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The portrayal of women in Mao Dun's early fiction 1927-1932
Get PDFIt is the prevailing critical assessment of Mao Dun's early creative writing that he displays a singular insight in his portrayal of women. This thesis seeks not only to challenge this assessment by a predominantly male body of criticism but also the assumptions on which it is based, namely that an intellectual sympathy for the women’s cause necessarily implies a transcendence of the patriarchal attitudes with which society is imbued. The major short stories and novellas written between 1927 and 1932 are analysed systematically to identify Mao Dun's underlying attitudes towards women. His portrayal of women is assessed from the following perspectives:~ his autobiographical accounts of his encounters with women in his political and personal life and his deliberate association of his female comrades with his creative inspiration;- traditional Chinese perceptions of women and gender roles as these are manifested in the classical tradition;-- Mao Dun's numerous articles and essays on the women's question written during the nineteen twenties and his work in the women's section of the Party in Shanghai;- Mao Dun's attempt to reconcile his conflicting sympathies for feminism and socialism. This thesis relies for its methodology on Western feminist criticism. While the approach is maintained, in its application to the context of early twentieth century China, its eurocentrism in terms of cultural assumptions and perceptions of gender has been replaced by a definition of Chinese values. Since a fundamental prerequisite, of feminist criticism is the assessment of the writer in his/her own cultural context, a historical survey of the portrayal of women in traditional literature is provided to serve as a standard against which to measure Mao Dun’s portrayal
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Expression regulation of MAO isoforms in monocytic cells in response to Th2 cytokines
No full textBackground: Th2-cytokines, such as interleukins-4 and –13 (IL-4, IL-13), have been identified as alternative stimuli of monocytes/macrophages. We have recently profiled the gene-expression pattern of IL-4-teated human peripheral monocytes and found that 15-lipoxygenase-1 (15-LOX1) and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) are among the five most strongly upregulated gene products in IL-4-treated cells. Transfection of monocytic cells (U937) with 15-LOX1 also induced MAO-A expression. These data suggested that 15-LOX1 products might play a role in the IL4-induced signaling cascade leading to expression of MAO-A in human monocytes. Material/Methods: To test this hypothesis we incubated wild-type and 15-LOX1-transfected U937 cells with different concentrations of either IL-4 or 15-LOX-products [13S-H(p)ODE, 15S-H(p)ETE] and quantified the expression of 15-LOX1, MAO-A, and MAO-B by activity assays and real-time RT-PCR. Results: Wild-type U937 cells express neither MAO-A nor MAO-B, but after three days of IL4 treatment, MAO-A mRNA was detected. A similar isoform-specific expression of MAO-A mRNA was observed when U937 cells were transfected with 15-LOX1 or when the cells were incubated with primary 15-LOX1 products (hydroperoxy fatty acids) or H2O2. In contrast, the corresponding hydroxy fatty acids were ineffective. Conclusions: These data indicate that increased intracellular peroxide concentrations (oxidative stress) induce MAO-A expression in monocytes/macrophages, which normally do not express the enzyme. Our findings also suggest that IL-4-induced upregulation of MAO-A expression in human peripheral monocytes may proceed via 15-LOX1-dependent and 15-LOX1-independent pathways. The biological role of MAO-A expression for monocyte function is discussed
Development of Novel Fluorine-18 Labeled PET Radioligands for Monoamine Oxidase B (MAO-B)
Get PDFMonoamine oxidases (MAO-A and MAO-B) are important enzymes regulating the levels of monoaminergic neurotransmitters. Selective and irreversible MAO-B inhibitors such as L-deprenyl and rasagiline are clinically used for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive imaging technique which has been utilized to visualize the localization of MAO-B in monkey and human brain and thereby has potential for studying neurodegenerative diseases and epilepsy. This thesis deals with the synthesis and evaluation of novel fluorine-18 labeled PET radioligands for detection of MAO-B activity.
The present thesis demonstrates that nine fluorinated propargyl amines were synthesized and tested for inhibition of MAO-B. In order to label those compounds with fluorine-18 seven chloro-precursors and two sulphamidate-precursors were also synthesized by multi step organic synthesis. Radiolabeling of six chloro-precursors with fluorine-18 was accomplished by a one-step nucleophilic substitution reaction. Radiolabeling of two sulphamidate-precursors with fluorine-18 was performed in two steps, compromising a nucleophilic substitution followed by the removal of the protecting group. The incorporation yield of the fluorination reactions varied from 40- 70%. The radiochemical purity was >99% and the specific radioactivities were in a range of 190-240 GBq/μmol at the time of administration.
