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As the first systematic attempt to probe the linguistic strategies of Daoist Zhuangzi and Chan Buddhism, this book investigates three areas: deconstructive strategy, liminology of language, and indirect communication. It bases these investigations on the critical examination of original texts, placing them strictly within soteriological contexts. Whilst focusing on language use, the study also reveals some important truths about these two traditions and challenges many conventional understandings of them. Responding to recent critiques of Daoist and Chan Buddhist thought, it brings these two traditions into a constructive dialogue with contemporary philosophical reflection. It discovers Zhuangzian and Chan perspectives and sheds light on issues such as the relationship between philosophy and non-philosophy, de-reification of words, relativising the limit of language, structure of indirect communication, and use of paradox, tautology and poetic language.

This article investigates elements of empathy in the Zhuangzi 莊子. It outlines four prominent aspects of current scholarship on empathy: different types of empathy, the other-centeredness of empathy, empathy as a process and the role empathy plays in responsiveness to others, and interaction between empathy and other capacities. Based on materials from the Zhuangzi that involve elements of empathy, I delegate them respectively to these four areas. While the Zhuangzi does not invent any specific term for an exclusive designation of the meaning of empathy, I attempt to show that the Zhuangzi does explore the phenomena of empathy to a great extent. It characterizes unique features of empathy, such as other-centeredness, perceptual directness, its function as listening, mirroring, qi 氣-connecting and receptivity, the issue of how to cultivate one’s empathic capacity in the everyday encounter with others, and especially how empathic capacity works closely with the Zhuangzian forgetfulness of oneself.

Spirodela polyrhiza belongs to the family Lemnaceae (duckweed), which is a group of small aquatic plants offering an attractive plant expression system for the production of recombinant protein. No frond regeneration protocol has been established in this species yet. An efficient protocol for plant regeneration through organogenesis has been developed in Spirodela polyrhiza for the first time. Calli were successfully induced from 92% of explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 10 μM naphthaleneacetic acid, 2 μM thidiazuron, 1μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 3% sucrose. MS medium containing 1% (m/v) sorbitol and 1 µM 2,4-D supported long lasting growth (at least 5 months) of 98% of calli. Plants regenerated from 92% of calli on Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH) medium with 10 μM zeatin and 1% (m/v) sucrose. The protocol for frond regeneration could be a good basis for transgenic engineering of S. polyrhiza.

Background Toxoplasma gondii , an intracellular parasitic protozoan, which infects almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans, causes toxoplasmosis. However, we lack effective drugs and vaccines to control toxoplasmosis, representing a clinical challenge. Therefore, safe and effective vaccines are urgently needed. In this study, a self-replicating mRNA vaccine comprising four T. gondii antigens: ROP18, TGME49_237490, TGME49_268230, and MIC13, named 4x-mRNA-LNP (lipid nanoparticle), was developed, and its protective efficacy was evaluated in mice. Methods The expression of this vaccine in eukaryotic Human embryonic kidney 293 T (HEK-293 T) cells and mouse myoblast (C2C12) cells were analyzed, followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) evaluation of the elicited humoral immune response. Subsequently, the vaccine-triggered immune responses in mice were detected, including antibody titers, T lymphocyte subsets, and cytokine levels. Finally, its immunoprotective effects were evaluated after challenging mice with T. gondii PRU oocysts or tachyzoites of different strains and analyzing the pathological changes, parasite loads, and mouse survival time. Western blotting and ELISA confirmed the successful eukaryotic expression and immunogenicity of 4x-mRNA, respectively. Statistical analyses, including the log-rank (Mantel–Cox) test, Student’s t -test, and one-way ANOVA, were performed using GraphPad Prism software. Results Mice vaccinated with 4x-mRNA-LNP generated higher levels of IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies ( P  < 0.05) and cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ) ( P  < 0.05) compared with the control group. The high specific IgG titer was maintained for at least 10 weeks after the last vaccination. The proportion of CD3 + CD4 + T cells and CD3 + CD8 + T cells also increased significantly ( P  < 0.05), along with increased spleen cell proliferation in 4x-mRNA-LNP-vaccinated mice. Notably, limited pathological changes and < 10 fg of parasites/mg were found in the immunized mice tissues post-pathogen challenge. During observation for 30 days, 4x-mRNA-LNP-immunized mice survived significantly longer under challenge with lethal doses of RH, ME49, or WH6 tachyzoites (survival rates = 60%, 80%, and 60%, respectively). Following PRU oocyst challenge, vaccinated mice had notably decreased cyst burdens (72.5%, P  < 0.05) compared with control mice. Conclusions The 4x-mRNA-LNP vaccine triggered effective long-term antibody levels in mice, thus representing a promising candidate to further develop anti-toxoplasmosis vaccines. Graphical Abstract

