bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Other Case
Authors: Wood Michael
Published: January 2012

This essay explores the suggestion that many American narratives are supplementary, correcting narratives – alternatives to the main story on offer. The guiding thought is that of Henry James's “possible other case,” and the chief example is Cormac McCarthy's “No Country for Old Men,” in which one story after another fails to cope with the ongoing mystery it faces. The novel may imply, then, that narrative itself, rather than any individual report or fiction, is in crisis or has come to the end of its road. A coda to the essay proposes the option of nonnarrative understandings of the world in those extreme situations where storytelling is no longer the sense-making activity we so often take it to be.
Southern Literature: A Blending of Oral, Visual & Musical Voices
Authors: Ferris William
Published: January 2012

The blending of oral traditions, visual arts, and music has influenced how Southern writers shape their region's narrative voice. In the South, writing and storytelling intersect. Mark Twain introduced readers to these storytellers in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Twain blends both black and white voices within Huck's consciousness and awareness – in Huck's speech and thoughts – and in his dialogues with Jim. A narrative link exists between the South's visual artists and writers; Southern writers, after all, live in the most closely seen region in America. The spiritual, gospel, and rock and roll are musical genres that Southern writers love – although jazz, blues, and ballads might have the most influence on their work. Southern poets and scholars have produced anthologies, textbooks, and literary journals that focus on the region's narrative voice and its black and white literary traditions. Southern writers have created stories that touch the heart and populate American literature with voices of the American South. Future Southern writers will continue to embrace the region as a place where oral, visual, and musical traditions are interwoven with literature.
The Harrisons: Talking and Remembering
Authors: Harrison Helen Mayer , Harrison Newton , Selz Peter
Published: January 2012

Peter Selz engages Helen and Newton Harrison in discussion about their expansive career in ecological art. The artists reflect upon the influences of Renaissance artists and the Bauhaus on the development of their approach, and they chronicle their concern with survival at progressively larger scales. In their recent Force Majeure series, working at the ecosystemic level, they present poetic meditations on prospects for the security of all living things as land, food, fresh water and other species diminish.
GAP: A NeoGeo Approach to Classical Resources
Authors: Isaksen Leif , Barker Elton , Kansa Eric C. , Byrne Kate
Published: January 2012

Google Ancient Places (GAP) is a Google Digital Humanities Award recipient that will mine the Google Books corpus for classical material that has a strong geographic and historical basis. GAP will allow scholars, students, and enthusiasts world-wide to query the Google Books corpus to ask for books related to a geographic location or to ask for the locations referred to in a classical text. The traditional difficulty of identifying place names will be overcome by using a combination of URI-based gazetteers and an identification algorithm that associates the linear clustering of places within narrative texts with the geographic clustering of locations in the real world.
Songs of Genes, by Genes, for Genes
Authors: Ge Dongya , Li Yixue
Published: January 2012

The authors have defined a new concept of “base_position” and translated the protein-coding sequence to a sequence consisting of 12 base_positions. The authors developed a new algorithm for translating the base_position sequence to a melody with a range of at most a twelfth and without leaps larger than an octave, which should be turned upside-down by a step or small skip after a big leap and was used as the musical theme. The lyric was written according to the summary of the gene. The authors propose a new action of expressing respect to genes by creating songs of genes, by genes, for genes.
A Randomized Clinical Trial of Biodegradable and Titanium Fixation Systems in Maxillofacial Surgery
Authors: Buijs G.J. , van Bakelen N.B. , Jansma J. , de Visscher J.G.A.M. , Hoppenreijs T.J.M. , Bergsma J.E. , Stegenga B. , Bos R.R.M.
Published: January 2012

Biodegradable fixation systems could reduce or delete the problems associated with metallic systems, since removal is not necessary. The aim of this study was to establish the effectiveness and safety of biodegradable plates and screws as potential alternatives to metallic ones. This multi-center randomized controlled trial was conducted from December 2006 to July 2009. Included were patients who underwent mandibular and/or Le Fort I osteotomies and those with fractures of the mandible, maxilla, and zygoma. The patients were assigned to a titanium control group (KLS Martin) or to a biodegradable test group (Inion CPS). The primary outcome measure was ‘bone healing 8 weeks post-operatively’. The Intention-To-Treat (ITT) analysis of 113 patients in the titanium group and 117 patients in the biodegradable group yielded a significant difference (p < 0.001), primarily because in 25 patients (21%) who were randomized to the biodegradable group, the surgeon made the decision to switch to titanium intra-operatively. Despite this ‘inferior’ primary outcome result, biodegradable plates and screws could be safely used when it was possible to apply them. The benefits of using biodegradable systems (fewer plate removal operations) should be confirmed during a follow-up of minimally 5 years ( Controlled-trials.com ISRCTN number 44212338).
“They Can Take Us Over Any Time They Want”
Authors: Martin Joseph L. , Lichtenstein Bronwen , Jenkot Robert B. , Forde David R.
Published: January 2012

