BackgroundPublished data and practice recommendations on end-of-life care generally reflect Western practice frameworks; there are limited data on withdrawal of treatment for children in China.MethodsWithdrawal of treatment for children in the pediatric intensive care unit of a regional children’s hospital in eastern China from 2006 to 2017 was studied retrospectively. Withdrawal of treatment was categorized as medical withdrawal or premature withdrawal. The guardian’s self-reported reasons for abandoning the child’s treatment were recorded from 2011.ResultsThe incidence of withdrawal of treatment for children (...) in the PICU decreased significantly; for premature withdrawal the 3-year average of 15.1% in 2006–2008 decreased to 1.9% in 2015–2017. The overall incidence of withdrawal of care reduced over the time period, and withdrawal of therapy by guardians was the main contributor to the overall reduction. The median age of children for whom treatment was withdrawn increased from 14.5 months in 2006 to 40.5 months in 2017. Among the reasons given by guardians of children whose treatment was withdrawn in 2011–2017, “illness is too severe” ranked first, accounting for 66.3%, followed by “condition has been improved”. Only a few guardians ascribed treatment withdrawal to economic reasons.ConclusionsThe frequency of withdrawal of medical therapy has changed over time in this children’s hospital PICU, and parental decision-making has been a large part of the change. (shrink)

In this paper, I argue that visual attention is cognitively penetrated by intention. I present a detailed account of attention and its neural basis, drawing on a recent computational model of neural modulation during attention: divisive normalization. I argue that intention shifts computations during divisive normalization. The epistemic consequences of attentional bias are discussed.

Most recently, two distinctions—echoing the cross-disciplinary critique of the teleological and “quantitative” approach of human arts and sciences at the expanse of the “qualitative”—have been foregrounded by Amzallag (Philosophy and Technology 34, 785–809, 2021) and Crease (2011), respectively, between the modern understanding of “technology” (as technopraxis) and the “forgotten dimension/phase of technology” (called technopoiesis) and between the ontic and ontological measurement. Pace gently the denotation of technopoiesis as a juvenile phase of technological development and the “ontological measurements” as logical and (...) practical impossibility in the modern, mathematized metroscape, the paper reexamines the relevancy of the distinctions (ontic/ontological and po[i]etic/practical, both recalling Heidegger’s “hermeneutical” critique of Husserl’s phenomenology) in non-Platonic/Aristotelian contexts and, in the process, seeks to refine the vital notion of technopoiesis by looking at the intersection of these fuzzy domains. In particular, the ancient Chinese measurements and their understudied onto-poietic dimension in the shifting econ-political contexts may offer an alternative approach to the otherwise elusive presence of technopoiesis and its ontological roots. Arguing that the techno-onto-poiesis does not necessarily belong to the foregone Arcadian past, the paper proposes refined “signals” for recognizing the technopoietic as well as new “forms” of its presence—“interactive emergence” (the cross-stimulating agonistic interactions between techniques of different “stages”) and “poietic clusters” (poietic ideas and/or implements that survive as “cluster” into the future), calling for future investigation of technical inventiveness (even in modern times) that reveal the process of how technopoietic elements enter the lives of technology through least expected embodiment. (shrink)

Schur’s Lemma says that the endomorphism ring of a simple left R-module is a division ring. It plays a fundamental role to prove classical ring structure theorems like the Jacobson Density Theorem and the Wedderburn–Artin Theorem. We first define the endomorphism ring of simple left R-modules by their Π10\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\Pi ^{0}_{1}$$\end{document} subsets and show that Schur’s Lemma is provable in RCA0\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\mathrm RCA_{0}$$\end{document}. A ring (...) R is left primitive if there is a faithful simple left R-module and left semisimple if the left regular module RR\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$_{R}R$$\end{document} is semisimple. The Jacobson Density Theorem and the Wedderburn-Artin Theorem characterize left primitive ring and left semisimple ring, respectively. We then study such theorems from the standpoint of reverse mathematics. (shrink)

We propose a novel model to explain the mechanisms underlying dominance hierarchical structures. Guided by a predetermined social convention, agents with limited cognitive abilities optimize their strategies in a Hawk-Dove game. We find that several commonly observed hierarchical structures in nature such as linear hierarchy and despotism, emerge as the total fitness-maximizing social structures given different levels of cognitive abilities.

