bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Arabidopsis Non-Coding RNA Regulation in Abiotic Stress Responses
Authors: Matsui Akihiro , Nguyen Anh , Nakaminami Kentaro , Seki Motoaki
Published: November 2013

Plant growth and productivity are largely affected by environmental stresses. Therefore, plants have evolved unique adaptation mechanisms to abiotic stresses through fine-tuned adjustment of gene expression and metabolism. Recent advanced technologies, such as genome-wide transcriptome analysis, have revealed that a vast amount of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) apart from the well-known housekeeping ncRNAs such as rRNAs, tRNAs, small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are expressed under abiotic stress conditions. These various types of ncRNAs are involved in chromatin regulation, modulation of RNA stability and translational repression during abiotic stress response. In this review, we summarize recent progress that has been made on ncRNA research in plant abiotic stress response.
Genes Responsive to Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound in MC3T3-E1 Preosteoblast Cells
Authors: Tabuchi Yoshiaki , Sugahara Yuuki , Ikegame Mika , Suzuki Nobuo , Kitamura Kei-ichiro , Kondo Takashi
Published: November 2013

Although low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been shown to enhance bone fracture healing, the underlying mechanism of LIPUS remains to be fully elucidated. Here, to better understand the molecular mechanism underlying cellular responses to LIPUS, we investigated gene expression profiles in mouse MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells exposed to LIPUS using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays and computational gene expression analysis tools. Although treatment of the cells with a single 20-min LIPUS (1.5 MHz, 30 mW/cm2) did not affect the cell growth or alkaline phosphatase activity, the treatment significantly increased the mRNA level of Bglap. Microarray analysis demonstrated that 38 genes were upregulated and 37 genes were downregulated by 1.5-fold or more in the cells at 24-h post-treatment. Ingenuity pathway analysis demonstrated that the gene network U (up) contained many upregulated genes that were mainly associated with bone morphology in the category of biological functions of skeletal and muscular system development and function. Moreover, the biological function of the gene network D (down), which contained downregulated genes, was associated with gene expression, the cell cycle and connective tissue development and function. These results should help to further clarify the molecular basis of the mechanisms of the LIPUS response in osteoblast cells.
Identification of Novel Pepper Genes Involved in Bax- or INF1-Mediated Cell Death Responses by High-Throughput Virus-Induced Gene Silencing
Authors: Lee Jeong , Kim Young , Choi Doil , Park Jeong
Published: November 2013

Hot pepper is one of the economically important crops in Asia. A large number of gene sequences, including expressed sequence tag (EST) and genomic sequences are publicly available. However, it is still a daunting task to determine gene function due to difficulties in genetic modification of a pepper plants. Here, we show the application of the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) repression for the study of 459 pepper ESTs selected as non-host pathogen-induced cell death responsive genes from pepper microarray experiments in Nicotiana benthamiana. Developmental abnormalities in N. benthamiana plants are observed in the 32 (7%) pepper ESTs-silenced plants. Aberrant morphological phenotypes largely comprised of three groups: stunted, abnormal leaf, and dead. In addition, by employing the combination of VIGS and Agrobacterium-mediated transient assays, we identified novel pepper ESTs that involved in Bax or INF1-mediated cell death responses. Silencing of seven pepper ESTs homologs suppressed Bax or INF1-induced cell death, five of which suppressed both cell death responses in N. benthamiana. The genes represented by these five ESTs encode putative proteins with functions in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and lipid signaling. The genes represented by the other two pepper ESTs showing only Bax-mediated cell death inhibition encode a CCCH-type zinc finger protein containing an ankyrin-repeat domain and a probable calcium-binding protein, CML30-like. Taken together, we effectively isolated novel pepper clones that are involved in hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death using VIGS, and identified silenced clones that have different responses to Bax and INF1 exposure, indicating separate signaling pathways for Bax- and INF1-mediated cell death.
Microencapsulation of Bioactive Principles with an Airless Spray-Gun Suitable for Processing High Viscous Solutions
Authors: Cocchietto Moreno , Blasi Paolo , Lapasin Romano , Moro Chiara , Gallo Davide , Sava Gianni
Published: November 2013

