bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serotonergic projections and serotonin receptor expression in the reticular nucleus of the thalamus in the rat
Authors: RodrÍGuez José J. , Noristani Harun N. , Hoover Walter B. , Linley Stephanie B. , Vertes Robert P.
Published: February 2011

The reticular nucleus (RT) of the thalamus, a thin sheet of GABAergic neurons located between the external medullary lamina and the internal capsule of the thalamus, has functionally distinct afferent and efferent connections with thalamic nuclei, the neocortex, the basal forebrain and the brainstem. RT is critically positioned to rhythmically pace thalamocortical networks leading to the generation of spindle activity during the early phases of sleep and during absence (spike‐wave) seizures. Serotonin, acting on 5‐HT1A receptors on parvalbumin‐containing cells of RT, has been implicated in this rhythmicity. However, the precise source(s) of 5‐HT afferents to the RT remains to be determined. In the present study, we injected the retrograde tracer, Fluorogold, into dorsal and ventral regions of RT to determine the origins of raphe input to RT. We further characterized the distribution of 5‐HT fibers to RT by using immunohistochemistry for 5‐HT and for the 5HT transporter (SERT) detection. Finally, we described the presence of the two major postsynaptic 5‐HT receptors in RT, 5‐HT1A and 5‐HT2A receptors. Our results show that the dorsal raphe nucleus and the supralemniscal nucleus (B9) of the midbrain are the principal sources of raphe projections to RT. In addition, serotonergic fibers (5‐HT and SERT positive) were richly distributed throughout RT, and 5‐HT1A and 5‐HT2A receptors were highly expressed on RT neurons and dendrites. These findings suggest a significant 5‐HT modulatory influence on GABAergic neurons of RT in the control of rhythmical (or spindle) activity in thalamocortical systems directly associated with sleep and possibly with absence seizures. Synapse, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Imaging of alcohol‐induced dopamine release in rats:Preliminary findings with [11C]raclopride PET
Authors: Sullivan Jenna M. , Risacher Shannon L. , Normandin Marc D. , Yoder Karmen K. , Froehlich Janice C. , Morris Evan D.
Published: February 2011

Microdialysis studies report that systemic alcohol increases extracellular dopamine (DA) in the rat striatum. The present study examined whether changes in striatal DA could be detected in rats using small animal positron emission tomography (PET). PET images were acquired in 44 alcohol‐naïve male Wistar and alcohol‐preferring (P) rats. Subjects received up to three [11C]raclopride scans (rest, alcohol, and saline). Animals were anesthetized with isoflurane and secured on a stereotactic‐like holder during all scans. Blood samples were collected from the tail or lateral saphenous vein of 12 animals 10 min after tracer injection for determination of blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Time activity curves were extracted from the striatum and the cerebellum and binding potential (BPND) was calculated as a measure of D2 receptor availability. Wistars given 1.0 g kg−1 alcohol (20%v/v) i.v. or 3.0 g kg−1 alcohol (20%v/v) i.p. showed significant alcohol‐induced decreases in BPND. In P rats (given 1.5, 2.25, or 3.0 g kg−1 alcohol), no individual group showed a statistical effect of alcohol on BPND, but taken together, all P rats receiving i.p. alcohol had significantly lower BPND than rest or saline scans. Large decreases in BPND were primarily observed in rats with BAC above 200 mg%. Also, a significant difference was found between baseline BPND of Wistars who had undergone jugular catheterization surgery for i.v. alcohol administration and those who had not. Preliminary results suggest that alcohol‐induced DA release in the rat striatum is detectable using small animal PET given sufficiently large cohorts and adequate blood alcohol levels. Synapse, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Induction of oxidative stress in liver and kidney of rats exposed to Nigerian bonny light crude oil
Authors: Adedara Isaac A. , Teberen Roy , Ebokaiwe Azubike P. , Ehwerhemuepha Theresa , Farombi Ebenezer O.
Published: February 2011

The local population of Niger‐Delta in the Southern part of Nigeria have used bonny light crude oil (BLCO) as a remedy for various ailments and are exposed to some extent to this widespread environmental contaminant or its metabolites through the food chain. BLCO's hepatorenal toxicity was studied using oxidative stress indices to elucidate the precise nature and mechanism of action. BLCO was orally administered at concentrations of 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg kg−1 to adult male rats for 7 days. After exposure, kidney weight was unaffected, but liver weight decreased significantly at 800 mg kg−1 only compared with control. BLCO exposure resulted in dose‐dependent elevation of serum aminotransferases, total bilirubin, urea, and creatinine. Activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase decreased significantly, whereas γ‐glutamyltransferase activity and the level of glutathione increased significantly in BLCO‐treated animals compared with control in both liver and kidney of rat. Renal activities of glucose‐6‐phosphatase and 5′‐nucleotidase markedly decreased in a dose‐dependent manner in BLCO‐exposed rats. In addition, the levels of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation significantly increased, dose dependently, in liver and kidney of BLCO‐treated rats compared with control. BLCO‐treated rats showed marked degeneration of kidney evident in cortical hemorrhages, tubular necrosis, protein casts, and cellular infiltration. However, no treatment‐related liver histopathology was observed. The results suggested that BLCO elicits disruption of antioxidant status and concomitant elevation of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation differentially in liver and kidney of rats. The hepatorenal toxicity of BLCO could be due to induction of oxidative stress in liver and kidney. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2012.
Toxicity evaluation of verapamil and tramadol based on toxicity assay and expression patterns of Dhb, Vtg, Arnt, CYP4, and CYP314 in Daphnia magna
Authors: Le Thai‐Hoang , Lim Eun‐Suk , Lee Sung‐Kyu , Park Jin‐Soo , Kim Yang‐Hoon , Min Jiho
Published: February 2011

