bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RECEPTIVE FIELD PROPERTIES OF NEAR NEIGHBOR ORIENTATION SELECTIVE NEURONS IN THE VISUAL CORTEX: A MODELING STUDY
Authors: BHAUMIK BASABI , AGARWAL ALOK , MANOHAR MANISH
Published: May 2005

The primary visual cortex is organized into clusters of cells having similar receptive fields (RFs). A purely feedforward model has been shown to produce realistic simple cell receptive fields. The modeled cells capture a wide range of receptive field properties of orientation selective cortical cells. We have analyzed the responses of 78 nearby cell pairs to study which RF properties are clustered. Orientation preference shows strongest clustering. Orientation tuning width (hwhh) and tuning height (spikes/sec) at the preferred orientation are not as tightly clustered. Spatial frequency is also not as tightly clustered and RF phase has the least clustering. Clustering property of orientation preference, orientation tuning height and width depend on the location of cells in the orientation map. No such location dependence is observed for spatial frequency and RF phase. Our results agree well with experimental data.
DEVELOPMENT OF FEEDFORWARD RECEPTIVE FIELD STRUCTURE OF A SIMPLE CELL AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORIENTATION SELECTIVITY: A MODELING STUDY
Authors: GARG AKHIL R , OBERMAYER KLAUS , BHAUMIK BASABI
Published: May 2005

Recent experimental studies of hetero-synaptic interactions in various systems have shown the role of signaling in the plasticity, challenging the conventional understanding of Hebb's rule. It has also been found that activity plays a major role in plasticity, with neurotrophins acting as molecular signals translating activity into structural changes. Furthermore, role of synaptic efficacy in biasing the outcome of competition has also been revealed recently. Motivated by these experimental findings we present a model for the development of simple cell receptive field structure based on the competitive hetero-synaptic interactions for neurotrophins combined with cooperative hetero-synaptic interactions in the spatial domain. We find that with proper balance in competition and cooperation, the inputs from two populations (ON/OFF) of LGN cells segregate starting from the homogeneous state. We obtain segregated ON and OFF regions in simple cell receptive field. Our modeling study supports the experimental findings, suggesting the role of synaptic efficacy and the role of spatial signaling. We find that using this model we obtain simple cell RF, even for positively correlated activity of ON/OFF cells. We also compare different mechanism of finding the response of cortical cell and study their possible role in the sharpening of orientation selectivity. We find that degree of selectivity improvement in individual cells varies from case to case depending upon the structure of RF field and type of sharpening mechanism.
LEARNING TO COOPERATE IN SOLVING THE TRAVELING SALESMAN PROBLEM
Authors: QI DEHU , SUN RON
Published: May 2005

A cooperative team of agents may perform many tasks better than single agents. The question is how cooperation among self-interested agents should be achieved. It is important that, while we encourage cooperation among agents in a team, we maintain autonomy of individual agents as much as possible, so as to maintain flexibility and generality. This paper presents an approach based on bidding utilizing reinforcement values acquired through reinforcement learning. We tested and analyzed this approach and demonstrated that a team indeed performed better than the best single agent as well as the average of single agents.
A REALIZATION OF MATRIX KP HIERARCHY BY COINCIDENT D-BRANE STATES
Authors: YAMAGUCHI HIRONORI , SAITO SATORU
Published: May 2005

We describe the Sato–Wilson type formulation of the KP hierarchy within the framework of closed string theory. A matrix generalization of this formalism is shown to allow natural interpretation of coincident D-branes as a sourse of non-Abelian gauge theory.
QUANTUM TWISTOR-LIKE p-BRANES WITH 3/4 OF D = 4, N = 1 SUPERSYMMETRY
Authors: UVAROV D. V. , ZHELTUKHIN A. A.
Published: May 2005

We study the Hamiltonian structure and constraints of twistor-like super p-brane which preserves 3/4 of D = 4, N = 1 supersymmetry using the conversion method. Classical and quantum realizations of the BRST charge, the unified superalgebra of symmetries of the p-brane action, including generalized global superconformal OSp (1|8) symmetry together with Virasoro and Weyl symmetries, are presented. We prove nilpotency of the Hermitian quantum BRST charge of the p-brane and closure of the quantized superalgebra OSp (1|8) of its global symmetry.
New internationalism
Authors: Mohan Brij
Published: May 2005

English

Globalization and its many faces have essentially changed the content and character of inter- and intra-societal relationships. A new kind of social work will have to embrace universalization of values, knowledge and skills that promote inclusive world citizenship and global coexistence.

French

La mondialisation et ses multiples visages ont essentiellement changé le contenu et le caractère des relations inter- et intra-sociétales. Une nouvelle forme de travail social devra se fonder sur des valeurs, des connaissances et des habiletés universelles qui mettent de l'avant des notions de citoyenneté mondiale inclusive et de coexistence globale.

