bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VERSATILE UNIVERSAL CURRENT-MODE AND TRANSRESISTANCE-MODE BIQUADRATIC FILTER USING TWO MOCCIIS AND GROUNDED PASSIVE COMPONENTS
Authors: LEE CHEN-NONG
Published: January 2013

This paper presents a versatile universal current-mode and transresistance-mode biquadratic filter using only two multiple outputs second-generation current conveyors (MOCCIIs), two grounded capacitors, and three grounded resistors. The proposed configuration can realize all five standard filtering functions from one current-output terminal and one voltage-output terminal, and also provide all these filtering functions from different current-output and voltage-output terminals without changing the filter topology. Moreover, the proposed biquad filter still achieves many advantages like the employment of all grounded passive components, and the minimum number of active component counts, in addition to having no need of inverting-type input signals or double-type input signals for the use of special input signals, high output impedance and low sensitivity performance. H-Spice simulation results confirm the theory.
SHAPE EVOLUTION WITH SPIN IN 158Er AND 162Hf NUCLEI
Authors: KALAM GIRIJA KIZHAKKATH , JOSEPH ANTONY
Published: January 2013

The nuclear potential energies of neutron deficient even–even rare earth nuclei 158 Er and 162 Hf for the spin range 0–60 are computed within the framework of cranked Nilsson–Strutinsky shell correction method. The potential energy surface diagrams are analyzed in terms of quadrupole deformation and triaxiality parameter. The shape evolution of these isotopes with respect to spin is studied. The spin dependence of nuclear equilibrium potential energy is also verified.
Industrialization of Superconducting RF Accelerator Technology
Authors: Peiniger Michael , Pekeler Michael , Vogel Hanspeter
Published: January 2013

Superconducting RF (SRF) accelerator technology has basically existed for 50 years. It took about 20 years to conduct basic R&D and prototyping at universities and international institutes before the first superconducting accelerators were built, with industry supplying complete accelerator cavities. In parallel, the design of large scale accelerators using SRF was done worldwide. In order to build those accelerators, industry has been involved for 30 years in building the required cavities and/or accelerator modules in time and budget. To enable industry to supply these high tech components, technology transfer was made from the laboratories in the following three regions: the Americas, Asia and Europe. As will be shown, the manufacture of the SRF cavities is normally accomplished in industry whereas the cavity testing and module assembly are not performed in industry in most cases, yet. The story of industrialization is so far a story of customized projects. Therefore a real SRF accelerator product is not yet available in this market. License agreements and technology transfer between leading SRF laboratories and industry is a powerful tool for enabling industry to manufacture SRF components or turnkey superconducting accelerator modules for other laboratories and users with few or no capabilities in SRF technology. Despite all this, the SRF accelerator market today is still a small market. The manufacture and preparation of the components require a range of specialized knowledge, as well as complex and expensive manufacturing installations like for high precision machining, electron beam welding, chemical surface preparation and class ISO4 clean room assembly. Today, the involved industry in the US and Europe comprises medium-sized companies. In Japan, some big enterprises are involved. So far, roughly 2500 SRF cavities have been built by or ordered from industry worldwide. Another substantial step might come from the International Linear Collider (ILC) project currently being designed by the international collaboration GDE ('global design effort'). If the ILC will be built, about 18,000 SRF cavities need to be manufactured worldwide within about five years. The industrialization of SRF accelerator technology is analyzed and reviewed in this article in view of the main accelerator projects of the last two to three decades.
Seq2Ref: a web server to facilitate functional interpretation
Authors: Li Wenlin , Cong Qian , Kinch Lisa N , Grishin Nick V
Published: January 2013

Background

The size of the protein sequence database has been exponentially increasing due to advances in genome sequencing. However, experimentally characterized proteins only constitute a small portion of the database, such that the majority of sequences have been annotated by computational approaches. Current automatic annotation pipelines inevitably introduce errors, making the annotations unreliable. Instead of such error-prone automatic annotations, functional interpretation should rely on annotations of ‘reference proteins’ that have been experimentally characterized or manually curated.

Results

The Seq2Ref server uses BLAST to detect proteins homologous to a query sequence and identifies the reference proteins among them. Seq2Ref then reports publications with experimental characterizations of the identified reference proteins that might be relevant to the query. Furthermore, a plurality-based rating system is developed to evaluate the homologous relationships and rank the reference proteins by their relevance to the query.

Conclusions

The reference proteins detected by our server will lend insight into proteins of unknown function and provide extensive information to develop in-depth understanding of uncharacterized proteins. Seq2Ref is available at: http://prodata.swmed.edu/seq2ref.
Association between paraoxonase gene and stroke in the Han Chinese population
Authors: Zhang Guojun , Li Wenjin , Li Zhiqiang , Lv Hong , Ren Yonghong , Ma Ruimin , Li Xiaohong , Kang Xixiong , Shi Yongyong , Sun Yimin
Published: January 2013

Background

The human paraoxonase (PON) gene family has three isoforms: PON1, PON2 and PON3. These genes are implicated as potential risk factors of cerebrovascular disease and can prevent oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins and atherosclerosis. This study evaluated the association between the genetic variants of all three PON genes and the risks of total stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke in the Han Chinese population.

