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Kinds of Chinese Terms modified by Chinese Selected AbstractsECONOMIC BURDEN OF INFORMAL CAREGIVERS FOR ELDERLY CHINESE IN HONG KONGJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 8 2008Joyce H. S. You PharmD No abstract is available for this article. [source] YUANMING YUAN/VERSAILLES: INTERCULTURAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CHINESE AND EUROPEAN PALACE CULTURESART HISTORY, Issue 1 2009GREG M. THOMAS This article examines intercultural interactions between Europe and China in the eighteenth century. It focuses on China's greatest imperial palace, Yuanming Yuan, detailing its pivotal importance in contact with Europe. The first section compares Yuanming Yuan with Versailles in order to demonstrate that beneath their mutually exotic appearances lay similarities in how systems of art, architecture and gardens were deployed to reinforce structurally similar court societies. The second section argues that it was this systemic compatibility that made it possible for French and British cultural agents to make sense of Chinese arts through the playful distortions of chinoiserie. Mirroring Europe, the Chinese court simultaneously appropriated European arts in a symmetrical phenomenon of ,Européenerie'. This case study shows that unlike many later Orientalist relationships, the unique compatibility between China and Europe in the eighteenth century made it possible for each society to make the other culturally meaningful. [source] The Synthesis of Rock Textures in Chinese Landscape PaintingCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2001Der-Lor Way In Chinese landscape painting, rock textures portray the orientation of mountains and contribute to the atmosphere. Many landscape-painting skills are required according to the type of rock. Landscape painting is the major theme of Chinese painting. Over the centuries, masters of Chinese landscape painting developed various texture strokes. Hemp-fiber and axe-cut are two major types of texture strokes. A slightly sinuous and seemingly broken line, the hemp-fiber stroke is used for describing the gentle slopes of rock formations whereas the axe-cut stroke best depicts hard, rocky surfaces. This paper presents a novel method of synthesizing rock textures in Chinese landscape painting, useful not only to artists who want to paint interactively, but also in automated rendering of natural scenes. The method proposed underwrites the complete painting process after users have specified only the contour and parameters. [source] Traditional mediation practices: Are we throwing the baby out with the bath water?CONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2004Ho-Beng Chia This article examines the mediation practices of the Chinese and Malay communities in Singapore and highlights the role of cultural and community values, beliefs, and religion in shaping the mediation process. A comparison of traditional Chinese, Malay, and newly institutionalized practices shows the differences in approaches and the role of "neutral" community members in the mediation process. [source] Corporate Governance and Capital Structure Decisions of the Chinese Listed FirmsCORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2002Yu Wen This paper studies the relationship between some characteristics of the corporate board and the firm's capital structure in Chinese listed firms. The findings provide some preliminary empirical evidence and seem to suggest that managers tend to pursue lower financial leverage when they face stronger corporate governance from the board. However, the empirical results of the relationships are statistically significant only in the case of the board composition and the CEO tenure. The results are statistically insignificant in the case of the board size and fixed CEO compensation. This may in general suggest that, up to the time period of our investigation, the corporate board structures and processes in Chinese listed firms might not as yet be fully working in the manner, or as well, as might have been so far assumed on the basis of Western theoretical finance literature. [source] REMEDIATION AND LOCAL GLOBALIZATIONS: How Taiwan's "Digital Video Knights-Errant Puppetry" Writes the History of the New Media in ChineseCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2007TERI SILVIO This article analyzes the Pili International Multimedia Company's "digital video knights-errant puppetry" serials, a popular culture genre unique to Taiwan, to answer two questions. First, how do digital technologies, originally developed to meet the needs of the American military and entertainment industries, become embedded in a different cultural context? Second, how does this embedding allow media technologies to become something through which distinctly local models of globalization itself may be imagined? Analyzing both the style of the serials and the discourse of producers and fans, I argue that new media technologies, despite their foreign origins, may not only be adapted or resisted, but may also come to be imagined as emerging from local aesthetics and local needs. Through the specific ways they utilize both digital and traditional technologies, the Pili producers and fans construct a utopian vision of what globalization might look like if Taiwan were at the center. [source] Redefining ,Aid' in the China,Africa ContextDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 5 2010May Tan-Mullins ABSTRACT Discussions on the