bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eliciting Deviation
Authors: Rosenberg Daniel ,   Chiasmi International
Published: December 2019

In his discussions on literature, Merleau-Ponty often turns to the notion of deviation as a constitutive principle of literary language. Deviation indicates the capacity of a literary work (and other aesthetic objects) to transgress against its own limits and to offer an experience of otherness, or alterity. This alterity is not given in the work, but is constituted by the recipient through the more visceral and physical aspects of literary language. The recipient of the work thus adopts a second voice: that of the author or creator of the work, which is absent from the text yet is reconstructed by the reader in a post hoc manner. The analysis of Merleau-Ponty’s ideas is complemented using the aesthetic insights of Paul Valéry, from which the philosopher was greatly inspired. The essay further explores the way in which the notion of literature as deviation illuminates other aspects in Merleau-Ponty’s theory of language.Dans son examen de la littérature, Merleau-Ponty se penche souvent sur la notion d’écart considérée en tant que principe constitutif du langage littéraire. L’écart indique la capacité d’une oeuvre littéraire (et d’autres objets esthétiques) de dépasser ses propres limites et d’offrir une expérience d’autrui, de l’altérité. Cette altérité n’est pas donnée dans l’oeuvre, mais elle est constituée par le destinataire à travers les aspects les plus viscéraux et les plus physiques du langage littéraire. Le destinataire de l’oeuvre adopte ainsi une deuxième voix : celle de l’auteur ou du créateur de l’oeuvre, qui est absente du texte mais est reconstituée après coup par le lecteur. L’analyse de la réflexion de Merleau-Ponty est complétée à partir des intuitions esthétiques de Paul Valery, dont le philosophe a été largement inspiré. Cet article explore ensuite la manière dont la notion de littérature comme écart nous permet de mettre en lumière d’autres aspects de la théorie du langage de Merleau-Ponty. Nelle sue riflessioni sulla letteratura Merleau-Ponty si rivolge spesso alla nozione di scarto quale principio costitutivo del linguaggio letterario. Lo scarto indica la capacità di un’opera letteraria (o di un altro oggetto estetico) di oltrepassare i propri limiti, offrendo così l’esperienza di un’alterità. Quest’alterità non si dà nell’opera, ma è costituita dal destinatario attraverso gli aspetti più fisici e viscerali del linguaggio letterario. Così il destinatario dell’opera adotta una seconda voce, quella del creatore o dell’autore, che è assente dal testo e tuttavia è ricostruita dal lettore a posteriori. L’analisi delle riflessioni merleau-pontiane è integrata a partire dalle intuizioni estetiche di Paul Valery, da cui il pensiero del filosofo fu ampiamente ispirato. Il saggio esplora inoltre il modo in cui la nozione di letteratura come scarto ci consenta di illuminare altri aspetti della riflessione merleau-pontiana sul linguaggio.
Le premier livre de Merleau-Ponty, un roman
Authors: Alloa Emmanuel ,   Chiasmi International
Published: December 2019

Dans son oeuvre tardive, Merleau-Ponty a souligné les convergences entre une pensée philosophique et une pensée s’exprimant par l’écriture littéraire, considérant que toutes deux répondent à une tâche commune liée à la description du monde. Ses premiers écrits théoriques – Simone de Beauvoir comme Jean-Paul Sartre l’ont souligné – sont quant à eux marqués par une distance plus nette vis-à-vis de la pratique littéraire. Pourtant, bien avant de publier ses premières monographies (La structure du comportement en 1942 et Phénoménologie de la perception en 1945), Merleau-Ponty est l’auteur d’un livre écrit pour le compte d’un autre : Nord. Récit de l’arctique, paru en 1928 chez Grasset. Le roman qui traite de la vie d’un explorateur dans le grand nord canadien, entre commerce de fourrures entre rencontre avec les Inuits, n’est qu’un travail de commande, que Merleau-Ponty ne revendiquera jamais. On trouve cependant dans cet écrit de jeunesse quelques motifs intéressants qui préfigurent sa pensée à venir. In his late writings, Merleau-Ponty stressed the convergences between philosophy and literature, highlighting their “common task” of describing the world. His early philosophical texts though – both Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre pointed this out – insist on demarcating themselves from literature. However, well before publishing his first monographs (The Structure of Behaviour in 1942 and Phenomenology of Perception in 1945), Merleau-Ponty had already written a book on someone else’s behalf: Nord. Récit de l’arctique, published in 1928 by French publisher Grasset. The novel, which deals with the life of an explorer in Canada’s far north, between fur trade and encounters with the Inuit, is the result of ghostwriting, carried out for a friend (Jacques Heller). Merleau-Ponty later never stood to that book. There are nonetheless some interesting motifs in this early piece of writing that prefigure his future thinking.Nei suoi ultimi scritti, Merleau-Ponty ha sottolineato le convergenze tra filosofia e letteratura, evidenziando il loro “comune compito” nel descrivere il mondo. I suoi primi testi filosofici – lo hanno sottolineato sia Simone de Beauvoir che Jean-Paul Sartre – insistono però a distinguersi dalla letteratura. Tuttavia, ben prima di pubblicare le sue monografie (La struttura del comportamento nel 1942 e Fenomenologia della percezione nel 1945), Merleau-Ponty aveva già scritto un libro per conto terzi: Nord. Récit de l’arctique, pubblicato nel 1928 per le stampe di Grasset. Per questo romanzo, che tratta della vita di un esploratore nell’estremo nord canadese, tra commercio di pellicce e incontri con gli Inuit, Merleau-Ponty fa da ‘ghostwriter’ ad un amico (Jacques Heller). Mentre ulteriormente, egli non si avvalse mai della paternità del romanzo, questo primo scritto contiene già alcuni spunti che prefigurano il suo pensiero futuro.
A Sense of Place
Authors: Adams William D. ,   Chiasmi International
Published: December 2019

