Trait openness and agreeableness are related to a left-leaning political orientation but are negatively related to the endorsement of totalitarian ideals

Although relationships between temperament and political orientation are well established [1-2], it is unclear whether they are moderated by opinions on how we should execute our political ambitions, with or without regard to individual liberty. We examined whether prior relationships between personality and political orientation are replicated using a short-form measure of the Big Five, and whether the extent of these relationships differ when including the endorsement of totalitarian ideals in the same model. We also examined whether self-reported dominance was related to the endorsement of totalitarian ideals, which may develop recent theorizing on the role of agentic personality traits in alliance politics and leadership emergence. [1] Gerber et al. (2010). Am Political Sci Rev, 104, 111-133. [2] Hirsh et al. (2010). Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 36, 655-664 [3] Watkins (2018). In Facial Displays of Leaders (Chapter). [4] van Vugt & Grabo (2015). Curr Dir Psychol Sci, 24, 484-489. [5] Judge & Bono (2000). J Appl Psychol, 85, 751-765

Enhancing space transportation: The NASA program to develop electric propulsion

The NASA Office of Aeronautics, Exploration, and Technology (OAET) supports a research and technology (R and T) program in electric propulsion to provide the basis for increased performance and life of electric thruster systems which can have a major impact on space system performance, including orbital transfer, stationkeeping, and planetary exploration. The program is oriented toward providing high-performance options that will be applicable to a broad range of near-term and far-term missions and vehicles. The program, which is being conducted through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Lewis Research Center (LeRC) includes research on resistojet, arcjets, ion engines, magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters, and electrodeless thrusters. Planning is also under way for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) as part of the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI)

HPV Awareness, Knowledge and Attitudes among Older African-American Women

Objective: To assess correlates of human papillomavirus (HPV) awareness, knowledge, and attitudes among older, church-going African-American women.ﾠMethods: Participants (N = 759), aged 40-80, answered survey questions about HPV awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward vaccination of adolescent daughters. Associations between participant characteristics and HPV items were assessed using chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses.ﾠResults: Younger age, higher education, a family history of cancer, and less spirituality were each associated with HPV awareness individually, and when considered jointly in a single model (p values <.038). Higher education was related to HPV knowledge (p = .006).ﾠConclusions: African-American women of older age, less education, no family history of cancer, and/or higher spirituality might benefit from targeted church-based HPV educational campaigns

Hubble flow variance and the cosmic rest frame

We characterize the radial and angular variance of the Hubble flow in the COMPOSITE sample of 4534 galaxies, on scales in which much of the flow is in the nonlinear regime. With no cosmological assumptions other than the existence of a suitably averaged linear Hubble law, we find with decisive Bayesian evidence (ln B >> 5) that the Hubble constant averaged in independent spherical radial shells is closer to its asymptotic value when referred to the rest frame of the Local Group, rather than the standard rest frame of the Cosmic Microwave Background. An exception occurs for radial shells in the range 40/h-60/h Mpc. Angular averages reveal a dipole structure in the Hubble flow, whose amplitude changes markedly over the range 32/h-62/h Mpc. Whereas the LG frame dipole is initially constant and then decreases significantly, the CMB frame dipole initially decreases but then increases. The map of angular Hubble flow variation in the LG rest frame is found to coincide with that of the residual CMB temperature dipole, with correlation coefficient -0.92. These results are difficult to reconcile with the standard kinematic interpretation of the motion of the Local Group in response to the clustering dipole, but are consistent with a foreground non-kinematic anisotropy in the distance-redshift relation of 0.5% on scales up to 65/h Mpc. Effectively, the differential expansion of space produced by nearby nonlinear structures of local voids and denser walls and filaments cannot be reduced to a local boost. This hypothesis suggests a reinterpretation of bulk flows, which may potentially impact on calibration of supernovae distances, anomalies associated with large angles in the CMB anisotropy spectrum, and the dark flow inferred from the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. It is consistent with recent studies that find evidence for a non-kinematic dipole in the distribution of distant radio sources.Comment: 37 pages, 9 tables, 13 figures; v2 adds extensive new analysis (including additional subsections, tables, figures); v3 adds a Monte Carlo analysis (with additional table, figure) which further tightens the statistical robustness of the dipole results; v4 adds further clarifications, small corrections, references and discussion of Planck satellite results; v5 typos fixed, matches published versio

Properties of the Interstitial in the Diamond-Type Lattice

Linear combination of atomic orbital—molecular orbital cluster calculations using extended Hückel theory suggest that the interstitial carbon atom in diamond prefers an interstitialcy configuration. The predicted minimum-energy configuration changes with charge state, providing a possible example of the Bourgoin mechanism for athermal migration of the interstitial in the presence of ionizing radiation

The challenge of non-Markovian energy balance models in climate

We first review the way in which Hasselmann’s paradigm, introduced in 1976 and recently honored with the Nobel Prize, can, like many key innovations in complexity science, be understood on several different levels. It can be seen as a way to add variability into the pioneering energy balance models (EBMs) of Budyko and Sellers. On a more abstract level, however, it used the original stochastic mathematical model of Brownian motion to provide a conceptual superstructure to link slow climate variability to fast weather fluctuations, in a context broader than EBMs, and led Hasselmann to posit a need for negative feedback in climate modeling. Hasselmann’s paradigm has still much to offer us, but naturally, since the 1970s, a number of newer developments have built on his pioneering ideas. One important one has been the development of a rigorous mathematical hierarchy that embeds Hasselmann-type models in the more comprehensive Mori-Zwanzig generalized Langevin equation (GLE) framework. Another has been the interest in stochastic EBMs with a memory that has slower decay and, thus, longer range than the exponential form seen in his EBMs. In this paper, we argue that the Mori-Kubo overdamped GLE, as widely used in statistical mechanics, suggests the form of a relatively simple stochastic EBM with memory for the global temperature anomaly. We also explore how this EBM relates to Lovejoy et al.’s fractional energy balance equation

