Using Facebook Advertising to Connect with Extension Audiences

There is considerable interest in using social media to reach Extension audiences. The study\u27s main objective was to assess the effectiveness of Facebook promotion and event advertising on creating new client contacts as measured by Likes. The results show the fan base for each county increased slowly prior to and following the Facebook ad, while it increased more rapidly during the advertisement period. Thus, Facebook advertising appears to be an effective tool to increase awareness of Extension Facebook pages. Extension professionals should consider investing in Facebook advertising to expand their fan base

The curcumin analog HO-3867 selectively kills cancer cells by converting mutant p53 protein to transcriptionally active wildtype p53

p53 is an important tumor-suppressor protein that is mutated in more than 50% of cancers. Strategies for restoring normal p53 function are complicated by the oncogenic properties of mutant p53 and have not met with clinical success. To counteract mutant p53 activity, a variety of drugs with the potential to reconvert mutant p53 to an active wildtype form have been developed. However, these drugs are associated with various negative effects such as cellular toxicity, nonspecific binding to other proteins, and inability to induce a wildtype p53 response in cancer tissue. Here, we report on the effects of a curcumin analog, HO-3867, on p53 activity in cancer cells from different origins. We found that HO-3867 covalently binds to mutant p53, initiates a wildtype p53-like anticancer genetic response, is exclusively cytotoxic toward cancer cells, and exhibits high anticancer efficacy in tumor models. In conclusion, HO-3867 is a p53 mutant-reactivating drug with high clinical anticancer potential

Optical Molecular Imaging in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Recent developments in optical molecular imaging allow for real-time identification of morphological and biochemical changes in tissue associated with gastrointestinal neoplasia. This review summarizes widefield and high resolution imaging modalities currently in pre-clinical and clinical evaluation for the detection of colorectal cancer and esophageal cancer. Widefield techniques discussed include high definition white light endoscopy, narrow band imaging, autofluoresence imaging, and chromoendoscopy; high resolution techniques discussed include probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy, high-resolution microendoscopy, and optical coherence tomography. Finally, new approaches to enhance image contrast using vital dyes and molecular-specific targeted contrast agents are evaluated

The Effects of Acute Tryptophan Depletion on Reactive Aggression in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Healthy Controls

Background: The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) has been linked to the underlying neurobiology of aggressive behavior, particularly with evidence from studies in animals and humans. However, the underlying neurobiology of aggression remains unclear in the context of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disorder known to be associated with aggression and impulsivity. We investigated the effects of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD), and the resulting diminished central nervous serotonergic neurotransmission, on reactive aggression in healthy controls and adults with ADHD. Methodology/Principal Findings: Twenty male patients with ADHD and twenty healthy male controls were subjected to ATD with an amino acid (AA) beverage that lacked tryptophan (TRP, the physiological precursor of 5-HT) and a TRPbalanced AA beverage (BAL) in a double-blind, within-subject crossover-study over two study days. We assessed reactive aggression 3.25 hours after ATD/BAL intake using a point-subtraction aggression game (PSAG) in which participants played for points against a fictitious opponent. Point subtraction was taken as a measure for reactive aggression. Lowered rates of reactive aggression were found in the ADHD group under ATD after low provocation (LP), with controls showing the opposite effect. In patients with ADHD, trait-impulsivity was negatively correlated with the ATD effect on reactive aggression after LP. Statistical power was limited due to large standard deviations observed in the data on point subtraction, which may limit the use of this particular paradigm in adults with ADHD