In this study, the toxicities of two pharmaceuticals, verapamil and tramadol were evaluated in Daphnia magna using the conventional toxicity tests (acute and chronic test) and the expression patterns of five stress responsive genes. In the chronic toxicity test, several parameters, such as the survival percentage, the body length of D. magna, the time of first reproduction, and the number of offspring per female, were adversely affected during the exposure to 4.2 mg L−1 verapamil and 34 mg L−1 tramadol. During the 24‐h short‐term exposure, verapamil particularly caused a downregulated expression of the CYP4 and CYP314 genes, whereas tramadol upregulated the expression of the CYP314 gene. Neither pharmaceutical affected the expression of Dhb, Arnt, and Vtg. However, during the 21‐day long‐term exposure, both verapamil and tramadol significantly reduced the expression level of the Vtg gene, a biomarker of the reproduction ability in an oviparous animal, whereas neither affected the other genes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2011.
An algorithm based on OmniView technology to reconstruct sagittal and coronal planes of the fetal brain from volume datasets acquired by three‐dimensional ultrasound
Authors: Rizzo G. , Capponi A. , Pietrolucci M. E. , Capece A. , Aiello E. , Mammarella S. , Arduini D.
Published: February 2011

Objective

To describe a novel algorithm, based on the new display technology ‘OmniView’, developed to visualize diagnostic sagittal and coronal planes of the fetal brain from volumes obtained by three‐dimensional (3D) ultrasonography.

Methods

We developed an algorithm to image standard neurosonographic planes by drawing dissecting lines through the axial transventricular view of 3D volume datasets acquired transabdominally. The algorithm was tested on 106 normal fetuses at 18–24 weeks of gestation and the visualization rates of brain diagnostic planes were evaluated by two independent reviewers. The algorithm was also applied to nine cases with proven brain defects.

Results

The two reviewers, using the algorithm on normal fetuses, found satisfactory images with visualization rates ranging between 71.7% and 96.2% for sagittal planes and between 76.4% and 90.6% for coronal planes. The agreement rate between the two reviewers, as expressed by Cohen's kappa coefficient, was > 0.93 for sagittal planes and > 0.89 for coronal planes. All nine abnormal volumes were identified by a single observer from among a series including normal brains, and eight of these nine cases were diagnosed correctly.

Conclusions

This novel algorithm can be used to visualize standard sagittal and coronal planes in the fetal brain. This approach may simplify the examination of the fetal brain and reduce dependency of success on operator skill. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sonographic cervical length measurement in pregnant women with a cervical pessary
Authors: Goya M. , Pratcorona L. , Higueras T. , Perez‐Hoyos S. , Carreras E. , Cabero L.
Published: February 2011

Objectives

The aims of this study were to describe and assess the feasibility of measuring cervical length by standard transvaginal sonography (TVS) and transperineal sonography (TPS) in women with a cervical pessary and compare these measurements with those obtained with a new transvaginal technique.

Methods

Measurement of cervical length by TPS was attempted immediately before measurement using TVS in 48 women with a cervical pessary at between 22 and 23 weeks' gestation. The TVS procedure consisted of two types of measurement: in the first, the probe was placed on the anterior fornix (standard technique) and in the second, the probe was inserted into the pessary to touch the anterior cervical lip (new technique). Two physicians consecutively performed these procedures and compared the measurements obtained. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with 95% CI were used to evaluate interobserver reliability, and Bland–Altman analysis was used to assess interobserver agreement.

Results

In total, 258 measurements (obtained from 43 women) were analyzed. Interobserver ICCs of the measurements obtained were 0.58 (95% CI, 0.34–0.75) for TPS, 0.65 (95% CI, 0.44–0.79) for the standard TVS technique and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95–0.98) for the new TVS technique. Bland–Altman analysis showed small mean differences between measurements obtained by two physicians for the three methods, but with narrower limits of agreements (LOA) for the new TVS technique: TPS mean difference − 0.99 mm (95% LOA, − 13.23 to 11.25 mm), standard TVS technique mean difference − 0.23 mm (95% LOA, − 10.90 to 10.44 mm) and new TVS technique mean difference − 0.01 mm (95% LOA, − 2.57 to 2.55 mm). It was apparent from the images obtained that the external os was not visible in 89% of cases when either the TPS or standard TVS technique was used. However, the external os was visible in all cases when the new TVS method was used.

