bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of active layer thickness and annealing in zinc oxide TFT grown by atomic layer deposition
Authors: Ahn Cheol Hyoun , Woo Chang Ho , Hwang SooYeon , Lee Jeong Yong , Cho Hyung Koun , Cho Hyoung Jin , Yeom Geun Young
Published: April 2010

We utilized atomic layer deposition (ALD) for the growth of the ZnO channel layers in the oxide thin‐film‐transistors (TFTs) with a bottom‐gate structure using a SiO2/p‐Si substrate. For fundamental study, the effect of the channel thickness and thermal treatment on the TFT performance was investigated. The growth modes for the ALD‐grown ZnO layer changed from island growth to layer‐by‐layer growth at thicknesses of >7.5 nm with highly resistive properties. A channel thickness of 17 nm resulted in good TFT behavior with an on/off current ratio of >106 and a field effect mobility of 2.9 without the need for thermal annealing. However, further increases in the channel thickness resulted in a deterioration of the TFT performance, or no saturation. The ALD‐grown ZnO layers showed reduced electrical resistivity and carrier density after thermal treatment in oxygen. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of acid‐ethanol treatment followed by ball milling on structural and physicochemical characteristics of cassava starch
Authors: Cavallini Carolina M. , Franco Célia M. L.
Published: April 2010

Structural and physicochemical characteristics of cassava starch treated with 0.36% HCl in anhydrous ethanol during 1 and 12 h at 30, 40, and 50°C followed by ball milling for 1 h were analyzed. Average yield of acid‐ethanol starches reached 98% independent of the treatment conditions. Solubility of acid‐ethanol starches increased with reaction temperature and time, but it did not change after ball milling. Granule average size reduced with chemical treatment from 25.2 to 20.0 µm after 12 h at 50°C. Ball milling decreased the granule average diameter of the native starch and those chemically treated at 30°C/1 h or 40°C/1 h, but it did not alter the starches treated for 12 h, independent of temperature. From scanning electron microscopy (SEM), starch granules presented round shape and after modification at 50°C/12 h, before and after ball milling, showed a rough and exfoliated surface. Some granules were deformed, suggesting partial gelatinization that was more intense after milling. Starch crystallinity increased as temperature and time of chemical treatment were increased, while amylose content, intrinsic, and pasting viscosities decreased. Gelatinization temperatures increased for all chemical starches. The findings can be related to the preferential destruction of amorphous areas in the granules, which are composed of amylose and amylopectin. After ball milling, the starch crystallinity decreased, amylose content, intrinsic, and pasting viscosities kept unchanged and gelatinization temperatures and enthalpy reduced. Ball milling on native and chemical starches caused the increase of amorphous areas with consequent weakening and decreasing of crystalline areas by breaking of hydrogen bonds within the granules.
Nanoscale surfacing for regenerative medicine
Authors: Yang Yong , Leong Kam W.
Published: April 2010

Cells in most tissues reside in microenvironment surrounded with specific three‐dimensional features. The extracellular matrix or substratum with which cells interact often includes topography at the nanoscale. For example, the basement membrane of many tissues displays features of pores, fibers and ridges in the nanometer range. The nanoscale topography has significant effects on cellular behavior. Knowledge of the cell–substratum interactions is crucial to the understanding of many fundamental biological questions and to regenerative medicine. Rapid advances in nanotechnology enable cellular study on engineered nanoscale surfaces. Recent findings underscore the phenomenon that mammalian cells do respond to nanosized features on a synthetic surface. This review covers the commonly used techniques of engineering nanoscale surface and the techniques which have not been adapted but are of great potential in regenerative medicine, surveys the applications of nanoscale surface in regenerative medicine including vascular, bone, neural and stem cell tissue engineering, and discusses the possible mechanisms of cellular responses to nanoscale surface. A better understanding of the interactions between cells and nanoscale surfacing will help advance the field of regenerative medicine. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2010 2 478–495

This article is categorized under:

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Cells at the Nanoscale

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement
Psychosocial distress in acute cancer patients assessed with an expert rating scale
Authors: Senf Bianca , Brandt Holger , Dignass Axel , Kleinschmidt Rolf , Kaiser Jochen
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The identification of psychosocial stress in cancer patients has remained a challenging task especially in an acute care environment. The aims of the present study were to apply a short expert rating scale for the assessment of distress during the acute treatment phase and to identify potential sociodemographic and disease-related predictors.

Methods

Four hundred seventy-eight ward cancer patients were assessed with the short form of the psycho-oncological basis documentation and its breast-cancer-specific version. In addition, they completed a self-rating questionnaire on stress in cancer patients. We recorded sociodemographic and disease-related variables and assessed their predictive value for psychosocial distress.

Results

According to the expert rating scale, 56.3% of patients were rated distressed. While only 31.3% of patients were classified as distressed according to a patient self-rating, both approaches showed a good degree of concurrence with a consistent classification of 69% of patients. Younger age, current psychotropic medication, and past psychological treatment were associated with higher distress levels. Patients with metastases and those with a poorer functional status were more distressed. Interestingly, having an operation was associated with a better psychological well-being.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that a substantial proportion of cancer patients in acute care are psychosocially distressed. A short expert rating scale proved to be a feasible tool for the assessment of distress in an acute care setting.
Platelets prevent acute liver damage after extended hepatectomy in pigs
Authors: Hisakura Katsuji , Murata Soichiro , Fukunaga Kiyoshi , Myronovych Andriy , Tadano Sosuke , Kawasaki Takuya , Kohno Keisuke , Ikeda Osamu , Pak Sugiru , Ikeda Naoya , Nakano Yoritaka , Matsuo Ryota , Konno Kenjiro , Kobayashi Eiji , Saito Toshiyuki , Yasue Hiroshi , Ohkohchi Nobuhiro
Published: April 2010

Background/Purpose

Platelets develop tissue repair and promote liver regeneration. We investigated whether platelets prevented acute liver damage after extended hepatectomy in pigs.

