Researcher Summaries
NSERC
Alaa Abd-El-Aziz
Title: Design of Novel Transition Metal-Containing Macromolecules
Summary -
The goal of this research is to design thermally stable polymers that incorporate metallic moieties in their structures. The proposed polymeric materials have potential applications for ceramics, encapsulation of metal ions and small molecules, energy harvesting, aerospace and drug delivery agents. In this project, linear, hyper-branched, star-shaped and dendritic molecules containing metallic moieties in or pendent to the backbone of these materials will be prepared. The linear molecules will contain a number of metallic moieties that can undergo electron transfer reactions which are useful in many applications such as chemical sensing and molecular batteries. High temperature pyrolysis (above 800¡ãC) of silicon-based polymers should result in the formation of ceramic materials. In light of coumarins, potential applications as laser dyes and enzyme inhibitors, coumarin-containing polymers will be prepared. Linear polymers containing macrocyclic units will be synthesized with the macrocycles as an integral part of the backbone or as pendent groups. A number of macrocycles will be utilized including calixarenes and porphyrins due to their photophysical properties. Star-shaped and dendritic macromolecules are of growing interest since these materials find many medical and industrial applications. Novel-metal containing star-shaped molecules and dendrimers will be prepared and their potential medical and industrial applications will be investigated. Most of these reactions will use iron-containing materials as a mediator since the reaction conditions are mild, and the relatively low cost associated with the iron starting materials.
Ed Cloutis
Title: Mars Climatic and Geological Evolution from Spectroscopic Analysis of Surficial Geology
Summary -
The proposed program of research involves using reflectance spectroscopic techniques to map the surficial geology of Mars (and other planetary bodies) using a combination of observational data (e.g., Mars orbiters and landers, Earth-based telescopes, Hubble Space Telescope) and laboratory and terrestrial field-based studies. The goal is to improve our understanding of the surface geology of Mars. As the current surface of Mars reflects both the planet's geological history and its climate over time, a better understanding of the planet's surface materials will provide important insights into Mars' geological and climatic evolution. The proposed research will focus on improving our knowledge of the Martian surface by: developing new techniques for the analysis of planetary surfaces using reflectance spectroscopy; examination of terrestrial analogues of Martian surfaces (by field-based studies of areas such as terrestrial impact craters and volcanic terrains); and, determining the stability and spectral reflectance properties of a variety of rocks and minerals suspected of being present on the surface of Mars. The latter research will be undertaken using newly constructed environment chambers which simulate the surface of Mars and allow for measurements of the spectral reflectance properties of rocks and minerals while they are exposed to simulated Martian surface conditions of temperature, atmospheric pressure and composition, and ultraviolet light regime.
The results of this research, and the associated facilities, will also be used to support similar planetary mapping campaigns for other planetary bodies, such as Mercury, the Moon, and asteroids, as well as assist terrestrial geologists in identifying and mapping terrestrial mineral deposits.
Randy Kobes
Title: Quantum and Non-Linear Physics
Summary -
My research is divided into three main areas. 1) Quantum field theory: This area takes into account interactions between particles at the quantum level. I am especially interested in such interactions for which temperature and density effects are important, such as in heavy ion collisions and in the early universe. Here we are examining three main issues. One is concerned with the calculations of decay rates and transport coefficients at finite temperature, particularly their interpretation. Another involves some properties of certain condensed matter systems which may be interpreted as analogues of black holes. The final one is an analysis of systems which are out of thermal equilibrium.
2) Non--linear phenomena: Interest in this area has increased dramatically in recent years, due to both the availability of inexpensive and powerful computers and also the realization of the wide diversity of applications. Here we are examining three specific areas. One involves developing numerical methods of analyzing the characteristics of chaos and fractals in certain physical systems. Another, which is related to aspects of quantum field theory, is an investigation of parametric resonance arising in certain systems out of equilibrium, particularly possible implications of enhanced particle production. The final one is a project involving aspects of neural networks, including a possible role they might play in quantum computing.