Conclusions

We propose a new technique for measuring and monitoring cervical length in women with a cervical pessary that provides improved visualization of the cervix and increased reliability in comparison to established techniques. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Handedness in the Helsinki Ultrasound Trial
Authors: Heikkilä K. , Vuoksimaa E. , Oksava K. , Saari‐Kemppainen A. , Iivanainen M.
Published: February 2011

Objectives

To determine whether exposure to prenatal ultrasound increases non‐right‐handedness in boys.

Methods

The association between exposure to prenatal ultrasound and handedness was tested, using logistic regression analysis, in the Helsinki Ultrasound Trial data. We applied an intention‐to‐treat approach in this analysis of a subset of 4150 subjects whose parents answered a follow‐up questionnaire on handedness when the children were aged 13–15 years.

Results

The odds ratio for non‐right‐handedness of children who had been exposed to prenatal ultrasound was 1.16 (0.98–1.37) for all subjects, 1.12 (0.89–1.41) for boys and 1.24 (0.97–1.58) for girls.

Conclusions

We could not confirm the hypothesis that prenatal ultrasound exposure and handedness are associated. Our findings were independent of the particular definition of handedness used, whether it was considered according to the writing hand alone or defined using a laterality quotient. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analyzing the redeployment problem of mobile wireless sensor networksviageographic models
Authors: Ko Ren‐Song
Published: February 2011

Since sensor networks integrate virtual and physical worlds, spatial deployment of sensor nodes may have a significant impact on operation costs and performance. This paper investigates the problem of redeploying mobile sensor networks, in which the objective is to design an efficient algorithm which optimizes the global performance of networks. We take a novel approach in analyzing the problem from a macroscopic perspective, modeling the sensor deployment as a density distribution and the redeployment algorithm as an integral transform of that distribution. Despite lacking the details for individual node, we may still derive insightful results, such as number of moves, stability, and transitional behavior. We also derive the bound of total moving distance difference between an arbitrary one‐move algorithm and the optimum redeployment algorithm, allowing for the estimation of the minimum moving distance from the initial deployment region. In summary, we present an theoretical analysis of the redeployment problem from a macroscopic perspective, and believe the results can serve as a basis for further algorithm development and analysis. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sensible Sensitivities for the SABR Model
Authors: Chibane Messaoud , Miao Hong , Xu Chenghai
Published: February 2011

We develop a new methodology for computing smile sensitivities (Vegas) for European securities priced under the SABR model when the latter is calibrated to more market volatilities than the number of available model parameters. In this situation the hedging portfolio is non unique and how to obtain Vegas that satisfy a trader's intuition is not straightforward. The methodology can be easily generalized to all single maturity underparameterized models and to barrier options priced under an underparameterized local volatility model. Copyright © 2011 Wilmott Magazine Ltd.
Systems physiology—the heart of the matter or a bone of contention?
Authors: Subramaniam Shankar , Nadeau Joseph H.
Published: February 2011

This article is categorized under:

Physiology > Mammalian Physiology in Health and Disease
Home care treatment as a substitute for hospitalization: The Louisville experiment
Authors: Dinitz Simon
Published: February 2011

The President's Commission on Mental Health in its 1978 final report urges more reliance on “community supports”—family, friends, neighbors, schools, and voluntary organizations. While a laudable objective, the achieving of such supports is only slightly more probable than getting a river to run backwards. The problem and the solution are thoroughly confused in the Commission's recommendations.
Soteria: An alternative to hospitalization for schizophrenia
Authors: Mosher Loren R. , Menn Alma
Published: February 2011

Our data indicate that first‐break schizophrenics deemed in need of hospitalization can be treated successfully by a nonprofessional staff, usually without medication, at no greater cost, in a home in the community.
Rec10‐ and Rec12‐independent recombination in meiosis of Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Mallela Shamroop , Latypov Vitaly , Kohli Jürg
Published: February 2011

The Rec10 protein, a component of the linear elements forming along sister chromatids in meiotic prophase of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, plays an important role in the activation of Rec12 for double‐strand break formation, and thus the initiation of recombination between homologous chromosomes. Recombination between homologous chromosomes was moderately reduced in homozygous crosses of the C‐terminal truncation mutant rec10‐155 and strongly in the full deletion allele rec10‐175. Both alleles were also tested in two assays for intrachromosomal recombination (PS1 and VL1) and showed only slight reductions, while deletion of rec12 led to a 13‐fold reduction. The even stronger reductions in rec10 rec12 double deletion crosses indicate partially redundant functions of Rec10 and Rec12 in the initiation of intrachromosomal recombination. A low level of double‐strand breaks has been detected in rec10‐175 meiosis at the mbs1 hotspot of recombination, and spore viability in the double mutant was also lower than in the single‐deletion mutants. Low levels of apparent crossover and conversion between homologous chromosomes in the absence of Rec12 have been quantified using a newly developed assay. The results also indicate that the functions of Rec10 differ in several respects from those of its distant homologue Red1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, including interactions with Hop1 and Mek1 for promotion of recombination between homologues at the expense of sister chromatid recombination. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Magnetic Properties of Novel Cobalt(II) and Copper(II) Complexes with 5‐(Isonicotinamido)isophthalate Ligand
Authors: Deng Xiu‐Jun , Gu Wen , Wang Li , Zeng Ling‐Fei , Liu Xin
Published: February 2011