This essay contends that individual liberty, understood as the permissibility of making choices about one’s own health care in support of one’s own good and the good of one’s family utilizing private resources, is central to the moral foundations of a health care system. Such individual freedoms are important not only because they often support more efficient and effective health care services, but because they permit individuals to fulfill important moral duties. A comparative study of the health care systems in (...) Hong Kong and mainland China is utilized to illustrate the conceptual and moral concerns at stake. Both regions have implemented two-tier health care systems with a public tier of basic health care services together with a second tier of privately purchased health care. As we document, Hong Kong permits patients and doctors significantly greater opportunities to choose private health care of typically higher medical quality than their mainland counterparts. As a result, individuals are able to obtain higher quality health care while also fulfilling important moral duties for themselves and their families. In this sense, Hong Kong’s health care system is morally superior to mainland China’s. In each case, Confucianism’s concerns regarding equality are partly satisfied through the provision of public health care services on the basic tier, while appropriate use of private resources in support of oneself and one’s family is permissibly exercised on the private tier. Although it is true that inequalities in health care access and outcome are inevitable within a system that permits such individual freedoms, we argue that such inequalities are morally justifiable in terms of Confucian ethical thought. (shrink)

Using Conversation Analytic methods, the present study attempts to analyze the various functions of face-based therapist empathy, and how they are sequentially realized in different psychotherapeutic settings. Four types of face-based therapeutic functions are discussed; more specifically, it is illustrated how therapist empathy may serve to maintain, enhance, threaten or even save the client’s face. The findings gained could contribute to a better understanding of the face-based therapeutic functions of empathy; also, the study may inspire researchers to further investigate other (...) functions of therapist empathy in psychotherapy. (shrink)

Story-thinking is direct actuality-thinking; actuality is active and alive, never set or formal but free and reasonable. Actuality is things as they are alive, actively actualising themselves, birthing unceasing. They sound forth to resound, vibrate to inter-vibrate, tell to retell it, to reveal-R to express-E it. This "R to E" is not logically inferential, free of inferential error. Such R-to-E process dialogically transmits across an instant as "story-thinking." Story-thinking primordially hears of actuality to story-express it. Thus, actuality sounds itself -- (...) tells its story -- to a sensitive hearer who retells the story-actual in her own resonance, and her vibration is "storytelling." Actuality tells and is heard, and storytelling comes about. Story-thinking begins at storytelling to continue storytelling, this way. (shrink)

Here the author takes ren-humanity to be, as Confucius says, an underlying, ineffable, potentially universal human quality, and draws a distinction between three different types of moral capacity in the Lunyu: the man of ren’s capacity for li-proper interactions, his capacity for total reciprocity with another, and his capacity to make moral discriminations. The nature of these moral judgments is then discussed in relation to the praxis of entering into shu-reciprocity with another and that of recognizing others’ actions as being (...) li-proper. A key question is that of whether even an intuitive feeling of commonality, if not identity, with another man-of-ren involves a subjective judgment. Confucius’ view that foreigners can respect ren even if they may not possess it is also discussed. The author suggests that any viable ethical model would need to maintain a universal standard of humaneness while also including a maximum degree of openness to the other. (shrink)

The topic of shame has attracted little attention in Augustinian scholarship. This article will provide a detailed analysis of Augustine’s case studies of Lucretia’s rape and Adam’s act of covering himself after the Fall in De ciuitate Dei. It will be argued that Augustine’s subtle depiction of shame-feeling in the context of guilt and sin offers us an illuminating interpretation of shame and its intimate relation to personal identity.

