bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Belgian Law on Medically Assisted Reproduction and the Disposition of Supernumerary Embryos and Gametes
Authors: Pennings Guido 
Published: November 2007

AbstractAlthough medically assisted reproduction has been widely practiced in Belgium, it took decades before a majority was found to adopt a law to regulate this field. The new law recognises different family forms and a diversity of ethical positions. It regulates four main substantive elements: the disposition of embryos created in the context of assisted reproduction, the general rules (anonymous, free and voluntary) governing gamete and embryo donation, specific applications of assisted reproduction like post-mortem reproduction and finally the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis for HLA typing. Beside the substantive topics, the law contains a number of rules of a more practical nature: the need for a contract, a maximum storage period, the right of physicians to refuse treatment on the basis of conscientious objections and the procedure that has to be followed when a patient is refused.
Non-Voluntary Passive Euthanasia: The Social Consequences of Euphemisms
Authors: Sayers Gwen 
Published: November 2007

AbstractNon-voluntary passive euthanasia, the commonest form of euthanasia, is seldom mentioned in the UK. This article illustrates how the legal reasoning in Airedale NHS Trust v Bland contributed towards this conceptual deletion. By upholding the impermissibility of euthanasia, whilst at the same time permitting 'euthanasia' under the guise of 'withdrawing futile treatment', it is argued that the court (logically) allowed (withdrawing futile treatment and euthanasia). The Bland reasoning was incorporated into professional guidance, which extended the court's ruling to encompass patients who, unlike Anthony Bland, were sentient. But since the lawfulness of (withdrawing futile treatment and euthanasia) hinges on the futility of treatment, and since the guidance provides advice about withdrawing treatment from patients who differ from those considered in court, the lawfulness of such 'treatment decisions' is unclear. Legislation s proposed in order to redress the ambiguity that arose when moral decisions about 'euthanasia' were translated into medical decisions about 'treatment'.
Nanotechnology in Healthcare: Are Existing Laws Adequate?
Authors: Munir Abu Bakar , Yasin Siti Hajar Mohd 
Published: November 2007

AbstractNanotechnology is viewed as the next big thing and nanomedicine is its hottest application. Nanomedicine offers promising possibilities of new diagnostic, treatment and preventive methods leading to a better and longer life. The risk, real or perceived, however, as for now, is uncertain. Nevertheless, there is a need to establish measures to verify the safety of the nanomedical products.
Punish and Forgive: Causal Attribution and Positivity Bias in Response to Cat and Dog Misbehavior
Authors: Conner Travis , Rasmussen Jeffrey Lee ,   Rajecki
Published: November 2007

AbstractCollege students (N = 366) judged dog or cat misbehavior (soiling or predation) via questionnaire items. Common factor analysis yielded 3 dimensions of student response: (a) the sinner (including the variable of animals' intention); (b) the sin (including the variable of recommended punishment); and (c) mercy (including the variable of recommended forgiveness). Correlations among sinner, sin, and mercy factor scores supported predictions from causal attribution theory. Nevertheless, cross-tabulation analysis revealed that nearly 90% of all respondents endorsed mercy (generally high forgive ratings), regardless of the extent to which the animals were seen as sinners (high versus low intent ratings), or evaluations of the level of sin (high versus low punish ratings). Absolutely high average mercy scores indicated an animal positivity bias. Results thus evoked the adage that "the quality of mercy is not strained." That is, regarding errant companion animals, cognitive responses to punish and to forgive are not always mutually exclusive options.
The Black Bear Hunt in New Jersey: A Constructionist Analysis of an Intractable Conflict
Authors: Harker Dave , Bates Diane 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe black bear hunt in New Jersey represents a symbolic clash of understandings about how human beings should live with nonhuman animals who typify intractable conflicts involving potentially dangerous mammals. Manifest and latent content analysis of newspaper editorial materials—written over a 10-year period, ending in 2005—document 2 findings. First, hunt supporters and opponents promote specific constructions of bears, hunters, and other actors in their letters and editorials. Second, these constructions are not only different but contradictory. Opponents and supporters portray bears as either menacing threats or benevolent and peaceful animals. The two groups see hunters as either bloodthirsty killers or defenders of wildlife. Contradictory constructions serve to de-legitimate other constructions and other actors. This finding highlights how public discourse has fed intractability over the conflict rather than provided common grounds for consensus about how New Jersey's residents should interact with their ursine neighbors.
Support for Animal Rights as a Function of Belief in Evolution, Religious Fundamentalism, and Religious Denomination
Authors: Aebersold Cassandra , Galen Luke , Stanton Victoria , DeLeeuw Jamie 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe present study examined the relationship among religious denomination, fundamentalism, belief about human origins, gender, and support for animal rights. Eighty-two college undergraduates filled out a set of 3 questionnaires: The Religious Fundamentalism Scale (Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 2004), beliefs about human origins (creationism, intelligent design, or evolution), and the Animal Rights Scale (Wuensch, Jenkins, & Poteat, 2002). Because conservative Protestants and fundamentalists adhere to religious doctrine that espouses a discontinuity between humans and other species, the study predicted they would have lower support for animal rights. Further, proponents of evolution—who tend to view species as interconnected—would advocate animal rights more so than creationists and believers of intelligent design theory. Results supported the hypotheses. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the religious variables and gender were significant in predicting support for animal rights.
Thoughts out of Season on the History of Animal Ethics
Authors: Preece Rod 
Published: November 2007