Methods

Thrombocytosis was induced by the following two methods; afterwards 80% hepatectomy was performed in pigs. In the first method, the pigs received administration of thrombopoietin [TPO (+) group], and they were compared with a control group [TPO (−) group]. In the second method, the pigs received a splenectomy [Sp (+) group], and theywere compared with another control group [Sp (−) group]. Platelet counts, biochemical examination of blood, and histopathological findings of the residual liver were examined.

Results

Serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (T‐Bil) levels were significantly decreased in the thrombocytotic groups compared with the control groups in the early period after hepatectomy. In the histopathological findings, hemorrhagic necrosis with a bile plug was observed in the control groups, but this phenomenon was not observed in the thrombocytotic groups. On transmission electron microscopy, the sinusoidal endothelial lining was destroyed and detached into the sinusoidal space with enlargement of Disse's spaces in the thrombocytotic groups, but these findings were not observed in the control groups.

Conclusion

An increased number of platelets prevents acute liver damage after extended hepatectomy.
Belowground microbial symbiont enhances plant susceptibility to a spider mite through change in soybean leaf quality
Authors: Katayama Noboru , Nishida Takaaki , Zhang Zhi Qi , Ohgushi Takayuki
Published: April 2010

To examine how rhizobia affect the chemical and nutrient status in leaves of soybean (Glycine max L.), and how rhizobia change plant susceptibility to a generalist spider mite (Tetranycus urticae), we cultivated root‐nodulating soybeans (R+) and their non‐nodulating mutant (R−) in a common garden. We experimentally fertilized the plants with nitrogen to examine effects of rhizobia on the plant traits and plant susceptibility to spider mites at different nitrogen levels. R+ plants produced more leaves containing greater nitrogen and less total phenolics than R− plants. Spider mites fed on R+ leaves produced more eggs than those fed on R− leaves. The positive effect of rhizobia on spider mite fecundity could be due to an increase in foliar N content and/or to a decrease in concentration of phenolics. Although root nodule mass did not differ among different nitrogen levels, ureide‐N, an indicator of nitrogen provided by rhizobia, in xylem sap decreased at moderate and high soil nitrogen levels. Therefore, we expected that rhizobia effects on egg production of the spider mite would decrease in high soil nitrogen conditions. However, the effect of rhizobia was still maintained even at high soil nitrogen levels. Thus, soil nitrogen and rhizobia may independently affect the reproductive performance of the spider mite.
Does the Amount of Participation in Afterschool Programs Relate to Developmental Outcomes? A Review of the Literature
Authors: Roth Jodie L. , Malone Lizabeth M. , Brooks-Gunn Jeanne
Published: April 2010

Contrary to the findings from previous reviews we found little support for the general notion that greater amounts of participation in afterschool programs was related to academic, behavioral, or socio‐emotional outcomes. However, some relationships did emerge depending on how participation was conceptualized and measured, and the methodology used to assess the relationship between participation and outcomes. For example, some benefits occurred when participants with high levels of participation were compared to non‐participants, not when they were compared to other program participants. Several suggestions are offered to improve future research on the relationship between aspects of participation and developmental outcomes.
An Improved Isolation Method of Soy β‐Conglycinin Subunits and Their Characterization
Authors: Yuan De‐Bao , Min Wei , Yang Xiao‐Quan , Tang Chuan‐He , Huang Ke‐Li , Guo Jian , Wang Jin‐Mei , Wu Na‐Na , Zheng Heng‐Guang , QI Jun‐Ru
Published: April 2010

This study aimed at establishing an effective preparative isolation method of soy β‐conglycinin constituent subunits and characterizing some of their physicochemical properties and their heat‐induced aggregation. These subunits were isolated in relatively large amounts and in high purity by dissociating β‐conglycinin in 6 M urea and using a combination of DEAE‐Sepharose fast flow column chromatography and immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC). At a pH deviating from isoelectric point (pI), zeta potentials of α′ and α subunits were much larger than that of β subunit, while in the latter case, the hydrophobic groups were more buried within the proteins. Dynamic light scattering analysis indicated that the extent of heat‐induced aggregation of β subunit was much higher than that of α′ and α subunits, and the aggregation was also more affected by the increase in ionic strength. Atomic force microscopy analysis indicated that more ordered and stranded aggregates were formed for α′ and α subunits. These results confirm a close relationship between physicochemical properties and heat‐induced aggregation of β‐conglycinin subunits.
La contribution de l’Encyclopédie à la vulgarisation des notions en anatomie andrologique au siècle des Lumières
Authors: Karamanou M. , Poulakou Rebelakou E. , Androutsos G.
Published: April 2010