Spanish

La globalización y sus muchas facetas han cambiado esencialmente el contenido y el carácter de las relaciones inter e intrasociales. Un nuevo tipo de trabajo social tendrá que abrazar la universalización de los valores, el conocimiento y las destrezas que promuevan una ciudadanía mundial y una coexistencia global inclusivas.
The role of nonprofit organizations in the delivery of family services in 11 EU member and applicant states
Authors: Appleton Louise
Published: May 2005

English

This article explores how family services are delivered across EU member and applicant states through nonprofit organizations. Historical, political, cultural and financial factors are shown to impact upon the role of NPOs at both the national and sub-national levels, which may determine the efficacy of measures to increase nonprofit sector involvement in policy implementation.

French

Cet article explore les faµons par lesquelles les organismes à but non lucratif desservent les familles dans les états membres de l'Union européenne et dans les pays requérants. La recherche démontre que des facteurs historiques, politiques, culturels et financiers ont un impact sur le rôle des organismes à but non lucratif tant au niveau national que régional. Ces facteurs peuvent déterminer l'efficacité des mesures utilisées pour hausser l'implication du secteur des organismes à but non lucratif dans l'implémentation des politiques.

Spanish

Este trabajo explora la manera en que son otorgados los servicios familiares, en diferentes estados de la Unión Europea, a través de las organizaciones altruistas. Se muestra cómo los factores históricos, políticos, culturales y financieros influyen sobre el papel que cumplen estas organizaciones tanto a nivel nacional como a nivel local; lo cual puede determinar la eficacia de las medidas para incrementar la participación del sector altruista en la implementación de políticas.
Marital conflict and social support of Korean immigrants in the United States
Authors: Lee Eunju
Published: May 2005

English

The goal is to study the relationship between marital conflict and social support in Korean immigrants. Both the cultural values of male dominance and life stress are major factors in marital conflict. Social support has an important role in reducing its incidence.

French

Le but de cette étude est d'explorer les relations entre les conflits conjugaux et le soutien social parmi les immigrants coréens. Les valeurs culturelles de dominance masculine et de stress de la vie constituent des facteurs majeurs dans les conflits de couples. Le soutien social joue un rôle important dans la'réduction d'incidences de conflits conjugaux.

Spanish

La meta es estudiar la relación entre el conflicto matrimonial y el apoyo social en los inmigrantes Coreanos. Tanto los valores culturales de dominación hacia las mujeres como el estrés cotidiano son factores importantes en el conflicto matrimonial. El apoyo social juega un papel importante en la reducción de la incidencia del conflicto matrimonial.
Exo-endothermic Blowing Agent and its Foaming Behavior
Authors: Zhou Qiong , Cong Chuan-Bo
Published: May 2005

The thermal decomposition and foaming behaviors of blowing agent AC (azodicarbamide) and exo-endothermic blowing agent DDL-105 were investigated systematically. The gas and enthalpy release both showed that DDL-105 exhibited a milder decomposition. The blowing ratio and cell structure were influenced by the decomposition feature of the blowing agents, as well as their dependence on foaming time and temperature. Compared to AC, DDL-105 possessed a wider temperature-time region to prepare cellular samples with proper blowing ratio and cell structure.
Cell Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Rigid Polyurethane Foam
Authors: Hawkins Michelle Cameron , O’Toole Brendan , Jackovich Dacia
Published: May 2005

Polyurethane foam, used as a supporting or insulating material, is sometimes formed in complex molds with significant variations in geometry and size. This work investigates the relationships between cell morphology, density, and mechanical properties in a molded polyurethane material using relatively small cylindrical molds. Understanding these relationships will help mechanical designers to analyze and predict the responses of foam components accurately. Three mold sizes are used to study changes in cell morphology (cell area, cell diameter, aspect ratio, cell angle, cell edge length, cell face thickness, and cell edge thickness), density, and mechanical properties (Young’s modulus and collapse stress) with respect to position within the mold. The density is shown to increase from the top to the bottom of the reference mold but does not change significantly in the small and tall molds. However, the mechanical and cell morphology properties show more changes in the small and tall molds when compared to the reference mold even though there are only small changes in density.
Prediction of Damage in Composite Cylinders After Impact
Authors: Gning P. B. , Tarfaoui M. , Collombet F. , Davies P.
Published: May 2005

This paper presents the results from a study in two parts. The first part involves the identification and modeling of damage initiation and development in glass-reinforced epoxy composite cylinders subjected to drop weight impact. The second is concerned with the evaluation of the influence of this damage on the residual strength under hydrostatic pressure loading. Original results showing the influence of damage on implosion pressure are presented. The improved understanding of these phenomena and the development of predictive tools is part of an ongoing effort to improve the long-term integrity of composite structures for underwater applications.
Numerical Study of the Local Permeability of Noncrimp Fabrics
Authors: Nordlund Markus , Lundstrom T. Staffan
Published: May 2005