3) Quantum computing: The possibility of exploiting quantum properties of systems to make what is known as a quantum computer has attracted a great deal of attention recently. As well as revolutionizing computer design, such investigations provide valuable insight into the nature of quantum mechanics and information theory. As well as a study of neural networks in this context, we are looking at adiabatic quantum systems which provide analogue models of certain algorithms used in quantum computing calculations.
Simon Liao
Title: "Moment Methods in Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis"
Summary -
The general objective of this research program is to discover the theorems and solutions for a number of issues related to the moment methods in the fields of pattern recognition and image analysis. The moments of an image can uniquely provide both invariant and non-invariant global characteristics and geometrical features of the image. In recent years, moment methods have been widely employed in many applications in image analysis, pattern recognition, object classification, template matching, robotic vision, data compressing, and many other areas.
This research will mainly focus on the issues of discovering new types of image moments to enrich the moment methods, the accuracy and efficiency in moment computing, the prospect of applying moment methods to noisy data, and the relationship between global moments and local moments. The answers to these inquiries will have a strong impact on the moment-based applications in the fields of pattern recognition, image processing, document image analysis, and communication.
Vaclav Linek
Title: Skolem sequences, reachability problems and abelian pattern avoidance
Summary -
You've heard of OgOpOgO, the monster living in Okanagan lake.
Here's a sighting of OgOpOgO:
O g O p O g O
Lake Okanagan: abca ab bcc ba aba ba cbc ab abcabbcacb
All of OgOpOgO's humps (the O's) have the same bumps, but he can twist
around so the bumps can look mixed up from hump to hump, that's why the
first O goes with "ab" but the next O goes with "ba". And
he can twist any other part of his body if he wants to or not, and he
can stretch and shrink his body parts too
(but remember: all of his four humps must have the same
bumps, and the same for any other of his parts!) Yet another sighting
of OgOpOgO:
O g O p O g O
ab c bcab c bb c acbb c bbcacba...
Now, it's a fact that if you fix the number of letters, then
as you spell out into the lake you will *eventually* see OgOpOgO, but
you may have to spell a long, long time. Try it with just two
letters, how far can you spell before you see OgOpOgO?
What we don't know about is OgOpOsOgs, the reclusive father of OgOpOgO.
If you spell far enough with four letters you will see OgOpOsOgs,
but it might just be that you can spell forever with five letters
and never see him.
Jeff Martin
Title: Weak Interactions in Few-Body Systems
Summary -
In nature, four fundamental forces exist: gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. The weak force is the only force which does not look the same when viewed in a mirror. The violation of mirror symmetry is called "parity violation". The weak and electromagnetic forces have been combined together (or "unified") in electroweak theory. The strong force has been unified with electroweak theory in what is known as the standard model of particle physics. Precise measurements of parity violation at low energies yield information on the weak force. This might inform us of physics beyond the standard model, and might even shed light on how to unify all the forces into one theory. It is the goal of this research to perform low-energy measurements of parity violation in order to possibly make new discoveries of physics beyond the standard model. A second goal is to use the weak force to study the strong force, in particular to study how the strong force between quarks in protons and neutrons contributes to their structure.
Melanie Martin
Title: In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Alzheimer's Disease
Summary -
As a physicist specializing in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), I am studying the causes, the course and the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in living brains. Alzheimer's affects almost half of all people older than 85. It is impossible to diagnose absolutely until after death, because existing MRI techniques cannot see the beta-amyloid plaques that define Alzheimer's inside a living brain. The object of my research is to develop a precise, non-invasive method to diagnose Alzheimer's and to follow the effectiveness of treatment over time.
Ortrud Oellermann
Title: Network Reliability Measures and Distance Parameters in Graphs
Summary -
The connectivity (edge-connectivity) between a pair u, v of vertices in a graph G is the maximum number of internally disjoint (edge-disjoint) u-v paths in G. The average connectivity (edge-connectivity) of G is the average connectivity taken over all pairs of vertices of G. These measures give a much more accurate picture of the reliability of a graph as compared to the classical invariants, (which are worst case measures) namely the connectivity and edge-connectivity of a graph. They have the added advantage that they can be computed in polynomial time unlike other reliability measures such as the integrity and toughness of a graph which are known to be NP-hard. Upperbounds for the average connectivity (edge-connectivity) of a graph in terms of the degrees have been established and some conditions under which these upperbounds can be attained have been obtained. The problem of orienting the edges of a graph to produce a digraph with largest possible average connectivity has been looked at. Solutions for this problem have been obtained for trees and complete graphs. However in general this appears to be a difficult problem. On interesting open problem is the following: If G is a graph with average (edge-)connectivity k, what is the largest (edge-)connectivity (in terms of k) of a subgraph of G that is guaranteed to exist? Bounds for this number have been found.