Au siècle des Lumières, les notions en anatomie andrologique des grands anatomistes, tels que De Graaf, Morgagni, Duverney, Heister, Ruysch, grâce à l’Encyclopédie, connurent une grande promulgation et purent être vulgarisées aussi bien dans le monde scientifique qu’auprès du grand public.
Genomic instability in breast cancer: Pathogenesis and clinical implications
Authors: Kwei Kevin A. , Kung Yvonne , Salari Keyan , Holcomb Ilona N. , Pollack Jonathan R.
Published: April 2010

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease, appreciable by molecular markers, gene‐expression profiles, and most recently, patterns of genomic alteration. In particular, genomic profiling has revealed three distinct patterns of DNA copy‐number alteration: a “simple” type with few gains or losses of whole chromosome arms, an “amplifier” type with focal high‐level DNA amplifications, and a “complex” type marked by numerous low‐amplitude changes and copy‐number transitions. The three patterns are associated with distinct gene‐expression subtypes, and preferentially target different loci in the genome (implicating distinct cancer genes). Moreover, the different patterns of alteration imply distinct underlying mechanisms of genomic instability. The amplifier pattern may arise from transient telomere dysfunction, although new data suggest ongoing “amplifier” instability. The complex pattern shows similarity to breast cancers with germline BRCA1 mutation, which also exhibit “basal‐like” expression profiles and complex‐pattern genomes, implicating a possible defect in BRCA1‐associated repair of DNA double‐strand breaks. As such, targeting presumptive DNA repair defects represents a promising area of clinical investigation. Future studies should clarify the pathogenesis of breast cancers with amplifier and complex‐pattern genomes, and will likely identify new therapeutic opportunities.
Endoscopic management of skull base defects associated with persistent pneumocephalus following previous open repair: A preliminary report
Authors: Clark David W. , Citardi Martin J. , Fakhri Samer
Published: April 2010

Objective

To describe the management of anterior skull base defects in patients who present with pneumocephalus after previous open neurosurgical intervention.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary referral center.

Subjects and Methods

Patients repaired endoscopically for symptomatic pneumocephalus between April 1, 2005, and July 1, 2008. Volumetric calculation of the amount of intracranial air based on the preoperative CT scan was performed.

Results

Six patients met inclusion criteria. The etiology of skull base defects was accidental trauma in two patients and surgical trauma in the remaining four. Average time from the open intervention until endoscopic repair was 28 days. Intrathecal fluorescein was utilized in five cases, but visualized at the site of the defect in only one patient. All patients were treated with a similar endoscopic technique. A simple free mucosal graft was used in four patients; a mucosal graft was placed over a layered reconstruction consisting of acellular dermal matrix in two patients, with one patient receiving septal cartilage. Closure of defects was achieved in all six patients with complete resolution of pneumocephalus in five patients after an average of 17 days; one patient had trace amounts of pneumocephalus (< 2 cc) at 10 days. Mean follow‐up was seven months.

Conclusion

Endoscopic techniques employed in this preliminary report demonstrate promising results in managing skull base defects associated with clinically significant pneumocephalus following failed prior open neurosurgical repair. The small population size in this study, however, precludes definitive conclusions regarding efficacy.
Acetaminophen ototoxicity after acetaminophen/hydrocodone abuse: Evidence from two parallel in vitro mouse models
Authors: Yorgason Joshua G. , Kalinec Gilda M. , Luxford William M. , Warren Frank M. , Kalinec Federico
Published: April 2010

Objective

Acetaminophen/hydrocodone, a commonly used analgesic preparation, has been linked to rapidly progressing sensorineural hearing loss in human patients. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the ototoxic effects of this drug combination are currently unknown, but are usually associated with high doses of hydrocodone. This study was aimed at identifying the specific agent responsible for hearing loss from toxic killing of cochlear sensory cells.

Study Design

Dose‐response study.

Setting

University laboratory and private research facility.

Subjects and Methods

Math1 green fluorescent protein neonatal mouse cochlear cultures as well as a mouse auditory cell line (HEI‐OC1) were exposed in vitro to different concentrations of acetaminophen, hydromorphone (the active metabolite of hydrocodone), and the micronutrient L‐carnitine, either alone or combined. Using fluorescent and light microscopy, we quantified the sensory hair cells from a 600‐μm basal segment before and after treatment. Acetaminophen/hydrocodone‐induced apoptosis of HEI‐OC1 was evaluated by caspase 3‐activation studies. Statistically significant cell survival was determined with Student t test and analysis of variance.

Results

Cell death was associated mainly with exposure to acetaminophen, was slightly potentiated when combined with hydromorphone, and was partially prevented by L‐carnitine. Exposure to hydrocodone or hydromorphone alone failed to kill either cochlear hair cells or HEI‐OC1 cells.