The popular name for Chan Buddhism, in the West, is Zen Buddhism, as it was Japanese scholars who first introduced Chan Buddhism to the West with this translation. Indeed, chan is a shortened form of the Chinese word channa, rendered from the Sanskrit word dhyana, which denotes practices of the concentration of the mind through meditation or contemplation. Although rooted in the Indian tradition of yoga, which aims at the unification of the individual with the divine, meditative concentration became integrated into the Buddhist path to enlightenment as one of the three learnings (sanxue) of Buddhism. Early Buddhist (or the so-called Hinayana Buddhist) scriptures include the teachings on four stages of meditation, four divine abodes, four formless meditations, the tranquility (samatha) and insight (vipassana) meditations, and so on. Early Buddhist communities commonly practiced these meditations, along with the moral disciplines and the study of the scriptures and doctrines. Mahayana Buddhism, in India and East Asia, continued the practice of meditation as one of the six perfections (or virtues) of the bodhisattva path. In this general context, some eminent monks might have composed scriptures/treatises for the training of meditation or have become more famed with meditation. However, the school of Chan is more than just a group of meditation practitioners. As one of the Chinese Buddhist schools, it involves its own ideology, its own community, and its own genealogical history, serving to establish its own identity. The Historical Dictionary of Chan Buddhism contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, schools, texts, vocabularies, doctrines, rituals, temples, events, and other practices. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Chan Buddhism.

This article examines the issue of the paradoxicality of institution, de-institutionalization, or the counter-institutionalization in classical Chan thought by focusing on the texts of Hongzhou School. It first analyzes the problem of 20th century scholars in characterizing the Chan attitude toward institution as iconoclasts, and the problem of the recent tendency to return to images of the Chan masters as traditionalists, as opposed to iconoclasts. Both problems are examples of imposing an oppositional way of thinking on the Chan masters. The essay then introduces a new paradigm for interpreting the Chan attitude toward institution, the model of de-institutionalization, which borrows certain insights from Derrida’s idea of the counter-institutional. However, the new model is supported by the Chan heritage of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. This model can more consistently construe the Chan understanding of the paradoxicality of institution, the subtle Chan relationship of being “with and against” institution, and the Chan “middle way” to make institution remain open to its outside and to transformation.

Many plant genetic engineering taskss require the spatial expression of genes which in turn depends upon the availability of specific promoters. The present paper analyses the green-tissue characteristics of a new L. gibba rbcS promoter driving the expression of the gus gene in transgenic tobacco. A 1491 bp rbcS (small subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase) promoter was isolated from Lemna gibba. The sequence analysis revealed that this promoter is different from the previously reported rbcS promoter and is named SSU5C. A 1438 bp fragment of the SSU5C promoter was fused with the gus gene and transgenic tobacco plants were generated. The analysis of T1 tobacco p1438-gus revealed that GUS expression driven by the SSU5C promoter was detected in the green part of vegetative organs. The promoter deletion analysis confirmed a region from position –152 to –49 relative to the start of transcription containing boxes X, Y and Z, while a positive regulatory region conferred green tissue-specific expression. Further functional analysis of constructs of box-X, Y, Z, which was fused with the basal SSU5C promoter, confirmed that the boxes X, Y and Z represent the new minimized functional promoter, respectively, and are able to direct green tissue-specific expression. This promoter may be used for gene expression in a tissue-specific manner in plant molecular breeding.

