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Public perceptions of Artificial intelligence (AI) are mostly positive, but recent research indicates growing skepticism and differentiated attitudes towards different AI applications. Moreover, research showed that more conservative people are more skeptical. Extending previous research, we tested the role of authoritarianism, a broad ideological attitude, in relation to attitudes towards AI in different domains in a German online sample (N = 1,027). Structural equation models showed the expected ambivalent relationship between authoritarianism and attitudes towards technology (expressed in terms of positive and negative attitudes) as well as differentiated relationships with specific AI attitudes. Authoritarianism showed a small positive total effect on attitudes towards AI in autonomous vehicles and a non-significant total effect on AI in robots (mediated by attitudes towards technology and towards AI in general), but a strong relationship with attitudes towards AI in surveillance, which is in line with the general authoritarian preference for security and social order.

A large body of research exists investigating the link between environmental attitudes and behavior. Many empirical studies have found modest positive effects, suggesting that attitudes toward the environment might indeed influence environmental behavior. However, most of the previous empirical work is cross-sectional and correlational in nature. This means that the issue of the causal effect of environmental attitudes on behavior is far from settled, and that the relationships observed in the past may be due to unobserved confounders. In a panel study using six waves of the GESIS Panel Survey, we examine the individual-level effect of changes in one's attitudes on changes in different forms of environmental behavior. We use fixed effects panel regression within the structural equation modeling framework to control for unobserved time-invariant confounders, while also tackling other methodological challenges. We find that environmental attitudes have no effect on behavior after controlling for unobserved confounders. However, there is a robust effect of attitudes on willingness to sacrifice. This suggests that creating more positive attitudes might make individuals more willing to accept sacrifices for environmental protection.Es gibt zahlreiche Forschungsarbeiten, die sich mit dem Zusammenhang zwischen Umwelteinstellungen und -verhalten befassen. Viele empirische Studien haben meist schwach bis mäßig positive Effekte festgestellt, was darauf hindeutet, dass die Einstellung gegenüber der Umwelt tatsächlich das Umweltverhalten beeinflusst. Allerdings handelt es sich bei den meisten der bisherigen empirischen Arbeiten um Querschnitts- und Korrelationsstudien. Das bedeutet, dass die Frage nach dem kausalen Effekt von Umwelteinstellungen auf das Verhalten noch lange nicht geklärt ist und dass die in der Vergangenheit beobachteten Zusammenhänge möglicherweise auf unbeobachtete Störfaktoren zurückzuführen sind. In einer Panelstudie, die sechs Wellen der GESIS-Panel Studie verwendet, untersuchen wir die individuellen Auswirkungen von Veränderungen der eigenen Einstellungen auf Veränderungen in verschiedenen Formen des Umweltverhaltens. Wir verwenden eine Panelregression mit Fixed Effects im Rahmen der Strukturgleichungsmodellierung, um unbeobachtete zeitinvariante Störfaktoren zu kontrollieren und gleichzeitig andere methodische Herausforderungen zu bewältigen. Wir stellen fest, dass Umwelteinstellungen keinen Einfluss auf das Verhalten haben, nachdem wir für unbeobachtete Störfaktoren kontrolliert haben. Es gibt jedoch einen robusten Effekt von Einstellungen auf die Opferbereitschaft. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass eine positivere Einstellung dazu führen kann, dass die Menschen eher bereit sind, Opfer für den Umweltschutz zu bringen.

