A popular notion in many religions is that less pious individuals are also less moral. We sought to test the self‐described moral values of religious and nonreligious individuals under the framework ...of Moral Foundations Theory. In Study 1, we found that atheists differ from Christians in some moral domains. We also found evidence that Christians’ self‐ratings are consistently lower than what they perceive to be the moral values of other Christians. This finding contradicts previous findings that suggest that Christians may inflate their positive characteristics relative to their peers in other domains. In Studies 2 and 3, we tested several alternative explanations for this finding. Preliminary evidence suggests that Christians rate their moral values lower in comparison to Christian exemplars such as religious leaders, and not from a sense of humility. In contrast, atheists may not have exemplars for such a comparison.
Summit (Msum=maximum thermoregulatory metabolic rate) and maximum (MMR=maximum exercise metabolic rate) metabolic rates both increase in response to acute cold or exercise training in birds. Because ...lipids are the main fuel supporting both thermogenesis and exercise in birds, adjustments to lipid transport and catabolic capacities may support elevated energy demands from cold and exercise training. To examine a potential mechanistic role for lipid transport and catabolism in organismal cross-training effects (exercise effects on both exercise and thermogenesis, and vice versa), we measured enzyme activities and mRNA and protein expression in pectoralis muscle for several key steps of lipid transport and catabolism pathways in house sparrows, Passer domesticus, during acute exercise and cold training. Both training protocols elevated pectoralis protein levels of fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36), cytosolic fatty acid binding protein, and citrate synthase (CS) activity. However, mRNA expression of FAT/CD36 and both mRNA and protein expression of plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein did not change for either training group. CS activities in supracoracoideus, leg and heart; and carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) and β-hydroxyacyl CoA-dehydrogenase activities in all muscles did not vary significantly with either training protocol. Both Msum and MMR were significantly positively correlated with CPT and CS activities. These data suggest that upregulation of trans-sarcolemmal and intramyocyte lipid transport capacities and cellular metabolic intensities, along with previously documented increases in body and pectoralis muscle masses and pectoralis myostatin (a muscle growth inhibitor) levels, are common mechanisms underlying the training effects of both exercise and shivering in birds.
We apply a new, formal measure of Doppler tolerance to frequency-hopping waveforms made from Costas arrays and Sudoku-based permutations. We first give a combinatorial structure theorem for Sudoku ...permutations that facilitates waveform analysis. We form statistical profiles of Doppler tolerance envelopes computed from thresholding narrowband ambiguity functions of these waveforms and compare against those from randomly-chosen permutations. As functions of temporal offsets, the statistical profiles indicate a wide range of Doppler tolerance, suggesting that permutation adaptivity is a worthwhile degree of freedom to exploit for moving target indication in frequency-challenged environments. We find that Sudoku-based waveforms behave much like randomly-chosen permutations with respect to Doppler tolerance.
Objective
Cognitive decline occurs in multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Shared underlying mechanisms may exist and manifest as ...shared biomarker signatures. Previously, we nominated plasma epidermal growth factor (EGF) as a biomarker predicting cognitive decline in patients with established PD. Here, we investigate EGF as a predictive biomarker in prodromal PD, as well as AD.
Methods
A cohort of PD patients (n = 236) was recruited to replicate our finding that low baseline EGF levels predict future cognitive decline. Additionally, plasma EGF and cognitive outcome measures were obtained from individuals with normal cognition (NC, n = 58), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (AD‐MCI, n = 396), and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 112) in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort to investigate whether low EGF levels correlate with cognitive status and outcome in AD‐MCI and AD. Third, plasma EGF and cognitive measures were evaluated in the high‐risk asymptomatic Parkinson's Associated Risk Study (PARS) cohort (n = 165) to investigate the association of EGF and cognitive performance in a PD prodromal context.
Results
In both PD and AD‐MCI, low baseline plasma EGF predicted poorer long‐term cognitive outcomes. In asymptomatic individuals at highest risk for developing PD from the PARS cohort, low baseline plasma EGF associated with poorer performance in the visuospatial domain but not in other cognitive domains.