Two new complexes, {[Co(INAIP)·H2O]·2H2O}n (1), and {[Cu(INAIP)]·H2O}n (2) [H2INAIP = 5‐(isonicotinamido)isophthalic acid] were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions, and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray structure determination, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray powder diffraction, and magnetic studies. In complex 1 both CoII atoms and INAIP2– ligands act as four‐connected node, whereas in 2 both CuII atoms and INAIP2– ligands act as three‐connected node.
Divorce as risky behavior
Authors: Light Audrey , Ahn Taehyun
Published: February 2011

Given that divorce often represents a high-stakes income gamble, we ask how individual levels of risk tolerance affect the decision to divorce. We extend the orthodox divorce model by assuming that individuals are risk averse, that marriage is risky, and that divorce is even riskier. The model predicts that conditional on the expected gains to marriage and divorce, the probability of divorce increases with relative risk tolerance because risk averse individuals require compensation for the additional risk that is inherent in divorce. To implement the model empirically, we use data for first-married women and men from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to estimate a probit model of divorce in which a measure of risk tolerance is among the covariates. The estimates reveal that a 1-point increase in risk tolerance raises the predicted probability of divorce by 4.3% for a representative man and by 11.4% for a representative woman. These findings are consistent with the notion that divorce entails a greater income gamble for women than for men.
Do siblings’ fertility decisions influence each other?
Authors: Lyngstad Torkild Hovde , Prskawetz Alexia
Published: February 2011

Individuals’ fertility decisions are shaped not only by their own characteristics and life course paths but also by social interaction with others. However, in practice, it is difficult to disentangle the role of social interaction from other factors, such as individual and family background variables. We measure social interaction through the cross-sibling influences on fertility. Continuous-time hazard models are estimated separately for women’s first and second births. In addition to individual socioeconomic variables, demographic variables, and an unobserved factor specific to each sibling pair, siblings’ birth events and their timing enter as time-varying covariates. We use data from longitudinal population-wide Norwegian administrative registers. The data cover more than 110,000 sibling pairs and include the siblings’ fertility, education, income, and marital histories. Our results indicate that cross-sibling influences are relatively strong for the respondents’ first births but weak for the second parity transition.
Family life course transitions and rural Household economy during China’s market reform
Authors: Chen Feinian , Korinek Kim
Published: February 2011

This article investigates the effect of family life course transitions on labor allocation strategies in rural Chinese households. We highlight three types of economic activity that involve reallocation of household labor oriented toward a more diversified, nonfarm rural economy: involvement in wage employment, household entrepreneurship, and/or multiple activities that span economic sectors. With the use of data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS 1997, 2000, and 2004), our longitudinal analyses of rural household economic activity point to the significance of household demography, life course transitions, and local economic structures as factors facilitating household labor reallocation. First, as expected, a relatively youthful household structure is conducive to innovative economic behavior. Second, household entrances and exits are significant, but their impacts are not equal. Life events such as births, deaths, marriage, or leaving home for school or employment affect household economy in distinctive ways. Finally, the reallocations of household labor undertaken by households are shaped by local economic structures: in particular, the extent of village-level entrepreneurial activity, off-farm employment, and out-migration.
Kinship institutions and sex ratios in India
Authors: Chakraborty Tanika , Kim Sukkoo
Published: February 2011

This article explores the relationship between kinship institutions and sex ratios in India at the turn of the twentieth century. Because kinship rules vary by caste, language, religion, and region, we construct sex ratios by these categories at the district level by using data from the 1901 Census of India for Punjab (North), Bengal (East), and Madras (South). We find that the male-to-female sex ratio varied positively with caste rank, fell as one moved from the North to the East and then to the South, was higher for Hindus than for Muslims, and was higher for northern Indo-Aryan speakers than for the southern Dravidian-speaking people. We argue that these systematic patterns in the data are consistent with variations in the institution of family, kinship, and inheritance.
Unhealthy and uninsured: Exploring racial differences in health and health insurance coverage using a life table approach
Authors: Kirby James B. , Kaneda Toshiko
Published: February 2011