Conclusion

Our findings point to acetaminophen, rather than hydrocodone, as the primary cytotoxic agent. Hydrocodone, however, may work synergistically with acetaminophen, increasing the damage to auditory cells. These findings are an important first step toward understanding the mechanism of acetaminophen/hydrocodone ototoxicity and may lead to future treatment strategies for hearing loss from ototoxic medications.
Les rapports d'échange selon Aristote.Éthique à NicomaqueV et VIII-IX
Authors: Campagnolo Gilles , Lagueux Maurice
Published: April 2010

This article proposes an interpretation of the chapters of theNicomachean Ethicsconcerning exchange and friendship. Rejecting approaches where Aristotle anticipates modern labour or need-based theories of value, the article claims that those notions of labour and need are required for a satisfactory interpretation of the most obscure passages of Book V. Finally, Aristotle's texts on exchange and friendship are related in such a way that the latter, since it is free from any political considerations, allows us to better understand the philosopher's view on exchange.
Reading the Minds of Others: Radical Interpretation and the Empirical Study of Childhood Cognitive Development
Authors: Ungureanu Manuela
Published: April 2010

Le point de vue de Davidson sur les concepts de croyance et de signification implicites dans nos pratiques d'attribution de croyance et de signification pent à bon droit être mis à l'épreuve par une élucidation de ses rapports avec la psychologie empirique. Mais une telle mise à l'épreuve n'a de valeur que si elle confronte d'abord l'idée reçue voulant que sa position a peu ou pas de liens avec l'étude empirique du développement cognitif. Je défends ici une approche du point de vue de Davidson qui montre clairement en quoi une vaste gamme de découvertes empiriques en psychologie du développement — souvent considérées comme non pertinentes, voire comme incompatibles, avec son enquête conceptuelle — est en fait fort pertinente et en harmonie avec lui.
La démonstration de la primauté métaphysique du cogito
Authors: Moyal Georges J. D.
Published: April 2010

That the cogito is the first truth discovered amidst the universal doubt achieved in Descartes' Meditation I is not what ensures its primacy as a metaphysical principle, i.e., its epistemic priority over scientific knowledge. This primacy depends rather on two conditions which Descartes sets forth in a letter to Clerselier. Meditation II contains the demonstration of the cogito's conformity to each of these conditions, and hence of its primacy over knowledge of nature. It seems, however, that the cogito enjoys this primacy over truths of mathematics and of metaphysics (including the principle of non-contradiction) as well.
La publicité et l'interdépendance du langage et de la pensée
Authors: Laurier Daniel
Published: April 2010

I clarify in what sense one might want to claim that thought or language are public. I distinguish among four forms that each of these claims might take, and two general ways of establishing them that might be contemplated. The first infers the public character of thought from the public character of language, and the second infers the latter from the former. I show that neither of these stategies seems to be able to dispense with the claim that thought and language are interdependent, and that the second strategy raises more difficulties than the first. I then examine the reasoning by which Davidson means to establish that thought depends on language. I claim that this reasoning is not conclusive, and that it can be adapted in such a way as to establish a version of the thesis that thought is public which does not presuppose that language is public, and a version of the thesis that language is public which does not imply that thought depends on language. I conclude with the suggestion that despite appearances to the contrary Davidson's doctrine is defensible only if it implies at least the conceivability of intentional systems that would lack language altogether.
Accès aux médicaments : quelle responsabilité pour les compagnies pharmaceutiques?
Authors: Allard Caroline
Published: April 2010

On invoque souvent la responsabilité morale des compagnies pharmaceutiques lorsqu'il s'agit de réfléchir aux difficultés qu'affrontent les pays en voie de développement en matière d'accès aux médicaments. Dans cet article, je désire faire la critique d'une stratégie d'attribution de la responsabilité morale aux companies pharmaceutiques selon laquelle cette responsabilité proviendrait de lew statut similaire à celui d'agents moraux individuels. Je proposerai ensuite une autre stratégie qui lie la responsabilité des entreprises à leurs fonctions en utilisant une distinction entre fonctions organisationnelles et fonctions occupationnelles. Malgre son interit, le succès mitigé de cette proposition me conduira à remettre en question la pertinence de l'attribution ciblée d'une responsabilité aux compagnies pharmaceutiques.
Much Ado about a Point of View
Authors: Ashdown Lance
Published: April 2010

What did Wittgenstein mean when he remarked, “I am not a religious man but I cannot help but see every problem from a religious point of view”? Malcolm's thesis is that it points to analogies between Wittgenstein's philosophical outlook and a religious view of life. In opposition, Peter Winch argues that Wittgenstein's remark need not be understood as referring to exclusively philosophical problems; rather, Wittgenstein was expressing his own quasi-religious perspective on life and emphasizing the spiritual importance of philosophical clarity. In contrast to Malcolm and Winch, I argue that the remark is best taken to mean roughly: “I am not a religious person myself, but when I reflect philosophically on what it means for a person to face certain types of problems, for example, moral dilemmas or other difficult decisions in life, it is important to acknowledge the diversity of possible perspectives from which these problems can be seen; in so doing, I cannot help but imagine how such problems would appear from the perspective of a religious person.”
Examining the Bonds and Bounds of Friendship
Authors: Cohen Andrew I.
Published: April 2010

Les propriétés dynamiques de l'amitié requièrent parfois que les amis réévaluent leur relation à la lumière de raisons de réciprocité ou de considérations morales. Les amis maintiennent leur relation en partie en évaluant leurs rapports de réciprocité. Ils doivent aussi considérer parfois l'impact de raisons morales sur leur amidé; il leur faut résoudre d'occasionnelles tensions entre les exigences de l'amitié et certaines considérations rivales d'ordre moral, et ils doivent agir parfois comme surveillants l'un pour l'autre dans l'ordre moral. Je discute ici la façon dont les amis peuvent gérer leur relation sans compromettre la confiance et le respect mutuels qui sont appropriés entre amis.
Contractarianism, Justification, and Relativity
Authors: Tucker Chris
Published: April 2010

