liu Dajun. Remarks. The forewing subapical and tornal patches are dull brown pink in seven specimens from Batang, three specimens from Echu and two specimens from Zhongdui, and pinkish white as in M. thyatiraria in two specimens from Yidun, one specimen from Echu, one specimen from Yuhu, and two specimens from Batang. The width of hind wing submarginal line is variable, e.g., it is wide and band-like in a part of specimens from Batang and two specimens from Zhongdui, but very narrow in other specimens from Batang and Echu, and that of the specimen from Yuhu is moderately wide. In consideration of the fact that even the specimens from the same locality (such as Batang and Echu) have above external variations, that they all have the same genitalia, and that the NJ tree clustered them together as one species, we consider all these variations as intraspecific. Etymology. The new species is named after the type locality. Distribution. China (Sichuan, Yunnan). All the type specimens of M. batangensis were collected in a rather small area, the distance between the southernmost (Yuhu, Yunnan) and the northernmost locality (Batang, Sichuan) being less than 700 km.Published as part of Jiang, Nan, Stüning, Dieter, Xue, Dayong & Han, Hongxiang, 2016, Revision of the genus Metaterpna Yazaki, 1992 (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Geometrinae), with description of a new species from China, pp. 501-514 in Zootaxa 4200 (4) on pages 509-512, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4200.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/19157
The impact of healthcare industry convergence on the performance of the public health system: a geospatial modeling study of provincial panel data from China
No full textObjectiveThis paper examines the impact of healthcare industry convergence on the performance of the public health system in the eastern, central, and western regions of China.MethodsPublic health performance was measured by a composite index of three standards: average life expectancy at birth, perinatal mortality, and maternal mortality. The healthcare industry convergence was measured using a coupling coordination degree method. The spatial lag, spatial error, and spatial Durbin models were used to estimate the effect of healthcare industry convergence on public health system performance and this effect’s spatial dependence and heterogeneity across eastern, central, and western China using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2002 to 2019.ResultsThe convergence of the healthcare industry significantly promotes regional public health [β =0.576, 95% CI: (0.331,0.821)]. However, the convergence does not have a spatial spillover effect on the public health system at the national level. Additionally, analysis of regional heterogeneity shows that the direct effects of healthcare industry convergence on public health are positive and statistically significant for Eastern China, statistically insignificant for Central China, and positive and statistically significant for Western China. The indirect effects are negative, statistically significant, positive, statistically significant, and statistically insignificant for these three regions, respectively.ConclusionPolicy efforts should strengthen the convergence between the healthcare industry and relevant industries. It can produce more current healthcare services to improve public health and reduce regional health inequality
Protein import into isolated pea root leucoplasts
No full textLeucoplasts are important organelles for the synthesis and storage of starch, lipids and proteins. However, molecular mechanism of protein import into leucoplasts and how it differs from that of import into chloroplasts remain unknown. We used pea seedlings for both chloroplast and leucoplast isolations to compare within the same species. We further optimized the isolation and import conditions to improve import efficiency and to permit a quantitative comparison between the two plastid types. The authenticity of the import was verified using a mitochondrial precursor protein. Our results show that, when normalized to Toc75, most translocon proteins are less abundant in leucoplasts than in chloroplasts. A precursor shown to prefer the receptor Toc132 indeed had relatively more similar import efficiencies between chloroplasts and leucoplasts compared to precursors that preferred Toc159. Furthermore we found two precursors that exhibited very high import efficiency into leucoplasts. Their transit peptides may be candidates for delivering transgenic proteins into leucoplasts and for analyzing motifs important for leucoplast import