Methods

A total of 1016 subjects were recruited, including 508 healthy controls and 498 patients (328 with ischemic stroke and 170 with hemorrhagic stroke). A total of 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering the PON genes were genotyped for statistical analysis. Two of the 11 SNPs (rs662 and rs854560) were contextualized in a meta-analysis of ischemic stroke.

Results

The presence of rs705381 (−162) in the promoter region of PON1 was significantly associated with total stroke (P

adjusted
 = 0.0007, OR = 0.57 [95% CI = 0.41-0.79]) and ischemic stroke (P

adjusted
 = 0.0017, OR = 0.54 [95% CI = 0.37-0.79]) when analyzed using a dominant model, but was not associated with hemorrhagic stroke. There was also a nominal association between rs854571 (−824) and total stroke. Meta-analysis demonstrated a significant nominal association between rs662 and ischemic stroke, but there was no evidence of an association between rs662 and ischemic stroke risk in a single site association study.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that polymorphisms of PON1 gene may be a risk factor of stroke.
A Model for Boron T.E.D. in Silicon: Full Couplings of Dopant with Free and Clustered Interstitials
Authors: Boucard F. , Mathiot D. , Guichard E. , Rivallin P.
Published: January 2013

In this contribution we present a model for transient enhanced diffusion of boron in silicon. This model is based on the usual pair diffusion mechanism including non-equilibrium reactions between the dopant and the free point defects, taking into account their various charge states. In addition to, and fully coupled with the dopant diffusion we model the growth and dissolution of the interstitials and boron interstitials clusters associated with the anneal of the self-interstitial supersaturation created by the implantation step. It is thus possible to simulate a rather large set of experimental conditions, from conventional predeposition steps, to RTA after low energy implantation.
Reflexões sobre a atuação do nutricionista no Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar no Brasil
Authors: Chaves Lorena Gonçalves , Santana Thais Cristina Mantovani , Gabriel Cristine Garcia , Vasconcelos Francisco de Assis Guedes de
Published: January 2013

O objetivo deste artigo é refletir sobre a atuação do nutricionista no Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE), com ênfase no número de profissionais, nas atribuições e nos avanços e desafios do profissional. Ensaio crítico realizado com base em revisão da literatura e em dados oficiais fornecidos pelo Fundo Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Educação/Ministério da Educação (FNDE/MEC). Entre os anos de 2003 a 2011, o percentual de municípios brasileiros com nutricionistas cadastrados no PNAE/FNDE cresceu de 12% para 79%. Em 2011, dentre as regiões do país, a região Norte é a que apresentava o menor percentual de municípios cobertos por nutricionistas cadastrados (59%), a região Sul apresentava o maior valor (85%), enquanto que a cobertura nacional foi de 79%. Os resultados encontrados refletem desigualdade na distribuição dos profissionais entre as regiões. As diversas atividades do profissional no Programa sugerem a necessidade de constante atualização e formação do nutricionista atuante no PNAE. É necessário também o cumprimento e a fiscalização dos parâmetros numéricos de referência para contratação de nutricionistas nos distintos municípios e estados brasileiros.
Evolving Khuff Formation Gas Well Completions in Saudi Arabia: Technology as a Function of Reservoir Characteristics Improves Production
Authors: Rahim Zillur , Al Anazi Hamoud , Al-Kanaan Adnan , Makmun Areiyando , Fredd Chris , Gurmen Nihat
Published: January 2013

The Khuff formation is a late Permian age heterogeneous carbonate sequence that underlies the massive Ghawar field in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Khuff is subdivided into four separate intervals (A through D), though production is primarily from the B and C intervals. Since its initial appraisal in the late 1970s, the majority of Khuff development activity has been focused in the Khuff-C reservoir, where single and multistage matrix acidizing treatments have been the predominant stimulation technique.

As domestic gas demand in Saudi Arabia continues to rise, unrelenting efforts are underway to develop the tighter Khuff-B areas while sustaining production levels from Khuff-C wells. As a result, an increasing number of wells have been drilled and completed in the Khuff-B reservoir. The latest trends in the development of these tight gas Khuff wells include multistage acid fracturing to optimize the stimulation treatments.

Various drilling, completion, and stimulation techniques have been utilized in the Khuff development since its inception. Some of the variants analyzed to determine impact on production include: type of stimulation treatment, hole azimuth, completion isolation system, and number of stimulation stages per well. In addition, treatment design parameters were analyzed. Particular attention was paid to performance trends from Khuff-B wells where improved technical solutions were required to address challenging reservoir characteristics.