This paper reports findings from a crowdsourced replication. Eighty-five independent teams attempted a computational replication of results reported in an original study of policy preferences and immigration by fitting the same statistical models to the same data. The replication involved an experimental condition. Random assignment put participating teams into either the transparent group that received the original study and code, or the opaque group receiving only a methods section, rough results description and no code. The transparent group mostly verified the numerical results of the original study with the same sign and p-value threshold (95.7%), while the opaque group had less success (89.3%). Exact numerical reproductions to the second decimal place were far less common (76.9% and 48.1%), and the number of teams who verified at least 95% of all effects in all models they ran was 79.5% and 65.2% respectively. Therefore, the reliability we quantify depends on how reliability is defined, but most definitions suggest it would take a minimum of three independent replications to achieve reliability. Qualitative investigation of the teams’ workflows reveals many causes of error including mistakes and procedural variations. Although minor error across researchers is not surprising, we show this occurs where it is least expected in the case of computational reproduction. Even when we curate the results to boost ecological validity, the error remains large enough to undermine reliability between researchers to some extent. The presence of inter-researcher variability may explain some of the current “reliability crisis” in the social sciences because it may be undetected in all forms of research involving data analysis. The obvious implication of our study is more transparency. Broader implications are that researcher variability adds an additional meta-source of error that may not derive from conscious measurement or modeling decisions, and that replications cannot alone resolve this type of uncertainty.

This study looks at negative attitudes towards various out-groups and examines in an experimental design the influence of anonymous interview settings on estimates of attitudes towards supposedly sensitive topics. Respondents were presented with instruments meant to measure various forms of prejudice towards out-groups while the interview was conducted at random either as a computer assisted personal interview (CAPI) or computer assisted self interview (CASI). The scales used in this study can be shown to be both reliable as well as valid, furthermore, in accordance with various research by Bierly (1985), Zick et al. (2008) and Heitmeyer (2005) the results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) show various forms of prejudice form a type of generalized attitude. In the more recent articles from Zick et al. (2008), Heitmeyer (2005), Wagner et al. (2008), this is referred to as the ‘Syndrome Group-Focused Enmity’ (GFE). So while both an overarching ‘syndrome’ of prejudice as well as valid and reliable measures of individual forms of prejudice can be empirically confirmed, the results of the analyses show that prejudice towards a specific out-group, let alone a generalized attitude of prejudice, cannot be seen as uniformly desirable. Specific items elicit varying response behaviour. Item- and topic-trait desirabilities were established to help explain the extent to which the survey mode affected estimates. Other respondent- and item-related characteristics also influence SD bias. Survey mode effects are often only seen in conjunction with other factors.

This study looks at pre-service teachers, their usage of experiments in the classroom, and the factors that influence their behavior. In a longitudinal panel-study of high school/grammar school-level biology and chemistry pre-service teachers at all training colleges in the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate, we examine the role of attitudes, perceived behavioral controls, and subjective norms on the participants’ intention to- and actual use of experiments in the classroom. As a theoretical framework, we use the Theory of Planned Behavior. Attitudes, social norms, behavioural control and behavioural intention were measured at time points t1 and t2; behaviour with regards to experiments was measured at t3. In a second step, we examine which fundamental beliefs influence attitudes, social norms and behavioural control. The analyses show that attitudes, subjective norms and behavioural controls play important roles in determining the use of experiments. While for pre-service teachers with the subject biology attitudes play the most important role, for those with the subject chemistry it is behavioural control that most strongly influences the use experiments. The reform of teachers’ education programs in Germany has no significant effects on the intent or actual behaviour regarding experiments.

Impairment of endothelial function with aging is accompanied by reduced nitric oxide (NO) production. T-type Cav3.1 channels augment nitric oxide and co-localize with eNOS. Therefore, the hypothesis was that T-type channels contribute to the endothelial dysfunction of aging. Endothelial function was determined in mesenteric arteries (perfusion) and aortae (isometric contraction) of young and old wild-type (WT), Cav3.1, and Cav3.2 knockout mice. NO production was measured by fluorescence imaging in mesenteric arteries. With age, endothelium-dependent subsequent dilatation (following depolarization with KCl) of mesenteric arteries was diminished in the arteries of WT mice, unchanged in Cav3.2(-/-) preparations but increased in those of Cav3.1(-/-) mice. NO synthase inhibition abolished the subsequent dilatation in mesenteric arteries and acetylcholine-induced relaxations in aortae. NO levels were significantly reduced in mesenteric arteries of old compared to young WT mice. In Cav3.1(-/-) and Cav3.2(-/-) preparations, NO levels increased significantly with age. Relaxations to acetylcholine were significantly smaller in the aortae of old compared to young WT mice, while such responses were comparable in preparations of young and old Cav3.1(-/-) and Cav3.2(-/-) mice. The expression of Cav3.1 was significantly reduced in aortae from aged compared to young WT mice. The level of phosphorylated eNOS was significantly increased in aortae from aged Cav3.1(-/-) mice. In conclusion, T-type calcium channel-deficient mice develop less age-dependent endothelial dysfunction. Changes in NO levels are involved in this phenomenon in WT and Cav3.1(-/-) mice. These findings suggest that T-type channels play an important role in age-induced endothelial dysfunction.

