We present a model for genome evolution, comprising biologically plausible events such as transpositions inside the genome and insertions of exogenous sequences. This model attempts to formulate a minimal proposition accounting for key statistical properties of genomes, avoiding, as far as possible, unsupportable hypotheses for the remote evolutionary past. The statistical properties that are observed in genomic sequences and are reproduced by the proposed model are: (i) deviations from randomness at different length scales, measured by suitable algorithms, (ii) a special (...) form of size distribution (power law distribution) characterising different levels of genome organisation in the non‐coding, and (iii) extensive resemblance in the alternation of coding and non‐coding regions at several length scales (self‐similarity) in long genomic sequences of higher eukaryotes. BioEssays 23:647–656, 2001. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (shrink)

Globalism endowed us with McDonald's, 'the world’s local bank’, English football teams without English players and an irrepressible desire for more as enough is never good enough – the blanket is always too short. Our personal world as much as our social and political realities seem to have blithely surrendered to the madness of a civilization which views anything from corporate greed and global warming to military adventures and religious fundamentalism as normal as a door banging in the wind. The (...) destructive capabilities of our age have run too far ahead of our wisdom. However, the process is not irreversible if our thinking can postpone its retirement. _In Bed with Madness_ is ‘a well-argued, powerful and profound indictment of contemporary culture’, stylishly written – a reviewer said he would have bought it just for its humour! (shrink)

Place is a key concept in environmental studies and criticism. However, it is often overlooked as a dimension of situatedness in social studies of information. Rather, situatedness has been defined primarily as embodiment or social context. This paper explores place attachments in Big Data by adapting close and distant approaches for reading texts to examine the accessions data of the Arnold Arboretum, a living collection of trees, vines and shrubs established by Harvard University in 1872. Although it is an early (...) and unconventional example of the phenomenon, there are several reasons that the Arboretum is a useful site for investigating the relationship between Big Data and place. First, the category of place is embedded in a range of data fields used in the Arboretum’s records. Second, the Arboretum has long sought to be a place in which scientists and citizens alike can encounter large collections of data firsthand. Third, the place has shaped fluctuations in the daily production of data over the course of the Arboretum’s 144 year history. Furthermore, Arboretum data can help us see place in ways not necessarily tied to geolocation. Each of these place attachments suggests a different way in which data can be environmental: by being about, in, from, or generative of place. Taken together, these attachments offer a model for examining other data in relation to their environments. Moreover, the paper contends that rather than being detached from place, as prevailing discourses suggest, Big Data bring together more and further reaching place attachments than data sets of smaller sizes. (shrink)

Background Ethical considerations play a prominent role in the protection of human subjects in clinical research. To date the disclosure of ethical protection in clinical research published in the international nursing journals has not been explored. Our research objective was to investigate the reporting of ethical approval and informed consent in clinical research published in leading international nursing journals. Methods This is a retrospective observational study. All clinical research published in the five leading international nursing journals from the SCI Journal (...) Citation Reports between 2015 and 2017 were retrieved to evaluate for evidence of ethical review. Results A total of 2041 citations have been identified from the contents of all the five leading nursing journals that were published between 2015 and 2017. Out of these, 1284 clinical studies have been included and text relating to ethical review has been extracted. From these, most of prospective clinical studies discussed informed consent. Only half of those reported that written informed consent had been obtained; few reported oral consent, and few used other methods such as online consent or completion and return of data collection to denote assent. Notably, 36.2% of those did not describe the method used to obtain informed consent and merely described that “consent was obtained from participants or participants agreed to join in the research”. Furthermore, whilst most of clinical studies mentioned ethical approval; 92.5% of those stated the name of ethical committee and interestingly, only 37.1% of those mentioned the ethical approval reference. The rates of reporting ethical approval were different between different study type, country, and whether financial support was received. Conclusion The reporting of ethics in leading international nursing journals demonstrates progress, but improvement of the transparency and the standard of ethical reporting in nursing clinical research is required. (shrink)

A mechanism for the generation of the morphological left‐right asymmetry in higher organisms is proposed, based on the idea that chirality at the molecular level is the primordial source for macroscopic asymmetry. This mechanism accounts for a variety of experimental results on artificial production of situs inversus and fits well with mutations in mice causing visceral transposition.