This study explores the intricate relationship between Salar vocal folk music and the Islamic faith, focusing on the Salar community in Qinghai Province, China. This research aims to examine how Islamic religious practices have shaped Salar vocal folk music and identify the challenges to its preservation. Data were collected through a qualitative methodology, including ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with three key informants: religious leaders, cultural inheritors, and folk musicians. The findings reveal that Salar vocal folk music serves as a medium (...) for religious devotion, moral instruction, and communal bonding. However, the study also highlights significant challenges, such as modernization and the disengagement of younger generations from traditional practices. The implications for research and practice include the need for increased formalized education programs, government support, and community-based initiatives aimed at preserving Salar music. Digital preservation efforts, such as archiving traditional songs, are recommended as an additional measure to safeguard this cultural heritage. The study is limited by its focus on a specific region and small sample size. Future research should explore how modern technology and media can be leveraged to engage younger audiences in traditional music practices. Preserving this unique musical tradition is essential for maintaining the Salar people’s cultural and religious identity in the face of globalization. (shrink)

The intrinsic dynamics andinnovative potential of the rural poor in Chinacan be illustrated by the phenomena of farmerinnovation circles in north Shaanxi.These are informal networks used by farmers tocollaborate on technology learning andagricultural production. Though not limited tospecific geographic locations, these circlesare particularly important in the marginalareas of rural China where the complexity ofthe geographic environment, the diversity offarmer demands, and the inefficiency of formalagricultural extension networks impede thespread of new agricultural technologies. Socialconnectedness in the form of householdcommunication networks, technology (...) learninggroups, and inter-village links aids people's collective capacity to work together. In thestudy of 50 villages in this remote region, itwas found that households with more connectionswere more likely to adopt a range of newtechnologies, and so had higher income. Adetailed case study shows how collective actioncan lead to environmental improvements thatfurther increase incomes. It is concluded thatif there is to be sustainable development inthe marginal areas of China, then there willclearly need to be closer communication andinteraction between agricultural professionalsand rural communities. (shrink)

This study examines the contemporary status and cultural preservation of Salar vocal folk music within the Salar Muslim community in Qinghai Province, China, highlighting its role in sustaining cultural and spiritual identity. The research aims to understand the impact of modernization and cultural integration on these traditions and explore strategies for their preservation. Using a qualitative approach, data were gathered through fieldwork in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, including participant observations, semi-structured interviews with local musicians and cultural practitioners, and document analysis (...) of preservation policies. Audio-visual recordings of performances further supported the thematic analysis of challenges and strategies for preserving this music. Findings reveal that while government initiatives contribute significantly to preservation, greater community engagement, educational initiatives, and the use of modern technology are essential to bridge generational gaps in cultural appreciation. The study underscores the need to integrate cultural preservation into educational and religious frameworks aligned with community-centered approaches. Recommendations include targeted educational programs, innovation in media to engage younger generations, and the establishment of legal protections for intangible cultural heritage. These findings offer implications for ethnomusicologists, policymakers, and educators, supporting broader cultural preservation efforts in multi-ethnic contexts. (shrink)

Hemodynamic response to motor execution (ME) and motor imagery (MI) was investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We used a 31 channel fNIRS system which allows non-invasive monitoring of cerebral oxygenation changes induced by cortical activation. Sixteen healthy subjects (mean-age 24.5 yeas) were recruited and the changes in concentration of hemoglobin were examined during right and left hand finger tapping tasks and kinesthetic MI. To suppress the systemic physiological interference, we developed a preprocessing procedure which prevents over-activated reporting in NIRS-SPM. (...) In the condition of ME, more activation was observed in the anterior part of the motor cortex including the pre-motor and supplementary motor area (pre-motor and SMA), primary motor cortex (M1) and somatosensory motor cortex (SMC; t (15) > 2.27), however, in the condition of MI, more activation was found in the posterior part of motor cortex including SMC ( t (15) > 1.81), which is in line with previous observations with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). (shrink)

