Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-89)

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1979. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Skeletal muscle disease (myopathy) carries an enormous psychological, social and economic impact on the lives of the patients and their caregivers. There is also an appreciable amount of economic burden on the healthcare system and our society especially when most patients are in their childhood/adolescent lives. It is not a surprising fact that a percentage of myopathies are of undetermined cause, which makes the need to identify new genes that play a critical role in muscle health of paramount importance. The Xin gene is designated as an indispensable component for the normal development and morphogenesis of striated muscle; however, the exact roles of Xin in skeletal muscle are still undefined. Studies to date have demonstrated that Xin is expressed in activated satellite cells and newly formed myofibers following tissue injury. When using in vitro reduction of Xin expression in skeletal muscle cells, the outcome was impairments in satellite cell function and muscle response to injury. That said, there is still a significant lack of knowledge in the literature regarding the in vivo effects of the absence of Xin on skeletal muscle structure and function. Therefore, the aim of our studies was to characterize skeletal muscles in the absence of Xin and identify the potential roles of Xin in maintaining muscle integrity and health. In our studies, we uncover a new form of muscle disease resulting from the lack of Xin in a mouse model (Xin-/- mice). Xin-/- skeletal muscles show a mild form of myopathy at the light microscopy level that is associated with ultrastructural and functional defects peculiar to the Ca2+ handling. In addition, Xin-/- muscle demonstrated features of mitochondrial dysfunction that are likely secondary to the Ca2+ defects caused by the absence of Xin. Our studies provide a platform to investigate the potential manifestation of “loss of function” mutation of Xin in skeletal muscle and its possibly related pathology in human diseases. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Skeletal muscle covers the bones, produces movements and stabilizes joints. Diseases of skeletal muscle are common. Specifically, inherited diseases of skeletal muscle can cause an inability to eat, walk, run, work and even breathe. By starting at an early age, these conditions may result in the patient being bed-ridden with severe psychological, social and financial burdens for them and their caregivers. When skeletal muscles that control breathing are involved, death can occur at a young age. A considerable proportion of skeletal muscle disease are of unknown cause, and therefore, there is a constant need to discover more factors that influence muscle health to provide treatment plans for these patients. This dissertation uncovers the role of a new factor, Xin, involved in keeping skeletal muscle healthy. The achieved results of our studies will help physicians use this knowledge into identifying new types of muscle disease and providing targeted treatments for patients.

Background and purpose of research: The number of individuals playing rugby union is increasing every year particularly amongst adolescence at a school level. With the increase in participation an increase in injuries arises. The purpose of this study was to document the lower limb injuries previously sustained in the 2009 rugby season as well as the injuries sustained over a six week period in 2010 and to identify the risk factors associated with these injuries. Method: A prospective cohort design was used. Sixty-five participants from three high schools on the West Rand completed an injury questionnaire and participated in pre-season testing of lower limb muscle length, muscle strength and balance. Lower limb injuries were documented throughout the season. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data and a univariate analysis was done to determine if there were any associations between various risk factors and sustaining an injury. Results: Six lower limb injuries were documented in 2010. Knee and ankle injuries accounted for 25 out of the 35 (71%) injuries sustained over the 2009 and 2010 rugby seasons. The risk factors for lower limb injuries included good flexibility of the hamstring muscle group and logistic regression also showed an association between a right lower limb injury and right sided muscle strength of the ankle dorsiflexors (p=0.04) and knee extensors (p=0.05). Conclusion: The risk factors associated with these lower limb injuries were good flexibility of the hamstring muscle group as well as right sided quadriceps and tibialis anterior muscle strength.

This dissertation seeks to extract the Zhuangzi from a variety of problematic interpretations in English-speaking scholarship. The text has been accused of supporting a variety of moral or epistemic positions, including moral relativism, transcendental mysticism, skepticism, anarchism, and anti-societal asceticism. Against these interpretations I demonstrate the text has a complex but coherent diagnosis of human suffering in a cosmology of change. In response to this diagnosis the text also presents a complex but coherent set of ideals that treat human suffering. This suffering takes many forms, but is particularly problematic in the xin, the organ conventionally regarded as being responsible for wisdom and guidance in human activity. This dissertation performs a thorough analysis of the idea of xin in the Zhuangzi, and demonstrates how the Inner Chapters provide a coherent prescriptive regimen to treat the afflictions of discrimination, completion, and acquisition. When discriminations in the xin are released through forgetting and emptiness, this allows the zhenren to harmonize his conscious attention and bodily activity to dao. Integrating mind, body and spirit with dao allows the sage to wander effortlessly through the emergent processes of yin and yang. Not only does this mean paying attention to the changes of dao, but also means acclimating to those changes.

