Search Results (262)

Residual cardiovascular risk remains substantial despite widespread adoption of intensive lipid-lowering strategies—statins, PCSK9 inhibitors, and RNA-based agents—that achieve very low LDL-C and apoB levels. Over the past three years, converging epidemiologic and mechanistic evidence has highlighted emotional stress—including anger, grief, anxiety, and chronic psychosocial strain—as a biologically active determinant of atherosclerotic disease and a frequent trigger of acute events. We propose the Emotion–Lipid Synergy Model, in which lipid burden establishes the atherothrombotic substrate while emotion-driven autonomic and vascular perturbations amplify endothelial dysfunction, microvascular constriction, inflammation, and thrombogenicity—thereby widening the residual-risk gap even when lipid targets are met. From this perspective, prevention should evolve toward precision psychocardiology: systematically screening for distress and stress reactivity; leveraging wearables to detect high-risk emotional states; and delivering timely, scalable, just-in-time behavioral interventions alongside guideline-directed lipid management. Particular attention is warranted for women and patients with angina and no obstructive coronary disease, who appear disproportionately susceptible to mental-stress ischemia. We outline a research agenda—flagship outcomes trials, mechanistic studies, and multimodal phenotyping—and discuss implementation pathways that integrate emotion metrics into cardiac rehabilitation and routine care. Integrating emotion assessment and modulation with lipid control offers a pragmatic route to reduce residual risk and advance equitable, personalized cardiovascular prevention. Full article

The medical application of human embryonic stem cell technology has sparked ethical controversies, with the core issue being whether human embryos possess the same right to life as humans. According to classical Confucianism, humans are born from the essential Qi 精氣 (jingqi) of heaven and earth, making them the noblest beings in the world. Human embryos are the simple form of human life in its early stages, and as living human beings, they should therefore possess the legitimacy and justification to life. Confucianism advocates benevolence toward people 仁民 (renmin) and love for things 愛物 (aiwu) distinguishing between benevolence and love: benevolence toward people is benevolence, while love for all things is love. How people treat one another is how they should treat human embryos. Things exist to serve humanity; humans may utilise things but must not be treated as tools. Embryo life must not be harmed or sacrificed for the sake of saving human life. One should show benevolence to people and love to things. Therefore, the attitude toward human embryos should be “benevolence.” Human embryos inherently possess the potential to become human beings and do not require medical intervention to demonstrate their value. However, when humans extract and utilise stem cells from human embryos for their own benefit, this is tantamount to treating the embryos as things and reducing them to the status of things, thereby blurring the ethical boundaries between humans and things and disrupting the distinction between the recipients of benevolence and love. The extraction of human embryonic stem cells is ultimately an artificial technological achievement. Humans are not superior beings to heaven, and such practices must be confined within the moral framework of technological ethics and bioethics. Notwithstanding the technological advancements that have furnished humans with contemporary instruments, the necessity for a sense of awe for the heaven remains. Full article

The question of how to properly understand and proactively respond to life and death is a fundamental human concern and a core topic in both philosophical and religious studies. Seventeenth-century Chinese philosopher Fang Yizhi (1611–1671) held a unique perspective on this issue, yet his insights have received little scholarly attention. Employing a methodology of textual comparison and logical analysis, this study systematically examines Fang Yizhi’s discourse on life and death. Grounded in the framework of the “Unity of Heaven and Humanity,” (tianren heyi 天人合一) he utilized dialectical modes of thought such as “primary and complementary” (zhengyu 正余) and “inverse causality” (fanyin 反因) to view life and death as categories that are not only mutually antithetical but also capable of mutual transformation. He further substantiated this view with a Confucian-style ontological grounding. Furthermore, this paper outlines the methods he proposed for the liberation of those lost in the sea of life-and-death anxiety. The findings underscore the enduring relevance of Fang Yizhi’s philosophy of life and death in addressing modern existential anxieties and encouraging a more positive and proactive approach to life. Full article