Millions of people in the United States do not have health insurance, and wide racial and ethnic disparities exist in coverage. Current research provides a limited description of this problem, focusing on the number or proportion of individuals without insurance at a single time point or for a short period. Moreover, the literature provides no sense of the joint risk of being uninsured and in need of medical care. In this article, we use a life table approach to calculate health- and insurance-specific life expectancies for whites and blacks, thereby providing estimates of the duration of exposure to different insurance and health states over a typical lifetime. We find that, on average, Americans can expect to spend well over a decade without health insurance during a typical lifetime and that 40% of these years are spent in less-healthy categories. Findings also reveal a significant racial gap: despite their shorter overall life expectancy, blacks have a longer uninsured life expectancy than whites, and this racial gap consists entirely of less-healthy years. Racial disparities in insurance coverage are thus likely more severe than indicated by previous research.
Going home after Hurricane Katrina: Determinants of return migration and changes in affected areas
Authors: Groen Jeffrey A. , Polivka Anne E.
Published: February 2011

This article examines the decision of Hurricane Katrina evacuees to return to their pre-Katrina areas and documents how the composition of the Katrina-affected region changed over time. Using data from the Current Population Survey, we show that an evacuee’s age, family income, and the severity of damage in an evacuee’s county of origin are important determinants of whether an evacuee returned during the first year after the storm. Blacks were less likely to return than whites, but this difference is primarily related to the geographical pattern of storm damage rather than to race per se. The difference between the composition of evacuees who returned and the composition of evacuees who did not return is the primary force behind changes in the composition of the affected areas in the first two years after the storm. Katrina is associated with substantial shifts in the racial composition of the affected areas (namely, a decrease in the percentage of residents who are black) and an increasing presence of Hispanics. Katrina is also associated with an increase in the percentage of older residents, a decrease in the percentage of residents with low income/education, and an increase in the percentage of residents with high income/education.
The spatial dynamics of stratification: Metropolitan context, population redistribution, and black and Hispanic homeownership
Authors: Flippen Chenoa A.
Published: February 2011

Racial and ethnic inequality in homeownership remains stubbornly wide, even net of differences across groups in household-level sociodemographic characteristics. This article investigates the role of contextual forces in structuring disparate access to homeownership among minorities. Specifically, I combine household- and metropolitan-level census data to assess the impact of metropolitan housing stock, minority composition, and residential segregation on black and Hispanic housing tenure. The measure of minority composition combines both the size and rate of growth of the coethnic population to assess the impact on homeownership inequality of recent trends in population redistribution, particularly the increase in black migration to the South and dramatic dispersal of Hispanics outside traditional areas of settlement. Results indicate remarkable similarity between blacks and Hispanics with respect to the spatial and contextual influences on homeownership. For both groups, homeownership is higher and inequality with whites is smaller in metropolitan areas with an established coethnic base and in areas in which their group is less residentially segregated. Implications of recent trends in population redistribution for the future of minority homeownership are discussed.
Civil-Military Tensions during the Kangxi Emperor’s First Southern Tour
Authors: Chang Michael G.
Published: February 2011

Starting with a court debate which broke out in the spring of 1684, this essay explores the multivalent symbolism of the Kangxi emperor’s first imperial tour to Shandong and Jiangsu provinces in the fall of 1684. Some courtiers advocated treating the Kangxi emperor’s touring activities as a rite of conquest, while others saw them as an exercise in sagely rule and benevolent civil governance. Here I suggest that this ritual controversy revealed a tension between civil and military values within the political culture of the Qing court. Furthermore, this ideological tension became most acute and apparent during the Kangxi emperor’s “eastern” and “southern” tours of 1684, when the imperial procession approached and crossed certain culturally and symbolically significant locations. As such, we are reminded that the legitimization of Qing rule was never fully complete, but was rather an open-ended and ongoing historical process.
Yangjiao or the “Other”? Christianity and Chinese Society in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Sun Jiang
Published: February 2011

This article explores the relationship between Christianity and Chinese society in the second half of the nineteenth century by re-examining the primary sources of anti-Christian movements. The first part shows how Christian churches broke the dominance of the Qing government over local society. Conflicts between Christianity and Chinese religion were often transformed into political confrontations between churches and the Qing bureaucracy. The second part analyzes how Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism interpreted Christianity, with an emphasis on how to understand the perception of Christianity in Chinese society. Exploring broader societal perceptions of Christianity—and not just those expressed in the writings of the Confucian literati—allows for a more nuanced understanding of Chinese interpretations of Christianity. The third part studies the relationship between churches and Chinese religious sects. On the one hand, in the language of anti-Christian movements such as those of the Zaili and Cai sects, Christianity was the hateful “Other.” On the other hand, in the process of preaching Christianity, churches themselves experienced a period of transmutation: they recruited into the church not only non-religious civilians but also the followers of popular religions. For a long period, Christianity was called yangjiao, the “foreign religion,” making it the “Other.” Missionaries started to feel an urgency to reject their identity as the “Other” after the harrowing experience of the Boxer Movement.
The Worship of General Yue Fei and His Problematic Creation as a National Hero in Twentieth Century China
Authors: Matten Marc Andre
Published: February 2011

