bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐Term Evolution of Chronic Daily Headache With Medication Overuse in the General Population
Authors: Fontanillas Noelia , Colás Rafael , Muñoz Pedro , Oterino Agustín , Pascual Julio
Published: March 2010

(Headache 2010;50:981‐988)

Objective.— To investigate long‐term efficiency of an intervention protocol for chronic daily headache with medication overuse (CDHwMO) in the general population.

Methods.— The 72 subjects meeting CDHwMO criteria coming from an epidemiological study in the general population (Neurology 2004; 62: 1338‐42) were offered follow‐up and treatment for 1 year and then discharged to their general practitioner with treatment recommendations. Four years later, they were interviewed again. They filled in a diary for 1 month and the SF‐12 test.

Results.— After 1 year, 46 (64%) did not fulfill MO criteria while 26 (36%) did. After 4 years, 68 subjects were contacted. Of those, 38 (58%) did not have CDHwMO, while 30 (44%) still had MO. Among those 38 subjects without MO criteria, 6 still met CDH criteria. Remission at year 1 was a significant predictor for sustained remission at year 4. Age, gender, civil status, socioeconomic situation, and CDH type were not different in the group with MO vs those without MO. Consumption of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and/or triptans was significantly higher in subjects without CDH and MO, while the use of ergotics and/or opioids was significantly higher in those patients who still met CDHwMO criteria. Quality of life (QoL) was significantly better at 4 years for the whole group.

Conclusions.— After 4 years, almost 60% of subjects did not fulfill CDHwMO criteria and their QoL was also improved. This justifies public health interventions that should include recommendations on a judicious use of symptomatic medications together with an early use of preventatives.
Neuron‐glia signaling and the protection of axon function by Schwann cells
Authors: Quintes Susanne , Goebbels Sandra , Saher Gesine , Schwab Markus H. , Nave Klaus‐Armin
Published: March 2010

The interaction between neurons and glial cells is a feature of all higher nervous systems. In the vertebrate peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells ensheath and myelinate axons thereby allowing rapid saltatory conduction and ensuring axonal integrity. Recently, some of the key molecules in neuron–Schwann cell signaling have been identified. Neuregulin‐1 (NRG1) type III presented on the axonal surface determines the myelination fate of axons and controls myelin sheath thickness. Recent observations suggest that NRG1 regulates myelination via the control of Schwann cell cholesterol biosynthesis. This concept is supported by the finding that high cholesterol levels in Schwann cells are a rate‐limiting factor for myelin protein production and transport of the major myelin protein P0 from the endoplasmic reticulum into the growing myelin sheath. NRG1 type III activates ErbB receptors on the Schwann cell, which leads to an increase in intracellular PIP3 levels via the PI3‐kinase pathway. Surprisingly, enforced elevation of PIP3 levels by inactivation of the phosphatase PTEN in developing and mature Schwann cells does not entirely mimic NRG1 type III stimulated myelin growth, but predominantly causes focal hypermyelination starting at Schmidt–Lanterman incisures and nodes of Ranvier. This indicates that the glial transduction of pro‐myelinating signals has to be under tight and life‐long control to preserve integrity of the myelinated axon. Understanding the cross talk between neurons and Schwann cells will help to further define the role of glia in preserving axonal integrity and to develop therapeutic strategies for peripheral neuropathies such as CMT1A.
A Retrospective Review of the Sleep Characteristics in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Authors: Spitzer A. Robert , Broadman Melissa
Published: March 2010

This study characterizes findings on sleep testing and Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) markers in a group of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). One hundred eighteen patients seen in a general neurology practice over 5 years meeting standard clinical criteria for FM or CFS were analyzed retrospectively. Cases of untreated sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome were excluded prior to inclusion in this study. Ninety‐two patients had multiple sleep latency testing (MSLT). Seventy‐three (80%) were abnormal by standard criteria. Of 57 females having positive MSLTs, 22 (39%) had one or more periods of sleep onset rapid eye movement (SOREM), and 5 of 16 (31%) males with positive MSLTs had one or more SOREM. Highly fragmented sleep, as previously described in FM, was seen but not analyzed quantitatively. HLA DQB1*0602 was obtained in 74 patients, and positive in 32 (43%), P < 0.0001 compared with published values in 228 populations. In our patients, who presented with neuromuscular fatigue or generalized pain, we found a sleep disorder characterized by objective hypersomnia. Some patients had characteristics of narcolepsy. Objective assessment by sleep studies can assist the diagnostic process, aid future research, and provide rationale for treatment.
Benign EEG Patterns: Is there More to Learn?
Authors: Bergen Donna C.
Published: March 2010