Prisons in the Southern United States are among the most underfunded, understaffed, and crowded in the nation. This study seeks to identify how Alabama state correctional officers experienced crowding related to their mental and physical health and safety. A total of 66 correctional officers at 3 Alabama men’s prisons are surveyed about crowding in relation to job performance, health and safety, and inmate control. Respondents at all facilities, which had occupancy rates between 154% and 206% of capacity, report high levels of stress and impaired job performance due to understaffing and overwork. Officers at the most crowded prison are most stressed and fearful of inmates. In the absence of policies to reduce density or increase staffing in prisons, new strategies are urgently needed to reduce occupational stress among officers in crowded correctional facilities.
Applicability of General Power-Control Theory to Prosocial and Antisocial Risk-Taking Behaviors Among Women in South Korea
Authors: Kim Bitna , Gerber Jurg , Henderson Craig , Kim Yeonghee
Published: January 2012

Grasmick and colleagues expanded general power-control theory to include both pro-and antisocial risky behaviors more than 10 years ago; however, to date, there have been no empirical tests of their theoretical modifications. The current study tested the comprehensive model of general power-control theory using three different samples from South Korea: women who enter traditionally male-dominated occupations, female prison inmates, and women incarcerated for intimate partner killing. Results related to women’s patriarchal attitudes and preference for general risks supported our expectations and confirmed the tenets of general power-control theory that focus on both pro- and antisocial risky behaviors. In addition, the ones related to patriarchy of the family of origin supported Hagan’s original power-control theory focusing on only antisocial risky behaviors.
From Predator to Debtor
Authors: Liu Yia-Ling
Published: January 2012

This article explores the institutions of the Chinese semi-planned administration under which the grassroots role of debtors has loomed large and made possible the transition of grassroots cadres from predators to debtors. The institutional features of the semi-panned administration—the institution of target responsibility, the legacy of cost shifting, and the paternalistic care provided by the socialist state—together with related policy measures explain the pathology of budget deficits and debt problems at the grassroots level across rural China. An investigation into the public finances of grassroots governments in Wenzhou, Wuxi, and Jianshi illuminates how the Chinese semi-planned administration has shaped individual cadres’ calculations and behavior, perpetuated their irresponsible spending, and reproduced local soft budget constraints. This article argues that without an outright revamping of the institutions of the Chinese semi-planned administration, the current practice of simply writing off rural debt through financial bailouts perpetuates soft budget constraints across the countryside.
Evaluating the use of the ICF as a framework for interviewing people with a visual impairment about their mobility and travel
Authors: Douglas Graeme , Pavey Sue , Corcoran Christine , Clements Ben
Published: January 2012

Large-scale social surveys of visually impaired people often explore participants’ mobility and travel behaviour. What is methodologically more challenging is gathering participant-centred data in relation to their own interpretation of the barriers they face. Findings from a national survey of visually impaired people are presented in this article ( N = 960, probability sample drawn from the British registers of blind and partially sighted people). The research made use of the World Health Organisation ‘International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health’ (ICF) to develop an interview schedule in relation to visually impaired people’s participation in mobility and travel. Results found that participants identified a range of barriers and enablers to greater mobility which included individually-based explanations (e.g. difficulties with their eye sight) and socially-based explanations (e.g. inadequate public transport systems). Logistic regression analysis revealed that participants who particularly focused upon individually-based barriers had more severe visual impairment, worried most about their vision, and had most recently lost their sight. The findings highlight how professionals and family must be cautious not to reinforce visually impaired people’s perceptions of individual barriers and any associated sense of helplessness. The use of the ICF model also provided an innovative approach to survey-based studies: the methods adopted encouraged participants to identify issues they thought were important, while still generating findings which can be statistically generalised.
Local Church and Livelihood Construction: Interlocking Social Domains and Evolving Scenarios of Synergy for Mission in Nyamira, Kenya
Authors: Ontita Edward
Published: January 2012

Dominant Northern development expertise acknowledges religion mostly as impeding development processes and aim to secularize and ‘modernize’ the South. This paper seeks to map out the various intersections of church and actors’ livelihoods, and explain those nodal points through villagers’ eyes. The study employed ethnographic interviewing to weave life-histories of households, and analyzed data to locate patterns and concepts at intersections of church and livelihood. The paper reports that actors employed church as arena to construct, extend and defend livelihoods; and re-engineering a resource-system church is promising. Thus church interlocks with livelihood construction processes, presenting opportunities for synergy in mission.
Practise Love and Follow Christ: The Profound Relevance of Romans to Holistic Mission
Authors: Wu Siu Fung
Published: January 2012

