Evolutionary Responses of Invasive Grass Species to Variation in Precipitation and Soil Nitrogen

1.Global climate models suggest that many ecosystems will experience reduced precipitation over the next century and the consequences for invasive plant performance are largely unknown. Annual invasive species may be able to quickly evolve traits associated with drought escape or tolerance through rapid genetic changes. 2.We investigated the influence of five years of water and nitrogen manipulations on trait values in a southern California grassland system. Seeds from two annual grass species (Avena barbata, Bromus madritensis) were collected from experimental plots and grown in a common environment over two generations. We measured 14 physiological, morphological, phenological, and reproductive traits. 3.Both species displayed phenotypic differences depending on the water treatment from which they were collected, but not depending on the nitrogen treatment. Both species displayed trait values characteristic of drought escape (e.g., earlier flowering in A. barbata and B. madritensis, lower water-use efficiency in B. madritensis) when grown from seeds collected from plots that experienced five years of reduced precipitation. Furthermore, A. barbata individuals grown from seeds collected from drought plots had higher reproductive output and higher photosynthetic performance than individuals grown from water addition plots, with individuals grown from ambient plots displaying intermediate trait values. Notably, we found no phenotypic variation among treatments for six root traits. 4.Synthesis. Trait differences were observed following two generations in a common garden, suggesting that treatment differences were genetically based. This suggests that populations were responding to selection over the five years of water manipulations, a remarkably short time period. The rapid evolutionary responses observed here may help these two widespread invasive grass species thrive under reduced precipitation scenarios, which could have important implications for fire dynamics, invasive species management, and native plant restoration in communities invaded by annual grasses

COVID-19: Using Social Media to Promote Mental Health in Medical School During the Pandemic

The Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) is a national student organization that advocates for the health of the Asian American Pacific Islanders. In May 2020, our APAMSA chapter at Oakland University William Beaumont (OUWB) School of Medicine located in Michigan, USA hosted a virtual mental health campaign titled, “Socially Distant but Emotionally Connected: 6ft Closer During Quarantine.” We reached out to medical students and faculty within the OUWB community to share their experiences during the initial phases of quarantine. Our goal was to create a space for everyone at OUWB to engage in meaningful conversations about mental health and support each other during the pandemic. The responses we received varied across numerous topics, including xenophobia, loneliness, and lack of motivation. Participants also followed up with words of encouragement for their peers and guidance on how to cope with social isolation. Our virtual campaign was very feasible and successful under the constraints of social distancing, and we urge other medical schools to implement their own mental health awareness initiatives to destigmatize the topic in their communities. General steps on how to start your own campaign include: collaborating with interest groups, deciding on social media platforms, and sharing with your community.&nbsp

The PLAID graphics analysis impact on the space program

An ongoing project design often requires visual verification at various stages. These requirements are critically important because the subsequent phases of that project might depend on the complete verification of a particular stage. Currently, there are several software packages at JSC that provide such simulation capabilities. We present the simulation capabilities of the PLAID modeling system used in the Flight Crew Support Division for human factors analyses. We summarize some ongoing studies in kinematics, lighting, EVA activities, and discuss various applications in the mission planning of the current Space Shuttle flights and the assembly sequence of the Space Station Freedom with emphasis on the redesign effort

Incidence, attributable mortality, and healthcare and out-of-pocket costs of Clostridioides difficile infection in US Medicare Advantage Enrollees

BACKGROUND: US attributable Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) mortality and cost data are primarily from Medicare fee-for-service populations, and little is known about Medicare Advantage Enrollees (MAEs). This study evaluated CDI incidence among MAEs from 2012 to 2019 and determined attributable mortality and costs by comparing MAEs with and without CDI occurring in 2018. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study assessed CDI incidence and associated mortality and costs for eligible MAEs ≥65 years of age using the de-identified Optum Clinformatics Data Mart database (Optum; Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA). Outcomes included mortality, healthcare utilization, and costs, which were assessed via a propensity score-matched cohort using 2018 as the index year. Outcome analyses were stratified by infection acquisition and hospitalization status. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2019, overall annual CDI incidence declined from 609 to 442 per 100 000 person-years. Although the incidence of healthcare-associated CDI declined overall (2012, 53.2%; 2019, 47.2%), community-associated CDI increased (2012, 46.8%; 2019, 52.8%). The 1-year attributable mortality was 7.9% (CDI cases, 26.3%; non-CDI controls, 18.4%). At the 2-month follow-up, CDI-associated excess mean total healthcare and out-of-pocket costs were $13 476 and$396, respectively. Total excess mean healthcare costs were greater among hospitalized (healthcare-associated, $28 762; community-associated,$28 330) than nonhospitalized CDI patients ($5704 and$2320, respectively), whereas total excess mean out-of-pocket cost was highest among community-associated hospitalized CDI patients ($970). CONCLUSIONS: CDI represents an important public health burden in the MAE population. Preventive strategies and treatments are needed to improve outcomes and reduce costs for healthcare systems and this growing population of older US adults

An experimental test of deviant modeling

Objectives: Test the effect of deviant peer modeling on theft as conditioned by verbal support for theft and number of deviant models. Methods: Two related randomized experiments in which participants were given a chance to steal a gift card (ostensibly worth $15) from the table in front of them. Each experiment had a control group, a verbal prompting group in which confederate(s) endorsed stealing, a behavioral modeling group in which confederate(s) committed theft, and a verbal prompting plus behavioral modeling group in which confederate(s) did both. The first experiment used one confederate; the second experiment used two. The pooled sample consisted of 335 undergraduate students. Results: Participants in the verbal prompting plus behavioral modeling group were most likely to steal followed by the behavioral modeling group. Interestingly, behavioral modeling was only influential when two confederates were present. There were no thefts in either the control or verbal prompting groups regardless of the number of confederates. Conclusions: Behavioral modeling appears to be the key mechanism, though verbal support can strengthen the effect of behavioral modeling.UW/SSHRC Seed Gran