A set W of vertices in a connected (di)graph G resolves the (di)graph if for every pair u, v of vertices in G there is some vertex w in W such that the distance from u to w does not equal the distance from v to w. The problem of finding the smallest cardinality of a resolving set for a (di) graph, called its dimension, is NP-hard. This invariant has application to the problem of uniquely determining the location of an intruder in a network using loran stations (which are distance detecting devices) and to the navigation of robots in a graph space. The problem has been solved for trees and some bounds in terms of the diameter are known. We are investigating this invariant for Cayley (di)graphs.
We are also studying convexity notions in graphs.
Ross Stokke
Title: Amenable Locally Compact Groups, Banach Algebras, and Unitary Representations
Summary -
Locally compact groups are abstract mathematical objects which may be associated with the symmetries of a geometrical figure. They have many applications, both to the mathematical and physical sciences. To any locally compact group, one can associate several useful collections of mappings into the set of complex numbers. An operator may be interpreted as a finite or infinite array of complex numbers, and there are also many relevant collections of operators associated to these locally compact groups. A Banach algebra is a collection of elements such that each individual element has a length, and such that the sums and products of any two elements may be formed.
The aforementioned collections of mappings and operators are examples of Banach algebras, and my research is concerned with the study of locally compact groups through an examination of their associated Banach algebras. This branch of mathematics lies within the categories of abstract harmonic analysis and functional analysis.
Jacques C. Tardif
Title: A Dendrochronological Answer to Major Research Gaps in Plant Ecology
Summary -
The first objective of this proposal deals with the study of northern white-cedar. The species reaches the northwestern limit of its continuous range in southeastern Manitoba. Disjunct populations also occur near Cedar Lake, 350 km northwest. Little is known about these populations and the ecological factors controlling their distribution. Preliminary work suggests that fire may play a role in controlling the species distribution around Cedar Lake. We will characterize the habitat of white-cedar in both areas (disjunct vs continuous range). Demography and growth will be compared to disturbance history. Finding old white-cedar trees in each area will also allow us to increase our understanding of climate change in Central Canada. My second objective is to develop a multi-century reconstruction of drought occurrence using both dendroclimatology and stable carbon-isotope analyses. Isotope studies will be new to my laboratory and will involve collaboration. My third objective deals with dwarf shrubs, which have been neglected in dendroecology. We lack simple information about their age, their wood anatomy, their ecological role in succession. A prairie shrub (Juniperus horizontalis) and two subarctic shrubs (Dryas integrifolia and Salix reticulata) will be studied. In the last project, we will look at the impact of disturbances on wood anatomy. Seedlings of four floodplain species (American elm, bur oak, Manitoba maple and green ash) will be analyzed after experimental defoliation and flooding. We wish to induce anatomical changes in tree rings to better calibrate studies using ring anatomy as an environmental marker. This research program will provide answers to key questions regarding the relationship between climate and species distribution. A multi-century reconstruction of drought events will provide invaluable information about climatic change in Manitoba. From a shrub perspective, ground work will be initiated in ecology. At last, we will better understand environmental controls on tree rings anatomy in hardwoods. This research program will allow my laboratory to maintain a multidisciplinary approach to tree-ring analysis.