Recent research in biblical studies has provided us with a good understanding on the socioeconomic condition of Christians in ancient Rome. The comparable economic and social situations between the earliest church in Rome and the poor in the Global South today suggest that Paul’s letter to the Romans can be very relevant to holistic mission. Based on some key findings of the recent research, this paper looks at two passages in Romans, and proposes that practising love and following Christ are the outworking of the holistic gospel. The implication is that Romans can be a useful resource for holistic mission.
Chinese Grassroots Nationalism and Its Impact on Foreign Brands
Authors: Gao Zhihong
Published: January 2012

A complex phenomenon, nationalism has surged worldwide in recent years and presents a serious challenge to international marketers. This article examines the impact of Chinese grassroots nationalism on foreign brands on four fronts, that is, the political, cultural, economic, and consumer rights. It argues that the four fronts are interlinked and involve the participation of not only the consumer but also the government, the media, and local companies. Thus, the effects of nationalism on foreign brands are largely mediated by these agents and manifest the most in the arena of public policy making.
Timetabling and extracurricular activities: a study of teachers’ attitudes towards preparation time
Authors: Whiteley Robert F , Richard George
Published: January 2012

Many models of timetabling exist in secondary schools in Western educational jurisdictions. This study examines whether or not teachers teaching a full course load without preparation time during a semester are willing to volunteer to participate in extracurricular activities. This research was conducted in a rural school district in British Columbia, Canada. Teacher workload, preparation time and willingness to volunteer for extracurricular activities were addressed. Over 70 per cent of respondents to the survey indicated that they found their workload unmanageable during the semester in which they had no preparation time while over 90 per cent of respondents indicated they wanted to have preparation time distributed evenly over the full school year. A significant majority of teachers do not supervise extracurricular activities when they have no preparation time. A comprehensive literature review examining advantages and disadvantages of the semester timetable and an extensive bibliography are included.
Challenges of Early Years leadership preparation: a comparison between early and experienced Early Years practitioners in England
Authors: Mistry Malini , Sood Krishan
Published: January 2012

Leadership has been under-researched in the Early Years (EY) sector of primary schools in England, especially in leading change for professional development. The aim of this paper is to theorise what the leadership culture for EY practitioners looks like, and how Initial Teacher Training providers and schools are preparing practitioners for leadership. Using case studies of EY practitioners in different stages of their career in primary schools, we offer an insight into their preparedness for leadership in EY, the implication being that leadership training requires an understanding and embedding of the EY culture and context. Interviews with both sample groups allowed for deeper insight into the lived world. Interviews were also conducted with the head teachers to gain an overview of the leadership preparation they provided. The main findings suggest that newer EY practitioners are better prepared for leadership from their university training in comparison to more experienced EY practitioners.
The 2011 BELMAS Conference: new topics, diverse ideas, much more international than before
Authors: Oplatka Izhar
Published: January 2012

The current article analyses the papers presented at the 2011 BELMAS Conference in order to understand the sorts of works it contained in terms of topics addressed and types of papers, as well as authorship patterns of the presenters. Based on an analysis of 57 works presented at the Conference, it was found that the typical paper was authored by a single individual, who might originate from countries other than the UK. Additionally, the presenter is usually a university member who presents empirical and conceptual works mostly in the area of policy/reforms and headship (leadership) but not solely. Compared to the 2007 BELMAS Conference, some increase in the works authored by practitioners from schools and a variety of educational agencies was observed. A major shift between the conferences is evident in respect to the topics discussed by the presenters. Some suggestions for BELMAS end this paper.
Surviving or thriving? Do teachers have lower perceived control and well-being than other professions?
Authors: Grenville-Cleave Bridget , Boniwell Ilona
Published: January 2012

Teaching is not what it used to be. The complexity and intensity of the pressures on teachers and the pace of education reform are unprecedented. The aim of this research was to explore perceived control and well-being in teachers and other professionals.

A mixed methods design was selected. Phase 1 consisted of an online quantitative survey (298 participants, 222 females, 76 males). Perceived control was measured using the Brief Levenson LOC and Generalised Self-Efficacy Scales, well-being was measured using the Life Orientation Test-Revised, Satisfaction with Life, Subjective Happiness and Ego Resilience Scales. Phase 2 consisted of semi-structured interviews (n = 6); thematic analysis was carried out. It was hypothesised that teachers have lower perceived control and well-being than other professionals, and that older teachers have higher internal control than younger teachers. Independent t-tests using teachers (n = 150) and non-teachers (n = 148) revealed that teachers’ mean scores were significantly different to those of non-teachers.

Teachers’ perceived control and well-being were significantly lower than those of non-teachers (p > 0.001). The hypothesis that teachers have significantly lower perceived control and well-being than other professionals was supported. Four themes related to control were located in the qualitative analysis: autonomy, authenticity, connection to others and resilience. The study found that there were similarities between professions in terms of need for control over one’s work. Teachers value connections more highly; non-teachers value objectivity and independence more highly. It is suggested that non-teachers are better prepared to deal with change than teachers.