Academic attention has long been accorded to Yan Zhitui and his Family Instructions for the Yan Clan; however, the Confucian philosophical dimensions of his thought remain underexplored. This article will analyze his concepts of Virtue and Happiness alongside his thoughts on the Mandate of Heaven to explore how he found his place in the chaotic landscape of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Reacting to the contemporary trend of pursuing high-ranking posts and generous emoluments while disregarding morality, Yan Zhitui first defined the connotations of Virtue and Happiness. He then established a causal relationship between them through the correspondence between Name and Reality, an act which reestablished the central position of Virtue. To address the conflict between Virtue and Happiness, his response was to trace its root cause and divide the Mandate of Heaven into two dimensions: Virtue and Time. Transcendental assurance for the core status of Virtue and the unity of Virtue and Happiness is provided by the former dimension, while the latter’s uncontrollability, in comparison, offers an explanation for contradictory realities. Based on this understanding, Yan Zhitui’s guidance urged individuals to adhere to the Way and uphold virtue while observing the macro situation and micro signs, and to wait for the right moment for the unity of Virtue and Happiness to be realized. The flourishing of Buddhism during the Northern and Southern Dynasties was also a significant influence; therefore, Yan Zhitui’s thoughts on the Mandate of Heaven absorbed Buddhist karma theory. This process formed a model that employed Confucianism as its foundation and Buddhism as its supplement. Full article

This paper explores the role of voice in the fifteenth-century hagiography of the recluse Pirona, who lived a religious life while voluntarily enclosed in a dwelling attached to the church of St. Nicholas outside the city walls of Mechelen. Her hagiographer-confessor describes Pirona’s voice and foregrounds her speech throughout the text. His representations of her words and the quality of her voice illustrate Pirona’s mystical proximity to the divine and underline her connection to himself and his fellow friars. In scenes that include ritual prayers or liturgical chants, Pirona’s voice transforms her mind and body, testing the limits of her humanity and bringing her closer to the divine. Full article

Aiming at the weakness of “two kinds of thinking; lack of integration” between Chinese culture and green technology in the field of urban and rural construction, as well as the high-quality construction needs of China’s new urbanization, using system thinking, genetic factors, and iteration theory, the components of genetic and variation factors and the integrative and iterative mechanisms of Chinese culture and green technology were studied. Chinese culture is rich in humanistic and green science and technology feelings of “reciprocity between heaven and mankind” and “matching nature”, believing that the ways of science and technology is inherently consistent with the ways of nature and man. Chinese culture endorses green science and technology with humanity and soul, and green science and technology promote the evolution and rebirth of Chinese culture. The genetic factors of Chinese culture and the variation factors of green science and technology constitute the inheritance and renewal system of integration, the unity of opposites, and the coordination of conflicts between them, deducing the integrated architectural design mechanism in which science and technology are “culturized” and culture is “technologized”. The iterative mechanism of mathematical operation is the logical thinking of architectural design in the repeated feedback process of cultural and scientific spatial graphics. It approximates the design thinking law of design conditions and requirements through a cyclic iterative scaling operation and can use computer-aided iterative design. According to the function, level, and structural relationship between Chinese culture space graphics and green science and technology space graphics, the iterative mechanism of collocation accumulation is the iterative design law of level accumulation and optimized collocation. There are two kinds of deduction paths, forward and reverse fusion, in the iteration–fusion design mechanism, which form the integration and iteration logic of mutual carrier and object. Full article

In general, the justification for the divine punishment in the Christian cosmos hinges on the notion of free will. Despite doctrinal complexities involving sin, grace, and divine sovereignty, individuals are held morally responsible for choosing evil over good. According to an ancient Chinese legend, however, the tyrant King Zhou (11th C. BCE) who lost his throne due to a changed mandate from Heaven was born with extreme evil tendencies. But if his evilness was determined before his birth and all his evil deeds are consequences of his natural tendencies, what might justify his punishment? Through an examination of Confucian responses to this question, this essay argues that Confucians did not ground moral responsibility in volitional freedom but rather in the extremity of one’s moral conduct. Their framework reveals a distinctive form of compatibilism—one in which blame is assigned not on the basis of freedom to choose otherwise but on how radically one’s actions deviate from shared ethical expectations. This suggests that the assumption of free will as a necessary condition for moral responsibility may reflect culturally specific intuitions, rather than a universal moral standard. Full article

Peking opera The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan reinterprets Shakespeare’s Hamlet by integrating supernatural elements and traditional rituals from Chinese folk religion. The religious transformation is revealed through the reworking of lines, incorporation of ritual traditions, and portrayal of supernatural figures. The divine entity that is invoked in Hamlet’s prayers (2.2.169, 5.2.316) and Claudius’s repentance (3.3.36–72) is translated as tian 天 (Heaven) in Revenge, thus introducing the concepts of the worship of tian and tianming 天命 (Mandate of Heaven). Revenge also adapts Claudius’s command of “give me some light” (3.2.261) by associating it with ancient exorcisms, thereby dramatizing his attempts to conceal the guilt for regicide. Ophelia’s “maimed rites” (5.1.208) are depicted as a deviation from Confucian funeral rites in Revenge, reflected in the simplified funeral banners and Hamlet’s transgressive mourning. The “sulphurous and tormenting flames” (1.5.3) and the morning cock’s crow (1.2.217) are reinterpreted through the introduction of the judicial system of the underworld. These changes are not merely transitions in performing conventions but reflect the deep connection between folk religion and traditional Chinese theater through these prayers, rituals, and supernatural elements, thus creating a specific theatrical “field” in which Chinese folk religion interacts with Western classics. Full article