Une justification d'institutions morales ou politiques doit fournir aux gens une motivation pour agir en conformité avec ses diktats. Cela étant admis, je soutiens que le contractualisme est la seule méthode plausible par laquelle une telle justification puisse être fournie. Les contractualistes soutiennent que les institutions morales ou politiques sont justifiées dans la mesure où elles seraient le résultat d'une entente conclue par des agents rationnels. Les agents rationnels agissent de façon à maximiser lew utilité attendue. Lorsque tous les facteurs sont pris en considération, une entente conclue par des agents rationnels doit done maximiser leur utilité attendue. À partir de cela, et de l'observation du lieu commun selon lequel des personnes différentes ont des préférences différentes, je soutiens que les justifications contractualistes sont relatives à la fois sur le plan normatif et sur leplan méta-éthique. Tant les règies ainsi justifiées que la procédure employée pour produire la justification doivent être identifiées relativement à des populations particulières.
The Pragmatist's Troubles with Bivalence and Counterfactuals
Authors: Hermanson Sean Allen
Published: April 2010

Je me demande ici si les conceptions pragmatiques de la vérité peuvent être réconciliées avec les intuitions ordinaires quant à la portée de la bivalence. Je soutiens que les pragmatistes sont conduits à accepter une distinction du genre «type / occurrence» entre les formes d'une investigation et ses instanciations particulières, sous peine de banaliser leur vérificationnisme. Néanmoins, même la conception révisée que j'examine échoue à sauver les approches épistémiques de la vérité de certaines conséquences peu plausibles.
Stroud, Colour, and Metaphysical Satisfaction
Authors: Dwyer Philip
Published: April 2010

In The Quest for Reality, Subjectivism and the Metaphysics of Colour, Barry Stroud appraises various subjectivist theories of colour as they occur in the context of a philosophical project which he characterizes as the quest for reality. “It is meant to be a quest whose goal is the nature of reality—what the world is really like. And it involves distinguishing what is really so from what only appears to be so, or separating reality as it is independently of us from what is in one way or another dependent on us and so misleads us as to what is really there” (pp. 3–4). In a long metaphysical tradition, now more alive than ever, the systematic pursuit of the distinction finds colour on the misleading appearance and not-really-so side of things.
Kant: métaphysicien dogmatique ou défenseur des Lumières?
Authors: Morais Marceline
Published: April 2010

Hors du temps d'Alain Boyer est l'un de ces livres qui prêtent volontiers à la critique et à la discussion, non seulement en raison des thèses soutenues par l'auteur, qui sont, de son propre aveu, controversées, mais à cause également du ton employé, souvent polémique, parfois même irrévérencieux ou iconoclaste. Et sans doute l'un des buts essentiels de l'ouvrage consiste-t-il à déboulonner une statue, non pas tant celle du philosophe Kant, dont l'auteur reconnaît le génie et l'importance, mais celle d'un certain Kant élevé au rang de chantre des modernes ou d'apôtre du pluralisme, de la liberté d'expression et du dialogue intersubjectif. Bien qu'il ne conteste pas complètement la vision poppérienne d'un Kant Aufklärer, Alain Boyer entend néanmoins la nuancer: maints aspects de la philosophie de Kant s'éloignent effectivement de l'Aufklärung. Il s'agira pour lui de montrer que Kant est un philosophe tant de l'ordre que de la liberté et que bien qu'il soit le père du criticisme, il n'en est pas moins lui-même un métaphysicien dogmatique cherchant avant tout à sauver la morale et la religion du péril que lui font courir ses principaux ennemis: les sceptiques empiriques, les rêveurs délirants ou les libres-penseurs.
Réduction «rôle-occupant», réduction «micro-macro» et explication réductricea priori
Authors: Kistler Max
Published: April 2010

Selon une thèse importante, il est en principe possible de déduire de manièrea priorila plupart des vérités macroscopiques d'une (hypothétique) description complète du monde en termes microphysiquesPet done de construire des explications réductricesa priori.Contre cette thèse, je montre que l'explication réductrice requiert des informations sur les phénomènes à réduire qui nepeuventpas être extraitesa priorides seules informations microphysiques. De telles réductions ont deux parties : une «réductionRO» («rôle-occupant») établit qu'une macropropriété M.joue un rôle causal spécifié en termes macroscopiques, alors qu'une «réductionMM» («micro-macro») montre qu'une micropropriété donne lieu àM.
The Relationship between Hypotheses and Images in the Mathematical Subsection of the Divided Line of Plato'sRepublic
Authors: Yang Moon-Heum
Published: April 2010

In explaining the relationship between hypotheses and images in the Line of Plato'sRepublicVI, I first focus on Plato's elucidation of the nature of mathematics as the mathematician himself understands it. I go on to criticize traditional interpretations of the relationship above based on the doubtful assumption that mathematics concerns Platonic Forms. To formulate my view of that relationship I exploit the notion of “structure.” I show how “hypotheses” as principles of proof can determine the structures of “images” by which the corresponding intelligible ones of mathematical objects become known.
Universalization or Threat Advantage? The Difficult Dialogue between Discourse Ethics and the Theory of Rational Choice
Authors: Lafont Cristina
Published: April 2010