Purpose: to design, assemble and test a prototype of a novel production plant, suitable for producing microparticles (MPs) by processing highly viscous feed solutions (FSs). Methods: the prototype has been built using a commercial air compressor, a piston pump, an airless spray-gun, a customized air-treatment section, a timer, a rotating base, and a filtration section. Preliminary prototype parameter setting was carried out to individuate the best performing nozzle’s dimension, the nebulization timing, and the CaCl2 concentration in the gelation fluid. In addition, prototype throughput (1 L to 5 L) and the range of practicable feed solution (FS) viscosities were assayed. A set of four batches was prepared in order to characterize the MPs, in terms of mean particle size and distribution, flow properties, swelling, encapsulation efficiency and release. Results: according to a qualitative scoring, the large nozzle was suitable to nebulize FSs at a higher alginate concentration. Conversely, the small nozzle performed better in the processing of FSs with an alginate concentration up to 2% w/v. Only at the highest degree of viscosity, corresponding to 5% w/v of alginate, the FS processing was not technically possible. Among the CaCl2 concentrations considered, 15% w/v was recognized as the most versatile. The prototype appears to be convenient and suitable to grant a high yield starting from 2 L of FS. The flow behavior of the FSs assayed can be satisfactorily described with the Carreau-Yasuda equation and the throughput begins to slightly decrease for FSs at alginate concentrations exceeding 3% w/v. MP morphology was irregular with crumpled shape. The angle of repose indicates a good flowability and the release studies showed gastro-resistance and potential prolonged release applications. Conclusions: the novel prototype of production plant is suitable to process large amounts (2 L or more) of FSs, characterized by a high viscosity, to produce MPs suitable for bioactive principle delivery.
Simultaneous Determination of 14 Phenolic Compounds in Grape Canes by HPLC-DAD-UV Using Wavelength Switching Detection
Authors: Zhang Ang , Wan Li , Wu Cuiyun , Fang Yulin , Han Guomin , Li Hua , Zhang Zhenwen , Wang Hua
Published: November 2013

The paper described a novel chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds such as gallic, protocatechuic, vanillic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric and salicylic acid, (+)-catechin, (‒)-epicatechin, rutin, morin, quercetin, coumarin and trans-resveratrol at their maximum absorbance wavelengths (MAW) employing reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography combined with DAD and UV detection via detection wavelength switching. The method was based on MAW acquisition by DAD and quantification by UV. The separation process was performed on a Shim-Pack VP-ODS C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) held at 30 °C, utilizing 3.0% acetic acid and acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min in the gradient elution mode. The method was fully validated in terms of linearity (r2 > 0.9990, 10‒350 mg/L), precision (both intra-day and inter-day RSD < 4.22%), accuracy (97.31%‒104.66%), specificity, robustness (0.59% < RSD < 2.86%), limit of detection and quantification. The switching method significantly improved the sensitivities of most phenolics studied in comparison with the standard constant wavelength detection (280 nm). The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of 14 phenolic compounds in 89 varieties of one-year-old Chinese grape one-year-canes. Grape canes contain many phenolics, especially trans-resveratrol, (‒)-epicatechin, and (+)-catechin.
Authentication Systems for Securing Clinical Documentation Workflows
Authors: Haarbrandt B. , Fortmeier D. , Haux R. , Seidel C. , Schwartze J.
Published: November 2013

Context: Integration of electronic signatures embedded in health care processes in Germany challenges health care service and supply facilities. The suitability of the signature level of an eligible authentication procedure is confirmed for a large part of documents in clinical practice. However, the concrete design of such a procedure remains unclear.

Objective: To create a summary of usable user authentication systems suitable for clinical workflows.

Data Source: A Systematic literature review based on nine online bibliographic databases. Search Keywords included authentication, access control, information systems, information security and biometrics with terms user authentication, user identification and login in title or abstract. Searches were run between 7 and 12 September 2011. Relevant conference proceedings were searched manually in February 2013. Backward reference search of selected results was done.

Selection: Only publications fully describing authentication systems used or usable were included. Algorithms or purely theoretical concepts were excluded. Three authors did selection independently.

Data Extraction and Assessment: Semi-structured extraction of system characteristics was done by the main author. Identified procedures were assessed for security and fulfillment of relevant laws and guidelines as well as for applicability. Suitability for clinical workflows was derived from the assessments using a weighted sum proposed by Bonneau.

Results: Of 7575 citations retrieved, 55 publications meet our inclusion criteria. They describe 48 different authentication systems; 39 were biometric and nine graphical password systems. Assessment of authentication systems showed high error rates above European CENELEC standards and a lack of ap -plicability of biometric systems. Graphical passwords did not add overall value compared to conventional passwords. Continuous authentication can add an additional layer of safety. Only few systems are suitable partially or entirely for use in clinical processes.