This study investigated the status of research integrity knowledge among dental undergraduates from 34 Chinese universities in 5 key demographic regions. Questionnaires regarding the status of research integrity, including perception, attitude, and firsthand experience of scientific research integrity, were distributed to dental undergraduates of 34 Chinese universities. These universities were from 5 key demographic regions of China, i.e., eastern, western, northern, southern, and central. The questionnaires filled out by 1514 participants were further analyzed. The results showed that among the participants, (...) nearly 70% acquire scientific integrity knowledge through courses, as well as ideological and political education, while the remaining students acquire scientific integrity knowledge through other means, such as books and conferences. From the attitude perspective, most students (80-90%) oppose scientific misconduct. However, a few students also have an insufficient understanding of scientific misconduct and still need to improve their scientific research integrity training further. We also found that the research integrity training and the surrounding research environment affect students' attitudes and self-behavior regarding scientific integrity. Our findings indicate that the ethical academic and research environment, implementation of scientific integrity courses in the curriculum, and proper supervision are vital in improving scientific research integrity knowledge in dental undergraduates in Chinese universities. (shrink)

Dreamcore originates from a video (or image) form submitted on 21 April 2018, when an anonymous user posted a thread on 4chan’s paranormal section collecting images that would make people feel ‘uncomfortable', and another user’s comment under it gained the attention of the community. And it has been a new subculture that uses familiar scenes to make the audience nostalgic but uneasy, with two important characteristics: ‘Lost items’ and ‘exposed shame’. In contrast to the philosophical concept ‘sense of material’, the (...) absolutely independent defamiliarization, or liminal space’s ‘neither … nor … ’, ‘lost items’ pursues the familiarity in strangeness without resorting to the expression of magical reality, or using ambiguity between the two to create a ‘either … or …’ atmosphere; Compared with modern urban planning based on the principle of ‘ecology’, ‘exposed shame’ reveals infrastructures that do not match the natural setting in the image, causing abruptness and embarrassment. Both point to the dreamcore’s playful ambiguity, thus not being governed by serious art and symbolising the original intention of free creation. (shrink)

A revival of Confucianism in post-Mao China helped the government legitimate its power in the face of a new socio-political and economic situation. This paper specifically explores the role of Confucian self-cultivation in China’s governance. Drawing on Beetham’s theory of legitimation of power and Weber’s tri-typology of authority, we argue that self-cultivation, appealing to ingrained cultural values and traditions, fulfils the criteria of legitimation of power through two principles, namely, differentiation and community interest. In the context of suzhi education and (...) China’s national university entrance exam, we interrogate tensions and paradoxes between the need for a presentation of modern and liberal authority and the CCP’s one-party rule. The paper illustrates the complexity of China’s authoritarianism and the intricacies and intrinsic relevance of self-cultivation in current practice. (shrink)

Self-reported lost memory of child sexual abuse (CSA) can be mistaken for “repressed memory.” Based on our longitudinal studies of memory and disclosure in child maltreatment victims who are now adults, we discuss findings relevant to “repressed memory cases.” We examined relations between self-report of temporarily lost memory of CSA (subjective forgetting) and memory accuracy for maltreatment-related experiences (objective memory). Across two studies involving separate samples, we find evidence for memory suppression rather than repression: (1) Most adults who claimed temporary (...) lost memory of CSA reported memory suppression and clarified that they could have remembered the event if asked; (2) subjective forgetting was positively associated with accurate objective memory for maltreatment-related experiences. Subjective forgetting was also related to increased adult trauma symptoms and related to childhood non-disclosure of CSA. Moreover, trauma-related psychopathology mediated the relation between non-disclosure and subjective forgetting. Implications for psychological theory and repressed memory cases are discussed. (shrink)

A teacher’s use of classroom space via embodied movement enacts a specific spatial pedagogy and has a significant impact on the nature of teaching and learning that can take place. The ubiquity and large expenditure in renovating university learning environments have not been accompanied by well-informed research due to a tendency to background embodied movement in pedagogic investigations. This paper explores the semiotic potentials and pedagogic functions of one teacher’s embodied movement in an Active Learning Classroom in a tertiary setting. (...) It maps out the interrelationship of embodied movement and space as an entanglement of materiality and practice, which complements existing research that relates movement to space only in terms of layout and composition. By conducting a nuanced multimodal analysis of one teacher’s co-patterns of movement and speech in a tertiary lesson, this paper finds that co-patterns of embodied movement and speech in the classroom can segment phases of pedagogic discourse into five secondary phases and that these phases congruently enact different types of space to modulate the teacher-student relationship and enact different pedagogic roles. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implication of embodied movement on classroom design and pedagogic practice. (shrink)

