bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Place of Rawls in Political and Ethical Theory
Authors: Mandle Jon 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe work of John Rawls is central to contemporary political philosophy. A Theory of Justice provides a model for the justification of substantive principles of justice, and it defends principles that reject utilitarianism. Ultimately, justification is a matter of what the participants in a relationship or an institution can justify to one another. Unlike utilitarianism, which assumes that there is one good that it is the job of morality to maximize, Rawls holds that there are multiple conceptions of the good associated with different individuals. Furthermore, he holds that there are multiple principles of morality associated with different relationships and institutions. His principles of justice are designed for one of these—the basic structure of society. They establish a moral minimum that all members of a society owe to one another, but additional principles are required to govern other special relationships.
How has Philosophical Applied Ethics Progressed in the Past Fifty Years?
Authors: Steinbock Bonnie 
Published: January 2013

AbstractApplied ethics is relatively new on the philosophical scene, having grown out of the various civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the student demand that college courses be relevant. Even today, there are those who think that there are no philosophically interesting practical ethical questions, and that applied ethics is not a branch of philosophy at all. This article rejects that view, both because some of the most interesting and respectable philosophers in the world have worked in applied ethics and because applied ethics has been the source of many difficult conceptual questions in theoretical ethics and even metaphysics. These include the grounds for moral status, human identity, how to conceive rights in general and the right to life in particular, the question whether existence itself can be a harm (the nonidentity problem), and the nature of moral principles.
A Minimalist Theory of Truth
Authors: Armour‐Garb Bradley 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis article, after briefly discussing Alfred Tarski's influential theory of truth, turns to a more recent theory of truth, a deflationary, or minimalist, theory. One of the chief elements of a deflationary, or minimalist, theory of truth is that it replaces the question of what truth is with the question of what “true” does. After setting out the central features of the minimalist theory of truth, the article explains the motivation for opting for such a position. In addition, it provides some reasons for thinking that such a theory of truth is “minimal” or “deflationary” in the way that contemporary truth theorists have claimed it to be.
Postmodernism: A Feminist Critique
Authors: Kostikova Anna 
Published: January 2013

AbstractIn this article the author suggests that progress in philosophy can be conceived through contemporary French theories that propose a new, polysemantic way of thinking. Postmodern philosophy has tried to renew the meaning of the subject, of the subject's identity, and of language and communication. The author believes that the postmodern, feminist approach to those concepts represents significant progress in philosophy. It is, in fact, exactly in the context of feminism—conceived of not just as a women's sociopolitical or scientific activity but as a broad theoretical approach to many areas—that Western philosophy has acquired its most explicit and adequate meaning. A crucial example here is the new historicophilosophical analysis of the concept of gender. The author appeals to Lipovetsky, Lacan, Derrida, Kristeva, and other thinkers to show how postmodern feminism helps to overcome the binary vision of the contemporary world and the dichotomic composition of earlier philosophical thought.
Philosophy of Mind, Past and Present
Authors: Vasilyev Vadim V. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis article attempts to summarize a few criteria of progress in philosophy—clarifying problems; rejecting false theories; opening new perspectives in familiar fields; inventing new arguments or thought experiments; and so on—and to apply them to contemporary philosophy of mind. As a result, the article concludes that while some progress was obvious in the past fifty years, there is much work yet to be done. It then tries to outline a transformation of conceptual analysis needed for further developments in this field. The author argues that conceptual analysis might be revived if it is treated as a clarification of the relations among our natural beliefs.
Experimental Philosophy: A Methodological Critique
Authors: Woolfolk Robert L. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis article offers a critique of research practices typical of experimental philosophy. To that end, it presents a review of methodological issues that have proved crucial to the quality of research in the biobehavioral sciences. It discusses various shortcomings in the experimental philosophy literature related to (1) the credibility of self‐report questionnaires, (2) the validity and reliability of measurement, (3) the adherence to appropriate procedures for sampling, random assignment, and handling of participants, and (4) the meticulousness of study reporting. It argues that the future standing of experimental philosophy will hinge upon improvements in research methods.
Divergence of expression pattern contributed to neofunctionalization of duplicated HD‐Zip I transcription factor in barley
Authors: Sakuma Shun , Pourkheirandish Mohammad , Hensel Goetz , Kumlehn Jochen , Stein Nils , Tagiri Akemi , Yamaji Naoki , Ma Jian Feng , Sassa Hidenori , Koba Takato , Komatsuda Takao 
Published: January 2013