Désirée Vanderwel
Title: Regulation of Sex Pheromone Biosynthesis in Female Yellow Mealworm Beetles
Summary -
Beetles effect a staggering economic and social impact on humankind through the destruction of field crops, stored products and forests. Conversely, many beetles are beneficial as predators of insect pests. Knowledge gained in the quest to understand coleopteran biochemistry could be exploited to control pest species, or aid in the management of beneficial species. The biosynthetic pathways used by beetles to produce their pheromones, and the mechanisms by which these pathways are regulated, have been the targets of much interest. However, most studies have focused on the biochemistry of aggregation pheromone production. We propose to examine the biochemistry of sex pheromone production in a "model" beetle, the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor. Early studies by other workers established that the production of the female-produced sex pheromone, 4-methylnonanol, is regulated by Juvenile Hormone (JH). We have elucidated the biosynthetic route to the pheromone, confirmed that 4-methylnonanol production is regulated by JH, and identified one enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of 4-methylnonanol that is regulated by JH. We also discovered that mating induces a temporary decrease in level of sex pheromone in the female, due at least in part to an inhibition of sex pheromone biosynthesis. In this proposal, we plan to determine the mechanisms by which JH and mating exert their effects on pheromone levels in female T. molitor. This information will not only increase our basic knowledge of insect metabolism but, in the long term, an enhanced understanding of the factors that stimulate or inhibit pheromone production might be of practical value in our attempts to develop new strategies for the manipulation of pest populations.
Doug Williams
Title: Animal and Human Associative Learning
* * * * * *
SSHRC
Alan Diduck
Bruce Mitchell, University of Waterloo, Co-Investigator
Title: Responding to Complexity, Uncertainty, and Conflict: Case Studies of Social Learning in Resource and Environmental Management
Summary -
Resource and environmental management problems are often characterized by complexity, high uncertainty, and conflict over fundamental values. In responding to these intractable problems, theoreticians, policy makers, and resource managers are relying increasingly on participatory and social learning approaches. Such approaches enhance community capacity to guide human-environmental interactions along sustainable trajectories. Our project will explore this emerging perspective by investigating public involvement and social learning in two current resource and environmental management settings. The specific objectives are to: 1) identify characteristics of public involvement that enable social learning; 2) identify the nature of social learning in resource and environmental management settings; 3) explain the dynamics and limits of social learning in such settings; 4) clarify linkages between individual and social learning; and, 5) recommend policy and practice reforms that encourage social learning in transitions to sustainability. Social learning is a growing field of study that suggests that learning is an idea that applies not only to individuals but also to social collectives, such as organizations and communities. Our focus is on double-loop learning, which involves resolving conflict over values and norms, and promoting change in the face of high uncertainty.
The research design is a comparative case study of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) in southern Manitoba and an ongoing exercise in integrated land use planning in southern Ontario. EIA and land use planning provide good settings for the study because they are inherently anticipatory and preventative, and thus have significant potential for assisting in societal transitions to sustainable development. The specific EIA case is a joint, federal-provincial assessment of a proposed $660 million expansion of the Red River Floodway, a 45-km long channel that diverts flood water flows around Winnipeg. The second case will centre on the Oak Ridges Moraine, an ecologically sensitive area that contains the largest concentration of headwater streams in the Greater Toronto Area and provides a natural habitat for sensitive and threatened plant and animal species. In recent years, the moraine has been the subject of major policy, planning and civic initiatives, including passage of The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, preparation of a conservation plan, establishment of a land trust, and creation of the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation. Both of these cases are suitable for study because they will involve numerous organizations (including industry, government, and civic groups), diverse forums for social learning (including public hearings), and various degrees and types of conflict (including cognitive, interest and value conflict).
This project will contribute to the ongoing development of resource and environmental management methods that recognize and respond to complexity, uncertainty, and conflict. Such methods are fundamental to the current search for new scientific paradigms (e.g., sustainability science), and are linked to important emerging models of social-ecological systems. The project will also help document two current resource management cases of potential historical significance. Further, it will have practical implications by advancing understanding of public involvement programs that enable organizational and community learning. Similarly, it will contribute to knowledge of how conflict is resolved in resource management organizations, how such organizations learn in response to changing circumstances, what prevents learning, and who controls the learning process. Please see the project web site: http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~adiduck/SOCIAL_LEARNING/ for more information.
