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Tag Archives: willingness
Putin welcomes China’s willingness to play ‘constructive role’ in solving ‘Ukraine crisis’ – The Guardian
- Putin welcomes China’s willingness to play ‘constructive role’ in solving ‘Ukraine crisis’ The Guardian
- China as Peacemaker in the Ukraine War? The U.S. and Europe Are Skeptical. The New York Times
- Russia-Ukraine war news: Putin visits Crimea, Mariupol; Germany says it would arrest him The Washington Post
- On eve of Xi visit, Putin welcomes Chinese role in Ukraine crisis Reuters.com
- Vladimir Putin Accuses West of Trying to Contain Russia, China Ahead of Xi Jinping Visit The Wall Street Journal
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Willingness to Give Away Money Among Older Adults Linked to Cognitive Profile of Early Alzheimer’s
Summary: Willingness in older people to give more money away appears to correlate with cognitive decline associated with dementia. The findings may explain why many older adults could be more prone to financial exploitation.
Source: USC
To help protect older adults from financial exploitation, researchers are working to understand who is most at risk.
New findings from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, published this week in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, suggest that willingness to give away money could be linked to the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Sixty-seven older adults who did not have dementia or cognitive impairment completed a laboratory task where they decided whether to give money to an anonymous person or keep it for themselves.
They also completed a series of cognitive tests, such as word and story recall. Those who gave away more money performed worse on the cognitive assessments known to be sensitive to Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our goal is to understand why some older adults might be more susceptible than others to scam, fraud or financial exploitation,” said the study’s senior author, Duke Han, Ph.D., director of neuropsychology in the Department of Family Medicine and a professor of family medicine, neurology, psychology and gerontology at the Keck School of Medicine.
“Trouble handling money is thought to be one of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and this finding supports that notion.”
Earlier research that tested the link between altruism and cognition relied on self-report measures, such as asking older adults whether they would be willing to give money in certain scenarios. The present study used real money to examine the link.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the relationship using a behavioral economics paradigm, meaning a scenario where participants had to make decisions about giving or keeping actual money,” said Gali H. Weissberger, Ph.D., a senior lecturer in the Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and first author of the study.
Giving and cognition
The researchers recruited 67 adults for the study, with an average age of 69. They collected data about participant demographics and controlled for the effects of age, sex and education level in the final analysis. Participants were excluded from the study if they met criteria for dementia or cognitive impairment.
In the lab, each participant was told they had been paired with an anonymous person who was completing the study online. They were then given $10 and instructed to allocate it however they wished, in $1 increments, between themselves and the anonymous person.
The older adults in the study also completed a series of neuropsychological tests, including several that are commonly used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. The tests included story and word recall tasks where participants are asked to remember information after a short delay; a category fluency test that involves listing words on a specific topic; and several other cognitive assessments.
Participants who gave more away scored significantly lower on the neuropsychological tests known to be sensitive to early Alzheimer’s disease. There were no significant performance differences on other neuropsychological tests.
Clarifying the link
More research is needed to confirm the nature of the relationship between financial altruism and cognitive health in older adults, including with larger and more representative samples. Future studies could also collect both behavioral and self-report data on financial altruism to better understand participants’ motivations for giving.
Han, Weissberger and their colleagues are now collecting data for a longitudinal study using the same giving task, which could help determine whether some older adults are becoming more altruistic over time.
“If a person is experiencing some kind of change in their altruistic behavior, that might indicate that changes are also happening in the brain,” Weissberger said.
Clarifying these details about the link between altruism and cognition could ultimately improve screening for Alzheimer’s disease and help people protect their loved ones from financial exploitation. It can also help researchers distinguish between what represents healthy giving behavior versus something that could signify underlying problems.
See also
“The last thing we would want is for people to think that financial altruism among older adults is a bad thing,” Han said. “It can certainly be a deliberate and positive use of a person’s money.”
About this Alzheimer’s disease research news
Author: Zara Abrams
Source: USC
Contact: Zara Abrams – USC
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Closed access.
“Increased Financial Altruism is Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease Neurocognitive Profile in Older Adults” by Gali H. Weissberger et al. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
Abstract
Increased Financial Altruism is Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease Neurocognitive Profile in Older Adults
Background: Older age is associated with an increase in altruistic behaviors such as charitable giving. However, few studies have investigated the cognitive correlates of financial altruism in older adults.
Objective: This study investigated the cognitive correlates of financial altruism measured using an altruistic choice paradigm in a community-based sample of older adults.