The results of this analysis demonstrate that multistage fracturing (MSF) technologies made a positive impact on Khuff development—with improved production results over time. Trends also highlight an increase in stimulation stage count and a wider range of stimulation treatments with the application of new technologies. The analysis identified the key production drivers in the Khuff and ways to improve production of future wells drilled in the formation. Continued use of multistage fracturing has proven very successful in Khuff reservoir providing substantially higher rates and sustained production.
Micro Push–Pull Tests for Investigation of Small‐Scale Processes in Unsaturated Porous Media
Authors: Knecht Kajsa , Nowack Bernd , Schulin Rainer , Schroth Martin H.
Published: January 2013

The micro push–pull test (μPPT) was recently developed for the in situ study of chemical and microbiological reactions in water‐saturated porous media at the millimeter scale. In a μPPT, a test solution containing reactants and nonreactive tracers is injected into a porous medium using suction cups and then re‐extracted from the same location. We adapted the μPPT method to unsaturated conditions and tested it against numerical simulations. Experiments were performed using sand packs in thin‐slab chambers as a model porous medium. We injected ~250 μL of a test solution containing either Br− or Acid Red 1 as the nonreactive tracer into the sand pack, followed by slow extraction of ~750 μL of solution from the same location. Extraction was feasible for applied capillary pressure heads in the range of 0 to 24 cm H2O (corresponding water saturation of 1 to 0.34). To obtain spatially resolved information on water saturation and migration of injected test solutions in sand packs, visible light transmission combined with image analysis was used. Relative mass recoveries of injected tracers ranged from 56 to 99%. Extraction breakthrough curves of the tracers were successfully simulated considering advection, dispersion, and molecular diffusion without fitting any parameters. Experimental and numerical results showed that the μPPT method is a promising technique to study small‐scale behavior of solutes (e.g., ligands, biodegradable solutes, etc.) in unsaturated soils under in situ conditions.
Energy estimates and numerical verification of the stabilized Domain Decomposition Finite Element/Finite Difference approach for time-dependent Maxwell’s system
Authors: Beilina Larisa
Published: January 2013

We rigorously derive energy estimates for the second order vector wave equation with gauge condition for the electric field with non-constant electric permittivity function. This equation is used in the stabilized Domain Decomposition Finite Element/Finite Difference approach for time-dependent Maxwell’s system. Our numerical experiments illustrate efficiency of the modified hybrid scheme in two and three space dimensions when the method is applied for generation of backscattering data in the reconstruction of the electric permittivity function.
Short-Term Effects of Gaseous Pollutants and Particulate Matter on Daily Hospital Admissions for Cardio-Cerebrovascular Disease in Lanzhou: Evidence from a Heavily Polluted City in China
Authors: Zheng Shan , Wang Minzhen , Wang Shigong , Tao Yan , Shang Kezheng
Published: January 2013

Panel studies show a consistent association between increase in the cardiovascular hospitalizations with air pollutants in economically developed regions, but little evidence in less developed inland areas. In this study, a time-series analysis was used to examine the specific effects of major air pollutants [particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxides (NO2)] on daily hospital admissions for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases in Lanzhou, a heavily polluted city in China. We examined the effects of air pollutants for stratified groups by age and gender, and conducted the modifying effect of seasons on air pollutants to test the possible interaction. The significant associations were found between PM10, SO2 and NO2 and cardiac disease admissions, SO2 and NO2 were found to be associated with the cerebrovascular disease admissions. The elderly was associated more strongly with gaseous pollutants than younger. The modifying effect of seasons on air pollutants also existed. The significant effect of gaseous pollutants (SO2 and NO2) was found on daily hospital admissions even after adjustment for other pollutants except for SO2 on cardiac diseases. In a word, this study provides the evidence for the detrimental short-term health effects of urban gaseous pollutants on cardio-cerebrovascular diseases in Lanzhou.
The Transcriptome of Brassica napus L. Roots under Waterlogging at the Seedling Stage
Authors: Zou Xiling , Tan Xiaoyu , Hu Chengwei , Zeng Liu , Lu Guangyuan , Fu Guiping , Cheng Yong , Zhang Xuekun
Published: January 2013

Although rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is known to be affected by waterlogging, the genetic basis of waterlogging tolerance by rapeseed is largely unknown. In this study, the transcriptome under 0 h and 12 h of waterlogging was assayed in the roots of ZS9, a tolerant variety, using digital gene expression (DGE). A total of 4432 differentially expressed genes were identified, indicating that the response to waterlogging in rapeseed is complicated. The assignments of the annotated genes based on GO (Gene Ontology) revealed there were more genes induced under waterlogging in “oxidation reduction”, “secondary metabolism”, “transcription regulation”, and “translation regulation”; suggesting these four pathways are enhanced under waterlogging. Analysis of the 200 most highly expressed genes illustrated that 144 under normal conditions were down-regulated by waterlogging, while up to 191 under waterlogging were those induced in response to stress. The expression of genes involved under waterlogging is mediated by multiple levels of transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational and post-translational regulation, including phosphorylation and protein degradation; in particular, protein degradation might be involved in the negative regulation in response to this stress. Our results provide new insight into the response to waterlogging and will help to identify important candidate genes.
The Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Hydroxyl Substituted Chalcone Analogs with in Vitro Anti-Free Radicals Pharmacological Activity and in Vivo Anti-Oxidation Activity in a Free Radical-Injury Alzheimer’s Model
Authors: Pan Ying , Chen Yicun , Li Qingnan , Yu Xiaoyu , Wang Jinzhi , Zheng Jinhong
Published: January 2013

