bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lost in translation? The Treatise on the Mahāyāna Awakening of Faith (Dasheng qixin lun) and its modern readings
Authors: Tarocco Francesca 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe Treatise on the Mahāyāna Awakening of Faith, an indigenous Chinese composition written in the guise of an Indian Buddhist treatise, is one of the most influential texts in the history of East Asian Buddhism. Its outline of the doctrines of buddha nature (foxing), buddha bodies (foshen), and one mind (yixin), among others, served from the medieval period onwards as one of the main foundations of East Asian Buddhist thought and practice. The Treatise is putatively attributed to the Indian writer Aśvaghoṣa, and its current Chinese version was traditionally conceived of as a translation from an original Sanskrit text. In the course of the twentieth century, however, many important scholars of Buddhism have called into question the textual history of the Treatise. Even if the specific circumstances of its creation are still largely unknown, the view that the Treatise is an original Chinese composition (not necessarily written by a native Chinese) is now prevalent among scholars. Meanwhile, and for more than one hundred years, the text has also become a source of knowledge of Buddhism in the West thanks to a number of English translations. After examining the early textual history of the two existing versions of the text, this article will offer some examples of its modern appropriation by a novel group of readers and interpreters, an appropriation that took place during the first decades of the twentieth century amidst efforts to re-envision Chinese and East Asian Buddhist history and the place of Buddhism in modern society.
Gender issues and Confucian scriptures: Is Confucianism incompatible with gender equality in South Korea?
Authors: Koh Eunkang 
Published: June 2008

AbstractKorean Confucianism has been described as “the enemy of feminism”: feminists often argue that Confucianism is the source of the patriarchal society. Feminist scholars have produced significant works about Confucianism's role in preserving the idea of women's subordination to men; they argue that the idea of men's superiority to women is embedded in Confucian philosophy. In this article I will examine whether Confucian philosophy is responsible for women's subordination to men in such Confucian texts as Naehun, The Book of Change, The Book of Poetry, and The Analects. Naehun was written by the mother of King Sǒngjong in 1475, for the purpose of the Confucian education of Korean women; I will look also at other, related, Confucian texts used for Korean women's education. Confucian classics such as The Book of Change, The Book of Poetry and Confucian Analects will be included in the analysis to investigate whether Confucianism legitimizes women's subordination tomen. In the analysis of these Confucian classics, I will focus on the ongoing debate between scholars of Confucianism and feminism in Korea today.
External magnetic field effect on plume images and X-ray emission from a nanosecond laser produced plasma
Authors: Rafique M.S. , Khaleeq-Ur-Rahman M. , Riaz I. , Jalil R. , Farid N. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe plume images of the laser produced silver plasma in the absence and presence of 0.45 T transverse magnetic field has been investigated under vacuum ~10−4 torr and in air. An Nd:YAG laser (1.064 µm, 1.1 MW, 9 ns) with intensity ~1012 Wcm−2 was used to generate plasma. A CCD image capture system was used for plasma imaging to explore the plume. A magnetic probe was employed to measure the variation in internal magnetic field of plasma with as well as without 0.45 T external transverse magnetic field. The X-ray emission from plasma in both the cases (with and without B field) was also monitored using two PIN photodiodes filtered with 24 µm Cu and 24 µm Al. The plume images in both the cases were then correlated with the time resolved soft X-ray emission. It was found that the self generated magnetic field of the plasma increases in the presence of magnetic field. Plume images reveal that the confinement of the plume takes place in the presence of magnetic field both in the cases of air and vacuum. Jet and spikes like structures were also observed due to plasma instabilities. Lobe formation in the plume at latter stages of plasma evolution was more prominent in air than under vacuum. X-ray emission signals exhibited an enhancement in the emission under transverse magnetic field. An increased rate of recombination due to high density as a result of plasma confinement across the applied magnetic field was found to be the main reason behind emission enhancement.