National heroes are important in the development of nationalist thinking. One important figure in this context is General Yue Fei (1103–42), who unsuccessfully fought the invading Jurchen in the twelfth century. Shortly after his execution, a temple was built in his honour in Hangzhou. Local chronicles show that this temple was constantly renovated in later dynasties. Due to his continuous worship as a loyal warrior—even during the Qing dynasty—his temple became a powerful site of identity. His veneration as a national hero in the course of the twentieth century has, however, posed a problem to a post-1911 China that felt compelled to sustain a multi-ethnic nation-state, whilst at the same time facing the difficulty of not being able to do without General Yue Fei. This article shall make it apparent that his resurrection as a national hero in the twentieth century was possible because of certain narrative strategies that had already been propagated by the Manchurian rulers of the eighteenth century
Revolution, War, and Villages: A Case Study on Villages of Licheng County, Shanxi Province during the War of Resistance Against Japan
Authors: Huang Donglan
Published: February 2011

This paper focuses on several villages of Licheng county in the southeastern part of Shanxi province, probing into how the war and the revolution affected village society in North China. The primary concern of most existing studies on the Chinese Revolution has been to examine how the Communist Party of China (CPC) mobilized peasants in a certain area, boosted their revolutionary consciousness, and ultimately led them to win the revolution, and to carry out this inquiry in the context of the orthodox history of the CPC, from top-down perspective. The paper focuses on the microscopic world of a village, and examine, from the bottom-up perspective and in the context of the history of the village itself, what the war and the revolution meant to the village, several factors that have remained rather inconspicuous begin to surface. The case studies of several villages in Licheng county shows that the revolution unfolded as an extension of various conflicts or rivalries that had existed for years within each village, or between different villages. One group of well-to-do people who had once monopolized public authority within a village fell from power, while a group of poorer peasants who had been dominated by the richer group joined the CPC and emerged as new power holders in the village. The motives that drove peasants to join the CPC were often far more complex and diverse than conventional theory would have us believe.
On Laozi’s Dao—An Attempt to Make Philosophy Speak Chinese
Authors: Ruohui Li
Published: February 2011

“How is the meaning of the Dao to be understood?” To answer this question, we should not make indiscreet remarks outside of the framework of Laozi’s thought; rather, we should enter the system, helping Laozi to establish a philosophical system on the Dao. Such an establishment is equivalent to that of a logical system of Laozi’s philosophy. We consider the presentation of Laozi’s thought as unverified propositions, and the purpose of this essay is to expound on these propositions and make them philosophy in a strict sense: The Dao that can be talked about is not Dao anymore, and while “the Dao” seems to have its name, it actually does not. Names are also particular things. The Dao is neither a name nor a thing; instead, the Dao implies nonexistence. Nonexistence means the possibility of the being of all things, and all these things are the manifestation of the Dao, thus nonexistence is also existence. Things are discriminated from the Dao, and because all these things are discriminated from each other, there isde德 (virtues). Where the discrimination is removed, there is the Dao, and adherence to the discrimination means deviation from the Dao. The diversity of things stirs up desires, and the control and utilization of things are a departure from the Dao. Only desires without self are compatible with nature. Desire discriminates with artificial measurements, and thus leads to knowledge. To acquire knowledge is to learn, and learning develops the capability to differentiate between the self and the other, so only a decline in learning can be conducive to human life. One can achieve something, transform external things and withstand nature only after he learns and acquires knowledge. On the other hand,wuwei无为 (doing nothing) leads to wuwo 无我 (self-denial), avoiding the invention or differentiation of things. So, life is just the movement of the Dao, in which all things are allowed to take their own courses and nothing is left unaccomplished.
Mencius’ Aesthetics and Its Position
Authors: Jiaxiang Hu
Published: February 2011

Mencius’ aesthetics unfolded around the ideal personality in his mind. Such an ideal personality belonged to a great man who was sublime, practical and honorable, and it was presented as the beauty of magnificence or the beauty of masculinity. Mencius put forward many propositions such as “the completed goodness that is brightly displayed is called greatness,” nourishing “one’s grand qi 气 (the great morale personality),” “only after a man is a sage can he completely suits himself to his own form,” “the saints only apprehended before me that of which my mind approves along with other men,” being “conscious of sincerity on self-examination,” and flowing “abroad, above and beneath, like that of Heaven and Earth,” all of which described an ideal personality through the course of its formation and its psychological experience. As a prominent school before the Qin dynasty, Mencius’ aesthetics greatly developed the Confucian teaching of “internal sage.” It shared many similarities with Zhuangzi’s thought and was also an aesthetic mode opposed to the latter. Both kinds of aesthetics were prominent: Mencius’ teaching was like imposingly towering and muscularly overflowing majestic mountains; Zhuangzi’s thought was like gracefully flowing water with an air of femininity. In real life though, Mencius’ teaching has greater practical significance in addressing the unbearable lightness of being, a disease of modernity.
Semantic Criticism: The “Westernization” of the Concepts in Ancient Chinese Philosophy—A Discussion of Yan Fu’s Theory of Qi
Authors: Zhenyu Zeng
Published: February 2011