Merleau-Ponty spent the summer of 1960 in the small French village of Le Tholonet writing Eye and Mind. His choice of location was no accident. Le Tholonet was the physical and emotional epicenter of Paul Cezanne’s late painting, the ultimate proving ground of his relentless quest to reveal the truth of landscape in art.It makes perfect sense that Merleau-Ponty wrote Eye and Mind in Le Tholonet. The essay is a philosophical meditation on vision and painting. But it also is a meditation on place, in the deeply saturated sense that encompasses the landscape, its natural and human history, and the history of the painter who brought this part of Provence to universal visibility in his art. Le Tholonet is the terroir of Eye and Mind, the site and soil of this final, extraordinary expression of Merleau-Ponty’s thinking. Merleau-Ponty passa l’été 1960 dans le petit village français de Le Tholonet en écrivant L’OEil et l’Esprit. Le choix de ce lieu n’est pas accidentel. Le Tholonet était l’épicentre physique et émotionnel de la dernière peinture de Paul Cézanne, le terrain d’essai final de sa quête incessante pour arriver à révéler la vérité du paysage dans l’art. C’est tout à fait sensé que Merleau-Ponty ait écrit L’OEil et l’Esprit à Le Tholonet. L’essai est une méditation philosophique sur la vision et sur la peinture. Mais c’est aussi une méditation sur le lieu, sur le sens profondément saturé qui entoure le paysage, sur son histoire naturelle et humaine, et sur l’histoire du peintre qui porta, par son art, ce coin de la Provence à la visibilité universelle. On pourrait alors dire que Le Tholonet est le terroir de L’OEil et l’Esprit, le site et le sol de cette expression finale et extraordinaire de la réflexion de Merleau-Ponty. Merleau-Ponty trascorse l’estate del 1960 nel piccolo villaggio francese di Le Tholonet, dedicandosi alla scrittura de L’occhio e lo spirito. La scelta di questo luogo non fu casuale. Le Tholonet fu infatti l’epicentro fisico ed emotivo della pittura dell’ultimo Cézanne, il campo di prova finale del suo tentativo instancabile di rivelare la verità del paesaggio nell’arte. È del tutto coerente che Merleau-Ponty abbia scritto L’occhio e lo spirito a Le Tholonet. Il saggio costituisce una riflessione filosofica sulla visione e sulla pittura, ma rappresenta anche una meditazione sul senso di un luogo, secondo un’accezione densa che comprende il paesaggio, la sua storia naturale e umana, e la storia del pittore che attraverso la sua arte ha portato questa parte della Provenza a una visibilità universale. Le Tholonet è il terroir de L’occhio e lo spirito, il sito che ospita e il terreno che nutre quest’ultima straordinaria espressione del pensiero di Merleau-Ponty.
On the Place of Resistance in Ontology
Authors: Worthy Jay ,   Chiasmi International
Published: December 2019

Beginning with Fanon’s challenge to the universality of the project of ontology, this paper considers whether and how Merleau-Ponty’s early and late thinking may yield a response. From the outset, Merleau-Ponty’s appeal to the materiality of the body is intended as a limit on the scope of ontology. As I argue, however, Merleau-Ponty’s early concept of ‘one’s own body’ (corps propre) suggests an “ontological equality” that would be shared among all embodied beings; implicitly, this early approach risks reinforcing Fanon’s concern that ontology is indifferent to embodied experiences of racial exclusion and oppression. Merleau-Ponty’s later ontology of the flesh, by contrast, entails a more radically differential structure of the body that troubles the notion of equality in principle, suggesting an ontology that could be more attentive to the fundamental grounds of systemic oppression.Cet article examine si, et de quelle manière, la réflexion de Merleau-Ponty peut répondre au défi lancé par Fanon à l’universalité du projet ontologique. La revendication initiale que fait Merleau-Ponty de la matérialité du corps est considérée comme une limite du champ de l’ontologie. Pourtant, comme je voudrais le montrer, la première conception merleau-pontienne du corps propre suggère une « égalité ontologique » qui devrait être commune pour tous les êtres incarnés ; implicitement, cette première approche risque de renforcer l’inquiétude de Fanon au sujet de l’indifférence de l’ontologie envers les expériences incarnées de l’exclusion raciale et de l’oppression. L’ontologie de la chair merleau-pontienne, au contraire, implique une structure du corps radicalement différentielle qui bouleverse la notion du principe d’égalité, en suggérant une ontologie qui pourrait être plus attentive aux fondements du système d’oppression.Questo articolo prende le mosse dalla sfida di Fanon all’universalità del progetto dell’ontologia ed esamina se e come il pensiero del primo e dell’ultimo Merleau-Ponty possa fornirvi una risposta. A prima vista, il richiamo di Merleau-Ponty alla materialità del corpo viene inteso come un limite all’orizzonte dell’ontologia. Tuttavia, come mi propongo di sostenere, il concetto di “corpo proprio” (corps propre) nel primo Merleau-Ponty suggerisce un’“uguaglianza ontologica” che sarebbe condivisa da tutti gli esseri incarnati. Implicitamente, questa posizione rischia di rinforzare la preoccupazione di Fanon rispetto al fatto che l’ontologia sia indifferente alle esperienze incarnate di esclusione e oppressione razziali. L’ontologia della carne dell’ultimo Merleau-Ponty, al contrario, implica una più radicale struttura differenziale del corpo, che complica la nozione di un’uguaglianza di principio e che suggerisce un’ontologia potenzialmente più attenta ai fondamenti dell’oppressione sistematica.
Compte Rendu de Anna Caterina Dalmasso, Le Corps, c’est l’écran. La philosophie du visuel de Merleau-Ponty
Authors: Bobant Charles ,   Chiasmi International
Published: December 2019

