The Influence of Humor on Approach and Avoidance Motivation

Approach and avoidance motivation have been used to study many phenomena, but no research has yet investigated the influence of humor on approach and avoidance motivation. The feelings associated with humor are also associated with situations high in safety and low in threat. These sorts of situations are likely to result in decreases in avoidance motivation. Participants viewed either a humorous video clip or a mundane video clip and then completed a series of self-report measures to assess levels of approach and avoidance motivation. Contrary to expectations, composites of measures of approach and avoidance motivation were not influenced by the viewing of a humorous video clip. On the other hand, some specific items and behavioral measures suggest that the presence of humor is having an influence on motivation. Implications and suggestions for future research are discusse

The Influence of Humor on Approach and Avoidance Motivation

Approach and avoidance motivation have been used to study many phenomena, but no research has yet investigated the influence of humor on approach and avoidance motivation. The feelings associated with humor are also associated with situations high in safety and low in threat. These sorts of situations are likely to result in decreases in avoidance motivation. Participants viewed either a humorous video clip or a mundane video clip and then completed a series of self-report measures to assess levels of approach and avoidance motivation. Contrary to expectations, composites of measures of approach and avoidance motivation were not influenced by the viewing of a humorous video clip. On the other hand, some specific items and behavioral measures suggest that the presence of humor is having an influence on motivation. Implications and suggestions for future research are discusse

The Influence of Humor on Approach and Avoidance Motivation

Approach and avoidance motivation have been used to study many phenomena, but no research has yet investigated the influence of humor on approach and avoidance motivation. The feelings associated with humor are also associated with situations high in safety and low in threat. These sorts of situations are likely to result in decreases in avoidance motivation. Participants viewed either a humorous video clip or a mundane video clip and then completed a series of self-report measures to assess levels of approach and avoidance motivation. Contrary to expectations, composites of measures of approach and avoidance motivation were not influenced by the viewing of a humorous video clip. On the other hand, some specific items and behavioral measures suggest that the presence of humor is having an influence on motivation. Implications and suggestions for future research are discusse

The Only Game in town: the Relationship Between Drones and the Just War Tradition

Since he first came to Regis University in 2010, Stuart Jenkins has been driven by the question, what is the right thing to do? His desire to extend this inquiry into the subject of war inspired him to understand and evaluate the ethical issues at stake in the national debate about the use of drone. This Senior Honors Thesis explores the relationship between the principles of Just War Theory and the use of drones. It asks, what are the core principles of Just War Theory, and how have they developed over time; and, how does the Just War tradition address the issue of terrorism? It also analyzes the dynamic relationship between Just War Theory and the use of drones, and considers the challenges of applying a set of theoretical standards to the complex and difficult problem posed by counterterrorism, raising various additional questions. These questions include what are the strategic and tactical advantages of drones that inform our moral approach to drone strikes; how does the Obama administration justify the use of drones as an instrument of counterterrorism; and, what are the ethical issues that remain unresolved that are relevant to the evolution to the Just War tradition

Post-ischaemic immunological response in the brain: targeting microglia in ischaemic stroke therapy

Microglia, the major endogenous immune cells of the central nervous system, mediate critical degenerative and regenerative responses in ischaemic stroke. Microglia become "activated", proliferating, and undergoing changes in morphology, gene and protein expression over days and weeks post-ischaemia, with deleterious and beneficial effects. Pro-inflammatory microglia (commonly referred to as M1) exacerbate secondary neuronal injury through the release of reactive oxygen species, cytokines and proteases. In contrast, microglia may facilitate neuronal recovery via tissue and vascular remodelling, through the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors (a profile often termed M2). This M1/M2 nomenclature does not fully account for the microglial heterogeneity in the ischaemic brain, with some simultaneous expression of both M1 and M2 markers at the single-cell level. Understanding and regulating microglial activation status, reducing detrimental and promoting repair behaviours, present the potential for therapeutic intervention, and open a longer window of opportunity than offered by acute neuroprotective strategies. Pharmacological modulation of microglial activation status to promote anti-inflammatory gene expression can increase neurogenesis and improve functional recovery post-stroke, based on promising preclinical data. Cell-based therapies, using preconditioned microglia, are of interest as a method of therapeutic modulation of the post-ischaemic inflammatory response. Currently, there are no clinically-approved pharmacological options targeting post-ischaemic inflammation. A major developmental challenge for clinical translation will be the selective suppression of the deleterious effects of microglial activity after stroke whilst retaining (or enhancing) the neurovascular repair and remodelling responses of microglia

CLIPS application user interface for the PC

The majority of applications that utilize expert system development programs for their knowledge representation and inferencing capability require some form of interface with the end user. This interface is more than likely an interaction through the computer screen. When building an application the user interface can prove to be the most difficult and time consuming aspect to program. Commercial products currently exist which address this issue. To keep pace C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) will need to find a solution for their lack of an easy to use Application User Interface (AUI). This paper represents a survey of the DoD CLIPS' user community and provides the backbone of a possible solution

Sustainable financing of permanent CO2 disposal through a Carbon Takeback Obligation

Unless there is immediate, unprecedented, reduction in global demand for carbon-intensive energy and products, then capture and permanent storage of billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually will be needed before mid-century to meet Paris Agreement goals. Yet competition from cheaper, temporary, carbon storage means that permanent disposal remains starved of investment, currently representing about 0.1% of Energy and Industrial Process (EIP) emissions. This stored fraction must reach 100% to stop EIPs causing global warming. Here we show that a cost-effective transition can occur by mandating an increasing stored fraction through a progressive Carbon Takeback Obligation (CTO) on fossil fuel producers and importers. Projected costs of storage to the consumer are lower than pricing carbon emissions in conventional 1.5{\deg}C scenarios until the 2040s, and comparable or lower thereafter. A CTO combined with measures to reduce CO2 production would deliver the lowest-risk pathway to achieving net zero.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, SI available on reques