Gamma power in rural Pakistani children: links to executive function and verbal ability

Children in low- and middle-income countries are at high risk of cognitive deficits due to environmental deprivation that compromises brain development. Despite the high prevalence of unrealized cognitive potential, very little is known about neural correlates of cognition in this population. We assessed resting EEG power and cognitive ability in 105 highly disadvantaged 48-month-old children in rural Pakistan. An increase in EEG power in gamma frequency bands (21–30 Hz and 31–45 Hz) was associated with better executive function. For girls, EEG gamma power also related to higher verbal IQ. This study identifies EEG gamma power as a neural marker of cognitive function in disadvantaged children in low- and middle-income countries. Elevated gamma power may be a particularly important protective factor for girls, who may experience greater deprivation due to gender inequality.This research was supported by Grand Challenges Canada Saving Brains Initiative Grant 0061-03. The preparation of this article also was supported by a Scholar's Award from the William T. Grant Foundation to Jelena Obradovic. (0061-03 - Grand Challenges Canada Saving Brains Initiative; William T. Grant Foundation)Published versio

Hacking Hemingway: Cracking the Code to the Vault, a Co-Laboratory

Who owns Hemingway? The commodification of this literary icon is questioned by a new initiative that asks teens to re-vision Ernest Hemingway as represented by his sister, mother, school friends, and young self. Partnering with the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, with whom the library shares unique stewardship of the Hemingway Archives, Oak Park Public Library has begun a participatory digitization initiative that includes the Illinois State Library and its Illinois Digital Archive, and Oak Park School District 97 to position teens as digital curators. After months of negotiations, never-before-digitized Hemingway artifacts will be situated within local contexts by teens in Hemingway’s hometown; challenging lines of traditional scholarship. The Hemingway Archives have been housed in the library’s museum-grade vaults over a decade, limiting access to the humanities scholarly community; until now. The project focuses on Hemingway's Oak Park: birth-young adulthood (1899-c.1919) with an emphasis on everyday experience; ending with his return after World War I.ye

Gamma power in Pakistani children: Links to executive function and verbal ability

Children in low- and middle-income countries are at high risk of cognitive deficits due to environmental deprivation that compromises brain development. Despite the high prevalence of unrealized cognitive potential, very little is known about neural correlates of cognition in this population. We assessed resting EEG power and cognitive ability in 105 highly disadvantaged 48-month-old children in rural Pakistan. An increase in EEG power in gamma frequency bands (21-30Hz and 31-45Hz) was associated with better executive function. For girls, EEG gamma power also related to higher verbal IQ. This study identifies EEG gamma power as a neural marker of cognitive function in disadvantaged children in low- and middle-income countries. Elevated gamma power may be a particularly important protective factor for girls, who may experience greater deprivation due to gender inequality

Minutes of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 6-17-2009

Present at this meeting were the following members of the Federal Reserve System: Ms. Johnson, Mr. Frierson, Ms. Ross, Mr. Hiratsuka, Ms. Smith, Mr. Blanchard, Mr. Skidmore, Mr. Gross, Mr. Alvarez, Ms. O\u27Day, Ms. Liang, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Foley. In addition, those present to represent the Federal Reserve Bank of New York include: Mr. Dudley, Mr. Rutledge, Mr. Angulo, and Mr. Whynott

Minutes of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 6-5-2009

Present at this meeting were the following members of the Federal Reserve System: Ms. Johnson, Mr. Frierson, Ms. Smith, Mr. Skidmore, Mr. Alvarez, Ms. Liang, Mr. Cole, Ms. Stefansson, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Foley

Off-target inhibition of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH) highlights challenges in the development of fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) inhibitors

FTO, an N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and N6,2′-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) RNA demethylase, is a promising target for treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) due to the significant anticancer activity of its inhibitors in preclinical models. Here, we demonstrate that the FTO inhibitor FB23-2 suppresses proliferation across both AML and CML cell lines, irrespective of FTO dependency, indicating an alternative mechanism of action. Metabolomic analysis revealed that FB23-2 induces the accumulation of dihydroorotate (DHO), a key intermediate in pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis catalyzed by human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH). Notably, structural similarities between the catalytic pockets of FTO and hDHODH enabled FB23-2 to inhibit both enzymes. In contrast, the hDHODH-inactive FB23-2 analog, ZLD115, required FTO for its antiproliferative activity. Similarly, the FTO inhibitor CS2 (brequinar), known as one of the most potent hDHODH inhibitors, exhibited FTO-independent antileukemic effects. Uridine supplementation fully rescued leukemia cells from FB23-2 and CS2-induced growth inhibition, but not ZLD115, confirming the inhibition of pyrimidine synthesis as the primary mechanism of action underlying their antileukemic activity. These findings underscore the importance of considering off-target effects on hDHODH in the development of FTO inhibitors to optimize their therapeutic potential and minimize unintended consequences

Regulating Systemic Risk

The failure to spot emerging systemic risk and prevent the current global financial crisis warrants a reexamination of the approach taken so far to crisis prevention. The paper argues that financial crises can be prevented, as they build up over time due to policy mistakes and eventually erupt in slow motion. While one cannot predict the precise timing of crises, one can avert them by identifying and dealing with sources of instability. For this purpose, policymakers need to strengthen top-down macroprudential supervision, complemented by bottom-up microprudential supervision. The paper explores such a strategy and the institutional setting required to implement it at the national level. Given that the recent regulatory reforms that have been undertaken to address systemic risks are inadequate to prevent and combat future crises, the paper argues that national measures to promote financial stability are crucial and that the Westphalian principles governing international financial oversight should be rejected. The paper proposes that while an effective national systemic regulator should be established, strong international cooperation is indispensable for financial stability

Regional Monitoring of Capital Flows and Coordination of Financial Regulation: Stakes and Options for Asia

The ongoing global economic crisis has punished Asian economies severely, despite the fact that its origins derive from outside the region. The global economic crisis was transmitted through real and financial channels, underscoring how vulnerable the region is to external shocks. This paper explores the microeconomic origins of the financial crisis and endeavors to ascertain how crises might be mitigated in the future through better regulation, supervision, and institution-building. Moreover, it makes the case for closer economic cooperation in order to internalize key externalities associated with modern global finance. This cooperation, in turn, should take place at the appropriate level, with incentives for cooperation at the global, regional, and subregional levels. It explores the potential for the creation of an Asian Financial Stability Board and deepening other initiatives in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)+3 and ASEAN forums. However, it stresses that the most important financial reforms in Asia will need to take place at the national level