Noncrimp stitched fabrics (NCFs) are often used as reinforcing materials in high-performance composite materials. Prediction models of the processing stage of the manufacturing are highly desirable in order to enhance the control of the process and enable the production of materials with higher quality. In NCFs, layers of parallel fiber bundles consisting of a large number of fibers are stitched together with other layers to form a network of interbundle channels in different directions. In earlier works, numerical simulations on unit cells had been performed in order to predict the global permeability of NCFs. It was shown that features like the thread influence the local permeability of the unit cells and therefore, the local permeability distribution of a fabric also. Furthermore, this influences the global permeability of the entire fabric. In the present paper, different geometrical features are therefore studied in order to investigate their influence on the local permeability within an NCF. The stitching process in addition to the interbundle channels, gives rise to two geometrical features, the thread which penetrates the channels and the crossing of fibers between two neighboring fiber bundles. The influences of these two features on the local permeability are studied together with variations of other geometrical parameters of the fabric. Computational Fluid Dynamics are used for the flow simulations in order to calculate the local permeability for the different unit cells. To ensure quality and trust, the numerical accuracy of the simulations is also studied. This work proves that the thread and the crossings, as well as the variations of the width and the height of the interbundle channels, have great influence on the local permeability. Prediction models therefore, have to take these features as well as geometry distortions, which influence the local permeability distribution, into account in order to make accurate predictions of the global permeability of a fabric.
Cultural Authenticity and National Identity
Authors: Al-Kharrat Edwar
Published: May 2005

There is considerable consensus that the two notions of cultural authenticity and national identity are mutually intersecting, interpenetrative and interdependent. Both authenticity and identity are challenged by a certain tendency towards ‘globalization’, an effective standardization that levels out and thus obliterates distinctive characteristics.
Megan’s Law: Evaluations of Sexual Offender Registries
Authors: Welchans Sarah
Published: May 2005

This article presents a literature review of the empirical evaluations of sex offender registration and community notification policy, commonly known as Megan’s Law. A background of the social problem that stimulated the policy formation of Megan’s Law is provided. Literature searches presented 12 empirical evaluations on different aspects of Megan’s Law. These evaluations focused on stakeholder, client-centered, goal-oriented, and process evaluations. Many sex offenders found some value to Megan’s Law in both deterring future abuse and when DNA collection was used in reducing false accusations. Implementation of this policy varied both within states and between states. Community members generally support the policy’s concept. Goal-oriented evaluations are not supportive of the policy’s effectiveness. Suggestions for future evaluative research on this policy are given.
The Application of Economic Analysis to Criminal Justice Interventions: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Swaray Raymond B. , Bowles Roger , Pradiptyo Rimawan
Published: May 2005

Public policy makers and practitioners have become increasingly reliant on economic analysis to provide valuable insights into decision making. However, answers from economic analyses are only as good as the quality of the analyses themselves. This article presents the findings of a literature review of the application of economic analysis to criminal justice interventions. The review started with 748 relevant bibliographic records after two consecutive screenings of 9,919 records. Ten studies, out of a total of 154 studies reviewed, were judged to encapsulate rigorous applications of economic analysis to criminal justice interventions. These findings reveal the general shortage of sound applications of economic analysis to criminal justice interventions. This article proceeds to summarize the methods used to value the costs, outcomes, and benefits in the 10 studies selected. With very few exceptions, the studies reviewed were based on less rigorous study designs.
Do Family Courts Administer Individualized Justice in Delinquency Cases?
Authors: Gebo Erika
Published: May 2005

Family courts are in use or are being considered in more than half of U.S. states, yet little research exists on their outcomes. This study examines effects of a policy change in one state, which created a pilot family court system. The policy change to family court mandates a more individualized client focus for these courts. Family courts are compared to juvenile courts in the processing of delinquency cases. Results of logistic regression show that family courts may be meeting the policy goals of individualized justice by accepting fewer plea bargains and by ordering more clinical assessments for juveniles and their families. Ultimately, however, there is no difference in sentencing outcomes between these two types of court structures. Policy implications are discussed.
The Sex Offender Next Door: An Analysis of Recidivism, Risk Factors, and Deterrence of Sex Offenders on Probation
Authors: Meloy Michelle L.
Published: May 2005

Nearly 60% of convicted sex offenders serve a term of felony probation or parole. Using data for 917 convicted male sex offenders on probation in 17 states, this study examines the efficacy of community supervision for this population. Offenders’ social demographics and baseline criminality were studied in conjunction with formal and informal social controls to determine their collective deterrent impact. The overall recidivism rate was 16%. However, only 4.5% of offenders committed a new sex crime during probation. Regression analyses indicate that factors readily available to court personnel can accurately predict non-sexual recidivism among sex offenders on probation. However, accurately predicting additional sexual violence proved a more dubious task. The only significant predictor of chronic sex offending was the imposition of a jail term as a condition of probation. Results indicate that under the right set of conditions, probation is the most appropriate criminal sanction for some types of sex offenders.
Recidivism Among Drug Offenders Following Exposure to Treatment
Authors: Hepburn John R.
Published: May 2005