AbstractContrary to conventional wisdom, the earlier Western tradition did not customarily deny souls per se to nonhuman animals; when it denied immortal souls to animals, it sometimes deemed that denial a reason for giving greater consideration to animals in their earthly existence. Nor has the Western tradition uniformly deemed animals intended for human use. Further, there was considerable opposition to the Cartesian view of animals as insentient machines, and—even among those who were convinced—it was not unknown for them to deem it inappropriate to rely on that conviction in the treatment of animals. Moreover, Darwin's (1874) theory of evolution had neither a novel nor a positive impact on the way in which animals were to be regarded and treated. The study of the history of animal ethics needs to be rethought in a far more nuanced manner.
Female accompaniment by male whiptail lizards: is it mate guarding?
Authors: Zaldívar-Rae Jaime , Drummond Hugh 
Published: November 2007

AbstractPost-copulatory female accompaniment by males is often interpreted as mate guarding. However, several alternative hypotheses for the function of accompaniment have received little attention. We analysed potential functions of post-copulatory accompaniment in whiptail lizards, Aspidoscelis costata, by comparing 23 accompanied females and 54 unaccompanied females in the field. Male companions closely followed females for 1 to 2 days around ovulation, after which females became unreceptive. Unaccompanied females were in all stages of the reproductive cycle, including 12 nearly-ovulating females. Male companions were aggressive to other males and, on average, won 98.7% of interactions. Only pairs in accompaniment performed consensual copulations (1 to 3 per pair). Solitary males attempted opportunistic copulations but did not selectively target nearly-ovulating females. Male companions attacked rivals attempting opportunistic copulations, but did not copulate in retaliation when attempts were successful. Accompaniment reduced lunges and pursuits from other males on females, but did not reduce opportunistic copulations or predation, or increase foraging opportunities for females. Through accompaniment, males likely (1) copulate repeatedly, (2) swamp rival sperm, (3) inseminate females more and (4) monopolise access to fertile females, whereas females may receive (1) post-copulatory courtship, (2) copulations with high quality males and (3) sufficient sperm for fertilisation.
Shoaling decisions in female swordtails: how do fish gauge group size?
Authors: Wong Bob , Rosenthal Gil , Buckingham Jessica 
Published: November 2007

AbstractLittle is known about the mechanisms individuals might use to compare group sizes when making decisions about group membership. One possibility is that animals use ratio to determine differences in group sizes. Weber's Law states that the ease of any numerical comparison is based on the ratio between the stimuli compared; as the ratio becomes smaller the comparison becomes more difficult. We set out to test this prediction by offering female green swordtails, Xiphophorus helleri, dichotomous choices between different shoal sizes, varying both in ratios and absolute numbers of fish. Swordtails attended to the ratio of group size between stimulus shoals, rather than the numerical difference between shoals, when making shoaling decisions. Where group size ratio was 2:1, subjects showed a significant preference for the larger shoal, independent of the numerical difference between the shoals. When the ratio was 1.5:1, subjects showed no preference. The ratio between group sizes may, thus, be an important factor in shoaling decisions. More broadly, ratio could prove to be a widespread mechanism for animals to make numerical comparisons in group assessments.
Spatial distribution of oviposition sites determines variance in the reproductive rate of European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus)
Authors: Przybylski Mirosław , Smith Carl , Reichard Martin , Spence Rowena 
Published: November 2007