Dans son livre Le corps, c’est l’écran. La philosophie du visuel de Merleau-Ponty, Anna Caterina Dalmasso met en évidence la présence de la pensée merleau-pontienne dans les réflexions contemporaines relevant des visual studies, de la médiologie et des études cinématographiques. Les analyses menées révèlent un Merleau-Ponty à l’origine d’un certain nombre de « tournants » majeurs dans le questionnement, touchant notamment à la conception de l’image (de l’image copie d’un modèle à l’image qui nous regarde) et du médium (du modèle de la transparence à celui de l’opacité). Enfin, l’une des ambitions – et l’une des réussites – de l’ouvrage est de restituer l’apport significatif de Merleau-Ponty pour les film studies. A.C. Dalmasso jette des lumières nouvelles sur une interrogation en constante évolution, en s’appuyant à la fois sur les textes bien connus (« Le cinéma et la nouvelle psychologie », L’OEil et l’esprit) et les « inédits » (Le Monde sensible et le monde de l’expression).In her book Le corps, c’est l’écran. La philosophie du visuel de Merleau-Ponty, Anna Caterina Dalmasso brings to light the presence of Merleau-pontian thought in contemporary reflections relevant to visual studies, as well as film and media studies. The analyses she carried out reveal a Merleau-Ponty at the origin of a certain number of major “turns” in the inquiry, touching notably on the conception of the image (from the image as copy of a model to the image that looks at us) and of the medium (from the model of transparency to that of opacity). Besides, one of the ambitions – and one of the successes – of the work is to demonstrate the significant contribution of Merleau-Ponty for film studies. A.C. Dalmasso throws new light on an interrogation in constant evolution, stressing both well-known texts (“Film and the New Psychology,” Eye and Mind) and unpublished manuscripts (Le monde sensible et le monde de l’expression).Nel volume Le corps, c’est l’écran. La philosophie du visuel de Merleau-Ponty, Anna Caterina Dalmasso mette in evidenza la presenza del pensiero merleau-pontyano nelle riflessioni contemporanee dei visual studies, della teoria del cinema e dei media. Le analisi che vi sono condotte rivelano un Merleau-Ponty all’origine di alcune importanti “svolte”, che riguardano in particolare la concezione dell’immagine (dall’immagine come copia di un modello ad un’immagine che ci guarda) e del medium (da un modello basato sulla trasparenza a uno che fa perno sulla sua opacità). Inoltre, una delle ambizioni – e uno degli aspetti più originali – dell’opera è quella di restituire il significativo apporto di Merleau-Ponty per l’ambito dei film studies. A.C. Dalmasso fa luce in modo innovativo su un tema di ricerca in costante evoluzione, appoggiandosi ad un tempo su scritti più noti (come “Il cinema e la nuova psicologia” e L’occhio e lo spirito) e su alcuni testi “inediti” (in particolare Le monde sensible et le monde de l’expression).
Uncertainty in Cognition and Social Practices
Authors: Gerasimova Irina A. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

The article discusses the theoretical status of the category of uncertainty. Instead of the classical definitions of uncertainty as an ontological or epistemological concept, a composite theoretical construct is proposed. In classical science, the objectivist representation of the subject of research was preferred. With the nonclassical type of rationality, there rises problem of including subjective elements in a theoretical description. Attention to subject-subject-object methodologies is increasing due to the complication of communicative interactions in science and society in the digital era. One of the consequences of active innovative projective activity on a planetary scale and increasing risks is the perception in the public mind of uncertainty as a challenge. The author considers it appropriate to study the uncertainty-certainty as a paired category. The category of uncertainty was considered in philosophy, science, and management. The status of uncertainty as infinity and formlessness was recognized by Greek natural philosophers. Classical science developed the methodology of knowing the “infinite limit” through the construction of theoretical schemes (forms) and types of empirical testing. The paradox served as a means of destroying dogmatic schemes. In the context of increasingly complex communications in science, the importance of cognitive problems in the study of collective thinking and the personal beginning of creativity is increasing. Modern economic positivism is distinguished by its rejection of objective uncertainty, and the installation of the ability to efficiently manage exclusively accurate calculations is brought to extremes.
Why Social Networks for Researchers Still Matter
Authors: Shibarshina Svetlana V. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

