Moral enhancement: do means matter morally?

One of the reasons why moral enhancement may be controversial, is because the advantages of moral enhancement may fall upon society rather than on those who are enhanced. If directed at individuals with certain counter-moral traits it may have direct societal benefits by lowering immoral behavior and increasing public safety, but it is not directly clear if this also benefits the individual in question. In this paper, we will discuss what we consider to be moral enhancement, how different means may be used to achieve it and whether the means we employ to reach moral enhancement matter morally. Are certain means to achieve moral enhancement wrong in themselves? Are certain means to achieve moral enhancement better than others, and if so, why? More specifically, we will investigate whether the difference between direct and indirect moral enhancement matters morally. Is it the case that indirect means are morally preferable to direct means of moral enhancement and can we indeed pinpoint relevant intrinsic, moral differences between both? We argue that the distinction between direct and indirect means is indeed morally relevant, but only insofar as it tracks an underlying distinction between active and passive interventions. Although passive interventions can be ethical provided specific safeguards are put in place, these interventions exhibit a greater potential to compromise autonomy and disrupt identity

A lactate-dependent shift of glycolysis mediates synaptic and cognitive processes in male mice

Astrocytes control brain activity via both metabolic processes and glio- transmission, but the physiological links between these functions are scantly known. Here we show that endogenous activation of astrocyte type-1 canna- binoid (CB1) receptors determines a shift of glycolysis towards the lactate- dependent production of D-serine, thereby gating synaptic and cognitive functions in male mice. Mutant mice lacking the CB1 receptor gene in astro- cytes (GFAP-CB1-KO) are impaired in novel object recognition (NOR) memory. This phenotype is rescued by the gliotransmitter D-serine, by its precursor L- serine, and also by lactate and 3,5-DHBA, an agonist of the lactate receptor HCAR1. Such lactate-dependent effect is abolished when the astrocyte-specific phosphorylated-pathway (PP), which diverts glycolysis towards L-serine synthesis, is blocked. Consistently, lactate and 3,5-DHBA promoted the co- agonist binding site occupancy of CA1 post-synaptic NMDA receptors in hip- pocampal slices in a PP-dependent manner. Thus, a tight cross-talk between astrocytic energy metabolism and gliotransmission determines synaptic and cognitive processes

Accidents Vasculaires Cérébraux. Quelle médecine face à la complexité ?

International audienc

Diagenesis of the Mesozoic carbonates of the northwestern Pyrenees: origin of dolomitization and brecciation

AFFInternational audienc

Corruption and oil exploration: expert agreement about the prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Niger Delta of Nigeria

The Niger Delta, according to the Nigerian Ministry of Health, has a disproportionately high HIV infection rate, which is double the national average. The United Nations Development Program attributes the spiraling HIV infection rate in the region to poverty, migration and gender inequality. This paper examines two complementary suppositions: Is the high prevalence of HIV in the Niger Delta related to incompetent leadership and corruption? Is it related to the negative effects of oil exploration in the region? Currently, there is a dearth of research on the effectiveness of government programs or the role of the oil industry on the impact of AIDS in Nigeria. To address this gap, we conducted a survey with 27 internationally renowned experts from diverse disciplines using a three-round modified Delphi to formulate consensus about the impact of weak governance and oil corruption on AIDS in the Niger Delta. Results from the Delphi suggest that these factors and others have exacerbated the transmission of HIV in the region. To mitigate the impact of AIDS in the region, efforts to engage oil companies in implementing HIV prevention programs as part of their corporate environmental responsibility to the community are urgently needed