The contemporary debate about punishment versus treatment for drug-using criminal offenders often revolves around the pragmatic issue of the extent to which treatment is more effective than punishment at reducing the probability of subsequent criminal behavior. Although there is growing evidence that treatment works, it is equally apparent that the effects of exposure to treatment vary by offender characteristics, offense characteristics, and the degree of program involvement. Using data on 3,328 drug-using offenders eligible for diversion from prosecution to a community treatment program, multivariate survival models indicate significant differences in the time of rearrest during a 5-year follow-up period, suggesting that the act of entering treatment is a signal of the offender’s readiness for treatment and that the time to rearrest is affected by exposure to treatment. The findings are discussed in terms of current efforts to use the threat of legal sanction to motivate criminal offenders into drug treatment.
What is Meant by Telling the Truth: Bonhoeffer on the Ethics of Disclosure
Authors: Berlinger Nancy
Published: May 2005

This article explores Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writings on truth telling with reference to the problem of medical error in the US, the UK, and other developed nations, with particular attention to physicians’ resistance to disclosing their own mistakes to injured patients and their families. The brief essay ‘What Is Meant by “Telling the Truth”?’ and its historical context — Bonhoeffer’s imprisonment and interrogation in 1943 — is proposed as a text for medical ethicists and others seeking to overcome the barrier of the ‘hidden curriculum’ within the culture of medicine, which encourages medical students and physicians to conceal their errors and to fear disclosure.
Theology, Contemplation and the University
Authors: Louth Andrew
Published: May 2005

Theology was one of the original faculties of the medieval university, which grew out of the earlier monastic and cathedral schools, where theology was central. The purpose of theology in monastic education was to provide not simply information about theological topics, but to prepare one to contemplate God, contemplation being the true knowledge of God. Contemplation as the goal of intellectual development, however, goes behind the Christian education of monastery and university to the intellectual and cultural ideals of classical civilisation, as seen in Plato and Aristotle. A contrast is drawn between contemplation, for which the object of knowledge is an end in itself, and the way in which knowledge has come to be seen as essentially instrumental, ultimately as an object of consumption, so that the one who knows becomes consumer rather than contemplator. Some of the consequences of this shift in understanding, which undermines the traditional ideals of culture, are explored.
On Mothers, Babies and Bathwater: Distributive Justice, Tort Law and Prenatal Duties
Authors: Keren-Paz Tsachi
Published: May 2005

In this article I seek to apply a general claim about tort law - that it should promote as one of its goals a better attainment of distributive justice - to the context of maternal prenatal duty. My argument is that, contrary to common belief among lawyers, the negative burden that a maternal prenatal duty of care would place on potential defendants’ autonomy, although significant, is not a convincing reason in itself to oppose such a duty. Crucial to this argument is the fact that it is the autonomy of women that is limited. Moreover, and somewhat counter-intuitively, I argue that a genuine distributive-egalitarian concern can in fact support the imposition of liability, within the limits of actual insurance coverage, when certain conditions are met, at least according to one understanding of this concern.
Zoora Shah: ‘An Unusual Woman’
Authors: Carline Anna
Published: May 2005

Zoora Shah was convicted of murder after she poisoned and killed Mohammed Azam. Her appeal against her murder conviction (among others) was rejected by the Court of Appeal. This article provides a queer theory reading of the Court of Appeal’s judgment and argues that the court’s decision was based upon the construction of Zoora as an unintelligible gender. Drawing upon the work of Judith Butler, the article analyses the notion of gender as performativity and argues that Zoora’s construction as an unintelligible gender was due to her failure to conform to a number of gender and racial scripts. In particular, the article examines the court’s use of the term ‘unusual woman’ to describe Zoora and analyses how this labelling significantly contributed to her construction as an unintelligible gender. The article will argue that the construction of Zoora as an unintelligible gender prevented her from telling the ‘truth’ of her situation.
Exploring the Basis of Citizens’ Attitudes Toward the Police
Authors: Frank James , Smith Brad W. , Novak Kenneth J.
Published: May 2005

During the past 20 years, there has been an expanding body of research examining citizens’ attitudes toward the police. Most of this research has been directed at assessing the determinants of these attitudes. In contrast, less attention has been focused on the reasons why citizens hold certain attitudes. The present study uses the survey responses of 613 residents of a midwestern city to examine the information accessed by citizens when responding to questions regarding their general and specific attitudes toward the police. The findings suggest that citizens focus on attributes of agencies and encounters, some focus on the behavior of officers during interactions, and others base their attitudes on general perceptions of the occupation of policing. Furthermore, the referent employed by citizens is not always consistent with the attitude object (i.e., general questions elicit specific responses). The likelihood that police agencies can influence citizens’ attitudes is also assessed.
Can Effective Policing Also Be Respectful? Two Examples in the South Bronx
Authors: Davis Robert C. , Mateu-Gelabert Pedro , Miller Joel
Published: May 2005