Extending the capabilities of ablation harmonics to shorter wavelengths and higher intensity
Authors: Ozaki T. , Bom L. Elouga , Ganeev R.A. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractWe study the generation of high-order harmonics from plasma plume, by using the 20 TW, 10 Hz laser of the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS). We perform detailed studies on enhancement of single high-order harmonics generated in laser plasma using the fundamental and second harmonic of the ALLS beam line. Quasi-monochromatic harmonics are observed for Mn, Cr, Sb, Sn, and In plasmas. We identify most of the ionic/neutral transitions responsible for the enhancement, which all have strong oscillator strengths. Intensity enhancements of the 13th, 17th, 21st, 29th, and 33rd harmonics from these targets are demonstrated using the 800 nm pump laser and varying its chirp. We also observed harmonic enhancement from some targets for 400 nm pump laser. Using Mn plume, we demonstrated the highest harmonic photon energy (52.9 eV) at which enhancement has been observed (17th order, λ = 23.5 nm).
Environmental Cleanup and Health Gains from Beijing's Green Olympics
Authors: Mead Robert W. , Brajer Victor 
Published: June 2008

AbstractIn announcing its bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing chose a “Green Olympics” theme to indicate that hosting the Olympic Games would serve as a catalyst for environmental improvements and sustainable development. With the Olympics now just a short time away, it is appropriate to examine the city's cleanup progress to date. This article does so, and also quantifies some of the health benefits of these cleanup activities, placing an economic value on the gains. Results for air pollution cleanup indicate an economic gain of nearly 50 billion yuan over a ten-year period, with a potential annual gain of 3.5 billion yuan for reaching air quality standards. Water pollution results suggest a potential annual gain of another 2.6 billion yuan.
Frontline Soldiers of the CCP: The Selection of China's Township Leaders
Authors: Thøgersen Stig 
Published: June 2008

AbstractChina's township leaders have a bad reputation and the CCP is trying to find new ways to select them. This article first presents data on the education and careers of township leaders in one county in Yunnan, and then looks at two partly contradictory trends in cadre selection: exams and consultations.
Enhancing CBT for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Concurrent Anxiety
Authors: Sze Karen M. , Wood Jeffrey J. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractBecause anxiety and other concurrent psychological problems are common among children with high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome, research initiatives have been devoted to the development of efficacious treatments to address the multifaceted needs of youth with this presentation. Emerging research indicates that when carefully adapted to accommodate for the unique needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) may be a viable treatment modality. Because inherent features of ASD may compromise the efficacy of traditional CBT, our preliminary work suggests that it may be important to gear intervention efforts towards directly addressing core autism symptoms to promote optimal treatment response. This article describes an evidence-based CBT treatment manual modified and expanded to address core ASD features above and beyond anxiety symptomatology. A case example of a 10-year-old boy with Asperger syndrome is presented with supporting data to illustrate the treatment modifications and their rationale. The positive treatment response attained in this case suggests that an enhanced variant of a standard CBT programme may be an efficacious treatment approach for children with ASD and concurrent anxiety.
Economic Burden of Surgical Site Infections at a European University Hospital
Authors: Weber Walter P. , Zwahlen Marcel , Reck Stefan , Feder-Mengus Chantal , Misteli Heidi , Rosenthal Rachel , Brandenberger Daniel , Oertli Daniel , Widmer Andreas F. , Marti Walter R. 
Published: June 2008

Objective.To quantify the economic burden of in-hospital surgical site infections (SSIs) at a European university hospital.Design.Matched case-control study nested in a prospective observational cohort study.Setting.Basel University Hospital in Switzerland, where an average of 28,000 surgical procedures are performed per year.Methods.All in-hospital occurrences of SSI associated with surgeries performed between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2001, by the visceral, vascular, and traumatology divisions at Basel University Hospital were prospectively recorded. Each case patient was matched to a control patient by age, procedure code, and National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System risk index. The case-control pairs were analyzed for differences in cost of hospital care and in provision of specialized care.Results.A total of 6,283 procedures were performed:187 SSIs were detected in inpatients, 168 of whom were successfully matched with a control patient. For case patients, the mean additional hospital cost was SwF19,638 (95% confidence interval [CI], SwF8,492–SwF30,784); the mean additional postoperative length of hospital stay was 16.8 days (95% CI, 13–20.6 days); and the mean additional in-hospital duration of antibiotic therapy was 7.4 days (95% CI, 5.1–9.6 days). Differences were primarily attributable to organ space SSIs (n = 76).Conclusions.Ina European university hospital setting, SSIs are costly and constitute a heavy and potentially preventable burden on both patients and healthcare providers.