Evolutionary responses of invasive grass species to variation in precipitation and soil nitrogen

1.Global climate models suggest that many ecosystems will experience reduced precipitation over the next century and the consequences for invasive plant performance are largely unknown. Annual invasive species may be able to quickly evolve traits associated with drought escape or tolerance through rapid genetic changes. 2.We investigated the influence of five years of water and nitrogen manipulations on trait values in a southern California grassland system. Seeds from two annual grass species (Avena barbata, Bromus madritensis) were collected from experimental plots and grown in a common environment over two generations. We measured 14 physiological, morphological, phenological, and reproductive traits. 3.Both species displayed phenotypic differences depending on the water treatment from which they were collected, but not depending on the nitrogen treatment. Both species displayed trait values characteristic of drought escape (e.g., earlier flowering in A. barbata and B. madritensis, lower water-use efficiency in B. madritensis) when grown from seeds collected from plots that experienced five years of reduced precipitation. Furthermore, A. barbata individuals grown from seeds collected from drought plots had higher reproductive output and higher photosynthetic performance than individuals grown from water addition plots, with individuals grown from ambient plots displaying intermediate trait values. Notably, we found no phenotypic variation among treatments for six root traits. 4.Synthesis. Trait differences were observed following two generations in a common garden, suggesting that treatment differences were genetically based. This suggests that populations were responding to selection over the five years of water manipulations, a remarkably short time period. The rapid evolutionary responses observed here may help these two widespread invasive grass species thrive under reduced precipitation scenarios, which could have important implications for fire dynamics, invasive species management, and native plant restoration in communities invaded by annual grasses

Tears in your beer: Gender differences in coping drinking motives, depressive symptoms and drinking

This study evaluates associations between coping drinking motives (CDM; drinking to regulate negative affect), depressive symptoms, and drinking behavior and extends the literature by also taking into account gender differences. Two hundred forty-three college students (Mean age = 22.93, SD = 6.29, 82% female) participated. Based on previous research, we expected that CDM would be positively associated with drinking and problems, particularly among those higher in depressive symptoms, as individuals experiencing higher levels of negative affect (i.e. depressive symptoms) and who drink to cope are likely to drink more and experience more alcohol-related problems. Lastly, based on established gender differences, we expected that CDM would be positively associated with drinking and problems, especially among females higher in depressive symptoms. Unexpectedly, findings suggested that CDMs were positively related to peak drinking, especially among those lower in depressive symptoms. Results further revealed a significant three-way interaction between CDM, depressive symptoms, and gender when predicting alcohol-related problems and drinking frequency. Specifically, we found that CDM were more strongly associated with problems among women who were lower in depressive symptoms; whereas CDM were more strongly associated with problems among men who were higher in depressive symptoms. These findings offer a more comprehensive depiction of the relationship between depressive symptoms, CDM, and drinking behavior by taking into account the importance of gender differences. These results provide additional support for considering gender when designing and implementing alcohol intervention strategies

Endosymbionts moderate constrained sex allocation in a haplodiploid thrips species in a temperature-sensitive way

Maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts that affect host fitness are common in nature. Some endosymbionts colonise host populations by reproductive manipulations (such as cytoplasmic incompatibility; CI) that increase the reproductive fitness of infected over uninfected females. Theory predicts that CI-inducing endosymbionts in haplodiploid hosts may also influence sex allocation, including in compatible crosses, however, empirical evidence for this is scarce. We examined the role of two common CI-inducing endosymbionts, Cardinium and Wolbachia, in the sex allocation of Pezothrips kellyanus, a haplodiploid thrips species with a split sex ratio. In this species, irrespective of infection status, some mated females are constrained to produce extremely male-biased broods, whereas other females produce extremely female-biased broods. We analysed brood sex ratio of females mated with males of the same infection status at two temperatures. We found that at 20 °C the frequency of constrained sex allocation in coinfected pairs was reduced by 27% when compared to uninfected pairs. However, at 25 °C the constrained sex allocation frequency increased and became similar between coinfected and uninfected pairs, resulting in more male-biased population sex ratios at the higher temperature. This temperature-dependent pattern occurred without changes in endosymbiont densities and compatibility. Our findings indicate that endosymbionts affect sex ratios of haplodiploid hosts beyond the commonly recognised reproductive manipulations by causing female-biased sex allocation in a temperature-dependent fashion. This may contribute to a higher transmission efficiency of CI-inducing endosymbionts and is consistent with previous models that predict that CI by itself is less efficient in driving endosymbiont invasions in haplodiploid hosts

p97/VCP promotes degradation of CRBN substrate glutamine synthetase and neosubstrates

Glutamine synthetase (GS) plays an essential role in metabolism by catalyzing the synthesis of glutamine from glutamate and ammonia. Our recent study showed that CRBN, a direct protein target for the teratogenic and antitumor activities of immunomodulatory drugs such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and pomalidomide, recognizes an acetyl degron of GS, resulting in ubiquitylation and degradation of GS in response to glutamine. Here, we report that valosin-containing protein (VCP)/p97 promotes the degradation of ubiquitylated GS, resulting in its accumulation in cells with compromised p97 function. Notably, p97 is also required for the degradation of all four known CRBN neo-substrates [Ikaros family zinc finger proteins 1 (IKZF1) and 3 (IKZF3), casein kinase 1α (CK1α), and the translation termination factor GSPT1] whose ubiquitylation is induced by immunomodulatory drugs. Together, these data point to an unexpectedly intimate relationship between the E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL4^(CRBN) and p97 pathways