politics of Chinese engagement with African development have been marked by increasing concern over Chinese use of aid in exchange for preferential energy deals. Normative liberal discourse criticizes the Chinese for disbursing ,rogue aid' and undermining good governance in the African continent. These criticisms not only ignore the longer-term motivations and modalities of Chinese aid and the historical diversity of Chinese relations with Africa, but also uncritically assume ,Western' aid to be morally ,superior' and ,more effective' in terms of development outcomes. This paper consists of three parts. First, it will discuss the debates surrounding Chinese engagement in Africa, especially around aid and development issues. Second, the paper maps the historical development of China,Africa engagement and investigates the impacts of the changing modalities of Chinese aid with reference to case studies of two countries: Angola and Ghana. It then offers a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences between these two cases. The principal argument is that Chinese and Western donors employ different ideologies and practices of governance to conceal their own interests and political discourses in the African continent. [source] Rubber Erasures, Rubber Producing Rights: Making Racialized Territories in West Kalimantan, IndonesiaDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 1 2009Nancy Lee Peluso ABSTRACT This article makes connections between often-disparate literatures on property, violence and identity, using the politics of rubber growing in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, as an example. It shows how rubber production gave rise to territorialities associated with and productive of ethnic identities, depending on both the political economies and cultural politics at play in different moments. What it meant to be Chinese and Dayak in colonial and post-colonial Indonesia, as well as how categories of subjects and citizens were configured in the two respective periods, differentially affected both the formal property rights and the means of access to rubber and land in different parts of West Kalimantan. However, incremental changes in shifting rubber production practices were not the only means of producing territory and ethnicity. The author argues that violence ultimately played a more significant role in erasing prior identity-based claims and establishing the controls of new actors over trees and land and their claims to legitimate access or ,rightfulness'. Changing rubber production practices and reconfigurations of racialized territories and identity-based property rights are all implicated in hiding the violence. [source] Environment and Modernity in Transitional China: Frontiers of Ecological ModernizationDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 1 2006Arthur P. J. Mol The process of institutionalizing environmental interests and considerations in Western (especially, but not only, European) industrialized societies has been reflected and theorized upon by social scientists, many of whom have adopted the ,ecological modernization' framework. One of the key questions on the research agenda of ecological modernization is its appropriateness for developing or industrializing countries in other parts of the world. This contribution analyses to what extent environmental reforms in contemporary China can be interpreted as ecological modernization. It focuses on the similarities and differences between Chinese and European modes or styles of ecological modernization with respect to the role of state institutions, market dynamics, civil society pressure and international integration. [source] China's Rangelands under Stress: A Comparative Study of Pasture Commons in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous RegionDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2000Peter Ho China's economic reforms have exacerbated the problems of over-grazing and desertification in the country's pastoral areas. In order to deal with rangeland degradation, the Chinese government has resorted to nationalization, or semi-privatization. Since the implementation of rangeland policy has proved very difficult, however, experiments with alternative rangeland tenure systems merit our attention. In Ningxia, in northwest China, local attempts have been undertaken to establish communal range management systems with the village as the basic unit of use and control. Some of these management regimes are under severe stress, due to large-scale digging for medicinal herbs in the grasslands. This digging has resulted in serious conflicts between Han and Hui Muslim Chinese, during which several farmers have been killed. It is against this backdrop that this article explores the institutional dynamics of range management in two different villages. [source] Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and cardiovascular risk factors in the non-diabetic and newly diagnosed diabetic Chinese: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study-CVDDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 2 2010Lin Xu Abstract Background Increased arterial stiffness is an important cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined determinants of arterial stiffness in subjects across strata of glycaemic status. Methods A total of 1249 subjects from a sub-study of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS-CVD) had brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measured by automatic