Prevalence of Benign Epileptiform Variants. Santoshkumar B, Chong JJ, Blume WT, McLachlan RS, Young GB, Diosy DC, Burneo JG, Mirsattari SM. Clin Neurophysiol 2009;120(5):856–861. OBJECTIVE: There are numerous distinctive benign electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns which are morphologically epileptiform but are non-epileptic. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of different benign epileptiform variants (BEVs) among subjects who underwent routine EEG recordings in a large EEG laboratory over 35 years. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the prevalence of BEVs among 35,249 individuals who underwent outpatient EEG recordings at London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario, Canada between January 1, 1972 and December 31, 2007. The definitions of the Committee on Terminology of the International Federation of Societies for EEG and Clinical Neurophysiology (IFSECN) were used to delineate epileptiform patterns (Chatrian et al. A glossary of terms most commonly used by clinical electroencephlographers. Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol 1974;37:538–48) and the descriptions of Klass and Westmoreland [Klass DW, Westmoreland BF. Nonepileptogenic epileptiform electroenephalographic activity. Ann Neurol 1985;18:627–35] were used to categorize the BEVs. RESULTS: BEVs were identified in 1183 out of 35,249 subjects (3.4%). The distribution of individual BEVs were as follows: benign sporadic sleep spikes 1.85%, wicket waves 0.03%, 14 and 6 Hz positive spikes 0.52%, 6 Hz spike-and-waves 1.02%, rhythmic temporal theta bursts of drowsiness 0.12%, and subclinical rhythmic electrographic discharge of adults in 0.07%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of six types of BEVs was relatively low among the Canadian subjects when compared to the reports from other countries.
Genetic Loss of HCN1 Channels is Exciting, but is it Epileptic?
Authors: Poolos Nicholas P.
Published: March 2010

Loss of Dendritic HCN1 Subunits Enhances Cortical Excitability and Epileptogenesis. Huang Z, Walker MC, Shah MM. J Neurosci 2009;29(35):10979–10988. Hyperpolarization-activated cation nonselective 1 (HCN1) plasticity in entorhinal cortical (EC) and hippocampal pyramidal cell dendrites is a salient feature of temporal lobe epilepsy. However, the significance remains undetermined. We demonstrate that adult HCN1 null mice are more susceptible to kainic acid-induced seizures. After termination of these with an anticonvulsant, the mice also developed spontaneous behavioral seizures at a significantly more rapid rate than their wild-type littermates. This greater seizure susceptibility was accompanied by increased spontaneous activity in HCN1-/- EC layer III neurons. Dendritic Ih in these neurons was ablated, too. Consequentially, HCN1-/- dendrites were more excitable, despite having significantly more hyperpolarized resting membrane potentials (RMPs). In addition, the integration of EPSPs was enhanced considerably such that, at normal RMP, a 50 Hz train of EPSPs produced action potentials in HCN1-/- neurons. As a result of this enhanced pyramidal cell excitability, spontaneous EPSC frequency onto HCN1-/- neurons was considerably greater than that onto wild types, causing an imbalance between normal excitatory and inhibitory synaptic activity. These results suggest that dendritic HCN channels are likely to play a critical role in regulating cortical pyramidal cell excitability. Furthermore, these findings suggest that the reduction in dendritic HCN1 subunit expression during epileptogenesis is likely to facilitate the disorder.
Integrated assessment of water framework directive nitrate reduction measures
Authors: Fezzi Carlo , Hutchins Michael , Rigby Dan , Bateman Ian J. , Posen Paulette , Hadley David
Published: March 2010

This article illustrates a statistical approach for deriving farm economic impacts of policy options aiming to reduce nitrate diffuse pollution. Building upon Fezzi et al. (2008), who assess the costs of Water Framework Directive‐related measures on farm accounts data, we estimate regression models allowing such costs to be predicted for any region for which land use patterns and livestock numbers are known. We derive economic impacts in terms of changes in farm gross margin for (a) reducing inorganic fertilizer application, (b) reducing livestock stocking rates, and (c) converting arable land to ungrazed grassland. A case study of the agriculturally diverse Yorkshire Derwent catchment, in the North of England, demonstrates the overall approach. In addition, for this illustration, we combine these cost estimates with prediction of the water quality changes arising from each measure, derived via an integrated hydrological model of the Derwent. This allows a comparison of cost‐effectiveness. Finally, we implement our spatially explicit approach to target the measures to specific subcatchments identified as being of particular environmental policy interest.
Impacts of changing water inflow distributions on irrigation and farm income along the Drâa River in Morocco
Authors: Heidecke Claudia , Heckelei Thomas
Published: March 2010

Irrigation water is essential for agriculture in the arid Drâa River basin in Morocco but climate change leads to increasingly unreliable water supply in the area. This article analyzes impacts of changing water inflow distributions on irrigation and farm income extending a conjunctive river basin model toward a stochastic modeling approach. Regional climate scenarios are used to derive a maximum likelihood density estimate of current and future water supplies. Based on these distributions, Monte Carlo simulations are performed to obtain stochastic model results on surface and groundwater irrigation as well as economic indicators for six oases along the river. The probability of farmers to receive revenues below the subsistence level is around 2% under current conditions, but this is likely to rise to rates of 6% to 15% depending on the underlying climate change scenario. The composition of water sources for irrigation will shift to more groundwater use. The river basin model is able to represent complex spatial interactions between oases as well as a partial complementarity between groundwater and surface water irrigation due to salinity management effects. Interestingly, the value of groundwater is not necessarily increasing under future climatic conditions as salinity problems are aggravated with expanded groundwater use.
Effectiveness of erdosteine, a second generation mucolytic agent, in children with acute rhinosinusitis: a randomized, placebo controlled, double‐blinded clinical study
Authors: Unuvar E , Tamay Z , Yıldız I , Toprak S , Kılıc A , Aydın S , Kılıc G , Guler N , Oguz F , Sıdal M
Published: February 2010

Aim:  To evaluate whether mucolytic agents have an adjuvant role with antibiotics in the treatment of children with rhinosinusitis.