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis involves an imbalance between free radical formation and destruction. In order to obtain a novel preclinical anti-AD drug candidate, we synthesized a series of novel hydroxyl chalcone analogs which possessed anti-free radical activity, and screened their effects on scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and OH free radicals in vitro. Compound C7, 4,2'-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethoxychalcone was found to have potent activity in these anti-free radical activity tests. Further research revealed that C7 could elevate glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and super oxide dismutase (SOD) levels and lower malonaldehyde (MDA) level in vivo in the Alzheimer’s model. The indication of C7’s effect on AD needs further study.
Open Question Argument
Authors: Suikkanen Jussi
Published: January 2013

The Open Question Argument (OQA) is a crucial argumentative strategy in metaethics. It is mainly employed against naturalist accounts of moral properties. According to these views, moral properties (goodness, wrongness, cruelty, and the like) are empirically observable natural properties, such as the property of being approved or disapproved by the majority of people (seenaturalism, ethical). The defenders of the OQA tend to claim that this argument shows instead either (i) that moral properties are some other, unique kind of properties, or (ii) that the function of our moral language is not to refer to properties but rather to express our conative attitudes (seenonnaturalism, ethical;non‐cognitivism). Both these views would support the idea that there is a distinction in kind between facts and values (seefact–value distinction;is–ought gap;naturalistic fallacy).
Distance, Moral Relevance of
Authors: Brock Gillian , Hassoun Nicole
Published: January 2013

What role should distance play in our normative theories? Does distance matter, for instance, in deciding who we must help or who deserves moral concern, so that we have stronger duties to those who are nearer to us than those further away? And what does it mean to be “nearer to us”: Is this a geographical relation or can people be nearer to us in other ways, such as emotionally, culturally, or temporally? These issues are central to deciding some fundamental questions about the nature of our moral commitments: Who is part of the sphere of moral concern – who deserves moral concern? And what shape should that concern take? Does everyone deserve some kind of equal consideration of their interests or is it permissible to give some people's interests considerably more attention in our moral deliberations?
Whistleblowing
Authors: Davis Michael
Published: January 2013

Similar to the related terms “whistleblower” and “blow the whistle on,” “whistleblowing” (in the technical sense relevant here) is neither an old term nor one the meaning of which is altogether settled. The first use in print seems to be in Roche (1971: 148), then president of General Motors (GM): “However this is labeled – industrial espionage, whistle blowing, or professional responsibility – it is another tactic for spreading disunity and creating conflict” (seeProfessional Ethics). Its first use in thePhilosopher's Indexwas in 1980 (about the same time as the term appeared in the Library of Congress catalogue). Discussion of whistleblowing in government began about the same time. For example, the Government Accountability Project (a nongovernmental organization) first publishedA Whistleblower's Guide to the Federal Bureaucracyin 1977. Though initially American, the term “whistleblowing” has long since become international.
Badiou, Alain
Authors: Norris Christopher
Published: January 2013

French philosopher Alain Badiou (b. 1937) is an anti‐ethical thinker on just about every currently available understanding of ethics. He arrives at this negative view of existing conceptions not only on philosophic grounds but as a matter of their falling drastically short in terms of the human potential for change – for the radical betterment of presently existing sociopolitical realities – that must (he asserts) have a prominent motivating role in any ethics that merits the name (Badiou 2001, 2007a, 2007b).
Perry, Ralph Barton
Authors: Carson Thomas
Published: January 2013

Ralph Barton Perry (1876–1957) received his BA from Princeton in 1896 and his PhD from Harvard in 1899, where he studied with William James. He taught at Harvard from 1902 until 1946 and was Edger Pierce Professor of Philosophy from 1930 until 1946. Perry wrote on a very wide range of topics. Early in his career, he co‐authored an influential book on the so‐called “New Realism,” a major movement in early twentieth century American philosophy. (The central focus of New Realism was the rejection of metaphysical idealism.) Later, he wrote a Pulitzer Prize‐winning book,
The Thought and Character of William James
(1935) (
see
James, William). Perry was a public intellectual who took part in the political debates of his time and place and wrote articles for
The Atlantic
and
New Republic
. Of his writings,
General Theory of Value
and
Realms of Value
have had the most enduring influence on moral philosophy. His theory of value (
see
Good and Better) and his view that value is any object of interest have been particularly influential.
Condorcet's Jury Theorem
Authors: Weirich Paul
Published: January 2013

A society often needs answers to questions, for example questions about a defendant's guilt. Should a society rely on an individual or a group's judgment? Condorcet's jury theorem states that if a group is polled about some proposition, then, given certain assumptions, the majority's opinion is more responsive to the truth than is an individual's opinion. If a proposition is true, a majority will more likely than an individual judge that it is true. The theorem argues for using a jury rather than a judge to decide whether a defendant is guilty (
see
Punishment), and in general argues for using groups rather than individuals to settle social issues, for example questions about provision of public goods (
see
Public Goods).
Genetic Testing
Authors: Malpas Phillipa J.
Published: January 2013