Crime in New York City declined dramatically following the introduction of a set of new police strategies in 1994. The number of civilian complaints against the police, however, rose dramatically after the new strategies were implemented. These two trends, moving in opposite directions, led many to speculate that the inevitable price of the dramatic drop in crime is an aggressive police force that generates more anger and resentment. This case study refutes the inevitability of a link between aggressive policing and citizen complaints of misconduct. In at least two neighborhoods in the Bronx, large reductions in crime occurred while complaints against officers declined below 1993. We examine several possible explanations for the decline in civilian complaints, analyzing statistical data and interviewing more than two dozen police officers, from the precinct commanders to the officers on patrol. We conclude that the most likely explanation for the decline in citizen complaints in these two precincts was efforts made by precinct commanders to promote respectful policing and change a police culture that tolerated citizen complaints.
Algerian landing
Authors: Bourdieu Pierre
Published: May 2005

In this fragment of a socioanalytic account of his own social and intellectual formation, the author recounts the motivations, aims, and circumstances of his fieldwork in Algeria during the war of national liberation and the ‘epistemological experiment’ that he embarked upon by simultaneously taking his childhood village as an object of anthropological inquiry. The conditions of his landing in the French colony, the material and emotional parameters of research in the shanty-towns and countryside of a colonial society ravaged by military repression, and the role of delicate ties with informants are recounted, as are the interplay between personal dispositions, intellectual models, and the division and hierarchy between academic disciplines, in an effort to illumine the conversion of political impulses into scientific endeavours. The author’s switch from philosophy to ethnology to sociology emerges as driven by the need to feel useful in the face of harrowing suffering and injustice and rooted in a deep repugnance for the scholastic posture made all the more intolerable in a state of social emergency. The quandaries presented by conducting fieldwork in a situation of war are revealed to be the initial impetus for his abiding concern for epistemic reflexivity. Such ethnography of ethnography can enable the researcher to recover the hidden social and personal springs of her investigations and thereby help convert intuition bred by social familiarity from intellectual handicap to scientific capital.
Of rooting and uprooting
Authors: Silverstein Paul A.
Published: May 2005

Exploring the ethnographic context of the early development of his concepts of habitus and practice, this article critically examines Bourdieu’s representation of the Kabyle house ( akham) as a synecdoche for a larger ‘rooted’ socio-cultural totality set against the backdrop of the generalized ‘uprooting’ caused by colonialism and the war of national liberation. The akham is shown to be an object of ‘structural nostalgia’, shared by Bourdieu and his informants alike, for a cultural form understood as explicitly threatened. The article traces how these categories of rooting and uprooting, as appropriated by Bourdieu from French nationalist discourse, have continued to inflect contemporary forms of historical consciousness among the Kabyle diaspora, including contemporary Kabyle cultural politics in France and the transnational Berber Cultural Movement.
The peasant and photography
Authors: Bourdieu Pierre , Bourdieu Marie-Claire
Published: May 2005

Drawing on an ethnography of the author’s childhood village in southwestern France, this article analyses the social uses and meaning of photographs and photographic practice in the peasant society of Béarn in the early 1960s. Photography was first introduced on the occasion of the great ceremonies of familial and collective life, such as weddings, in which it fulfills the function of affirming the unity, standing, and boundaries of the lineages involved. Such ceremonies can be photographed because they lie outside the everyday routine and they must be photographed to solemnize and materialize the image that the group intends to present of itself. Thus photos are read and appreciated not in themselves and for themselves, in terms of their technical or aesthetic qualities, but as lay sociograms providing a visual record of extant social roles and relations; and they are typically stored away in a box as it would be indecent or ostentatious to display them in one’s home. Peasants use photography strictly as consumers, and then only selectively. The rarity of photographic practice among them is explained not by the negative determinisms of income or technological familiarity but by the fact that taking pictures is regarded as a frivolous luxury associated with urban ways and an innovation suspect of manifesting the will to distinguish oneself and to rise above one’s rank, which doubly violates the ethos of the group. The mandatory photographic posture itself, with its stress on conventionality, fixity, and frontality, is an extension of the peasant ethic of honor that sharply limits the taking and using of photos and stands in direct affinity with the style of social relations fostered by a hierarchical and closed society in which the lineage and the ‘house’ have more reality than the particular individuals who compose them.
From order to justice
Authors: Hardin Russell
Published: May 2005

We can observe in the progression of the work of Thomas Hobbes through David Hume to John Rawls a development from a focus on severe disorder to order under law and then to concern with distribution. This striking development is not due simply to changes of normative views, but is in large part about the technical or virtually technological capacities of government. There are also non-normative theoretical and significant developments in their theories. Hence, much of the difference between these philosophers, who superficially appear to disagree deeply, is essentially social scientific. If so, they should all be willing to revise conclusions to fit better social science. This is not the whole story, perhaps, or if it is, then we have to conclude that all of them make big scientific mistakes that vitiate their theories. On this view, Hume comes closest to having the theory right in his time and his account is more compelling as a social scientific account of our issues than are the accounts of Hobbes or Rawls.
‘Perhaps the most important primary good’: self-respect and Rawls’s principles of justice
Authors: Eyal Nir
Published: May 2005