oscillometric method. Major cardiovascular risk factors including glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), fasting triglyceride, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and both fasting and post 2-h oral glucose-load glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were assessed. Results In all, 649, 479 and 121 subjects were classified into normoglycaemia, impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) and newly diagnosed diabetes groups, respectively. Both age and systolic blood pressure were significantly associated with increased baPWV in all three groups (all p < 0.001). In both normoglycaemic and IGM groups, hsCRP and HbA1c were positively associated with baPWV (p from 0.04 to < 0.001), whereas current smoking and triglyceride were associated with baPWV in the normoglycaemic and IGM group, respectively (p = 0.04 and 0.001). No gender difference in baPWV was observed in the normoglycaemic or IGM groups. However, in the newly diagnosed diabetes group, men had higher baPWV than women (p = 0.01). Conclusions In the normoglycaemic and IGM subjects, after adjusting for age, blood pressure and other confounders, increasing HbA1c was associated with increased baPWV, suggesting a pathophysiological role of chronic glycaemia that can contribute to vascular disease risk in persons without diabetes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prevention of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 5 2004A review of the evidence, its application in a UK setting Abstract Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex metabolic, multifactorial disease, which affects the quality, quantity and style of life. People with T2DM have a life expectancy that can be shortened by as much as 15 years, with up to 75% dying of macrovascular complications. To reduce the impact of T2DM in the 21st century, we need an approach that not only optimally treats the person with established diabetes but also prevents diabetes from occurring in the first place. The best evidence for prevention of diabetes is for interventions that target individuals at highest risk. Targeting patients who have impaired glucose tolerance with lifestyle changes including physical activity and dietary factors has been shown to be effective in the Chinese, North American and Finnish populations. In order for such lifestyle interventions to be successful in other populations, they need to be culturally sensitive, individualized and sustained. Some pharmacological agents including metformin and acarbose have also been shown to be effective, although the profile of those who respond is different. There continues to be a need to develop and evaluate interventions that target communities and populations at risk in a UK setting. Diabet. Med. (2004) [source] Ethnicity and glycaemic control are major determinants of diabetic dyslipidaemia in MalaysiaDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 6 2001I. S. Ismail Abstract Aims To define the prevalence of dyslipidaemia in young diabetic patients in Peninsular Malaysia and the contributory factors of dyslipidaemia in these subjects. Methods This is a cross-sectional study involving 848 young diabetic patients from seven different centres, with representation from the three main ethnic groups. Clinical history and physical examination was done and blood taken for HbA1c, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides. Results The overall lipids were suboptimal, worse in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients compared with Type 1 DM patients. Of the Type 2 patients, 73.2% had total cholesterol >,5.20 mmol/l, 90.9% had LDL-cholesterol >,2.60 mmol/l, 52.6% had HDL-cholesterol <,1.15 mmol/l and 27.3% had serum triglycerides >,2.30 mmol/l. There were ethnic differences in the lipid levels with the Malays having the highest total cholesterol (mean 6.19 mmol/l), and the highest LDL-cholesterol (mean 4.16 mmol/l), while the Chinese had the highest HDL-cholesterol (geometric mean 1.24 mmol/l). Ethnicity was an important determinant of total, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol in Type 2 DM, and LDL- and HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in Type 1 DM. Glycaemic control was an important determinant of total, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in both Type 1 and Type 2 DM. Waist,hip ratio (WHR) was an important determinant of HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in both types of DM. Gender was an important determinant of HDL-cholesterol in Type 2 DM, but not in Type 1 DM. Socioeconomic factors and diabetes care facilities did not have any effect on the dyslipidaemia. Conclusions The prevalence of dyslipidaemia was high especially in Type 2 DM patients. Ethnicity, glycaemic control, WHR, and gender were important determinants of dyslipidaemia in young diabetic patients. Diabet. Med. 18, 501,508 (2001) [source] Cognitive profiles of chinese adolescents with dyslexiaDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2010Kevin K. H. Chung Abstract The present study sought to identify cognitive abilities that might distinguish Hong Kong Chinese adolescents with and without dyslexia and examined the cognitive profile of dyslexic adolescents in order to better understand this important problem. The performance of 27 Chinese adolescents with childhood diagnoses of dyslexia was compared with 27 adolescents of the same chronological age (CA) and 27 of matched reading level (RL) on measures of literacy and cognitive abilities: Chinese word reading, one-minute reading, reading comprehension, dictation, verbal short-term memory, rapid naming, visual-orthographic knowledge, morphological and phonological awareness. The results indicated that the dyslexic group scored lower than the CA group, but similar to the RL group, especially in the areas of rapid naming, visual-orthographic knowledge and morphological awareness, with over half having multiple deficits exhibited 2 or more cognitive areas. Furthermore, the number of cognitive deficits was associated with the degree of reading and spelling impairment. These findings suggest that adolescents with childhood diagnoses of dyslexia have persistent literacy difficulties and seem to have multiple causes for reading difficulties in Chinese. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Predictors of word-level literacy amongst Grade 3 children in five diverse languagesDYSLEXIA, Issue 3 2008Ian Smythe Abstract Groups of Grade 3 children were tested on measures of word-level literacy and undertook tasks that required the ability to associate sounds with letter sequences and that involved visual, auditory and phonological-processing skills. These groups came from different language backgrounds in which the language of instruction was Arabic, Chinese, English, Hungarian or Portuguese. Similar measures were used across the groups, with tests being adapted to be appropriate for the language of the children. Findings indicated that measures of decoding and phonological-processing skills were good predictors of word reading and spelling among Arabic- and English-speaking children, but were less able to predict variability in these same early literacy skills among Chinese- and Hungarian-speaking children, and were better at predicting variability in Portuguese word reading than spelling. Results were discussed with reference to the relative transparency of the script and issues of dyslexia assessment across languages. Overall, the findings argue for the need to take account of features of the orthography used to represent a language when developing assessment procedures for a particular language and that assessment of word-level literacy skills and a phonological perspective of dyslexia may not be universally applicable across all language contexts. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Experimental study of the semi-active control of building structures using the shaking tableEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 15 2003Qing Sun Abstract A magnetorheological (MR) damper has been manufactured and tested and a non-linear model is discussed. The parameters for the model are identified from an identification set of experimental data; these parameters are then used to reconstruct the force vs. displacement and the force vs. velocity hysteresis cycles of the MR damper for the hysteretic model. Then experiments are conducted on a three-storey frame model using impact excitation, which identifies dynamic parameters of the model equipped with and without the MR damper. Natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes, as well as structural properties, such as the mass, stiffness and damping matrices, are obtained. A semi-active control method such as a variable structure controller is studied. Based on the ,reaching law' method, a feedback controller is presented. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the control system and the effect of earthquake ground motions, both numerical analysis and shaking table tests of the model, with and without the MR damper, have been carried out under three different ground motions: El Centro 1940, Taft 1952, and Ninghe 1976 (Tangshan Earthquake in Chinese). It is found from both the numerical analysis and the shaking table tests that the maximum accelerations and relative displacements for all floors are significantly reduced with the MR damper. A reasonable agreement between the results obtained from the numerical analysis and those from the shaking table tests is also observed. On the other hand, tests conducted at different earthquake excitations and various excitation levels demonstrate the ability of the MR damper to surpass the performance of a comparable passive system in a variety of situations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Mass in a Multiethnic Southeast Asian Population: Proposed New Gender and Age-Specific NormsECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2008M.R.C.P., Raymond Ching-Chiew Wong M.B.B.S. Background: Left ventricular mass (LVM) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular outcome. We aimed to define normal reference values of LVM/body surface area (BSA) in a multiethnic Southeast Asian population across ages, and define demographic parameters that predict LVM/BSA. Methods: 198 subjects (44% men, mean age 40 ± 14 years, 82% Chinese, 13% Malay and 5% Indian) with no cardiovascular comorbidity and had normal echo images for age were included in the analysis. Echo LVM was calculated as: 1.04 ×[(left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole {LVIDd}+ interventricular septal thickness at end-diastole {IVSd}+ left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole {LVPWd})3, LVIDd3× 0.8]+ 0.61, indexed by BSA (LVM/BSA)* and expressed as g/m2. Results: BSA and blood pressure (BP) were comparable between dichotomous age groups < or , 50 years within the same gender. Women aged , 50 years had larger IVSD, LVPWd, LVM and LVM/BSA compared to