The Transport of Sugars to Developing Embryos Is Not via the Bulk Endosperm in Oilseed Rape Seeds
Authors: Morley-Smith Edward R. , Pike Marilyn J. , Findlay Kim , Köckenberger Walter , Hill Lionel M. , Smith Alison M. , Rawsthorne Stephen 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe fate of sucrose (Suc) supplied via the phloem to developing oilseed rape (Brassica napus) seeds has been investigated by supplying [14C]Suc to pedicels of detached, developing siliques. The method gives high, sustained rates of lipid synthesis in developing embryos within the silique comparable with those on the intact plant. At very early developmental stages (3 d after anthesis), the liquid fraction that occupies most of the interior of the seed has a very high hexose-to-Suc ratio and [14C]Suc entering the seeds is rapidly converted to hexoses. Between 3 and 12 d after anthesis, the hexose-to-Suc ratio of the liquid fraction of the seed remains high, but the fraction of [14C]Suc converted to hexose falls dramatically. Instead, most of the [14C]Suc entering the seed is rapidly converted to products in the growing embryo. These data, together with light and nuclear magnetic resonance microscopy, reveal complex compartmentation of sugar metabolism and transport within the seed during development. The bulk of the sugar in the liquid fraction of the seed is probably contained within the central vacuole of the endosperm. This sugar is not in contact with the embryo and is not on the path taken by carbon from the phloem to the embryo. These findings have important implications for the sugar switch model of embryo development and for understanding the relationship between the embryo and the surrounding endosperm.
Rapid culture‐free identification and molecular typing of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli by PCR‐RFLP
Authors: Shima Kensuke , Kawamura Naohisa , Hinenoya Atsushi , Sugimoto Norihiko , Wu Yuluo , Asakura Masahiro , Nishimura Kazuhiko , Nair Gopinath B. , Yamasaki Shinji 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACTUsing culture‐independent technology, PCR‐RFLP were used to identify and type STEC in the stool of a patient with HUS. Fecal PCR‐RFLP patterns were identical to those of the STEC O157:H7 isolated from the patient.
Vaginal infection with Ureaplasma urealyticum accounts for preterm delivery via induction of inflammatory responses
Authors: Harada Kayoko , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Komori Shinji , Tsuji Yoshiyuki , Nagata Kumiko , Tsutsui Hiroko , Koyama Koji 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACT U. urealyticum, a member of the family Mycoplasmataceae, is often detected in the vagina of pregnant women. In this study, the possible association of ureaplasmal infection with preterm delivery was examined, as was the capacity of ureaplasmal LP to stimulate monocytes in vitro to produce pro‐inflammatory cytokines relevant to preterm delivery. A hundred cases of normal delivery and 45 cases of preterm delivery were randomly selected. A mAb against U. urealyticum urease, that selectively and positively stained it in vaginal secretions of infected women but not in those of uninfected women, was generated. The preterm delivery group showed a significantly higher incidence of vaginal infection with this bacteria than the normal delivery group. Since the LP of Mycoplasma has potent biological activity, ureaplasmal LP was extracted. THP‐1 cells, and human monocytic cells, produced IL‐8, a potent pro‐inflammatory cytokine associated with preterm delivery, and showed apoptotic cell death in response to the LP in vitro. These results suggest that U. urealyticum infection might play a causative role in preterm delivery via LP‐induced IL‐8 production and apoptosis.