The article begins by reconstructing the just distribution of the social bases of self-respect, a principle of justice that is covert in Rawls’s writing. I argue that, for Rawls, justice mandates that each social basis for self-respect be equalized (and, as a second priority, maximized). Curiously, for Rawls, that principle ranks higher than Rawls’s two more famous principles of justice - equal liberty and the difference principle. I then recall Rawls’s well-known confusion between self-respect and another form of self-appraisal, namely, confidence in one’s determinate plans and capacities. Correcting that confusion forces Rawls to accept objectionable and illiberal politics. Surprisingly, a consistent Rawls must endorse absolute economic equality, deny liberty any priority whatsoever, or sponsor still other illiberal political views - evidence of a flaw in the ethical basis of Rawls’s politics.
Why Philosophy Matters
Authors: Mason Richard
Published: May 2005

The motives of philosophers tend to be personal. Philosophy has mattered politically as part of continuing political debates. Its effects on politics, religion and the development of the sciences have been evident. Philosophy has been supposed to have special educational value, from its contents or from the benefits of its methods and arguments. This is doubtful. Rather, philosophy matters because its concerns matter. How much philosophy matters, or should matter, may be a question of local taste.
Disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with acute hemoglobinemia or hemoglobinuria following Rho(D) immune globulin intravenous administration for immune thrombocytopenic purpura
Authors: Gaines Ann Reed
Published: May 2005

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed Rho(D) immune globulin intravenous (anti-D IGIV) on March 24, 1995, for treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). A previous review described data on 15 patients who experienced acute hemoglobinemia or hemoglobinuria following anti-D IGIV administration for ITP or secondary thrombocytopenia. Eleven of those patients also experienced clinically compromising anemia, transfusion with packed red blood cells, renal insufficiency, dialysis, or death. That review suggested that patients receiving anti-D IGIV be monitored for those and other potential complications of hemoglobinemia, particularly disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Through November 30, 2004, the FDA received 6 reports of DIC associated with “acute hemolysis” (or similar terms), 5 of which involved fatalities. The attending or consulting physicians assessed that acute hemolysis or DIC caused or contributed to each death. This review presents the first case series of DIC associated with acute hemoglobinemia or hemoglobinuria following anti-D IGIV administration for ITP. The purpose of this review is to increase awareness among physicians and other health care professionals that DIC may be a rare but potentially severe complication of anti-D IGIV treatment. Increased awareness of DIC as a diagnostic possibility may enable prompt recognition and medical intervention in affected patients.
Stimulation of Myc transactivation by the TATA binding protein in promoter-reporter assays
Authors: Barrett John F , Lee Linda A , Dang Chi V
Published: May 2005

Background

The c-Myc oncogenic transcription factor heterodimerizes with Max, binds specific DNA sites and regulates transcription. The role of Myc in transcriptional activation involves its binding to TRRAP and histone acetylases; however, Myc's ability to activate transcription in transient transfection assays is remarkably weak (2 to 5 fold) when compared to other transcription factors. Since a deletion Myc mutant D106-143 and a substitution mutant W135E that weakly binds TRRAP are still fully active in transient transfection reporter assays and the TATA binding protein (TBP) has been reported to directly bind Myc, we sought to determine the effect of TBP on Myc transactivation.

Results

We report here a potent stimulation of Myc transactivation by TBP, allowing up to 35-fold transactivation of reporter constructs. Although promoters with an initiator (InR) element briskly responded to Myc transactivation, the presence of an InR significantly diminished the response to increasing amounts of TBP. We surmise from these findings that promoters containing both TATA and InR elements may control Myc responsive genes that require brisk increased expression within a narrow window of Myc levels, independent of TBP. In contrast, promoters driven by the TATA element only, may also respond to modulation of TBP activity or levels.

Conclusion

Our observations not only demonstrate that TBP is limiting for Myc transactivation in transient transfection experiments, but they also suggest that the inclusion of TBP in Myc transactivation assays may further improve the characterization of c-Myc target genes.
Gene expression profile of cervical tissue compared to exfoliated cells: Impact on biomarker discovery
Authors: Steinau Martin , Lee Daisy R , Rajeevan Mangalathu S , Vernon Suzanne D , Ruffin Mack T , Unger Elizabeth R
Published: May 2005

Background

Exfoliated cervical cells are used in cytology-based cancer screening and may also be a source for molecular biomarkers indicative of neoplastic changes in the underlying tissue. However, because of keratinization and terminal differentiation it is not clear that these cells have an mRNA profile representative of cervical tissue, and that the profile can distinguish the lesions targeted for early detection.