Antipredator behaviors in animals often vary with developmental stage, microhabitat, and social context, yet few studies examine how these factors interact in species that undergo ontogenetic shifts in chemical defense. The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive planthopper whose nymphs transition from cryptically colored early instars to aposematically colored fourth instars that feed primarily on chemically defended host plants. We conducted 1460 simulated predator attacks on nymphs across four developmental stages to examine how antipredator behavior varies with instar, plant location (leaf vs. stem), host plant species, and local conspecific density. Nymphs exhibited three primary responses: hiding, sidestepping, or jumping. We found that location on the plant had the strongest effect, with nymphs on stems more likely to hide than those on leaves. Older instars were significantly less likely to hide and more likely to sidestep, particularly on stems, suggesting reduced reliance on energetically costly escape behaviors as chemical defenses accumulate. First instars were less likely to jump from their preferred host plant (tree of heaven) compared to other plant species. Higher local conspecific density reduced hiding probability, likely due to the dilution effect. These results demonstrate that antipredator strategies in L. delicatula are flexibly deployed based on developmental stage, microhabitat structure, and social context, with implications for understanding evolution of antipredator behavior in chemically protected species. Full article

This article examines the concept of ming 命 (mandate/command or fate/destiny) in the Analects, Mencius, and Zhuangzi, exploring its relationship to tian 天 (Heaven). Across these works, ming retains an intrinsic connection to tian—an inviolable cosmic force beyond human control. All three texts exhibit profound reverence and submission to tian, acknowledging the boundary between human control and cosmic inevitability, yet, at the same time, advocating active alignment with tian’s ordained patterns. In the Analects, a central tension emerges between tian’s teleological purpose—centered on preserving human culture and ethical cultivation—and the seemingly arbitrary fluctuations of individual fate, particularly regarding lifespan and personal fulfillment. This tension persists in the Mencius, articulated as a conflict between the political disorder of Mencius’ contemporary era and tian’s normative moral order. The Zhuangzi, by contrast, resolves this tension through advocating for withdrawal from the political life, as well as a radical reinterpretation of tian. Stripping tian off the Confucian moral–cultural imperatives, the text deconstructs dichotomies like life and death, championing inner equanimity via flowing with the cosmic transformation. Full article

This article explores Schipper’s scholarly contributions to the study of dongtian fudi (grotto heavens and blessed lands) and specifically situates this project in its broader intellectual context and Schipper’s own research. While Schipper was not the first to open discussions on this topic, his research in this direction still offers profound insights, such as the coinage of the concept of “Daoist Ecology” and his views on mountain politics. This article argues that Schipper’s work on dongtian fudi is a response to the school of Deep Ecology and its critics, and also a result of critical reflection on the modern dichotomy between nature and culture. In Schipper’s enquiry of dongtian fudi, the “mountain” stands as the central concept: it is not only the essential component of Daoist sacred geography, but a holistic site in which nature and society are interwoven, endowed with both material and sacred significance. Through his analysis of the Daoist practice of abstinence from grain (duangu), Schipper reveals how mountains serve as spaces for retreat from agrarian society and state control, and how they embody “shatter zones” where the reach of centralized power is relatively attenuated. The article also further links Schipper’s project of Beijing as a Holy City to his study of dongtian fudi. For Schipper, the former affirms the universality of the locality (i.e., the unofficial China, the country of people), while the latter envisages the vision of rewriting China from plural localities. Taken together, these efforts point toward a theoretical framework that moves beyond conventional sociological paradigms, one that embraces a total worldly perspective, in which the livelihoods of local societies and their daily lives are truly appreciated as a totality that encompasses both nature and culture. Schipper’s works related to dongtian fudi, though they are rather concise, still significantly broaden the scope of Daoist studies and, moreover, provide novel insights into the complexity of Chinese religion and society. Full article