Methods:  Ninety‐two children with rhinosinusitis were recruited for this randomized, placebo controlled, double‐blinded clinical trial. Mean age was 8.5 ± 3.2 years. Erdosteine (5–8 mg/kg/day) was administered to 49 children, and 43 children received placebo. Changes in symptoms were recorded with the standard S5 scoring for 14 days. Complete resolution of symptoms on day 14 was considered to be clinical improvement.

Results:  Eighty‐one participants completed the study. Forty‐one were in the treatment group and 40 in the placebo group. The average S5 scoring value at the onset of study was 11.0 in treatment group and 12.1 in placebo group. On day 14, mean scores were 3.1 in the treatment group and 2.8 in the placebo group. Complete improvement was 78% in the treatment group and 74.4% in the placebo group. There was no significant difference between the groups. There were no clinically detected serious side effects or complications in both groups.

Conclusion:  Use of erdosteine as a mucolytic agent in children with acute rhinosinusitis does not directly affect the success of treatment.
Shakespeare and Work
Authors: Dowd Michelle M.
Published: March 2010

This article examines recent critical approaches to Shakespeare and work. Although the word ‘work’ itself could signify a range of practices in Shakespeare’s England, such definitional uncertainty has not been an obstacle to research. On the contrary, recent scholarship has demonstrated that the ambiguous nature of work offers a productive starting point for critical inquiry, as it encourages scholars to ask how Shakespeare’s texts actively construct ‘work’ as a social, historical, and literary activity. Written and performed during a crucial period in the development of a capitalist labor economy in England, Shakespeare’s plays were a vital part of the artisanal workplace that was the London public theater. As such, Shakespeare’s works offer a particularly rich vantage point for investigating the cultural significance of labor in early modern England. This article examines a wide range of critical approaches to Shakespeare’s working world and concludes by suggesting possible avenues for further research.
Ets‐1/ Elk‐1 is a critical mediator of dipeptidyl‐peptidase III transcription in human glioblastoma cells
Authors: Shukla Abhay A. , Jain Misti , Chauhan Shyam S.
Published: March 2010

Dipetidyl‐petidase III is a metallopeptidase involved in a number of physiological processes and its expression has been reported to increase with the histological aggressiveness of human ovarian primary carcinomas. Because no information regarding the regulation of its expression was available, experiments were designed to clone, define and characterize the promoter region of the human dipeptidyl‐peptidase III (DPP‐III) gene. In this study, we cloned a 1038 bp 5′‐flanking DNA fragment of the human DPP‐III gene for the first time and demonstrated strong promoter activity in this region. Deletion analysis revealed that as few as 45 nucleotides proximal to the transcription start site retained ∼ 40% of the activity of the full‐length promoter. This promoter lacked the TATA box but contained multiple GC boxes and a single CAAT box. Similarly, two Ets‐1/Elk‐1‐binding motifs are present in the first 25 nucleotides from the transcription start site. Binding of Ets‐1/Elk‐1 proteins to these motifs was visualized by electrophoretic mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Mutations of these binding sites abolished not only binding of the Ets protein, but also the intrinsic promoter activity. Increased DNA‐binding activity of Ets‐1/Elk‐1 by v‐Ha‐ras also augmented the mRNA level and promoter activity of this gene. Similarly, co‐transfection of DPP‐III promoter–reporter constructs with Ets‐1 expression vector led to a significant increase in promoter activity. From these results, we conclude that Ets‐1/Elk‐1 plays a critical role in transcription of the human DPP‐III gene.
Basis of recognition between the NarJ chaperone and the N‐terminus of the NarG subunit from Escherichia coli nitrate reductase
Authors: Zakian Silva , Lafitte Daniel , Vergnes Alexandra , Pimentel Cyril , Sebban‐Kreuzer Corinne , Toci René , Claude Jean‐Baptiste , Guerlesquin Françoise , Magalon Axel
Published: March 2010

A novel class of molecular chaperones co‐ordinates the assembly and targeting of complex metalloproteins by binding to an amino‐terminal peptide of the cognate substrate. We have previously shown that the NarJ chaperone interacts with the N‐terminus of the NarG subunit coming from the nitrate reductase complex, NarGHI. In the present study, NMR structural analysis revealed that the NarG(1–15) peptide adopts an α‐helical conformation in solution. Moreover, NarJ recognizes and binds the helical NarG(1–15) peptide mostly via hydrophobic interactions as deduced from isothermal titration calorimetry analysis. NMR and differential scanning calorimetry analysis revealed a modification of NarJ conformation during complex formation with the NarG(1–15) peptide. Isothermal titration calorimetry and BIAcore experiments support a model whereby the protonated state of the chaperone controls the time dependence of peptide interaction.