The paper is a short reply to the comments given on the paper ‘Social Networks for Researchers on the Internet: A New Sociality?’. The author emphasizes some essential differences of such communities from the traditional forms of scientific communication. Agreeing with the argument about the danger that social networks potentially carry, she associates it with the general features of the Internet space. In conclusion, it is accentuated that, despite their shortcomings, social networks offer a kind of new sociality based on the idea of visibility.
Historization of Scientific Observation in Modern Scientific Researches
Authors: Baeva Angelina V. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

This article is devoted to historization of scientific practices as one of the central points in problem field of modern science studies. The subject of our article is scientific observation as one of the epistemic practices. Historization of scientific observation in modern scientific studies is possible, because of material practices and social relations begin to problematize in the scientific field. Science is no longer characterized only by a propositional order of representations. It is an assemblage of connections and relations between different agents and network of things, people and practices. This network is complexly arranged and branched, but in the same time it is coordinated in a certain optics and it is producing the visual closure to constructed object. This new optics, that makes visible the material and routine practices, puts in a new way the task to understand, how to work with heterogeneous and historically changeable field of practices and different “ways to do science”. There is a rethinking of the self-evident epistemic categories and particularly scientific observation. As an epistemic genre and scientific practice observation begins to take shape relatively late – only in the XVII century, when there is a complication and multiplication of practices of production of the visual images, that are making concrete from abstract and visible from invisible. To historicize scientific observation is to show how it has become a self-evident epistemic category and an integral scientific function. Scientific observation can be historicized as a set of practices that emerged and spread throughout a particular historical period, on the one hand, as practices of production, coordination, presentation and description of observational data. And on the other hand, it can be historicized as practices of production of “scientific self” as instances of observation. This article attempts to show that observation as a practice and as historically varied object of science is characterized, on the one hand, by the production of “that is visible” and, on the other hand, by “scientific self”.
Imagination in Action
Authors: Shaposhnikova Yulia V. , Shipovalova Lada V. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

The intention of this article is to study the role of imagination in science. We are going to examine the communicative role that imagination plays in interdisciplinary scientific interaction. We are referring to that specific kind of interaction in which science is the object of research that is to a complicated situation in the contemporary science studies. We posit that the interaction between different disciplines engaged in the study of science is far from being concordant. This is especially true of the history and philosophy of science. Currently, the situation is such that, on the one hand, the philosophical reference to the historical research of science has proved being constructive in nature. On the other hand, historians remain mostly indifferent to the philosophy of science, seeking no methodological guidance from philosophers. Revealing the reasons for such an asymmetry of interests, and, as a consequence, the failure of the constructive interaction of history and philosophy of science, we analyze one hypothesis which directly refers to the work of imagination in the Kantian sense. Next, we determine that Kant's appeal to imagination opens the way for another interpretation of both the work of imagination and, as a result, the interaction of history and philosophy of science. We demonstrate why the analysis of the role of image, associated primarily with art, becomes relevant in modern research of science. Additionally, we turn to imagination, not just as a transcendental condition of knowledge but as an effective tool to organize specific research practices of interdisciplinary interaction. Therefore, an important component of our research is an appeal to a “successful” example of the synthesis of historical and philosophical research of science, which is the contemporary historical epistemology, in which one can see imagination in action.
The Elimination of Carnap’s Critical Arguments Against Metaphysics Through Formal Semantic Analysis of Natural Language
Authors: Vostrikova Ekaterina V. , Kusliy Petr S. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

The authors explore Carnap’s (1931) famous critique of Heidegger’s metaphysics and argue that, from the perspective of contemporary formal semantics of natural language, Carnap’s criticism is not convincing. Moreover, they provide direct empirical objections to Carnap’s criticism. In particular, using empirical evidence from languages like Russian that have negative concord, they show that Heidegger cannot be accused of assigning illegitimate logical forms to his sentences about Nothing because terms like “Nothing” can be used non-quantificationally and the fact that it is not clear how their reference is established cannot be the reason why the corresponding sentences are ungrammatical (as Carnap seemed to suggest). The authors also critically discuss the view that natural language is insensitive to meaninglessness or contradiction. With reference to the work of J. Gajewsky, they show that this view is not true either. As a result of this investigation, they arrive at a position that an appeal to ungrammaticality like the one proposed by Carnap does not provide legitimate evidence against metaphysics. This conclusion relates to some recent criticism of the so-called non-analytical philosophers that can be traced back to Carnap’s paper.
Difficulties of I-Perspective in Projects of Phenomenology and Naturalism Integration
Authors: Gasparyan Diana E. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

