A total of 944 expressed sequence tags generated 2212 EST loci mapped to homoeologous group 1 chromosomes in hexaploid wheat. EST deletion maps and the consensus map of group 1 chromosomes were constructed to show EST distribution. EST loci were unevenly distributed among chromosomes 1A, 1B, and ID with 660, 826, and 726, respectively. The number of EST loci was greater on the long arms than on the short arms for all three chromosomes. The distribution of ESTs along chromosome arms (...) was nonrandom with EST clusters occurring in the distal regions of short arms and middle regions of long arms. Duplications of group 1 ESTs in other homoeologous groups occurred at a rate of 35.5%. Seventy-five percent of wheat chromosome 1 ESTs had significant matches with rice sequences, where large regions of conservation occurred between wheat consensus chromosome 1 and rice chromosome 5 and between the proximal portion of the long arm of wheat consensus chromosome 1 and rice chromosome 10. Only 9.5% of group 1 ESTs showed significant matches to Arabidopsis genome sequences. The results presented are useful for gene mapping and evolutionary and comparative genomics of grasses. (shrink)

The introduction of novel diagnostic techniques in clinical domains such as genomics and radiology has led to a rich ethical debate on how to handle unsolicited findings that result from these innovations. Yet while unsolicited findings arise in both genomics and radiology, most of the relevant literature to date has tended to focus on only one of these domains. In this article, we synthesize and critically assess similarities and differences between “scanning the body” and “sequencing the genome” from an ethical (...) perspective. After briefly describing the novel diagnostic contexts leading to unsolicited findings, we synthesize and reflect on six core ethical issues that relate to both specialties: terminology; benefits and risks; autonomy; disclosure of unsolicited findings to children; uncertainty; and filters and routine screening. We identify ethical rationales that pertain to both fields and may contribute to more ethically sound policies. Considerations of preserving public trust and ensuring that people perceive healthcare policies as fair also support the need for a combined debate. (shrink)

This collection of essays is the definitive version of a widely discussed debate over the origins of the New Theory of Reference. In new articles, written especially for this volume, Quentin Smith and Scott Soames, the original participants in the debate, elaborate their positions on who was responsible for the ideas that Saul Kripke presented in his Naming and Necessity. They are joined by John Burgess, who weighs in on the side of Soames, while Smith adds a further dimension in (...) discussing the contributions of philosophers such as Follesdal, Geach, Hintikka, and Plantinga. Also included are lengthy excerpts from Follesdal's 1961 Harvard dissertation and a careful examination by Sten Lindstrom of the respective contributions of Kripke and Stig Kanger to the development of modal semantics. The collection will be essential reading for anyone acquainted with these influential ideas. (shrink)

The Reverend Hozen Seki, President of the American Buddhist Academy, says in his two-page preface that this book is the result of the transcription of five lectures given by Suzuki in the New York Buddhist Church in 1958. It is a detailing of Suzuki's own personal view of what Shin Buddhism is. This is the system that stems from the Japanese saint Shinran of the thirteenth century who was a follower of Honen, the founder of the Pure Land doctrine in (...) Japan. The aim of the book is not to trace down the background of the Pure Land teaching in India, nor is it to present Shinran's teaching as is. Rather, it is an expression of Suzuki's own insights into the Pure Land teaching.--P. J. H. (shrink)

This is a very good translation of the Bhagavad Gïtä, Song of the Lord, a highly revered text for Hindus upon which the great teachers of Vedanta, Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva, have written commentaries. Thus, it is a source text which in this well-arranged paperback edition is a good buy. Eleven terms are left in the Sanskrit and are defined in the introduction, which includes other introductory notes. At the end are thirty-four pages of essays on the Nature of Karma (...) Yoga, the Meta-Theological Structure, the Value of Ceremonial Religion, and Freedom and Determinism. The essays are not overly technical and thus are readable by all, making this an excellent edition for the classroom and for those who want an introduction to Hindu religion, or Indian culture.--P. J. H. (shrink)