The results are discussed in the context of ongoing reform in the education system, focusing on what actions can be taken to enhance teachers’ well-being.
The Intellectual and ‘La Nation’ in Jean Guéhenno’s Journal des années noires
Authors: Bracher Nathan
Published: January 2012

This article explores Jean Guéhenno’s perspectives on the role and function of the intellectual both in the context of the Occupation, and in relation to ‘la nation’, understood in the original revolutionary sense of the people constituted into the body politic. Clandestinely written, Guéhenno’s Journal des années noires seems at first blush a solitary exercise in thought and observation. Closer analysis reveals, however, that although Guéhenno takes pains to distance himself from the ambient confusion and propaganda, he understood both his writing and his career as a professor at the Lycée Henry IV to derive their full significance only as acts of a citizen in ‘la nation’. Contrasting sharply with the model of the ‘maître à penser’ or institutional iconoclast, Guéhenno’s conception of the intellectual proves to be consonant the contemporary reality of the French intellectual as observed by Michel Winock, Luc Ferry, Pierre Nora and Jacques Julliard.
Le Survivant de la Shoah face au texte de fiction: Un écran protecteur ou un écran projecteur? L’exemple d’Anna Langfus
Authors: Braganca Manuel
Published: January 2012

La terminologie ‘écriture écran’ est souvent utilisée dans un sens proche de celui que lui donne Annie Ernaux lorsqu’elle écrit que ‘la fiction protège’ en permettant à un auteur de dire tout en gardant le lecteur à distance. Pourtant, de Blanchot à Genette, de nombreux critiques ont souligné que le texte est par essence un espace qui n’existe que dans et par cet échange, le lecteur – surtout dans le cas des textes de fiction – devant s’investir, se projeter dans le texte lu. Le texte de fiction serait-il donc un écran protecteur pour celui qui tient la plume et un écran projecteur pour celui qui tient le livre ? En nous basant principalement sur des textes de la psychanalyste Rachel Rosenblum et de l’auteure et survivante de la Shoah Anna Langfus, nous suggèrerons que, pour l’auteur comme pour le lecteur, le texte de fiction est à la fois un écran protecteur et un écran projecteur, ces deux fonctions étant étroitement liées et nullement contradictoires. Nous montrerons en effet qu’aucun genre n’est a priori protecteur puisque c’est l’acte de lecture ou d’écriture qui peut se transformer en morbide compulsion de répétition quand la mémoire d’un lecteur ou d’un auteur est devenue pathologique.
Eighteen Forty-Eight, or the History of Death
Authors: Strauss Jonathan
Published: January 2012

This article offers a metahistorical examination of the concept of history through readings of contemporary and subsequent accounts of the 1848 Revolution in France. The year 1848 has persistently thrown the category of history into question – not historical events, but the very notion of history itself. I would argue, however, that the Revolution’s historical significance lies, paradoxically, in the very possibility that it was not a historical event, or, more precisely, in the ambiguity of its historical status. Through readings of contemporary accounts of the February 1848 events in Paris and theoretical texts by Kant, Michelet, Marx and Derrida, this article argues that the possibility of historical meaning is conceptually rooted in the finitude of human mortality. This finitude – and its attendant meanings – are, however, troubled by the notion of ghosts and the troubling materiality of corpses, both of which played important psychological roles in reactions to the 1848 Revolution in Paris.
Competition Law and Competition Issues Affecting the Energy Sector in India
Authors: Panda Aurobinda , Patel Atul
Published: January 2012

India faces endemic electrical energy and peaking shortages. The power sector is plagued with mounting commercial losses due to various inefficiencies, colossal commercial and technical losses and increasing subsidy burden on the states. These shortages have had a very detrimental effect on the overall economic growth of the country. In order to revitalise the sector and improve the techno-economic performance, the Government of India initiated the reform process in 1991. This article analyses the pre-reform era and identifies the key concerns which led to the initiation of the reforms. It also analyses the likely impact of the major policy and regulatory initiatives that have been undertaken since 1991 including the provisions of the new enactments which have come into force eventually in the form of the Electricity Act, 2003. This article details out the key features of the Act and its likely impact on the Indian electricity industry in the emerging scenario. The article also discusses major issues like role of the regulator in the new regime, issue of open access, power trading, introduction of power markets and role of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity in harmonising the orders of the various regulators.

JEL Classification: K21, Q43
Damodar Valley Corporation, the Missed Opportunity
Authors: Choudhury Sujit
Published: January 2012

Damodar River basin is one of the most important river basins in India. The rich natural resource base of the basin in terms of coal, minerals, forests and fertile agricultural lands have supported livelihood of millions of people over centuries. The Damodar basin morphology character causes frequent flooding in the lower catchment during monsoon. Over the centuries this natural disaster severely affects the life and property of the lower catchment. Presence of coal and minerals initiated mining and industrialisation in the basin since last 150 years. Damodar Valley Corporation was formed in 1948 to manage water resources and sustainable development of the basin. But DVC at present became a large power corporate with little role for basin management. The fast unplanned economic development with rapid urbanisation is damaging the Damodar River ecosystem. This in turn affects the life and livelihood of large number of people in the basin. A new basin management strategy needs to be adopted in the present situation to save the river and the people of the basin area from the imminent environmental disasters.