Judging an act’s causal efficacy plays a crucial role in causal decision theory. A recent development appeals to the causal modeling framework with an emphasis on the analysis of intervention based on the causal Bayes net for clarifying what causally depends on our acts. However, few writers have focused on exploring the usefulness of extending structural causal models to decision problems that are not ideal for intervention analysis. The thesis concludes that structural models provide a more general framework for rational (...) decision makers. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:LinajeQuan Zhou WuWith “Linaje,” I wanted to explore the fine line between fiction and lies. Fantasy.I attended a workshop on embuste flamenco with artist Mateo Chica in Villanueva del Rosario. Mateo said that embuste is art, “that lie associated with oral flamenco, which is transmitted with a sort of distraction from real time, to be able to immerse oneself in a fun fiction, that leads to another possible place.”Mateo (...) explained to us that there are embustes that endure over time, like the mythical phrase about Lola Flores, “she neither sings nor dances but don’t miss her” from the New York Times that was never actually published, but immensely helped her in her career.“Linaje” is a work that respects orality, the one that happened, and the one that never was. The stories lost for being lost in translation. The stories misunderstood due to our language barriers, and those we collected incompletely due to language interferences. Where, thanks to different artificial intelligences like Stable Diffusion, Dall-E, and Chat-GPT, it has been possible to create that “almost real” universe, perceptible and concrete.But above all, “Linaje” is a question:Where will our memories remain?Once my contract with the web server ends, once my hard drive rusts, my space in the cloud expires, where will this story remain?Who will pick up the pieces of us, those of us who walk as secondary stories in this Western world?What is truth? What is a lie?In this piece, perhaps that does not matter. [End Page 7]Email: gazpachoagridulce@gmail.comCopyright © 2023 Cornell University... (shrink)

Does context influence our appreciation of beauty? To answer this question, two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of contextual aesthetics on the recognition of moral behavior. Experiment 1 demonstrated that individuals in a high-aesthetic context had a quicker recognition time for moral behavior than those in a low-aesthetic context. In a low-aesthetic context, individuals recognize immoral behavior more quickly than in a high aesthetic context. Individuals showed greater recognition rates for moral behavior in a high aesthetic context and (...) higher recognition for immoral behaviors in a low aesthetic context for behavior with unclear information. Experiment 2 revealed that individual fixation counts were smaller under the conditions of high aesthetic context and moral behavior than under the conditions of low aesthetic context and moral behavior, indicating a correlation between low aesthetic context and immoral behavior. This study shows that high aesthetic context facilitates the recognition of moral behavior, which has implications for moral education. (shrink)

This paper studies the structure of semisimple rings using techniques of reverse mathematics, where a ring is left semisimple if the left regular module is a finite direct sum of simple submodules. The structure theorem of left semisimple rings, also called Wedderburn-Artin Theorem, is a famous theorem in noncommutative algebra, says that a ring is left semisimple if and only if it is isomorphic to a finite direct product of matrix rings over division rings. We provide a proof for the (...) theorem in $$\mathrm RCA_{0}$$, showing the structure theorem for computable semisimple rings. The decomposition of semisimple rings as finite direct products of matrix rings over division rings is unique. Based on an effective proof of the Jordan-Hölder Theorem for modules with composition series, we also provide an effective proof for the uniqueness of the matrix decomposition of semisimple rings in $$\mathrm RCA_{0}$$. (shrink)

Public intellectuals play an important role in shaping public perceptions and forming public opinions. One of the most important ways in which intellectuals affect and transform society is by promo...