The deletion of T-type Ca v3.1 channels may reduce high-fat diet (HFD)-induced weight gain, which correlates positively with obesity and endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, experiments were designed to study the involvement of T-type Ca v3.1 channels in HFD-induced endothelial dysfunction in mice. Wildtype (WT) and Ca v3.1 −/− mice were fed either a normal diet (ND) or an HFD for 8 weeks. Body composition was assessed, and thoracic aortae and mesenteric arteries were harvested for myography to assess endothelium-dependent responses. Changes in intracellular calcium were measured by fluorescence imaging, and behavior was assessed with the open-field test. Ca v3.1 −/− mice had attenuated HFD-induced weight gain and lower total fat mass compared with WT mice. Ca v3.1 −/− mice on an HFD had reduced plasma cholesterol levels compared with WT mice on the same diet. Increased feeding efficiency, independent of food intake, was observed in WT mice on an HFD compared with an ND, but no difference in feeding efficiency between diets was observed for Ca v3.1 −/− mice. Nitric oxide-dependent dilatation was increased in mesenteric arteries of Ca v3.1 −/− mice compared with WT mice on an HFD, with no difference observed in aortae. No differences in mouse locomotor activity were observed between the experimental groups. Mice on an HFD lacking T-type channels have reduced weight gain, lower total cholesterol levels, and increased dilatation of resistance vessels compared with WT mice on an HFD, suggesting that Ca v3.1 deletion protects against endothelial dysfunction in resistance vessels but not in large conduit vessels.

In an era of mass migration, social scientists, populist parties and social movements raise concerns over the future of immigration-destination societies. What impacts does this have on policy and social solidarity? Comparative cross-national research, relying mostly on secondary data, has findings in different directions. There is a threat of selective model reporting and lack of replicability. The heterogeneity of countries obscures attempts to clearly define data-generating models. P-hacking and HARKing lurk among standard research practices in this area.This project employs crowdsourcing to address these issues. It draws on replication, deliberation, meta-analysis and harnessing the power of many minds at once. The Crowdsourced Replication Initiative carries two main goals, (a) to better investigate the linkage between immigration and social policy preferences across countries, and (b) to develop crowdsourcing as a social science method. The Executive Report provides short reviews of the area of social policy preferences and immigration, and the methods and impetus behind crowdsourcing plus a description of the entire project. Three main areas of findings will appear in three papers, that are registered as PAPs or in process.

The Angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT 2R) promotes vasodilation by nitric oxide (NO) release from endothelial cells. However, the mechanisms underlying the AT 2R-induced stimulation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) is still not completely understood. Therefore, we investigated whether in addition to the known AT 2R-mediated phosphorylation of eNOS at Ser 1177, activation of phosphatases and dephosphorylation of eNOS at Tyr 657 and Thr 495 are also involved. Human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) were stimulated with the AT 2R-agonist Compound 21 (C21) (1 μM) in the presence or absence of either PD123319 (10 μM; AT 2R antagonist), L-NG-Nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (10 μM; eNOS inhibitor), MK-2206 (100 nM; protein kinase B (Akt) inhibitor) sodium fluoride (NaF) (1 nM; serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor) or sodium orthovanadate (Na 3VO 4) (10 nM; tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor). NO release was estimated by quantifying 4-amino-5-methylamino-2',7'-difluorofluorescein diacetate (DAF-FM) fluorescence. The phosphorylation status of activating (eNOS-Ser 1177) or inhibitory eNOS residues (eNOS-Tyr 657, eNOS-Thr 495) was determined by Western blotting. Phosphorylation of Akt at Ser 473 was measured to estimate Akt activity. AT 2R stimulation significantly increased NO release from HAEC, which was blocked by PD123319, L-NAME and both phosphatase inhibitors. Intracellular calcium transients were not changed by C21. AT 2R stimulation resulted in phosphorylation of eNOS-Ser 1177 and dephosphorylation of eNOS-Tyr 657 and eNOS-Thr 495. Phosphorylation at eNOS-Ser 1177 was prevented by inhibition of Akt with MK-2206. From these data, we conclude that AT 2R stimulation in human endothelial cells increases eNOS activity through phosphorylation of activating eNOS residues (eNOS-Ser 1177) by Akt, and through dephosphorylation of inactivating eNOS residues (eNOS-Tyr 657, eNOS-Thr 495) by serine/threonine and tyrosine phosphatases, thus increasing NO release.

The Angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT

Impairment of endothelial function with aging is accompanied by reduced nitric oxide (NO) production. T-type Ca

AIMS: The aims were to develop a method for real-time detection of histamine release and to test if incubation with aldosterone induces histamine release from isolated, perfused mice mesenteric arteries.METHODS: Fura-2 loaded HEK-293 cells transfected with the histamine H1 receptor was used as a sensitive biosensor assay for histamine release from isolated mouse mesenteric arteries. Activation of the H1 receptor by histamine was measured as an increased number of intracellular Ca(2+) transient peaks using fluorescence imaging RESULTS: The developed biosensor was sensitive to histamine in physiological relevant concentrations and responded to substances released by the artery preparation. Aldosterone treatment of mesenteric arteries from wild type mice for 50 minutes resulted in an increased number of intracellular Ca(2+) transient peaks in the biosensor cells, which was significantly inhibited by the histamine H1 blocker pyrilamine. Mesenteric arteries from mast cell deficient SASH mice induced similar pyrilamine-sensitive Ca(2+) transient response in the biosensor cells. Mesenteric arteries from wild type and SASH mice expressed histamine decarboxylase mRNA, indicating that mast cells are not the only source of histamine release.CONCLUSION: The developed biosensor assay can measure release of substances from vascular preparations. Histamine is released from the vessel preparation in response to aldosterone treatment independently of mast cells. The assay enables us to study a new signaling mechanism for vascular responses induced by aldosterone. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Voltage-gated calcium channels are involved in the vascular excitation-contraction mechanism and regulation of arterial blood pressure. It was hypothesized that T-type channels promote formation of nitric oxide from the endothelium. The present experiments determine the involvement of T-type channels in depolarization-dependent dilatation of mesenteric arteries and blood pressure regulation in Cav3.1 knock-out mice. Nitric oxide-dependent vasodilatation following depolarization-mediated vasoconstriction was reduced significantly in mesenteric arteries from Cav3.1(-/-) compared to wild type mice. Four days of systemic infusion of a nitric oxide (NO)-synthase-inhibitor to conscious wild type elicited a significant increase in mean arterial blood pressure that was absent in Cav3.1(-/-) mice. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence labeling showed co-localization of Cav3.1 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in arteries from wild type mice. Nitric oxide release measured as DAF fluorescence and cGMP levels were significantly lower in depolarized Cav3.1(-/-) compared to wild type arteries. In summary, the absence of T-type Cav3.1 channels attenuates NO-dependent dilatation in mesenteric arteries in vitro, as well as the hypertension after L-NAME infusion in vivo. Furthermore, Cav3.1 channels cluster with eNOS and promote formation of nitric oxide by the endothelium. The present findings suggest that this mechanism is important for the systemic impact of NO on peripheral resistance.

Cost and schedule planning and control are two of the most important management functions in the construction industry. Major research efforts are focused on developing procedures for improving the effectiveness of these functions. As a result, researchers are concerned with the quality, integrity, and timeliness of data that flows through such planning and control systems. A number of data models have been proposed to integrate cost and schedule control functions because such integration is viewed as the solution to the many problems facing the management of construction projects today. This paper provides an overview of cost and schedule control, and discusses how these research findings were incorporated in the construction courses offered at the Construction Division of the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at North Dakota State University.