The article explores the private nature of subjectivity in programs of integration the phenomenology with naturalism. It is considered if their tools are relevant for the phenomenological, rather than naturalistic way of subjectivity’s explaining. Justification of the key ideas is provided with the help of such concepts as “body image”, “body scheme”, (Sh. Gallagher), “ontological significance” (L. Baker), “experience”, “cognitive niches” (F. Varela), “transparent body” (T. Fuchs). Based on the traditional phenomenology of E. Husserl, it is shown that a set of approaches that integrate phenomenology and naturalism within the framework of “first-person philosophy” can be characterized as a phenomenology without a phenomenological subject. It is shown that the phenomenological nature of the self-perspective in integrative programs is more likely to be understood as the qualification and privacy of subjectivity, while the transcendental aspect of the unobservable and biased consciousness is practically not taken into account. The article concludes that the logic of some projects of integration of phenomenology and naturalism overlook this transcendental peculiarity of consciousness, its fundamentally unobserved character. The classical phenomenological approach emphasizes on the extra-natural, biased, and non-empirical nature of consciousness. The role and significance of the phenomenological approach is not limited to the idea of “what-is-likeness” and privacy of subjective states. Phenomenology, which preserves the idea of the subject, means a radical break with the ontology of things and, in general, with the ontology of something objective at all.
German Idealism, Epistemic Constructivism and Metaphilosophy
Authors: Rockmore Tom ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

This paper concerns the nature and a significance of metaphilosophy with special attention to German idealism. Metaphilosophy, or the philosophy of philosophy, is understood differently from different perspectives, for instance, if philosophy concerns the consciousness of the object, as the self-consciousness of the knowing process. If we assume that the Western philosophical tradition consists in a long series of efforts to demonstrate claims to know, then metaphilosophy is not present in the ancient Greek tradition. It only arises in the modern tradition through the turn from a theory of knowledge that depends on consciousness, more precisely consciousness of the independent object, to a theory of knowledge that depends on self-consciousness, more precisely consciousness of the independent object as well as consciousness of consciousness of the independent object.
Kant’s Copernican Revolution as an Object of Philosophical Retrospection
Authors: Stoliarova Olga E. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

The article deals with Kant's Copernican Revolution as an object of philosophical retrospection. It is suggested that Kant's Copernican Revolution can be understood in terms of the conditions of its possibility within the framework of a regressive transcendental argument. The regressive transcendental argument is equated with the universal philosophical method, which is circular in nature: starting with the facts of experience, it concludes about the necessary conditions for the possibility of a given experience and compares these conditions of possibility with what is given in experience. It is shown that in the framework of such an approach, falsification of the initial premises of the Kantian project becomes inevitable. It is shown that the character of this falsification is essentially dialectical. By falsifying the transcendental project of the “Copernican revolution” as a whole, we question the “once and for all” boundary drawn by Kant between the epistemological premises (“idealism”) and ontological foundations (“realism”).
Historical Variability of the Self in the Scientific Landscape
Authors: Gretchina Olga S. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2019

The article is a review of ≪Objectivity≫ by L. Daston and P. Gallison. The authors reject the timeless understanding of objectivity and demonstrate on a series of examples of specific practices of creating, using and reading scientific images in Atlases from the XVIII century that objectivity has its moment of birth – XIX century and its own history. The authors assume the definition of objectivity as a desire to get rid of subjectivity in the creation of a scientific image. Objectivity functions as one of the epistemological virtues, along with truth and certainty. Daston and Gallison describe several regimes of scientific practices and show their relation to the formation of scientific “selves” and connection with changing conceptions of subjectivity.
Homeostatic regulation of perisynaptic matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) activity in the amblyopic visual cortex
Authors: Murase Sachiko , Winkowski Dan , Liu Ji , Kanold Patrick O , Quinlan Elizabeth M
Published: December 2019

Dark exposure (DE) followed by light reintroduction (LRx) reactivates robust synaptic plasticity in adult mouse primary visual cortex (V1), which allows subsequent recovery from amblyopia. Previously we showed that perisynaptic proteolysis by MMP9 mediates the enhancement of plasticity by LRx in binocular adult mice (Murase et al., 2017). However, it was unknown if a visual system compromised by amblyopia could engage this pathway. Here we show that LRx to adult amblyopic mice induces perisynaptic MMP2/9 activity and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation in deprived and non-deprived V1. Indeed, LRx restricted to the amblyopic eye is sufficient to induce robust MMP2/9 activity at thalamo-cortical synapses and ECM degradation in deprived V1. Two-photon live imaging demonstrates that the history of visual experience regulates MMP2/9 activity in V1, and that DE lowers the threshold for the proteinase activation. The homeostatic reduction of the MMP2/9 activation threshold by DE enables visual input from the amblyopic pathway to trigger robust perisynaptic proteolysis.
Radar Cross Section Reduction of Metallic Plate Loaded with Via Hole Dielectric Substrate
Authors: Malhat H. A. , Zainud-Deen S. H. , Shabayek N. A.
Published: December 2019