Methods: In the present study, a sample of older adults (N = 67; M age = 69.21, SD = 11.23; M education years = 15.97, SD = 2.51; 58.2% female; 71.6% Non-Hispanic White) completed a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and an altruistic choice paradigm in which they made decisions about allocating money between themselves and an anonymous person.
Results: In multiple linear regression analyses that controlled for age, education, and sex, financial altruism was negatively associated with performance on cognitive measures typically sensitive to early Alzheimer’s disease (including word list learning and recall, delayed story recall, and animal fluency).
Conclusion: Findings of this study point to a negative relationship between financial altruism and cognitive functioning in older adults on measures known to be sensitive to Alzheimer’s disease. Findings also point to a potential link between financial exploitation risk and Alzheimer’s disease in older age.
US and South Korea signal willingness to expand military drills in response to nuclear north
The move was a signal Biden was looking to break from President Donald Trump’s positions in Asia, where leaders were often left confounded by threats to withdraw US military support. Biden has used his first visit to the continent to reaffirm American commitment to the region, even as his focus has been pulled away by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In a joint statement, Biden and his counterpart, President Yoon Suk Yeol, wrote they would explore expanding “the scope and scale of combined military exercises and training on and around the Korean Peninsula.”
Such exercises used to occur regularly, a show of military muscle as North Korea was developing its nuclear program and building ever-more-powerful missiles.
But Trump moved to end the large-scale military exercises, surprising even some of his own military officials by saying the drills were too costly and potentially too provocative as he sought to bring North Korea to the negotiating table. He was successful in meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un three times, but the hermit nation did not move to abandon its nuclear program.
Speaking Saturday, Biden declined to say whether he would be willing to meet with Kim, indicating only that such an encounter would depend on how genuine the despot’s intentions were.
“That would depend on whether he’s sincere and whether he’s serious,” Biden said, adding the US had offered Covid-19 vaccines to Pyongyang as it endures a fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak but had not received a response.
The moves announced during Biden’s first full day in Asia were likely to draw an angry response from North Korea, even as they were meant to provide reassurance to US allies of the continued American imperative of upholding security in the region. Already, US officials had been bracing for South Korea’s belligerent northern neighbor to thrust itself into the conversation with a nuclear or missile test.
Both leaders affirmed in a joint press conference they were seeking the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and pledged to cooperate on confronting the North. Biden said he was committed to “further strengthening our deterrence posture.”
North Korea’s intensifying provocations had been expected to be at the center of Biden’s talks with South Korea’s new President, who took office a little more than a week ago and has signaled a tougher stance on Pyongyang than his predecessor.
Yet Biden also hoped to use the occasion of a new leader in Seoul to expand the US alliance with South Korea beyond just a security partnership defined by the North. Officials said in their first meeting, the US president was hoping to cultivate a willing economic partner who can also help advance collective security goals in the broader Asia-Pacific.
In their joint statement, the leaders reiterated the importance of “preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” rebutting China’s territorial advances and signaling a potential shift from South Korea, which maintains deep trade ties with Beijing. It was a indicator of Yoon’s more expansive vision of foreign policy and a welcome sign for Washington.
Both men hailed the importance of building more resilient supply chains separate from China and pledged greater cooperation on advanced technologies, like the microchips Biden observed being made when he visited a Samsung plant upon arriving in Asia on Friday.
“Our alliance between our countries is built upon shared sacrifice and a joint commitment to the freedom of the Republic of Korea and our firm opposition to changing borders by force,” Biden said during a portion of his talks that were opened to press.
“Today, with this visit, we’re taking the cooperation between our two countries to new heights,” Biden said.
Biden has long placed a premium on developing interpersonal ties with his foreign counterparts, and officials said he was looking to develop a strong relationship with Yoon. The two men met privately for a lengthy stretch before joining their delegations.
“We settled everything,” Biden joked after. Yoon said they had “engaged in a candid conversation building friendship and trust.”
Biden hopes to reassure his hosts in Seoul and Tokyo he remains committed to two of the most important US alliances, even as his attention has been consumed by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
US allies in Asia, as they do around the world, have looked to Biden to reaffirm traditional alliances as regional tensions boil over. But like elsewhere, questions linger about how durable Biden’s promises on security and trade can be, given Trump appears to be waiting in the wings for a third presidential run.
In Asia, the threat from North Korea has been put into stark relief as US officials warn the country could be preparing its seventh underground nuclear test or a launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The tests by dictator Kim Jong Un would insert North Korea squarely back into the global conversation after months of intensifying provocations. And it would underscore the stalled diplomacy between the United States and Pyongyang, despite attempts by Biden administration officials to restart talks.