Conclusions: Suitability strongly depends on national or institutional requirements. Four authentication systems seem to fulfill requirements of authentication procedures for clinical workflows. Research is needed in the area of continuous authentication with biometric methods. A proper authentication system should combine all factors of au -thentication implementing and connecting secure individual measures.
New Architecture of Remote Laboratories Multiuser based on Embedded Web Server
Authors: Limpraptono F Yudi , Ratna Anak Agung Putri , Sudibyo Harry
Published: November 2013

This paper presents a new architecture of remote laboratory multiuser based on embedded web server used for experiment of the MCS-51 microcontroller system. The design for remote lab uses green computing approach, with the aim of reducing energy consumption, lowering the cost of procurement systems, improving performance and using, and also space saving. The remote lab system uses multi user and multi device architecture to support collaborative work and improve scalability. The design of remote lab has n modules experiment, and each module can be accessed by a single user or a group which consists of several user. The prototype of a remote lab that has been realized consists of an embedded web server based on Raspberry Pi as remote lab gateway and 2 experiment modules that is controlled by an embedded web server based on MCS-51 microcontroller. Development of the system is expected to contribute to creating an efficient remote lab that is able to serve the collaborative work and support green computing.
Automatic Real Time Simulation through Embedding Physical Attributes
Authors: Xiaohui Tan , Shanshan Li , Mingquan Zhou
Published: November 2013

An automatic real time physical simulation method is presented through embedding physical attributes into collections of 3D models in Virtual Rapid Scene Building System called VR Scene Studio. In the physical simulation, dynamic equations of the objects with physical attributes are established by Lagrange method. The improved impulse-based paradigm is adopted to gain interactive simulating speed. To improve the performance, optimizing methods are investigated. The real time and physically plausible result can be achieved by the combined the above two methods. The experiment results show that the method is valid and practical.
Douglas Channel-Hecate Strait map-area, British Columbia
Authors: Roddick J A
Published: November 2013

About 85 per cent of the map-area is underlain by granitoid rocks, and most of the remainder by metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks. At least one third of the granitoid rocks are gneissic, migmatitic complexes. Comparatively homogeneous plutonic rock ranges
from gabbro to quartz monzonite. A broad belt of granitoid gneiss forms the oldest known unit (probably prePermian). It is overlain by a central belt of metasedimentary strata which may include Permian rocks. The dominant northwesttrending structures are deflected in a left hand sense by the
Hawkesbury Warp, one of the major flexures in the Coast Mountains. The western part of the area is cut by several northwest-trending faults of probable right-hand displacement.
Sekwi Mountain map area, Yukon Territory and district of Mackenzie
Authors: Blusson S L
Published: November 2013

The area is important in understanding the geology of the northern Cordillera because it combines high relief and good exposure with unusual stratigraphic complexity. The Proterozoic and lower Paleozoic record is extensive and nearly every carbonate and arenite
formation exposed on Mackenzie Mountains exhibit facies changes. The area comprises three broad divisions, an area of flat-lying to gently dipping Proterozoic clastic rocks, a belt of folded and faulted lower Paleozoic carbonates and a large belt of lower Paleozoic shales. Several mineral deposits,
including a lead-zinc deposit and a tungsten bearing skarn deposit are currently being examined and it appears possible that the area also has potential for the occurrence of copper deposits.
Molecular Characterization of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium parvum in Fecal Samples of Individuals in Mongolia
Authors: Hong Sung-Hee , Anu Davaasuren , Jeong Young-Il , Abmed Davaajav , Cho Shin-Hyeong , Lee Won-Ja , Lee Sang-Eun
Published: November 2013

The Giardia and Cryptosporidium species are widespread and frequent diarrhea-related parasites affecting humans and other mammalian species. The prevalence of these parasites in Mongolia is currently unknown. Therefore, we performed molecular analyses of G. duodenalis and C. parvum in stool samples from 138 patients hospitalized with diarrhea in Mongolia using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 5 (3.62%) and 7 (5.07%) fecal samples were positive for G. duodenalis and C. parvum, respectively. Giardia duodenalis and C. parvum infections were prevalent in children < 9 years of age. The assemblage-specific fragment patterns for the β-giardin gene of G. duodenalis revealed that all five samples testing positive belonged to Assemblage A by the PCR-restriction fragment polymorphism method. For sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 18S rDNA and HSP70 genes of all seven patients testing positive the genes were further identified to be of the C. parvum bovine genotype. This study is the first to report the prevalence of G. duodenalis and C. parvum and its molecular characterization of fecal samples from individuals with diarrhea in Mongolia.
Analysis of human vulnerability to the extreme rainfall event on 21–22 July 2012 in Beijing, China
Authors: Liu J. , Wang S.-Y.
Published: November 2013

Abstract. The aim of this study is to characterize the extreme rainfall event on 21–22 July 2012 in Beijing, and its impact on human vulnerability. Based on the available meteorological and rainfall data from Beijing meteorological stations and Surface Weather Observation Stations, the study draws hourly rainfall maps to simulate the rainfall amount and spatial distribution. Using these maps, this paper provides a quantitative analysis of the impact of the temporal and spatial characteristics of rainfall on the vulnerability of three population groups, according to age, gender and total number of victims. The results of three linear regression models indicate the different effects of extreme rainfall parameters on victims with different characteristics. The analysis of victim data in this extreme rainfall event represents the distribution and characteristics of victims in the eight affected districts, and concludes that the "vulnerable group" are males and adults in this extreme rainfall event. This paper is an initial effort to analyze the impact of an extreme rainfall event on the vulnerability of populations with different characteristics quantitatively, which can be used by stakeholders to prioritize the extreme rainfall event impact issues, and develop contingency plans to address and prevent the human and structural damages caused by the extreme rainfall events.
Turbulent mixing in the seasonally-stratified western Irish Sea: a Thorpe Scale perspective
Authors: Stansfield K. L. , Palmer M. R. , Rippeth T. P. , Simpson J. H.
Published: November 2013

