The Gongsun Longzi is often considered the only extant work of the Classical Chinese "School of Names", an early intellectual tradition (trad. dated to the 4th cent. B.C.) mainly concerned with logic and the philosophy of language. The Gongsun Longzi is a heterogeneous collection of five chapters that include short treatises and largely fictive dialogues between an anonymous persuader and his opponent, which typically revolve around a paradoxical claim. Its value as a testimony to Early Chinese philosophy, however, is somewhat controversial due to the intricate textual history of the text and our limited knowledge about its intellectual backgrounds. This volume gathers contributions by leading specialists in the fields of Classical Chinese philosophy, philology, logic, and linguistics. Besides an overview of the scholarly literature on the topic and a detailed account of the reception of the text throughout time, it presents fresh insights into philological and philosophical problems raised by the Gongsun Longzi and other closely-related texts equally attributed to the "School of Names".

2 The role of Ca+ as an internal messenger in visual transduction of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms has been explored intensely in the recent past. Since the 2 early 1970s, calcium ions and cyclic GMP (whose levels are controlled by Ca+ in vertebrates) have been recognized as important second messengers. Particularly in 2 the last decade, however, the role of Ca+ in visual transduction has been re-evalu- ated and a proliferation of research has documented a multiplicity of roles. 2 It is now evident that Ca+ modulates phototransduction by acting at several 2 sites through a host of small Ca+ -binding proteins. For example, in phototransduction 2 of vertebrates, Ca+-free forms of guanylate cyclase activating proteins (GCAPs) activate guanylate cyclase, modulating levels of cOMP, a key event in the return of photoreceptors to pre-bleach conditions. Defects in genes encoding guanylate cy- clase or guanylate cyclase activating proteins lead to severe diseases of the retina (e. g. , Leber congenital amaurosis, rod/cone dystrophy, or cone dystrophy), thus em- phasizing the important role of these proteins in phototransduction. Similarly, mu- 2 tant genes encoding cation or Ca+ channels (cyclic nucleotide-gated cation chan- 2 nels located in the cell membrane and L-type voltage-gated Ca+ channels located at the synapse of photo receptors) lead to retinitis pigmentosa or congenital stationary night blindness. In phototransduction of invertebrate organisms (e. g. , Drosophila 2 and Limulus), the role of Ca+ is similarly central, but distinct, from that of vertebrates.

2 The role of Ca+ as an internal messenger in visual transduction of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms has been explored intensely in the recent past. Since the 2 early 1970s, calcium ions and cyclic GMP (whose levels are controlled by Ca+ in vertebrates) have been recognized as important second messengers. Particularly in 2 the last decade, however, the role of Ca+ in visual transduction has been re-evalu- ated and a proliferation of research has documented a multiplicity of roles. 2 It is now evident that Ca+ modulates phototransduction by acting at several 2 sites through a host of small Ca+ -binding proteins. For example, in phototransduction 2 of vertebrates, Ca+-free forms of guanylate cyclase activating proteins (GCAPs) activate guanylate cyclase, modulating levels of cOMP, a key event in the return of photoreceptors to pre-bleach conditions. Defects in genes encoding guanylate cy- clase or guanylate cyclase activating proteins lead to severe diseases of the retina (e. g. , Leber congenital amaurosis, rod/cone dystrophy, or cone dystrophy), thus em- phasizing the important role of these proteins in phototransduction. Similarly, mu- 2 tant genes encoding cation or Ca+ channels (cyclic nucleotide-gated cation chan- 2 nels located in the cell membrane and L-type voltage-gated Ca+ channels located at the synapse of photo receptors) lead to retinitis pigmentosa or congenital stationary night blindness. In phototransduction of invertebrate organisms (e. g. , Drosophila 2 and Limulus), the role of Ca+ is similarly central, but distinct, from that of vertebrates.

Also available online. The Encyclopedia of Chinese Language and Linguistics offers a systematic and comprehensive overview of the languages of China and the different ways in which they are and have been studied. It provides authoritative treatment of all important aspects of the languages spoken in China, today and in the past, from many different angles, as well as the different linguistic traditions in which they have been investigated. In more than 500 articles, written by major specialists in the field, the Encyclopedia offers a synthesis of the most important research in Chinese linguistics and up-to-date bibliographical coverage. As such it is the prime reference source for information on: * the lexicon, syntax, and sound structure of the Sinitic and non-Sinitic languages of China, including sign languages * the history of languages in China and their situation today * the history of Chinese linguistics, both indigenous and Western traditions * the sociolinguistic situation, language contact, and language variation * psycho- and neurolinguistic studies on Chinese, including first language acquisition * and many other aspects of Chinese and Chinese linguistics (e.g., Chinese in the diaspora, Chinese loanwords in other languages, history of lexicography, language pedagogy, etc.).

Das Werk "Antikchinesisch - Ein Lehrbuch in zwei Teilen" ist eine erweiterte Neuauflage der bewahrten universitaren Unterrichtsmittel "Antikchinesisch in funf Element(ar)gangen" und "Antikchinesische Texte," in denen - erstmalig fur ein Lehrbuch dieser Art - der aktuelle Forschungsstand der historischen Phonologie und Morphologie einbezogen wurde. Mit dem ersten Teil "Eine propadeutische Einfuhrung in funf Element(ar)gangen" werden im Rahmen eines terminologisch geschlossenen Korrespondenzsystems grundlegende Syntaxmuster eingeubt. Er enthalt einen Ubungsschlussel, eine Schreibhilfe sowie ein Worterbuch mit dem gesamten Vokabular des Lehrbuchs. Der zweite Teil "Chrestomathie mit Glossaren und Grammatiknotizen" umfasst dreissig aufbereitete Auszuge aus antikchinesischen Quellentexten mit vollstandigen Glossaren und umfangreichen Grammatiknotizen zu jeder Ausserung. Zudem ermoglichen die beigefugten (mor)phonologischen Anmerkungen einen praziseren Zugang zur Struktur des antikchinesischen Wortschatzes, dessen etymologischen Beziehungen und zum Verstandnis prosodischer Muster der vorgestellten Texte. Der Begleitband "Grammatik des Antikchinesischen" beinhaltet eine systematische Zusammenfassung und Vertiefung des in den zwei Lehrbuchteilen verstreut vorkommenden grammatikalischen und phonologischen Wissens. Zudem bildet er eine in sich geschlossene sprachwissenschaftliche Abhandlung zu elementaren Strukturen der antikchinesischen Syntax und zur phonologischen Rekonstruktion des Antikchinesischen. Die Einsichten in die Sprach- und Lautstruktur sind Voraussetzungen fur eine differenzierte Lekture von Texten, welche z.T. kanonischen Charakter erlangt haben, und mithin fur das Verstandnis der traditionellen Geistes- und Kulturgeschichte Chinas."