Structured digital abstract

• MINT‐7557484: NarJT (uniprotkb:P0AF26) and NarG (uniprotkb:P09152) bind (MI:0407) by isothermal titration calorimetry (MI:0065)

• MINT‐7557456: NarJT (uniprotkb:P0AF26) and NarG (uniprotkb:P09152) bind (MI:0407) by nuclear magnetic resonance (MI:0077)
ORIGINAL RESEARCH—WOMEN’S SEXUAL HEALTH: Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Sexual Function in Women with Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Giugliano Francesco , Maiorino Maria Ida , Di Palo Carmen , Autorino Riccardo , De Sio Marco , Giugliano Dario , Esposito Katherine
Published: February 2010

Introduction

There are no reported studies assessing the relation between diet and sexual function in women with diabetes.

Aim

In the present study, we explored the relation between consumption of a Mediterranean-type diet and sexual function in a population of type 2 diabetic women.

Methods

Patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled if they had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for at least six months but less than 10 years, age 35–70 years, body mass index (BMI) of 24 or higher, HbA1c of 6.5% or higher, treatment with diet or oral drugs. All diabetic patients were invited to complete a food-frequency questionnaire and self-report measures of sexual function. A total of 595 (90.2%) of the 659 women completed both questionnaires and were analyzed in the present study.

Main Outcome Measures

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet was assessed by a 9-point scale that incorporated the salient characteristics of this diet (range of scores, 0–9, with higher scores indicating greater adherence). The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used for assessing the key dimensions of female sexual function.

Results

Diabetic women with the highest scores (6–9) had lower BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio, a lower prevalence of depression, obesity and metabolic syndrome, a higher level of physical activity, and better glucose and lipid profiles than the diabetic women who scored <3 points on the scale. The proportion of sexually active women showed a significant increase across tertiles of adherence to Mediterranean diet (from 54.2% to 65.1%, P = 0.01). Based on the FSFI cutoff score for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) of 23, women with the highest score of adherence had a lower prevalence of sexual dysfunction as compared with women of lower tertiles (47.6%, 53.9%, and 57.8%, higher, middle, and lower tertile, respectively, P = 0.01). These associations remained significant after adjustment for many potential confounders.

Conclusions

In women with type 2 diabetes, greater adherence to Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower prevalence of FSD.
High Grade Gynecomastia: Surgical Correction and Potential Impact on Erectile Function
Authors: El Noamani Sameh , Thabet Amr M. , Enab Ashraf A. , Shaeer Osama , El-Sadat Ahmad
Published: March 2010

Introduction

Gynecomastia denotes benign enlargement of the male breast. It is a common belief that gynecomastia is stigmatizing and may frequently cause social embarrassment and psychological stress. It is possible that this may reflect on erectile function of the afflicted. High grade gynecomastia requires radical breast tissue excision and skin reduction ending up in aesthetically unappealing scars.

Aim

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reduction mammaplasty using no vertical scar technique in males with high grade gynecomastia; as regards technical refinements and outcome in the hope of providing a cosmetically appealing solution to this condition. This study also reports on the effect of high grade gynecomastia on erectile function, as well as the effect of surgery.

Methods

Fifteen male patients with gynecomastia underwent breast reduction using the “no vertical scar reduction mammaplasty.” Erectile function was evaluated before and after surgery.

Main Outcome Measures

Surgical outcome and erectile function.

Results

All patients but one were satisfied with the outcome. Complications were minimal and manageable. Eleven out of 15 patients had a preoperative International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score less than 20 denoting erectile dysfunction. All but one (n=10) showed improvement in their IIEF score following surgery. The difference between pre-operative IIEF (average 17.8) and postoperative (average 23.5) was statistically significant.

Conclusions

The “no vertical scar reduction mammaplasty” is a reliable technique in cases with gynecomastia and significant ptosis. It has the added benefits of avoiding the vertical scar, hiding the transverse scar in the shadow of the inferior aspect of the breast, with minimal complications. Gynecomastia as a condition causing a feminized outlook may have a negative impact on self confidence and body image. We suggest that this may have a potential negative effect on erectile function, that can be improved by adequate surgical correction.
Supersizing the Penis Following Penile Prosthesis Implantation
Authors: Shaeer Osama
Published: March 2010

Introduction

Following implantation of a penile prosthesis, some couples are dissatisfied with penile length, girth, shaft, or glans engorgement. This may be delusional because of the procedure per se or preexisting risk factors such as neglected priapism, Peyronie’s disease, radical prostatectomy, or overhanging suprapubic fat.

Aim

In this work, we try to enhance penile size in patients dissatisfied with its dimensions following implantation of a penile prosthesis, using various augmentation techniques.

Methods

Eighteen patients who have had penile prostheses implanted were enrolled in this study based on dissatisfaction with penile size. The complaint was relieved by counseling and administration of PDE5 inhibitors in seven patients. Two patients had elongation, girth augmentation, and glans injection; six had elongation and girth augmentation; and two had elongation and glans injection.

Main Outcome Measures

Penile size, satisfaction, and sexual function.