Summary

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) spikes are developmentally switched from two‐rowed to six‐rowed by a single recessive gene, six‐rowed spike 1 (vrs1), which encodes a homeodomain‐leucine zipper I class transcription factor. Vrs1 is a paralog of HvHox2 and both were generated by duplication of an ancestral gene. HvHox2 is conserved among cereals, whereas Vrs1 acquired its current function during the evolution of barley. It was unclear whether divergence of expression pattern or protein function accounted for the functionalization of Vrs1.

Here, we conducted a comparative analysis of protein functions and gene expression between HvHox2 and Vrs1 to clarify the functionalization mechanism.

We revealed that the transcriptional activation activity of HvHOX2 and VRS1 was conserved. In situ hybridization analysis showed that HvHox2 is localized in vascular bundles in developing spikes, whereas Vrs1 is expressed exclusively in the pistil, lemma, palea and lodicule of lateral spikelets. The transcript abundance of Vrs1 was > 10‐fold greater than that of HvHox2 during the pistil developmental stage, suggesting that the essential function of Vrs1 is to inhibit gynoecial development. We demonstrated the quantitative function of Vrs1 using RNAi transgenic plants and Vrs1 expression variants. Expression analysis of six‐rowed spike mutants that are nonallelic to vrs1 showed that Vrs1 expression was up‐regulated by Vrs4, whereas HvHox2 expression was not.

These data demonstrate that the divergence of gene expression pattern contributed to the neofunctionalization of Vrs1.
SHORT INTERNODES/STYLISH genes, regulators of auxin biosynthesis, are involved in leaf vein development in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Baylis Tammy , Cierlik Izabela , Sundberg Eva , Mattsson Jim 
Published: January 2013

Summary

Leaves depend on highly developed venation systems to collect fixed carbon for transport and to distribute water. We hypothesized that local regulation of auxin biosynthesis plays a role in vein development. To this effect, we assessed the role of the SHORT INTERNODES/STYLISH (SHI/STY) gene family, zinc‐finger transcription factors linked to regulation of auxin biosynthesis, in Arabidopsis thaliana leaf vein development.

Gene functions were assessed by a combination of high‐resolution spatio‐temporal expression analysis of promoter‐marker lines and phenotypic analysis of plants homozygous for single and multiple mutant combinations.

The SHI/STY genes showed expression patterns with variations on a common theme of activity in incipient and developing cotyledon and leaf primordia, narrowing to apices and hydathode regions. Mutant analysis of single to quintuple mutant combinations revealed dose‐dependent defects in vein patterning affecting multiple vein traits, most notably in cotyledons.

Here we demonstrate that local regulation of auxin biosynthesis is an important aspect of leaf vein development. Our findings also support a model in which auxin synthesized at the periphery of primordia affects vein development.
Photoresponsive Cross‐linked Polymeric Particles for Phototriggered Burst Release
Authors: Wang Zhen , Yu Lili , Lv Cong , Wang Peng , Chen Yedong , Tang Xinjing 
Published: January 2013

