How Warmth and Competence Stereotypes Predict Political Party Support

People use stereotypes and party affiliation when making voting decisions (Leeper, 1991). Voters are also known to support the political party they view positively (Graham, Nosek, & Haidt, 2012). How do stereotypes influence political party support? Since warmth and competence are used to evaluate social groups (Cuddy et al. 2008), we examined how the warmth and competence stereotypes associated with political parties were related to voter support. We surveyed participants using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (n = 361). Participant’s ages ranged from twenty to seventy-three years old. These participants rated Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians on competence, warmth, and support (Buhrmester, Kwang, & Gosling, 2011). We expect to find that competence and warmth for a political party (and their interaction) aids in predicting support for that party. To support our initial hypothesis we would need to find in our regressions that the more extensively a party was rated as warm or competent, the more participants support the party. Future research could take more political parties into account, such as the Green Party, or apply these predictive models to individual candidates. Research could also be expanded to examine using communion and agency towards parties as a predictive measure of elections

Shotgun ion mobility mass spectrometry sequencing of heparan sulfate saccharides

Despite evident regulatory roles of heparan sulfate (HS) saccharides in numerous biological processes, definitive information on the bioactive sequences of these polymers is lacking, with only a handful of natural structures sequenced to date. Here, we develop a “Shotgun” Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry Sequencing (SIMMS2) method in which intact HS saccharides are dissociated in an ion mobility mass spectrometer and collision cross section values of fragments measured. Matching of data for intact and fragment ions against known values for 36 fully defined HS saccharide structures (from di- to decasaccharides) permits unambiguous sequence determination of validated standards and unknown natural saccharides, notably including variants with 3O-sulfate groups. SIMMS2 analysis of two fibroblast growth factor-inhibiting hexasaccharides identified from a HS oligosaccharide library screen demonstrates that the approach allows elucidation of structure-activity relationships. SIMMS2 thus overcomes the bottleneck for decoding the informational content of functional HS motifs which is crucial for their future biomedical exploitation

Data Fusion of Remote-sensing and In-lake chlorophyll a Data Using Statistical Downscaling

Chlorophyll a is a green pigment, used as an indirect measure of lake water quality. Its strong absorption of blue and red light allows for quantification through satellite images, providing better spatial coverage than traditional in-lake samples. However, grid-cell scale imagery must be calibrated spatially using in-lake point samples, presenting a change-of-support problem. This paper presents a method of statistical downscaling, namely a Bayesian spatially-varying coefficient regression, which assimilates remotely-sensed and in-lake data, resulting in a fully calibrated spatial map of chlorophyll a with associated uncertainty measures. The model is applied to a case study dataset from Lake Balaton, Hungary

Stromal Expression of miR-143/145 Promotes Neoangiogenesis in Lung Cancer Development

The two unrelated miRNAs miR-143 and miR-145, coexpressed from the miR-143/145 cluster, have been proposed to act as tumor suppressors in human cancer, and therapeutic benefits of delivering miR-143 and miR-145 to tumors have been reported. In contrast, we found that tumor-specific deletion of miR-143/145 in an autochthonous mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma did not affect tumor development. This was consistent with the lack of endogenous miR-143/145 expression in normal and transformed lung epithelium. Surprisingly, miR-143/145 in the tumor microenvironment dramatically promoted tumor growth by stimulating the proliferation of endothelial cells. Loss of miR-143/145 in vivo led to derepression of the miR-145 target CAMK1D, an inhibitory kinase, which when overexpressed prevents mitotic entry of endothelial cells. As a consequence, tumors in miR-143/145-deficient animals exhibited diminished neoangiogenesis, increased apoptosis, and their expansion was limited by the tumor’s ability to co-opt the alveolar vasculature. These findings demonstrate that stromal miR-143/145 promotes tumorigenesis and caution against the use of these miRNAs as agents in cancer therapeutics.SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows that miR-143/145 expressed from the tumor microenvironment stimulates neoangiogenesis and supports tumor expansion in the lung, demonstrating a surprising role for the putative tumor suppressor miRNA cluster in promoting tumorigenesis. We propose inhibition of miR-143/145 as a therapeutic avenue to modulate tumor neoangiogenesis.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant P01-CA42063-26)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Grant P30-CA14051

Effect of etranacogene dezaparvovec on quality of life for severe and moderately severe haemophilia B participants:Results from the phase III HOPE-B trial 2 years after gene therapy

Introduction:For people with haemophilia B (PwHB), bleeding may occur despite prophylaxis, negatively affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The pivotal phase 3 HOPE-B trial investigating the adeno-associated virus gene transfer product, etranacogene dezaparvovec (EDZ), demonstrated sustained factor IX (FIX) activity and bleed protection in PwHB with baseline FIX levels ≤2%. Aim: Assess how EDZ affects HRQoL in HOPE-B trial participants. Methods: HRQoL was evaluated using generic and disease-specific patient reported outcomes (PROs) including the EQ-5D-5L and the Hem-A-QoL questionnaires. Mean domain and total scores were compared 6 months pre- and the first 2 years post-EDZ administration using repeated measures linear mixed models. The percentage of participants with minimal clinically important improvements in HRQoL was also evaluated. Results: Two years post-EDZ, there were nominally significant increases in the least squares (LS) mean score for the EQ-5D-5L Index Value (.04; p =.0129), reflecting better HRQoL. Nominally significant decreases in the LS mean scores, reflecting better HRQoL, were also found for the Hem-A-QoL total score (−6.0; p &lt;.0001) and the Treatment (−13.94; p &lt;.0001), Feelings (−9.01; p &lt;.0001), Future (−6.45; p =.0004) and Work/School (−5.21; p =.0098) domains. The percentage of participants with ≥15-point improvement ranged from 45.83% (95% CI: 31.37%, 60.83%) for Treatment to 13.89% (95% CI: 4.67%, 29.50%) for Family Planning. Results were similar for Year 1. Conclusion:In conclusion, gene therapy with EDZ improved HRQoL in the first and second years in several Hem-A-QoL domains, including Treatment, Feelings, Work/School and Future domains, whereas improvement in other aspects of HRQoL were not demonstrated.</p

