到底路有多长--对干细胞移植治疗研究的一点思考

目前干细胞研究的争论主要集中于干细胞研究的过程和方式,诸如干细胞来源以及被提取干细胞的胚胎的权利与地位等伦理问题是争论的焦点所在,而对于研究的最终目的是治病而非克隆人则少有争议.然而在伦理问题等争论相对较小的干细胞应用研究领域,就应用于人的技术层面而言还有很多问题有待解决.安全性(safety)和有效性(efficacy)原则是目前公认的干细胞临床应用研究的基准.干细胞移植治疗最终应用于临床可能还有相当一段路程要走,无论是研究者还是伦理学家以及社会舆论和普通百姓在其中都应当并可以发挥积极的作用.     

The appeal to the christian tradition in the debate about embryonic stem cell research

This paper focuses on an argument that has been invoked in the stem cell debate: appeal to the Christian tradition. Bishop Richard Harries has put forward the claim that the Christian tradition offers precedent that would give ethical justification for experimenting on human embryos. In contrast, Pope John Paul II claimed that the tradition unwaveringly supported the protection of the human embryo from deliberate harm. In favour of Pope John Paul's reading of the Christian tradition is the fact that Christianity was notable from the outset for its wholehearted opposition to abortion. Bishop Harries can point to three elements in the tradition that seem to qualify the absolute prohibition on abortion: (1) variable penalties for abortion; (2) belief in delayed ensoulment; and (3) abortion to save the mother's life. Nevertheless, detailed consideration of the tradition shows that these apparent qualifications do not provide precedent for destructive experiments on human embryos.     

Bioterrorism,embryonic stem cells,and Frankenstein

The stem cell controversy raises a fundamental question for humankind. Does science have a right to pursue knowledge whatever the cost? Our Enlightenment culture says yes. However, human history and literature are sending warning signals. Ethical issues impact the "knowledge for its own sake" imperative, and must be addressed.     

Back to the basics: Rethinking partial correlation network methodology

The Gaussian graphical model (GGM) is an increasingly popular technique used in psychology to characterize relationships among observed variables. These relationships are represented as elements in the precision matrix. Standardizing the precision matrix and reversing the sign yields corresponding partial correlations that imply pairwise dependencies in which the effects of all other variables have been controlled for. The graphical lasso (glasso) has emerged as the default estimation method, which uses ℓ₁-based regularization. The glasso was developed and optimized for high-dimensional settings where the number of variables (p) exceeds the number of observations (n), which is uncommon in psychological applications. Here we propose to go ‘back to the basics’, wherein the precision matrix is first estimated with non-regularized maximum likelihood and then Fisher Z transformed confidence intervals are used to determine non-zero relationships. We first show the exact correspondence between the confidence level and specificity, which is due to 1 minus specificity denoting the false positive rate (i.e., α). With simulations in low-dimensional settings (p ≪ n), we then demonstrate superior performance compared to the glasso for detecting the non-zero effects. Further, our results indicate that the glasso is inconsistent for the purpose of model selection and does not control the false discovery rate, whereas the proposed method converges on the true model and directly controls error rates. We end by discussing implications for estimating GGMs in psychology.     

Structural equation modeling: reviewing the basics and moving forward

This tutorial begins with an overview of structural equation modeling (SEM) that includes the purpose and goals of the statistical analysis as well as terminology unique to this technique. I will focus on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), a special type of SEM. After a general introduction, CFA is differentiated from exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the advantages of CFA techniques are discussed. Following a brief overview, the process of modeling will be discussed and illustrated with an example using data from a HIV risk behavior evaluation of homeless adults (Stein & Nyamathi, 2000). Techniques for analysis of nonnormally distributed data as well as strategies for model modification are shown. The empirical example examines the structure of drug and alcohol use problem scales. Although these scales are not specific personality constructs, the concepts illustrated in this article directly correspond to those found when analyzing personality scales and inventories. Computer program syntax and output for the empirical example from a popular SEM program (EQS 6.1; Bentler, 2001) are included.     

中欧非政治公共领域的文化基础之比较

非政治公共领域的性质决定了它对构建中国实现现代化的良性结构性基础具有重要意义和价值.那么,如何促进非政治公共领域的健康生长和发育呢?它的关键元素是什么?通过对中欧各自的历史文化、文明进程与非政治公共领域生存发展的态势之比较,揭示了平等、自治、权利、契约、民主、正义等文明因子正是非政治公共领域图存发展的关键元素.它旨在强调中国欲要促进非政治公共领域的蓬勃发展和构建中国社会的良性结构性基础,则需借鉴欧洲经验,重在打造具有这些文明因子的新型文化体系.     

"山家"辨

宋朝初年天台宗内发生了一场被称为"山家山外之争"的论辩,在这场论争之后,"山家"一称逐渐成为天台宗正统的代名词,而"山外"则成为针对非正统天台僧的贬称。本文主要从义学之辩、义学与忏法之争、教行统一三个方面,揭示出天台宗正统的确立不仅仅是义学之争的结果,还与天台宗人认可的宗门标准——"教行统一"这一宗旨紧密相关。