younger cohort. (p < 0.01 for all variables). The 95th percentile of LVM in men and women were 189 g and 148 g respectively; corresponding values for LVM/BSA were 106 and 96 g/m2. These values are consistently smaller than published values from the West. Age (r = 0.27, P < 0.001), gender (r =,0.30, P < 0.001), and systolic BP (r = 0.25, P = 0.003) were significant univariate predictors of LVM/BSA. Conclusion: We therefore propose a different cutoff value for the diagnosis of LV hypertrophy among Southeast Asians. [source] Geography and the Immigrant Division of LaborECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2007Mark Ellis Abstract: Immigrants concentrate in particular lines of work. Most investigations of such employment niching have accented either the demand for labor in a limited set of mostly low-wage industries or the efficiency of immigrant networks in supplying that labor; space has taken a backseat or has been ignored. In contrast, this article's account of immigrant employment niching modulates insights built on social network theories with understandings derived from relative location. We do so by altering the thinking about employment niches as being metropolitan wide to considering them as local phenomena. Specifically, the analysis examines the intraurban variation in niching by Mexican, Salvadoran, Chinese, and Vietnamese men and women in four industries in Los Angeles. Niching is uneven; in some parts of the metropolitan area, these groups niche at high rates in these industries, whereas in others, there is no unusual concentration. We show how a group's propensity to niche in an industry is generally higher when the industry is located close to the group's residential neighborhoods and demonstrate the ways in which the proximity of competing groups dampens this geographic advantage. The study speaks to debates on immigrant niching and connects with research on minority access to employment and accounts of the agglomeration of firms. More generally, it links the geographies of home and work in a new way, relating patterns of immigrant residential segregation to those of immigrant employment niches. [source] The relative sophistication of Chinese exportsECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 53 2008Peter K. Schott SUMMARY Chinese exports China's exports have grown dramatically over the last three decades in large part due to its rapid penetration of new product markets. To help address the implications of this growth for developed economies, this paper gauges the relative sophistication of Chinese exports along two dimensions. First, I measure China's export overlap with developed countries by comparing the set of products China exports to the United States with the bundle of products exported by the OECD. Second, I compare Chinese and other countries' exports within product markets in terms of the price they receive in the US market. While China's export overlap with the OECD is much greater than one would predict given its low wages, the prices that US consumers are willing to pay for China's exports are substantially lower than the prices they are willing to pay for OECD exports. This fact, as well as the increase in the ,OECD premium' over time, suggests that competition between China and the world's most developed economies may be less direct than their product-mix overlap implies. It may also reflect efforts by developed-country firms to compete with China by dropping their least sophisticated offerings and moving up the quality ladder. , Peter K. Schott [source] Multiplex amplified product-length polymorphism analysis of 36 mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms for haplogrouping of East Asian populationsELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 1 2005Kazuo Umetsu Abstract We present a reliable, rapid, and economical multiplex amplified product-length polymorphism (APLP) method for analyzing the haplogroup-diagnostic mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms (mtSNPs) in East Asian populations. By examining only 36 haplogroup-specific mtSNPs in the coding region by using four 9-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequent electrophoresis, we could safely assign 1815 individuals from 8 populations of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Germans to 45 relevant haplogroups. This multiplex APLP analysis of coding-region mtSNPs for haplogrouping is especially useful not only for molecular phylogenetic studies but also for large-scale association studies due to its rapid and economical nature. This is the first panel of mtSNPs in the coding region to be used for haplogrouping of East Asian populations. [source] Filial Piety, Modernization, and the Challenges of Raising Children for Chinese Immigrants: Quantitative and Qualitative EvidenceETHOS, Issue 3 2004ELI LIEBER This study examines Chinese immigrant parents' perceptions of filial piety. The concept of filial piety is introduced and we discuss the impacts of modernization and immigration experience on the challenges faced by contemporary Chinese immigrants as they reconcile traditional values with the demands of sociohistorical change and child rearing in the United States. Factor analysis of a commonly applied scale demonstrates multiple aspects of filial piety and reflects modifications from traditional views. Interview results point to aspects of filial piety not fully represented in the quantitative scale and expose specific challenges in child rearing related to filial