Results

Average preoperative length and girth were 7.87 cm and 11.62 cm, respectively. Mean postoperative length and girth were 11.62 cm and 14.07 cm. The gain in length (47.6%) and girth (21%) were statistically significant (P <0.005). All patients and partners were satisfied with the results following surgery except one who suffered graft loss.

Conclusion

Implantation of a penile prosthesis may improve penile rigidity, yet may confound couple’s satisfaction with penile size to variable degrees. Sex education may alleviate those concerns. In refractory cases, penile augmentation may enhance phallic size and increase patient/partner satisfaction.
Characteristics of nurse practitioners interested in participating in a practice‐based research network
Authors: Weyer Sharon M. , Werner James J.
Published: March 2010

Purpose: Practice‐based Research Networks (PBRNs) have emerged as key laboratories for generating new knowledge that reflects community‐based practice; however, the representativeness of nurse practitioners (NPs) interested in PBRN participation is not known. This study describes characteristics of NP members interested in participating in a regional PBRN in comparison with state and national data.

Data sources: All 1016 NPs in northeast (NE) Ohio were surveyed by mail and Internet. The survey captured NP demographics, practice characteristics, and gauged interest in participating in future PBRN studies. Survey respondent's data were compared with Ohio and national data obtained from the 2004 AANP National Nurse Practitioner Sample Survey.

Conclusions: NE Ohio NPs were similar to an Ohio and national sample of NPs. Northeast Ohio NPs practicing in ambulatory settings who were interested in participating in subsequent PBRN studies were not significantly different from non‐interested NPs.

Implications for practice: NPs interested in participation in a PBRN appear to be representative of the NE Ohio population of ambulatory practice NPs and are similar demographically to a national sample of NPs. Findings from studies conducted in the NE Ohio PBRN may generalize to other NPs practicing in the region and across the country.
Arterial thrombosis associated with adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: A case report
Authors: Bourdeanu Laura , Luu Thehang
Published: March 2010

Purpose: To report a case of arterial thrombosis in a 63‐year‐old female undergoing treatment with multiagent chemotherapy for breast cancer. An overview of the prevalence and pathogenesis of the disorder, clinical diagnosis, and treatment are discussed.

Data sources: Case report, diagnostic evidence, and scientific literature.

Conclusions: Arterial thrombosis is an extremely rare complication of multichemotherapy treatment of breast cancer. Although the risk of arterial thromboembolism appears to be low, it can have devastating complications that result in significant morbidities and, sometimes, death.

Implications for practice: As the risk of arterial thrombosis is low, many healthcare providers may not be aware of this potentially serious complication. Thrombosis prophylaxis should be considered for patients with risk factors. In cases where arterial thrombosis occurs, immediate thrombolitic therapy or operative intervention should be considered.
New methods for species and sex determination in three sympatric Mustelids, Mustela itatsi, Mustela sibirica and Martes melampus
Authors: SEKIGUCHI T. , SASAKI H. , KURIHARA Y. , WATANABE S. , MORIYAMA D. , KUROSE N. , MATSUKI R. , YAMAZAKI K. , SAEKI M.
Published: February 2010

We developed novel species and sex determination methods for three Japanese mustelid species. We used DDX3Y to determine sex and generated a primer set to amplify both DDX3X and DDX3Y DNA in Mustela itatsi, M. sibirica and Martes melampus. To determine species and sex simultaneously, we generated fluorescence‐labelled primers that give different fragment lengths at D‐loop, DDX3X and DDX3Y of these three species using a DNA sequencer.
Instances of Decision Theory in Plato's Alcibiades Major and Minor and in Xenophon's Memorabilia
Authors: Archie Andre
Published: March 2010

This essay discusses Socrates' use of hypothetical choices as an early version of what was to become in the twentieth century the discipline of decision theory as expressed by one of its prominent proponents, F. P. Ramsey. Socrates' use of hypothetical choices and thought experiments in the dialogues is a way of reassuring himself of an interlocutor's philosophical potential. For example, to assess just how far Alcibiades is willing to go to attain his goal of being a great Athenian leader, we employ Ramsey's concept of Mathematical Expectation. Mathematical Expectation operates on the assumption that it is not enough to measure probability; we must also measure our belief to apportion our belief to the probability. In other words, it illustrates how strongly or to what degree a person holds a particular belief. If a person's belief in X lacks enough doubts to cancel the belief out, the probability of his acting on this belief is higher than if his belief in X was plagued by a greater number of doubts.
Agent Reliabilism, Subjective Justification, and Epistemic Credit
Authors: McKinnon Christine
Published: March 2010

In this paper I examine John Greco's agent reliabilism, in particular, his requirement of subjective justification. I argue that his requirement is too weak as it stands to disqualify as knowledge claims some true beliefs arrived at by reliable processes and that it is vulnerable to the “value problem” objection. I develop a more robust account of subjective justification that both avoids the objection that agents require beliefs about their dispositions in order to be subjectively justified and explains why knowledge is more valuable than true belief.
Davidson's Fear of the Subjective
Authors: Tumulty Maura
Published: March 2010