AbstractWe synthesized a series of cross‐linked photoresponsive polymeric particles with photolabile monomers and cross‐linkers through miniemulsion polymerization. These particles are quite stable in dark, while light irradiation caused the breakage of particles and the efficient release of encapsulated contents up to 95% based on Nile red fluorescence. Photoswitches of particle systems were confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy, SEM and colorimetry. Particle uptake and triggered release in RAW264.7 cells were confirmed by fluorescein diacetate loaded particles.
Long‐term effects of using oral care aides at a nursing home for elderly dependent residents—a pilot study
Authors: Wårdh Inger M. , Wikström Maude B. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACTThe oral health status of elderly dependent residents is reported to be poor, as well as difficult to describe. Analysis of oral microbial flora has been suggested as a suitable measurement method. Oral care aides have been shown to have a positive influence on oral health care in nursing. The outcome of an intervention with oral care aides was followed during a two‐year period by recording: (a) the proportion of opportunistic microorganisms and bacteria associated with caries (b) whether oral hygiene assistance were given to the residents or not, and (c) individual experiences concerning oral health care among the staff involved. The oral flora and the amount of oral hygiene assistance improved throughout the entire study period, but staff interviews revealed that it took two years for good cooperation and prophylactic routines to be established. An unexpected finding was the positive correlation (p = .0005) between a high proportion of the opportunistic microorganisms and death within one year.
Peripheral Monocyte Expression of the Chemokine Receptors CCR2, CCR5 and CXCR3 is Altered at Parturition in Healthy Women and in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Björkander S. , Heidari‐Hamedani G. , Bremme K. , Gunnarsson I. , Holmlund U. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractMonocytes are precursors of macrophages and recruited to the uterus throughout pregnancy to perform important immunological functions. In this study, we hypothesized that pregnant women have reduced peripheral monocyte expression of chemokine receptors and alterations in PBMC responses to microbial stimuli as an adaption to pregnancy and that these changes are less pronounced in women with autoimmunity. We therefore investigated the chemokine receptor expression, migratory behaviour and responses to microbial stimulation of peripheral monocytes from pregnant women at parturition (n = 13) and from non‐pregnant women (n = 9). In addition, we compared healthy pregnant women with women suffering from SLE (n = 5), a condition with pronounced systemic inflammation increasing the risk for pregnancy complications. We demonstrate that peripheral monocytes are affected by pregnancy with reduced percentages of CCR2+, CCR5+ and CXCR3+ monocytes of both classical (CD16−) and inflammatory (CD16+) subsets and that the trophoblast‐secreted chemokine CCL2/MCP‐1 recruited monocytes of both subsets in vitro. Further, PBMCs from pregnant women had a divergent response to microbial stimulation with lower CCL5/RANTES and higher CCL2/MCP‐1 secretion compared with non‐pregnant women. In addition, pregnant women had lower basal PBMC‐secretion of CCL5/RANTES and higher basal secretion of IL‐10 and CCL2/MCP‐1. Interestingly, the women with SLE responded similar to pregnancy as did healthy women with lower percentages of CCR2+, CCR5+ and CXCR3+ monocytes. However, they had increased expression of CCR5 on CD16+ monocytes and heightened PBMC‐secretion of CCL5/RANTES. In conclusion, our data indicate that monocyte chemokine receptor expression and the chemokine milieu during pregnancy are tightly regulated to support pregnancy.
Aberrantly Decreased Levels of NKG2D Expression in Children with Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Ge X. , Li C.‐R. , Yang J. , Wang G.‐B. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis study is designed to investigate the changes of NKG2D expression on CD8+T cells and CD3−CD56+NK cells in Kawasaki disease (KD). NKG2D/NKG2A expression on CD3−CD56+NK cells and CD8+T lymphocytes, and NKG2D ligands such as major histocompatibility complex I chain‐related molecules A(MICA) and UL‐16‐binding proteins (ULBP‐1) expression on CD14+ mononuclear cells (MC) were analysed by flow cytometry in patients with KD. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α in CD14+ cells. Plasma cytokine [IL‐7, IL‐12, IL‐15, interferon (IFN)‐γ and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β] concentrations were measured by ELISA. The levels of NKG2D on NK cells and CD8+T cells expression in acute phase of KD were significantly lower than those in normal controls (P < 0.05), and the levels of NKG2D expression in the patients with coronary artery lesion (KD‐CAL+) were lower than those in patients with KD‐CAL−. There was an upregulated tendency after treatment with IVIG. We found higher expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines from MC, such as IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α in patients with KD compared with the healthy controls (P < 0.05). The concentrations of IL‐7 and IL‐15 were significantly decreased in acute phase of KD (P < 0.05) and to some extent elevated after therapy with IVIG (P < 0.05), while antagonistic cytokines like IFN‐γ were increased in acute phase of KD (P < 0.05) and reduced after therapy with IVIG (P < 0.05). These results suggest that aberrantly decreased levels of NKG2D expression on NK cells and CD8+T cells might be one of the factors led to disturbed immunological function in patients with KD. Cytokines milieu could be important factors causing reduced expression of NKG2D.
A Patch‐based Cellular Automaton for Simulating Land‐use Changes at Fine Spatial Resolution
Authors: Wang Fang , Marceau Danielle J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractWhile cellular automata have become popular tools for modeling land‐use changes, there is a lack of studies reporting their application at very fine spatial resolutions (e.g. 5 m resolution). Traditional cell‐based CA do not generate reliable results at such resolutions because single cells might only represent components of land‐use entities (i.e. houses or parks in urban residential areas), while recently proposed entity‐based CA models usually ignore the internal heterogeneity of the entities. This article describes a patch‐based CA model designed to deal with this problem by integrating cell and object concepts. A patch is defined as a collection of adjacent cells that might have different attributes, but that represent a single land‐use entity. In this model, a transition probability map was calculated at each cell location for each land‐use transition using a weight of evidence method; then, land‐use changes were simulated by employing a patch‐based procedure based on the probability maps. This CA model, along with a traditional cell‐based model were tested in the eastern part of the Elbow River watershed in southern Alberta, Canada, an area that is under considerable pressure for land development due to its proximity to the fast growing city of Calgary. The simulation results for the two models were compared to historical data using visual comparison, Ksimulation indices, and landscape metrics. The results reveal that the patch‐based CA model generates more compact and realistic land‐use patterns than the traditional cell‐based CA. The Ksimulation values indicate that the land‐use maps obtained with the patch‐based CA are in higher agreement with the historical data than those created by the cell‐based model, particularly regarding the location of change. The landscape metrics reveal that the patch‐based model is able to adequately capture the land‐use dynamics as observed in the historical data, while the cell‐based CA is not able to provide a similar interpretation. The patch‐based approach proposed in this study appears to be a simple and valuable solution to take into account the internal heterogeneity of land‐use classes at fine spatial resolutions and simulate their transitions over time.
Short‐term exercise training enhances functional sympatholysis through a nitric oxide‐dependent mechanism
Authors: Jendzjowsky Nicholas G. , DeLorey Darren S. 
Published: January 2013