In this paper the language of first-order modal logic is enriched with an operator @ ('actually') such that, in any model, the evaluation of a formula @A at a possible world depends on the evaluation of A at the actual world. The models have world-variable domains. All the logics that are discussed extend the classical predicate calculus, with or without identity, and conform to the philosophical principle known as serious actualism. The basic logic relies on the system K, whereas others (...) correspond to various properties that the actual world may have. All the logics are axiomatized. (shrink)

The basilica of the Faculty of Medicine plot at Knossos in Crete (beginning of 5th c.) and that of Antigoneia in Albania (end of 6th - beginning of 7th c.) constitute up to now two isolated examples in Eastern Illyricum, of churches whose sanctuary is in the form of a triconch added at the east of the naves. The study of these two edifices throws light on their differences and similarities, both architectural and functional; on the other hand a comparison (...) with other churches in the Mediterranean basin shows that they belong to a particular type, whose origin may be found in certain funerary monuments at Rome and the regions under its influence. We consider the choice of this particular type of sanctuary, the place above all where the mystery of the Eucharist is performed simulating the Last Supper celebrated in the "stage piece" at Jerusalem. If the trefoil plan is derived from the funerary edifices where funerary banquets and repasts in honour of the martyrs were performed, it is equally related to the triconch triclinia of the wealthy residences found particularly in the western part of the Roman Empire. Lastly, the mosaic paving in the Antigoneia church, whose decoration reflects a theological preoccupation that also occurs in the murals and the pavements of other trefoil sanctuaries, suggests that the lateral apses probably had functions similar to those described by Saint Paulin of Nola. (shrink)

Moral perception is typically understood as moral properties perception, i.e., the perceptual registration of moral properties such as wrongness or dignity. In this article, I defend a view of moral perception as a process that involves imaginative apprehension of reality. It is meant as an adjustment to the dominant view of moral perception as moral properties perception and as an addition to existing Murdochian approaches to moral perception. The view I present here builds on Iris Murdoch’s moral psychology and holds (...) that moral perception is an imaginative exploration of the particularity of concrete objects of moral reality (e.g., persons, situations, and events), rather than a registration of moral properties. I argue that such imaginative apprehension includes direct and reflective uses of imagination and that this process grounds experiential moral knowledge that serves the ultimate role of moral perception: getting a better grip on concrete objects of moral reality. (shrink)

This paper outlines the rationale underpinning the conception of science education as sociopolitical action, and then presents a critique of such a conception from the perspective of liberal education. More specifically, the paper discusses the importance of the conception of science education as sociopolitical action and then raises questions about the content of school science, about the place and value of scientific inquiry, and about the opportunities students have for self-directed inquiry. The central idea behind the critique is that a (...) conception of science education as sociopolitical action downplays the importance of knowledge for its own sake and totally neglects the personal/aesthetic dimension of science. (shrink)

The work of Jacques Lacan is second only to Freud in its impact on psychoanalysis. Yannis Stavrakakis clearly examines Lacan's challenging views on time, history, language, alterity, desire and sexuality from a political standpoint. It is the first book to provide an overview of the social and political implications of Lacan's work as a whole for students coming to Lacan for the first time. The first part of _Lacan and the Political_ offers a straightforward and systematic assessment of the (...) importance of Lacan's categories and theoretical constructions for concrete political analysis. The second half of the book applies Lacanian theory to specific examples of widely discussed political issues, such as Green ideology, the question of democracy and the hegemony of advertising in contemporary culture. (shrink)

The word 'actually' often refers to what is in fact the case, but it also often points to what would have been the case in a possible situation that is being envisaged. To capture such nuances, the formal languages discussed in the paper add subscripts to modal operators; in the model theory the subscripts allow an actuality operator to turn the evaluation of a formula to a world introduced by a preceding possibility or necessity operator having the same subscript. The (...) paper covers both propositional and predicate logic and proves the completeness of axiomatizations that extend standard modal systems beginning with K. (shrink)

In this paper, I investigate a system of quantified modal logic, due in many respects to Bressan (see [2]), from several perspectives -- both semantic and proof-theoretic. As Anderson and Belnap note in [1]: "It seems to be generally conceded that formal systems are natural or substantial if they can be looked at from several points of view. We tend to think of systems as artificial or ad hoc if most of their formal properties arise from some one notational system (...) in terms of which they are described." My efforts in this paper will be in part to lend substantiality to the system in question. Several formulation of the system are given and proved equivalent in appropriate senses. Also, some comments are made concerning possible alternative formulations. (shrink)

Étude de trois « oursons » de la Crète occidentale conservés au musée de La Ganée. Les deux premiers proviennent de Lissos et le troisième d'une fouille fortuite à Souda. L'enquête iconographique et comparative a fait apparaître le caractère attique affirmé qui domine, surtout à la fin du ive et au début du ine s. av. J.-C., dans certaines sculptures de la région. Ils s'apparentent particulièrement aux oursons de Brauron, aux enfants de l'Asklépiéion de Sounion et du temple d'Hithyie, ainsi (...) qu'à certaines sculptures de Cyrène, ce qui renforce l'idée d'un contact étroit entre la Crète, Cyrène et Athènes, au ive s. av. J.-C. du moins. (shrink)

