bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of the genital ducts and external genitalia in the early human embryo
Authors: Sajjad Yasmin
Published: September 2010

The course of development of the human genital tract is undifferentiated to the 9th week of development. At this time two symmetrical paired ducts known as the mesonephric (MD) and paramesonephric ducts (PMD) are present, which together with the urogenital sinus provide the tissue sources for internal and external genital development. Normal differentiation of the bipotential external genitalia and reproductive ducts are dependent upon the presence or absence of certain hormones. Masculinization of the internal and external genitalia during fetal development depends on the existence of two discrete testicular hormones. Testosterone secreted from Leydig cells induces the differentiation of the mesonephric ducts into the epididymis, vasa deferentia and seminal vesicles, whereas anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) produced by Sertoli cells induces the regression of the paramesonephric ducts. The absence of AMH action in early fetal life results in the formation of the fallopian tubes, uterus and upper third of the vagina. In some target tissues, testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone, which is responsible for the masculinization of the urogenital sinus and external genitalia.
Evidence for oligomerization between GABAB receptors and GIRK channels containing the GIRK1 and GIRK3 subunits
Authors: Ciruela Francisco , Fernández‐Dueñas Víctor , Sahlholm Kristoffer , Fernández‐Alacid Laura , Nicolau Joel C. , Watanabe Masahiko , Luján Rafael
Published: September 2010

The stimulation of inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors, such as γ‐aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptors, activates G protein‐gated inwardly‐rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels, which influence membrane excitability. There is now evidence suggesting that G protein‐coupled receptors and G protein‐gated inwardly‐rectifying K+ [GIRK/family 3 of inwardly‐rectifying K+ (Kir3)] channels do not diffuse freely within the plasma membrane, but instead there are direct protein–protein interactions between them. Here, we used bioluminescence resonance energy transfer, co‐immunoprecipitation, confocal and electron microscopy techniques to investigate the oligomerization of GABAB receptors with GIRK channels containing the GIRK3 subunit, whose contribution to functional channels is still unresolved. Co‐expression of GABAB receptors and GIRK channels in human embryonic kidney‐293 cells in combination with co‐immunoprecipitation experiments established that the metabotropic receptor forms stable complexes with GIRK channels. Using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer, we have shown that, in living cells under physiological conditions, GABAB receptors interact directly with GIRK1/GIRK3 heterotetramers. In addition, we have provided evidence that the receptor–effector complexes are also found in vivo and identified that the cerebellar granule cells are one neuron population where the interaction probably takes place. Altogether, our data show that signalling complexes containing GABAB receptors and GIRK channels are formed shortly after biosynthesis, probably in the endoplasmic reticulum and/or endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi apparatus complex, suggesting that this might be a general feature of receptor–effector ion channel signal transduction and supporting a channel‐forming role for the GIRK3 subunit.
Neuronal mechanism of mirror movements caused by dysfunction of the motor cortex
Authors: Tsuboi Fumiharu , Nishimura Yukio , Yoshino‐Saito Kimika , Isa Tadashi
Published: September 2010

Mirror movements (MMs) are often observed in hemiplegic patients after stroke, and are supposed to reflect some aspects of their recovery process. Therefore, understanding the neuronal mechanism of MMs is important, but from the currently available evidence in human case studies, the mechanism of MMs has not been clearly understood. Here we found that in monkeys, after reversible inactivation of the right primary motor cortex (M1) by microinjection of muscimol, MMs were induced in the right hand during voluntary grasping with the left hand, which were partially affected by the injection. Using this animal model, we investigated the origin of MMs after dysfunction of the M1. We found the MMs thus induced were completely abolished by additional blockade of the left M1. Electromyogram (EMG) activities in some homonymous muscle pairs in bilateral hands were co‐activated. Detailed analysis of EMG activities suggested that the enhanced activation of the left M1, which led to MMs in the right hand, was not directly driven by the activity of the right M1, whose activity was likely to be affected by the injection. Rather, the present finding has suggested that common drive of bilateral M1 from higher‐order structures and reduction in commissural inhibition from the affected side concomitantly enhanced the activity of the cortico‐motoneuronal pathway of the intact side, and led to the MMs.
An immunohistochemical investigation of canine idiopathic granulomatous scleritis
Authors: Day M. J. , Mould J. R. B. , Carter W. J.
Published: September 2010

The clinical, histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings in three dogs with granulomatous scleritis are reported. The lesions of granulomatous scleritis were characterized by vasculitis, collagenolysis, granulomatous inflammation and perivascular lymphoplasmacytic aggregation. There was evidence of vascular immune complex deposition, and the inflammatory aggregates contained T lymphocytes, IgG plasma cells and macrophages expressing class II molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). There was no evidence for an infectious etiology in any case, and one of the dogs subsequently developed cutaneous vascular disease consistent with a systemic immune‐mediated disorder. Canine granulomatous scleritis has an immunopathogenesis likely involving primary type IV hypersensitivity, with a probable underlying type III involvement.
PRICE DISPERSION AND COMPETITION WITH DIFFERENTIATED SELLERS*
Authors: LEWIS MATTHEW
Published: September 2010