Neisseria meningitidis group B (MenB) continues to pose challenges to vaccine development due to its antigenic diversity and immune escape mechanisms. Self-amplifying mRNA (SAM) vaccine platforms offer advantages such as long-lasting expression and flexible antigen combinations, which provide new strategies for tackling complex bacterial pathogens. In this study, we constructed and evaluated two multivalent SAM vaccine designs. The first design involved linking four antigens—factor H binding protein (fHbp), Neisseria Heparin-Binding Antigen (NHBA), Neisserial adhesin A (NadA), and Porin A (PorA)—in tandem within a single fusion SAM construct. The second strategy employed four individual SAM constructs, each encoding a single antigen, and these were delivered either by mixing equal masses of the four SAMs before lipid nanoparticle (LNP) encapsulation (PreMix) or by mixing the individually encapsulated mRNA-LNPs (PostMix). Systematic evaluation revealed that the tandem configuration exhibited limited in vitro expression but still induced immune responses in mice. In contrast, the single-antigen mixed-delivery approach demonstrated superior antigen expression and immunogenicity. The PreMix formulation (SAM-PreMix) elicited a serum bactericidal assay (SBA) titer of 1:256 at a 5 μg dose, which was markedly higher than the 1:32 titer observed with the tandem construct (SAM-SP2). Moreover, strong humoral and cellular immune responses were induced even at a low dose of 1 μg, underscoring the dose-sparing potential of the SAM platform. While the immunization effects of PreMix and PostMix are comparable, the former has more process advantages regarding manufacturability and standardization. Our technology demonstrates significant advantages in both immunization efficacy and process feasibility, offering a universal pathway for the design and platform development of multivalent bacterial mRNA vaccines with potential applications in research related to other complex bacterial pathogens.

Purpose: Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease caused by the Rabies virus (RABV), resulting in approximately 59,000 deaths globally each year. Of these fatalities, 95 % occur in impoverished regions across Asia and Africa where medical resources are scarce, with children accounting for as much as 40 % of the total cases. To address the logistical challenges of current inactivated rabies vaccines—such as the complexities of multi-dose regimens and manufacturing constraints—this study aimed to develop a rabies vaccine based on a self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) platform, which offers potential advantages in rapid protection, scalable production, and dose-sparing capacity. Methods: An optimized saRNA encoding the rabies glycoprotein was constructed. In SPF BALB/c mice, immunogenicity and protective efficacy against 100 LD₅₀ intracranial CTN-1 challenge were evaluated after single-dose (0.0008–1 μg) or two-dose regimens, with particular attention to early protection at days 7 and 14 post-immunization. Results: A single administration of 0.1 μg saRNA vaccine delivered 100 % survival upon challenge at day 14 (62.5 % at day 7), accompanied by high-titer neutralizing antibodies and robust T-cell activation. This effective dose is 15-fold lower than previously reported values. A two-dose schedule between day 0 and day 7 further reduced the dose required for 100 % protection by 80 %, from 0.1 μg to 0.02 μg. Conclusions: The optimized saRNA rabies vaccine achieves complete protection within 14 days after a single microgram-level dose, or after two ultra-low doses, outperforming traditional inactivated vaccines and offering an efficient regimen for simplified post-exposure prophylaxis.

Photosynthesis-associated nuclear genes (PhANGs) are able to respond to multiple environmental and developmental signals, including light, sugar and abscisic acid (ABA). PhANGs have been extensively studied at the level of transcriptional regulation, and several cis-acting elements important for light responsiveness have been identified in their promoter sequences. However, the regulatory elements involved in sugar and ABA regulation of PhANGs have not been completely characterized. A ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit gene (rbcS) promoter (SSU5C promoter) was isolated from duckweed (Lemna gibba). A series of SSU5C promoter 5′ deletion fragments were fused to an intron–gus gene, and transgenic tobacco suspension cell lines were generated. Assay of tobacco suspension cell line harbouring the complete promoter in the fusion construct indicated that SSU5C promoter was negatively regulated by sugar and ABA under the condition of regular photoperiod. 5′ deletion analysis of SSU5C promoter in transgenic tobacco suspension cell lines confirmed that a region between positions −310 and −152 included the ABA-response region, and that sugar-response cis-acting elements might be located in the region between −152 and −117. Taken together, our results confirmed that the cis-regulatory region responsible for repression by ABA and sugar in the SSU5C promoter was located between −310 and −117.