Key points
Sympathetic nervous system activity causes tonic vasoconstriction in resting and contracting skeletal muscle. Vasoactive molecules released from the active skeletal muscle and/or endothelium have been shown to inhibit sympathetic vasoconstriction, a phenomenon defined as functional sympatholysis.
A definitive mechanism responsible for functional sympatholysis has yet to be identified; however, nitric oxide (NO) appears to be involved.
It is unknown whether exercise training alters the inhibition of sympathetic vasoconstriction and NO‐mediated sympatholysis in resting and contracting skeletal muscle.
The present findings demonstrate that short‐term exercise training augments functional sympatholysis in a training‐intensity‐dependent manner through a NO‐dependent mechanism. These novel findings advance our understanding of the effects of exercise training on the regulation of sympathetic vasoconstriction in resting and contracting skeletal muscle.
Abstract  We tested the hypothesis that short‐term mild‐ (M) and heavy‐intensity (H) exercise training would enhance sympatholysis through a nitric oxide (NO)‐dependent mechanism. Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 36) were randomly assigned to sedentary (S) or to M (20 m min−1 5% gradient) or H exercise training groups (40 m min−1 5% gradient). Rats assigned to M and H groups trained on 5 days week−1 for 4 weeks, with the volume of training being matched between groups. Rats were anaesthetized and instrumented for stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic chain and the measurement of arterial blood pressure and femoral artery blood flow. The triceps surae muscle group was stimulated to contract rhythmically at 30 and 60% of maximal contractile force (MCF). The percentage change of femoral vascular conductance (%FVC) in response to sympathetic stimulation delivered at 2 and 5 Hz was determined at rest and during contraction at 30 and 60% MCF. The vascular response to sympathetic stimulation was reduced as a function of MCF in all rats (P < 0.05). At 30% MCF, the magnitude of sympatholysis (%FVC rest – contraction; Δ%FVC) was greater in H compared with M and S groups (Δ%FVC at 2 Hz, S, 9 ± 5; M, 11 ± 8; and H, 18 ± 7; and Δ%FVC at 5 Hz, S, 6 ± 6; M, 12 ± 9; and H, 18 ± 7; P < 0.05) and was greater in H and M compared with S at 60% MCF (Δ%FVC at 2 Hz, S, 15 ± 5; M, 25 ± 3; and H, 36 ± 6; and Δ%FVC at 5 Hz, S, 22 ± 6; M, 33 ± 9; and H, 39 ± 9; P < 0.05). Blockade of NO synthase did not alter the magnitude of sympatholysis in S during contraction at 30 or 60% MCF. In contrast, NO synthase inhibition diminished sympatholysis in H at 30% MCF and in M and H at 60% MCF (P < 0.05). The present findings indicate that short‐term exercise training augments sympatholysis in a training‐intensity‐dependent manner and through an NO‐dependent mechanism.
Subpopulation‐specific patterns of intrinsic connectivity in mouse superficial dorsal horn as revealed by laser scanning photostimulation
Authors: Kosugi Masafumi , Kato Go , Lukashov Stanislav , Pendse Gautam , Puskar Zita , Kozsurek Mark , Strassman Andrew M. 
Published: January 2013