I measure price dispersion among differentiated retail gasoline sellers and study the relationship between dispersion and the local competitive environment. Significant price dispersion exists even after controlling for differences in station characteristics, and price differences between sellers change frequently. The extent of price dispersion is related to the density of local competition, but this relationship varies significantly depending on the type of seller and the composition of its competitors. These findings are consistent with interactions between seller and consumer heterogeneity that are not well understood in the existing price dispersion literature.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DEMAND IS ESTIMATED WITH A MISSPECIFIED MODEL?*
Authors: HUANG DONGLING , ROJAS CHRISTIAN , BASS FRANK
Published: September 2010

We conduct Monte Carlo experiments to investigate the biases of assuming a misspecified demand model. We study continuous models (linear, log‐linear and AIDS), and discrete choice models (logit) in the context of differentiated products and aggregate data. Estimating demand with the ‘wrong’ model yields varying degrees of bias in estimated elasticities, but the logit model can yield unbiased estimates for a certain size of the assumed market potential. Merger simulations confirm the key importance of market potential in logit estimation suggesting that a discrete choice model may be preferable even when the discreteness of the purchase decision is questionable.
ESTIMATING MARK‐UPS FROM PLANT‐LEVEL DATA*
Authors: DeSOUZA SERGIO A.
Published: September 2010

Typical plant‐level data sets do not report quantities. This paper shows that estimating mark‐ups (price‐cost ratio) in product‐differentiated industries using deflated sales to proxy quantity is not appropriate due to unobserved price heterogeneity. This paper presents an econometric model for estimating mark‐ups that controls for unobserved prices. The model shows that ignoring price heterogeneity results in mark‐up estimates that converge to one, whatever the value of the true price‐cost ratio. Estimates obtained using real data are consistent with this result, as they reveal that ignoring price heterogeneity leads to spurious evidence of firms with little or no market power.
Stabilisation and humanitarian access in a collapsed state: the Somali case
Authors: Menkhaus Ken
Published: September 2010

Somalia today is the site of three major threats: the world's worst humanitarian crisis; the longest‐running instance of complete state collapse; and a robust jihadist movement with links to Al‐Qa'ida. External state‐building, counter‐terrorism and humanitarian policies responding to these threats have worked at cross‐purposes. State‐building efforts that insist humanitarian relief be channelled through the nascent state in order to build its legitimacy and capacity undermine humanitarian neutrality when the state is a party to a civil war. Counter‐terrorism policies that seek to ensure that no aid benefits terrorist groups have the net effect of criminalising relief operations in countries where poor security precludes effective accountability. This paper argues that tensions between stabilisation and humanitarian goals in contemporary Somalia reflect a long history of politicisation of humanitarian operations in the country.
Security for whom? Stabilisation and civilian protection in Colombia
Authors: Elhawary Samir
Published: September 2010

This paper focuses on three periods of stabilisation in Colombia: the Alliance for Progress (1961–73) that sought to stem the threat of communist revolution in Latin America; Plan Colombia and President Alvaro Uribe's ‘democratic security’ policy (2000–07) aimed at defeating the guerrillas and negotiating a settlement with the paramilitaries; and the current ‘integrated approach’, adopted from 2007, to consolidate more effectively the state's control of its territory.1 The paper assesses the extent to which these stabilisation efforts have enhanced the protection of civilians and ultimately finds that in all three periods there has been a disconnect between the discourse and the practice of stabilisation. While they have all sought to enhance security, in actual fact, they have privileged the security of the state and its allies at the expense of the effective protection of the civilian population. This has not only led to widespread human rights abuses but also has undermined the long‐term stability being pursued.
Citizenship and the Constitution
Authors: LESTER ANTHONY
Published: September 2010

The status of “British subjects”, the relationship between the individual and the State, and the concept of “rights” and “liberties” are relevant to the current political debate about “British identity”, citizenship, “multiculturalism”, a “British Bill of Rights”, and whether there is now a need for a written constitution. This article describes the confused contemporary understanding of what is meant by “British” citizenship and analyses the parallel developments of citizenship and our constitutional arrangements. The Human Rights Act, devolution and Gordon Brown's proposed constitutional renewal are important steps in setting out the ideas and principles that bind us together as a nation. Together with a coherent definition of the rights and obligations of British citizenship, constitutional reform would achieve a stronger sense of what it means to be British today.
The Blair Governments, Public Sector Reform and State Strategic Capacity
Authors: MARSH IAN
Published: September 2010