Beverley Fehr
Title: Anger Scripts in Close Relationships: An Interpersonal Script Analysis
Summary -
The way in which people express anger has implications for their personal and relational well-being. For example, the hostile expression of anger and the tendency to suppress anger are both associated with negative health outcomes (e.g., hypertension, cardiac disease; Linden et al., 2003). The destructive expression of anger also has damaging effects in intimate relationships- the very context in which anger is most likely to occur (e.g., Brehm et al., 2002). A program of research is proposed in which an analysis of anger scripts is conducted, based on interpersonal script theory. According to this theory (Baldwin, 1992), people form cognitive representations of self's responses to relational events, expected partner reactions, and importantly, interpersonal scripts (defined as expectations about the way the partner will react to behaviours on the part of self). In Part I of the proposed research program, this theory is applied to anger scripts in close relationships. The central prediction is that self responses to anger are contingent on the reaction that is expected from a partner (e.g., "If I respond by talking it over, I expect that my partner will withdraw"). Further, it is hypothesized that these contingencies vary, depending on the relationship context and, possibly, gender. For example, it is predicted that in friendships, anger scripts take a much more passive form (expecting that the other will react passively, even if self responds in an active manner), whereas the opposite will be true in romantic relationships. Five studies, using a variety of methodologies, will be conducted to test these hypotheses.
In Part II, it is proposed that expected partner/friend reactions may be a critical variable in explaining the emotions that people expect to experience during anger interactions as well as their forecasts about the likely resolution of anger-eliciting issues. More specifically, I examine anger scripts of the form, "If I respond with A, my partner will react with B, and then I will feel X", or perhaps, "and then the issue will never be resolved". Moreover, it is expected that emotional reactions and anticipated outcomes will vary, depending on gender and the type of relationship in which anger occurs. For example, it is predicted that people will report more negative emotions (and unsuccessful resolution of the issue) when they anticipate a passive response to their expression of anger from a romantic partner, rather than from a friend. Conversely, positive emotions (and successful outcomes) are predicted when an active response from a romantic partner (versus a friend) is expected. Both self-report and scenario studies are proposed to test these hypotheses.
In Part III, I focus on the personal and relational implications of interpersonal anger scripts. In Study 1, I explore the relation between interpersonal anger scripts and habitual tendencies toward hostility, anger suppression, and calm control. For example, it is hypothesized that constructive anger scripts will be associated with the tendency to calmly control anger, which, in turn, will be associated with good physical health. In Study 2, it is predicted that dissimilarity in partners' anger scripts will be associated with more negativity during a conflict interaction. Study 3 will use daily diary methodology to explore the hypothesis that partners who hold constructive anger scripts (i.e., anticipate constructive partner reactions to self's expressions of anger) will exhibit more constructive responses to naturally-occurring anger events, as well as greater positive affect and more satisfactory resolution of issues. It is concluded that in order to understand anger, and promote its constructive expression, it is necessary to study this emotion in its interpersonal context.
Pauline Greenhill
Title: Charivari and the Sexual Regulation of Women in Formal and Folk Law
Summary -
Charivari comprises a cross-cultural range of traditional European practices, symbolic means, and purposes. At their most extreme, they approach or even achieve riot status; when benign they are playful gatherings. They may include noisemaking, house visiting--usually unexpected and late at night--and pranks or trickery. Most are associated with weddings--demonstrating approval of matches the community deems suitable, or the converse, showing or stirring up disapproval of old/old, old/young, interracial, or interreligious ones. Still others provide overt negative commentary on behaviour, particularly in the political and sexual realms.
Sexual regulation of women in Euro North America involves controls on female sexual behaviour and expression, and on female fertility. A variety of activities, formal and informal, serve this purpose, from gossip and scandal about sexually active girls and women, through fidelity vows in traditional wedding ceremonies, to the criminalisation of the sex trade.
Law, in an ethnographically sensitive and socioculturally inclusive sense, comprises the ways groups establish boundaries for acceptable and unacceptable behaviours among their members, and the mechanisms maintaining those behaviours. Laws imply not only rules, created through enactment or custom, but also modes for their maintenance and enforcement. In contemporary societies, some legal mechanisms and rules are stated and enforced formally by a complex of legislative, court, and correctional institutions. However, parallel--and sometimes competing--traditional jurisdictions can co-exist with the formal system, with rules no less stringent and punishments no less severe.