JEL Classification: Q56
Attempting the Production of Public Goods through Microfinance
Authors: Mader Philip
Published: January 2012

This article critically evaluates attempts to create public goods via microfinance loans in reference to the specific example of water and sanitation. The microfinancing of water and sanitation is a private business model which requires households to privately recognise, internalise and capitalise the bene-fits from improved water and sanitation. But household water and sanitation, being closely linked to underlying common pool resources, and being merit goods, have strong public goods characteristics and therefore depend on collective solutions. Two cases, from Vietnam and India, are presented and evaluated. Despite their dissimilar settings and designs, evidence is found that both projects encountered similar and comparable problems at the collective level which individual microfinance loans could not address. The problems encountered warn against an emergent micro-privatisation of water and sanitation through microfinance.

JEL Classification: O16, O18, Q25, Z18
Decolonizing Research in Postapartheid South Africa
Authors: Ndimande Bekisizwe S.
Published: January 2012

This article emanates from an in-depth qualitative study that examined ideological beliefs among Indigenous parents regarding school desegregation and school “choice” policies in South Africa. The author discusses the politics of qualitative research design and methodology along two primary dimensions: decolonizing research and the importance of Indigenous languages in research. First, the author argues that the language used in qualitative interviews should be situated within the larger sociocultural context of the inquiry in order to affirm and reinforce cultural identities of research participants, not just of the researcher. Second, the author contends that decolonizing approaches in research interrupt and interrogate colonial tendencies at multiple levels, thereby challenging traditional ways of conducting qualitative research. Following on Smith, and Mutua and Swadener, and Denzin, Lincoln, and Smith, and others, the author argues that decolonizing approaches and culturally affirming linguistic choices in research have the potential to return marginalized epistemologies to the center.
“Enough of a Self”: Esposito’s Impersonal Biopolitics
Authors: Campbell Timothy
Published: January 2012

This essay is dedicated to exploring a number of consequences of Roberto Esposito’s “The Dispositif of the Person” for contemporary critiques of neo-liberalism. After an initial discussion of the significance of the term, dispositif (apparatus), for contemporary thought, especially in Giorgio Agamben’s recent work, Esposito’s articulation of person as apparatus is discussed in the context of Christian and Roman understandings of personhood. The role of grace comes in for careful scrutiny, especially for how it functions in Esposito’s argument as the mode by which thanatopolitics operates. According to Esposito, the “gift” of grace allows the subject to dominate his or her animal half and so will be awarded the adjective personal. Such a reading of person as dispositif has enormous consequences for critiques of neo-liberalism. When seen in tandem with Max Weber’s and Simone Weil’s perspectives on grace, it increasingly appears that the market today awards grace to those populations that it will count as persons, while at the same time refusing to make such a gift to many others. A number of dispatches from the front-lines of neo-liberalism follow to show how profoundly complicit personhood is in contemporary biopower. In the final pages the essay moves towards a fuller discussion of Esposito’s philosophy of the impersonal to provide more details on how the impersonal might act as a countermeasure to the thanatopolitics of contemporary neo-liberalism. Associating Esposito’s affirmative biopolitics of the impersonal with Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy of perspectivism, the essay concludes with some considerations of the affirmative potential of the impersonal as a “planetary movement” in Nietzsche’s words; as a previously ignored mode for resisting contemporary biopower operating under neo-liberal cover.
The Dispositif of the Person
Authors: Esposito Roberto
Published: January 2012

In this essay one of Italy’s leading philosophers examines the category of person from legal, historical, and biopolitical perspectives. Reading texts ranging from Roman law to Christian theology to bioethics, Esposito shows how person functions in Foucault’s terms as a dispositif, that is as a way of arranging the relation between the human and animal in contemporary subjectivity. Drawing on the etymology of person from persona or mask, Esposito shows how the term allows a subject to dispose of his or her animal half through the gift of grace in order to become a human person. Reading Saint Augustine, Simone Weil, and others, Esposito shows how the archaic role played by the person in Roman law returns today in liberalism’s objectification of the body as a thing. Esposito concludes by elaborating a counterdispositif of the impersonal as a way of transforming our political lexicon.
Social Cognitive Neuroscience of Empathy: Concepts, Circuits, and Genes
Authors: Walter Henrik
Published: January 2012

