Detectable use of ENSO information on crop production in Southern Africa.

People have known that El Niño events are associated with low rainfall in Southern Africa for a century, and seasonal rainfall forecasts are now available in agricultural advisories for farmers. While there is abundant theory as to how farmers might (or should) use seasonal rainfall information on their farms, little is known about whether this information has been widely used or has had widespread benefit. In this study, we use subnational data on cropping area and yield to see if we can detect any macro-level patterns in agricultural choices or outcomes that are related to knowledge of the El Niño Southern Oscillation or seasonal forecast information in Southern Africa.

Agronomic monsoon onset definitions to support planting decisions for rainfed rice in Bangladesh.

Unlabelled: The usability gaps between climate information producers and users have always been an issue in climate services. This study aims to tackle the gap for rice farmers in Bangladesh by exploring the potential value of tailored agronomic monsoon onset definitions. Summer rice is primarily cultivated under rainfed conditions, and farmers rely largely on monsoon rainfall and its onset for crop establishment.

Development of a 10-km resolution global soil profile dataset for crop modeling applications.

One major challenge in applying crop simulation models at the regional or global scale is the lack of available global gridded soil profile data. We developed a 10-km resolution global soil profile dataset, at 2 m depth, compatible with DSSAT using SoilGrids1km. Several soil physical and chemical properties required by DSSAT were directly extracted from SoilGrids1km.

The Regional Hydrologic Extremes Assessment System: A software framework for hydrologic modeling and data assimilation.

The Regional Hydrologic Extremes Assessment System (RHEAS) is a prototype software framework for hydrologic modeling and data assimilation that automates the deployment of water resources nowcasting and forecasting applications. A spatially-enabled database is a key component of the software that can ingest a suite of satellite and model datasets while facilitating the interfacing with Geographic Information System (GIS) applications. The datasets ingested are obtained from numerous space-borne sensors and represent multiple components of the water cycle.

Suppression of NFAT5-mediated Inflammation and Chronic Arthritis by Novel κB-binding Inhibitors.

Nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various human diseases, including cancer and arthritis. However, therapeutic agents inhibiting NFAT5 activity are currently unavailable. To discover NFAT5 inhibitors, a library of >40,000 chemicals was screened for the suppression of nitric oxide, a direct target regulated by NFAT5 activity, through high-throughput screening.

GREM1 Is a Key Regulator of Synoviocyte Hyperplasia and Invasiveness.

Objective: To investigate the expression of Gremlin 1 (GREM1), an antagonist of bone morphogenetic protein, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovia and its involvement in the hyperplasia and invasiveness of fibroblast-like synoviocytes of RA (RA-FLS).

Methods: Computational analysis was introduced to identify FLS-predominant regulators. GREM1 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, and ELISA.

Evidence for Association between the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene and Panic Disorder: A Novel Haplotype Analysis.

Objective: Panic disorder (PD) is a common psychiatric disorder with a complex etiology, and several studies have suggested that it has a genetic component. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most abundant of the neurotrophins in the brain and is recognized for its important role in the survival, differentiation and growth of neurons. Several lines of research have suggested possible associations between the BDNF gene and PD.

The xanthine oxidase-NFAT5 pathway regulates macrophage activation and TLR-induced inflammatory arthritis.

NFAT5 (nuclear factor of activated T cells), a well-known osmoprotective factor, can be activated by isotonic stimuli such as Toll-like receptor (TLR) triggering. However, it is unclear how NFAT5 discriminates between isotonic and hypertonic stimuli to produce different functional and molecular outcomes. Here, we identified a novel XO-ROS-p38 MAPK-NFAT5 pathway (XO is xanthine oxidase, ROS is reactive oxygen species) that is activated in RAW 264.

Conflicts and communication between high-achieving Chinese American adolescents and their parents.

Drawing on in-depth interview data collected on 18 high-achieving Chinese American students, the authors examine domains of acculturation-based conflicts, parent and child internal conflicts, and conflict resolution in their families. Their analyses show that well-established negative communication patterns in educational expectations, divergent attitudes toward other races and country of origin, and cultural and language barriers contributed to parent-child conflicts. Their findings also illustrate important internal conflicts both adolescents and parents had along the cultural tightrope of autonomy and relatedness.