This is a well-written analysis of the interpreters and interpretations of the Buddhist nirvana from the West. The first chapter treats the West's encounters with Buddhism before 1800, Marco Polo, etc. The remainder of the book deals with the interpretations of nirvana by Eugène Burnouf, Friedrich Max Müller, James D'Alwis, Robert Caesar Childres, Schopenhauer, Wagner, Nietzsche, Hermann Oldenberg, the Rhys Davidses, La Vallée Poussin, and Stcherbatsky. The author's own opinion is given in a few pages at the end of the (...) book; however, his opinion is not so much an exposition of nirvana but a short essay on the methodology of a study of nirvana. He quotes Richard Robinson to bring home his point that this long array of scholars could not forsake their cultural bias and that one needs therefore to approach non-Western ideas from the inside of a non-Western culture. Welbon's intention is to present an outline of the history of Western discussions on the meaning of the Buddhist nirvana. His research is thorough; his presentation is clear; this is a chronicle of heroic but club-footed attempts to learn about a non-Western idea. The book should be read by all aspiring Buddhologists, for it will convince them of the absolute necessity of learning the language of a Buddhist culture and of searching out qualified native informants. Its value for non-Buddhologists is not to learn more about nirvana but to learn the history of this burgeoning study. Welbon has admirably succeeded in his aim; he has concisely presented Western opinion on nirvana up to World War II.--P. J. H. (shrink)

This book is an explication of a Westerner's understanding of Buddhism. Though the section headings, "Basic Buddhism," "Deeper Truths of Buddhism," and "Zen Buddhism" might suggest that the author is seeking to explain Buddhism on its own grounds, the author has not intended such. He is seeking to make Buddhism available to Westerners through explaining his own acceptance of the Buddhist way. Thus his book explains no particular school within Buddhism and is not very helpful as a key to Buddhism (...) as it is and was in Asia. Rather it is the culmination of a life's study of the subject and a personal confession of the author's own beliefs. The book is interspersed with ten poems written by the author called "Suffering," "Deck Chair, Brighton," "When I am Dead," "Youth in Age," "We Live in Boxes," "In Search of Nothing," "Rootless Thought," "Beyond," "Jijimuge," and "The Void is Full." The book is best suited for those whose interest in Buddhism is very light and who would prefer to read about a westerner's Buddhism.--P. J. H. (shrink)

This is an explanation of the New Nyäya system of Indian logic. The first two chapters are an introduction to the main topics of Navya-nyäya logic, relations, absence, definition, inference, quantifiers and limitors, accident, and the theory of pervasion. Following are the text, transliteration, translation, and commentary of Anumitinirüpana and Vyäptiväda by Gangeäopädhyäya. Its audience is strictly limited to those who are profoundly interested in and acquainted with logical theory. The style is lucid and will provide interesting insights for the (...) professional: however, knowledge of Sanskrit is not required. For those who are familiar with the symbols of mathematical logic, symbolic interpretations are given from time to time.--P. J. H. (shrink)

This study, under the title of an explanation of the New Nyäya views on negation, deals with the Navya-nyäya as a whole. The peculiarity of their theory of negation is that one can see the absence of an object in a given place. It includes the Sanskrit texts and translations of the Abhäva-väda of Gangesa and the Nañ-väda of Raghunätha. Though written for both Sanskritists and philosophers, the frequent use of Sanskrit terms almost requires that the reader be a Sanskritist--though (...) by keeping in mind the translations, previously given, it could be valuable. This is not an exposition of logic for beginners, but an exposition for scholars of a particular system. Renditions into modern logic are given throughout. Chapter headings include: On Cognition; The Content of Cognition and the Meaning Problem; On Relation; The Counterpositive of an Absence; The Ontological Status of Content-ness; The Relational Adjuncts; The Limitors and Quantificational Logic; Circularity; On Negation.--P. J. H. (shrink)

These are the first two of a series of three volumes on Buddhism in modern China; the first deals with the system and institutions of modern Chinese Buddhism, the second with its history. The third volume which is yet to be published will deal with Buddhism in China under the communists. The books are amazingly well written; they show excellent research, much of which was in interviewing monks who had escaped from China. The presentation is well ordered, and the author's (...) style makes even what one would think was uninteresting fascinating. His own divisions best explain what the volumes contain. The first is divided into two parts, Monastic Institutions and the Individual Buddhist. The first part contains chapters on the people of the monastery, the meditation hall, the Buddha recitation hall, observance of the rules, hereditary and branch temples, the abbot, rites for the dead, and the economy of monasteries. The second part on the Individual Buddhist contains chapters on entering the sangha, the monastic career, the lay Buddhist, and the nature of the system. His account shows, contrary to the usual view, that Chinese Buddhism up to the time of communist take-over was still a vibrantly practiced religion. The second volume takes up the problem of the so-called revival of Buddhism in China beginning around the turn of the century. The chapter headings are: the beginnings of the revival, the struggle for national leadership, T'ai-hsü, the lay Buddhist movement, building and publishing, Buddhist education, social action by the sangha, sangha and state, foreign contacts, sects and dissension, Christian stereotypes and Buddhist realities, the meaning of the revival, and a postscript. The "revival" is shown to be mainly a lay movement and a reaction to political pressures which probably would have brought about the diminishment of Buddhism in China even if the communists had not taken over. As with the first volume there is here very little explanation of Buddhist doctrine which the author considered to be beyond the scope of the book. Both volumes warrant repeating that the author researched his topic thoroughly and then wrote his story in excellent prose. Highly recommended.--P. J. H. (shrink)