This article reviews concepts of, as well as neurocognitive and genetic studies on, empathy. Whereas cognitive empathy can be equated with affective theory of mind, that is, with mentalizing the emotions of others, affective empathy is about sharing emotions with others. The neural circuits underlying different forms of empathy do overlap but also involve rather specific brain areas for cognitive (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and affective (anterior insula, midcingulate cortex, and possibly inferior frontal gyrus) empathy. Furthermore, behavioral and imaging genetic studies provide evidence for a genetic basis for empathy, indicating a possible role for oxytocin and dopamine as well as for a genetic risk variant for schizophrenia near the gene ZNF804A.
Varieties of Empathy, Neuroscience and the Narrativist Challenge to the Contemporary Theory of Mind Debate
Authors: Stueber Karsten R.
Published: January 2012

This article will defend the centrality of empathy and simulation for our understanding of individual agency within the conceptual framework of folk psychology. It will situate this defense in the context of recent developments in the theory of mind debate. Moreover, the article will critically discuss narrativist conceptions of social cognition that conceive of themselves as alternatives to both simulation and theory theory.
Comment: Three Questions for Stueber
Authors: Gallagher Shaun
Published: January 2012

In response to Stueber’s “Varieties of Empathy, Neuroscience, and the Narrativist Challenge to the Contemporary Theory of Mind Debate,” I identify three areas for further discussion: the frame problem, diversity, and an altogether different variety of empathy.
Comment: Culture-Specific Developmental Pathways to Prosocial Behavior: A Comment on Bischof-Köhler’s Universalist Perspective
Authors: Kärtner Joscha , Keller Heidi
Published: January 2012

In her work, Doris Bischof-Köhler describes how empathically motivated prosocial behavior emerges during the second year of life. From a cross-cultural perspective we argue that this developmental pathway is prototypical for autonomy-oriented sociocultural contexts. Bischof-Köhler’s theory should be complemented by a theory of situational helping behavior based on shared intentional relations to provide an alternative developmental pathway for understanding toddlers’ prosocial behavior. Because this developmental pathway does not presuppose an understanding of self and others as autonomous intentional agents, it may be more typical for relatedness-oriented sociocultural contexts.
Comment: Understanding Reasons Without Reenactment: Comment on Stueber
Authors: Hutto Daniel D.
Published: January 2012

This comment on Stueber’s article clarifies the nature of the core disagreement between his approach to understanding reasons and mine. The purely philosophical nature of the dispute is highlighted. It is argued that understanding someone’s narrative often suffices for understanding the person’s reasons in ordinary cases. It is observed that Stueber has yet to provide a compelling counter case. There is also a brief clarification of some of the empirical commitments of the narrative practice hypothesis.
Comment on Breithaupt’s “A Three-Person Model of Empathy”
Authors: Goldie Peter
Published: January 2012

Breithaupt’s central claim is that “empathy can be regarded as a mechanism for strengthening a decision” (2012, p. 87). My concern is that it is not clear what is meant by “strengthen.” Does empathy merely give more motivational “oomph” to a decision already made, or does it strengthen a decision in the normative sense—does it give more reason for the decision?
Comment: Basic Empathy and Complex Empathy
Authors: Zahavi Dan
Published: January 2012

In my short commentary, I dwell on the distinction between basic and complex empathy, and suggest that a basic perception-based form of empathy might point to the existence of a type of social understanding that is more direct and more fundamental than the types of social cognition normally addressed by simulation theory and theory theory.
Comment on Hollan’s “Emerging Issues in the Cross-Cultural Study of Empathy”
Authors: Düringer Eva-Maria , Döring Sabine A.
Published: January 2012

In this comment we take up two points made by Douglas Hollan in his article “Emerging Issues in the Cross-Cultural Study of Empathy,” and discuss their possible philosophical implications. Hollan‘s concept of complex empathy may give rise to the idea that we can learn about other people’s beliefs via empathy, which is something we do not believe is possible. Furthermore, Hollan’s description of possible negative effects of empathy, such as manipulations of a person on the basis of knowledge about their emotions, might pose a problem for proponents of care ethics, who generally start from the assumption that empathy fosters altruistic behavior.
Comment: A Trade-off between Broad and Specific Ideas of Neural Self–Other Overlap
Authors: Morrison India
Published: January 2012

Preston and Hofelich’s (2012) conceptualization of self–other overlap includes both neural and subjective levels, but neural overlap is given a central and necessary role in their model. The model’s broad scope includes many types of empathy phenomena and points to stable patterns and relationships among them. A self–other overlap idea that can cover such a range of phenomena makes gains in explanatory cohesiveness. This may come at the expense of specificity and predictive power in investigating particular neural systems implicated in empathy. The neural overlap concept is broadly useful, but putting it to work in neuroimaging experiments reveals operational ambiguities. Investigating the details of specific systems might suggest further refinements in how we identify meaningful neural self–other overlap.
Author reply: Empathy Versus Narrative: What Exactly is the Debate About? Response to my Critics
Authors: Stueber Karsten R.
Published: January 2012