Completion of the international Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003 resulted in significant advances in our understanding of how genes function and interact together. One area of rapid growth has been the widespread development of genetic tests. A genetic test can be broadly defined as the analysis of an individual's genetic material. A genetic test may be used to detect the presence or absence of abnormalities that may cause a specific genetic disease or disorders. Increasingly, genetic tests are also being used to predict responses to medication and to ascertain an individual's susceptibility to common, complex disorders. Due to the complexities surrounding genetic information, between 3 and 5 percent of the annual HGP budget is set aside to study the ethical, legal, and social issues that arise.
Emotivism
Authors: Chrisman Matthew
Published: January 2013

As a metaethical theory (seeMetaethics) about the meaning of ethical words, emotivism is typically seen as a form of non‐cognitivism (seeNon‐Cognitivism) because it holds that ethical words and statements have a distinctive kind of emotive meaning, which distinguishes them from other words and statements, whose meaning is purely cognitive or descriptive. The theory had its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, but traces back at least to Ogden and Richards (1923) and Russell (1961), if not further (for discussion, see Satris 1987). It receives its fullest treatment in Ayer (1946;seeAyer, A. J.) and, initially independently, Stevenson (1937, 1944;seeStevenson, C. L.). Few philosophers today would call themselves emotivists, yet one can find more contemporary descendants in prescriptivism (seePrescriptivism), expressivism, and quasi‐realism (seeQuasi‐Realism).
Ethics in the Hebrew Bible
Authors: Kasher Rimon
Published: January 2013

This essay will deal mainly with aspects of human behavior, yet will also touch on aspects of ethics related to God's attitude toward humans.
Forgiveness
Authors: Richards Norvin
Published: January 2013

When we are done wrong, how should we react? If the answer is that we should take offense and hold the behavior against the wrong‐doer, should that remain our attitude as time goes by? Or should we put what happened behind us and forgive? What would be a reason to forgive, and how strong can such reasons be? Can it be wrong
not
to forgive?
Eugenics
Authors: Agar Nicholas
Published: January 2013

The word “eugenics” was coined by Francis Galton, a Victorian intellectual who was among the first to explore the social implications of the theory of evolution. It combines the Greek
eu
, meaning “good” or “well,” with the suffix –
genēs
, meaning “born.” In a definition published in 1883, Galton characterized eugenics as “the science of improving stock, which is by no means confined to questions of judicious mating, but which, especially in the case of man, takes cognizance of all influences that tend in however remote a degree to give to the more suitable races or strains of blood a better chance of prevailing speedily over the less suitable” (Galton 1883: 17 n.1). The history of eugenics has been decidedly spotty. This essay samples selectively from that history and comments on the relevance of the concept to contemporary moral debates.
Dilemmas, Moral
Authors: Bagnoli Carla
Published: January 2013

Moral dilemmas are cases where agents are bound by conflicting moral claims and cannot resolve the conflict by further deliberation. Jean‐Paul Sartre (1957) relates the dilemma of a student torn between joining the Resistance and assisting his mother at home. He is bound by patriotic and filial duties. Either he fails to do his part in liberating his country, or he fails to support his mother.
Religious Saints
Authors: Flescher Andrew
Published: January 2013

The term “saints” is traditionally understood in connection with Roman Catholicism and signifies publicly venerated figures formalized through a process of “canonization,” the act of declaring a dead person a saint following beatification (the formal act of declaring one blessed in Heaven), and an examination of the miracles attributed to the person while he or she was living (Cunningham 1980: 7, 48–9). In this context, the “cult” of the saints refers to those early Christians who, having practiced the Christian virtues to an exceptional degree, or having martyred themselves, have officially been put forward by the Church as interceding mediators between heaven and earth (Brown 1981: 1–3). When we speak of “religious saints,” we thus technically allude to a process sanctioned by a specific institutional mechanism.
Environmental Ethics
Authors: McShane Katie
Published: January 2013

Environmental ethics is the field that investigates the question of which ethical norms are appropriate for governing human interactions with the natural environment. Considered a branch of practical or applied ethics, environmental ethics has only existed as a field since the late 1970s. At that time, concern about environmental problems was growing, and some philosophers concluded that mainstream ethics' focus on humans' relationships with other humans had left it without a useful theoretical framework for ethically evaluating the relationship between humans and the nonhuman natural world. In response to this situation, they suggested that a new field of inquiry was needed to investigate this matter directly (Rolston 1975; Callicott 1979; Routley and Routley 1979; Regan 1981).
Sexual Morality
Authors: Primoratz Igor
Published: January 2013

Ethical discussions of sexual morality focus on two related questions. The first is about the contents of sexual morality: what is right and wrong, morally good or bad, in relation to sex? The second concerns the nature and standing of sexual morality: is there a set of moral considerations that apply only to sex‐related behavior, or is such behavior to be guided by and judged in terms of moral considerations that also apply elsewhere? Are there distinctively sexual rights and wrongs, virtues and vices? Our answers to these questions will obviously be determined, wholly or largely, by our views of the nature of sex and its significance in human life.
Nonnaturalism, Ethical
Authors: Cuneo Terence
Published: January 2013

