292 research outputs found
Energy Literacy in Portugal: A System Map and Framework to Increase Energy Literacy Through the Renewable Energy Transition
Western society lives with a great dependence and an almost simultaneous ignorance of energy consumption (van den Broek, 2019). The systemic landscape of energy knowledge and dissemination is more critical than ever as Portugal races to meet decarbonization goals. This paper fills a knowledge gap by updating the current social landscape of energy literacy in Portugal through a comprehensive system map and framework to increase energy literacy levels through the renewable energy transition. By conducting a semi-systematic literature review, meta-narratives and themes were identified and used to create theoretical concepts, a framework, and a system map. This research found that energy literacy is a factor of governmental regulations, the education system, information shared by energy companies, and geographical location. Increasing energy literacy through the renewable energy transition is possible through implementing national energy educational programs, a national strategy for energy research, and regulating the data analytics shared to consumers by energy companies. Future research is required to gain nationwide data on energy literacy and investigate the relationship among renewable energy dissemination, energy literacy, and attitudes towards decarbonization goals
The Selfish Grandma Gene: The Roles of the X-Chromosome and Paternity Uncertainty in the Evolution of Grandmothering Behavior and Longevity
When considering inclusive fitness, it is expected that individuals will provide more care towards those with whom they are more closely related. Thus, if a selfish X-linked genetic element influenced care giving, we would expect care giving to vary with X-relatedness. Recent studies have shown that X-chromosome inheritance patterns may influence selection of traits affecting behavior and life-history. Sexually antagonistic (SA) zygotic drive could encourage individuals to help those with whom they are more likely to share genetic material at the expense of other relatives. We reanalyze previously reported data in light of this new idea. We also evaluate the effects of paternity uncertainty on SA-zygotic drive. Our evidence suggests that human paternal discrepancy is relatively low. Using published models, we find the effects of paternal discrepancy do not override opportunity for selection based on X-relatedness. Based on these results, longevity and grandmothering behaviors, including favoritism, may be more heavily influenced by selection on the X-chromosome than by paternity uncertainty
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Maternal Programming: Application of a Developmental Psychopathology Perspective
The fetal phase of life has long been recognized as a sensitive period of development. Here we posit that pregnancy represents a simultaneous sensitive period for the adult female with broad and persisting consequences for her health and development, including risk for psychopathology. In this review, we examine the transition to motherhood through the lens of developmental psychopathology. Specifically, we summarize the typical and atypical changes in brain and behavior that characterize the perinatal period. We highlight how the exceptional neuroplasticity exhibited by women during this life phase may account for increased vulnerability for psychopathology. Further, we discuss several modes of signaling that are available to the fetus to affect maternal phenotypes (hormones, motor activity, and gene transfer) and also illustrate how evolutionary perspectives can help explain how and why fetal functions may contribute to maternal psychopathology. The developmental psychopathology perspective has spurred advances in understanding risk and resilience for mental health in many domains. As such, it is surprising that this major epoch in the female life span has yet to benefit fully from similar applications
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Feminism, Gendering Nature, and Environmental Concern: New Insights from Colorado Residents
Climate change and patriarchy pose mounting threats to human wellbeing and the health of our planet, and these factors continue to call into question society’s relationship with the environment. Within a historically imperialist, patriarchal, and hypermasculine society, how do human tendencies to view nature as feminine impact levels of environmental concern? I collected original survey data from Colorado residents using a non-probability sampling (n=233) which investigated the association among environmental concern and the tendencies to gender nature or have hypermasculine or feminist ideologies. Through bivariate and multivariate analysis, I found that gendering nature as feminine has a positive association with high environmental concern. I found feminism to be the single strongest predictor of environmental concern—meaning that the more feminist one is, the more likely they are to have high environmental concern with strong statistical evidence. The social implications of this data are significant and suggest generational and ideological divides in environmental attitudes and behavior. These findings suggest an amplified need for feminist perspectives in climate literacy programs, environmental policy, and the climate activist movement moving forward. There is a continued need for women’s liberation from the global patriarchal consciousness, as well as a dramatic shift in human behaviors to curb the lethal consequences of climate change.</p
Press-fit hinge and magnesium alloy enclosure for laptop cover attachment
Computing devices such as laptops utilize hinges to connect the lid of the device to its base. This disclosure describes a press-fit hinge mechanism for use in conjunction with magnesium alloy based enclosures that are utilized to attach a computing device lid to its base. The press-fit hinge mechanism includes a knurled shaft designed to be inserted into a magnesium alloy based enclosure. The teeth and lead-in chamfer geometry of the knurled shaft are designed to control the interference between the knurls and enclosure opening. A straight knurl pattern is utilized for ease of manufacture, and provides for better material flow via ridges of the knurled shaft, a lower insertion force, and a higher torsional resistance. The press-fit hinge mechanism enables tighter assembly tolerances, smaller assembly gaps and improved appearance for the device
Womenâs Pregnancy Life History and Alzheimerâs Risk: Can Immunoregulation Explain the Link?
