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The Problem of Explanation and Reason-Giving Account of pro tanto Duties in the Rossian Ethical Framework
No full textReview of Black Firefighters and the FDNY: the struggle for jobs, justice and equity in New York by David Goldberg
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Mind the Organelle Gap--Peroxisome Contact Sites in Disease
No full textThe eukaryotic cell is organized as a complex grid system where membrane-bound cellular compartments, organelles, must be localized to the right place at the right time. One way to facilitate correct organelle localization and organelle cooperation is through membrane contact sites, areas of close proximity between two organelles that are bridged by protein/lipid complexes. It is now clear that all organelles physically contact each other. The main focus of this review is contact sites of peroxisomes, central metabolic hubs whose defects lead to a variety of diseases. New peroxisome contacts, their tethering complexes and functions have been recently discovered. However, if and how peroxisome contacts contribute to the development of peroxisome-related diseases is still a mystery
Feeling Good: Integrating the Psychology and Epistemology of Moral Intuition and Emotion
No full textThe renal and blood pressure response to low sodium diet in P2X4 receptor knockout mice
Get PDFIn the kidney, purinergic (P2) receptor-mediated ATP signaling has been shown to be an important local regulator of epithelial sodium transport. Appropriate sodium regulation is crucial for blood pressure (BP) control and disturbances in sodium balance can lead to hypo- or hypertension. Links have already been established between P2 receptor signaling and the development of hypertension, attributed mainly to vascular and/or inflammatory effects. A transgenic mouse model with deletion of the P2X4 receptor (P2X4-/- ) is known to have hypertension, which is thought to reflect endothelial dysfunction and impaired nitric oxide (NO) release. However, renal function in this model has not been characterized; moreover, studies in vitro have shown that the P2X4 receptor can regulate renal epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) activity. Therefore, in the present study we investigated renal function and sodium handling in P2X4-/- mice, focusing on ENaC-mediated Na+ reabsorption. We confirmed an elevated BP in P2X4-/- mice compared with wild-type mice, but found that ENaC-mediated Na+ reabsorption is no different from wild-type and does not contribute to the raised BP observed in the knockout. However, when P2X4-/- mice were placed on a low sodium diet, BP normalized. Plasma aldosterone concentration tended to increase according to sodium restriction status in both genotypes; in contrast to wild-types, P2X4-/- mice did not show an increase in functional ENaC activity. Thus, although the increased BP in P2X4-/- mice has been attributed to endothelial dysfunction and impaired NO release, there is also a sodium-sensitive component
Can nudges affect students’ green behaviour? A field experiment
Get PDFEcological behaviour is impeded both by financial and behavioural hurdles. A growing literature in behavioural
economics and psychology suggests the use of non-price intervention nudges over other monetary incentives.
We analyse whether nudges are indeed efficient in promoting recycling of resources among young people, and
whether the combination of different types of nudges serve as better instruments. The study was performed
on primary data from a field experiment conducted among university students in Pisa over a 60-day span.
We collected data on 1849 instances of plastic cup recycling at a coffee vending machine at the Scuola
Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa. Recycling behaviour was measured by the number of plastic cups disposed in the
proper dustbin, observed at the end of each day. Results of the experimental treatments showed a significant
improvement in the amount of recyclable cups when a combination of nudges was applied
Selection of discrete multiple criteria decision making methods in the presence of risk and uncertainty
No full textThis paper presents a new methodology to recommend the most suitable Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method from a subset of candidate methods when risk and uncertainty are anticipated. A structured approach has been created based on an analysis of MCDM problems and methods characteristics. Outcomes of this analysis provide decision makers with a suggested group of candidate methods for their problem. Sensitivity analysis is applied to the suggested group of candidate methods to analyze the robustness of outputs when risk and uncertainty are anticipated. A MCDM method is automatically selected that delivers the most robust outcome. MCDM methods dealing with discrete sets of alternatives are considered. Numerical examples are presented where some MCDM methods are compared and recommended by calculating the minimum percentage change in criteria weights and performance measures required to alter the ranking of any two alternatives. A MCDM method will be recommended based on a best compromise in minimum percentage change required in inputs to alter the ranking of alternatives. Different cases are considered and some new propositions are presented based on potential generalized scenarios of MCDM problems
