Computation, individuation, and the received view on representation

The ‘received view’ about computation is that all computations must involve representational content. Egan and Piccinini argue against the received view. In this paper, I focus on Egan’s arguments, claiming that they fall short of establishing that computations do not involve representational content. I provide positive arguments explaining why computation has to involve representational content, and how that representational content may be of any type (distal, broad, etc.). I also argue (contra Egan and Fodor) that there is no need for computational psychology to be individualistic. Finally, I draw out a number of consequences for computational individuation, proposing necessary conditions on computational identity and necessary and sufficient conditions on computational I/O equivalence of physical systems.     

Effects of the metals,Be, Fe,Cu and Al,on the mobility of immunoglobulin receptors

Summary Cap formation in mouse spleen cells induced by antiimmunoglobulin was inhibited by the metals Be, Fe, Cu and Al. Be was especially strong as an inhibitor of cap formation. It is suggested that these metals might change the mobility of the membrane and have some biological effects on the cross association of antigen receptors when B lymphocytes are attached by them.     

Hypotheses on the phylogeny of the Salientia,based on karyological data

Riassunto Lo studio cariologico di specie di Anuri appartenenti alle famiglie più primitive dell'ordine conduce a formulare le seguenti ipotesi: (1) Ascaphidae e Discoglossidae sono strettamente collegati fra loro, e si differenziano da quasi tutti gli altri Anuri; (2) i Pipidae africani e quelli americani sono molto diversi fra loro; (3) i Pelobatidae hanno varie affinità cariologiche con i Leptodactylidae, e questi con gli Anuri superiori prevalentemente arciferi; (4) i Microhylidae hanno rapporti cariologici con i Ranidae.     

Alhazen,Leonardo, and late-medieval speculation on the inversion of images in the eye

No one before Platter and Kepler proposed retinal reception of an inverted visual image. The dominant tradition in visual theory, especially that of Alhazen and his Western followers, subordinated the intra-ocular geometry of visual rays to the requirement for an upright image and to preconceptions about the precise nature of the visual spirit and its part in vision. Henry of Langenstein and an anonymous glossator in the late Middle Ages proposed alternatives to Alhazen, including the suggestion of double inversion of the image. Leonardo da Vinci was aware of both Alhazen's theory and Henry's contradiction, but perhaps not of the anonymous hypothesis of double inversion. Leonardo's visual ‘theory’ has more the character of a critique than of a theoretical alternative, and he did not transcend the medieval concept of visual spirit.     

The action of the cholecystokinin-A receptor antagonist,devazepide, on the digestive system of the chicken

The influence of the cholecystokinin (CCK)-A receptor antagonist, devazepide (DVZ), on the chicken digestive tract was investigated. The passage of food from the crops of birds treated with DVZ was not significantly different from that of the control. DVZ treatment did not inhibit the biliary flow stimulated by the CCK analogue, caerulein. Dispersed chicken pancreatic acini stimulated with CCK were treated with various concentrations of DVZ. At 10^–5 M, DVZ completely inhibited amylase release; this concentration was much higher than those reported to have similar effects in mammals. The results suggest that the action DVZ as a CCK antagonist in the chicken is very weak.     

Comparative studies on the action of the optical antipodes of the hypolipidaemic aryloxyalkanoic acid, CH 13 437, on liver enzymes of the rat

Zusammenfassung Die optischen Antipoden der hypolipidämisch wirkenden Substanz 2-Methyl-2-[p-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthyl)-phenoxya]-propionsäure (CH 13437) zeigen im Rattenversuch gleichstarke hypolipidämische Wirkung und gleichartige Aktivitsätsänderungen von Leberenzymen des Kohlenhydrat- und Lipidstoffwechsels.