Exemplarist Virtue Ethics

In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle introduces the concept of virtue, states of character that allow an agent to perform her function well, and gives a practical account of how someone can become virtuous. I will argue that Aristotle manages to be vague with respect to two epistemic questions: First, how can we identify virtuous people? Second, how can we know which states of character are virtuous? Recently, Linda Zagzebski has introduced a moral theory called exemplarism, which answers that we may identify virtuous people via the emotion of admiration, and that by studying virtuous people, we may come to know which states of character are virtuous. But, Zagzebski’s exemplarism is unmediated; there is no difference between a moral concept and what an exemplar would do or feel in certain circumstances. Problematically, on this account it appears that the more moral experience we have, the murkier our moral concepts become. In what follows, I propose what I call a mediated exemplarism, an account that answers our questions about virtue in the same way as Zagzebski, but on which an exemplar’s actions or feelings do not constitute moral concepts. Rather, on my account, exemplars serve the pedagogical purpose of indicating virtues to an agent, who may then construct a theory of virtue from which moral concepts may be inferred that are divorced from the actions and feelings of a particular exemplar

Homelessness Coverage in Major Canadian Newspapers, 1987 – 2007

This article describes how the Canadian printed news media depicted the homeless and their situations between 1987 and 2007. Our study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design and a content analysis was conducted on selected newspaper articles on homelessness issues. The main themes were housing-related issues, profiling of homelessness, health-related issues, economic factors, illegal activities, community aid and support, and social factors as cause of homelessness. Housing related issues, community aid and support, profiling of homelessness and economic factors were addressed in 85.3% of the stories. This study provides a retrospective examination of the media’s interests in and portrayal of the homeless and homelessness issues

New Early Eocene mammalian fauna from western Patagonia, Argentina

Two new fossil mammal localities from the Paleogene of central-western Patagonia are preliminarily described as the basis for a new possible biochronological unit for the early Eocene of Patagonia, correlated as being between two conventional SALMAs, the Riochican (older) and the Vacan subage of the Casamayoran SALMA. The mammal-bearing strata belong to the Middle Chubut River Volcanic-Pyroclastic Complex (northwestern Chubut Province, Argentina), of Paleocene-Eocene age. This complex includes a variety of volcaniclastic, intrusive, pyroclastic, and extrusive rocks deposited after the K-T boundary. Geochronological data taken from nearby volcanic deposits that underlie and overlie the mammal-bearing levels indicate that both faunas are of late early Eocene age (Ypresian-Lutetian boundary). In addition to more than 50 species of mammals, including marsupials, ungulates, and xenarthrans, two lower molars are the oldest evidence of bats in South America. Paleobotanical and palynological evidence from inferred contemporary localities nearby indicate subtropical environments characterized by warm and probably moderately humid climate. Remarkably, this new fauna is tentatively correlated with Eocene mammals from the La Meseta Formation in the Antarctic Peninsula. We conclude that the two localities mentioned above are part of a possible new biochronological unit, but the formal proposal of a new SALMA awaits completion of taxonomic analysis of the materials reported upon here. If the La Meseta fauna is correlated biochronologically to western Patagonia, this also suggests a continental extension of the biogeographic Weddelian Province as far north as central-western Patagonia

Vertebrados del mioceno de la provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina

La diversa fauna de antiguos vertebrados que se registra en los acantilados que bordean la margen oriental del río Paraná cerca de la ciudad de Paraná, provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina se conoce científicamente desde la primera mitad del siglo XIX. En esos sedimentos se han colectado numerosos vertebrados de agua dulce, marinos y terrestres. Los fósiles proceden casi exclusivamente de la Formación Paraná (taxones marinos y de agua dulce: elasmobranquios, teleósteos, cetáceos, sirenios y pinnípedos) y en el “Conglomerado osífero” (“Mesopotamiense” auctorum) en la base de la Formación Ituzaingó (taxones marinos, de agua dulce y terrestres: elasmobranquios, teleósteos, cocodrilos, quelonios, aves y diferentes grupos de mamíferos. Los cetáceos sugieren que al menos el tope de la Formación Paraná es Tortoniano (Mioceno Tardío). El término “Piso Mesopotamiense” o “Mesopotamiense” es considerado inválido. El “Conglomerado osífero” parece representar un corto lapso. La fauna terrestre sugiere una edad Huayqueriense (Tortoniano) para el “Conglomerado osífero”. La evidencia de vertebrados y las relaciones estratigráficas confirman la correlación de al menos la base de las capas puelchenses del subsuelo de la región pampeana con la Formación Ituzaingó. De acuerdo a la evidencia que aportan los cetáceos y los peces, las temperaturas marinas durante la depositación de la parte superior de la Formación Paraná eran similares a aquellas presentes en la plataforma atlántica actual a la misma latitud. Tanto la fauna terrestre como la de agua dulce del “Conglomerado osífero” indican un clima más cálido que el actual. Los vertebrados de agua dulce sugieren importantes conexiones entre las cuencas hidrográficas del sur y del norte de América del Sur. Los restos de aves y de mamíferos (y plantas) sugieren la presencia de áreas forestadas a lo largo de las costas de los ríos donde se depositó el “Conglomerado osífero” y áreas abiertas cercanas

PDD symptoms in ADHD, an independent familial trait?