Abstract. The seasonal thermocline in shelf-seas represents an important biogeophysical barrier to the vertical flux of nutrients into the photic zone. Episodic weakening of this barrier plays an important role in sustaining the sub-surface chlorophyll maximum in summer and hence impacts the carbon draw-down in the seasonally-stratified zones of the shelf seas. Here we present estimates of the rate of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation inferred from microstructure shear probes and compare them with dissipation rates inferred from a standard conductivity-temperature-depth instrument and from a fast thermistor (Thorpe Scale methodology) at a site in the seasonally-stratified Irish Sea. All methods show strong dissipation rates in response to tidal stresses near the bed (order 10−2 Wm−3) with qualitatively similar temporal and spatial patterns. In the interior of the water column, however, only the microstructure shear probe estimates resolve the mixing in the region of the thermocline.
Integrating photogrammetry into raster and vector information systems for setting databases for engineering projects
Authors: López-Cuervo Medina S. , Rodríguez-Solano Suárez R. , De Blas Gutiérrez de la Vega A.
Published: November 2013

The correlation methods presented here use 3D image processing techniques to set up virtual stereo models and integrate them in spatial digital information systems. The coordinates of any selected point are made available more accurately than by methods of photogrammetric restitution, and the user requires no training in stereoscopy. The metrical and documentary information generated here, in comparison with what is current, is better suited for the development of geo-spatial engineering projects. It is also of a quality to improve the execution of projects using automatic machinery. The developed techniques enable the project designer to build his data base interactively as part of the geometric design process.
Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV1) infection in non-vaccinated cattle herds in Andalusia (South of Spain)
Authors: González-García M.A. , Maldonado J.L. , Gómez-Pacheco J.M. , Arenas-Casas A. , Carbonero-Martínez A. , Borges-Rodríguez C. , García Bocanegra I. , Perea-Remujo J.A.
Published: November 2013

An epidemiological and serological survey of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV1) infection was conducted in Andalusia from January to April of 2000. A total of 4,035 blood samples were collected from 164 herds. A questionnaire, which included variables potentially associated with infection, was filled out for each herd. Serum samples were obtained to identify specific BHV1 antibodies and were tested using a blocking ELISA test. The observed crude odds ratio (OR) (estimate of the chance of a particular event occurring in an exposed group in relation to its rate of occurrence in a nonexposed group) for vaccination is 9.8 (95% confidence interval: 8.3-11.7). The vaccinated group comprised large dairy farms. This study can only be considered as representative of unvaccinated, small to medium size dairy farms and beef farms in Andalusia. True seroprevalence of the BHV1 virus in nonvaccinated bovine populations in Andalusia reached 45.7% of individuals and 70.4% of herds. Risk factors for BHV1 infection in bovine Andalusian nonvaccinated herds are nonexistence of specific cattle infrastructure (OR: 3.07), beef crossbreeding (OR: 7.90), affiliation with Livestock Health Defence Associations (OR: 2.57), a history of reproductive disorders (OR: 8.39), external replacement (OR: 2.74), proximity to an urban area (OR: 6.11) and herd size (41.98). To control for confounding effects, a binomial logistic regression model was developed. From this regression, BHV1 infections are concentrated in large herds, with external replacement, located close to urban areas. This is the first published report on BHV1 prevalence in the South of Spain.
Evolution of bread-making quality of Spanish bread-wheat genotypes
Authors: Gómez M. , Aparicio N. , Ruiz-París E. , Oliete B. , Caballero P. A.
Published: November 2013

In this study, 36 Spanish wheat genotypes (five modern commercial cultivars, four cultivars introduced after the green revolution and 27 landraces from northwestern Spain) were evaluated. Grain (yield, specific weight, protein content and falling number) and flour (yield, protein content, Zeleny index, wet gluten and gluten index) properties were analyzed. Dough behaviour during mixing (DoughLAB) and handling (alveograph) was also considered. An evolution in grain and flour properties was observed over time. In modern cultivars, grain yield was improved owing to higher grain production. In landraces, higher grain yields were related to larger grain size. Unlike in landraces, an inverse correlation between grain yield and protein content was found in modern cultivars. In addition, because of their high protein quality, modern cultivars surpassed landraces in bread-making properties. Landraces showed considerable variability in protein quality and scored lower curve configuration ratio values than other cultivars with similar strength. Cultivars introduced after the green revolution reached the highest levels of bread-making quality, a feature attributable to their high protein quality.
Spontaneous wheat-Aegilops biuncialis, Ae. geniculata and Ae. triuncialis amphiploid production, a potential way of gene transference
Authors: Loureiro I. , Escorial C. , García-Baudin J.M. , Chueca C.
Published: November 2013