Monitoring of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) in the oil industry has in the past been conducted mainly on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) using cultivation based techniques. However, with the introduction of novel DNA-based methods for enumeration of microbes, more accurate and fast methods are now available which offer better determination of MIC on a routine basis. The content of produced water in the Halfdan oil system during production is relatively low (BS&W < 1–2%) and MIC has for this reason not been considered to be a threat to the system integrity. Initial results from wall thickness inspection of oil export spools have indicated on-going corrosion. As a consequence, spools have been replaced, enabling sampling of cut-out sections of the spools. These cut-out sections have been sent onshore to DTI Oil & Gas for further investigation of general corrosion, MIC and scale composition. The investigation demonstrated that the analysed Halfdan oil export spool sections were highly corroded. This conclusion was based on visual inspection of the metal surfaces of the cut-out sections that revealed presence of under-deposit and pitting corrosion underneath thick layers of solid scale material. In support of the visual indications of corrosion, it was demonstrated that MIC related microorganisms were present in the solids in close contact with the metal surface together with corrosion products. In particular, high numbers of the hydrogen consuming methanogens (108–109 cells g−1) were situated in the scale directly in contact with the carbon steel pipe wall. These important findings could only be achieved when results obtained from X-Ray analysis (WDXRF) and visual inspections of the oil export spools were combined with DNA-based enumeration methods (qPCR). Based on the obtained results, this paper discusses how microbial numbers obtained from DNA-based enumeration methods are evaluated and interpreted in the best way with respect to general risk assessment and system integrity measures of aging offshore assets in the Danish Sector of the North Sea.

Although ancient DNA from sediments (sedaDNA) has been used to investigate past ecosystems, the approach has never been directly compared with the traditional methods of pollen and macrofossil analysis. We conducted a comparative survey of 18 ancient permafrost samples spanning the Late Pleistocene (46-12.5 thousand years ago), from the Taymyr Peninsula in northern Siberia. The results show that pollen, macrofossils and sedaDNA are complementary rather than overlapping and, in combination, reveal more detailed information on plant palaeocommunities than can be achieved by each individual approach. SedaDNA and macrofossils share greater overlap in plant identifications than with pollen, suggesting that sedaDNA is local in origin. These two proxies also permit identification to lower taxonomic levels than pollen, enabling investigation into temporal changes in species composition and the determination of indicator species to describe environmental changes. Combining data from all three proxies reveals an area continually dominated by a mosaic vegetation of tundra-steppe, pioneer and wet-indicator plants. Such vegetational stability is unexpected, given the severe climate changes taking place in the Northern Hemisphere during this time, with changes in average annual temperatures of22 °C. This may explain the abundance of ice-age mammals such as horse and bison in Taymyr Peninsula during the Pleistocene and why it acted as a refugium for the last mainland woolly mammoth. Our finding reveals the benefits of combining sedaDNA, pollen and macrofossil for palaeovegetational reconstruction and adds to the increasing evidence suggesting large areas of the Northern Hemisphere remained ecologically stable during the Late Pleistocene.

Nunataks are isolated bedrocks protruding through ice sheets. They vary in age, but represent island environments in 'oceans' of ice through which organism dispersals and replacements can be studied over time. The J.A.D. Jensen's Nunataks at the southern Greenland ice sheet are the most isolated nunataks on the northern hemisphere - some 30 km from the nearest biological source. They constitute around 2 km(2) of ice-free land that was established in the early Holocene. We have investigated the changes in plant composition at these nunataks using both the results of surveys of the flora over the last 130 years and through reconstruction of the vegetation from the end of the Holocene Thermal Maximum (5528 ± 75 cal year BP) using meta-barcoding of plant DNA recovered from the nunatak sediments (sedaDNA). Our results show that several of the plant species detected with sedaDNA are described from earlier vegetation surveys on the nunataks (in 1878, 1967 and 2009). In 1967, a much higher biodiversity was detected than from any other of the studied periods. While this may be related to differences in sampling efforts for the oldest period, it is not the case when comparing the 1967 and 2009 levels where the botanical survey was exhaustive. As no animals and humans are found on the nunataks, this change in diversity over a period of just 42 years must relate to environmental changes probably being climate-driven. This suggests that even the flora of fairly small and isolated ice-free areas reacts quickly to a changing climate.