Ethical nonnaturalism has a distinguished pedigree. Ancient philosophers such as Plato, moderns such as Thomas Reid, Henry Sidgwick, and G. E. Moore, and contemporary philosophers such as Derek Parfit and David Wiggins, have all defended it (seemoore, g. e.;plato;reid, thomas;sidgwick, henry). Despite its impressive pedigree, the view has experienced significant swings in popularity. For roughly the first half of the twentieth century, nonnaturalism was an extremely influential metaethical theory, arguably the dominant one. However, during the latter half of the century, the view experienced a precipitous decline in popularity, being supplanted by varieties of non‐cognitivism and moral naturalism (seenon‐cognitivism;naturalism, ethical). In more recent years, however, nonnaturalism has enjoyed a modest renaissance, having received sophisticated defenses from philosophers such as Parfit, Russ Shafer‐Landau, and Ralph Wedgwood (see Parfit 2011; Shafer‐Landau 2003; Wedgwood 2007). Given its rather tumultuous history, one wonders: What exactly is the position that philosophers from Plato to Parfit have championed? And what is there to be said in favor of it?
Jain Ethics
Authors: Heim Maria
Published: January 2013

Jainism is a religion in India that offers a distinctive moral vision centered on nonviolence and asceticism. Jains regard their doctrines as eternal truths, but these truths have not always been known to humans and they come to be periodically discovered and taught by historical figures called Tirthankaras (“Ford‐Makers,” also called Jinas, “Conquerors”). The most recent Tirthankara was the great teacher Mahāvīra who lived in northern India about 2,500 years ago. Mahāvīra founded a monastic community of men and women and a larger circle of lay supporters that have survived and flourished in India to the present day. While they constitute a small minority of the population of India (less than 1 percent), Jains have enjoyed influence on the intellectual and cultural life of India disproportionate to their relatively small numbers.
Privacy and the Internet
Authors: Bowie Norman E.
Published: January 2013

When thinking about privacy and the Internet, one faces a paradox. There is both too much privacy and too little. Moreover, while some are deeply concerned about loss of privacy on the Internet, many Internet users do not seem to value privacy much. Any authoritative discussion on privacy needs to take into account these conflicting considerations.
Imperatives, Logic of
Authors: Vranas Peter B. M.
Published: January 2013

Suppose that a sign at the entrance of a restaurant reads: “Do not enter these premises unless you have a reservation and you are properly attired.” You see someone who is properly attired and is about to enter, and you tell her: “Don't enter these premises if you don't have a reservation.” She asks why, and you reply: “It follows from what the sign says.” It seems that you made a valid inference from an imperative premise to an imperative conclusion. But it also seems that imperatives cannot be true or false; so in what sense is your inference valid? Its validity cannot consist in thetruthof its premise guaranteeing the truth of its conclusion. One is thus faced with “Jørgensen's dilemma” (Ross 1941: 55–6): apparently imperative logiccannotexist, because logic deals only with entities that, unlike imperatives, can be true or false; but apparently imperative logicmustexist. It must exist not only because inferences with imperatives can bevalid, but also because imperatives (like “Enter” and “Don't enter”) can beinconsistentwith each other, and because one can apply logical operations to imperatives: “Don't enter” is thenegationof “Enter,” and “Sing or dance” is thedisjunctionof “Sing” and “Dance.” A standard reaction to this dilemma consists in basing imperative logic onanaloguesof truth and falsity. For example, the imperative “Don't enter” issatisfiedif you don't enter and is violated if you enter, and one might say that an inference from an imperative premise to an imperative conclusion is valid exactly if thesatisfaction(rather than the truth) of the premise guarantees the satisfaction of the conclusion. Imperative logic may matter for metaethics (seeMetaethics): if one understands moral claims as disguised imperatives (seePrescriptivism) and thus as lacking truth values (seeNon Cognitivism), then imperative logic may help explain how inferences involving moral claims can be valid (seeFrege‐Geach Objection). But before getting into the details of imperative logic, more needs to be said about what exactly imperatives are.
Duty and Obligation
Authors: Zimmerman Michael J.
Published: January 2013

The concept of duty or obligation is fundamental to ethics. In everyday discourse, the term “duty” tends to be reserved for those obligations that one has in virtue of holding some official position. (Consider the sworn duties of a police officer or politician.) Another term often used in this context is “responsibility” (seeResponsibility) – understood in the prospective sense of what one has a responsibility to see to in the future, as opposed to the retrospective sense of the responsibility one bears for something that has happened in the past – although this term tends to be used somewhat more broadly than “duty” to refer to obligations that one has in virtue of filling some role, whether official or not. (Consider the responsibilities of a parent or friend.) In philosophical discourse, however, there is a tendency not to use “duty” and “responsibility” so restrictively but rather to use them interchangeably with the term “obligation” to refer to obligations that one has irrespective of whether they arise from the fact that one fills some particular role. (Consider the obligation not to cause gratuitous harm to another person, which is something that applies to people generally, regardless of office or station or role. Philosophers typically do not shrink from talking of a duty not to cause such harm.) In keeping with this liberal practice, this essay will treat the terms “duty,” “obligation,” and “responsibility” (understood in its prospective sense) as synonymous.
Evil
Authors: Thomas Laurence
Published: January 2013