AbstractWe investigated reproductive rate in relation to oviposition site distribution and quality in the European bitterling, Rhodeus amarus, a freshwater fish that spawns on the gills of living unionid mussels. In a laboratory experiment male bitterling led females to groups of four mussels at a significantly higher rate than single mussels, irrespective of mussel species. Females spawned significantly more frequently on the gills of mussels in groups than on solitary mussels, and showed a preference for spawning on the gills of Unio pictorum in comparison with Anodonta anatina. In a field experiment the total number of eggs spawned on the gills of four mussels was significantly higher than that of single mussels, though the mean number of eggs per mussel was equivalent within species. There was a significant effect of species on the number of eggs spawned in mussels; U. pictorum and U. tumidus received more eggs than A. anatina and A. cygnea. We discuss these results in the context of mating system evolution.
A maximum likelihood approach for identifying dive bouts improves accuracy, precision and objectivity
Authors: Luque Sebastián , Guinet Christophe 
Published: November 2007

AbstractForaging behaviour frequently occurs in bouts, and considerable efforts to properly define those bouts have been made because they partly reflect different scales of environmental variation. Methods traditionally used to identify such bouts are diverse, include some level of subjectivity, and their accuracy and precision is rarely compared. Therefore, the applicability of a maximum likelihood estimation method (MLM) for identifying dive bouts was investigated and compared with a recently proposed sequential differences analysis (SDA). Using real data on interdive durations from Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella Peters, 1875), the MLM-based model produced briefer bout ending criterion (BEC) and more precise parameter estimates than the SDA approach. The MLM-based model was also in better agreement with real data, as it predicted the cumulative frequency of differences in interdive duration more accurately. Using both methods on simulated data showed that the MLM-based approach produced less biased estimates of the given model parameters than the SDA approach. Different choices of histogram bin widths involved in SDA had a systematic effect on the estimated BEC, such that larger bin widths resulted in longer BECs. These results suggest that using the MLM-based procedure with the sequential differences in interdive durations, and possibly other dive characteristics, may be an accurate, precise, and objective tool for identifying dive bouts.
Turbidity and foraging rate in threespine sticklebacks: the importance of visual and chemical prey cues
Authors: Ward  , Hart  , Webster  , Atton  
Published: November 2007

AbstractIn aquatic habitats turbidity can affect the foraging efficiency of visual predators, directly influencing their capacity to detect prey. In a laboratory study we tested the effect of different loads of suspended sediment upon the foraging rates of threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We compared the foraging rates of fish under a series of different turbidity treatments, testing fish originating from four habitats within a single drainage basin that differed in a number of environmental parameters including turbidity. Although we found habitat specific differences in foraging rates, these did not correspond to local turbidity levels. The findings of a follow up experiment revealed habitat-specific variation in boldness, which may be indirecly linked to the observed differences in foraging rate. The main finding of our study was that turbidity alone had no impact upon their prey capture rates, but that high turbidity in combination with saturation with prey odour extract caused prey capture rates to fall significantly. This suggests that olfactory cues can be more important than visual cues in determining foraging performance in this species, potentially influencing how they cope with naturally occurring periods of turbidity, and how they adapt to human-induced eutrophication.
Testing measures of animal social association by computer simulation
Authors: Smith V. Anne , White David 
Published: November 2007