DNA molecules originating from animals and plants can be retrieved directly from sediments and have been used for reconstructing both contemporary and past ecosystems. However, the extent to which such 'dirt' DNA reflects taxonomic richness and structural diversity remains contentious. Here, we couple second generation high-throughput sequencing with 16S mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) meta-barcoding, to explore the accuracy and sensitivity of 'dirt' DNA as an indicator of vertebrate diversity, from soil sampled at safari parks, zoological gardens and farms with known species compositions. PCR amplification was successful in the full pH range of the investigated soils (6.2 ± 0.2 to 8.3 ± 0.2), but inhibition was detected in extracts from soil of high organic content. DNA movement (leaching) through strata was evident in some sporadic cases and is influenced by soil texture and structure. We find that DNA from the soil surface reflects overall taxonomic richness and relative biomass of individual species. However, one species that was recently introduced was not detected. Furthermore, animal behaviour was shown to influence DNA deposition rates. The approach potentially provides a quick methodological alternative to classical ecological surveys of biodiversity, and most reliable results are obtained with spatial sample replicates, while relative amounts of soil processed per site is of less importance.

We previously demonstrated that trans-10, cis-12 (10,12) conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) induced inflammation and insulin resistance in primary human adipocytes by activating nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) signaling. In this study, we demonstrated that the initial increase in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) mediated by 10,12 CLA was attenuated by TMB-8, an inhibitor of calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), by BAPTA, an intracellular calcium chelator, and by D609, a phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor. Moreover, BAPTA, TMB-8, and D609 attenuated 10,12 CLA-mediated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activation of ERK1/2 and cJun-NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), and induction of inflammatory genes. 10,12 CLA-mediated binding of NFkappaB to the promoters of interleukin (IL)-8 and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and induction of calcium-calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) beta were attenuated by TMB-8. KN-62, a CaMKII inhibitor, also suppressed 10,12 CLA-mediated ROS production and ERK1/2 and JNK activation. Additionally, KN-62 attenuated 10,12 CLA induction of inflammatory and integrated stress response genes, increase in prostaglandin F2alpha, and suppression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma protein levels and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. These data suggest that 10,12 CLA increases inflammation and insulin resistance in human adipocytes, in part by increasing [Ca2+]i levels, particularly calcium from the ER.

(1963). A summary of experimental research in ethos. Speech Monographs: Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 59-78.

The purpose of this investigation was threefold. First, to obtain as complete a list as possible of mammals occuring in the area through collecting and observational procedures. Second, to determine their specific distribution within the study area, and third, to correlate and elucidate the relationships between their distribution and the major vegetational regions within the study area.

W. S. Merwin's poetry (The Dancing Bears, Green with Beasts, The Drunk in the Furnace, The Moving Target, The Lice), is a poetry of a distinct evolution. In these five books of poems, he has created not only diverse works of art but also, within this art, a synthetic philosophy which depends on, for its very foundation, a vital, changing point of view. As a poet Merwin begins in disenchantment and isolation. He has felt the malaise of the "Wasteland," and it conditions his early, personal poetry, The Dancing Bears. In Green with Beasts the poet travels across the sea in an Odyssean quest of a secure home, and of the human answers to the riddles of existence. The search extends onward in The Drunk in the Furnace, and he arrives home in his family portrait poetry. The search seems completed in The Moving Target, for not only is its form relaxed and contemplative, but its spirit is somewhat affirmative and secure. Yet Merwin's last book of poems, The Lice, continues the quest again, in a poetic style that is both refreshingly new and refined.'