InA Theory of Justice, Rawls claims that “to each according to his threat advantage is not a conception of justice.” Although it may indeed seem intuitively plausible that a principle based on “threat advantage” cannot count as a principle of justice, it is an altogether different matter to explain why this is so. The question is especially pressing if one bears in mind that such a principle of bargaining in fact underlies many institutionally regulated interactions. Moreover, to the extent that morality is thought of as a mechanism for guaranteeing mutual advantage in the resolution of conflicts, it may indeed seem necessary that it reflect the bargaining power of the parties (in order to make sure that it is indeed advantageous for all of them). In fact, there is a prominent tradition of social-contract theories (from Hobbes to Gauthier) that work under this assumption and claim to provide an answer to what justice requires as much as Rawls's theory does. So seen, the burden of proof seems to fall rather on the shoulders of those committed to claim both that morality is a mechanism that works to the advantage of all and that it nevertheless requires neutralizing all differences in bargaining power.
Simple and Sophisticated “Naive” Semantics
Authors: Alward Peter
Published: April 2010

Je critique dans cet article la théorie «naïve»des attributions de croyances, selon laquelle la signification d'un nom propre dans la clause qui figure comme complément d'une telle attribution est son référent. Je soutiens que l'usage que nous faisons de ces attributions dans l'explication du comportement oblige à rejeter la version simple de la sémantique «naïve» au profit de sa cousine plus sophistiquée. Et je soutiens que la théorie «naïve» sophistiquée se compare défavorablement à des versions plausibles de la sémantique non naíve.
Symbiosis and the Ecological Role of Philosophy
Authors: Peacock Kent A.
Published: April 2010

Cet article défend une approche à la philosophic et à l'éthique environnementale qui a originalement été avancée par Aldo Leopold. Selon cet auteur, l'éthique peut être comprise, d'un point de vue biologique, comme la forme spécifiquement humaine de la symbiose. La question cruciate de notre époque est de savoir si les humains peuvent coexister avec l'environnement global en un état de symbiose. La philosophie et les sciences humaines en général peuvent contribuer grandement à l'atteinte de ce but, à cause de la façon très spéciale dont le caractère même des actions et des æuvres humaines peut être amplifié par l'écosystème. Je critique un argument thermodynamique qui a été formulé contre la possibilité de la symbiose humaine; et je mets en garde contre les tendances à l'autoritarisme et è l'évasion par l'introspection qui sont typiques des cultures en état de crise écologique.
In a Socratic Way
Authors: Skorupski John
Published: April 2010

This collection of essays is a mixed bag. It is intended to be, inasmuch as the selection has been made to show Robert Nozick's versatility as a philosopher and a writer. And it does so—but too much that is of passing interest is included. The first ten essays could have made a collection on their own. Nine of these are included within two sections: “Choice and Utility” and “Philosophy and Methodology.” The tenth, “Moral Complications and Moral Structures,” appears in a section entitled “Ethics and Politics.” It is by far the most substantial piece in this section, both in length and depth. A selection of the remaining pieces in the book might then have been included in a section of jeux d'esprit. So I will first report on the first ten essays and then come back to some of these.
Habituation and Rational Preference Revision
Authors: Cave Eric M.
Published: April 2010

Une «situation de choix paradoxal» est une situation dans laquelle un agent connaîtrait davantage de succès en regard des préférences qu'il a effectivement, si ces préférences étaient différentes de ce qu'elles sont. Supposons que les agents rationnels ne choisissent pas à l'encontre de leurs préférences, que leur choix n'est déterminé que par ces préférences, et que leurs préférences intrinsèques ne changent pas de façon spontanée, automatique et directe sous l'influence de la critique rationnelle. Même dans de telles hypothèses, les agents rationnels peuvent résoudre optimalement un éventail de situations de choix paradoxal au moyen de mécanismes qui les amènent à réviser leurs préférences. Dans cet article, je présente et défends un tel modèle de révision rationnelle des préférences.
On “Making God Go Away”—A Reply to Professor Maxwell
Authors: Armour Leslie
Published: April 2010

Ceci est une réponse à l'étude critique de Vance Maxwell, «Making God Go Away», consacrée au livre de Leslie Armour, Being and IdeaLa discussion porte sur la question suivante : est-ilpossible qu'il y ait une signification transcendante à nos vies sans un Dieu tyrannique? Le livre traitait, de manière centrale, du fait que les réponses affirmatives à cette question exigent une unification du savoir. Maxwell suggère que le livre est un commentaire de Spinoza et de Hegel—malgré son soustitre :Developments of Some Themes in Spinoza and HegelEt il ignore la tentative qui s'y trouve poursuivie de construire un systeme nouveau. Le preésent article explique ce système et défend certaines lectures de Spinoza.
In Defence of Common Moral Sense
Authors: Krutzen R. W.
Published: April 2010

L'un des traits frappants d'une bonne partie des théories morales contemporaines est l'absence qu'on y trouve du sens moral commun. Les constructions théoriques de Rawls, Singer, Sidgwick et Smart sont caractéristiques à cet égard. Chacune échoue à rendre compte adéquatement du savoir moral que nous avons. Malgré leurs différences, leur échec commun tient à la méprise qu'elles partagent au sujet de la relation entre théorie et pratique, et à leur conception exagérée du rôle épistémique que jouent les principes moraux dans la reconnaissance et la justification de la vérité de nos jugements moraux.
The Advantage of an Empirically Minded Conception of Non-cognitivism
Authors: Fenske Wayne
Published: April 2010