Key points
Sensory neurons that detect painful and non‐painful stimulation of body tissues have axons that project to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, where their terminations are partially segregated into superficial (I–II) and deep (III–IV) dorsal horn laminae, respectively.
The dorsal horn contains many excitatory and inhibitory interneurons whose axons synapse on other dorsal horn neurons to enhance or suppress sensory transmission.
This study used a localized stimulation technique (laser scanning photostimulation) for high‐resolution mapping of synaptic connections between dorsal horn interneurons, in an in vitro‘slice’ preparation of the mouse lumbar spinal cord.
Some neurons in superficial layers of the dorsal horn have long dendrites that extend ventrally into deeper layers of the dorsal horn, and these neurons can receive excitatory or inhibitory synaptic input from neurons in the deeper layers.
These interlaminar connections may be involved in interactions between transmission of signals underlying painful versus non‐painful sensations.
Abstract  The primary goal of this study was to map the transverse distribution of local excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to mouse lamina I spinal dorsal horn neurons, using laser scanning photostimulation. A sample of lamina II neurons was also studied for comparison. Lamina I neurons received excitatory synaptic input from both laminae I–II and the outer part of III–IV, especially the II/III border region, while the inhibitory input zones were mostly confined within I–II. The excitatory synaptic input zones showed a pronounced medial asymmetry, which was correlated with a matching asymmetry in the dendritic fields of the neurons. Inhibitory input from laminae III–IV was found in a subpopulation of neurons occupying a highly restricted zone, essentially one cell layer thick, immediately below the lamina I/II border, with morphological and physiological properties that were distinct from other laminar populations in the superficial dorsal horn, and that suggest a critical role in interlaminar communication. This subpopulation also received excitatory input from laminae III–IV. Within this subpopulation, inhibitory III–IV input was correlated with the presence of long ventral dendrites. Correlations between the distribution of synaptic input zones and dendritic fields support the concept that interlaminar communication is mediated in part via contacts made onto ventrally extending dendrites of superficial laminae neurons. The results point to the presence of cell type specificity in dorsal horn circuitry, and show how the study of connectivity can itself help identify previously unrecognized neuronal populations.