Some F1 hybrid plants between three species of the Aegilops genus and different hexaploid wheat Triticum aestivum cultivars show certain self-fertility, with averages of F1 hybrids bearing F2 seeds of 8.17%, 5.12% and 48.14% for Aegilops biuncialis, Aegilops geniculata and Aegilops triuncialis respectively. In the Ae. triuncialis-wheat combination with ";Astral" wheat cultivar, the fertility was higher than that found in the other combinations. All the F2 seeds studied were spontaneous amphiploids (2n=10x=70). The present study evidences the possibility of spontaneous formation of amphiploids between these three Aegilops species and hexaploid wheat and discusses their relevance for gene transference. Future risk assessment of transgenic wheat cultivars needs to evaluate the importance of amphiploids as a bridge for transgene introgression and for gene escape to the wild.
Evaluation of parameterization strategies for rice modelling
Authors: Confalonieri R. , Bellocchi G. , Boschetti M. , Acutis M.
Published: November 2013

In a previous study, the crop simulator CropSyst was evaluated against crop data collected on rice varieties grown in Northern Italy. The need of model re-parameterization became apparent after investigating new field data, as inconsistencies in the simulation of leaf area index emerged for Indica-type varieties. Key parameters (specific leaf area, stem-leaf partition, extinction coefficient, light-to-biomass conversion efficiency) derived from field measurements (respectively, 27 square m/kg, 3.6 square m/kg, 0.53, 3.2 g/MJ) considerably differed from those previously obtained via calibration (39 square m/kg, 1.5 square m/kg, 0.50, 3.0 g/MJ). Such new parameters are informative for suitable modelling of rice systems. The agreement between simulated and observed above ground biomasses was similar with both parameter sets: average general standard deviation = 25% (previous) and 26% (new); average modelling efficiency = 0.90 (previous) and 0.87 (new). Such comparisons demonstrate as the accumulation of aerial biomass in crop models can be depicted in different ways and reasonable estimations can be achieved by different pathways (not all acceptable). A check on parameters like the one performed here (field measurements versus calibrated parameters) is worth to give protection against spurious conclusions while indicating whether the parameterization is conceptually consistent and related to reality.
Simulation of farmer decision on land use conversions using decision tree method in Jiangsu Province, China
Authors: Zhong T.Y. , Zhang X. Y. , Huang X.J.
Published: November 2013

Understanding farmer decisions on land use conversions (LUC) in rural areas has significant importance to understand and predict the patterns of land use changes in China. Many methods have been developed to search for the influencing factors on land use changes at farm household level. However, these methods have difficulty in evaluating the intertwined influences between factors and achieving farmer decision rules on LUC. Taking three regions located in Jiangsu Province as the study areas, the present work proposed a data mining method, classification and regression tree (CART), to simulate farmer decisions on LUC at farm household level. The accuracy of the simulated LUC by CART was above 85.00%, indicating that the proposed method could be used to simulate farmer decisions. The simulation results also showed that farmer decision rules on LUC presented regional characteristics. In Jiangsu Province, 20 rules were inferred for LUC using 10 factors which were related to the household resources, land market, and so on. These factors were ranked in the decreased importance on LUC as labor transfer, land market, location, resources of household, and characteristics of household. In Rudong County, the which were related factors with LUC included land market, labor transfer, and household resource, while in Changshu County, the additional factor of location was involved.
New Media and the Quality of Life
Authors: Brey Philip ,   Society for Philosophy and Technology
Published: November 2013

In this paper I evaluate the implications of contemporary information and communication media for the quality of life, including both the new media from the digital revolution and the older media that remain in use. My evaluation of contemporary media proceeds in three parts. First I discuss the benefits of contemporary media, with special emphasis given to their immediate functional benefits. I then discuss four potential threats posed by contemporary media. In a final section I examine the future of digital media and the possibilities available to us in shaping that future.
How Norms in Technology Ought to Be Interpreted
Authors: Vaesen Krist ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