The Spitzer Survey of Interstellar Clouds in the Gould Belt. VI. The Auriga-California Molecular Cloud observed with IRAC and MIPS

We present observations of the Auriga-California Molecular Cloud (AMC) at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8.0, 24, 70 and 160 micron observed with the IRAC and MIPS detectors as part of the Spitzer Gould Belt Legacy Survey. The total mapped areas are 2.5 sq-deg with IRAC and 10.47 sq-deg with MIPS. This giant molecular cloud is one of two in the nearby Gould Belt of star-forming regions, the other being the Orion A Molecular Cloud (OMC). We compare source counts, colors and magnitudes in our observed region to a subset of the SWIRE data that was processed through our pipeline. Using color-magnitude and color-color diagrams, we find evidence for a substantial population of 166 young stellar objects (YSOs) in the cloud, many of which were previously unknown. Most of this population is concentrated around the LkHalpha 101 cluster and the filament extending from it. We present a quantitative description of the degree of clustering and discuss the fraction of YSOs in the region with disks relative to an estimate of the diskless YSO population. Although the AMC is similar in mass, size and distance to the OMC, it is forming about 15 - 20 times fewer stars.Comment: (30 pages, 17 figures (2 multipage figures), accepted for publication in ApJ

Active PSF shaping and adaptive optics enable volumetric localization microscopy through brain sections

Application of single-molecule switching nanoscopy (SMSN) beyond the coverslip surface poses substantial challenges due to sample-induced aberrations that distort and blur single-molecule emission patterns. We combined active shaping of point spread functions and efficient adaptive optics to enable robust 3D-SMSN imaging within tissues. This development allowed us to image through 30-μm-thick brain sections to visualize and reconstruct the morphology and the nanoscale details of amyloid-β filaments in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Efficacy of ERL-4221 as an ovotoxin for feral pigs (\u3ci\u3eSus scrofa\u3c/i\u3e)

Context. The expansion of feral pig populations across the United States has increased the occurrence of damage and damage complaints.Newtechniques are needed to more effectively manage feral pig damage, including the development of fertility control agents. Aims. We aimed to assess the ovotoxic properties of ERL-4221 as a candidate fertility control agent for feral pigs. Methods. We conducted two palatability trials to determine ERL-4221 acceptance and one experimental trial with ERL- 4221 at the captive wildlife facility of Texas A&M University-Kingsville during 2008. Our experimental trial had three treatments, a control containing no ERL-4221, baits containing 16.0 mg ERL-4221 kg–1 bodyweight for 10 days, and baits containing 16.0 mg ERL-4221 kg–1 bodyweight for 20 days. Key results. Final body mass, total ovary mass, number of follicles and number of corpora lutea did not differ between treatments. Conclusions. We did not find it efficacious to orally deliver ERL-4221 to feral pigs to reduce fertility. Oral delivery is the most practical, cost-effective means of delivering fertility control agents to feral pigs and development of additional fertility control strategies are needed. Implications. Unless ovotoxic effects of ERL-4221 can be identified in feral pigs, along with a successful means of administration, other fertility control strategies may need to be explored, such as oocyte-secreted proteins that regulate follicular development

Germline loss of PKM2 promotes metabolic distress and hepatocellular carcinoma

Alternative splicing of the Pkm gene product generates the PKM1 and PKM2 isoforms of pyruvate kinase (PK), and PKM2 expression is closely linked to embryogenesis, tissue regeneration, and cancer. To interrogate the functional requirement for PKM2 during development and tissue homeostasis, we generated germline PKM2-null mice (Pkm2[superscript −/−]). Unexpectedly, despite being the primary isoform expressed in most wild-type adult tissues, we found that Pkm2[superscript −/−] mice are viable and fertile. Thus, PKM2 is not required for embryonic or postnatal development. Loss of PKM2 leads to compensatory expression of PKM1 in the tissues that normally express PKM2. Strikingly, PKM2 loss leads to spontaneous development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with high penetrance that is accompanied by progressive changes in systemic metabolism characterized by altered systemic glucose homeostasis, inflammation, and hepatic steatosis. Therefore, in addition to its role in cancer metabolism, PKM2 plays a role in controlling systemic metabolic homeostasis and inflammation, thereby preventing HCC by a non-cell-autonomous mechanism.National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Cancer Center Support Grant P30CA14051)Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBurroughs Wellcome FundSmith Family FoundationUnited States. Dept. of Health and Human Services (P01CA117969)United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services (R01CA168653)American Society for Engineering Education. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate FellowshipJane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research (Postdoctoral Fellowship