Interpretation
Low plasma EGF at baseline predicts cognitive decline in both AD and PD. Evidence for this signal may exist in prodromal stages of both diseases.
A subset of patients with melanoma present in rare and unique clinical circumstances requiring specific considerations with respect to diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Herein, we present our ...review of patients with: (1) primary mucosal melanoma of the head and neck, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts; (2) primary melanoma of the eye; (3) desmoplastic melanoma; (4) subungual melanoma; (5) melanoma in special populations: children, nonwhites, as well as a discussion of familial melanoma.
The Endurance Rocket Mission Collinson, Glyn; Glocer, Alex; Pfaff, Rob ...
Space science reviews,
08/2022, Letnik:
218, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
NASA’s
Endurance
sounding rocket (yard No. 47.001) will launch from Ny Ålesund, Svalbard in May 2022 on a solid fueled Oriole III-A launch vehicle. Its
∼
19
minute flight will carry it to an altitude ...of
∼
780
km
above Earth’s sunlit polar cap. Its objective is to make the first measurement of the weak “ambipolar” electric field generated by Earth’s ionosphere. This field is thought to play a critical role in the upwelling and escape of ionospheric ions, and thus potentially in the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere. The results will enable us to determine the importance to ion escape of this previously unmeasured fundamental property of our planet, which will aid in a better understanding of what makes Earth habitable.
Endurance
will carry six science instruments (with 16 sensors) that will measure the total electrical potential drop below the spacecraft, and the physical parameters required to understand the physics of what generates the ambipolar field. The mission will be supported by simultaneous observations of solar and geomagnetic activity.
The Endurance Rocket Mission Collinson, Glyn; Glocer, Alex; Pfaff, Rob ...
Space science reviews,
08/2022, Letnik:
218, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
NASA’s Endurance sounding rocket (yard No. 47.001) will launch from Ny Ålesund, Svalbard in May 2022 on a solid fueled Oriole III-A launch vehicle. Its ∼19 minute flight will carry it to an altitude ...of ∼780km above Earth’s sunlit polar cap. Its objective is to make the first measurement of the weak “ambipolar” electric field generated by Earth’s ionosphere. This field is thought to play a critical role in the upwelling and escape of ionospheric ions, and thus potentially in the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere. The results will enable us to determine the importance to ion escape of this previously unmeasured fundamental property of our planet, which will aid in a better understanding of what makes Earth habitable. Endurance will carry six science instruments (with 16 sensors) that will measure the total electrical potential drop below the spacecraft, and the physical parameters required to understand the physics of what generates the ambipolar field. The mission will be supported by simultaneous observations of solar and geomagnetic activity.
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) went extinct in the wild when the last 18 known ferrets were captured for a captive-breeding program. Following the success of the captive-breeding program, ...146 genetically nonessential ferrets were released at the Conata Basin, South Dakota, from 1996 to 1999. We conducted a genetic analysis of the Conata Basin black-footed ferret population from 2001 to 2003 to determine if genetic variation had been lost since the cessation of reintroductions and if demographic- and genetic-based estimates of effective population size (Ne) accurately predicted observed levels of heterozygosity. We used DNA from wild-born kits (n = 254) in the Conata Basin population (2001–2003) to calculate current genetic diversity levels. Both allelic diversity (A = 2, both subpopulations) and mean heterozygosity were low for both subpopulations—0.39 ± 0.12 SE in Agate-Sage Creek and 0.39 ± 0.16 SE in Heck Table—but not significantly different from estimates made in 1999. We found no significant difference between observed and expected heterozygosity levels. Demographic-based estimates of Ne were an order of magnitude higher than genetic-based estimates of Ne, but the 2 estimates provide a range of Ne values for the population. This study shows that the Conata Basin ferret population is able to maintain its genetic diversity over time despite its population history.
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