US officials say they have prepared contingencies should a test occur.
Yoon, a former prosecutor who has never before held elective office, has signaled a tougher stance on North Korea, even as he looks to expand Seoul’s foreign policy beyond just dealing with its problematic northern neighbor. He campaigned as a staunch supporter of the US alliance, and has said he wants to see it strengthened, including on the economic front.
That is welcome news for Biden, who believes a strong network of allies in Asia can help counter China’s military and economic ambitions — just as a revived NATO alliance has isolated Russia for its invasion in Ukraine through packages of withering sanctions.
But just like in Europe, where dependence on Russian oil and gas has limited the effect of sanctions, a US reliance on China-made products poses concerns should Beijing’s military ambitions escalate further.
That was Biden’s message Friday while touring a Samsung factory making semiconductors, which have been in short supply after some Chinese plants were closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a short speech, Biden tied together the chip shortage with the war in Ukraine, saying the US and its allies must reduce their dependence on essential items from autocratic regimes.
“Putin’s brutal and unprovoked war in Ukraine has further spotlighted the need to secure our critical supply chains so that our economy, our economic and our national security are not dependent on countries that don’t share our values,” Biden said.
Former NASA leaders praise Boeing’s willingness to risk commercial crew
Enlarge / Politically, Boeing’s spacecraft has done a lot of heavy lifting for NASA’s commercial crew program.
United Launch Alliance
The last few years have been pretty rough for the Boeing Company. Its newest generation of 737 aircraft, the Max, was grounded in 2019 after two fatal crashes. And following a series of poor management decisions, the company has continued to lose commercial aircraft market share to European multinational corporation Airbus.
Boeing’s defense segment has fared little better. After winning a large military refueling contract, Boeing started producing the KC-46 tanker for the Air Force. But because of manufacturing and design problems with the tanker, the company has taken about $5 billion in losses during the last decade.
Finally, there is Boeing’s space unit, which has struggled to adapt to the new era of commercial space and fixed-price contracts. Most visibly, Boeing has competed directly with SpaceX over the last decade in the commercial crew program to deliver NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. So far, things have not gone terribly well. Boeing is running about three years behind SpaceX, which has now launched five crewed missions for NASA.
Space setbacks
By contrast, Boeing has faced technical setbacks with the flight software and valves in the Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion system. On Thursday, the company will attempt to launch a do-over mission—a second uncrewed test flight of Starliner intended to dock the spacecraft with the International Space Station. Because of the need to re-fly this test mission after the first one failed in 2019, Boeing has taken more than half a billion dollars in losses.
It now seems possible, if not probable, that Boeing has lost money on the commercial crew program, for which NASA has paid it $5.1 billion since 2010. One sign that Boeing may be seeking to cut costs emerged last week during a meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, when member David West raised concerns that Boeing was not putting enough resources toward Starliner’s development and test campaign.
“The panel has noted that Boeing staffing levels seem to be especially low,” West said. “The panel will be monitoring the situation in the near future to see what impact, if any, this could have on the existence or mitigation of any safety risks. Boeing should ensure that all available resources are applied to meet a reasonable schedule and avoid unnecessary delays.”
It would be easy to dismiss Boeing as a legacy aerospace company that can’t keep up with newer, more nimble competitors such as SpaceX. But in reality, Boeing’s efforts to compete have played an important role in the rise of SpaceX.
More than a decade ago, at the outset of the commercial crew program, NASA asked Congress for $500 million as part of its fiscal-year 2021 budget. Recently, two senior NASA officials said the program would never have gotten off the ground had Boeing not entered the competition alongside SpaceX and other smaller companies.
Boeing, the champion?
“I don’t think that we would be anywhere with commercial crew had it not been for Boeing coming into the fray,” said Charlie Bolden, who served as NASA administrator from 2009 to 2017, during an Aviation Week webinar. “Nobody likes SpaceX, to be quite honest, on the Hill. They were an unknown quantity. I think if Boeing had chosen to stay out of commercial crew, we probably would have never gotten funding for it.”
However, Bolden said, as soon as Boeing entered the competition, congressional attitudes started to change. And he credits Boeing for taking a chance on a fixed-price contract, which was relatively new for NASA at the time. The contracting method meant that, instead of getting reimbursed for all of its expenses plus a fee, Boeing could lose money if there were technical delays or setbacks.