Results

We used whole genome microarrays (25,353 unique genes) to compare the transcription profiles from seven samples of normal exfoliated cells and one cervical tissue. We detected 10,158 genes in exfoliated cells, 14,544 in the tissue and 7320 genes in both samples. For both sample types the genes grouped into the same major gene ontology (GO) categories in the same order, with exfoliated cells, having on average 20% fewer genes in each category. We also compared microarray results of samples from women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3, n = 15) to those from age and race matched women without significant abnormalities (CIN1, CIN0; n = 15). We used three microarray-adapted statistical packages to identify differential gene expression. The six genes identified in common were two to four fold upregulated in CIN3 samples. One of these genes, the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 variant 1, participates in the degradation of p53 through interaction with the oncogenic HPV E6 protein.

Conclusion

The findings encourage further exploration of gene expression using exfoliated cells to identify and validate applicable biomarkers. We conclude that the gene expression profile of exfoliated cervical cells partially represents that of tissue and is complex enough to provide potential differentiation between disease and non-disease.
Ataxia and peripheral nerve hypomyelination in ADAM22-deficient mice
Authors: Sagane Koji , Hayakawa Kazuhiro , Kai Junko , Hirohashi Tomoko , Takahashi Eiki , Miyamoto Norimasa , Ino Mitsuhiro , Oki Tohru , Yamazaki Kazuto , Nagasu Takeshi
Published: May 2005

Background

ADAM22 is a member of the ADAM gene family, but the fact that it is expressed only in the nervous systems makes it unique. ADAM22's sequence similarity to other ADAMs suggests it to be an integrin binder and thus to have a role in cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions. To elucidate the physiological functions of ADAM22, we employed gene targeting to generate ADAM22 knockout mice.

Results

ADAM22-deficient mice were produced in a good accordance with the Mendelian ratio and appeared normal at birth. After one week, severe ataxia was observed, and all homozygotes died before weaning, probably due to convulsions. No major histological abnormalities were detected in the cerebral cortex or cerebellum of the homozygous mutants; however, marked hypomyelination of the peripheral nerves was observed.

Conclusion

The results of our study demonstrate that ADAM22 is closely involved in the correct functioning of the nervous system. Further analysis of ADAM22 will provide clues to understanding the mechanisms of human diseases such as epileptic seizures and peripheral neuropathy.
Reactions of Air-Polluting Gases (NOx, SOx) with Transition Metal Cluster Complexes
Authors: Wakatsuki Yasuo , Chihara Teiji
Published: May 2005

As a molecular model for heterogeneous catalysis effected by fine metal particles, the reactions of NO, SO2, and SO with hexanuclear ruthenium clusters have been investigated in detail. One typical reaction of gaseous NO with anionic cluster is a redox-type reaction to give an one-electron oxidation product in which the original cluster framework is retained. The other typical reaction is observed in the reaction of neutral clusters with NO leading to partially degraded products, to which not only NO, but also an NO2 unit are coordinated. When a μ2,η3-allyl ligand is present in NO or SO2 coordinated hexanuclear carbonyl clusters, variable temperature 1H NMR spectra of the allyl terminal protons provide a good methodology to observe the fluxional behavior brought about by rapid migration of the NO and SO2 ligands over the metal atoms in the cluster core. Stepwise reduction of cluster-bound SO2 to SO and finally to S has been realized by the successive action of a Lewis acid and then CO or H2.
Electronic States and Magnetic Properties of Triplet Porphyrinato Copper(II) Cation Radical Complexes
Authors: Satoh Minoru , Ohba Yasunori , Hoshino Mikio , Konishi Shiro , Ebina Fujio , Yamauchi Seigo , Iwaizumi Masamoto
Published: May 2005

The porphyrinato copper cation radical complexes were examined by EPR spectroscopy. The cation radical complexes having bulky peripheral substituents are present as monomers in fluid solution and show EPR spectra due to intramolecular spin coupling between the spins on copper and on the porphyrin ring. The cation radical complexes, having no such substituents, form a dimer in solution. On the other hand, when they are oxidized in frozen solution by γ-ray irradiation, the cation radical complexes are always formed as a monomer, showing a triplet state EPR due to the intramolecular spin coupling. The zero field splitting and spin exchange parameters, |D| and 2J, obtained from EPR measurements were classified into two groups by their magnitudes. The tetraphenylporphyrinato copper(II) cation radical complex, [CuII(tpp)]+, has a small |D| and a small negative 2J value, while the octaethylporphyrinato copper(II) cation radical complex, [CuII(oep)]+, has a large |D| and a large negative 2J value. The other porphyrinato copper(II) cation radical complexes are classified into one of these two type of complexes. These classifications can be related to the electronic configuration of the porphyrin cation radicals. These |D| and 2J values also suggest that the triplet state monomer complexes of porphyrinato copper(II) cation must be deformed from the planar structure.
Systematic Enumeration of Ferrocene Derivatives by Unit-Subduced-Cycle-Index Method and Characteristic-Monomial Method
Authors: Fujita Shinsaku
Published: May 2005