values. These findings suggest the evolution of expectations and strategies related to a cultural adaptation of filial piety. One key demand is for strategies consistent with parental values while maintaining respect for children's unique point of view. The conclusions focus on the development of approaches to understanding the evolving conceptualization and meaning of filial piety for contemporary immigrant Chinese. [source] Uniting Chinese across Asia: the LRRK2 Gly2385Arg risk variantEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 3 2008E. K. Tan No abstract is available for this article. [source] A 9-year review of dystonia from a movement disorders clinic in SingaporeEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 1 2006R. D. G. Jamora The clinical features of dystonia have not been evaluated in Southeast Asia. We therefore investigated the clinical spectrum and characteristics of dystonia in Singapore, a multi-ethnic Southeast Asian country comprising 77% Chinese, 14% Malays, and 8% Indians. We identified all dystonia patients from the Movement Disorders database and Botulinum Toxin clinic between 1995 and November 2004. Their medical records were reviewed to verify the diagnosis of dystonia and obtain demographic and clinical data using a standardized data collection form. A total of 119 (73%) patients had primary dystonia whilst 45 (27%) had secondary dystonia. There were 77% Chinese, 9% Malays, and 8% Indians. The most common focal dystonia were cervical dystonia (47%), writer's cramp (32%), and blepharospasm (11%). There was no significant difference in the distribution of dystonia between the different races. Males were noted to have earlier onset of dystonia overall. There was a significant male predominance in primary dystonia overall (M:F 1.6:1, P = 0.008) and in the subgroup of focal dystonia (M:F 1.6:1, P = 0.037). This contrasts with previous studies that found a female predominance. The role of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors and their interactions need to be investigated to better understand the gender differences in the occurrence of dystonia. [source] Ethnic minority identity and group context: self-descriptions, acculturation attitudes and group evaluations in an intra- and intergroup situationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2002Maykel Verkuyten In an experimental questionnaire study among Chinese participants living in the Netherlands, it was found that self-descriptions, acculturation attitudes and ingroup evaluation were affected by the comparative group context. Following self-categorization theory, different predictions were tested and supported. Self-ratings on trait adjectives systematically differed between an intragroup (Chinese) and an intergroup (Chinese versus Dutch) context. Furthermore, ethnic self-categorization turned out to be related to self-descriptions in the intragroup context, whereas ethnic self-esteem showed an effect on self-descriptions in the intergroup context. Acculturation attitudes and ingroup favouritism were also affected by the comparative context. In the intergroup context, participants were more strongly in favour of heritage culture maintenance and reported higher ingroup favouritism than in the intragroup context. It is concluded that studies on ethnic minorities should consider the important and often neglected intragroup processes and comparisons in addition to the familiar minority,majority group comparisons. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Comprehensive survey of carapacial ridge-specific genes in turtle implies co-option of some regulatory genes in carapace evolutionEVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2005Shigehiro Kuraku Summary The turtle shell is an evolutionary novelty in which the developmental pattern of the ribs is radically modified. In contrast to those of other amniotes, turtle ribs grow laterally into the dorsal dermis to form a carapace. The lateral margin of carapacial primordium is called the carapacial ridge (CR), and is thought to play an essential role in carapace patterning. To reveal the developmental mechanisms underlying this structure, we systematically screened for genes expressed specifically in the CR of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis, using microbead-based differential cDNA analysis and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. We identified orthologs of Sp5, cellular retinoic acid-binding protein-I (CRABP-I), adenomatous polyposis coli down-regulated 1 (APCDD1), and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor-1 (LEF-1). Although these genes are conserved throughout the major vertebrate lineages, comparison of their expression patterns with those in chicken and mouse indicated that these genes have acquired de novo expression in the CR in the turtle lineage. In association with the expression of LEF-1, the nuclear localization of ,-catenin protein was detected in the CR ectoderm, suggesting that the canonical Wnt signaling triggers carapace development. These findings indicate that the acquisition of the turtle shell did not involve the creation of novel genes, but was based on the co-option of pre-existing genes. [source] Maternal Distress and Parenting in the Context of Cumulative DisadvantageFAMILY PROCESS, Issue 2 2010JOYCE ARDITTI PH.D. To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full-text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp). This article presents an emergent conceptual model of the