The aims of this study were to investigate whether subtle PDD symptoms in the context of ADHD are transmitted in families independent of ADHD, and whether PDD symptom familiality is influenced by gender and age. The sample consisted of 256 sibling pairs with at least one child with ADHD and 147 healthy controls, aged 5-19 years. Children who fulfilled criteria for autistic disorder were excluded. The Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire (CSBQ) was used to assess PDD symptoms. Probands, siblings, and controls were compared using analyses of variance. Sibling correlations were calculated for CSBQ scores after controlling for IQ, ADHD, and comorbid anxiety. In addition, we calculated cross-sibling cross-trait correlations. Both children with ADHD and their siblings had higher PDD levels than healthy controls. The sibling correlation was 0.28 for the CSBQ total scale, with the CSBQ stereotyped behavior subscale showing the strongest sibling correlation (r = 0.35). Sibling correlations remained similar in strength after controlling for IQ and ADHD, and were not confounded by comorbid anxiety. Sibling correlations were higher in female than in male probands. The social subscale showed stronger sibling correlations in elder than in younger sibling pairs. Cross-sibling cross-trait correlations for PDD and ADHD were weak and not-significant. The results confirm that children with ADHD have high levels of PDD symptoms, and further suggest that the familiality of subtle PDD symptoms in the context of ADHD is largely independent from ADHD familiality

Defining the Effect of the 16p11.2 Duplication on Cognition, Behavior, and Medical Comorbidities.

IMPORTANCE: The 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 duplication is the copy number variant most frequently associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and comorbidities such as decreased body mass index (BMI). OBJECTIVES: To characterize the effects of the 16p11.2 duplication on cognitive, behavioral, medical, and anthropometric traits and to understand the specificity of these effects by systematically comparing results in duplication carriers and reciprocal deletion carriers, who are also at risk for ASD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This international cohort study of 1006 study participants compared 270 duplication carriers with their 102 intrafamilial control individuals, 390 reciprocal deletion carriers, and 244 deletion controls from European and North American cohorts. Data were collected from August 1, 2010, to May 31, 2015 and analyzed from January 1 to August 14, 2015. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the effect of the duplication and deletion on clinical traits by comparison with noncarrier relatives. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Findings on the Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ), Nonverbal IQ, and Verbal IQ; the presence of ASD or other DSM-IV diagnoses; BMI; head circumference; and medical data. RESULTS: Among the 1006 study participants, the duplication was associated with a mean FSIQ score that was lower by 26.3 points between proband carriers and noncarrier relatives and a lower mean FSIQ score (16.2-11.4 points) in nonproband carriers. The mean overall effect of the deletion was similar (-22.1 points; P < .001). However, broad variation in FSIQ was found, with a 19.4- and 2.0-fold increase in the proportion of FSIQ scores that were very low (≤40) and higher than the mean (>100) compared with the deletion group (P < .001). Parental FSIQ predicted part of this variation (approximately 36.0% in hereditary probands). Although the frequency of ASD was similar in deletion and duplication proband carriers (16.0% and 20.0%, respectively), the FSIQ was significantly lower (by 26.3 points) in the duplication probands with ASD. There also were lower head circumference and BMI measurements among duplication carriers, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The mean effect of the duplication on cognition is similar to that of the reciprocal deletion, but the variance in the duplication is significantly higher, with severe and mild subgroups not observed with the deletion. These results suggest that additional genetic and familial factors contribute to this variability. Additional studies will be necessary to characterize the predictors of cognitive deficits

Temporal trends in genetic data and effective population size support efficacy of management practices in critically endangered dusky gopher frogs ( Lithobates sevosus )

Monitoring temporal changes in population genetic diversity and effective population size can provide vital information on future viability. The dusky gopher frog, Lithobates sevosus, is a critically endangered species found only in coastal Mississippi, with low genetic variability as a consequence of isolation and population size reduction. Conservation management practices have been implemented, but their efficacy has not been addressed. We genotyped individuals collected 1997–2014 to determine temporal trends in population genetic variation, structure, and effective size. Observed and expected heterozygosity and allelic richness revealed temporally stable, but low, levels of genetic variation. Positive levels of inbreeding were found in each year. There was weak genetic structure among years, which can be attributed to increased effects of genetic drift and inbreeding in small populations. L. sevosus exhibited an increase in effective population size, and currently has an estimated effective size of 33.0– 58.6 individuals, which is approximately half the census size. This large ratio could possibly be explained by genetic compensation. We found that management practices have been effective at maintaining and improving effective size and genetic diversity, but that additional strategies need to be implemented to enhance viability of the species