Early Intervention Provider-Reported NDBI Use and Relationships with Provider- to System-Level Implementation Determinants.

An expanding evidence base has advocated for delivery of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) within community systems, thus extending the reach of these practices to young autistic children. The current study examined provider-reported use of NBDIs within a Part C Early Intervention (EI) system and the extent to which provider background, attitudes, and perceived organizational support predicted NDBI use. Results from 100 EI providers representing multiple disciplines indicated reported use of NDBI strategies within their practice despite inconsistent reported competency with manualized NDBI programs. Although NDBI strategy use was not predicted by provider experiences or perceived organizational support, provider openness to new interventions predicted the reported use of NDBI strategies. Future directions include mixed methods data collection across and within EI systems to better understand NDBI use and ultimately facilitate NDBI implementation.

Child abuse and individual traits related to developmental trajectories of bullying victimization: An integrated, multitheoretical approach.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescents who experience prior victimization such as child abuse within the home and experience low self-esteem/depression are at higher risk of repetitive bullying victimization when compared to those without such experiences. Recent scholarship has explored growth trajectories of bullying during adolescent development; however, relatively little is known about distinct trajectory patterns of bullying victimization across adolescent development. The current study identifies unobserved subgroups thus capturing the heterogeneity in developmental pathways in bullying victimization. METHOD: The current study uniquely utilized a multitheoretical approach to help explain the phenomenon of bullying victimization among a national sample of 2,190 youth in South Korea from 2010 to 2016. Theories tested include the integrated approach of target congruence, lifestyle and routine activities theories (LRAT), and the state dependence and population heterogeneity perspectives. To conduct this analysis, we performed a three-step latent class growth analysis. RESULTS: The study revealed three distinct trajectory groups. Korean adolescents who had higher levels of low self-esteem demonstrated greater odds of belonging to both the early-onset and decreasing and increasing and late peak groups. Those who had low-self-esteem and were depressed demonstrated greater odds of belonging to the early-onset and decreasing group. Prior experience of child abuse for the early-onset and decreasing group was fully mediated by the measures of target congruence and lifestyles. CONCLUSION: The current study contributes to research on developmental victimization by demonstrating the utility of integrating target congruence variables with lifestyle-routine activity concepts in explaining heterogeneity.

"I'm Just Like, You Know What, It's Now or Never": Exploring How Women of Color Experiencing Severe Abuse and Homicide Risk Journey Toward Formal Help-Seeking.

Women in the United States are more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than anyone else, and prior, severe domestic violence (DV) is typically involved in such intimate partner homicides (IPH). Black women experience disproportionately high rates of DV and IPHs, severe injury, and abuse with weapons. Distinct patterns of escalating DV are associated with impending risk of re-victimization and lethal violence. One of the most common predictors associated with formal DV help-seeking is severity of physical violence. The current study uses semi-structured interviews with 11 severe abuse survivors to answer the following research questions: (1) How do women experiencing severe abuse make sense of DV resources across the course of their abusive relationships? (2) How do women experiencing severe abuse make sense of services when fear of death/homicide risk is present? Approximately 91% of the sample is comprised of women of color (WOC) survivors. Results demonstrate that WOC survivors navigated complex journeys toward formal DV help-seeking that involved resisting help-seeking when the abuse still felt manageable; delaying help-seeking to protect themselves from escalating violence; and hastening help-seeking when breaking points were reached and the risk of death felt tangible. DV resources took on a different meaning in participants' lives as abuse became more severe across the abuse lifecourse, and in relation to life circumstances and patterns of abuse, and personal perceptions of homicide risk. WOC participants also often experienced multiple structural barriers to formal help-seeking and waited until the violence was severe and/or life-threatening to make first contact, which highlights the necessity of immediate risk assessment with responsive service offerings that address the link between DV and poverty, as well as regular follow-up and ongoing support.

Public support for government use of network surveillance: An empirical assessment of public understanding of ethics in science administration.

This article relies upon the recreancy theorem to empirically assess the extent to which people's desires for technology efficacy, personal security, and social justice affect their trust in and support for government use of network surveillance as it is applied to local law enforcement and homeland security. The recreancy theorem complements technology adoption models in that it focuses upon public assessments of innovations as they are managed by societal institutions, thereby providing conceptual congruity between technology adoption and public assessments of institutional competency and integrity. Based upon the results of a social survey of 1488 adults living in the contiguous United States, the article expands our conceptual understanding of public opinions of network surveillance and empirically documents public demand for network surveillance that fosters goals of social justice more so than goals of self-interest.

Anti-Asian Hate Crime During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Reproduction of Inequality.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is believed to have emerged in Wuhan, China in late December 2019 and began rapidly spreading around the globe throughout the spring months of 2020. As COVID-19 proliferated across the United States, Asian Americans reported a surge in racially motivated hate crimes involving physical violence and harassment. Throughout history, pandemic-related health crises have been associated with the stigmatization and "othering" of people of Asian descent. Asian Americans have experienced verbal and physical violence motivated by individual-level racism and xenophobia from the time they arrived in America in the late 1700s up until the present day. At the institutional level, the state has often implicitly reinforced, encouraged, and perpetuated this violence through bigoted rhetoric and exclusionary policies. COVID-19 has enabled the spread of racism and created national insecurity, fear of foreigners, and general xenophobia, which may be related to the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic. We examine how these crimes - situated in historically entrenched and intersecting individual-level and institutional-level racism and xenophobia - have operated to "other" Asian Americans and reproduce inequality.