In response to my critics, I highlight areas of agreement and disagreement. I also argue that my view is better suited than narrativism to account for the difficulties that we encounter in trying to understand other agents. Moreover, the points brought up by Gallagher and Hutto do not succeed in showing that our understanding of an agent’s reasons for acting proceeds independently from reenactive empathy.
Transcriptional signature of accessory cells in the lateral line, using the Tnk1bp1:EGFP transgenic zebrafish line
Authors: Behra Martine , Gallardo Viviana E , Bradsher John , Torrado Aranza , Elkahloun Abdel , Idol Jennifer , Sheehy Jessica , Zonies Seth , Xu Lisha , Shaw Kenna M , Satou Chie , Higashijima Shin-ichi , Weinstein Brant M , Burgess Shawn M
Published: January 2012

Background

Because of the structural and molecular similarities between the two systems, the lateral line, a fish and amphibian specific sensory organ, has been widely used in zebrafish as a model to study the development/biology of neuroepithelia of the inner ear. Both organs have hair cells, which are the mechanoreceptor cells, and supporting cells providing other functions to the epithelium. In most vertebrates (excluding mammals), supporting cells comprise a pool of progenitors that replace damaged or dead hair cells. However, the lack of regenerative capacity in mammals is the single leading cause for acquired hearing disorders in humans.

Results

In an effort to understand the regenerative process of hair cells in fish, we characterized and cloned an egfp transgenic stable fish line that trapped tnks1bp1, a highly conserved gene that has been implicated in the maintenance of telomeres' length. We then used this Tg(tnks1bp1:EGFP) line in a FACsorting strategy combined with microarrays to identify new molecular markers for supporting cells.

Conclusions

We present a Tg(tnks1bp1:EGFP) stable transgenic line, which we used to establish a transcriptional profile of supporting cells in the zebrafish lateral line. Therefore we are providing a new set of markers specific for supporting cells as well as candidates for functional analysis of this important cell type. This will prove to be a valuable tool for the study of regeneration in the lateral line of zebrafish in particular and for regeneration of neuroepithelia in general.
The miRNAome of globe artichoke: conserved and novel micro RNAs and target analysis
Authors: De Paola Domenico , Cattonaro Federica , Pignone Domenico , Sonnante Gabriella
Published: January 2012

Background

Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of several processes, including the response to biotic and abiotic stress, often contributing to the adaptive response of the plant to adverse conditions. In addition to conserved miRNAs, found in a wide range of plant species a number of novel species-specific miRNAs, displaying lower levels of expression can be found. Due to low abundance, non conserved miRNAs are difficult to identify and isolate using conventional approaches. Conversely, deep-sequencing of small RNA (sRNA) libraries can detect even poorly expressed miRNAs.

No miRNAs from globe artichoke have been described to date. We analyzed the miRNAome from artichoke by deep sequencing four sRNA libraries obtained from NaCl stressed and control leaves and roots.

Results

Conserved and novel miRNAs were discovered using accepted criteria. The expression level of selected miRNAs was monitored by quantitative real-time PCR. Targets were predicted and validated for their cleavage site. A total of 122 artichoke miRNAs were identified, 98 (25 families) of which were conserved with other plant species, and 24 were novel. Some miRNAs were differentially expressed according to tissue or condition, magnitude of variation after salt stress being more pronounced in roots. Target function was predicted by comparison toArabidopsisproteins; the 43 targets (23 for novel miRNAs) identified included transcription factors and other genes, most of which involved in the response to various stresses. An unusual cleaved transcript was detected for miR393 target, transport inhibitor response 1.

Conclusions

The miRNAome from artichoke, including novel miRNAs, was unveiled, providing useful information on the expression in different organs and conditions. New target genes were identified. We suggest that the generation of secondary short-interfering RNAs from miR393 target can be a general rule in the plant kingdom.
The transcriptional activator ZNF143 is essential for normal development in zebrafish
Authors: Halbig Kari M , Lekven Arne C , Kunkel Gary R
Published: January 2012

Background

ZNF143 is a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein that stimulates transcription of both small RNA genes by RNA polymerase II or III, or protein-coding genes by RNA polymerase II, using separable activating domains. We describe phenotypic effects following knockdown of this protein in developing Danio rerio (zebrafish) embryos by injection of morpholino antisense oligonucleotides that target znf143 mRNA.

Results

The loss of function phenotype is pleiotropic and includes a broad array of abnormalities including defects in heart, blood, ear and midbrain hindbrain boundary. Defects are rescued by coinjection of synthetic mRNA encoding full-length ZNF143 protein, but not by protein lacking the amino-terminal activation domains. Accordingly, expression of several marker genes is affected following knockdown, including GATA-binding protein 1 (gata1), cardiac myosin light chain 2 (cmlc2) and paired box gene 2a (pax2a). The zebrafish pax2a gene proximal promoter contains two binding sites for ZNF143, and reporter gene transcription driven by this promoter in transfected cells is activated by this protein.