Un argument standard contre le non-cognitivisme va comme suit. Les non-cognitivistes, dit-on, sont théoriquement commis à endosser la doctrine de l'internalisme; or la doctrine de l'internalisme requiert que l'amoraliste soit inconcevable; comme l'amoraliste est concevable, l'internalisme doit être faux; le non-cognitivisme, par conséquent, n'est pas plausible. C'est ce que nous pouvons appeler l' «argument de l'amoraliste». J'essaie de montrer dans cet article que l'argument de léamoraliste ne constitue pas la réfutation décisive du non-cognitivisme que plusieurs réalistes en morale pensent y voir. Mon approche à ce sujet est de développer les implications sémantiques d'une conception d'inspiration empirique du non-cognitivisme.
À la rescousse du platonisme moral
Authors: Tappolet Christine
Published: April 2010

Moral platonism, the claim that moral entities are both objective and prescriptive, is generally thought to be a dead end. In an attempt to defend a moderate form of moral platonism or more precisely platonism about values, I first argue that several of the many versions of this doctrine are not committed to ontological extravagances. I then discuss an important objection due to John McDowell and developed by Michael Smith, according to which moral platonism is incoherent. I argue that objectivism is compatible with the claim that certain ways of being aware of values, namely those involving emotions, are motivating.
Freedom in and through Hegel's Philosophy
Authors: Dudley Will
Published: April 2010

Hegel pense qu'il n'y a Hen de plus important à comprendre que la liberté pour nous autres humains, et rien que nous ne comprenions plus mal. Tout son système philosophique, de fait, avec son ampleur et sa précision incroyables, peut être compris comme une unique dêmonstration très élaborée de I'importance et de la signification de la liberté. Qui plus est, la philosophie de Hegel n'est pas seulement à propos de la liberté, mais elle prétend aussi la produire. Car la recherche philosophique sur ce que cela signifie que d'être libre aboutit chez lui à l'idée que la liberté dépend de la pratique de la philosophie. Comprendre cette position — ce qui est l'objectif principal du présent article — requiert d'examiner ce que Hegel a á dire au sujet de la liberté, de la philosophie et de leur interconnexion. La section 1 prépare cet examen en situant la liberté dans le système de Hegel. La section 2 présente l'explication du concept de libérte qu'il nous fournit dans sa Logique. La section 3 exploite cette explication logique pour interpréter la thèse de Hegel, dans sa Realphilosophie, que tous les êtres spirituels, et eux seuls, sont libres. La section 4 réfléchit sur le role attribué à la philosophie dans la libération de tels êtres spirituels. Et la section 5, enfin, conclut l'article en discutant quelques questions qui peuvent être soulevées au sujet de mon interprétation du traitement hégélien de la liberté.
Hegel's Philosophy of Nature: Overcoming the Division between Matter and Thought
Authors: Stone Alison
Published: April 2010

La Philosophic de la nature de Hegel élabore une théorie complexe et systématique du monde naturel, qui est passée presque inaperçue dans la littérature secondaire. Selon cette théorie, la nature passe progressivement d'une division originate entre ses deux éléments constitutifs, la pensée et la matiére, à leur unification finale, par une séquence rationnellement nécessaire d'étapes dans le processus. Cette progression naturelle présente une structure identique à celle de la progression que Hegel discerne parmi les formes de la conscience subjective. Une comparaison attentive entre les formes de la conscience et les étapes du développement naturel peut dès lors servir à élucider cette théorie de la nature et à la dégager des longues discussions sur la science contemporaine auxquelles Hegel l'a inutilement associée.
Des préférences individuelles aux préférences collectives: ambiguïtés du concept de préférence dans le contexte des théories du choix collectif
Authors: Kaufmann J. Nicolas
Published: April 2010

La théorie du choix social qui s'est développée durant les dernières décennies, notamment dans la ligne des travaux d'Arrow (1951) et de Sen (1970, 1982), ne s'est pas seulement soldée par une série de résultats négatifs exprimés dans les théorèmes d'impossibilité d'Arrow, de Sen et d'autres; ses notions centrales ont aussi été utilisées de manière fort variée au point que cette théorie souffre aujourd'hui d'un déficit important qui se traduit par de multiples indéterminations conceptuelles.
Hume's Liberal Mind
Authors: Castiglione Dario
Published: April 2010

Thirty years ago, Duncan Forbes published a short review, which, amongst other things, challenged the view that towards the end of his life David Hume turned Tory. Forbes's subsequent study of Hume's politics showed that, when strictly applied, ‘Tory’ and ‘Whig’ failed to capture the philosophical import of Hume's writings about politics and even of his semi-detached involvement with the politics of his time. If one took Hume at his own word, “sceptical whiggism”—a kind of moderate and scientific-minded appreciation of the relative superiority of modern commercial polities, and, in Britain, of the Hanoverian régime—was a more appropriate description of what Hume's political writings were about. It also avoided the invidious problem of whether Hume should be regarded as a liberal or a conservative.
Jack and Jill and Employment Equity
Authors: Irvine A. D.
Published: April 2010