This article confronts two different evaluations of the narrative identity paradigm in order to examine the possibility of a minimal narrative, practical identity without excessive stress on psychic unity and moral wholeness. It consists of three sections. The first part explains the criticisms of Lippitt and Quinn. Both authors warn of the MacIntyrean narrative model's emphasis on psychic unity and moral wholeness and argue for an ethical thinking that is built around concepts of psychic disunity and moral openness. The second (...) section introduces thoughts of Korsgaard and Frankfurt as having one important intuition in common: both their insights express the idea that our identity conceptions are intimately connected with processes of practical and moral reasoning; the ways in which we see ourselves are significant for the ways in which we act. Their sort-like conclusions are linked to the insights of Kennett and Matthews, who argue with help of empirical research on Dissociative Identity Disorder and psychopathy that we should understand our practical identity conceptions narratively. The third and last section shows how the insights of the first and second sections can be brought together in a truthful vision of moral reasoning and the moral person. It argues for a more realistic perspective on morality without altogether banishing narrative thinking, centred on the concept of moral responsiveness. This results in the affirmation of a basal practical, narrative identity and the acceptance of qualities as improvisation and imagination in moral reasoning. (shrink)

The critique of the dominant image of thought bears important consequences for pedagogical theory and practice. I discuss how Deleuze can help us think about the role of the teacher, the teaching of thinking and the relationship between knowledge and learning. Reading Deleuze's Difference and Repetition as a treatise on thinking and its education, I argue that Deleuze's philosophy challenges and deepens our understanding of what teachers do, how pupils learn and how they learn to think. I show that Deleuze's (...) philosophy can contribute towards the articulation of sceptical but also creative pedagogical responses to the question of teaching, learning and thinking. (shrink)

There are two links that stand in the foreground of Deleuze’s treatment of Epicurus and Lucretius: the themes of immanent naturalism and of the externality of ontological relations. However, the links are problematised in Difference and Repetition, which presents an important critique of the concept of the atom. I will argue that this critique reveals the limits of the intellectual affinity between ancient atomism and Deleuzian metaphysics; in particular, that Deleuze’s notions of relationality and spatium respond to problems raised by (...) the relations between atoms and by the not-being of the atomists’ vacuum. In this sense, Deleuze’s treatment of atomism is significant because it makes clear Deleuze’s aim in shifting the mereological vocabulary from points to lines; it shows what, in Deleuze’s sense, it means to unfound and sets down the conditions for a successful Deleuzian critique of essentialist varieties of the metaphysics of structure. (shrink)

This study delves into the manifestation and characteristics of hate speech in the Greek online public sphere, specifically exploring its most prominent forms, namely racism, anti-immigrant sentiment, nationalism, sexism, and homophobia/transphobia. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the research analyzes popular Greek online news media. It aims to uncover the visibility and operational patterns of hate speech, addressing key questions about its prevalence and presentation on these platforms. Findings reveal the normalization of discriminatory speech, particularly sexism and nationalism, in the digital (...) landscape. Moreover, distinct themes and linguistic elements associated with different forms of hate speech highlight the intertwined nature of these discriminatory expressions. This research sheds light on the pervasive nature of hate speech in Greece’s online realm, emphasizing its implications for democratic principles. (shrink)

Sophie-Grace Chappell’s recent book Epiphanies is wide-ranging and illuminating, just like its central subject. One basic motif is the ubiquity of value and value expe- rience in the ethical life: we are immersed in a value-laden reality and morality is rooted in this often epiphanic value experience. This results in an emphasis on a broad receptiveness to the surrounding world. One possible pitfall of such an approach could be the reduction of human beings to ethically passive perceivers, waiting for epiphanies (...) to strike them. However, I think such a reading of Epiphanies would be incorrect. Chappell realizes how the ethical life entails more than just passive reception and contemplation; that both the passive and the active parts of the ethical life are important and related. In this article, I aim to avoid the suggested misreading by focussing on one phenomenon that is a good illustration of this interrelation and that is strongly related to epiphanies: creativity. (shrink)

Social ontology studies the nature and properties of social reality while social metaontology examines the relationship between ontology and the social sciences, which is often treated as a normative question. However, social sciences themselves contain ontological theses, raising the descriptive question of how these internal ontologies relate to the rest of the social sciences. This paper argues that important parts of sociology have an anti-foundationalist metaontology. This descriptive claim is used to build a normative argument against foundationalism and is supported (...) by examining the works of Durkheim and Weber and how their metaontological beliefs continue to influence many sociologists. (shrink)

