An Eliminativist Approach to Vulnerability

The concept of vulnerability has been subject to numerous different interpretations but accounts are still beset with significant problems as to their adequacy, such as their contentious application or the lack of genuine explanatory role for the concept. The constant failure to provide a compelling conceptual analysis and satisfactory definition leaves the concept open to an eliminativist move whereby we can question whether we need the concept at all. I highlight problems with various kinds of approach and explain why a satisfactory account of vulnerability is unlikely ever to be offered if we wish the concept to play a genuinely explanatory role in bioethical contexts. I outline why an eliminativist position should be taken with regard to this concept in light of these concerns but mitigate some of the severity of this position by arguing that we can still make sense of retaining our widespread use of the term by viewing it as nothing more than a useful pragmatic linguistic device that acts as a marker to draw attention to certain kinds of issue. These issues will be entirely governed by other, better understood ethical concepts and theories.     

Combined effect of divergent selection for breast muscle ultimate pH and dietary amino acids on chicken performance,physical activity and meat quality

Responses to changes in dietary Lys and other essential amino acid (AA) concentrations were evaluated in 480 male and female broilers originating from two lines divergently selected for high (pHu+) or low (pHu−) ultimate pH (pHu) of breast muscle. The two genetic lines were fed with two grower isoenergetic diets differing in both true digestible Lys (control=10.2 g/kg and experimental=7.0 g/kg) and amounts of other essential AA calculated in relation to Lys, which were sufficient for the control diet or in excess for the experimental diet. There were six repetitions per treatment. Birds were weighed individually at days 0, 21, 28 and 43. Feed consumption was recorded per pen and feed conversion was calculated over the growing period. The physical activity and walking ability of broilers were recorded during the whole rearing period. Breast and leg yield, and abdominal fat percentage were measured at 43 days of age, as were pHu, color, drip and cooking loss, Warner–Bratzler shear force, and curing-cooking yield of the breast Pectoralis major and pHu of the thigh Sartorius muscle. Divergent selection greatly affected most breast meat quality traits without significantly changing growth rate or feed efficiency. When subjected to a variation in dietary intake of AA, birds from the two genotypes responded in a similar way in terms of animal’s growth, feed efficiency, body composition and meat quality traits. Although line and diet did not affect physical or feeding activities of the broilers, a significant effect of line-by-diet interaction was observed on gait score. Contrary to the pHu− birds, the walking ability of pHu+ birds was impaired when fed the control diet that favored growth and breast muscle development and limited storage of carbohydrate in muscle.     

温带半干旱地区不同管理水平下草坪杂草发生特征的比较研究

2000～2002年对呼和浩特地区不同草坪的杂草种类组成及其危害进行了调查,发现在3个不同管理水平的草坪中共出现80种杂草植物,其中管理水平较差、中等、较好的草坪分别有67种、37种和36种杂草,以菊科、豆科、禾本科植物占优势,不同草坪杂草群落的生活型谱有明显差异.根据危害度指数把草坪杂草分为极度、重度、中度、轻度、弱度危害5个等级,极度和重度危害杂草在管理水平较差、中等、较好的草坪中的种类比例分别为11.95%、21.63%和22.22%;在管理水平较差草坪中,极度危害杂草是早开堇菜和止血马唐,春季和秋季以早开堇菜的危害为主,夏季以止血马唐为主;在管理水平中等草坪中,极度危害杂草是赖草和止血马唐,赖草的高危害期在春秋季节,夏季以止血马唐为主要危害杂草;在管理水平较好的草坪中,极度危害杂草是鼠掌老鹳草、鹅绒委陵菜、赖草、欧亚旋复花,其中鼠掌老鹳草的危害度在整个生长季中占绝对优势.     

Integrating the Multiple Biological Causes of Human Behavior

I introduce a range of examples of different causal hypotheses about human mate selection. The hypotheses I focus on come from evolutionary psychology, fluctuating asymmetry research and chemical signaling research. I argue that a major obstacle facing an integrated biology of human behavior is the lack of a causal framework that shows how multiple proximate causal mechanisms can act together to produce components of our behavior.     

Against Harmful Research on Non‐Agreeing Children

The Code of Federal Regulations permits harmful research on children who have not agreed to participate, but I will argue that it should be no more permissive of harmful research on such children than of harmful research on adults who have not agreed to participate. Of course, the Code permits harmful research on adults. Such research is not morally problematic, however, because adults must agree to participate. And, of course, the Code also permits beneficial research on children without needing their explicit agreement. This sort of research is also not problematic, this time because paternalism towards children may be justifiable. The moral problem at the center of this paper arises from the combination of two potential properties of pediatric research, first that it might be harmful and second that its subjects might not agree to participate. In Section 2 of this article I explain how the Code permits harmful research on non‐agreeing children. Section 3 contains my argument that we should no more permit harmful research on non‐agreeing children than on non‐agreeing adults. In Section 4, I argue that my thesis does not presuppose that pediatric assent has the same moral force that adult consent does. In Section 5, I argue that the distinction between non‐voluntary and involuntary research is irrelevant to my thesis. In Section 6, I rebut an objection based on the power of parental permission. In Section 7 I suggest how the Code of Federal Regulations might be changed.     