Jack and Jill have both applied for the same entry-level position at a local university. After interviewing the leading candidates, the members of the hiring committee agree that both Jack and Jill have all the necessary qualifications for appointment to the position. Both have the required education and training. Both have strong letters of recommendation from their Ph.D. supervisors and from their current employers. Both are similarly experienced and both are potentially capable of making important future contributions to their chosen discipline. The members of the hiring committee also agree that Jack and Jill are superior to all other applicants for the position. In short, in the judgment of the hiring committee, they are the two best qualified candidates and both meet their potential employer's expectations concerning a successful applicant. Yet neither Jack nor Jill is clearly superior to the other.
Métaphysique et théodicée chez Plotin. Remarques sur les travaux de Denis O'Brien
Authors: Leroux Georges
Published: April 2010

Les rapports de la philologie et de l'herméneutique ont toujours constitué un problème d'une redoutable complexité. Ce sont en effet les mêmes textes qui ont engendré à la période moderne le développement de la pensée de l'interprétation et les méthodes de la critique. L'espoir de parvenir à la formulation satisfaisante et définitive du sens d'un texte se trouve constamment différé par la production incessante d'interprétations nouvelles, qui utilisent souvent les ressources de la philologie pour se constituer et qui entrent en rivalité avec les précédentes. On peut se réjouir de ce caractère immarcescible du procès de l'interprétation, on peut aussi déplorer les échecs répétés de la philologie à le freiner. Il y a en effet quelque légitimité à affirmer que la philologie travaille ultimement contre l'herméneutique, c'est-à-dire contre le déploiement infini de l'interprétation.
Making God Go Away and Leave Us Alone
Authors: Maxwell Vance
Published: April 2010

The title of this critical notice is provoked by a remark Professor Armour makes in Chapter IX, “Metaphysics and the Resolution of Conflict,” ofBeing and Idea. If we become Spinozists, “Perhaps the concept of God will emerge clearly and orient our lives, or perhaps, on the other hand, we will be able to see how to make God go away and leave us alone” (p. 98). As the title indicates, I shall argue here that Armour's book achieves the latter, and not the former, end.
A Multi-Stage Game Model of Morals by Agreement
Authors: Heath Joseph
Published: April 2010

If there is one aspect of David Gauthier's program for a contractualist morality that has been most sceptically received, it is his view that instrumentally rational agents would choose to adopt a disposition that would in turn constrain their future choices. Instead of remaining “straightforward maximizers” caught in a suboptimal state of nature, they would become “constrained maximizers” who could avoid prisoner's dilemmas (PDs) by engaging in conditional co-operation. Apart from the fact that Gauthier's entirely prescriptive orientation leads him to omit any specification of the mechanism through which this might be accomplished, serious doubts have been raised about the adequacy of the argument that he offers in support of adopting constrained maximization.
Ontologie, philosophie et politique: la critique de la tradition épistémologique chez Charles Taylor
Authors: Nootens Geneviève
Published: April 2010

La philosophie de Charles Taylor a récemment fait l'objet de plusieurs critiques mettant en question tant l'ontologie morale proposée par Taylor que le modèle politique qu'elle soutient. Par exemple, O. Flanagan a souligné les difficultés posées par le fait de concevoir les agents moraux comme devant nécessairement procéder à des évaluations fortes. D. Weinstock a défendu l'idée que les institutions politiques libérales que critique Taylor sont en réalité plus propices au développement de cette capacité d'évaluation forte que la poursuite d'un bien commun par le biais des institutions politiques dont les communautaristes sont généralement vus comme les défenseurs. Pour sa part, Will Kymlicka a soutenu que contrairement à ce qu'affirme Taylor, la philosophie morale contemporaine ne nie pas l'existence de distinctions qualitatives et qu'elle centre la moralité sur le respect des besoins des autres pour permettre à chacun de réaliser son intérêt prémoral pour la bonne vie.
Restorative Justice and Punishment
Authors: Brunk Conrad G.
Published: April 2010

In The Practice of Punishment, Wesley Cragg sets out a systematic “restorative” theory of criminal punishment. For him, restorative justice identifies the goal of punishment as “the resolution of disputes to which criminal offenses give rise in ways designed to sustain confidence in the capacity of the law to fulfil its legitimate functions on the part of victims of crime and the public at large” (p. 9).
L'économique: branche des mathématiques ou branche de l'histoire?
Authors: Lagueux Maurice
Published: April 2010

Aux yeux de ceux, de plus en plus nombreux, qui cherchent à en analyser le statut épistémologique, la science économique pose un problème assez unique et même assez paradoxal. De l'avis de plusieurs, cette discipline est la plus avancée des sciences sociales; c'est d'ailleurs la seule que l'on a jugée digne de voir ses plus illustres représentants couronnés par le prestigieux prix Nobel. Pourtant, elle est probablement celle dont les résultats sont le plus systématiquement dénigrés ou réduits à peu de choses, souvent par ses représentants les plus éminents qui se livrent ainsi épisodiquement à une sorte d'autoflagellation comme on en voit rarement dans le monde académique. On pourrait présenter le problème autrement en faisant valoir que, plus que toute autre science sociale, l'économique tend à se modeler sur la physique et que, pour ce faire, les économistes n'hésitent pas à mettre l'accent sur le rôle capital des prédictions en sciences. Or, pourtant, peu de sciences voient leurs prédictions aussi constamment démenties par les faits, au point où ses adeptes n'estiment même plus qu'il est de leur devoir d'en excuser l'insuccès.