“Boeing was a dream,” Bolden said. “I call them a champion in being willing to accept the risk for a program whose business case didn’t close back then. And I’ll be blunt. I don’t know whether the business case closes today.”
Bolden’s thoughts were echoed by the space agency’s deputy administrator at the time, Lori Garver. Speaking last week at the Ars Frontier conference in Washington, DC, Garver said Congress was “furious” when the Obama administration sought funding for commercial crew back in 2010.
“Boeing entering the commercial crew program meant that you got a lot more support from Congress because they tend to have a very robust lobbying program,” Garver said. “I was very happy when the traditional, big aerospace company Boeing bid. Because I think that was a tough call. And I think if they look back on it, they wouldn’t do it again.”
Former NASA leaders praise Boeing’s willingness to risk commercial crew
Enlarge / Politically, Boeing’s spacecraft has done a lot of heavy lifting for NASA’s commercial crew program.
United Launch Alliance
The last few years have been pretty rough for the Boeing Company. Its newest generation of 737 aircraft, the Max, was grounded in 2019 after two fatal crashes. And following a series of poor management decisions, the company has continued to lose commercial aircraft market share to European multinational corporation Airbus.
Boeing’s defense segment has fared little better. After winning a large military refueling contract, Boeing started producing the KC-46 tanker for the Air Force. But because of manufacturing and design problems with the tanker, the company has taken about $5 billion in losses during the last decade.
Finally, there is Boeing’s space unit, which has struggled to adapt to the new era of commercial space and fixed-price contracts. Most visibly, Boeing has competed directly with SpaceX over the last decade in the commercial crew program to deliver NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. So far, things have not gone terribly well. Boeing is running about three years behind SpaceX, which has now launched five crewed missions for NASA.
Space setbacks
By contrast, Boeing has faced technical setbacks with the flight software and valves in the Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion system. On Thursday, the company will attempt to launch a do-over mission—a second uncrewed test flight of Starliner intended to dock the spacecraft with the International Space Station. Because of the need to re-fly this test mission after the first one failed in 2019, Boeing has taken more than half a billion dollars in losses.
It now seems possible, if not probable, that Boeing has lost money on the commercial crew program, for which NASA has paid it $5.1 billion since 2010. One sign that Boeing may be seeking to cut costs emerged last week during a meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, when member David West raised concerns that Boeing was not putting enough resources toward Starliner’s development and test campaign.
“The panel has noted that Boeing staffing levels seem to be especially low,” West said. “The panel will be monitoring the situation in the near future to see what impact, if any, this could have on the existence or mitigation of any safety risks. Boeing should ensure that all available resources are applied to meet a reasonable schedule and avoid unnecessary delays.”
It would be easy to dismiss Boeing as a legacy aerospace company that can’t keep up with newer, more nimble competitors such as SpaceX. But in reality, Boeing’s efforts to compete have played an important role in the rise of SpaceX.
More than a decade ago, at the outset of the commercial crew program, NASA asked Congress for $500 million as part of its fiscal-year 2011 budget. Recently, two senior NASA officials said the program would never have gotten off the ground had Boeing not entered the competition alongside SpaceX and other smaller companies.
Boeing, the champion?
“I don’t think that we would be anywhere with commercial crew had it not been for Boeing coming into the fray,” said Charlie Bolden, who served as NASA administrator from 2009 to 2017, during an Aviation Week webinar. “Nobody likes SpaceX, to be quite honest, on the Hill. They were an unknown quantity. I think if Boeing had chosen to stay out of commercial crew, we probably would have never gotten funding for it.”
However, Bolden said, as soon as Boeing entered the competition, congressional attitudes started to change. And he credits Boeing for taking a chance on a fixed-price contract, which was relatively new for NASA at the time. The contracting method meant that, instead of getting reimbursed for all of its expenses plus a fee, Boeing could lose money if there were technical delays or setbacks.
“Boeing was a dream,” Bolden said. “I call them a champion in being willing to accept the risk for a program whose business case didn’t close back then. And I’ll be blunt. I don’t know whether the business case closes today.”
Bolden’s thoughts were echoed by the space agency’s deputy administrator at the time, Lori Garver. Speaking last week at the Ars Frontier conference in Washington, DC, Garver said Congress was “furious” when the Obama administration sought funding for commercial crew back in 2010.
“Boeing entering the commercial crew program meant that you got a lot more support from Congress because they tend to have a very robust lobbying program,” Garver said. “I was very happy when the traditional, big aerospace company Boeing bid. Because I think that was a tough call. And I think if they look back on it, they wouldn’t do it again.”