Mobile element scanning (ME-Scan) by targeted high-throughput sequencing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mobile elements (MEs) are diverse, common and dynamic inhabitants of nearly all genomes. ME transposition generates a steady stream of polymorphic genetic markers, deleterious and adaptive mutations, and substrates for further genomic rearrangements. Research on the impacts, population dynamics, and evolution of MEs is constrained by the difficulty of ascertaining rare polymorphic ME insertions that occur against a large background of pre-existing fixed elements and then genotyping them in many individuals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we present a novel method for identifying nearly all insertions of a ME subfamily in the whole genomes of multiple individuals and simultaneously genotyping (for presence or absence) those insertions that are variable in the population. We use ME-specific primers to construct DNA libraries that contain the junctions of all ME insertions of the subfamily, with their flanking genomic sequences, from many individuals. Individual-specific "index" sequences are designed into the oligonucleotide adapters used to construct the individual libraries. These libraries are then pooled and sequenced using a ME-specific sequencing primer. Mobile element insertion loci of the target subfamily are uniquely identified by their junction sequence, and all insertion junctions are linked to their individual libraries by the corresponding index sequence. To test this method's feasibility, we apply it to the human <it>AluYb8 </it>and <it>AluYb9 </it>subfamilies. In four individuals, we identified a total of 2,758 <it>AluYb8 </it>and <it>AluYb9 </it>insertions, including nearly all those that are present in the reference genome, as well as 487 that are not. Index counts show the sequenced products from each sample reflect the intended proportions to within 1%. At a sequencing depth of 355,000 paired reads per sample, the sensitivity and specificity of ME-Scan are both approximately 95%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Mobile Element Scanning (ME-Scan) is an efficient method for quickly genotyping mobile element insertions with very high sensitivity and specificity. In light of recent improvements to high-throughput sequencing technology, it should be possible to employ ME-Scan to genotype insertions of almost any mobile element family in many individuals from any species.</p

Glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists as neuroprotective agents for ischemic stroke: a systematic scoping review

Stroke mortality and morbidity is expected to rise. Despite considerable recent advances within acute ischemic stroke treatment, scope remains for development of widely applicable neuroprotective agents. Glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), originally licensed for the management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, have demonstrated pre-clinical neuroprotective efficacy in a range of neurodegenerative conditions. This systematic scoping review reports the pre-clinical basis of GLP-1RAs as neuroprotective agents in acute ischemic stroke and their translation into clinical trials. We included 35 pre-clinical studies, 11 retrospective database studies, 7 cardiovascular outcome trials and 4 prospective clinical studies. Pre-clinical neuroprotection was demonstrated in normoglycemic models when administration was delayed by up to 24-hours following stroke induction. Outcomes included reduced infarct volume, apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation alongside increased neurogenesis, angiogenesis and cerebral blood flow. Improved neurological function and a trend towards increased survival were also reported. Cardiovascular outcomes trials reported a significant reduction in stroke incidence with semaglutide and dulaglutide. Retrospective database studies show a trend towards neuroprotection. Prospective interventional clinical trials are on-going, but initial indicators of safety and tolerability are favourable. Ultimately, we propose that repurposing GLP-1RAs is potentially advantageous but appropriately designed trials are needed to determine clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness

Mobile element scanning (ME-Scan) identifies thousands of novel Alu insertions in diverse human populations

Alu retrotransposons are the most numerous and active mobile elements in humans, causing genetic disease and creating genomic diversity. Mobile element scanning (ME-Scan) enables comprehensive and affordable identification of mobile element insertions (MEI) using targeted high-throughput sequencing of multiplexed MEI junction libraries. In a single experiment, ME-Scan identifies nearly all AluYb8 and AluYb9 elements, with high sensitivity for both rare and common insertions, in 169 individuals of diverse ancestry. ME-Scan detects heterozygous insertions in single individuals with 91% sensitivity. Insertion presence or absence states determined by ME-Scan are 95% concordant with those determined by locus-specific PCR assays. By sampling diverse populations from Africa, South Asia, and Europe, we are able to identify 5799 Alu insertions, including 2524 novel ones, some of which occur in exons. Sub-Saharan populations and a Pygmy group in particular carry numerous intermediate-frequency Alu insertions that are absent in non-African groups. There is a significant dearth of exon-interrupting insertions among common Alu polymorphisms, but the density of singleton Alu insertions is constant across exonic and nonexonic regions. In one case, a validated novel singleton Alu interrupts a proteincoding exon of FAM187B. This implies that exonic Alu insertions are generally deleterious and thus eliminated by natural selection, but not so quickly that they cannot be observed as extremely rare variants. © 2013, Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

Limits to the quantification of local climate change

We demonstrate how the fundamental timescales of anthropogenic climate change limit the identification of societally relevant aspects of changes in precipitation. We show that it is nevertheless possible to extract, solely from observations, some confident quantified assessments of change at certain thresholds and locations. Maps of such changes, for a variety of hydrologically-relevant, threshold-dependent metrics, are presented. In places in Scotland, for instance, the total precipitation on heavy rainfall days in winter has increased by more than 50%, but only in some locations has this been accompanied by a substantial increase in total seasonal precipitation; an important distinction for water and land management. These results are important for the presentation of scientific data by climate services, as a benchmark requirement for models which are used to provide projections on local scales, and for process-based climate and impacts research to understand local modulation of synoptic and global scale climate. They are a critical foundation for adaptation planning and for the scientific provision of locally relevant information about future climate