Conclusions

Normal development of zebrafish embryos requires ZNF143. Furthermore, the pax2a gene is probably one example of many protein-coding gene targets of ZNF143 during zebrafish development.
Plasma membrane protein OsMCA1 is involved in regulation of hypo-osmotic shock-induced Ca2+influx and modulates generation of reactive oxygen species in cultured rice cells
Authors: Kurusu Takamitsu , Nishikawa Daisuke , Yamazaki Yukari , Gotoh Mariko , Nakano Masataka , Hamada Haruyasu , Yamanaka Takuya , Iida Kazuko , Nakagawa Yuko , Saji Hikaru , Shinozaki Kazuo , Iida Hidetoshi , Kuchitsu Kazuyuki
Published: January 2012

Background

Mechanosensing and its downstream responses are speculated to involve sensory complexes containing Ca2+-permeable mechanosensitive channels. On recognizing osmotic signals, plant cells initiate activation of a widespread signal transduction network that induces second messengers and triggers inducible defense responses. Characteristic early signaling events include Ca2+ influx, protein phosphorylation and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pharmacological analyses show Ca2+ influx mediated by mechanosensitive Ca2+ channels to influence induction of osmotic signals, including ROS generation. However, molecular bases and regulatory mechanisms for early osmotic signaling events remain poorly elucidated.

Results

We here identified and investigated OsMCA1, the sole rice homolog of putative Ca2+-permeable mechanosensitive channels in Arabidopsis (MCAs). OsMCA1 was specifically localized at the plasma membrane. A promoter-reporter assay suggested that OsMCA1 mRNA is widely expressed in seed embryos, proximal and apical regions of shoots, and mesophyll cells of leaves and roots in rice. Ca2+ uptake was enhanced in OsMCA1-overexpressing suspension-cultured cells, suggesting that OsMCA1 is involved in Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane. Hypo-osmotic shock-induced ROS generation mediated by NADPH oxidases was also enhanced in OsMCA1-overexpressing cells. We also generated and characterized OsMCA1-RNAi transgenic plants and cultured cells; OsMCA1-suppressed plants showed retarded growth and shortened rachises, while OsMCA1-suppressed cells carrying Ca2+-sensitive photoprotein aequorin showed partially impaired changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) induced by hypo-osmotic shock and trinitrophenol, an activator of mechanosensitive channels.

Conclusions

We have identified a sole MCA ortholog in the rice genome and developed both overexpression and suppression lines. Analyses of cultured cells with altered levels of this putative Ca2+-permeable mechanosensitive channel indicate that OsMCA1 is involved in regulation of plasma membrane Ca2+ influx and ROS generation induced by hypo-osmotic stress in cultured rice cells. These findings shed light on our understanding of mechanical sensing pathways.
Use of global coronary heart disease risk assessment in practice: a cross-sectional survey of a sample of U.S. physicians
Authors: Shillinglaw Benjamin , Viera Anthony J , Edwards Teresa , Simpson Ross , Sheridan Stacey L
Published: January 2012

Background

Global coronary heart disease (CHD) risk assessment is recommended to guide primary preventive pharmacotherapy. However, little is known about physicians' understanding and use of global CHD risk assessment. Our objective was to examine US physicians' awareness, use, and attitudes regarding global CHD risk assessment in clinical practice, and how these vary by provider specialty.

Methods

Using a web-based survey of US family physicians, general internists, and cardiologists, we examined awareness of tools available to calculate CHD risk, method and use of CHD risk assessment, attitudes towards CHD risk assessment, and frequency of using CHD risk assessment to guide recommendations of aspirin, lipid-lowering and blood pressure (BP) lowering therapies for primary prevention. Characteristics of physicians indicating they use CHD risk assessments were compared in unadjusted and adjusted analyses.

Results

A total of 952 physicians completed the questionnaire, with 92% reporting awareness of tools available to calculate CHD global risk. Among those aware of such tools, over 80% agreed that CHD risk calculation is useful, improves patient care, and leads to better decisions about recommending preventive therapies. However, only 41% use CHD risk assessment in practice. The most commonly reported barrier to CHD risk assessment is that it is too time consuming. Among respondents who calculate global CHD risk, 69% indicated they use it to guide lipid lowering therapy recommendations; 54% use it to guide aspirin therapy recommendations; and 48% use it to guide BP lowering therapy. Only 40% of respondents who use global CHD risk routinely tell patients their risk. Use of a personal digital assistant or smart phone was associated with reported use of CHD risk assessment (adjusted OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.17-2.12).

Conclusions

Reported awareness of tools to calculate global CHD risk appears high, but the majority of physicians in this sample do not use CHD risk assessments in practice. A minority of physicians in this sample use global CHD risk to guide prescription decisions or to motivate patients. Educational interventions and system improvements to improve physicians' effective use of global CHD risk assessment should be developed and tested.