Global decomposition experiment shows soil animal impacts on decomposition are climate‐dependent
Authors: WALL DIANA H. , BRADFORD MARK A. , ST. JOHN MARK G. , TROFYMOW JOHN A. , BEHAN‐PELLETIER VALERIE , BIGNELL DAVID E. , DANGERFIELD J. MARK , PARTON WILLIAM J. , RUSEK JOSEF , VOIGT WINFRIED , WOLTERS VOLKMAR , GARDEL HOLLEY ZADEH , AYUKE FRED O. , BASHFORD RICHARD , BELJAKOVA OLGA I. , BOHLEN PATRICK J. , BRAUMAN ALAIN , FLEMMING STEPHEN , HENSCHEL JOH R. , JOHNSON DAN L. , JONES T. HEFIN , KOVAROVA MARCELA , KRANABETTER J. MARTY , KUTNY LES , LIN KUO‐CHUAN , MARYATI MOHAMED , MASSE DOMINIQUE , POKARZHEVSKII ANDREI , RAHMAN HOMATHEVI , SABARÁ MILLOR G. , SALAMON JOERG‐ALFRED , SWIFT MICHAEL J. , VARELA AMANDA , VASCONCELOS HERALDO L. , WHITE DON , ZOU XIAOMING 
Published: June 2008

AbstractClimate and litter quality are primary drivers of terrestrial decomposition and, based on evidence from multisite experiments at regional and global scales, are universally factored into global decomposition models. In contrast, soil animals are considered key regulators of decomposition at local scales but their role at larger scales is unresolved. Soil animals are consequently excluded from global models of organic mineralization processes. Incomplete assessment of the roles of soil animals stems from the difficulties of manipulating invertebrate animals experimentally across large geographic gradients. This is compounded by deficient or inconsistent taxonomy. We report a global decomposition experiment to assess the importance of soil animals in C mineralization, in which a common grass litter substrate was exposed to natural decomposition in either control or reduced animal treatments across 30 sites distributed from 43°S to 68°N on six continents. Animals in the mesofaunal size range were recovered from the litter by Tullgren extraction and identified to common specifications, mostly at the ordinal level. The design of the trials enabled faunal contribution to be evaluated against abiotic parameters between sites. Soil animals increase decomposition rates in temperate and wet tropical climates, but have neutral effects where temperature or moisture constrain biological activity. Our findings highlight that faunal influences on decomposition are dependent on prevailing climatic conditions. We conclude that (1) inclusion of soil animals will improve the predictive capabilities of region‐ or biome‐scale decomposition models, (2) soil animal influences on decomposition are important at the regional scale when attempting to predict global change scenarios, and (3) the statistical relationship between decomposition rates and climate, at the global scale, is robust against changes in soil faunal abundance and diversity.
TLR2/6 stimulation of the rat lung: effects on lymphocyte subsets, natural killer cells and dendritic cells in different parts of the air‐conducting compartments and at different ages
Authors: Pabst Reinhard , Durak Deniz , Roos Anna , Lührmann Anke , Tschernig Thomas 
Published: June 2008

SummaryThe composition of lymphocyte subsets in the lung has been found to be compartment‐specific. To characterize the effect of age, weanling, young adult and adult rats were studied in control conditions and after a single intratracheal dose of the Toll‐like receptor 2/6 (TLR2/6) agonist macrophage activating lipopeptide‐2 (MALP‐2). In all age groups, T, B and natural killer (NK) cells increased dramatically in the epithelium and lamina propria of the bronchi. Male adult rats were found to have responded to MALP‐2 to a much greater extent than females when lymphocyte subsets were counted in the epithelium and the lamina propria. In a second series of experiments the time kinetics of regulatory T‐cell (Treg) subsets and dendritic cells (DCs) in the lung was studied after local stimulation with MALP‐2. Different time‐dependent patterns were found in the Treg subsets CD4+ CD25+, CD4+ CD25+ neuropilin 1+ and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ cells. Neutrophils and DCs also showed different patterns. Thus, the local application of a TLR agonist increased the number of lymphocyte subsets in a compartment‐specific pattern. However, data should not be generalized or extrapolated from one age group, sex or lymphocyte subpopulation to another.
Genetic estimates of contemporary effective population size: what can they tell us about the importance of genetic stochasticity for wild population persistence?