features and links between cumulative disadvantage, maternal distress, and parenting practices in low-income families in which parental incarceration has occurred. The model emerged from the integration of extant conceptual and empirical research with grounded theory analysis of longitudinal ethnographic data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study. Fourteen exemplar family cases were used in the analysis. Results indicated that mothers in these families experienced life in the context of cumulative disadvantage, reporting a cascade of difficulties characterized by neighborhood worries, provider concerns, bureaucratic difficulties, violent intimate relationships, and the inability to meet children's needs. Mothers, however, also had an intense desire to protect their children, and to make up for past mistakes. Although, in response to high levels of maternal distress and disadvantage, most mothers exhibited harsh discipline of their children, some mothers transformed their distress by advocating for their children under difficult circumstances. Women's use of harsh discipline and advocacy was not necessarily an "either/or" phenomenon as half of the mothers included in our analysis exhibited both harsh discipline and care/advocacy behaviors. Maternal distress characterized by substance use, while connected to harsh disciplinary behavior, did not preclude mothers engaging in positive parenting behaviors. RESUMEN Este artículo presenta un modelo conceptual emergente de las características y las conexiones entre la desventaja acumulada, la angustia materna, y las prácticas de crianza de los hijos en familias de bajos recursos donde uno de los padres ha estado encarcelado. El modelo surgió de la integración de investigaciones conceptuales y empíricas existentes con un análisis de muestreo teórico de datos etnográficos longitudinales tomados de Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study ("Bienestar, Niños y Familias: Un estudio en tres ciudades"). En el análisis se usaron catorce casos ejemplares de familias. Los resultados indicaron que las madres de estas familias vivían la vida en el contexto de desventaja acumulada, ya que describieron una cascada de dificultades caracterizadas por preocupaciones con respecto al barrio donde viven, preocupaciones por el sustento económico, dificultades burocráticas, relaciones íntimas violentas y la incapacidad de satisfacer las necesidades de sus hijos. Sin embargo, las madres también tenían un profundo deseo de proteger a sus hijos y de subsanar errores del pasado. Aunque, en respuesta a los niveles altos de angustia materna y desventaja, la mayoría de las madres demostraron una disciplina severa hacia sus hijos, algunas madres transformaron su angustia apoyando a sus hijos en circunstancias difíciles. El uso de disciplina severa y apoyo por parte de las mujeres no fue necesariamente un fenómeno excluyente, ya que la mitad de las madres analizadas demostraron tanto el uso de una disciplina severa como comportamientos de cuidado y apoyo. Si bien la angustia materna caracterizada por el abuso de sustancias estuvo conectada con el uso de una disciplina severa, no excluyó que las madres tuvieran comportamientos positivos en relación con la crianza de sus hijos Palabras clave: desventaja acumulada, angustia materna, crianza de los hijos, encarcelamiento de uno de los padres, disciplina [source] cagA gene variants in Malaysian Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from patients of different ethnic groupsFEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2005Mohamed Ramelah Abstract Helicobacter pylori infection of a distinct subtype of cagA may lead to different pathological manifestation. The aim of this study is to determine the presence of cagA gene and its variants in H. pylori infection among different ethnic groups and its effect on gastroduodenal diseases. Overall detection of cagA among the 205 clinical isolates of H. pylori was 94%. Variations in size of the 3, region of cagA gene were examined among 192 Malaysian H. pylori cagA -positive strains. Results showed that three cagA variants differing in fragment length of PCR products were detected and designated as type A (621,651 bp), type B (732,735 bp) and type C (525 bp). Although there was no association between any of the cagA subtypes with peptic ulcer disease (p > 0.05), an association between cagA subtypes with a specific ethnic group was observed. Specific- cagA subtype A strains were predominantly isolated from Chinese compared to Malays and Indians (p < 0.0005), and cagA subtype B strains were predominantly isolated from Malays and Indians compared to Chinese (p < 0.05). The cagA type A strains of H. pylori is commonly found in the Chinese patients who have a higher risk of peptic ulcer disease, thus indicating that it could be used as an important clinical biomarker for a more severe infection. [source] Market Segmentation and Information Asymmetry in Chinese Stock Markets: A VAR AnalysisFINANCIAL REVIEW, Issue 4 2003Jian Yang G15/G32 Abstract This study examines the market segmentation and information asymmetry patterns in Chinese stock markets. The recursive cointegration analysis confirms that each of six markets is not linked with other markets in the long run. Further, the result from data-determined forecast error variance decomposition clearly shows that foreign investors in the Shanghai B-share market are better informed than Chinese domestic investors in two A-share markets and foreign