Background:
Pregnancy is associated with improvement in immunoregulation that persists into the geriatric phase. Impaired immunoregulation is implicated in Alzheimerâs disease (AD) pathogenesis. Hence, we investigate the relationship between pregnancy and AD. Methods:
Cross-sectional cohort of British women (N = 95). Cox proportional hazards modeling assessed the putative effects of cumulative months pregnant on AD risk and the mutually adjusted effects of counts of first and third trimesters on AD risk. Results:
Cumulative number of months pregnant, was associated with lower AD risk (β = â1.90, exp(β) = 0.15, P = .02). Cumulative number of first trimesters was associated with lower AD risk after adjusting for third trimesters (β = â3.83, exp(β) = 0.02, P \u3c .01), while the latter predictor had no significant effect after adjusting for the former. Conclusions:
Our observation that first trimesters (but not third trimesters) conferred protection against AD is more consistent with immunologic effects, which are driven by early gestation, than estrogenic exposures, which are greatest in late gestation. Results may justify future studies with immune biomarkers
Intra-Individual Consistency in Endocrine Profiles Across Successive Pregnancies
Context: It is yet unknown how similar womenâs hormone levels are during successive pregnancies, and very little is known about the degree to which siblings experience similar prenatal environments. Given the importance of understanding how womenâs reproductive life-histories exert cumulative effects on health via hormone exposure, and the importance of understanding how fetal programming via endocrine signaling affects sibling trait concordance, here we address this important lacuna in the literature.
Objective: To investigate how consistent are womenâs hormone profiles across two successive pregnancies.
Design and Main Outcome Measures: This longitudinal, prospective study followed a cohort of 28 women across two pregnancies (PREG 1; PREG 2). Womenâs circulating hormone levels were assessed from blood samples at 25, 31, and 37 weeksâ gestation for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH), cortisol, estradiol, and progesterone. ACTH and cortisol levels were assessed 3-months postpartum. Research questions include: Are hormone levels in PREG 2 significantly different from levels in PREG 1?Whatproportion of variance in PREG 2 hormone levels is attributable to variance in PREG 1 levels? Are hormone levels more stable between PREG 1 and PREG 2 compared with postpartum phases following these pregnancies? Is pCRH, which is completely placentally derived, less similar than other hormones across successive pregnancies?
Setting: Psychobiology laboratory. Participants: Pregnant women in California.
Results and Conclusions: Comparisons of hormone concentrations across womenâs successive pregnancies via paired t-test revealed substantial consistency from one pregnancy to another, with only significant differences between pregnancies for pCRH. Regressions revealed substantial predictability from one pregnancy to another, with between 17%â56% of PREG 2 variances accounted for by PREG 1 values. Women exhibited lower degrees of consistency and predictability in hormone levels across postpartum phases compared with gestational concentrations. This is the first study to describe maternal and placental hormone levels across successive pregnancies
A Longitudinal Study of Womenâs Depression Symptom Profiles During and After the Postpartum Phase
Background
An issue of critical importance for psychiatry and women\u27s health is whether postpartum depression (PPD) represents a unique condition. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders asserts that major depressive disorder (MDD) may present with peripartum onset, without suggesting any other differences between MDD and PPD. The absence of any distinct features calls into question the nosologic validity of PPD as a diagnostic category. The present study investigates whether symptom profiles differ between PPD and depression occurring outside the postpartum phase. Methods
In a prospective, longitudinal study of parturient women (N = 239), we examine the manifestation of depression symptoms. We assess factor structure of symptom profiles, and whether factors are differentially pronounced during and after the postpartum period. Results
Factors were revealed representing: Worry, Emotional/Circadian/Energetic Dysregulation, Somatic/Cognitive, Appetite, Distress Display, and Anger symptoms. The factor structure was validated at postpartum and afterâpostpartum timepoints. Interestingly, the Worry factor, comprising anxiety and guilt, was significantly more pronounced during the postpartum timepoint, and the Emotional/Circadian/Energetic Dysregulation factor, which contained sadness and anhedonia, was significantly less pronounced during the postpartum period. Conclusions
These results suggest that PPD may be a unique syndrome, necessitating research, diagnosis, and treatment strategies distinct from those for MDD. Results indicate the possibility that Worry is an enhanced feature of PPD compared to depression outside the postpartum period, and the crucial role of sadness/anhedonia in MDD diagnosis may be less applicable to PPD diagnosis
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The selfish grandma gene: the roles of the x-chromosome and paternity uncertainty in the evolution of grandmothering behavior and longevity.
When considering inclusive fitness, it is expected that individuals will provide more care towards those with whom they are more closely related. Thus, if a selfish X-linked genetic element influenced care giving, we would expect care giving to vary with X-relatedness. Recent studies have shown that X-chromosome inheritance patterns may influence selection of traits affecting behavior and life-history. Sexually antagonistic (SA) zygotic drive could encourage individuals to help those with whom they are more likely to share genetic material at the expense of other relatives. We reanalyze previously reported data in light of this new idea. We also evaluate the effects of paternity uncertainty on SA-zygotic drive. Our evidence suggests that human paternal discrepancy is relatively low. Using published models, we find the effects of paternal discrepancy do not override opportunity for selection based on X-relatedness. Based on these results, longevity and grandmothering behaviors, including favoritism, may be more heavily influenced by selection on the X-chromosome than by paternity uncertainty.Peer Reviewe
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