Radar cross section (RCS) stealth technology has a major importance in the military applications. In this paper, RCS reduction of metallic sheet is investigated through loading it by dielectric substrate with tapered via holes. The via holes tapering are drilled in two approaches according to the choice of the reference hole radius. In the first approach, the via holes are tapered in a single direction from row to row and are kept fixed along the singlerow. A reduction on RCS of 13 dB below the unloaded case is achieved. The RCS reduction frequency band is shifted down by increasing the negative value of scaling parameter due to the reduction of the effective dielectric constant of the dielectric sheet. In the second approach, the holes are tapered along the off-diagonal directions where the tapering occurs along both row and column. A symmetrical structure around the main diagonal is produced. The reduction in RCS is achieved with the band from 11 to 12.75 GHz for different scaling coefficient values with best RCS reduction of 33.5 dB occurs at α=0.18. Symmetrical wide angle RCS reduction from -109o to 109o degrees is reached.
Land Suitability of the Nkrankwanta Lowland for Rice Cultivation in the Dormaa West District, Ghana
Authors: Agbeshie Alex Amerh , Adjei Rita
Published: December 2019

Aims: Suitability of land for growing crops, which considers the spatial distribution of soil characteristics, is an important factor to consider in order to maximize yields and ensure judicious land-use planning. This study was conducted to assess the suitability of Nzema series according to Land Suitability Classification for rainfed rice cultivation. The study was undertaken at Nkrankwanta lowland in the Dormaa West District, Ghana.

Methods: Two pedons were dug at a depth of 0-140 cm for both sampling locations. A total of 50 soil samples were collected at a depth of 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-100, and 100-140 cm depth. Suitability assessment was done using the FAO Land Quality Index with input parameters including pH, texture, stoniness, nitrogen, depth, organic carbon, slope, and drainage.

Results: Chemical analysis revealed that nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter were generally low. The results showed that pH for both pedons ranged from very strongly acidic to slightly alkaline (4–7.8) which could be as a result of leaching of basic cations due to the regular flooding of the lowland. The two pedons are deep >140 m and the drainage is imperfect to poorly drained. Soil Quality Index was 0.8 whilst Nutrient Availability Index was 0.05, indicating highly suitable and marginally suitable land for rice production respectively.

Conclusion: Based on this analysis, Nkrankwanta lowland is marginally suitable (0.04) for rice production. The soil is potentially highly suitable if continuous monitoring of the pH status is carried out. Nutrient management is recommended to improve the low fertility status of the soil.
Adoption Outcomes of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture Technologies by Farmers in South India
Authors: Shankar K. Ravi , Nirmala G. , Nagasree K. , Pankaj P. K. , Samuel Josily , Sindhu K. , Raju B. M. K. , Kumar S. Vijaya , Chary G. Ravindra
Published: December 2019

Rainfed areas are subjected to climate change through extreme weather events, decrease of water availability and decrease in agricultural productivity. The problem to be addressed is the limited access to and exchange of, information and knowledge related to agriculture and food security at local, national, and regional levels. Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) act as a crucial player in technology assessment, refinement and demonstration. Technology adoption to be successful depends on successful technology assessment, refinement and demonstration. Hence, the role of KVKs is of paramount importance in the above processes. KVK Rangareddy district of Telangana state (South India) is attached to the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad. The study was conducted in three KVK adopting villages’ of Pudur mandal, Rangareddy district, Telangana state. The objectives of the study are to assess the extent of adoption of KVK technologies, factors affecting and constraints in adoption; to assess the impact of KVK technologies in terms of improved productivity in crops, livestock, income levels of farm women; and to assess the gain in knowledge levels. A sample of 40 farmers each from adopting and non-adopting categories in the same villages was selected for data collection, thus, making a total sample of 240 farmers. The data was collected using a pre-tested interview schedule from the farmers. Focus group discussion and interviews were conducted to elicit data. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (correlation, multiple linear regression and adoption indices). Final data was averaged from the three villages both for adopting and non-adopting category of farmers and presented. More than 60% adoption was recorded for production technology and stem borer management in maize; spacing and fertilizer management in cotton; and demonstration of perennial fodder hybrid Bajra Napier CO-4 etc. T-test scores showed significant higher mean values for adopters over non-adopters except in the case of the variable age. Adopters had better knowledge and adoption rates over non-adopters. Productivity of farmers increased between 33-57% with KVK technologies. Income levels of farm women increased three to four times based on the enterprise after adoption. Farmers’ adoption of technologies requires more concerted efforts in establishing mechanisms and traits including readiness of availability, ease of use, low cost, low labor requirement and time requirements of different technologies and their components. The adoption results of KVK technologies/interventions in case of non adopting category of farmers were found to be meager.
Effect of Planting Method and Seeding Date on Leaf and Seed Production of Lettuce
Authors: Shahinul M. , Rahman M. , Salim M. M. R. , Ahmed B. , Rashid M. H.
Published: December 2019

Aim: The objective of this study is to identify the suitable planting method and seeding time for leaf and seed production of lettuce.

Place and Duration: A field study was carried out in Bangadandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur Bangladesh during 2012-13.