I will investigate the traditional practice of charivari in Canada to contribute to the understanding of, and scholarly literature on, the sexual regulation of women and women's resistance to it. I will begin by surveying and document ing the full range of charivari traditions (informal social control methods) over the last century in Canada, including those pertaining to celebrations of marriages; denunciations of marriages; denunciations of sexual misconduct; and political denunciations. From that data, I will further detail and investigate those involving the sexual regulation of women, to demonstrate the relationship between charivari and community attempts to control women¡¯s sexuality and fertility. From the latter group, I will focus upon the small minority of charivaris which attract formal legal scrutiny (at any level up to and including court cases) to analyse their illustration of the often unhappy coexistence of informal and formal systems of control, law, and justice. I will produce a study that illuminates the position of women--both change and continuity--over the past century, but also shows how the complex interactions between the folk and formal legal and social regulatory systems both constrain women's lives and offer modes through which they may resist those restrictions.
This research is significant for its illumination of the changing position of women in Canadian society. It helps to explain why even when formal legal structures are put in place to improve the condition of women, the effects those changes may have on actual women¡¯s experience can be quite variable. In short, traditional cultural systems, which are maintained by all societies and cultures, often prevent or slow substantial changes in women¡¯s actual social position. Thus the charivari, a practice associated primarily with white, English or French, sometimes but not always rural, heterosexual Canadians, can be used by a woman¡¯s community to try to keep her in her place, regardless of legal and political improvements. On the other hand, this research also confirms that the formal legal system can sometimes offer advantages and alternatives to women who seek to better their sociocultural position. But regardless of the sources for women¡¯s resistance against sociocultural constraints, this research demonstrates women¡¯s ingenuity and creativity in improving their own lives.
Royden Loewen
Title: "Canadian-Descendent Low German Mennonites in the Americas: A Transnational Study"
Summary -
This is a transnational history of Canadian Low German Mennonites who first migrated to Mexico and Paraguay from Manitoba and Saskatchewan in the 1920s. Their emigration occurred after school laws, geared to the assimilation of recent immigrants, were passed. Between the 1920s and 2000, these Mennonites grew to a population of 150,000, spread to other lands including Bolivia, Belize and Argentina, maintained a vibrant relationship with Canadian communities, worked to maintain Canadian citizenship, and engaged in an ongoing diasporic culture. This study examines their relationship -- cultural and social, imagined and real, religious and economic -- with Canada. The study will be based on oral history, as well as an examination of their newspapers, sermons, diaries, letters and organizational records.
Laura Sokal and Herb Katz
Title: Masculine Literacy: Effects of Texts, Technology and Sex of Reading Coach
Summary -
Although there is widespread appreciation that some boys' reading achievement is unsatisfactory, there is little agreement as to the causes or appropriate responses. Not all boys are behind all girls in their literacy achievement and therefore all boys cannot be treated in the same way based on one variable-gender. Our study brings several innovative contributions to the practical and theoretical understanding of Canadian boys' reading achievement. First, we examine the effects of three classroom level variables that have been shown to affect boys' attitudes toward reading: sex of the reading coach, choice in genre of text, and incorporation of technology into the reading intervention. While these variables are linked to boys' positive attitudes towards reading activities, our study seeks to determine which, if any, of these variables also leads to better reading achievement among 180 inner-city third and fourth grade boys who are struggling readers. Second, through exploring boys' responses to the reading interventions, our study will allow us to explore the viability of Liben and Bigler's new model for understanding children's gender development. Over the course of third and fourth grade, data will be collected that will trace the trajectory of changes to boys' feminine views of reading, their reading self-efficacy, and their reading achievement. This data will be used to determine the best approaches for addressing various types of boys' reading needs.