Evil behavior is morally wrong behavior that is particularly egregious. The following observation readily brings out this point. A person who never committed a single morally wrong act, no matter how small, would alas be a morally perfect human being. By contrast, an individual need not be morally perfect at all, and yet it can be true that the person goes through life without ever committing a single evil act. Indeed, it is reasonable to assume that most people go through life without committing any evil acts. Morally wrong behavior admits of a continuum with evil acts at one end and minor wrongs at the other end. For instance, stealing an ordinary dime (as opposed to a dime that one knows to be a rare coin) is a moral wrong. No one should so behave. Yet, doing so surely counts as a minor wrong. A less minor wrong, which nonetheless stops short of being evil, would be that of merely breaking the window of an empty car for the fun of it. Though clearly worse than stealing an ordinary dime, the fact is that this wrong can be wholly repaired. By contrast, to kill an individual by slowly inflicting burns upon the person would count as a paradigm example of evil behavior.
Zhuangzi
Authors: Chong Kim‐Chong
Published: January 2013

Zhuangzi (ca. 369–286BCE), along with Laozi, is a seminal figure in philosophical Daoism (seeLaozi; Daoist Ethics). The 33‐chapter text of theZhuangziis a result of extensive editing by the fourth‐century commentator Guo Xiang (seeGuo Xiang) and it is widely believed that the first seven (“Inner”) chapters were either written by the historical Zhuangzi or best represent his thought (Graham 1979; Liu 1994). However, some central themes can be discerned throughout the text. These are encapsulated in the remark by Xunzi (seeXunzi) that Zhuangzi was blinded by heaven and did not pay attention to human beings (Knoblock 1994: 102). We may analyze this statement to bring out the main features of Zhuangzi's philosophical ethics.
Morally Tragic Life
Authors: Jacquette Dale
Published: January 2013

The concept of a morally tragic life is that of a well‐intentioned moral agent caught up in the circumstances of a genuine moral dilemma (seeDilemmas, Moral). Moral tragedy strikes when, through bad luck, a subject is confronted with a choice between conflicting comparably imperative moral obligations. The dilemma gives rise to moral tragedy when it is rationally irresolvable, in the sense that prevailing events make it practically possible at best to satisfy one conflicting obligation only at the expense of another. It occurs inevitably in such situations that, regardless of what thoughtful choice among conflicting action possibilities the individual makes, there follows as a result an irreparable loss of a significant desired moral good or value.
Golden Rule
Authors: Carson Thomas
Published: January 2013

Roughly, the golden rule says that we must treat others as we would be willing to have them treat us or, alternatively, that we must not treat others in ways in which we are unwilling to be treated ourselves. The golden rule entered the Judeo‐Christian tradition from ancient Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamian tradition includes the following injunction: “Son, that which seems evil to thee, do not to thy companion.” Shortly before the birth of Christ, Rabbi Hillel said: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole of the Torah, while the rest is commentary thereon; go and learn it.” By “neighbor” Hillel meant all fellow human beings (Wattles 1996: 49–50). Jesus gives two statements of the golden rule in the New Testament: “And as you want that people do to you do thus to them” (Luke 6:31); “All things therefore which you will that people do to you, do thus to them for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). The following statement is attributed to Mohammed: “That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind.” Confucius (who predates Hillel, Christ, and Mohammad) said: “Do not impose on others what you do not desire others to impose on you.” (See Wattles 1996: 15–67 for these references.) One of the earliest statements of the golden rule is found in the Hindu Upanishads (800–600BC): “Let no man do to another that which would be repugnant to himself; this is the sum of righteousness; the rest is according to inclination” (Hertzler 1934: 420). Hertzler also attributes versions of the golden rule to Zoroastrianism, the Buddha, and Lao‐Tze (1934: 420–1).
Gadamer, Hans‐Georg
Authors: Grondin Jean
Published: January 2013

Hans‐Georg Gadamer (1900–2002) is the founder of modern‐day philosophical hermeneutics. His relevance for ethics lies mainly in the fact that he relied on Aristotle's notion of phronesis (practical wisdom, prudence) to describe the hermeneutic experience of understanding and in his strong defense of Aristotle's conception of ethics, with its insistence on custom shaped by education and tradition, which helped usher in a rehabilitation of a practical philosophy that does not follow the Kantian model of a universalistic, normative ethics.
Bluffing
Authors: Brenkert George G.
Published: January 2013

