The globalizability of temporal discounting.

Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups.

The general fault in our fault lines.

Pervading global narratives suggest that political polarization is increasing, yet the accuracy of such group meta-perceptions has been drawn into question. A recent US study suggests that these beliefs are inaccurate and drive polarized beliefs about out-groups. However, it also found that informing people of inaccuracies reduces those negative beliefs.

Combining site-directed spin labeling in vivo and in-cell EPR distance determination.

Structural studies on proteins directly in their native environment are required for a comprehensive understanding of their function. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and in particular double electron-electron resonance (DEER) distance determination are suited to investigate spin-labeled proteins directly in the cell. The combination of intracellular bioorthogonal labeling with in-cell DEER measurements does not require additional purification or delivery steps of spin-labeled protein to the cells.

Highly efficacious antiviral protection of plants by small interfering RNAs identified in vitro.

In response to a viral infection, the plant's RNA silencing machinery processes viral RNAs into a huge number of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). However, a very few of these siRNAs actually interfere with viral replication. A reliable approach to identify these immunologically effective siRNAs (esiRNAs) and to define the characteristics underlying their activity has not been available so far.

A Viral Suppressor Modulates the Plant Immune Response Early in Infection by Regulating MicroRNA Activity.

Many viral suppressors (VSRs) counteract antiviral RNA silencing, a central component of the plant's immune response by sequestration of virus-derived antiviral small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Here, we addressed how VSRs affect the activities of cellular microRNAs (miRNAs) during a viral infection by characterizing the interactions of two unrelated VSRs, the p19 and the 2b, with miRNA 162 (miR162), miR168, and miR403. These miRNAs regulate the expression of the important silencing factors Dicer-like protein 1 (DCL1) and Argonaute proteins 1 and 2 (AGO1 and AGO2), respectively.

Bridging the gap between formal and experience-based knowledge for context-aware laparoscopy.

Purpose: Computer assistance is increasingly common in surgery. However, the amount of information is bound to overload processing abilities of surgeons. We propose methods to recognize the current phase of a surgery for context-aware information filtering.

Strain-guided mineralization in the bone-PDL-cementum complex of a rat periodontium.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of mechanical strain by mapping physicochemical properties at periodontal ligament (PDL)-bone and PDL-cementum attachment sites and within the tissues .

Design: Accentuated mechanical strain was induced by applying a unidirectional force of 0.06N for 14 days on molars in a rat model.

Improving care transitions from hospital to home: standardized orders for home health nursing with remote telemonitoring.

A task force at a multihospital health care system partnered with home health agencies to improve gaps during the discharge transition process. A standardized order template for home health nursing and remote telemonitoring was developed to decrease discrepancies in communication between hospital health care providers and home health nurses caring for patients with heart failure. Pilot results showed significantly improved communication with no readmissions, using the order template.

AGO/RISC-mediated antiviral RNA silencing in a plant in vitro system.

AGO/RISC-mediated antiviral RNA silencing, an important component of the plant's immune response against RNA virus infections, was recapitulated in vitro. Cytoplasmic extracts of tobacco protoplasts were applied that supported Tombusvirus RNA replication, as well as the formation of RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISC) that could be functionally reconstituted with various plant ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins. For example, when RISC containing AGO1, 2, 3 or 5 were programmed with exogenous siRNAs that specifically targeted the viral RNA, endonucleolytic cleavages occurred and viral replication was inhibited.

Transcriptomic analysis of the zebrafish inner ear points to growth hormone mediated regeneration following acoustic trauma.

Background: Unlike mammals, teleost fishes are capable of regenerating sensory inner ear hair cells that have been lost following acoustic or ototoxic trauma. Previous work indicated that immediately following sound exposure, zebrafish saccules exhibit significant hair cell loss that recovers to pre-treatment levels within 14 days. Following acoustic trauma in the zebrafish inner ear, we used microarray analysis to identify genes involved in inner ear repair following acoustic exposure.

Structural and functional effects of acoustic exposure in goldfish: evidence for tonotopy in the teleost saccule.

Background: Mammalian and avian auditory hair cells display tonotopic mapping of frequency along the length of the cochlea and basilar papilla. It is not known whether the auditory hair cells of fishes possess a similar tonotopic organization in the saccule, which is thought to be the primary auditory receptor in teleosts. To investigate this question, we determined the location of hair cell damage in the saccules of goldfish (Carassius auratus) following exposure to specific frequencies.

Cell proliferation follows acoustically-induced hair cell bundle loss in the zebrafish saccule.

Fishes are capable of regenerating sensory hair cells in the inner ear after acoustic trauma. However, a time course of auditory hair cell regeneration has not been established for zebrafish. Adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to a 100 Hz pure tone at 179 dB re 1 microPa RMS for 36 h and then allowed to recover for 0-14 days before morphological analysis.

Experimental retinal detachment causes widespread and multilayered degeneration in rabbit retina.