Douglas Walton
Title: Argumentation Schemes in Natural and Artificial Communication
Summary -
The study of so-called argumentation schemes, or forms of argument that capture stereotypical patterns of human reasoning, is at the core of argumentation research. Argumentation schemes have been put forward as a helpful way of characterizing structures of human reasoning that have proved troublesome to view deductively. Appealing to an authority during an argument, for example, may be valid (if the authority is 'appropriate'), or may be fallacious. Attempting to 'deductivize' the valid examples, by viewing the major premise as an implication (e.g. if X says Y then Y is true) fails, as it only holds in certain circumstances. The motivation for research into argumentation schemes has been this tension between forms of argument which clearly work, but which cannot be analyzed as deductively (or even inductively) valid (Kienpointner, 1987). Many argumentation schemes have been identified in the literature. The primary investigator has previously written a book on the subject that identifies and analyzes twenty-six of them (Walton, 1996). The aim of the present project is to provide a more systematic and comprehensive account with notation suitable for an agent markup language resulting in that is precise enough to be useful in computing.
Albert Welter
Title: The Formation of the Linji lu (Record of Linji) and the Making of Linji Chan Buddhism
Summary -
The aim of the proposed research is to examine the process through which one of the central texts of Chinese Chan (Jpn. Zen) Buddhism was formed and became acknowledged as a principle canonical work of the Chan tradition. The research will analyze the Linji lu (Jpn. Rinzai roku; At The Record of Linji@) in terms of how it developed through a series of fragments to assume its standard form. In this way, it will examine the development of teachings attributed to the Chan figure Linji against the background of forces that shaped them.
Linji Yixuan (?-866) is regarded as the leading representative of Chan Buddhism during the Chinese Tang dynasty (618-906). The record of his teachings, dialogues, and activities, the Linji lu (Record of Linji), serves as a prime example of the iconoclastic, anti-nomian, and unconventional spirit for which Chan and Zen are well-known. Linji=s name became associated with the leading branch of Chan during the Song dynasty (960-1268), when members of the Linji faction headed influential state-supported monasteries and authored works commissioned by imperial edict. In Japan, Rinzai (Linji) Zen became one of the two leading branches of Zen Buddhism. In Korea, the Imje (Linji) lineage stands as the leading branch in the S¡Ön (Chan) tradition. The name Linji and the teachings associated with him have become synonymous with the spirit and wit associated with the style of Zen transmitted throughout the world during the twentieth century. The story of the Linji lu is not the story of one man, Linji Yixuan. It is the story of a movement. The success of this movement contains the story of Chan=s rise to prominence.
The proposed research will provide an in depth study of the formation of the Linji lu (Record of Linji), one of the main primary sources of a leading faction of Buddhism in East Asia. This will be of great use for students and scholars in determining how Linji Chan became the dominant form of Buddhism in Song China. It will show how the ascendancy of Linji Chan in China is connected to the support it received from prominent officials and literati, how the rise of Linji Chan is intricately connected to its position as a form of officially sanctioned Buddhism in the Song. It will help demonstrate how and why the genre of literature known as Chan yulu, the unique contribution of Chan to Chinese literature, came into being. In short, the research will refine the way that we look at Linji and evaluate the teachings attributed to him, providing the basis for understanding these in light of the forces that shaped them.
Robert J. Young
Title: Pen and Protocol: The Literary and Diplomatic Career of Jules Jusserand, 1855-1932
Summary -
This is a biographical study of the French writer and diplomat Jules Jusserand (1855-1932). Following his early postings to embassies in London and Copenhagen, Jusserand became Ambassador to Washington in 1903. He remained there for the next 22 years, during which time he was the single most important figure in Franco-American relations. Partly through his efforts, in April 1917 the American government edged toward intervention in the European war. Partly because of him the unproclaimed war-time alliance endured to the peace conference of 1919; and partly because of his prudence and tact the sharp post-war differences which arose in the early 1920s were kept to manageable proportions. Jusserand's service to France derived from more than his training as diplomat or even from an inquisitive but self-disciplined temperament. His pen was an important asset to his ambassadorial duties, for he was a writer of considerable talent. A practising scholar and man of great urbanity, Jusserand had distinguished himself as historian and literary critic well before the First World War. Chaucer, Langland, Shakespeare, James I, Ronsard, all had become book subjects well in advance of his Pulitzer Prize winning study of America in 1917 or of his post-war election to the presidency of the American Historical Association. No ordinary diplomat, Jusserand used these credentials to cultivate Francophilia in America, especially among its educated elite and its leaders in the Arts.