Two books at the end of the Blair era—by Michael Barber and Julian Le Grand—offer to redeem the ‘third way’. Both authors explore the political case for public sector reform and the means by which it can be accomplished. They explore a similar range of reform models: command and control; quasi‐markets; and devolution and transparency. But the circle between efficiency, client service and continuous improvement must be squared. Neither author considers the ‘learning by doing’ alternative. No less fundamentally, neither author addresses the political and technical challenges in developing strategy. How are issues to be aired in advance so as to expose evidence and perspectives? How are interests to be engaged and supporting coalitions formed? How are these processes to occur without executive commitment? How are unconventional ideas to be aired without being over‐ruled by populist or media sensationalism? These are the practical dilemmas that confounded Blair's efforts. These books invite a strategic conversation that is badly needed. But where in the political system can it be pursued?
A Principles‐based Approach to the Barnett Formula1
Authors: MELLETT RUSSELL
Published: September 2010

This essay argues that the Barnett formula—which determines the block grant paid annually by the UK government to each of the Devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—be reformulated, guided by the following principles: fiscal equity, accountability, transparency, and flexibility. The rationale for change is that the current fiscal arrangements make little policy sense and may not be sustainable in a changing political and economic context. The formation of a grants commission to help develop data, calculate disparities, and provide public advice to the Chancellor of the Exchequer is also advocated.
Back in Contention? The Conservatives' Electoral Prospects
Authors: CURTICE JOHN
Published: September 2010

This article assesses whether the Conservatives are likely to be serious contenders for power at the next British general election. First it assesses how well the party will have to do to ‘win’ the election. Second, it considers whether the record of the polls since 2005 suggests the party is capable of securing the necessary support. Third, the article assesses whether the ideological mood of the electorate has moved closer to the Conservatives since 2005. Finally it considers whether the image of the party has improved.

The Conservatives are likely to have to outpoll Labour by a considerable margin to become the largest party but their record in opinion polls suggests they could achieve this. The ideological mood of the electorate has moved closer to the party, while David Cameron is a relatively popular leader. But the party has still not fully restored its reputation for economic competence.
Conserving the Constitution? The Conservative Party and Democratic Renewal
Authors: FLINDERS MATTHEW
Published: September 2010

In 2008 David Cameron declared that the Conservative party was ‘ready for government’ and suggested that ‘the change we need is not just from Labour's old policies to our new policies… It's about a change from old politics to new politics’. This ‘new politics’ narrative is something of a cliché: British constitutional history reveals a regular pattern whereby opposition parties renege upon implementing far‐reaching constitutional and democratic reforms once they win power. It is in this context that this article draws upon documentary analysis and a number of interviews to examine the Conservative party's position on constitutional reform and democratic renewal. It concludes that although the Conservative party has spent the last decade decrying the ‘destruction’ of the constitution it has undertaken little detailed preparatory work in relation to how it might seek to alter the governance of Britain. As a result the research presented in this article provides a number of insights into elite politics, strategic game‐playing and executive veto capacities within a context of growing political disengagement from politics and falling levels of trust in politics.
THE HEART OF MY CONCERN
Authors: Burhoe Ralph Wendell
Published: September 2010

Abstract. This brief piece summarizes the author's lifelong personal credo, particularly his attempt to translate traditional religious wisdom into modern scientific concepts. Contemporary science reveals to us the vast system of natural processes that has brought the universe, our planet, and our species into existence. This natural system is in fact a “more‐than‐human ‘Lord of History,’” corresponding to traditional ideas of God. This Lord of History not only has created us but also sustains us—not just externally but also our interior psychic and spiritual nature. We are challenged to discern the requirements that this system of natural processes places upon us; if we conform to these requirements, we shall be blessed, and we will be enabled as co‐creators of our future evolution.
FIRST PERSON PLURAL: SELF‐UNITY AND SELF‐MULTIPLICITY IN THEOLOGY'S DIALOGUE WITH PSYCHOLOGY
Authors: Turner Léon P.
Published: September 2010

In contradistinction to the contemporary human sciences, recent theological accounts of the individual‐in‐relation continue to defend the concept of the singular continuous self. Consequently, theological anthropology and the human sciences seem to offer widely divergent accounts of the sense of self‐fragmentation that many believe pervades the modern world. There has been little constructive interdisciplinary conversation in this area. In this essay I address the damaging implications of this oversight and establish the necessary conditions for future dialogue. I have three primary objectives. First, I show how the notion of personal continuity acquires philosophical theological significance through its close association with the concept of personal particularity. Second, through a discussion of contemporary accounts of self‐multiplicity, I clarify the extent of theological anthropology's disagreement with the human sciences. Third, I draw upon narrative accounts of identity to suggest an alternative means of understanding the experiential continuity of personhood that maintains the tension between self‐plurality, unity, and particularity and thereby reconnects philosophical theological concerns with human‐scientific analyses of the human condition. Narrative approaches to personhood are ideally suited to this purpose, and, I suggest, offer an intriguing solution to understanding and resolving the problem of self‐fragmentation that has caused recent theological anthropology so much consternation.
ALTRUISM: TOWARD A PSYCHOBIOSPIRITUAL CONCEPTUALIZATION
Authors: Morrison Nancy K. , Severino Sally K.
Published: September 2010