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) polyubiquitin gene (PvUbi1 and PvUbi2) promoters for use in plant transformation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ubiquitin protein is present in all eukaryotic cells and promoters from ubiquitin genes are good candidates to regulate the constitutive expression of transgenes in plants. Therefore, two switchgrass (<it>Panicum virgatum </it>L.) ubiquitin genes (<it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2</it>) were cloned and characterized. Reporter constructs were produced containing the isolated 5' upstream regulatory regions of the coding sequences (i.e. <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>promoters) fused to the <it>uidA </it>coding region (<it>GUS</it>) and tested for transient and stable expression in a variety of plant species and tissues.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>PvUbi1 </it>consists of 607 bp containing <it>cis</it>-acting regulatory elements, a 5' untranslated region (UTR) containing a 93 bp non-coding exon and a 1291 bp intron, and a 918 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes four tandem, head -to-tail ubiquitin monomer repeats followed by a 191 bp 3' UTR. <it>PvUbi2 </it>consists of 692 bp containing <it>cis</it>-acting regulatory elements, a 5' UTR containing a 97 bp non-coding exon and a 1072 bp intron, a 1146 bp ORF that encodes five tandem ubiquitin monomer repeats and a 183 bp 3' UTR. <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>were expressed in all examined switchgrass tissues as measured by qRT-PCR. Using biolistic bombardment, <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>promoters showed strong expression in switchgrass and rice callus, equaling or surpassing the expression levels of the CaMV <it>35S, 2x35S, ZmUbi1</it>, and <it>OsAct1 </it>promoters. GUS staining following stable transformation in rice demonstrated that the <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>promoters drove expression in all examined tissues. When stably transformed into tobacco (<it>Nicotiana tabacum</it>), the <it>PvUbi2+3 </it>and <it>PvUbi2+9 </it>promoter fusion variants showed expression in vascular and reproductive tissues.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>PvUbi1 </it>and <it>PvUbi2 </it>promoters drive expression in switchgrass, rice and tobacco and are strong constitutive promoter candidates that will be useful in genetic transformation of monocots and dicots.</p

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Different Partners, Different Selves: Strategic Verification of Circumscribed Identities

It is proposed that people negotiate and receive verification for highly positive, relationship-specific selves. Study 1 indicated that although people wanted evaluations that were roughly consistent with their self-views on most dimensions, on a dimension that was crucial to a specific relationship (physical attractiveness in dating relationships) they wanted evaluations that far exceeded their self-views. Studies 2 and 3 showed that participants recognized that their desired evaluations exceeded their self-views but they expected to—and actually did—evoke exalted appraisals of their attractiveness from dating partners. Study 4 suggested that the desire to receive exceptionally positive appraisals on relationship-relevant dimensions generalized to other self-views and same-sex, nonromantic relationship partners. The authors conclude that people find ways of circumventing the conflict between their desires to be valued yet understood

Confounding in Non-Experimental Studies Linking Caregiver Warmth to Youth Adjustment: The Problem and Potential Solutions

Objective: The literature linking more caregiver warmth to better youth adjustment is almost entirely non-experimental, leaving estimates vulnerable to confounding bias. We evaluated the extent and potential impact of confounding in these non-experimental designs. Method: Reviewing the literature, we identified potential confounders of the link between caregiver warmth and three indices of youth adjustment: externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behavior. We then examined the associations between these confounders, warmth, and adjustment in longitudinal data from the ABCD Study: 11,880 youth ages 9- to 15-years-old (48% female, 20% Hispanic, 64% white, 16% Black, 2% Asian). Results: Across analyses, 64-70 of the 80 potentially confounding variables we examined held significant associations with both caregiver warmth and youth adjustment, always in directions that exaggerated the apparent beneficial effect of warmth. When the full set of potential confounding variables were covaried, the apparent effect of caregiver warmth on youth adjustment shrunk by 36%-100% (median estimate = 72%). In follow-up analyses, we could successfully eliminate most of the bias introduced by the full set of 80 confounding variables by controlling for a carefully chosen subset of 2-9 “top confounders” (e.g., prior measurements of warmth and adjustment. Conclusions: There are many confounders of caregiver warmth and youth adjustment in non-experimental data. The magnitude of the resulting bias is quite large and would plausibly change scientific conclusions in a given study. Regularly measuring and adjusting for “top confounders” would help, as would incorporating more quasi-experimental and experimental designs