Monetary Theory from a Chinese Historical Perspective

We discuss monetary thought in ancient China from the perspective of Western monetary theory. It sets out the structure of economic activity in the various dynasties of ancient China and emphasizes the differences in monetary structure from Europe (and later North America). Imperial China was a politically integrated structure with regional segmentation of economic activities and hence with regional money. Monetary policy was one body conducted at regional level, but overseen naturally politically before national integration under the Ming dynasty (14th century). In various regions different forms of money circulated, with gold, silver, copper, and paper all present at various times. Monetary policy was guided by monetary thought, such as later in Europe. Basic concepts such as monetary function, the velocity of circulation, inflation, interest rate parity and the quantity theory were all present. The economics of Imperial China witnessed boom and bust, inflation and deflation and monetary control much like Europe to follow. Monetary thought thus seemingly preceded Western thought, and had remarkable similarities. Whether much of this thought travelled down the silk road remains unknown, but the possibility is intriguing.

Hydrothermal Formation of the Head-to-Head Coalesced Szaibelyite MgBO2(OH) Nanowires

The significant effect of the feeding mode on the morphology and size distribution of the hydrothermal synthesized MgBO2(OH) is investigated, which indicates that, slow dropping rate (0.5 drop s−1) and small droplet size (0.02 mL d−1) of the dropwise added NaOH solution are favorable for promoting the one-dimensional (1D) preferential growth and thus enlarging the aspect ratio of the 1D MgBO2(OH) nanostructures. The joint effect of the low concentration of the reactants and feeding mode on the hydrothermal product results in the head-to-head coalesced MgBO2(OH) nanowires with a length of 0.5–9.0 μm, a diameter of 20–70 nm, and an aspect ratio of 20–300 in absence of any capping reagents/surfactants or seeds

Research progress on moyamoya disease combined with thyroid diseases

Moyamoya disease (MMD), also known as abnormal cerebral vascular network disease, is characterized by progressive occlusion or stenosis of the internal carotid and cerebral arteries, as well as the formation of an abnormal cerebral vascular network. It can occur anywhere in the world but is most common in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. In recent years, there have been increasing reports on the coexistence of thyroid diseases and MMD, but the mechanism of their coexistence is still unclear. For this article, we used keywords such as “moyamoya disease”, “thyroid”, “Grave disease”, “thyrotoxicosis”, and “thyroid autoimmune antibodies” to search for 52 articles that met the requirements in medical databases such as PubMed and Web of Science. This article also reviews the research on the role of thyroid hormone, the mechanism of immune antibodies, the possible correlation between thyroid diseases and MMD disease genes, and the treatment methods, and discusses the possible relationship between MMD and thyroid diseases to provide a reference for the pathogenesis and treatment of MMD with thyroid diseases

Electroacupuncture at LI11 promotes jejunal motility via the parasympathetic pathway

Background: Gastrointestinal motility disorder has been demonstrated to be regulated by acupuncture treatment. The mechanisms underlying the effects of acupuncture stimulation of abdominal and lower limb acupoints on gastrointestinal motility have been thoroughly studied; however, the physiology underlying the effects of acupuncture on the forelimbs to mediate gastrointestinal motility requires further exploration. The aim of this study was to determine whether electroacupuncture (EA) at LI11 promotes jejunal motility, whether the parasympathetic pathway participates in this effect, and if so, which somatic afferent nerve fibres are involved.Methods: A manometric balloon was used to observe jejunal motility. The effects and mechanisms of EA at LI11 were explored in male Sprague-Dawley rats with or without drug administration (propranolol, clenbuterol, acetylcholine, and atropine) and with or without vagotomy. Three types of male mice (β1β2 receptor-knockout [β1β2 −/−] mice, M2M3 receptor-knockout [M2M3 −/−] mice and wild-type [WT] mice) were also studied by using different EA intensities (1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 mA). A total of 72 rats and 56 mice were included in the study.Results: EA at LI11 increased the contractile amplitude of jejunal motility in the majority of both rats and mice. However, EA at LI11 did not enhance jejunal motility in rats administered atropine, rats that underwent vagotomy, and M2M3 −‍‍/− mice (at all intensities). In WT mice, EA at LI11 significantly increased jejunal motility at all intensities except 1 mA, and a plateau was reached at intensities greater than 4 mA.Conclusion: Our results suggest that EA at LI11 promotes jejunal motility primarily by exciting the parasympathetic pathway, and that Aδ-fibres and C-fibres may play important roles in the process

Radial growth response of Pinus Yunnanensis to climate in high mountain forests of northwestern Yunnan, southwestern China

Understanding the relationship between tree growth and environmental conditions is essential to elucidating the impact of global climate change on forest ecosystems. We used the dendrochronology method to examine the growth sensitivity of a typical conifer to climate change in mountain forests of Central Hengduan Mountain. The study involved the establishment of tree ring width chronologies of Pinus yunnanensis in both Haba Snow Mountain (HB) and Yulong Snow Mountain (YL) in northwestern Yunnan, enabling the detection of the relationship between its radial growth and climates, i.e., monthly total precipitation, monthly temperatures (average minimum, mean and maximum) and monthly Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Response function and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to identify correlations between climate variables and radial growth, and moving interval analysis was applied to determine the stability of climate-growth relationship. The findings demonstrated that the growth of P. yunnanensis had similar response patterns to climate change at two sites, exhibiting growth synchronization and common signals. Specifically, the radial growth of P. yunnanensis was negatively correlated with May temperature, while temperature in current October significantly promoted radial growth. Precipitation in June was the common climate variable with inverse effects between two sites, with positive impacts on YL and negative impacts on HB. The results of moving interval analysis were consistent with response function and RDA, presenting significant correlations in many years for those climatic variables significantly affecting tree growth. Stability analysis also revealed that the climate-growth relationship could fluctuate over a small range of time scales, induced by an abrupt change in climate. A forecast of strengthen in growth of P. yunnanensis forests was expected, since increases in precipitation and temperature of most months would benefit tree growth, and negative impacts of May temperature would be offset by the increase of precipitation in the corresponding month. These results could provide a basis for developing sustainable strategies of forest management under the climate change