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) present a significant global health challenge, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The current diagnostic standard involves the microscopic examination of a stool smear but it lacks sensitivity to detect infections of low intensity. Innovative solutions like lab-on-a-disk (LoD) technologies are emerging, showing promise in detecting low-intensity infections. Field tests conducted using our SIMPAQ (single-image parasite quantification) LoD device have demonstrated its potential as a diagnostic tool, especially for such low-intensity infections. Nevertheless, the device’s efficiency has been limited by significant egg loss during sample preparation, low capture efficiency of eggs within the Field of View (FOV), and the presence of larger fecal debris that obstructs effective egg trapping and imaging. In this study, we conducted a set of laboratory experiments using model polystyrene particles and purified STH eggs to improve the sample preparation protocol. These experiments include the entire SIMPAQ procedure starting from sample preparation, infusing it into the LoD device, centrifugation, delivering the (model) eggs to the FOV, capturing an image, and analyzing it. We analyzed egg losses at each step of the procedure following the “standard” protocol, then elaborated and tested alternative, more efficient procedures. The resulting modified protocol significantly minimized particle and egg loss and reduced the amount of debris in the disk, thus enabling effective egg capture and clear images in the FOV, increasing the reliability of the diagnostic results. Full article

This paper discusses the Chart of the Taoist Rituals of Lord Lao, or “chart of Lord Lao” for short, a document drawn up, preserved, and utilized by a local Taoist altar in the border region of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces in southeastern China. This chart illustrates the body of the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), with various parts labelled with sacred spaces, deity names in textual form, and ritual instructions. As such, the document elucidates the interconnectedness between the body, cosmos, and rituals within local Taoist beliefs. This article aims to analyze the chart of Lord Lao by comparing it with ritual texts, the liturgical tradition of the Taoist altar, and texts from the Ming dynasty Taoist Canon. Through this analysis, it becomes evident that the chart of Lord Lao and its associated practices reflect an intricate relationship between different layers of Taoist traditions. This includes the connections between classical Taoism and the emerging ritual traditions of exorcism during the Song and Yuan dynasties, as well as the interplay between these emerging traditions, such as the Correct Rites of the Heart of Heaven, and more local traditions of exorcism, such as the Rites of Mount Lü. Full article

Aside from a few passages addressing animals or the environment, Confucian philosophy appears to lack an environmental ethics perspective. Li Zhehou’s (李澤厚) contemporary work in Confucian philosophy continues this lacuna by limiting his understanding of community to the human realm. Using the common liberal humanism that limits moral actions to the interpersonal human realm misses the importance of inclusive moralities such as animal rights and environmental ethics. I propose that if we return to the original shared common cultural roots of Confucian and Daoist philosophy that a Confucian understanding of the natural world can embrace the non-human environment within the scope of Confucian morality. Extricating ideas from the Yijing, the Shijing, Xunzi, Dong Zhongshu, Wang Chong, and later scholars, the concept of the mutual resonance and response (ganying 感應) between the natural world and humans developed into the unity of heaven and humanity (tianren heyi 天人合一). An inclusive Confucian depth ecology opens new ways of thinking that can be deployed to envision deeper dimensions for understanding the self’s inner life, its connections to the outer life of the self–other relationship, and its extension to a kin relationship with the environment. This paper explores how these old and new ways of thinking can change our behavior and change our moral interactions with others including the environment and thereby enhancing freedom as an achievement concept derived from graceful moral action. Full article

Walter Henry Medhurst’s translation of The Shoo King (尚書/書經) represents the first complete English rendering of this classic Chinese text. However, limited attention has been given to how Medhurst navigated the tension between Confucian thought in The Shoo King and his own religious beliefs, as well as his treatment of this tension in comparison to James Legge, Joseph de Prémare, Walter Gorn Old, and his interpretation in contrast to Cai Shen’s annotated edition of The Shoo King. This study adopts a “history of the book” approach to examine how Medhurst, as a Protestant missionary, translated key Confucian anthropocentric concepts, including “Ren” (仁), the Doctrine of Mind-Nature, people-centered governance, and religious ideas related to the divine. Through extensive textual analysis and comparison with other scholars’ translations, this study finds that Medhurst adhered to the principle of textual fidelity, striving to minimize the interference of his religious stance with the original meaning of Confucian philosophy. His translation of terms varied according to the context, especially reflecting the shift in The Shoo King from the idea of “Heaven’s mandate is inviolable” to “Heaven is not trustworthy.” Additionally, he enhanced the communication of the original text’s meanings through paratextual elements such as illustrations and footnotes, while retaining Cai Shen’s historical background interpretations and significantly reducing the philological commentary, presenting a “concise and focused” annotation approach. These findings highlight Medhurst’s unique contribution to the cross-cultural transmission of the Confucian canonical text. Full article