In vitro MAO inhibition and/or autoradiography (ARG) experiments demonstrated a high selectivity for MAO-B over MAO-A for five of the compounds namely [18F]fluorodeprenyl, [18F]fluororasagiline, [18F]fluoro-N,4-dimethyl-N-(prop-2-ynyl) pentan-2-amine, [18F]fluorodeprenyl-D2 and [18F]fluororasagiline-D2. All five compounds were examined by PET and showed a high initial brain uptake in known MAO-B rich regions in cynomolgus monkey. [18F]Fluorodeprenyl showed a kinetic behavior similar to [11C]deprenyl where its fast irreversible binding to the enzyme renders the distribution of this radioligand in tissue limited by blood flow rather than the MAO-B enzyme concentration. [18F]Fluororasagiline and [18F]fluoro-N,4-dimethyl-N-(prop-2-ynyl)pentan-2-amine showed continuous increase of the radioactivity throughout the PET measurement that might be an indication of a blood-brain barrier penetrating radiometabolite which might in turn complicate a reliable quantification. Only [18F]fluorodeprenyl-D2 and [18F]fluororasagiline-D2 showed fast wash-out from the brain and less accumulation in cortical and sub-cortical regions. Radiometabolite studies demonstrated that both deuterated analogues were more stable measured in monkey plasma when compared to the non-deuterated analogues.
These results together suggest that both [18F]fluorodeprenyl-D2 and [18F]fluororasagiline-D2 may be improved PET radioligands and potential molecular imaging biomarker candidates for PET studies in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, accompanied with astrocyte activation
In vivo evaluation in cynomolgus monkey brain and metabolism of [¹⁸F]fluorodeprenyl: a new MAO-B pet radioligand
No full textIn this study, we evaluated the in vivo characteristics of a new monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) radioligand, [¹⁸F]fluorodeprenyl, by positron emission tomography (PET) in two cynomolgus monkeys. The brain uptake of [¹⁸F]fluorodeprenyl was more than 7% (600% SUV) of the total injected radioactivity and similar to that of [¹¹C]deprenyl, an established MAO-B radioligand. The highest uptake was observed in the striatum, one of the MAO-B-rich regions, with a peak at approximately 2-3 min after injection, followed by lower uptake in the thalamus and the cortex and lowest uptake in the cerebellum. Brain uptake of [¹⁸F]fluorodeprenyl was largely inhibited by preadministration of the MAO-B inhibitor, L-deprenyl, whereas clorgyline, a MAO Type A blocker, had no significant inhibitory effect, thus demonstrating selectivity for MAO-B. [¹⁸F]Fluorodeprenyl showed relatively slow metabolism with the presence of two radiometabolite peaks with similar retention time as the labeled metabolites of [¹¹C]deprenyl. These results suggest that [¹⁸F]fluorodeprenyl is a potential PET radioligand for visualization of MAO-B activity
Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in alcoholics with and without a family history of alcoholism
Get PDFA number of studies point at platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity being reduced in alcoholics with a family history of drinking, this being a possible vulnerability marker for alcoholism. To test this hypothesis, we examined a group of recently detoxified alcoholics with high (n = 25) and low genetic loading for alcoholism (n = 28) and a group of healthy controls (n = 21). Clinical assessments were made using the SCID II interview for psychiatric disorders, the Family History Assessment Module and the Semi-Structural Assessment of Genetics in Alcoholism, a questionnaire especially designed for genetic studies. Platelet MAO activity with and without ethanol stimulation and the percentage of MAO activity with ethanol did not differ between groups. The only significant difference was a lower inhibition of MAO activity with ethanol in alcoholics both with and without a family history compared to controls. In patients with antisocial personality traits, platelet MAO activity was also not found to be different from other alcoholics. Our findings question the hypothesis of reduced platelet MAO activity to be a possible vulnerability marker for alcoholism. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG. Basel
Caryanda albomaculata Mao, Ren & Ou 2007