investors in Shenzhen and Hong Kong markets over time. The finding challenges a widespread assumption of less informed foreign investors in the literature, but suggests that foreign investors could be more informed in emerging markets. [source] Understanding pressures on fishery resources through trade statistics: a pilot study of four products in the Chinese dried seafood marketFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 1 2004Shelley Clarke Abstract This study investigates the dried seafood trade, centred in Chinese markets, in order to better understand the pressures its demand exerts on global marine resource stocks. Using Hong Kong, the region's largest entrepôt, as a focal point, the trade in shark fins, abalone, bêche-de-mer and dried fish is characterized in terms of product history, volume, source fisheries and species composition. Trends identified in the Hong Kong market are interpreted in the context of the larger Chinese market. Shark fin imports grew 6% per year between 1991 and 2000, most likely because of market expansion in Mainland China, posing increasingly greater pressures on global shark resources. In contrast, the quantities of dried abalone traded through Hong Kong remained steady, but inferences based on this trend are discouraged by suggestions of increasing preferences for fresh product forms and growing domestic production in Mainland China. Hong Kong's imports of dried bêche-de-mer (sea cucumber) have decreased, while the percentage of imports re-exported has remained steady, suggesting that Hong Kong continues as an entrepôt for Mainland China despite declining domestic consumption. Few conclusions can be drawn regarding dried fish products, including whole fish and fish maws, because of a lack of product differentiation in customs data, but a market survey was conducted to provide information on species composition. Comparison of Hong Kong dried seafood trade statistics to those of other key trading partners indicates that, in general, Hong Kong's duty-free status appears to encourage more accurate reporting of traded quantities. Under-reporting biases ranged from 24 to 49% for shark fin and bêche-de-mer, respectively. Comparison to United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) databases indicates additional under-reporting for shark fin such that an alternative minimum estimate of world trade is at least twice the FAO estimates in 1998,2000. The results of a survey of Hong Kong traders provide insight into their attitudes toward harvest, economic and regulatory factors, and suggest that conservation efforts are unlikely to emerge from, or be actively supported by, dried seafood trade organizations. The market's apparent sensitivity to economic sentiment, however, reveals an opportunity for consumer education to play a role in shaping future market growth and resource conservation. Recommendations are provided for improving trade statistics and for developing better analytical techniques to complement traditional methods for monitoring the exploitation and management of fisheries resources. [source] Culture-based fisheries in non-perennial reservoirs in Sri Lanka: production and relative performance of stocked speciesFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2005W. M. H. K. WIJENAYAKE Abstract, In Sri Lanka, there is a great potential for the development of culture-based fisheries because of the availability of around 12 000 non-perennial reservoirs in the dry zone (<187 cm annual rainfall) of the island. These reservoirs fill during the north-east monsoonal period in October to December and almost completely dry up during August to October. As these non-perennial reservoirs are highly productive, hatchery-reared fish fingerlings can be stocked to develop culture-based fisheries during the water retention period of 7,9 months. The present study was conducted in 32 non-perennial reservoirs in five administrative districts in Sri Lanka. These reservoirs were stocked with fingerlings of Indian (catla Catla catla Hamilton and rohu Labeo rohita Hamilton) and Chinese (bighead carp Aristichthys nobilis Richardson) major carps, common carp Cyprinus carpio L., genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) strain of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) and post-larvae of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii De Man, at three different species combinations and overall stocking densities (SD) ranging from 218 to 3902 fingerlings ha,1, during the 2002,2003 culture cycle. Of the 32 reservoirs stocked, reliable data on harvest were obtained from 25 reservoirs. Fish yield ranged from 53 to 1801 kg ha,1 and the yields of non-perennial reservoirs in southern region were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those in the northern region. Naturally-recruited snakehead species contributed the catches in northern reservoirs. Fish yield was curvilinearly related to reservoir area (P < 0.05), and a negative second order relationship was evident between SD and yield (P < 0.05). Chlorophyll- a and fish yield exhibited a positive second order relationship (P < 0.01). Bighead carp yield impacted positively on the total yield (P < 0.05), whereas snakehead yield impact was negative. Bighead carp, common carp and rohu appear suitable for poly-culture in non-perennial reservoirs. GIFT strain O. niloticus had the lowest specific growth rate among stocked species and freshwater prawn had a low return. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||