The unit-subduced-cycle-index method and the characteristic-monomial method have been applied to the combinatorial enumeration of ferrocene derivatives. The enumeration has been itemized with respect to formulas as well as to symmetries, where the symmetry of each derivative is characterized by a factor group D∞h/C∞ and its subgroups. The chirality/achirality of ligands and of ferrocene derivatives has been discussed.
Physical Properties of Charge Transfer Salt (EDO-TTFBr2)2AsF6 in Mott Insulating State
Authors: Yoneyama Naoki , Miyazaki Akira , Enoki Toshiaki , Ogura Eiji , Kuwatani Yoshiyuki , Iyoda Masahiko
Published: May 2005

We have investigated the physical properties of a new charge transfer salt based on an asymmetric donor 4,5-dibromo-4′,5′-ethylenedioxy-tetrathiafulvalene (EDO-TTFBr2) whose crystal structure contains a weakly dimerized donor stacking structure. This salt is considered to be in a Mott insulating state in the vicinity of the metal-insulator boundary, taking account of the highly conductive semiconducting behavior and the feature of the susceptibility explained by the one-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet model with an S = 1/2 localized spin per dimer and a large exchange interaction of about −190 K. The large exchange interaction and the exceptionally small resistivity (0.06 Ω cm at room temperature) originate from the strong inter-dimer transfer integral. The results of the ESR not only suggest an antiferromagnetic transition at 37 K, but also reflect the one-dimensional electronic state giving a negligible contribution to the spin-lattice relaxation process.
Laser Flash Photolysis Studies of the Photo-Ring-Opening Reaction of Flav-3-en-2-ol
Authors: Horiuchi Hiroaki , Yokawa Akinobu , Okutsu Tetsuo , Hiratsuka Hiroshi
Published: May 2005

Electronic structure and photodynamics of flav-3-en-2-ol have been studied by steady-state and time-resolved absorption measurements, and by semi-empirical MO calculations. The photo-ring-opening reaction to produce 2-hydroxychalcone has been determined to be a monophotonic process with the quantum yield of 0.29. The precursor to 2-hydroxychalcone has been assigned to the ground-state enol-form by nanosecond laser flash photolysis study at room temperature and steady-state photolysis study at 77 K. The efficiency of the tautomerization from the ground-state enol-form to keto-form of 2-hydroxychalcone has been estimated to be unity. The enol-form is transformed into 2-hydroxychalcone with the rate constant of 3.2 × 104 s−1 in neat acetonitrile, and this process is accelerated by protic molecules. The PM3 calculation of flav-3-en-2-ol showed that the dissociative potential surface in the first excited singlet-state is responsible for the ring-opening reaction.
Partition and Complex Formation of Alkali Metal Ions with Poly(oxyethylene) Derivatives in 4-Methyl-2-pentanone
Authors: Kikuchi Yoichi , Kubota Mitsuru , Sawada Kiyoshi
Published: May 2005

The partition equilibria of alkali metal picrates with or without a series of poly(oxyethylene) derivatives (POE compound, S) into 4-methyl-2-pentanone (MIBK) have been studied at 25.0 °C. The thermodynamic constants of the distribution and ion-pair formation in the water-saturated MIBK of ion pairs of alkali metal picrates (M+·Pic−), and , and the POE compounds-M+ complexes with Pic− (SM+·Pic−), and , were determined. From these data, the partition coefficients of M+ and Pic−, , and the thermodynamic formation constants of the POE compounds-M+ complexes in MIBK, , were evaluated. The interionic distances, a, of ion pairs were estimated from the ion-pair formation constants, and . These results were compared with those in an inert solvent, 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE). The complex formation constants, , in MIBK are much smaller than those in 1,2-DCE, and their differences among alkali metal ions are small. The donating ability of the solvent has large effects on the stability of the complexes, whereas the polarity (dielectric constant) of the solvent is not very effective. A small metal ion, particularly lithium ion, is strongly hydrated in water-saturated MIBK. Hydration to the lithium ion brings about a serious structural change in the POE compound complex.
Determination of Ultratrace Indium in Water Sample by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry after Preconcentration with Solvent Extraction and Back Extraction
Authors: Kawaguchi Hiroshi , Okamoto Takashi , Miura Keisuke , Shimizu Tokuo , Shirakashi Takashi
Published: May 2005

A method for the determination of indium at ng dm−3 levels in water sample is described. Indium is extracted into carbon tetrachloride as an ion pair of (5-sulfo-8-quinolinolato) indate(III) anion with tetradecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride, and subsequently back-extracted into 0.3 cm3 of a nitric acid solution. The back-extracted solution, containing 100 μg cm−3 of palladium as a matrix modifier, is suitable for the determination of indium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The extraction behavior of the ion associate was also compared with that of the 8-quinolinolato complex. The detection limit (3σ) for indium is 0.28 ng dm−3, based on a 2000-fold preconcentration. The proposed method is applicable to the determination of indium at ng dm−3 levels in water sample.