According to Donald Davidson, any philosophy of mind that appeals to propositional content is doomed to become an account of the mind as a private theater. But Davidson's own work on thought‐attribution can be used to make propositional content safe. This paper uses Davidson's negative reaction to Gareth Evans's works on perceptually based demonstrative thought to tease out a way of talking about propositional content that doesn't slide into subjectivism. It also explains why Davidson saw Evans as a mentalist enemy rather than an externalist ally, and suggests that Evans's work could play an important role in furthering Davidson's distinctive externalism.
The Objectivity of Values: Invariance without Explanation
Authors: James Aaron
Published: March 2010

This paper develops and motivates minimalism about the objectivity of values: the objectivity of values is no more, and no less, than invariance with respect to possible differences in attitudes. Thus the relation of invariance need not have any particular explanation, or, indeed, any explanation at all, for values to count as fully objective. Values need not be metaphysically real, simply in order to be objective, as according to traditional realist views. But we should not suppose, as some recent writers do, that there is no special issue of objectivity to consider: the issue of objectivity is the issue whether or how values vary with our attitudes.
Reason and Understanding in Hegelian Philosophy
Authors: Limnatis Nectarios G.
Published: March 2010

This paper will examine a cardinal problem, yet one seldom raised in the existing bibliography of Hegelian philosophy: that of the distinction between reason and understanding. Portraying the objective path of the development of thought, this distinction is pertinent to any cognitive development, ontogenetic and phylogenetic, and can illuminate a number of epistemological puzzles of Hegel's doctrine, such as the construction of totality, the appreciation of contradiction, and the relationship between logic and dialectic. I will begin by locating the problem in the development of German Idealism and showing Hegel's response, based on his metaphysical assumptions that are often overlooked in recent scholarship. In the second section, I will address a number of existing interpretations that do not account for Hegel's dynamic portrayal of thought as thought that is coming to be. The latter problem will be the focus of the final two sections that deal with a realistic reconstruction of the triad sense‐understanding‐reason and emphasize the unity between concept and intuition.
On the Epistemology of Language
Authors: Tsai Cheng‐hung
Published: March 2010

Epistemology of language, a branch of both epistemology and the philosophy of language, asks what knowledge of language consists in. In this paper, I argue that such an inquiry is a pointless enterprise due to its being based upon the incorrect assumption that linguistic competence requires knowledge of language. However, I do not think the phenomenon of knowledge of language is trivial. I propose a virtue‐theoretic account of linguistic competence, and then explain the phenomenon from a virtue‐semantic point of view.
Can a Wise Society Be a Free One?
Authors: Gilbert Margaret
Published: March 2010

This article invokes the idea of a wise society, something that has received little attention from contemporary philosophers. It argues that, given plausible interpretations of the relevant terms, the wiser a society is, the less free it is. Even if one prefers a different account of a wise society, the argument in question is significant, for on this account a wise society possesses features that would seem to be desirable whatever their relationship to wisdom in particular: it makes many true value judgments. What is it for a society to make a true value judgment? An account is offered, and it is argued that all else being equal, a society that increases its stock of true value judgments so understood becomes less free. A number of questions that this argument may prompt are discussed.
Collective Wisdom and Individual Freedom
Authors: McMahon Christopher
Published: March 2010

The paper distinguishes two ways of understanding a wise society. A society can be wise by virtue of possessing mostly true evaluative beliefs. Or it can be wise by virtue of employing rational procedures of collective belief formation. If the first possibility involves the society's being, in Margaret Gilbert's sense, a plural subject of evaluative beliefs, social wisdom will, as Gilbert says, entail an abridgement of individual freedom. But, this paper argues, if a society's being wise is understood as its employing rational procedures of collective belief formation, social wisdom positively requires individual freedom.
Hume on Miracles: Would It Take a Miracle to Believe in a Miracle?
Authors: Bayne Steven M.
Published: March 2010

Given Hume's theory of belief and belief production it is no small task to explain how it is possible for a belief in a miracle to be produced. I argue that belief in a miracle cannot be produced through Hume's standard causal mechanisms and that although education, passion, and testimony initially seem to be promising mechanisms for producing belief in a miracle, none of these is able to produce the belief in a miracle. I conclude by explaining how this poses a problem for Hume's theory of belief and I briefly investigate the alternatives available for solving this problem.
On Today's Two‐Worlds Interpretation: Knowledge and True Belief in Plato
Authors: Butler Travis
Published: March 2010

This paper presents arguments against two crucial elements of recent versions of the Two‐Worlds interpretation of Plato. I argue first that in addition to knowledge of the forms, Plato allows beliefs about them as well. Then I argue that Plato sees knowledge as a state in which the subject is conscious of information about the forms. Thus, the infallibility of knowledge must be understood in a way that is consistent with its being informational. Finally, I argue that my conclusions about knowledge do not preclude the possibility that cognition of forms has a direct, nonrepresentational aspect.
Working Passions: Emotions and Creative Engagement with Value
Authors: Hurley Elisa A.
Published: March 2010

