Ancient traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has effectively relied on the theory of yin-yang balance in diagnoses and treatments of diseases and disorders for more than 2000 years. However, in eastern society, yin-yang is regarded as an incomprehensible ideology without definite physical meaning. Consequently, the yin-yang balance in medicine has not been studied by modern scientific means. In t...

OBJECTIVE To explore the nature of deficiency in spleen-yin syndrome, which could provide scientific theoretical support and practical guidance for clinical Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation based on biology, and had a strong clinical significance. METHODS Serum Cu and Zn were detected by atomic absorption spectrophotometer, serum vitamin E by high performance liquid...

2008 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am greatly indebted to Dr. Sung Wing-Kin for being my supervisor in this project. He has been unyielding in providing me with guidance and inspiration. Our many invaluable discussions helped me significantly to navigate through the research process. I extend my utmost gratitude for his constant encouragement and support. Karuturi Radha Krishna Murthy for the many great...

Since ancient times, a natural number has been called perfect if it equals the sum of its proper divisors; e.g., 6 = 1+2+3 is a perfect number. In 1913, Dickson showed that for each fixed k, there are only finitely many odd perfect numbers with at most k distinct prime factors. We show how this result, and many like it, follow from embedding the natural numbers in the supernatural numbers and i...

WNT10B has been indicated as a potential regulator of adipogenesis in vivo and in vitro models of obesity. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of WNT10B polymorphism in elderly Korean subjects with cerebral infarction (CI) and Yin Deficiency pattern and Non-Yin Deficiency pattern. A total of 630 CI patients, including 75 with Yin Deficiency pattern and 555 with Non-Yin Deficiency patter...

Kin selection theory predicts altruism between related individuals, which requires the ability to recognize kin from non-kin. In insects, kin discrimination associated with altruistic behaviour is well-known in clonal and social species but in very few solitary insects. Here, we report that the solitary larvae of a non-social insect Aleochara bilineata Gyll. (Coleoptera; Staphylinidae) show kin...

The genus Sinotrisus Yin & Li, comprising four species, is redefined and revised. Members of Sinotrisus are often found with ants of the subfamily Formicinae, or in humid forest habitats. The type speciesand three new species are (re-)described and illustrated: Sinotrisus kishimotoi Yin & Nomura, sp. n. (China: Sichuan), Sinotrisus nomurai Yin, Li & Zhao (type species) (China: Zhejing), Sinotri...

In many organisms, individuals behave more altruistically towards relatives than towards unrelated individuals. Here, we conducted a study to determine if the performance of Arabidopsis thaliana is influenced by whether individuals are in competition with kin or non-kin. We selected seven pairs of genetically distinct accessions that originated from local populations throughout Europe. We measu...