Retinal detachment remains one of the most frequent causes of visual impairment in humans, even after ophthalmoscopically successful retinal reattachment. This study was aimed at monitoring (ultra-) structural alterations of retinae of rabbits after experimental detachment. A surgical procedure was used to produce local retinal detachments in rabbit eyes similar to the typical lesions in human patients.

Gating of Ca2+-activated K+ channels controls fast inhibitory synaptic transmission at auditory outer hair cells.

Fast inhibitory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system is mediated by ionotropic GABA or glycine receptors. Auditory outer hair cells present a unique inhibitory synapse that uses a Ca2+-permeable excitatory acetylcholine receptor to activate a hyperpolarizing potassium current mediated by small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels. It is shown here that unitary inhibitory postsynaptic currents at this synapse are mediated by SK2 channels and occur rapidly, with rise and decay time constants of approximately 6 ms and approximately 30 ms, respectively.

R- and B-cadherin expression defines subpopulations of glial cells involved in axonal guidance in the optic nerve head of the chicken.

Glial cells play a crucial role in the organization and function of the nervous system. Cell-cell adhesion receptors of the cadherin family have been shown to participate in distinct morphogenetic processes throughout the development of the CNS, but little is known about glial expression of cadherins. Applying immunofluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we investigated R- and B-cadherin expression in relation to the glial cell differentiation in the optic nerve head and pecten oculi of developing chicken.

The peripapillary glia of the optic nerve head in the chicken retina.

The eye of reptiles and birds is characterized by an avascular retina and a vascular convolute called conus papillaris in reptiles and pecten oculi in birds which arises from the papilla nervi optici (PNO) or optic nerve head into the vitreous. At least in birds, this central part of the retina is the site of a heterogeneous population of glial cells. Müller cells reside in the retina, astrocytes in the optic nerve, and pecteneal glial cells in the pecten.

Differentiation of a unique macroglial cell type in the pecten oculi of the chicken.

Glial cells in the CNS of vertebrates serve specialized functions in close interaction with surrounding neurons and blood vessels. In the avian eye, the neural tissue (retina) and the supporting vascular structure (pecten oculi) are spatially separated and comprise distinct glial cell types, i.e.

Distribution of mitochondria within Müller cells--II. Post-natal development of the rabbit retinal periphery in vivo and in vitro: dependence on oxygen supply.

The occurrence and localization of mitochondria within glial (Müller) cells and neurons of the peripheral (avascular) rabbit retina was studied electron microscopically and by immunocytochemical demonstration of the mitochondrial enzyme GABA transaminase (GABA-T). Post-natal development in vivo was compared with development of organ cultures from neonatal rabbit retinae, grown over 2 weeks in vitro. The adult pattern of mitochondrial localization (restriction to the sclerad end of the cells) was observed from the beginning of enzyme expression at early post-natal stages.

Distribution of mitochondria within Müller cells--I. Correlation with retinal vascularization in different mammalian species.

The distribution of mitochondria within retinal glial (Müller) cells and neurons was studied by electron microscopy, by confocal microscopy of a mitochondrial dye and by immunocytochemical demonstration of the mitochondrial enzyme GABA transaminase (GABA-T). We studied sections and enzymatically dissociated cells from adult vascularized (human, pig and rat) and avascular or pseudangiotic (guinea-pig and rabbit) mammalian retinae. The following main observations were made.

Quantitative methods in research on complementary and alternative medicine. A methodological manifesto. NIH Office of Alternative Medicine.

Objectives: This article summarizes the deliberations of the Quantitative Methods Working Group convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine.

Methods: The working group was charged with identifying methods of study design and data analysis that can be applied to empirical research on complementary and alternative medicine. This charge was broad and inclusive and addressed the evaluation of alternative therapies, the investigation of the basic science of complementary medical systems, studies of health promotion and disease prevention, and health services research.

Endocrine and hemodynamic effects of stress versus systemic CRF in alcoholics during early and medium term abstinence.

In alcoholics, disturbances of the autonomic nervous system as well as of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) are known. However, these two systems have never been analyzed, under stimulated conditions, in parallel in the same patients. Moreover, studies using intravenous (i.

Causal modeling and alternative medicine.

Many problems of health promotion or prevention call for an understanding of relations among variables embedded in complex causal webs that may include psychosocial, cultural, or environmental factors as well as biological dysfunction. Experimental investigation of these kinds of research problems is frequently impossible or not feasible. Causal modeling, particularly latent variable structural modeling, can provide a useful alternative to manipulative experimentation when one is trying to build and test explanatory models in a rigorous and systematic fashion.

Backward masking, information processing, and schizophrenia.

Many researchers have used backward masking to examine information-processing speed in schizophrenic subjects. The validity of this approach rests upon two main assumptions. One is that the mask effectively limits the time a previously presented stimulus is available for processing.