This paper defends the claim that there are — at least — two kinds of normativity in technological practice. The first concerns what engineers ought to do and the second concerns normative statements about artifacts. The claim is controversial, since the standard approach to normativity, namely normative realism, actually denies artifacts any kind of normativity; according to the normative realist, normativity applies exclusively to human agents. In other words, normative realists hold that only “human agent normativity” is a genuine form of normativity.I will argue that normative realism is mistaken on this point. I will mainly draw on material of Daniel Dennett and Philip Pettit to show that it makes sense to talk about artifactual normativity. We claim that this approach can also make sense of human agent normativity — or more specifically “engineer normativity”. Moreover, it avoids some of the problems formulated by opponents of normative realism. Thus I will develop a strategy which: (i) makes sense of artifactual normativity; and (ii) makes sense of “human agent normativity”, specifically “engineer normativity”.
Thinking through Virtual Reality
Authors: Coyne Richard ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

Critics and researchers apply various criteria to evaluate the efficacy of VR, including the conformity of VR environments to the character of place. I wish to add a further test: do VR environments enable thought? The paper thus applies to VR the controversial proposition advanced by Clark and others that thinking, i.e. human cognitive processes, are situated and spatial. As a further term in this mix I introduce the concept of non-place, as elucidated by Augé and propose that non-places can be characterized as unthinking spaces, i.e. spaces that provide little assistance to the thought processes of their occupants. Perhaps non-places only offer thepossibilities afforded by a kind of cognitively impoverished instrumentalism. The conclusion from these propositions is that it is instructive to couch the problematics of VR environments in terms of non-places that do not easily accommodate thought, or thoughtful interaction, were it not that thought thrives on transitions, thresholds and boundary conditions between the strange and the familiar.
Theorizing Technological and Institutional Change
Authors: Thompson Paul ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

Formal, informal and material institutions constitute the framework for human interaction and communicative practice. Three ideas from institutional theory are particularly relevant to technical change. Exclusion cost refers to the effort that must be expended to prevent others from usurping or interfering in one’s use or disposal of a given good or resource. Alienability refers to the ability to tangibly extricate a good or resource from one setting, making it available for exchange relations. Rivalry refers to the degree and character of compatibility in various uses for goods. The paper closes with a note on how attention to these factors might be useful ways toconceptualize what Langdon Winner has called “the technological constitution of society,” and what Andrew Feenberg has theorized as “secondary rationalization,” as well as within more practical contexts of technical research, development and design.
The Coding of Technical Images of Nanospace
Authors: Staley Thomas W. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

This paper argues that intrinsically metaphorical leaps are required to interpret and utilize information acquired at the atomic scale. Accordingly, what we ‘see’ with our instruments in nanospace is both fundamentally like, and fundamentally unlike, nanospace itself; it involves both direct translation and also what Goodman termed “calculated category mistakes.” Similarly, and again necessarily, what we ‘do’ in nanospace can be treated as only metaphorically akin to what we do in our comfortable mesoworld. These conclusions indicate that future developments in nanotechnology will rely, in part, on the creation of more sophisticated metaphorical codes linking our world to nanospace, and I propose some initial possibilities along these lines.
An Ontology of Technology
Authors: Lawson Clive ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

Ontology tends to be held in deep suspicion by many currently engaged in the study of technology. The aim of this paper is to suggest an ontology of technology that will be both acceptable to ontology’s critics and useful for those engaged with technology. By drawing upon recent developments in social ontology and extending these into the technological realm it is possible to sustain a conception of technology that is not only irreducibly social but able to give due weight to those features that distinguish technical objects from other artefacts. These distinctions, however, require talk of different kinds of causal powers and different types of activity aimed at harnessing such powers. Such discussions are largely absent in recent technological debates, but turn out to be significant both for ongoing technology research and for the recasting of some more traditional debates within the philosophy of technology
Gilbert Simondon’s genetic “mecanology”and the understanding of laws of technical evolution
Authors: Bontems Vincent ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

Since the 1930’s, several attempts have been made to develop a general theory of technical systems or objects and their evolution: in France, Jacques Lafitte, André Leroi-Gourhan, Bertrand Gille, Yves Deforge, and Gilbert Simondon are the main representatives of this trend. In this paper, we focus on the work of Simondon: his analysis of technical progress is based on the hypothesis that technology has its own laws and that customer demand has no paramount influence upon the evolution of technical systems. We first describe the process Simondon called “concretization” and compare it with the process of “idealization” as defined by Genrich Altshuller. We then explain how the progress of technical lineages can be characterized as following a specific rhythm of relaxation and how it thus obeys a “law” of evolution in the industrial context. Simondon’s theoretical approach, although similar to some aspects of methodologies of conception, emphasized a more accurate understanding of technical progress over possible operational applications. Simondon never intended to optimize the engineer’s tasks from an economic point of view and, in fact, his conception of technical progress can be considered as independent from the capitalistic trend of innovation. However, the philosophy of Simondon provides a better understanding of what is at stake theoretically in the modeling of laws of technical evolution.
The Internet – Proposing an Infrastructure for the Philosophy of Virtualness
Authors: Burt Katrina ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