This is an annotated translation of the "King Dohäs," a work by the Indian Tantric sage Saraha. It is sub-titled "A Study in the History of Buddhist Thought." The first part is commentary by the translator on "The Tradition about Saraha and His Works," "The Teaching of the Dohäs," and "Existence versus Essence." The second part is the song itself, only nine pages. The third part is two commentaries, one by the Nepalese scholar sKye-med bde-chen and the other by the (...) Tibetan Lama Karma Phrin-las-pa. The original texts are not given though two sample pages are given for the sake of satisfying curiosity about the form of the books, etc. Because the translation is interspersed with terms taken from modern existential philosophy, the average reader and even the Buddhist scholar will have difficulty with the work. It is best suited for someone who is familiar with existential works and who would like to see the terminology applied to Buddhism.--P. J. H. (shrink)

This book contains forty-three plates, eleven in color, of deities, lamas, etc. associated with Tibetan Buddhism. Depending on many secondary sources, the author presents a short history of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism in order to prove his theory that the already aggressive Tibetans became more aggressive when the peaceful religion of Buddhism was introduced into their country. The audience of the book is limited because of the author's lack of first-hand material; the book is more a compendium of tales of (...) aggression gleaned from many secondary sources of one side of a culture than it is an exposition of Tibetan Tantra. Because it does not treat the still intact practice of Tibetan Tantrism in its authorized form, it is of little interest to those devoted to religious study or to Buddhist or eastern scholarship.--P. J. H. (shrink)

Even though this book is not a general introduction to Buddhism, it does contain some articles which are of interest to the general reader. The book is a compilation of articles that the author wrote over thirty years of scholarship in Buddhism. The chapter on The Prajñäpäräitä-hrdaya Sutra is strictly limited to scholars of Sanskrit; for it is a presentation not only of just the text in Sanskrit but also of a commentary which relies heavily on Sanskrit. The three chapters (...) on recent progress in Buddhist studies, Buddhist philosophy and its European parallels, and spurious parallels to Buddhist philosophy are excellent indicators of the state of Buddhist studies in the West. Three chapters are primarily translations: The Meditation on Death, The Lotus of the Good Law; On Plants; and The Perfection of Wisdom in Seven Hundred Lines. Where the translator gives his own commentary it is interesting to see how he admittedly has interpreted the teachings for a Western audience, including himself. Other chapters include: Buddhist saviors, Mahayana Buddhism, The Development of Prajñäpäramitä Thought, The Composition of the Astasähasrikä Prajñäpäramitä, Hate, Love and Perfect Wisdom, and the Iconography of the Prajñäpäräitä. Some of the chapters are strictly limited to scholars who have already done work in the field; the others require at least an introductory knowledge of Buddhism to be very fruitful. The subjects reflect the author's monumental work on the wisdom treatises of Mahayana Buddhism.--P. J. H. (shrink)

We explored the possibility of a general brightness bias: brighter pictures are evaluated more positively, while darker pictures are evaluated more negatively. In Study 1 we found that positive pictures are brighter than negative pictures in two affective picture databases (the IAPS and the GAPED). Study 2 revealed that because researchers select affective pictures on the extremity of their affective rating without controlling for brightness differences, pictures used in positive conditions of experiments were on average brighter than those used in (...) negative conditions. Going beyond correlational support for our hypothesis, Studies 3 and 4 showed that brighter versions of neutral pictures were evaluated more positively than darker versions of the same picture. Study 5 revealed that people categorised positive words more quickly than negative words after a bright picture prime, and vice versa for negative pictures. Together, these studies provide strong support for the hypotheses that picture brightness influences evaluations. (shrink)