Bluffing is discussed, most frequently, in business ethics (
see
Business Ethics), and even there it is a minor topic. It is unfortunately not discussed in most ethics books. Part of the problem is that bluffing is identified with business bargaining or negotiation situations. Examples in the ethics literature typically mention cars, houses, or bids in poker. But bluffing takes place outside of business (and poker games) in government, nonprofits, and even in some marriages. Bluffing may also be found in games and competitive situations not involving negotiations. In baseball, the catcher may bluff a throw to second base. In wartime, one army may seek to bluff by constructing fake tanks and designing troop movements in directions other than it intends to attack. Finally, bluffing may occur in everyday situations when someone wants something that is blocked or prevented by someone else, and seeks to gain what he or she wants through some artful behavior, either verbal or nonverbal, which misrepresents the truth. Thus, a social climber might, by bluffing, gain admittance to a dinner thrown by the head of state and only open to a select list of individuals. Similarly, job interviewees might seek to bluff their way through an interview.
Worth/Dignity
Authors: FitzPatrick William J.
Published: January 2013

The concept of dignity is famously multifaceted, with such a variety of applications that some have even dismissed it as incoherent (Pinker 2008). Dignity is often said, for example, to be an inalienable quality that all people have, serving as a foundation for basic human rights. However, if dignity is inalienable, why would Oregon need a “Death With Dignity Act” to ensure that people can die with it? How could abusive and demeaning treatment “take it away” from victims of oppression, as is also often said? Do contestants on reality television shows retain their dignity even as they degrade themselves to the delight of mocking viewers? Are certain unpleasant diagnostic procedures “undignified,” as many feel, and does that imply that dignity has only a limited value that can reasonably betradedfor other goods such as medical benefits? While the concept of dignity is indeed complex, however, the appearance of incoherence can be dispelled with some basic distinctions that will also serve to focus the discussion to follow.
Cost–Benefit Analysis
Authors: Hansson Sven Ove
Published: January 2013

In order to facilitate a decision on a proposed project, it is advisable to make a list of all its advantages and disadvantages, and characterize each of these in as much detail as possible. The decision‐maker can then weigh all the pros and cons against each other and – at least ideally – make a decision that is based on knowledge of all the relevant factors.
Prichard, H. A.
Authors: Shaver Robert
Published: January 2013

H. A. Prichard (1871–1947) was educated at Clifton College and at New College, Oxford. He later held fellowships in Oxford at Hertford College and then at Trinity College. He was elected White's Professor of Moral Philosophy in 1928 (and a fellow of Corpus Christi College), and retired in 1937.
Self‐Respect and Self‐Esteem
Authors: Dillon Robin S.
Published: January 2013

Self‐respect and self‐esteem are forms of self‐regard involving one's worth. Although the terms are ordinarily used interchangeably, the concepts and phenomena are distinct. That's why it makes sense to describe someone as having high self‐esteem but little self‐respect, and why saying that someone has no self‐respect expresses moral criticism while saying they lack self‐esteem might evoke sympathy. The
Oxford English Dictionary
expresses the distinction thus: self‐esteem is “a favorable appreciation or opinion of oneself”; self‐respect is “proper regard for the dignity of one's person or position” (
see
Worth/Dignity). Self‐respect is a normative concept while self‐esteem is not.
Declaration of Helsinki
Authors: Holm Søren
Published: January 2013

The “Declaration of Helsinki” or the “Helsinki Declaration” are the short titles usually used for the World Medical Association's “Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects.”
Pedophilia
Authors: Benatar David
Published: January 2013

Attitudes toward sex have undergone considerable liberalization in many countries in recent decades. Yet, in such societies, pedophilia, along with practices such as bestiality and necrophilia, are still widely reviled and constitute serious criminal offenses. By contrast, in some of the most sexually conservative societies today, pedophilia, far from being taboo, enjoys approval within the context of marriage between young girls and much older men. It has been suggested that even many of those societies that now condemn pedophilia were once more tolerant of it (Ehman 1984).
Ethical Investment
Authors: Sandberg Joakim
Published: January 2013

Ethical investment (also known as social investment, socially responsible investment [SRI], or sustainable investment) typically refers to the practice of integrating putatively ethical, social, or environmental considerations into a financial investment process – for instance, a pension fund's process of deciding what stocks or bonds to buy or sell. Whereas conventional or mainstream investment focuses solely upon financial risk and return, ethical investment thus also includes various nonfinancial goals or constraints in typical investment decisions. This type of investment has grown to be a well‐established feature of many stock markets in the past two decades or so. A recurring point of debate, however, is to what extent this phenomenon indeed constitutes a more ethical alternative to conventional types of financial behavior.
Pride
Authors: Taylor Gabriele
Published: January 2013

Pride manifests itself in many different ways. It may be a temporary emotional experience, felt more or less frequently and in varying degrees of intensity. But it may also be a character trait, a settled disposition to feel, think, and act in certain ways. In either case it has its place in a person's mental life, and so the concept of pride lies within the province of the philosophy of mind. But since character traits govern our behavior a person's pride is also a matter for appraisal, of rating it a virtue (
see
Virtue) or a vice, and so it is also a concern of the moral philosopher. In all its forms pride relates to the view a person takes of his or her own standing in life.