BackgroundDeficits in phonological processing are commonly reported in dyslexia but longitudinal evidence that poor speech perception compromises reading is scant. This 2-year longitudinal ERP study investigates changes in pre-attentive auditory processing that underlies categorical perception of mandarin lexical tones during the years children learn to read fluently. The main purpose of the present study was to explore the development of lexical tone categorical perception to see if it can predict children’s reading ability.MethodsBoth behavioral and electrophysiological measures were taken in this (...) study. Auditory event-related potentials were collected with a passive listening oddball paradigm. Using a stimulus continuum spanning from one lexical tone category exemplar to another, we identified a between-category and a within-category tone deviant that were acoustically equidistant from a standard stimulus. The standard stimulus occurred on 80% of trials, and one of two deviants equiprobably on the remaining trials. 8-year-old Mandarin speakers participated in both an initial ERP oddball paradigm and returned for a 2-year follow-up.ResultsThe between-category MMN and within-category MMN significantly correlate with each other at age 8 but not at age 10. The between-category MMN at age 8 can predict children’s ability at age 10 but the within-category cannot.ConclusionThe categorical perception of lexical tone is still developing from age 8 to age 10. The behavioral and electrophysiological results demonstrate that categorical perception of lexical tone at age 8 predicts children’s reading ability at age 10. (shrink)

Say that α is an n-strongly c. e. real if α is a sum of n many strongly c. e. reals, and that α is regular if α is n-strongly c. e. for some n. Let Sn be the set of all n-strongly c. e. reals, Reg be the set of regular reals and CE be the set of c. e. reals. Then we have: S1 ⊂ S2 ⊂ · · · ⊂ Sn ⊂ · · · ⊂ ⊂ Reg (...) ⊂ CE. This gives a hierarchy of the c. e. reals. We also study the regularity of the d. c. e. reals. (shrink)

Taking the semiotic landscaping of the Occupy Movement in Hong Kong in 2014 as an example, the article explores the semiotic relation between the materialization of signs and the constitution of a collectivity. Juxtaposing the concepts of ‘collective assemblage of enunciation’, ‘landscaping’ and ‘autoglottic space’, the article argues that collective enunciations are not autonomous from human agency. Instead, collective enunciations can be created by deliberate de-subjectification and de-personification in the materialization of signs.

In the late seventeenth century, a Chinese Buddhist priest named Donggao Xinyue 東皋心越 introduced a selection of qin 琴 songs to Japan. Over the following centuries, Japanese qin players continued to sing these songs in Chinese. This paper looks into this cross-cultural interaction from both Donggao’s and the Japanese perspectives, against the historical background of the Ming-Qing dynastic transition and the breakdown of the Sinocentric world order in East Asia. I argue that Donggao and Japanese literati understood the significance of (...) these songs differently as they both connected the songs to their own cultural past. Nonetheless, they were brought together by the shared belief that the performance of qin songs would bridge the past and the present and hence realize their vision of the ideal civilization. Meanwhile, neither Donggao nor the Japanese literati regarded the qin—as well as the ideal society it symbolized—to be exclusively Chinese or Japanese. My analysis shows how the idea of being Chinese/Japanese was intertwined with the changing understandings of the hua–yi/ka-i 華夷 worldview during this period, and how it was negotiated through the cultural memories that shaped and reshaped the past. This particular case also explains how qin songs as a medium for cultural memory differed from other musical and non-musical forms. (shrink)

In Whitehead’s theory of “events”, the primary focus is on the critical assessment of abstraction. Modern science’s heavy reliance on abstraction has resulted in what Whitehead calls “the fallacy of misplaced concreteness”, where the abstract is mistaken for the actual. To address this issue, Whitehead replaces the traditional category of abstraction with eternal objects and defines the abstractive hierarchy. He aims to clarify the metaphysical status of abstraction and concreteness while dissolving their binary opposition. It is important to note that (...) there are two possible approaches for interpreting an abstractive hierarchy. The differences between these approaches stem from the question of whether abstraction and complexity should be considered identical concepts. Based on their respective understandings, the abstractive hierarchy will exhibit different structural features, as well as varying positions for the concepts of abstraction and eternal objects within Whitehead’s metaphysical thought. (shrink)