[No Abstract Submitted] / Arts, Faculty of / Asian Studies, Department of / Graduate

Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden zwei humane Varianten des von Wang et al., 1999, erstmals beschriebenen muskelspezifischen Proteins Xin (Huhn und Maus) über Sequenzanalyse, Immunofluoreszenzmikroskopie, Transfektionsstudien und biochemischer Analyse näher charakterisiert. <br /> Die Proteine wurden mit human Xin related proteins 1 und 2 – hXirp1 und 2 –bezeichnet. Die Xin-Proteine enthielten bisher unbekannte, sowie spezifische, repetitive Motive, die aus jeweils mindestens 16 Aminosäuren bestanden. Ihre Aminosäuresequenz, mit einer Vielzahl weiterer putativer Motivsequenzen, verwies auf eine potentielle Funktion von hXirp als Adapterprotein in Muskelzellen. Das hier näher untersuchte hXirp1 lokalisierte an den Zell-Matrix-Verbindungen der Muskel-Sehnen-Übergangszone im Skelettmuskel, sowie an den Zell-Zell-Verbindungen der Glanzstreifen im Herzmuskel. Während der Muskelentwicklung zeigte hXirp1 eine sehr frühe Expression, zusammen mit einer prägnanten Lokalisation an den Prämyofibrillen und deren Verankerungsstrukturen, die auf eine Funktion des Proteins in der Myofibrillogenese deuten. Ektopische Expressionen von hXirp1 in einer Vielzahl von Nichtmuskel-Kulturzellen zeigten wiederum eine Lokalisation des Proteins an den Zell-Matrix-Kontakten dieser Zellen. Am Beispiel von hXirp1 und 2 wurde stellvertretend für die Familie der Xin-Proteine gezeigt, daß es sich bei den repetitiven Motiven um neuartige, F-Aktin bindende Sequenzmotive handelte. Die Xin-Proteine können somit als muskelspezifische, aktinbindende, potentielle Adapterproteine bezeichnet werden, denen eine strukturelle und funktionelle Beteiligung an der Verankerung der Myofibrillen im adulten Muskel, wie auch während der Myofibrillogenese zukommt. / The scope of this work was a further characterization of two human variants of the protein Xin which was reported for chicken and mouse in 1999 by Wang et al. Therefor sequence analysis, immunofluorescence microscopy, transfection studies and biochemical approaches were utilized.<br /> The proteins were named human Xin related proteins 1 und 2 – hXirp1 und 2. Xin-proteins possess specific repetitive motives consisting of a minimum of 16 amino acids each. Concerning further putative motive sequences hXirp is a potential adapter protein in the muscle cell. hXirp1 localized within the cell-matrix-contacts of the myotendinous junction in skeletal muscle as well as within the cell-cell-contacts of the intercalated disc in the cardiac muscle. During the development of muscle cells hXirp1 showed early expression as well as concise localization to premyofibrils and their anchorage structures indicating a potential role for this protein in myofibrillogenesis. Ectopic expression of hXirp1 in several non-muscle cells again revealed localization of this protein to cell-matrix contacts. Considering hXirp1 and 2 as an example for all Xin-proteins it was shown that the repetitive motives are new actin binding motives. The data indicated the Xin-proteins as muscle specific, actin binding and potential adapter proteins with implications in structure and function of anchorage of myofibrils in adult muscle and myofibrillogenesis.