It is now a commonplace that emotions are not mere sensations but, rather, conceptually contentful states. In trying to expand on this insight, however, most theoretical approaches to emotions neglect central intuitions about what emotions are like. We therefore need a methodological shift in our thinking about emotions away from the standard accounts' attempts to reduce them to other mental states and toward an exploration of the distinctive work emotions do. I show that emotions' distinctive function is to engage us with both objective and personal values. Attention to emotions' work reveals that it is precisely their “unruliness” that allows them to play meaningful roles in our lives.
Eternal Recurrence and the Categorical Imperative
Authors: Kain Philip J.
Published: March 2010

The question has been raised whether Nietzsche intends eternal recurrence to be like a categorical imperative. The obvious objection to understanding eternal recurrence as like a categorical imperative is that for a categorical imperative to make any sense, for moral obligation to make any sense, it must be possible for individuals to change themselves. And Nietzsche denies that individuals can change themselves. Magnus thinks the determinism “implicit in the doctine of the eternal recurrence of the same renders any imperative impotent…. How can one will what must happen in any case?” At the other end of the spectrum, those who do hold that eternal recurrence is like a categorical imperative, for their part, tend to ignore or deny the determinism involved in eternal recurrence. This article explores the extent to which it can be claimed that eternal recurrence is like a categorical imperative without downplaying Nietzsche's dterminism.
The Land Ethic, Moral Development, and Ecological Rationality
Authors: Starkey Charles
Published: March 2010

There has been significant debate over both the imiplications and the merit of Leopold's land ethic. I consider the two most prominent objections and a resolution to them. One of these objections is that, far from being an alternative to an “economic” or cost‐benefit perspective on environmental issues, Leopold's land ethic merely broadens the range of economic considerations to be used in addressing such issues. The other objection is that the land ethic is a form of “environmental fascism” because it subordinates the welfare of humans to the good of the ecological whole. I argue that these objections are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of his theory by advocates and detractors alike. The land ethic is centrally a psychological theory of moral development and ecological rationality that advocates a shift in the way that environmental problems are conceptualized and approached.
The Temporality of Life: Merleau‐Ponty, Bergson, and the Immemorial Past
Authors: Al‐Saji Alia
Published: March 2010

Borrowing conceptual tools from Bergson, this essay asks after the shift in the temporality of life from Merleau‐Ponty's Phénoménologie de la perception to his later works. Although the Phénoménologie conceives life in terms of the field of presence of bodily action, later texts point to a life of invisible and immemorial dimensionality. By reconsidering Bergson, but also thereby revising his reading of Husserl, Merleau‐Ponty develops a nonserial theory of time in the later works, one that acknowledges the verticality and irreducibility of the past. Life in the flesh relies on unconsciousness or forgetting, on an invisibility that structures its passage.
Consciousness in Spinoza's Philosophy of Mind
Authors: Martin Christopher
Published: March 2010

Spinoza's philosophy of mind is thought to lack a serious account of consciousness. In this essay I argue that Spinoza's doctrine of ideas of ideas has been wrongly construed, and that once righted it provides the foundation for an account. I then draw out the finer details of Spinoza's account of consciousness, doing my best to defend its plausibility along the way. My view is in response to a proposal by Edwin Curley and the serious objection leveled against it by Margaret Wilson and Jonathan Bennett.
Process Reliabilism, Virtue Reliabilism, and the Value of Knowledge
Authors: McBrayer Justin P.
Published: March 2010

The value problem for knowledge is the problem of explaining why knowledge is cognitively more valuable than mere true belief. If an account of the nature of knowledge is unable to solve the value problem for knowledge, this provides a pro tanto reason to reject that account. Recent literature argues that process reliabilism is unable to solve the value problem because it succumbs to an objection known as the swamping objection. Virtue reliabilism (i.e., agent reliabilism), on the other hand, is able to solve the value problem because it can avoid the swamping objection. I argue that virtue reliabilism escapes the swamping objection only by employing what I call an entailment strategy. Furthermore, since an entailment strategy is open to the process reliabilist (in two different forms), I argue that the process reliabilist is also able to escape the swamping objection and thereby solve the value problem for knowledge.
What's Done Here—Explaining Behavior in Terms of Customs and Norms
Authors: Jones Todd
Published: March 2010

Terms like “norm,” “custom,” “convention,” “tradition,” and “culture” are used throughout social science, and throughout everyday conversation, to describe certain types of behaviors. Yet it is not very clear what people mean by them. In this paper, I try to make clearer what is meant by these terms and what makes the behavior they describe possible.
Kanian Freedom and the Problem of Luck
Authors: Lemos John
Published: March 2010

This article provides a brief explanation of Robert Kane's indeterministic, event‐causal libertarian theory of freedom and responsibility. It is noted that a number of authors have criticized libertarian theories, such as Kane's, by presenting the problem of luck. After noting how Kane has tried to answer this problem in his recent writings, the author goes on to explain Ishtiyaque Haji's recent version of the luck argument. The author considers three possible Kanian replies to Haji's luck argument and argues that the third reply can adequately answer the luck objection. It is also noted that the third reply requires making some significant alterations to Kane's theory that would also help him resolve certain problems with his views about responsibility for character.
Who's Afraid of Phenomenological Disputes?
Authors: Siewert Charles
Published: March 2010