No full textCaryanda albomaculata Mao, Ren & Ou, 2007 (Fig. 6: A–K, Fig. 8: F) Chinese common name: Þfflẃffñ Caryanda albomaculata Mao, Ren & Ou, 2007: 55–62; Mao, Ren & Ou, 2011: 74; Mao, Niu, Zheng & Scott. 2015: 574. Type material examined. Holotype: male, CHINA: Puer County, Yunnan Province, 22°34′N, 101°11′E, 1700 m, 28 Jul. 2007, coll. Benyong Mao. Paratypes: 11 males, 14 females, data same as holotype; 1 male, 1 female, CHINA: Menglian County, Yunnan Province, 13 Jul. 2009, 1470 m, coll. Jianxiong Zhang and Jishan Xu. Distribution. China: Yunnan.Published as part of Yin, Zhi-Long & Mao, Ben-Yong, 2023, A review of Caryanda viridis- species group (Orthoptera: Acrididae) with a new species, pp. 505-519 in Zootaxa 5263 (4) on page 513, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/783575
Caryanda xinpingensis Mao 2017
No full text<i>Caryanda xinpingensis</i> Mao, 2017 <p>(Fig. 4: A–J)</p> <p> Chinese common name: <b>KṮẃffñ</b></p> <p> <i>Caryanda xinpingensis</i> Mao, 2017: Hu, Guan & Mao, 2017: 126–128.</p> <p> <b>Type material examined.</b> Holotype: male, CHINA: Xinhua, Xinping County, Yunnan Province, 29 Jul. 2009, 24°07′N, 101°51′E, 1870 m, coll. Jishan Xu and Jianxiong Zhang. Paratypes: 3 males, 1 female, data same as holotype, 11 males, 16 females, coll. Benyong Mao and Jishan Xu, 11 Aug. 2015, other data same as holotype.</p> <p> <b>Additional material examined.</b> Thirty-nine males, 21 females, CHINA: Xinhua, Xinping County, Yunnan Province, 24°11′N, 101°46′E, 1852 m, 15 Aug. 2022, coll. Zhilong Yin.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> China: Yunnan.</p> <p> <b>Remarks.</b> The species was firstly reported as <i>C. xinpingensis</i> Mao, 2017, with 4 males and 2 females from Xinping county (Xinhua), China, and its mitochondrial genome structure was also studied (Hu <i>et al</i>, 2017). In this paper, after comparing the morphological characteristics of its types and additional materials, mainly based on the furculae almost absent, epiproct shield-shaped (Fig. 4: C), cerci falciform and laterally compressed (Fig. 4: D), epiphallus with outer lophi semicircular (Fig. 4: G–H), ventral basivalvular sclerite with inner margins hardly contiguous with each other, inner margin of ventral ovipositor valves distinctly curved (Fig. 4: E–F), we consider that <i>C. xinpingensis</i> should be included to <i>C. viridis</i> - species group.</p>Published as part of <i>Yin, Zhi-Long & Mao, Ben-Yong, 2023, A review of Caryanda viridis- species group (Orthoptera: Acrididae) with a new species, pp. 505-519 in Zootaxa 5263 (4)</i> on page 508, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.4.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7835752">http://zenodo.org/record/7835752</a>
Mao Tse Tung e la Cina
No full textBreve descrizione della figura di Mao Tse Tung nella storia della Cina del secondo dopoguerra
Caryanda viridoides Mao, Ren & Ou 2011
No full text<i>Caryanda viridoides</i> Mao, Ren & Ou, 2011 <p>(Fig. 1: A–J)</p> <p> Chinese common name: <b>NJḦẃffñ</b></p> <p> <i>Caryanda viridoides</i> Mao, Ren & Ou, 2011: 65–67.</p> <p> <b>Type material examined.</b> Holotype: male, CHINA: Lvchun County, Yunnan Province, 22°50′N, 102°31′E, 1450 m alt, 28 Jul. 2004, coll. Benyong Mao; 1 female (5 th nymph), same data as holotype.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> China: Yunnan.</p> <p> <b>Notes.</b> <i>C. viridoides</i> Mao, Ren & Ou, 2011 was placed in <i>C. viridis</i> - species group (Cigliano <i>et al.</i> 2022). After comparing the morphological characteristics of all type specimens in <i>C. viridis</i> - species group, we found that <i>C. viridoides</i> has obvious furculae and straight conical cerci in male (Fig 1: A, C–D), and straight inner margin of ventral ovipositor valves in female (Fig. 1: F). Therefore, we confirm that this species doesn't belong to <i>C. viridis</i> - species group and is removed from it, but its species group position needs further study to clarify.</p>Published as part of <i>Yin, Zhi-Long & Mao, Ben-Yong, 2023, A review of Caryanda viridis- species group (Orthoptera: Acrididae) with a new species, pp. 505-519 in Zootaxa 5263 (4)</i> on page 506, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.4.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7835752">http://zenodo.org/record/7835752</a>
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