AbstractTechniques used to measure patterns of affiliation among social animals have rarely been tested for accuracy. One reason for this lack of validation is that it is often impossible to compare sample data to the true distribution of social assortment of a group of animals. Here we test some methods of assessing social assortment by using a computer simulation of organisms whose assortment patterns were under our control. We created male and female organisms that moved in a direction that was based on a social bias parameter. As the weight of this parameter increased, organisms were more likely to move in the direction of others of their sex. We then created virtual observers to sample assortment of the organisms under different social bias conditions. Observers used three different techniques of measuring assortment. These were (1) group membership: noting all organisms that were associated in the same 'group', (2) nearest neighbour: noting the nearest organism to a randomly selected individual and (3) neighbourhood: noting all organisms near a selected individual. Neighbourhood was taken either by all-occurrence sampling or by focal sampling the associations of randomly selected individuals. Some techniques emerged as more sensitive than others under different conditions and biases were revealed in some measures. For example, the group membership method was biased toward finding significant assortment differences between the sexes when no difference actually existed. Nearest neighbour was insensitive to finding a difference in assortment between sexes when one existed. Focal sampling was less sensitive to finding effects than all-occurrence sampling. The computer simulation revealed properties of each technique that would have been impossible to detect in the field.
"They Licked the Platter Clean": On the Co-Dependency of the Religious and The Secular
Authors: McCutcheon Russell 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis paper argues that a methodological puzzle that stands in the way of those who critique the adequacy of a secularist perspective for studying religion is that the modern invention that goes by the name of secularism is the only means for imagining religion to exist as an item of discourse. Drawing on a variety of efforts to move beyond the limits of binary thinking—efforts that invariably function to reaffirm one or the other pole by imagining it to predate its partner—the paper concludes that, for those interested in talking about such things as religion, faith, spirit, belief, experience, etc., there is no beyond to secularism, for it constitutes the discursive conditions by means of which we in the modern world think religion into existence. us, the now common effort to critique the adequacy of secularism for studying religion not only presuppose the idea of the nation-state but reinforce and extend it as well.
Can One Be a Critical Caretaker?
Authors: Slater Michael 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThere is a movement in the field of religious studies today which questions whether scholars of religion should have any interest in questions regarding the truth and value of religion. In this paper I critically examine the views of one of its leading figures, Russell T. McCutcheon, and argue that his views on the nature and study of religion are problematic in several key respects. Specifically, I argue that McCutcheon's basic methodological and theoretical claims are untenable, as is his well known distinction between "critics" and "caretakers" of religion. Having called into question McCutcheon's claim that being a critical scholar of religion is incompatible with being a "caretaker" of religion, I conclude with a brief reflection on his corollary claim that there are (or should be) "discursive constraints" on inquiry in public institutions of higher learning.
Pierre Bourdieu on the Verstehende Soziologie of Max Weber
Authors: Hutt Curtis 
Published: November 2007

AbstractPierre Bourdieu was influenced by and critical of the work of Max Weber. In articles written in the early 1970's on Weber's analysis of prophets and priests in ancient Judaism, Bourdieu questioned key elements of Weber's verstehende soziologie including his predecessor's privileging of the conceptual over the non-conceptual in the understanding of human behavior and utilization of the ideal type "charisma." Bourdieu, at the same time, extended Weber's work on religious specialists and the evolution of the religious field in the West. In closing, I compare Bourdieu's advice to the Weberian sociologist of religion with that offered by Mary Douglas and Jon Elster.
Time, Habit, and Agency in English Puritanism
Authors: Engler Steven 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis paper attempts to fill in a dimension of discussions of religious relations between memory and the body, time and agency, habituation and social control. Analyzing the works of seventeenth-century divine Richard Rogers, I distinguish two ways of attending to time: amount of time spent well, and continuity of attention. For Rogers, lapses in memory and moment of idleness are gaps through which Satan snares the unwary; the godly must foster correct habits "at all times." The case of English Puritanism underlines the central role that time plays in the formation of correctly habituated human activity. It points to a key site at which religious ideas and practices gain leverage over human agency. It suggests further that modernity is distinguished by the more effective means of habituation fostered by highly motivated and consistent attentiveness to time. This distinction goes beyond Weber and other work on the Protestant ethic thesis and could inform further empirical work in the area.
Phenomenology as Insider Trading: Some Stipulations for the Religious "Skin Trade"
Authors: Ryba Thomas 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis paper examines some of the interpretations of the insider/outsider distinction as it is understood in the study of religion but in light of Jerry Fodor and Ernest Lepore's arguments about semantic holism and atomism. It argues that this application shows that if the outsider/insider distinction is approached as a form of global holism coupled with linguistic determinism, then it is a pseudo-problem and no further energy ought to be wasted on it. Also argued is that radically exclusive insidership or radically inclusive insidership are indefensible positions. Instead, this paper proposes that access to the inside of a worldview is, in principle, no different for a insider than for an outsider; it is a matter of degree and not kind. No variety of religious information is, per se, incommunicable, except that of the individual subject's existential subjecthood. Insidership and outsidership in the academic study of religion indicate positions with respect to agency, thematization, and explanation and should not be defined, primarily, by occupation, material, or methods.
Remarque complémentaire à mon article "Dans quel lieu le néoplatonicien Simplicius a-t-il fondé son école de mathémathiques, et où a pu avoir lieu son entretien avec un manichéen ?"
Authors: Hadot Ilsetraut 
Published: November 2007

AbstractConcerning the book by R. Arnzen Abū l-'Abbās an-Nayrīzīs Exzerpte aus (Ps.-?) Simplicius' Kommentar zu den Definitionen, Postulaten und Axiomen in Euclids Elementa I, the present paper offers a survey of the way the late Neoplatonists used to conceive and compose their commentaries. Far from trying to be original, each commentary is largely based on the works of predecessors.