04_2018_11000010

Outer space, Planet Earth, and the International Space Station (ISS) photographed on 4 October 2018 “by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking” from the ISS. Photo credit: NASA and Roscosmos [6048 x 4032]

So ridiculous..

Ha! Mine too.

Blink! The Link between Aerobic Fitness and Cognition

Although exercise is known to enhance cognitive function and improve mental health, the neurological mechanisms of this link are unknown. Now, researchers from Japan have found evidence of the missing link between aerobic fitness and cognitive function. In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers from the University of Tsukuba revealed that spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR), which reflects activity of the dopamine system, could be used to understand the connection between cognitive function and aerobic fitness.

The dopaminergic system is known to be involved in physical activity and exercise, and previous researchers have proposed that exercise-induced changes in cognitive function might be mediated by activity in the dopaminergic system. However, a marker of activity in this system was needed to test this hypothesis, something the researchers at the University of Tsukuba aimed to address.

"The dopaminergic system is associated with both executive function and motivated behavior, including physical activity," says first author of the study Ryuta Kuwamizu. "We used sEBR as a non-invasive measure of dopaminergic system function to test whether it could be the missing link between aerobic fitness and cognitive function."

To do this, the researchers asked healthy participants to undergo a measure of sEBR, a test of cognitive function, and an aerobic fitness test. They also measured brain activity during the cognitive task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

"As expected, we found significant correlations between aerobic fitness, cognitive function, and sEBR," explains Professor Hideaki Soya, senior author. "When we examined these relationships further, we found that the connection between higher aerobic fitness and enhanced cognitive function was mediated in part by dopaminergic regulation."

Furthermore, activity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC) during the cognitive task was the same or lower in participants with higher sEBR compared with lower sEBR, even though those with higher sEBR appeared to have greater executive function, and thus higher neural efficiency.

"Although previous studies have indicated that aerobic fitness and cognitive function are correlated, this is the first to provide a neuromodulatory basis for this connection in humans. Our data indicate that dopamine has an essential role in linking aerobic fitness and cognition," says first author Kuwamizu.

Given that neural efficiency in the l-DLPFC is a known characteristic of the dopaminergic system that has been observed in individuals with higher fitness and executive function, it is possible that neural efficiency in this region partially mediates the association between aerobic fitness and executive function. Furthermore, physical inactivity may be related to dopaminergic dysfunction. This information provides new directions for research regarding how fitness affects the brain, which may lead to improved exercise regimens. For instance, exercise that specifically focuses on improving dopaminergic function may particularly boost motivation, mood, and mental function.

(Image by Balkonsky/Shutterstock)

The Spectator

Europe’s blind spot over anti-Semitism

You would think that we Europeans might have learned a thing or two about anti-Semitism over the past century or so – and perhaps come to un

by Rod Liddle

If only our TV news programmes and politicians could bring themselves to call it all ‘Far-Right Terrorism’, then something might get done – because we all know that Far-Right Terrorism is the biggest threat to our democracy. But they don’t. Even though it is, of course, far-right terrorism, lower case – the real far-right terrorism which our politicians do not want to think about and indeed lock people up when they complain a little vociferously about it.

A week or so back the Dutch football club Ajax of Amsterdam played a cup tie against the Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv and as a consequence what the media carefully call ‘pro-Palestinian’ thugs attacked the visiting Jewish supporters, with five hospitalised and 20 to 30 more injured. Many of the attacks were carried out by young men on mopeds – according to one Dutch politician, Moroccan young men on mopeds, which is about as close to actually identifying who these perpetrators might have been as you will get. The Israeli government reacted with shock, booking two planes to bring the football fans home from the fetid ghetto that parts of the decent, liberal Netherlands has become. Dutch politicians lined up to do the platitude stuff. The reliably witless Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, was among the first out of the blocks: ‘I strongly condemn these unacceptable acts. Anti-Semitism has absolutely no place in Europe. And we are determined to fight all forms of hatred.’

Just read that vacuous bilge again – the bloodless and vague ‘unacceptable acts’ and ending with a commitment she does not remotely mean to keep. Oh, and anti-Semitism has absolutely no place in Europe? Au contraire, Ursula. It has many, many places, largely as a consequence of policies enacted by people like you. So, in that crescent (fittingly) of Europe from north-west France, through Belgium to Rotterdam and the Hague – and now arcing further north, to Malmo – these are the places where a large diaspora of Muslims from the Maghreb and the Levant have settled. Hey, it’s just occurred to me – gee, could there perhaps be some connection? If there is you can bank on the mainstream politicians and the mainstream media not to make it.

Source

If you're upset that Elon Musk threw up a Nazi salute today, but have spent the last 15 months harassing (((Zionists))) in the name of Gaza/Palestine, then you're not mad about the Nazi salute, you're just looking for an excuse to dunk on Musk.

You're not an ally against Nazis, you never were, and you're not fooling anyone who actually is.

The Aurora and the Sunrise via NASA https://ift.tt/2EEdzxh

Ever wanted to ask a NASA astronaut a question? Here’s your chance!

NASA astronaut Nick Hague will be taking your questions in an Answer Time session on Wednesday, January 15 from 12pm - 1pm ET here on NASA’s Tumblr! Find out what it’s like to live and work 254 miles above our planet’s surface. Make sure to ask your question now by visiting http://nasa.tumblr.com/ask!

Nick Hague was selected as one of eight members of the 21st NASA Astronaut class in 2013. Hague was the first astronaut from his class to be assigned to a mission which launched on October 11, 2018. Unfortunately, he and his crewmate Alexey Ovchinin, of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, were forced to abort the mission when a rocket booster experienced a malfunction shortly after the launch of their Soyuz MS-10. The aborted spacecraft landed safely. 

His first flight to the International Space Station was from March 2019 through October 2019 as a a part of the Expeditions 59 and 60 crew. Together, the crew conducted hundreds of experiments, including investigations into devices that mimic the structure and function of human organs, free-flying robots and an instrument to measure Earth’s distribution of carbon dioxide. While at the International Space Station, Hague conducted three spacewalks, totaling 19 hours and 56 minutes with a total of 203 days in space.

Nick Hague Fun Facts:

Hague was awarded the Order of Courage from the Russian Federation for his actions during the Expedition 57/58 launch abort. 

Hague was selected for the Air Force Fellows program where he was assigned as a member of the personal staff in the U.S. Senate, advising on matters of national defense and foreign policy.

He was a top flight test engineer in the U.S. Air Force.

He deployed five months to Iraq in support of Iraqi Freedom, conducting experimental airborne reconnaissance.

He enjoys exercise, flying, snow skiing and scuba.

Follow Nick Hague on Twitter at @AstroHague and follow NASA on Tumblr for your regular dose of space.