There are general aspects of mental life it is reasonable to believe do not vary even when subjects vary in their first‐person judgments about them. Such lack of introspective agreement gives rise to “phenomenological disputes.” These include disputes over how to describe the perspectival character of perception, the phenomenal character of perceptual recognition and conceptual thought, and the relation between consciousness and self‐consciousness. Some suppose that when we encounter such disputes we have no choice but to abandon first‐person reflection in philosophy of mind in favor of a third‐person methodology. Such reaction is unwarranted. A reasoned assessment of phenomenological disputes that relies on first‐person reflection is explained, illustrated, and advocated.
Tienson's Challenge to Content Externalism
Authors: Gertler Brie
Published: March 2010

In this commentary, I examine John Tienson's argument that reflection on the epistemic situation of the Cartesian meditator suggests that intentional content is narrow. My aim is to show how his argument is closely connected to another prominent objection to externalism — the McKinsey argument.
How Can We Discover the Contents of Experience?
Authors: Siegel Susanna
Published: March 2010

How can we discover the contents of experience? I argue that neither introspection alone nor naturalistic theories of experience content are sufficient to discover these contents. I propose another method of discovery: the method of phenomenal contrast. I defend the method against skeptics who doubt that the contents of experience can be discovered, and I explain how the method may be employed even if one denies that experiences have contents.
Sensing, Perceiving, and Thinking: On the Method of Phenomenal Contrast
Authors: Tolliver Joseph Thomas
Published: March 2010

I apply the Method of Phenomenal Contrast to examples involving aesthetic experience and sensory illusion. While the method can provide reasons to prefer one form of content hypothesis over others, it may be of no help in answering substantive questions about the nature and structure of such content. I suggest that successful application of the method can leave us with a difficult question. Why would a sensory system have the function of representing a property that it cannot detect?
Phenomenological Reduction, Epochē, and the Speech of Socrates in the Symposium
Authors: McGuirk James
Published: March 2010

The point of the present article is to investigate whether the key conceptions of epochē and reduction as found in Husserl's phenomenology can be brought to bear in a fruitful rereading of the speech of Socrates in Plato's Symposium.1 In pursuit of this goal, I will begin by revisiting the traditional reading of this speech in terms of a scala amoris in which the erotic subject is guided from attachment to a series of inferior objects to the Beautiful and Good itself such that the value of all preceding attachments is suspended. The critique that this approach to love instrumentalizes all but the transcendent Good is one that is found both within and without the text. In opposition to this reading, however, I will suggest that Husserl's notions of epochē and reduction enable us to read the speech not as an instrumentalizing scala but in terms of a reflective distance in which our immersion in and with the erotic object is suspended so that we might reappropriate the real meaning of erotic engagement. According to this reading, Plato does not negate the particular or lower forms of eros but reinscribes them with a value derived from their position in relation to the ultimate. The suspension of the lower forms, then, is not final but is merely employed in order to let what occurs in erotic engagement show itself.
Hard Determinism, Humeanism, and Virtue Ethics
Authors: Vilhauer Ben
Published: March 2010

Hard determinists hold that we never have alternative possibilities of action—that we only can do what we actually do. This means that if hard determinists accept the “ought implies can” principle, they must accept that it is never the case that we ought to do anything we do not do. In other words, they must reject the view that there can be “ought”‐based moral reasons to do things we do not do. Hard determinists who wish to accommodate moral reasons to do things we do not do can instead appeal to Humean moral reasons that are based on desires to be virtuous. Moral reasons grounded on desires to be virtuous do not depend on our being able to act on those reasons in the way that “ought”‐based moral reasons do.
Descartes' Dualism and Contemporary Dualism
Authors: Wee Cecilia , Pelczar Michael
Published: March 2010

After drawing a distinction between two kinds of dualism—numerical dualism (defined in terms of identity) and modal dualism (defined in terms of supervenience)—we argue that Descartes is a numerical dualist, but not a modal dualist. Since most contemporary dualists advocate modal dualism, the relation of Descartes' views to the contemporary philosophy of mind are more complex than is commonly assumed.
The Varieties of Instrumental Rationality
Authors: Ellis Stephen
Published: March 2010

It is a mistake to think that instrumental rationality fixes a single standard for judging or describing actions. While there is a core conception of instrumental rationality, we appeal to different elaborations of that conception for different purposes. An action can be instrumentally rational in some sense(s) but not in others. As we learn more about behavior, it is possible to add useful elaborations of the core conception of instrumental rationality. In this paper, I propose a new elaboration based on Frederic Schick's work on understandings.
Situating Time in the Leibnizian Hierarchy of Beings
Authors: Lloyd Rebecca J.
Published: March 2010

Leibniz's widely influential account of time provides a significant puzzle for those seeking to locate this account within his hierarchical ontology. Leibniz follows his scholastic predecessors in supposing that there are different grades of being, with substances being the most real and all other things possessing their reality via their relationships to substance. Following this picture, Leibniz suggests that phenomenal bodies only possess the being that they derive from the substances (i.e., monads) that ground them. Some would argue that time likewise only possesses its being based on the bodies that it relates. Contrary to this suggestion (i.e., that time is twice removed from substances), I will argue that time is derived directly from rational souls. Thus, I will argue that time is on an ontological par with the phenomenal world of bodies.