Every philosophical mode has a unique conceptual system. “Qi” has consistently been a fundamental part of ancient Chinese philosophy, and its significance is obvious. Guided by the idea of “re-evaluating all values,” Yan Fu, who was deeply influenced by Western philosophy and logic, used “reverse analogical interpretation” to present a new explanation of the traditional Chinese concept of qi. Qi thus evolved into basic physical particles. Yan’s philosophical effort has great significance: The logical ambiguity that had haunted qi was overcome. However, qi gradually evolved into a particular existence as it was “Westernized.” It completely lost its internal “flavor” as indigenous Chinese philosophy. Its previous philosophical abstraction and universality diminished and at the same time it was not “Westernized” into the “pure concept” of Hegel’s philosophy.”
“The Westward Spread of Chinese Philosophy” and Marxism
Authors: Yunyi Zhang
Published: February 2011

Chinese philosophy was transmitted to Europe in the 18th century through “Deism,” “organic philosophy,” “pure reason,” “absolute idea,” etc., and was absorbed by modern European philosophers. Chinese philosophy has also, via German classical philosophy, directly as well as indirectly influenced Marx and been absorbed into his philosophy. There is a cultural-psychological reason for the Chinese acceptance of Marxism. However, due to the influence of Occidentalism, this period of history has long been neglected.
Kant’s View on the Parent-Child Relationship and Its Problems—Analyses from a Temporal Perspective as to the Creation and Rearing of a Being Endowed with Freedom
Authors: Xianglong Zhang
Published: February 2011

This article will probe into Kant’s viewpoints about parent-child relationship so as to demonstrate that they are inspiring on the one hand—for example on dealing with the relationship as that pertinent to the thing in itself, but on the other hand, there are many flaws. His strategy on avoiding the difficulty of “creating by man a being endowed with freedom” depends merely on an one-sided comprehension of time, because according to Kant himself, there is a difference as to the time between sensual forms of intuition and expressive form of transcendental imagination. In the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant gives a profound enunciation with respect to the two and the latter is related to “free causality” and “categorical imperative” in his moral philosophy. Once it refers to the rights of a being endowed with freedom and the time it requires to maintain them, it is problematic to assert that the creation of such beings is not concerned with, in any sense whatsoever, time and the sensual, mortal body. What is more, Kant failed to take into full consideration that parents are also beings endowed with freedom whose rights to the child are not totally dependent on the latter’s inherent rights but on their own inherent basis. Granting parents too few natural rights, Kant on the other hand allocates them too much obligations in that the parent-child relation is unbalanced in his field of view. Thirdly, he gives no consideration as to whether or not the empirical process of rearing children itself can also create some rights, which nevertheless, should be taken into account when temporal elements can be found from the very original parent-child relationship.
Happiness, Ownership, Naming: Reflections on Northern Song Cultural History
Authors: Stephen OWEN
Published: February 2011

This essay talks about a significant moment in Chinese intellectual and literary history, centrally involving the nature of human happiness, which remains one of the great questions in all philosophical traditions. The Northern Song version of this question continues to have resonance in the contemporary world because we often still link happiness with particular situations and often, like our Northern Song predecessors, with particular sites and possessions. These questions can indeed be found earlier in the Chinese tradition, but in the major social transformations of the Northern Song—a growing commercial culture, and an elite defined by cultural prestige rather than by family background—this question came to enjoy a new intensity of discursive reflection.
A Controversial Poet, a Forgotten Dynasty: Jin Dynasty Poets’ Reception of Bai Juyi and Its Historical Significance
Authors: Yongliang SHANG
Published: February 2011

A certain dispute that arose during the early Jin dynasty regarding Bai Juyi that seemed to be a coincidental occurrence was to some extent inevitable. On one hand, it foreshadowed the opposition that would later arise between followers of the Tang and Song stylistic schools; on the other, it represented both the Tang school poets’ disdain for the “ornamental avant-garde” poetry that was fashionable at the time as well as their own search for a new creative direction. The re-evaluation of Bai Juyi that occurred during that period, particularly the frequent comparison of Bai to Tao Yuanming, indicates that Bai Juyi’s poetry was widely accepted at the time, which itself represented not only a challenge to traditional perspectives, but also a historical landmark in Bai Juyi’s history of acceptance. Jin dynasty poets’ creative imitation of Bai Juyi’s carefree as well as his satirical poems spurred a maturation of Bai’s spirit of concern for self and reality, which later incorporated itself into the spirit of Chinese literati in general.
Changing Old Tune to New Tune: Liu Yong’s Urban Narrative and the Urban Cultural Construction in the Mid-Song Dynasty
Authors: Xiaoyun WANG
Published: February 2011