Altruism, defined here as a regard for or devotion to the interest of others with whom we are interrelated, is pitted against two other dispositions in human beings: nepotism and egoism. We propose that to become fully human is to become more altruistic. We describe how altruism is mediated by our physiology, is expressed in our psychological development, is evolving in our social institutions, and becomes the moral communities that enforce our sense of right and wrong. A change in any one of these influences changes our disposition—changes who we are and what we do—potentially making altruism more possible in the world.
SPACE AND TIME FROM A NEO‐WHITEHEADIAN PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Bracken Joseph A.
Published: September 2010

Russell Stannard distinguishes between objective time as measured in theoretical physics and subjective time, or time as experienced by human beings in normal consciousness. Because objective time, or four‐dimensional space‐time for the physicist, does not change but exists all at once, Stannard argues that this is presumably how God views time from eternity which is beyond time. We human beings are limited to experiencing the moments of time successively and thus cannot know the future as already existing in the same way that God does. I argue that Stannard is basically correct in his theological assumptions about God's understanding of time but that his explanation would be more persuasive within the context of a neo‐Whiteheadian metaphysics. The key points in that metaphysics are (1) that creation is contained within the structured field of activity proper to the three divine persons of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and (2) that the spontaneous decisions of creatures are continually ordered and reordered into an ever‐expanding totality already known in its fullness by the divine persons.
THE “DEATH OF THE EGO” IN EAST‐MEETS‐WEST SPIRITUALITY: DIVERSE VIEWS FROM PROMINENT AUTHORS
Authors: Rindfleish Jennifer
Published: September 2010

Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, have traditionally held to the view that in order for an individual to fully benefit from their practice it was important to lessen or eliminate one's individual desires. Such practice was sometimes referred to as the “death of the ego” in order to emphasize its importance. However, the relatively recent popularity of East‐meets‐West spirituality in Western consumer cultures tends to emphasize the acceptance and transformation of one's ego rather than its death. This essay discusses sociological changes that have shaped and contributed to the popularity of East‐meets‐West spirituality in Western culture that in turn have brought about a modification of the principle of ego death. The views of six Western authors and practitioners of East‐meets‐West spirituality on the importance of the principle of ego death are compared and contrasted. Theories related to the management of self‐identity in consumer society can partly explain the modification of traditional Eastern religious practices, such as ego death, in order that they become relevant and appealing to a society that increasingly reifies the concept of the self. The implication is that the excision of the concept of ego death from the practice of East‐meets‐West spirituality may affect its efficacy.
THE FALSE PROMISE OF QUANTUM MECHANICS
Authors: Sansbury Timothy
Published: September 2010

The causal indeterminacy suggested by quantum mechanics has led to its being the centerpiece of several proposals for divine action that does not contradict natural laws. However, even if the theoretical concerns about the reality of causal indeterminacy are ignored, quantum‐level divine action fails to resolve the problem of ongoing, responsive divine activity. This is because most quantum‐level actions require a significant period of time in order to reach macroscopic levels whether via chaotic amplification or complete divine control of quantum events. Therefore, quantum‐level divine action either requires divine foreknowledge of purportedly free or random events or imposes such limitations on divine actions that they become late, potentially impotent, and confused. I argue that the theological problem of divine action remains; even at its most promising, quantum mechanics offers insufficient resolution. This failure suggests a reexamination of the assumptions that God is temporal and lacks foreknowledge of future contingencies.
SOUTH DAKOTA AND ABORTION: A LOCAL STORY ABOUT HOW RELIGION, MEDICAL SCIENCE, AND CULTURE MEET
Authors: Pederson Ann Milliken
Published: September 2010

Telling the tale about South Dakota's recent legislative ban on nearly all abortions gets messy, complicated, and dirty. There are no innocent subjects and no simple plot lines. The story reveals other stories underneath and over the top of the others. Stories counter stories, revealing who is in the know and who does the telling. To “tell the old, old story,” as the song goes, is not as simple as it may seem. Religion and medical science are caught in the politics and cultural wars about abortion.
EVOLUTION AND SUBJECTIVITY
Authors: Kiblinger William P.
Published: September 2010

Evolutionary theory is becoming an all‐encompassing form of explanation in many branches of philosophy. However, emergence theory uses the concept of self‐organization to support yet alter traditional evolutionary explanation. Biologist Stuart Kauffman suggests that the new science will need to tell stories, not simply as a heuristic device but as part of its fundamental task. This claim is reminiscent of C. S. Peirce's criticism of the doctrine of necessity. Peirce's suggestions reference Hegel, and this essay draws out this Hegelian background, addressing the question of subjectivity and issuing some Hegelian reminders so that such evolutionary and emergent theories will consider the implication of this research program on philosophy of mind. The primary focus is on two post‐Kantian, neo‐Hegelian thinkers in contemporary philosophy who deal with this problem: John McDowell and Robert Brandom.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF METAPHYSICS: OR, CAN CHARLES PEIRCE'S CONTINUITY THEORY MODEL STUART KAUFFMAN'S BIOLOGY?
Authors: Bugbee John
Published: September 2010