The levels of analysis revisited

The term levels of analysis has been used in several ways: to distinguish between ultimate and proximate levels, to categorize different kinds of research questions and to differentiate levels of reductionism. Because questions regarding ultimate function and proximate mechanisms are logically distinct, I suggest that distinguishing between these two levels is the best use of the term. Integrating across levels in research has potential risks, but many benefits. Consideration at one level can help generate novel hypotheses at the other, define categories of behaviour and set criteria that must be addressed. Taking an adaptationist stance thus strengthens research on proximate mechanisms. Similarly, it is critical for researchers studying adaptation and function to have detailed knowledge of proximate mechanisms that may constrain or modulate evolutionary processes. Despite the benefits of integrating across ultimate and proximate levels, failure to clearly identify levels of analysis, and whether or not hypotheses are exclusive alternatives, can create false debates. Such non-alternative hypotheses may occur between or within levels, and are not limited to integrative approaches. In this review, I survey different uses of the term levels of analysis and the benefits of integration, and highlight examples of false debate within and between levels. The best integrative biology reciprocally uses ultimate and proximate hypotheses to generate a more complete understanding of behaviour.     

栽培菊花与菊属-近缘属属间杂种杂交后代耐盐性的遗传分析

为了解菊花近缘种属植物耐盐性的遗传规律,对栽培菊花与菊属-近缘属属间杂种杂交后代耐盐性进行了遗传分析。以栽培菊花'韩2’为母本,大岛野路菊×芙蓉菊属间杂种为父本进行杂交,以盐害指数作为指标,通过水培法对获得的F₁群体进行耐盐性鉴定,并应用植物数量性状主基因+多基因混合遗传模型,采用单个F₂世代的分离分析方法对F₁群体耐盐性进行混合遗传分析。结果发现:F₁群体的耐盐性出现广泛分离,变异系数达53.63%,盐害指数的变异范围为3.33%-96.67%;中亲优势为2.47,未达到显著水平;将后代的耐盐性分为5个级别,其中高耐的占14.52%,耐盐的占38.70%,中耐的占30.65%,敏盐的占9.68%,高敏的占6.45%。F₁群体的耐盐性符合B-2模型,由两个主效基因控制,加性效应均表现正向增效,分别为18.06和19.13,显性效应表现负向效应,分别为-17.99和-1.44,主基因遗传率为61.14%,属高度遗传力。综合分析表明:菊花近缘种属植物耐盐性可通过杂交导入栽培菊花,实现栽培菊花耐盐性遗传改良;菊花近缘种属植物盐害指数受两对主基因的控制,主基因在F₁群体的遗传率属高度遗传力,耐盐性选育可在早期世代进行。     

二斑叶螨危害对棉花应激防御酶活性的影响

探明二斑叶螨取食对棉花叶片内应激防御性酶活性的影响。在棉苗5-6叶期接种不同数量(10-40头)的二斑叶螨雌成虫,取食1-4 d后采摘不同处理的叶片,利用分光光度计测定过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)、多酚氧化酶(PPO)、脂氧合酶(LOX)和苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)活性。结果表明二斑叶螨取食后,棉花叶片CAT活性显著升高,且随诱导时间的延长其活性变化呈先上升后下降的趋势,为害3 d时,10、20、H(每株接棉蚜跟叶螨各40头)头/叶的CAT活性达到最高峰,显著高于对照(P0.05);POD、PAL活性也随诱导时间的延长和螨口数量的增加呈上升趋势,为害4 d时达到最高峰;而PPO、LOX活性随着时间的增加呈现上升后下降趋势,且为害2 d时达到最高峰,仍显著高于对照(P0.05)。棉叶应激防御酶活性随着二斑叶螨为害时间与螨口密度的增加而增加,表明二斑叶螨的危害胁迫能诱导寄主植物产生一系列应激生化反应,不同的酶活性表现有所不同。     

具有时滞的微分方程解的振动与非振动

本文主要考虑了具有时滞的微分方程（记作（A）．在文章的第一部分,主要研究了系统（A）的一致持久性,（A）的满足条件（0．4）的解的一致有界和一致最终有界;在第二部分主要研究了界的振动与非振动性。