Authors: PALSTRA FRISO P. , RUZZANTE DANIEL E. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractGenetic stochasticity due to small population size contributes to population extinction, especially when population fragmentation disrupts gene flow. Estimates of effective population size (Ne) can therefore be informative about population persistence, but there is a need for an assessment of their consistency and informative relevance. Here we review the body of empirical estimates of Ne for wild populations obtained with the temporal genetic method and published since Frankham's (1995) review. Theoretical considerations have identified important sources of bias for this analytical approach, and we use empirical data to investigate the extent of these biases. We find that particularly model selection and sampling require more attention in future studies.We report a median unbiased Ne estimate of 260 (among 83 studies) and find that this median estimate tends to be smaller for populations of conservation concern, which may therefore be more sensitive to genetic stochasticity. Furthermore, we report a median Ne/N ratio of 0.14, and find that this ratio may actually be higher for small populations, suggesting changes in biological interactions at low population abundances. We confirm the role of gene flow in countering genetic stochasticity by finding that Ne correlates strongest with neutral genetic metrics when populations can be considered isolated. This underlines the importance of gene flow for the estimation of Ne, and of population connectivity for conservation in general. Reductions in contemporary gene flow due to ongoing habitat fragmentation will likely increase the prevalence of genetic stochasticity, which should therefore remain a focal point in the conservation of biodiversity.
Ovarian Cancer Cells Modulate Human Blood Neutrophils Response to Activation In Vitro
Authors: Klink M. , Jastrzembska K. , Nowak M. , Bednarska K. , Szpakowski M. , Szyllo K. , Sulowska Z. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractIn cancer, numerous cells of both innate and adaptive immune systems are activated. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils are potent effector cells of inflammation that are an important component of tumour development and progression. The important signalling proteins that are involved in neutrophil functions are extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2). We investigated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, adhesive ability and CD11b/CD18 adhesion molecule expression on neutrophils isolated from peripheral blood of ovarian cancer patients and the in vitro response of these cells to stimuli and direct contact with ovarian cancer cells isolated from tumour. We found that functional activities of neutrophils isolated from patients with advanced stages of ovarian cancer (FIGO III/IV) were intensified in comparison to neutrophils isolated from healthy female volunteers. Neutrophils of cancer patients produce higher amounts of ROS in response to stimuli than those of control group. Unstimulated neutrophils of patients possess higher expression of CD11b/CD18 molecule that is accompanied by increased adhesive ability of these cells. Our results reveal that augmented functional activities of neutrophils may result from the intensification of ERK1/2 kinases phosphorylation. We found that interactions with ovarian cancer cells modulate neutrophil functions as a result of cell‐to‐cell direct contact. We conclude that ovarian cancer cells affect pro‐inflammatory activities in neutrophils via influence of signalling pathways in response to stimuli. Our results suggest the possibility that neutrophils responding to contact with cancer cells contribute to the progression and metastatic potential of tumour cells.
The mechanisms of refilling of xylem conduits and bleeding of tall birch during spring
Authors: Westhoff M. , Schneider H. , Zimmermann D. , Mimietz S. , Stinzing A. , Wegner L.H. , Kaiser W. , Krohne G. , Shirley St. , Jakob P. , Bamberg E. , Bentrup F.‐W. , Zimmermann U. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractSeasonal variations in osmolality and components of xylem sap in tall birch trees were determined using several techniques. Xylem sap was extracted from branch and trunk sections of 58 trees using the very rapid gas bubble‐based jet‐discharge method. The 5‐cm long wood pieces were taken at short intervals over the entire tree height. The data show that large biphasic osmolality gradients temporarily exist within the conducting xylem conduits during leaf emergence (up to 272 mosmol·kg−1 at the apex). These gradients (arising mainly from glucose and fructose) were clearly held within the xylem conduit as demonstrated by 1H NMR imaging of intact twigs. Refilling experiments with benzene, sucrose infusion, electron and light microscopy, as well as 1H NMR chemical shift microimaging provided evidence that the xylem of birch represents a compartment confined by solute‐reflecting barriers (radial: lipid linings/lipid bodies; axial: presumably air‐filled spaces). These features allow transformation of osmolality gradients into osmotic pressure gradients. Refilling of the xylem occurs by a dual mechanism: from the base (by root pressure) and from the top (by hydrostatic pressure generated by xylem‐bound osmotic pressure). The generation of osmotic pressure gradients was accompanied by bleeding. Bleeding could be observed at a height of up to 21 m. Bleeding rates measured at a given height decreased exponentially with time. Evidence is presented that the driving force for bleeding is the weight of the static water columns above the bleeding point. The pressure exerted by the water columns and the bleeding volume depend on the water‐filling status of (communicating) vessels.