This paper proposes a preliminary infrastructure for future philosophical discourse on the virtual, interactive, visual, top layer of the Internet. The paper begins by introducing thoughts on such words as real, virtual, reality, knowledge, and truth. Next, news summaries are provided illustrating some effects from the “real world” on the virtual part of the Internet, and vice versa. Subsequently, nine major categories of Internet variables are identified. Finally, over one hundred questions about the philosophical nature of the virtual part of the Internet are listed and are organized into fourteen categories.
Produced to Use
Authors: Houkes Wybo , Vermaas Pieter E. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

In this paper we examine the possibilities of combining two central intuitions about artefacts: that they are functional objects, and that they are non-natural objects. We do so in four steps. First we argue that, contrary to common opinion, functions cannot be the cornerstone of a characterisation of artefacts. Our argument suggests an alternative view, which characterises artefacts as objects embedded in what we call use plans. Second, we show that this plan-centred successor of the function-focused view is at odds with the non-naturalness intuition. Third, we show that this intuition can be developed by defining artefacts as produced or human-made objects, but that the resulting definition might collapse into the plan-centred view, and has trouble distinguishing artefact types or kinds. Finally, we propose a division of labour between production and use plans: among objects in general, artefacts are distinguished as human-made objects; within the domain of artefacts, types or kinds are characterised by the use plans in which artefacts are embedded.
What is an Artefact Design?
Authors: Garbacz Pawel ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

The paper contains a first order formal theory pertaining to artefact designs, designs which are construed as the results of designing activities. The theory is based on a minimal ontology of states of affairs and it is inspired by the ideas of the Polish philosopher Roman Ingarden. After differentiating the philosophical notion of design from the engineering notion of design specifications, I then go on to argue that the philosophical category of artefact designs may be compared with Ingarden’s category of intentional states of affairs. At least some artefacts are found to be determined by more than one design. I also show how this ontological framework allows for the distinction between artefact tokens and artefact types. That leads to a proposal on how to define a criterion of identity for artefact types. The proposed theory serves as a basis both for a better understanding of what artefacts are and for the construction of computer-readable models of design specifications.
The Metaphysics of Malfunction
Authors: Baker Lynne Rudder ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

Any artefact – a hammer, a telescope, an artificial hip – may malfunction. Conceptually speaking, artefacts have an inherent normative aspect. I argue that the normativity of artefacts should be understood as part of reality, and not just “in our concepts.” I first set out Deflationary Views of artefacts, according to which there are no artefactual properties, just artefactual concepts. According to my contrasting view – the Constitution View – there are artefactual properties that things in the world really have. For example, there is a property of being a telephone per se; we apply our concept telephone to things that have that property. Things that have the property of being a telephone are constituted by, but not identical to, aggregates of particles. To be an artefact, an object must have an intended function, among other things. Telephones – in virtue of being the kind of objects that they are – are always subject to malfunction. And malfunctions, when they occur, are just as much part of the world as telephones are. The example of artefacts shows that what is in the world – what really exists – need not be “mind-independent” nor independent of our concepts.
The Impact of 'Anthropotechnology' on Human Evolution
Authors: Blad Sylvia ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

From the time that they diverged from their common ancestor, chimpanzees and humans have had a very different evolutionary path. It seems obvious that the appearance of culture and technology has increasingly alienated humans from the path of natural selection that has informed chimpanzee evolution. According to philosopher Peter Sloterdijk any type of technology is bound to have genetic effects. But to what extent do genomic comparisons provide evidence for such an impact of ‘anthropotechnology’ on our biological evolution?
Turing, Searle, and the Wizard of Oz
Authors: Cook S. D. Noam ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

Since the middle of the 20th century there has been a significant debate about the attribution of capacities of living systems, particularly humans, to technological artefacts, especially computers—from Turing’s opening gambit, to subsequent considerations of artificial intelligence, to recent claims about artificial life. Some now argue that the capacities of future technologies will ultimately make it impossible to draw any meaningful distinctions between humans and machines. Such issues center on what sense, if any, it makes to claim that gadgets can actually think, feel, act, live, etc. I outline this debate and offer a critique of its persistent polarization. I characterize two of the debate’s major camps (associated roughly with Turing and Searle); argue that the debate’s structure (including key assumptions inherent to each camp) precludes resolution; and, contend that some central clashes within the debate actually stem from an inadequately drawn distinction between claims about the capacities of artifacts and claims about the proper criteria for assessing such attributions. I offer a different perspective in which I: challenge some central elements of the debate that contribute to its perennially irresolvable state; hold that the debate needs to be placed more squarely in sync with how we in fact treat the attribution of such capacities to humans themselves; and, offer (unlike the other two camps) a foothold for making moral assessments of such proposed technologies.
Redefining the Technology of Media
Authors: Best Kirsty ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