Materials and Design: A commercial lettuce variety BSMRAU lettuce-1 was used in this study. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications and two factors, namely planting method (M1 – transplanted seedling produced on nursery bed, M2 - transplanted seedling produced in polybag and M3 - direct seeding) and seeding time (T1 - 16 October, T2 - 1 November, T3 - 16 November, T4 - 1 December and T5 - 16 December).

Results: Analyses of variance revealed with a statistically significant variation (p<0.01 or p<0.05) among the treatments. The treatment interaction revealed that the highest leaf yield 27.33 t/ha was harvested from M3T2, which was statistically similar with M2T2 (26.78 t/ha). On the other hand, the highest seed yield 412.00 kg/ha was harvested from the treatment combination of M3T2, which was statistically different from all other treatment combinations. Quality traits viz. dry matter content, fiber content and organoleptic test were also better in early seeding.

Conclusion: Considering leaf yield, seed yield and quality traits, direct seeding at 1 November was found to be the most suitable treatment combination for leaf and seed production of lettuce in Bangladesh conditions. But transplanting with polybag raised seedlings may be suitable if the land is occupied by the pervious crops.
Validated Stability Indicating HPTLC and UV-Spectrophotometric Techniques for the Determination of Avanafil
Authors: Darwish Manal K. , Soliman Marwa M. , Abdel-Razeq Sawsan A.
Published: December 2019

Aims: To develop methods with complete validation according to ICH guidelines and to be applied for the determination of avanafil in pure form and in pharmaceutical formulation in the presence of its degradation products.

Study Design: High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and different spectrophotometric methods (dual wavelength, first derivative, first derivative of ratio spectra and ratio difference are developed for simultaneous determination of avanafil in laboratory-prepared mixtures of avanafil with its degradation products and in pharmaceutical formulation.

Place and Duration of Study: Sample: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, between May 2019 and September 2019.

Methodology: Two techniques have been developed for the determination of avanafil in the presence of its degradation products. The first was HPTLC where separation was performed on silica gel 60 F254 plates, with chloroform: toluene: methanol: conc. ammonia (6:5:3:0.1, by volume) as a developing system and UV detection at 230 nm. The second one was UV- spectrophotometry which included dual wavelength between 267 and 292 nm, first derivative determination of the drug at 261 nm, first derivative of ratio of peak amplitudes at 275.6, 305.4 and 329 nm and the ratio difference with the amplitude difference between (266 and 250 nm).

Results: HPTLC method was applied over the concentration range of 0.5-5. μg/spot, while spectrophotometric methods were linear over the concentration range 5-50 μg/mL for avanafil.

Conclusion: Novel, simple and accurate method for the determination of avanafil in laboratory-prepared mixtures of avanafil with its degradation products and in pharmaceutical formulation.
Path Finder: A Game for Desktop Computers
Authors: Peiris M. S. Hiruni , Christa S. D.
Published: December 2019

Game application development is still one of the major trends in the Computer Industry. It gets updated day by day. But still the desktop or laptop game concepts rank at the top of the industry. Games are more popular among the younger generation and they find it interesting to engage in those. In addition, games provide a convenient platform for the developers to develop eye catching applications with the use of the facilities provided. In this paper, we present our Path Finder game as a mind relaxation and stress relief game to be played easily without many strategies to follow. There’s nothing to think deeply; just to move the cursor in between the cubes without touching the major lines of the cubes to reach the destination from the start position, is the concept we used here. It was our only objective to make it simple as a mind relaxation game without any procedures to carry out while playing. Although we mainly targeted the younger generation for this game, during our implementations we found that this is suitable for any person of any age group. Java is the language we used to develop our game and it was developed using eclipse in Java with the tools like JFrame and windows applications to build the interfaces and JOptinonPane to pop up the messages. Main programming concepts were carried out with if else statements in Java. And also we used eclipse with graphical user interfaces which help anyone to get entertained via playing it. This study evaluates the use of Java language to develop simple mind relaxing games.
Ameliorative Effect of Pleurotus ostreatus on Lipid Levels and Atherogenic Indices in Hyperlipidemic Rats
Authors: Nwobi N. L. , Usiobeigbe O. S. , Osaro R. O. , Nwobi J. C.
Published: December 2019

Aim: To evaluate the effects of Pleurotus ostreatus on the lipid profile and atherogenic indices in Hyperlipidemic rats.

Study Design, Place and Duration of Study: This case-control study was done for 60 days between March and April, 2017 at the department of Medical Laboratory Science and Department of Chemical Pathology, Babcock University, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Methodology: Thirty male wistar rats weighing 117-130 g were divided randomly into 3 groups: Normolipidemic (NL) rats (fed with standard rodent chow), Hyperlipidemic (HL) rats (fed with standard rodent chow + duck yolk and reused oil), Hyperlipidemic Treated (HL+T) rats (fed with standard rodent chow + duck yolk and reused oil + 5% Pleurotus ostreatus powder). 

Changes in the animal body weights were measured in this study. Serum was obtained from fasting blood samples for the standard biochemical analyses of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), creatinine, urea, Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), TC/HDL, LDL/HDL and Log (TG/HDL) ratios were calculated.