At the heart of the most radical proposals in Stuart Kauffman's Investigations is his attempt to show that we find in evolutionary biology some configuration spaces—the sets of possible developments for any given system—that (unlike those in traditional physics of Newtonian, relativistic, and quantum stripes) cannot be completely described in advance. We bring Charles Peirce's work on the philosophy of continuity to bear on the problem and discover, first, that Kauffman's arguments do not succeed; second, that Peirce's metaphysics provide new and sounder arguments for the same propositions; third, that Peirce's rigorous but nonstandard treatment of mathematical continuity shows great promise for modeling the unpredictability and growth we find in evolutionary biology; fourth, that it also strengthens a development only hinted at by biologists thus far—the inevitable involvement of the observer's mind in constituting the objects of science. We close with a logical argument for the surprising relevance of metaphysical hypotheses in the natural sciences and with suggestions for future work that will connect these questions to what Kauffman terms the “narrative stance” in biology.
PEIRCEAN APPROACHES TO EMERGENT SYSTEMS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE AND RELIGION
Authors: Graves Mark
Published: September 2010

Cognitive science and religion provides perspectives on human cognition and spirituality. Emergent systems theory captures the subatomic, physical, biological, psychological, cultural, and transcendent relationships that constitute the human person. C. S. Peirce's metaphysical categories and existential graphs enrich traditional cognitive science modeling tools to capture emergent phenomena. From this richer perspective, one can reinterpret the traditional doctrine of soul as form of the body in terms of information as the constellation of constitutive relationships that enables real possibility.
THE WESTERN ROOTS OF AVATARIC EVOLUTIONISM IN COLONIAL INDIA
Authors: Brown C. Mackenzie
Published: September 2010

British colonialism and Orientalist scholarship on India were key factors affecting the initial Hindu responses to modern science and technology in the nineteenth century. One response was the elaboration of avataric evolutionism—the idea that ancient myths of Vishnu's ten incarnations anticipated Darwinian evolution. This idea quickly became intertwined with political and nationalist concerns and cannot be fully understood in a purely theological context. These concerns were reflected in scriptural interpretation, especially in what may be termed the scientific exegesis of the Vedas and Puranas. Such scientific exegesis of scripture appealed to Keshub Chunder Sen, the leading figure of the Brahmo Samaj in the second half of the nineteenth century. Keshub was apparently the first Indian to develop the notion of avataric evolutionism, in the context of his “New Dispensation,” a synthesis of all religious traditions (in particular Hinduism and Christianity) and modern science. His pronouncement of avataric evolutionism in 1882, however, was not the first proposal of the idea. I conclude with an examination of the Western roots of this idea, specifically in the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.
CHARLES LYELL, UNIFORMITARIANISM, AND INTERPRETIVE PRINCIPLES
Authors: Anderson Owen
Published: September 2010

I examine the development of Charles Lyell's principle of uniformity and its influence on the development of modern geology and biology and argue that distinguishing between philosophical starting points and empirical findings is essential for clarity in the discussion between science and religion. First, I explore Lyell's arguments against catastrophism and how these were both empirically and religiously motivated. I then consider how David Hume's empiricism, theory of causation, and rejection of miracles influenced Lyell. Using these insights, Lyell formulated his principle of uniformity, which he believed was based on current empirical findings, and rejected explanatory hypotheses that used the biblical Flood or other catastrophist accounts as violations of uniform causation and introductions of theological concepts into empirical science. I next examine the influence of Lyell's principle on Charles Darwin. Although Lyell opposed Darwinism for most of his life, Darwin relied heavily on Lyell, as is evidenced by references throughout The Origin of Species. I contend that the most important aspect of Lyell's principle for Darwin is that it makes natural evil (the struggle for survival) a process that has always been occurring rather than something introduced after the Fall as recorded in Genesis. Finally, I discuss the role that uniformity plays for Lyell, Darwin, and modern science as an interpretive principle rather than as an inference from empirical data, and I conclude by noting that keeping the distinction in mind between interpretive principles and empirical findings will help clarify debates between science and religion.
RELIGION AND FRANCIS BACON'S SCIENTIFIC UTOPIANISM
Authors: McKnight Stephen A.
Published: September 2010