Background Indoor air pollution due to use of biomass fuels (BMF) for household cooking and heating is a known risk factor of morbidity and mortality in children under the age of five years. A recent study in India suggested an association between biomass fuel smoke exposure anaemia and stunting among children under the age of five. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between BMF use, stunting and anaemia in children aged 12-59 months who participated in the 2006-2007 Swaziland Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS), whilst adjusting for potential confounders. Methods The study was cross-sectional and based on secondary data analysis of data collected through the household and women’s questionnaires in the 2006-2007 SDHS, which employed a multistage random sampling. Anthropometric measurements taken in the SDHS and the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006 Multi-Centre Child growth reference standards were used to ascertain children’s health status and the stunting outcome variable. A child, whose height-for-age ratio was below three standard deviations (SD) from the median of the WHO reference population in terms of height-for-age, was severely stunted or short for his/her age. A child, whose height-for-age ratio was between three and two SD below the median of the WHO reference population in terms of height-for-age, was mildly stunted. The exposure to BMF smoke variable was ascertained indirectly by type of fuel used for cooking. The exposure was a three category variable of cleaner fuel, outdoor BMF and indoor BMF use. All statistical analysis was done in STATA version 10. The relationship between BMF use and stunting or anaemia was determined using multinomial logistic regression analyses, whilst adjusting for potential confounding factors, identified in previous research. Results Of the 1612 children included in the study, 37% were anaemic. Nineteen percent were mildly and 18% were moderate to severely anaemic. Indoor BMF use, child age, low birth weight, mother’s age at birth, iron supplementation during pregnancy and mother’s anaemia status was significantly associated with child anaemia in univariate analysis. Outdoor BMF exposure, low birth weight, child age, mother’s anaemia status and wealth index was associated with child anaemia after adjusting for potential confounding. Overall 31% of children were stunted. Twenty percent were mildly stunted and 11% were moderate to severely stunted. Child sex, age, birth order, preceding birth interval, low birth weight, diarrhoea in preceding two weeks, anaemia status, iron supplementation during pregnancy, mother’s age at birth ,mother’s body mass index, mother’s education, wealth index, indoor BMF exposure and household crowding were each independently associated with stunting in univariate analysis. Only child sex, low birth weight and child age were significantly associated with stunting after adjusting for potential confounding. There was no evidence of an association between indoor BMF smoke exposure and child stunting after adjusting for all potential confounding factors. Conclusion This study did not find sufficient evidence to suggest that indoor BMF use is a statistically significant risk factor for anaemia or stunting in children aged 12-59 months participating in the 2006-2007 SDHS. There was however an evidence that, use of BMF outdoors significantly confers a protective effect against moderate to severe anaemia. Prospective research into these potential relationships are necessary, particularly the collection of primary data and accurate measurement of exposure to smoke emitted during BMF use for cooking and heating.

謝雪梅. / 手稿本 (cops. 2-3複印本). / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學硏究院中國語文學部. / Shou gao ben (cops. 2-3 fu yin ben). / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 315-323). / Xie Xuemei. / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue yan jiu yuan Zhongguo yu wen xue bu. / Chapter 一 --- 引言 --- p.1 / Chapter 二 --- 庾信生平簡介 --- p.7 / Chapter 三 --- 哀江南賦之寫作年代與背景 --- p.12 / Chapter 四 --- 哀江南賦之題解與結構 --- p.26 / Chapter 五 --- 哀江南賦之主旨　 --- p.43 / Chapter 六 --- 哀江南賦之字句 / Chapter （1) --- 對仗分析 --- p.52 / Chapter （2) --- 句式分析 --- p.68 / Chapter （3) --- 散行運用分析 --- p.78 / Chapter （4) --- 虛字運用分析 --- p.85 / Chapter 七 --- 哀江南賦之事類 --- p.94 / Chapter （1) --- 用事之手法 --- p.98 / Chapter （2) --- 事類之編排 --- p.104 / Chapter （3) --- 用事之特色 --- p.109 / Chapter （4) --- 用事之評價 --- p.131 / Chapter 八 --- 哀江南賦之聲律 / Chapter （1) --- 用韻參差 --- p.143 / Chapter （2) --- 平仄諧協 --- p.166 / Chapter （3) --- 聲情相配 --- p.169 / Chapter 九 --- 哀賦與離騷之比較 --- p.176 / Chapter （1) --- 內容(事、義、情、志) --- p.177 / Chapter （2) --- 技巧(想象、對比、穿插、急流轉棹) --- p.200 / Chapter 十 --- 歸魂賦、觀我生賦與哀江南賦之比較 --- p.221 / Chapter 十一 --- 哀賦與擬連珠、擬詠懷及傷心賦之匯通 --- p.266 / Chapter 十二 --- 哀江南賦之評價及其影響 --- p.286 / 注釋 --- p.306 / 參考書目 --- p.315 / 參考論文 --- p.322 / Chapter 附錄： --- 哀賦異解札記 --- p.324

Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學. / Manuscript. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 1-5 (4th group)). / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue. / 自　序 / 例　言 / Chapter 第一編 --- 緒論 / Chapter 第一章 --- 駢文之名義及其特質　 --- p.1 / Chapter 第二章 --- 駢文之起源 --- p.20 / Chapter 第三章 --- 六朝後期駢文之特色 --- p.36 / Chapter 第二編 --- 庚信生平 / Chapter 第一章 --- 信之先世 --- p.46 / Chapter 第二章 --- 南朝之仕 --- p.54 / Chapter 第三章 --- 北朝之仕 --- p.68 / Chapter 第四章 --- 信之家屬 --- p.76 / Chapter 第三編 --- 庾信賦論 / Chapter 第一章 --- 賦之緣起標準及其至六朝之流變 --- p.80 / Chapter 第二章 --- 前後期作品之異 --- p.91 / Chapter 第三章 --- 前期賦作　 --- p.97 / Chapter 第一節 --- 春　賦　 --- p.97 / Chapter 第二節 --- 燈賦鏡賦及鴛鴦賦 --- p.103 / Chapter 第三節 --- 七夕賦對燭賦及蕩子賦 --- p.111 / Chapter 第四章 --- 後期賦作（哀江南賦除外） --- p.116 / Chapter 第一節 --- 小園賦　 --- p.116 / Chapter 第二節 --- 枯樹賦 --- p.134 / Chapter 第三節 --- 傷心賦 --- p.151 / Chapter 第四節 --- 竹杖賦與邛竹杖賦 --- p.156 / Chapter 第五節 --- 象戲賦及馬射賦 --- p.164 / Chapter 第五章 --- 哀江南賦 --- p.175 / Chapter 第一節 --- 寫作動機´ؤ´ؤ試評陳寅恪先生之說 --- p.175 / Chapter 第二節 --- 結構及主題 --- p.210 / Chapter 第三節 --- 評價　 --- p.226 / Chapter 第四編 --- 各體駢文分論（上） / Chapter 第一章 --- 表序 --- p.241 / Chapter 第一節 --- 表序之緣起及標準 --- p.241 / Chapter 第二節 --- 慶賀之表 --- p.248 / Chapter 第三節 --- 懇請之表　 --- p.259 / Chapter 第四節 --- 進貢之表 --- p.271 / Chapter 第五節 --- 趙國公集序 --- p.281 / Chapter 第二章 --- 書啟 --- p.285 / Chapter 第一節 --- 書啟之緣起及標準　 --- p.285 / Chapter 第二節 --- 答謝滕王諸啟 --- p.291 / Chapter 第三節 --- 答謝趙王諸啟 --- p.298 / Chapter 第四節 --- 其他 --- p.311 / Chapter 第三章 --- 連珠 --- p.318 / Chapter 第一節 --- 連珠之緣起及標準 --- p.318 / Chapter 第二節 --- 擬連珠四十四首　　 --- p.323 / Chapter 第五編 --- 各體駢文分論（下） / Chapter 第一章 --- 銘 --- p.338 / Chapter 第一節 --- 銘之緣起及標準 --- p.338 / Chapter 第二節 --- 梁東宮諸山銘 --- p.342 / Chapter 第三節 --- 思舊銘　 --- p.349 / Chapter 第四節 --- 其他 --- p.358 / Chapter 第二章 --- 碑 --- p.364 / Chapter 第一節 --- 碑之緣起及標準 --- p.364 / Chapter 第二節 --- 陝州弘農郡王張寺經藏碑及溫湯碑 --- p.371 / Chapter 第三節 --- 神道碑（上） --- p.379 / Chapter 第四節 --- 神道碑（下）　 --- p.395 / Chapter 第三章 --- 誌銘　 --- p.415 / Chapter 第一節 --- 誌銘之緣起及標準 --- p.415 / Chapter 第二節 --- 名臣誌銘（上） --- p.428 / Chapter 第三節 --- 名臣誌銘（下） --- p.433 / Chapter 第四節 --- 司馬裔鄭常神道碑與墓誌銘之比較 --- p.443 / Chapter 第五節 --- 夫人誌銘 --- p.453 / Chapter 第六編 --- 庾信與徐陵 / Chapter 第一章 --- 徐庾體與宮體　 --- p.468 / Chapter 第二章 --- 身世之比較 --- p.476 / Chapter 第三章 --- 作品之比較 --- p.485 / Chapter 第一節 --- 賦銘 --- p.485 / Chapter 第二節 --- 表序 --- p.488 / Chapter 第三節 --- 碑誌　 --- p.493 / Chapter 第四節 --- 書啟 --- p.497 / Chapter 第四章 --- 總結 --- p.505 / Chapter 第七編 --- 結　論 / Chapter 第一章 --- 庾信駢文對後世影響舉隅 --- p.516 / Chapter 第一節 --- 初唐四傑 --- p.516 / Chapter 第二節 --- 陳維崧與王闓連 --- p.529 / Chapter 第二章 --- 庾信在中國文學史之地位 --- p.542 / Chapter 第一節 --- 駢文之價值 --- p.542 / Chapter 第二節 --- 庾信駢文之評價 --- p.551 / 參考書目 / 參考論文