Results: The HL+T rats compared to HL rats had significantly reduced body weight, TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, TC/HDL, LDL/HDL and Log(TG/HDL) by 19.59%, 14.38%, 15.82%, 25.52%, 15.83%, 28.89%, 20.24% and 27.27% respectively (p ≤ 0.05) but recorded no significant change in HDL-C (p > 0.05). Creatinine, urea, AST and ALT did not show any significant change in HL rats and HL+T rats (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Treatment of hyperlipidemic male wistar rats with Pleurotus ostreatus reduced body weight, lipid levels (TC, TG, LDL, VLDL) and atherogenic indices (TC/HDL, LDL/HDL, Log (TG/HDL)) and appeared to have no detrimental effects on the liver and kidneys. These findings may provide insights and scientific basis for the promotion of the use of Pleurotus ostreatus in controlling hyperlipidemia and associated complications.
Studies on Mutagenic Effectiveness and Efficiency of Gamma Rays and Ethyl Methane Sulphonate in Jasmine
Authors: Ghosh Sanchita , Ganga M. , Soorianathasundaram K.
Published: December 2019

Background/Aim: The present investigation was undertaken to study the mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency in M1V1 generation and to study effect of gamma rays on spectrum of morphological mutation in Jasminum grandiflorum Linn. cv. White Pitchi.

Methods: Terminal cuttings were treated with four doses of gamma rays viz., 10, 15, 20 and 25 Gy and four doses of EMS viz., 25, 30, 35 and 40 mM separately. Both mutagens created a high frequency as well as a wide spectrum of mutation.

Results: Totally five types of chlorophyll mutants viz., xantha, viridis, yellow viridis, variegata and tigrina were observed. The mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency were calculated based on biological damage as well as chlorophyll mutation frequency on M1 plants. The mutagenic treatments were effective in inducing various types of morphological macro mutants, with few of them showing significant changes in plant height, flowering parameters and flower yield. The lower mutagen doses were associated with higher mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency.

Conclusion: The present study indicated that the physical mutagen gamma rays were more effective and efficient in causing mutations as compared to the chemical mutagen EMS.
Anti-bacterial and Anti-oxidant Studies of Extracts from Root of Prunus africana
Authors: Begeno Teshale Ayano , Teka Ashenafi Emiru , Bafa Temesgen Abera
Published: December 2019

Prunus africana belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is a geographically wide spread tree to forest habitats of the African continent. P. africana is one of the most popular plants in traditional medicine for treating various ailments. It is mainly used to treat benign prostate hyperplasia (BHP). The study was aimed to evaluate the anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant activities of bark of root extract from P. africana. The air dried and powdered plant material (200 g) was first soaked with 500 mL of n-hexane for 72 hours and yielded 2.5 g of n-hexane extract. Residue was soaked with 500 mL of ethyl acetate for 72 hours and afforded 3.7 g of ethyl acetate extract. Finally, residue was soaked with 400 mL of methanol and yielded 14.3 g of methanol extract. The methanol extract showed inhibition zones of 18 and 14 mm against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The extracts also showed encourage results of DPPH radical scavenging activity at various concentrations. The methanol extract of P. africana of root showed promising activity against E. coli, ATCC25922 and S.aureus, ATCC25922. Anti-oxidant activities also were shown prospective result, selectively at lowest concentration and lowest absorbance. This means the result of the study was confirmed that the lowest concentration of 4 mg/mL and absorbance of 0.112 the scavenging activity was 87.9%, while at the highest concentration of 128 mg/mL and absorbance of 0.172 the scavenging activity was 81.5%.
Agronomic Performance and Genetic Divergence in Corn (Zea mays) in the Cerrado-Amazon Ecotone
Authors: Da Silva Rafael Marcelino , Santos Weder Ferreira dos , Andrade Matheus Rodrigues de , Da Silva Zildiney Dantas , Santos Layanni Ferreira Sodré , Peluzio Joênes Micci , Bequiman Lara Rythelle Souza , Luz Claúdia Nolêlo Maciel , Dias Vanderlan Carneiro , Borges Thaís Alves da Silveira Lourenço , Martins Albert Lennon Lima , Oliveira Magno De
Published: December 2019

The objective of this work is to study the agronomic performance and genetic divergence in corn in the Cerrado-Amazon ecotone. The trials were conducted in the 2017/18 harvest at a property in the state of Pará. The experimental design was a randomized block with nine treatments and three replications, where the treatments are represented by nine cultivars of corn. The characteristics to evaluate agronomic performance and genetic divergence were: ear height (cm), plant height (cm), ear length (cm), ear diameter (mm), number of rows, number of grains per row and grain yield (kg ha−1). The cultivars were separated into a multivariate model in five groups using the Tocher optimization method. The cultivar AG 1051 showed the best agronomic performance. The results of genetic divergence were according to the generalized distance of Mahalanobis (D2), with the commences AG 8088 x CATIVERDE and AG 1051 x AL BANDEIRANTE, the most promising for future crosses.