The Neuroscience of Moral Judgment: Empirical and Philosophical Developments

We chart how neuroscience and philosophy have together advanced our understanding of moral judgment with implications for when it goes well or poorly. The field initially focused on brain areas associated with reason versus emotion in the moral evaluations of sacrificial dilemmas. But new threads of research have studied a wider range of moral evaluations and how they relate to models of brain development and learning. By weaving these threads together, we are developing a better understanding of the neurobiology of moral judgment in adulthood and to some extent in childhood and adolescence. Combined with rigorous evidence from psychology and careful philosophical analysis, neuroscientific evidence can even help shed light on the extent of moral knowledge and on ways to promote healthy moral development

Influencing Factors on Life Satisfaction Among Elderly in Myanmar (May Phyo Phyo Han, 2022)

An effort has been made in this thesis to study the influencing factors on life satisfaction among elderly in Myanmar by using the 2019 Inter-censal Survey data. Life satisfaction is a key part of subjective well-being. This study considered the relationship between selected aging indicators like aging index, old-age dependency ratio, potential support ratio, parent support ratio and median age, which showed that the population in Myanmar has recently confronted the unprecedented set of challenges on rapid aging population. Additionally, it was also employed the descriptive analysis, which showed that Myanmar people were not including of the successful aging because they were not productive and active aging, even though healthy aging. The main method was the multinomial logistic regression analysis, which showed that such indicators as general health status with the good and fair levels, participating in any community/activity, housing ownership status (owned) had a significant positive impact on the generally satisfying with the elderlies’ lives all, most and some of the time compared to none of the time. Moreover, educational attainment had significant positive impact, whereas the elderly males had singinficant negative impact on the life satisfaction among elderly all and most of the time compared to none. The elderly who are living in urban had significant negative impact on the life satisfaction among elderly most and some of the time compared to none. And then, the elderly who are married had significant positive impact on the life satisfaction among elderly most of the time compared to none

Monolithic integration of tunnel diode based inverters on exact (001) Si substrates

Monolithic integration of tunnel diode-based inverters on exact (001) Si substrates for the future high-speed, low-power, and compact digital circuits is demonstrated. A two-state inverter was fabricated using a forward biased fin-array tunnel diode as drive and a reverse-biased counterpart as load. On-chip operation and reduced fabrication complexity were achieved by exploiting the resistive characteristic of the reverse-biased tunnel diodes and the pre-defined patterns on the Si substrat

Fin-array tunneling trigger with tunable hysteresis on (001) silicon substrate

We report the fabrication and characterization of a GaAs fin-array tunneling trigger monolithically integrated on an exact (001) silicon substrate. A Schmitt-trigger-like behavior was observed under double sweep condition by connecting the tunnel diode with an on-chip load resistor. The tunneling trigger circuit was studied using load line analysis. Critical parameters of the circuit were extracted. We found that the circuit hysteresis can be tuned by tailoring of the diode dimensions and load resistor value

Tristate memory cells using double-peaked fin-array III-V tunnel diodes monolithically grown on (001) silicon substrates

We demonstrate functional tristate memory cells using multipeaked GaAs/InGaAs fin-array tunnel diodes grown on exact (001) Si substrates. On-chip connection of single-peaked tunnel diode arrays produces I–V characteristics with multiple negative-differential resistance regions. We designed and fabricated two types of tristate memory cells. In one design, a double-peaked tunnel diode was used as the drive, and a reverse-biased single-peaked tunnel diode was used as the load. In the other design, the tristate memory cell was realized by the series connection of two forward-biased single-peaked tunnel diode

Metabolic syndrome does not affect sustained virologic response of direct-acting antivirals while hepatitis C clearance improves hemoglobin A1c.

AimTo determine whether successful treatment with directacting antivirals (DAA) is associated with improvements in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and if type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or metabolic syndrome affects sustained virologic response (SVR).MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of all hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System treated with varying DAA therapy between 2014-2016. Separate multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine predictors of HbA1c decrease ≥ 0.5 after DAA treatment and predictors of SVR 12-wk post treatment (SVR12).ResultsA total of 1068 patients were treated with DAA therapy between 2014-2016. The presence of T2DM or metabolic syndrome did not adversely affect SVR12. 106 patients had both HCV and T2DM. Within that cohort, patients who achieved SVR12 had lower mean HbA1c pre treatment (7.35 vs 8.60, P = 0.02), and lower mean HbA1c post-treatment compared to non-responders (6.55 vs 8.61, P = 0.01). The mean reduction in HbA1c after treatment was greater for those who achieved SVR12 than for non-responders (0.79 vs 0.01, P = 0.03). In adjusted models, patients that achieved SVR12 were more likely to have a HbA1c decrease of ≥ 0.5 than those that did not achieve SVR12 (adjusted OR = 7.24, 95%CI: 1.22-42.94).ConclusionIn HCV patients with T2DM, successful treatment with DAA was associated with a significant reduction in HbA1c suggesting that DAA may have a role in improving insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, the presence of T2DM or metabolic syndrome does not adversely affect SVR12 rates in patients treated with DAA

GaAs-InGaAs-GaAs fin-array tunnel diodes on (001) Si substrates with room-temperature peak-to-valley current ratio of 5.4

In this letter, we report the selective area growth of GaAs, In0.2Ga0.8As, and GaAs/In0.2Ga0.8As/GaAs quantum-well fins of 65-nm width on exactly orientated (001) Si substrates. By exploiting high aspect ratio trenches formed by patterned SiO2 on Si and a V-grooved Si (111) surface in the aspect ratio trapping process, we are able to achieve good material quality and structural properties, as evidenced by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The fabricated GaAs-In0.2Ga0.8As-GaAs fin-array tunnel diodes exhibit a maximum room-temperature peak-to-valley current ratio of 5.4, and negative differential resistance characteristics up to 200 °C

Lifestyle Factors, Mitochondrial Dynamics, and Neuroprotection

The brain requires vast amounts of energy to carry out neurotransmission; indeed, it is responsible for approximately one-fifth of the body’s energy consumption. Therefore, in order to understand functions of brain cells under both normal and pathological conditions, it is critical to elucidate dynamics of intracellular energy. The mitochondrion is the key intercellular organelle that controls neuronal energy and survival. Numerous studies have reported a correlation between altered mitochondrial function and brain-associated diseases; thus mitochondria may serve as a promising target for treating these conditions. In this chapter, we will discuss the mechanisms of mitochondrial production, movement, and degradation in order to understand accessibility of energy during physiological and pathological conditions of the brain. While research targeting molecular dynamics is promising, translation into clinical relevance based on bench research is challenging. For these reasons, we will also summarize lifestyle factors, including interventions and chronic comorbidities that disrupt mitochondrial dynamics. By determining lifestyle factors that are readily accessible, we can propose a new viewpoint for a synergistic and translational approach for neuroprotection