An imaginative attitude: On metaphors, ethics and poetry In this article, I describe how moral understanding, moral philosophy, and poetry are connected through our use of the imagination. From insights of the pragmatic tradition, I derive the existence of an imaginative attitude that steers us towards imaginative moral interpretation and action. I show how such an attitude not only develops through our personal ethical experience but is also nurtured and shaped by poetry. Finally, I will argue that moral philosophy can (...) make use of this attitude to provide clear ethical theory and that it should stimulate its ethical development. (shrink)

This article focuses on two issues involved in the formation and political trajectory of populist representations within political antagonism. First, it explores the role of crisis in the articulation of populist discourse. This problematic is far from new within theories of populism but has recently taken a new turn. We thus purport to reconsider the way populism and crisis are related, mapping the different modalities this relation can take and advancing further their theorization from the point of view of a (...) discursive theory of the political, drawing primarily on the Essex School perspective initially developed by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Second, this will involve focusing on the antagonistic language games developed around populist representations, something that has not attracted equal attention. Highlighting the need to study anti-populism together with populism, focusing on their mutual constitution, we will test the ensuing theoretical framework in an analysis of SYRIZA, a recent and, as a result, under-researched example of egalitarian, inclusionary populism emerging within the European crisis landscape. (shrink)

Est publié, dans cet article, un nouveau décret d’Akraiphia en l’honneur des métèques de la cité qui ont participé à une guerre contre un Démétrios. Ce Démétrios doit être identifié avec le roi Démétrios Poliorcète et la guerre doit être datée de la période des révoltes des Béotiens contre Démétrios Poliorcète au début du iiie s. av. J.‑C. La cité accorde aux métèques le privilège d’isotélie.

Proxeny decrees and military catalogs found during the excavation of an early byzantine basilica at Agia Paraskévi in Chaeronea In this article are presented 5 proxeny decrees et 7 military catalogues of Chaeronea. These inscriptions were found by Georgios Sotiriadis in his excavation at the early byzantine of Agia Paraskévi in the south of Chaeronea. This publication was made possible thanks mostly to the photographs made by the epigraphist Michel Feyel at the end of the thirties. These inscriptions provide important (...) information about the foreign relationships of Chaernea, the prosopography, onomastics and demography of this city. (shrink)

Dans cet addendum est proposée une datation plus précise des trois catalogues militaires de Chéronée parus dans le BCH 131 (2007).

The author of the tablet Ar 4 from Chania cannot be connected with scribe 115 at Knossos. There is therefore no reason to suppose that the Linear Β tablets found in the ruins of the Palace of Minos were contemporary with the archives recenty discovered in the buildings of ancient Cydonia and that they thus date back to LM IIIB1. The kingship between the style of writing in the documents of scribe 115 of Knossos and that of tablet Ar 4 (...) from Chania depends on the fact that the ancestors of the LM IIIB1 scribes at Chania undoubtedly learned to write at the court of Knossos at the time when the Palace of Minos was in control of the territories of West Crète (1370 B.C.). Thus a tradition of writing arose that was inspired by the style of writing of scribe 115 at Knossos, one of the officiais in charge of the western possessions of Knossos, of which the author of the tablet Κ H Ar 4 was the last représentative. (shrink)

The aim of this essay is to consider the nature of the philosophical task and of the conditions of its possibility according to Parmenides and Plato. With these thinkers, the task of the philosopher necessitates a propaedeutic activity that makes the doing of philosophy possible; that is, both Parmenides and Plato identify the need for a philosophical education that would alleviate the obstacles that would make philosophy impossible to practise, ensuring and accounting for the possibility of philosophical practice. The impossibility (...) of philosophical practice concerns the philosopher’s claim and obligation to occupy a place (τόπος) from which to contemplate being. The problem becomes conspicuous, for the first time, in the first lines of the first fragment of the first text of pure ontology: in the proemium of Parmenides’ poem. I will argue that the proemium has a crucial philosophical function that binds it integrally to the argument of the poem. This function consists in the implementation of a philosophical propaedeutic that makes possible the articulation of the goddess’s critique. The need for a propaedeutic stems from the nature of the project that lies ahead, that is, the project of the youth’s education. Such education takes the form of the delimitation of the realm of the beings that νοῦς can concern itself with. (shrink)

This essay describes and evaluates the conception of mereological structure that underpins Deleuze’s account of ontogenesis in Difference and Repetition. A theory of mereology is a theory of composition: it asks what it is to be a part making a whole, what it is to be a whole collecting its parts; in short, in what the relation of making or composing consists. The locus classicus for modern mereology is the third of Husserl’s Logical Investigations (‘On the Theory of Wholes and (...) Parts’), which deduces the definitions, axioms and principles governing the relation of parthood and associated notions, such as wholeness, separation, simplicity and complexity. My question is this: what happens to these notions when they are no longer the terms of a ‘calculus of individuals’ and, instead, become the terms of a differential calculus of individuation? (shrink)