Francis Bacon often is depicted as a patriarch of modernity who promotes human rational action over faith in divine Providence and as a secular humanitarian who realized that improvement of the human condition depended on human action and not on God's saving acts in history. Bacon's New Atlantis is usually described as a “scientific utopia” because its ideal order, harmony, and prosperity are the result of the investigations of nature conducted by the members of Solomon's House. I challenge these characterizations by showing that Bacon's so‐called scientific utopianism is grounded in his religious convictions that his age was one of Providential intervention and that he was God's agent for an apocalyptic transformation of the human condition. I examine the centrality of these religious themes in two of his philosophical works, The Advancement of Learning and The Great Instauration, which are well known for setting out Bacon's critique of the state of learning and for presenting the principles of his epistemology. Analysis of The Advancement of Learning demonstrates Bacon's conviction that his reform of natural philosophy was part of a Providentially guided, twofold restoration of the knowledge of nature and the knowledge of God. Examination of The Great Instauration reveals that Bacon sees his age as one of apocalyptic transformation of the human condition that restores humanity to a prelapsarian state. Analysis of the New Atlantis shows that utopian perfection can be achieved only through a combination of right religion and the proper study of nature. Moreover, when the “scientific” work of Solomon's House is recontextualized within the religious themes of salvation and deliverance that permeate the New Atlantis, the full scope of Bacon's “scientific utopianism” can be seen, and this project is not the one usually portrayed in scholarly treatments. Bacon's program for rehabilitating humanity and its relation to nature is not a secular, scientific advance through which humanity gains dominion over nature and mastery of its own destiny but rather one guided by divine Providence and achieved through pious human effort.
MIDWIFERY AS A MODEL FOR ECOLOGICAL ETHICS: EXPANDING ARTHUR PEACOCKE'S MODELS OF “MAN‐IN‐CREATION”
Authors: Schaab Gloria L.
Published: September 2010

In Creation and the World of Science (1979) scientist‐theologian Arthur Peacocke asks what the role of humanity might be in relation to creation if conceived within the scientific perspective that favors the theological paradigm of the panentheistic God‐world relationship. Deeming roles such as dominion and steward as liable to distortion toward a hierarchical understanding of humanity's relation to the rest of creation, Peacocke proposes seven other roles to express the proper relationship of humanity to the cosmos in panentheistic relation to its Creator. Although each of these models has merit within a panentheistic paradigm, Peacocke and the paradigm itself suggest that the panentheistic model of God in relation to an evolving cosmos may be most effectively imaged through a model of female procreativity. In keeping with this proposal, I develop the understanding of humanity's ecologically ethical role in relation to the evolving cosmos in terms of the midwife to the process of procreation. I evaluate the efficacy of the midwife as a paradigm for ecological ethics by means of several criteria, including the propositions of the Earth Charter, “a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century” (Earth Initiative 2000).
ENLARGING THE INTERDISCIPLINARY CIRCLE: JOAN KOSS‐CHIOINO'S AND PHILIP HEFNER'S APPROACH TO SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION AND HEALING
Authors: Reich K. Helmut
Published: September 2010

In the current scientific age there exists in academia a certain reservation regarding, even a fear of contact with, controversial issues such as faith healing or shamanism or even spiritual transformation. Although classical medicine, neurobiology, and possibly even social circumstances and forces are recognized, researching the controversial issues evoked may be frowned upon and even be risky for one's academic career. Fortunately, Joan Koss‐Chioino, Philip Hefner, and their colleagues (anthropologists, artists, neuroscientists, physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, theologians, and others) have not shrunk from doing so. The result, reviewed here in some detail, goes beyond what is common knowledge and points the way to further beneficial insights via open‐minded interdisciplinary research.
Psychology of Science/Theology of Science: Reaching Out or Narrowing?
Authors: Glassman Robert B.
Published: September 2010

Formalizing a “psychology of science” today will constrain intellectual freedom in ways more likely stultifying than liberating. We should be more improvisational in seeking ideas from academic psychology to develop a more comprehensive purview. I suggest that a psychology of science should look at systematic theology and empirical theology. Liberal theologians have long experience trying to distill from religion those structural aspects that affirm openness in a search for truth. Science, as well as religion, has its myths and rituals, but theologians are more experienced than scientists at a large mythohistorical scale. There are distortions in the extreme degree to which psychological science has traditionally emphasized empiricism, positivism, hypothesis testing, and falsifiability. I argue for less critical reduction and more creative augmentation. This could include looking outside academia at cognitive competencies of people in trades. Exaggerated parsimony is an old story. This is illustrated by the opposition to David Hartley's 1749 theory of neural oscillations. There is an inexorable “margin of uncertainty” where scientific prediction and control can never outstrip the new uses to which human beings put ideas. Facts and values interact in this margin; theology has long made a home there, but scientists sometimes have been excessive in rejecting the “naturalistic fallacy.” There is also often a degree of disingenuousness in psychology's reluctance to take subjective phenomena seriously; here there may be lessons in how empirical theology has handled subjectivity, as well as in taking an honest look at the way much of the methodology of experimental psychology incorporates subjective assessments. Feist's book is a start, but these things need more thought before codifying a psychology of science.
Trinh Thuan and The Intersection of Science and Buddhism
Authors: Yong Amos
Published: September 2010