As scholars of technology investigate changes to media alongside the growing popularity of the Internet, video games and other media devices, the descriptive characteristics of media themselves have become stretched further and further to accommodate a raft of new content, technologies and distribution platforms. This stretching becomes a problem when it becomes important to conceptually separate the formerly non-mediated communication devices, such as mobile phones, from their re-emergence as media platforms. A clear separation is important for asking questions about what cultural, social, economic and political effects such media encroachment might entail. The current paper attempts such a conceptual distinction.
Reve{a,i}ling the Risks
Authors: Pieters Wolter ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

In information security research, perceived security usually has a negative meaning, when it is used in contrast to actual security. From a phenomenological perspective, however, perceived security is all we have. This paper develops a phenomenological account of information security, in which a distinction is made between revealed and reveiled security instead. Linking these notions with the concepts of confidence and trust, the paper provides a phenomenological explanation of the electronic voting controversy in the Netherlands.
Moral Machines
Authors: De Mul Jos ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

In spite of the popularity of computer ethics, ICTs appear to undermine our moral autonomy in several ways. This article focuses on the ‘delegation’ of our moral agency to machines. Three stages of delegation are distinguished: implementation of moral values and norms in the design of artefacts, delegation of moral means to machines, and delegation of both moral means and goals to machines. Second, it is argued that the ‘outsourcing’ of moral agency does not necessarily lead to the undermining of our moral autonomy, but might enhance it as well.
In Defense of Engineering Sciences
Authors: Boon Mieke ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

This article presents an overview of discussions in the philosophy of technology on epistemological relations between science and technology, illustrating that often several mutually entangled issues are at stake. The focus is on conceptual and ideological issues concerning the relationship between scientific and technological knowledge. It argues that a widely accepted hierarchy between science and technology, which echoes classic conceptions of epistêmê and technê, engendered the need of emancipating technology from science, thus shifting focus to epistemic aspects of engineering design and design methodology at the cost of in-depth philosophical analysis of the role of scientific research in the engineering sciences. Consequently, the majority of current literature on this topic in the philosophy of technology presents technology as almost completely divided from and independent of science, thereby losing sight of the epistemic relations between contemporary scientific practices and technology.
A Phenomenology of Image Use in Science
Authors: Rosenberger Robert ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

Insights from the phenomenological tradition of philosophy can be fruitfully applied to ongoing scientific investigations. In what follows, I review and refine a methodology I have developed for the application of concepts from the phenomenology of technology—concepts which articulate bodily and perceptual relations to technology—to a specific context of scientific practice: debate over the interpretation of laboratory images. As a guiding example, I introduce a case study of a contemporary debate over images of Mars which reveal evidence of fluid movement on the planet’s surface in the last decade. Next, the framework of phenomenological concepts is applied to this example, and contrasts are made with the results of previous case studies. I conclude with reflections on the implications of this perspective for both the use of imaging technologies in scientific research specifically, and for the phenomenology of technology generally.
Analysis of Technological Ideologies in Education
Authors: Tillberg-Webb Heather , Strobel Johannes ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

Through a critique and analysis of technological dystopian literature, specifically Brave New World, 1984, and The Machine Stops, a humanizing framework analyzing the promise and responsibility of a liberal education is constructed. Through this framework we visualize agency as the central goal of education, buoyed by the development of independent thinking, affective engagement, and recognition of socio-cultural and historical contexts. Modern education must prepare learners to manage, apply, evaluate, synthesize, analyze information and knowledge and creatively contribute back to the world of information.
Gut Feelings
Authors: Barney Darin ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

This response considers how Friesen’s account of simulation helps us to think through the situation of politics under technological conditions. The alleviation of material and corporeal risks entailed in simulated dissection is compared to the manner in which emerging media technologies facilitate experiences of political participation that are evacuated of the burdens of engagement. This dynamic is finally attributed not to digital mediation itself, but to its operation under the sign of simulation.
Nature and Technology in Modern Childbirth
Authors: Belu Dana S. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2013

This paper provides a phenomenological interpretation of technological and natural childbirth. By using Heidegger’s ontology of technology to think about childbirth I argue that these two types of contemporary childbirth present us with a false dilemma as both reflect the same norms Heidegger associates with modernity, namely order, control, and efficiency. The paper briefly explains Heidegger’s concept of the enframing as the essence of the technological age whilefocusing on how it helps us to avoid falling into a technophilic or technophobic trap. Although the technophobic approach popularized by Lamaze gained some favor with feminists who saw the increased use of reproductive technology as an extension of patriarchal control over women’s bodies, I argue that this natural birthing technique incorporated order and control in ways that are similar to its technophilic counterpart. In order to move beyond what I call the reproductiveenframing, it is necessary to recognize the false dilemma presented by the technological and natural alternatives.