In the 1920s, the Japanese scholar Naito Konan put forward the famous theories of “the Song dynasty is the beginning of modern China” and “the cultural transformation was completed during the Tang and Song dynasties,” which exerted far-reaching influence in the academic circle. However, although full of the “numerous academic growth points and exuberant academic vitality, the theories have not been well explored and illustrated yet.”1 This paper, taking Liu Yong as a case study, is intended to provide concrete examples to Naito’s theories. The urban narrative in Liu Yong’s lyrics—the multi-role discourse practice of a prodigal poet, a talented lyricist, and a traveling official—inherited the discourse splitting trend of the late-Tang and Five dynasties and finished the transformation from the elite to the mass discourse. Accordingly, it set the narrative mode of amorous themes and discourse mode of “talented lyricist plus amorous affairs,” which exerted far-reaching influence on the construction of the new urban culture in the Song dynasty.
“One Cane, One Life”: On the Cultural Implications of the Cane for Song Dynasty Writers
Authors: Jinhao SHEN
Published: February 2011

The cane is a frequent subject in Song Literature. Its tremendous variety is starting. Meanwhile, cane-related materials, costumes, circumstances and activities reflect distinct inclination, carrying rich cultural and aesthetic implications. From the “cane literature,” we see clearly the evolution of worldviews, values, aesthetic tastes and literary claims of Song writers, as well as the selective inheritance of Song culture from preceding literatures. It can be concluded that, in a certain sense, the cane of ancient Chinese writers embodies a history of literature, of aesthetic, and of philosophy.
The effect of posterior spinal releases on axial correction torque: A cadaver study
Authors: Wiemann John , Durrani Shakeel , Bosch Patrick
Published: February 2011

Purpose

Posterior only approaches for spinal deformity are increasingly popular and posterior spinal release is utilized to gain flexibility for correctional maneuvers. Prior biomechanical data support the use of facetectomy and rib head resection for gaining flexibility in the sagittal and coronal planes but to date there has been no quantification of stiffness reduction provided by these techniques for axial correction through a pedicle screw construct. We sought to determine the contribution of posterior spinal releases (facetectomy, rib head resection) on axial plane stiffness.

Methods

Four fresh-frozen human cadavers were instrumented with fixed angle pedicle screws in the thoracic spine. The torque needed to produce 25° axial deflections at individual spinal segments (levels T5–T11) was measured using a custom needle deflection torque device attached to commercially available vertebral rotating construct. After the intact specimen was tested, torque measurements were repeated following a full facetectomy and posterior rib head resection

Results

Complete facetectomy resulted in an 18% decrease of torque needed to produce 25° of axial deformity compared to the intact specimen ( P < 0.001). Rib resection added an additional 36% decrease in torque ( P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Complete facetectomies (Ponte or Smith-Petersen osteotomies) decrease the force required to rotate spinal segments with respect to the axial plane by approximately one-fifth. Posterior rib head resection should be considered to further loosen the spine if additional axial correction is desired.
Low rather than high dose lipopolysaccharide ‘priming’ of muscle provides an animal model of persistent elevated mechanical sensitivity for the study of chronic pain
Authors: Yamaguchil Yoshiko , Hashimoto Tatsuyuki , Sakurai Hiroki , Yoshimoto Takahiko , Ohmichi Yusuke , Morimoto Atsuko , Harimoto Kohei , Ohmichi Mika , Eguchi Kunihiro , Kumazawa Takao
Published: February 2011

Experimental animal pain models involving peripheral nerve lesions have expanded the understanding of the pathological changes caused by nerve damage. However models for the pathogenesis of chronic pain patients lacking obvious nerve injuries have not been developed to the same extent. Guided by clinical observations, we focused on the initiating noxious event, the context when applying nociceptive stimulation targeting long‐lasting pain elicited by muscle insult. The administration of a nociceptive agent (6% hypertonic saline: HS; 5‐time repeated‐injection: HS5) after pretreatment with an immuno‐inflammatory agent (lipopolysaccharide: LPS, 2μg/kg) into one gastrocnemius muscle produced markedly long‐persisting biphasic sustained mechanical hypersensitivity on the plantar surface of both hindpaws. In the acute phase, the blockade of afferent inputs from the injected‐site was effective in returning the contralateral enhanced‐responses to baseline levels. In contrast, similar blockade during the chronic phase did not affect the contralateral enhanced‐responses, indicating that the hypersensitivity in the two phases was probably induced by different mechanisms. However, increasing the dose of LPS (20μg/kg) before applying HS5 eliminated the development of mechanical hypersensitivity in the chronic phase, while the hypersensitivity in the acute phase was significantly more severe than with low‐dose LPS‐pretreatment. In this model, the development of hypersensitivity could be modulated by manipulating LPS‐doses prior to noxious stimulation. This novel chronic pain model based on a preceding ‘priming’ myalgic stimulus provides an intriguing means for studying the pathogenesis of chronic pain.