Trinh Thuan, professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, since 1976, has published a number of books over the years that have touched on topics in the science‐and‐religion discussion. This essay reviews these volumes in light of a recent book he coauthored with Matthieu Ricard, a monk in the Tibetan Mahayana tradition with previous background and training in the biological sciences. The shift is observed in Thuan's views from at one point being attracted to a form of theism based on inferences drawn from the anthropic principle to later being intrigued by Ricard's explanations of the cosmos based on Buddhist consciousness theories. Thuan's journey as a scientist seeking further understanding is a lesson to the religion‐and‐science dialogue that more of the world's religious traditions need to be engaged with their specificities so that what emerges is an expanded conversation.
Doxological Extended Cognition
Authors: Holland George Adam
Published: September 2010

Many Christian theologians have proposed a universal knowledge of God implanted in all humans. Thomas Aquinas famously stated that all humans have some knowledge of God, confused though it may be. John Calvin developed this proposition in much more detail and concluded that there is a cognitive faculty in humans, thesensus divinitatis, committed to giving the cognizer knowledge of God. Independent of such theological concerns, a current movement in cognitive science proposes a radical change to the traditional boundaries drawn around the human mind. Proponents of mental extension, such as Andy Clark, argue that the mind extends well beyond the body and should be approached in a much broader conceptual analysis. This essay arises from the conviction that the Extended Mind (EM) framework offers new insights into developing a cognitive understanding of thesensus divinitatis.Drawing in equal parts on current arguments for mental extension and thesensus divinitatis, the essay establishes the compatibility between the two arguments and indicates how an integration of the two can yield significant benefits for both mental extension and thesensus divinitatis: the basing of thesensus divinitatisin a specific cognitive theory that offers explanations of its functions, and the introduction of theism to the EM argument as a potentially useful component in a collaborative cognitive science effort.
MINDFULNESS AND THE COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF ATTENTION AND AWARENESS
Authors: Raffone Antonino , Tagini Angela , Srinivasan Narayanan
Published: September 2010

Mindfulness can be understood as the mental ability to focus on the direct and immediate perception or monitoring of the present moment with a state of open and nonjudgmental awareness. Descriptions of mindfulness and methods for cultivating it originated in eastern spiritual traditions. These suggest that mindfulness can be developed through meditation practice to increase positive qualities such as awareness, insight, wisdom, and compassion. In this article we focus on the relationships between mindfulness, with associated meditation practices, and the cognitive neuroscience of attention and awareness. Mindful awareness is related to distributed attention, phenomenal consciousness, and momentary self‐awareness, as characterized by recent findings in cognitive psychology and neuroscience as well as in influential consciousness models. Finally, we outline an integrated neurocognitive model of mindfulness, attention, and awareness, with a key role of prefrontal cortex.
SPATIAL BARRIERS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING IN HOUSING MARKETS: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF THE CONNECTICUT RIVER ON HOUSING RETURNS
Authors: Tirtiroǧlu Doǧan , Clapp John M.
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACT. Relative to financial securities markets, information is a scarce commodity in real estate markets. If information diffuses quickly in real estate markets, then we can infer that telecommunications play an important role. On the other hand, spatial barriers such as rivers can slow down the assimilation of relevant information if face‐to‐face contacts are an important source of information. We examine whether and how the Connecticut River (along with bridges) alters the nature and strength of spatial diffusion of information on housing returns. We report strong evidence that the Connecticut River slows down the spatial diffusion of information and that its effects are consistent with face‐to‐face contact, as opposed to telecommunications.
Evaluation of skin surface associated with morphology and coefficient of friction
Authors: NAKAJIMA K. , NARASAKA H.
Published: September 2010

Synopsis

Morphology and coefficient of friction associated with water content in the skin were investigated by a combination method of profilometry and measurement of friction using a newly developed instrument placed on the flexor aspect of the forearm. It was shown that the number of domains enclosed by lines (sulci cutis) on the skin surface per unit area initially decreased rapidly, but then more gradually, with the advancing age of the subjects. Electron micrographs showed that the skin surface exhibited a pattern formed by thick and fine lines, each of which differed both in length and depth from the superficial surface of the skin. The pattern of the skin surface in advanced age is mainly formed by thick lines. The number of domains on the skin surface caused changes in the friction coefficient; that is, the increase in the static coefficient of friction varies with the decrease in the number of domains. The results are discussed from the point of view of the change in the elastic modulus of skin with the advancing age of subjects. We found that the number of domains (i.e., areas enclosed by lines) varied inversely with the square of the coefficient of friction.

Le coefficient de morphologie et de friction associé avec le contenu en eau de la peau a été analysé en combinant 1 méthode de profilométrie et la mesure de la friction à l'aide d'un nouvel instrument placé sur la partie flexible de l'avant bras. Il est apparu que le nombre de sillons par ligne (sulci cutis) sur la surface cutanée par unité d'aire à d'abord diminué rapidement puis graduellement avec le vieillissement des individus. Les micrographes à électrons ont montré que la peau était formée de ligne fines ou épaisses, chacune d'entre elles différent par la longueur et la profondeur sur la surface de la peau. La surface cutanée de personnes plus âgées est formée principalement de lignes épaisses. Le nombre de sillons sur la peau modifiait le coefficient de friction, le coefficient de friction statique correspondant à la diminution du nombre de sillons. Les résultats ont été discutés du point de vue du changement d'élasticité de la peau avec le vieillissement des sujets. Nous avons découvert que le nombre de sillons c'est à dire les aires par ligne variait inversément par rapport au coefficient de friction.
Defence strategies against reactive oxygen species ‐ in vitro models
Authors: VOEGELI R. , MEIER J. , DOPPLER S.
Published: September 2010

Synopsis

A simple in vitro test system was established to determine the degradation of hyaluronic acid induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS were selectively generated by exogenic and endogenic factors and the effects of directly and indirectly acting antioxidants with different modes of action were systematically examined. The proposed experimental strategy, simulating specific stress conditions, can be used for an easy and fast screening of putative antioxidant activity of water soluble compounds. Under the chosen test conditions, the antioxidant enzymes catalase and Cu/Zn‐superoxide dismutase revealed the most effective protection against the ROS‐induced depolymerization of hyaluronic acid, whereas individual tested compounds acted as prooxidants under certain circumstances.

Un système expérimental simple a été mis au point in vitro pour déterminer la dégradation de l'acide hyaluronique induite par des espèces d'oxygène réactives (ROS, de l'anglais ‘reactive oxygen species’). On sait que les ROS influencent la viscosité de l'acide hyaluronique in vivo, ce qui explique le grand nombre de systèmes expérimentaux in vitro basés sur ce changement de viscosité. La combinaison des méthodes présentées pour la première fois dans cet article représente une approche pour l'étude comparative et systématique d'anti‐oxydants agissant différemment de manière directe et indirecte dans des systèmes produisant diverses ROS. Les anti‐oxydants peuvent capter ou éliminer les ROS de façon spécifique ou non, empêcher directement ou indirectement la formation de ROS ou même réparer les dommages causés par les ROS. Ainsi, il n'est pas surprenant qu'un anti‐oxydant dans un systéme agisse de manière entièrement différente dans un autre. Ceci n'est pas uniquement démontré dans nos modèles in vitro mais est également mentionné pour certains effets négatifs in vivo, révélant qu'il existe une cascade complexe de réactions dépendant des ROS et qu'il n'existe pas d'anti‐oxydant parfait. Ainsi, seule une action synergique de différents anti‐oxydants peut fournir une protection efficace. Ceci reflète la situation physiologique et doit être pris en compte lors du développement de tout concept topique contre les ROS. La stratégie expérimentale proposée, simulant des conditions de stress spécifiques, peut être utilisée pour évaluer aisément et rapidement l'activité anti‐oxydante putative de composés hydrosolubles. Dans les conditions de test choisies, ce sont les enzymes anti‐oxydantes catalase et Cu/Zn‐superoxyde dismutase qui ont assuré la meilleure protection contre la dépolymérisation de l'acide hyaluronique induite par les ROS, alors que des composés testés séparément ont agi comme des pro‐oxydants dans certaines circonstances.
A new method for testing removability of polymers in hair sprays and setting lotions
Authors: SENDELBACH G. , LIEFKE M. , SCHWAN A. , LANG G.
Published: September 2010

Synopsis

Removability by shampoo and water is one of the criteria to be met by polymers used in hair sprays or setting lotions. To obtain quantitative measures for removabilities, ample laboratory testing is required. Gravimetry is one method which serves this purpose, with the disadvantage of being very time‐consuming and depending on the individual handling of the materials. The new method to be presented in this paper is based on conductivity measurements of polymer‐coated electrodes in electrolyte solutions. The effect of polymer blending and the degree of neutralization on removability can be assessed readily. Several polymers commonly used in hair sprays or setting lotions and polymer mixtures were tested. Comparison of the results shows good correlation between the two methods. The new method is especially useful in screening experiments. Changes in polymer properties as a function of composition can be detected rapidly.

Elimination au lavage est l'un des critères que doivent posséder les polymères utilisés dans les laques capillaires et les lotions coiffantes. Pour obtenir des mesures quantitatives quant à ce critère, des tests approfondis sont nécessaires. La gravimétrie est une méthode qui permet d'atteindre cet objectif avec l'inconvénient d'être longue, fastidieuse et dépendant de la manière dont les individus manipulent les matériaux. La nouvelle méthode présentée dans cet article est basée sur les mesures de conductivité d'électrodes enduites de polymères dans des solutions d'électrolyte. Il est alors aisé d'analyser le degré de neutralisation et d'élimination des polymères. On a ainsi testé plusieurs polymères purs ou en mélange fréquemment utilisés dans les laques capillaires ou lotions coiffantes. La comparaison des résultats montre une bonne corrélation entre les deux méthodes. La nouvelle méthode est particulièrement utile dans les expériences de criblage. Les changements de propriétés des polymères peuvent être rapidement détectés.