Nightmares in Treatment-Seeking Youth: the Role of Cumulative Trauma Exposure.

Although nightmares are frequently endorsed symptoms in children who have experienced trauma, limited research has been conducted on how nightmares vary with different forms of trauma exposure. Our goal was to assess the relationship between nightmares, trauma exposure, and symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in youth. A total of 4440 trauma exposed treatment-seeking youth (ages 7 to 18) were administered the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index. Different trauma types, total traumas experienced, and PTSD symptoms were analyzed with correlations and a logistic regression in relation to nightmare frequency. Overall, 33.1% of participants reported experiencing clinically-significant nightmares. 79.1% of the sample experienced more than one trauma type, with an average of 3.06 trauma types endorsed. A binary logistic regression demonstrated the odds of reporting clinically-significant nightmares increased by 1.3 times for every additional type of trauma experienced. Lastly, nightmares were positively correlated with all PTSD criterion. The current study provides prevalence rates of trauma exposure and nightmares in a large, statewide sample of treatment-seeking youth. Each new trauma type experienced resulted in a greater likelihood of endorsing clinically-significant nightmares. This study provides useful information related to assessing and addressing nightmares in youth who have experienced trauma.

Problematic Sexual Behavior in Children.

It is important for health care professionals to have a strong knowledge base of childhood sexual development, to know how to differentiate between problematic and normative sexual behaviors, and counsel parents accordingly given their assessment of the behaviors. A review of the literature suggests that sexual behaviors are a common occurrence in childhood, though some behaviors are rare regardless of age. Frequency of the behavior, developmental considerations, and the level of harm may help health care professionals assess whether the sexual behavior is typical or problematic. Research suggests that the development of problematic sexual behavior is related to a variety of child, family, developmental, and social factors. Recommendations for clinical care for this population are offered, and a case study highlights a health care professional's appropriate assessment and decision making.

Ground State versus Excited State: Discrepancy in Electronic Communication in a Series of meso-meso Two-Atom-Bridged Diporphyrins.

The focal point of this work is the photophysical characterization of three meso-meso two-atom-bridged diporphyrins. Detailed investigations by means of cyclic voltammetry, absorption, fluorescence, and femto-/nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy revealed the discrepancy in electronic communication in a series of meso-meso two-atom-bridged porphyrins in the ground state and in the excited state. In the ground state, the azo bridge facilitates the strongest electronic communication between the two porphyrins. In the excited state, however, the ethene bridge induces the strongest coupling, followed by the imine and azo bridges.

A Hypotensive/Bradycardic Episode Leading to Asystole in a Patient Undergoing Shoulder Arthroscopy in the Sitting Position With Interscalene Block and Intravenous Sedation: A Case Report.

Anesthesia for shoulder surgery is often accomplished by means of an interscalene block and intravenous sedation, with the patient subsequently placed in the sitting position for surgical access. Despite the advantages of this popular technique, sudden unheralded and severe hypotensive/bradycardic episodes have been reported in this population, with an incidence of 13% to 24%. Although these episodes are usually transient and resolve spontaneously, there are case reports of progression to asystolic cardiac arrest following hypotensive/bradycardic episodes. To raise awareness of the catastrophic potential of these episodes and discuss possible causes and preventive measures, the author presents the case of an ASA class 1 patient undergoing shoulder arthroscopy in the sitting position with an interscalene block and intravenous sedation, who experienced a hypotensive/bradycardic episode that rapidly progressed to intraoperative asystole.

A systematic theoretical study of the electronic structures of porphyrin dimers: DFT and TD-DFT calculations on diporphyrins linked by ethane, ethene, ethyne, imine, and azo bridges.

Theoretical calculations of the geometries, electronic structures and electronic absorption spectra of a series of covalently-linked porphyrin dimers are reported. The diporphyrins comprise 5,10,15-triphenylporphyrinatozinc(II) (ZnTriPP) units linked through the meso carbons by two-atom bridges, namely 1,2-ethanediyl (1), trans-1,2-ethenediyl (2), ethynediyl (3), 1,2-iminomethenediyl (4), and transdiazenediyl (5). The structures were optimised in toluene solvent by Density Functional Theory (DFT), using the integral equation formalism variant of the polarizable continuum model. The calculations were performed using the B3LYP functional and the 6-31G(d,p) basis set. The complete molecules were modelled, with no substitution of smaller groups on the periphery. In parallel, the compounds 2­5 were prepared by known or novel synthetic routes, to enable comparisons of experimental electronic absorption spectra with those calculated using time dependent-DFT at the same level of theory. As the ethane dimer 1 is not yet synthetically accessible, the model monomer meso-2-phenylethylZnTriPP was used for comparisons with the theoretical predictions. The results form a self-consistent set, enabling for the first time legitimate comparisons of the electronic structures of the series, especially regarding the degree to which the porphyrin p-systems interact by conjugation across the bridges. The theoretical calculations of the electronic transitions match the observed spectra in toluene to a remarkable degree, especially with respect to the peak maximum of the Q band, which represents to a large degree the energy of the HOMO­LUMO transition. The imine 4 is intrinsically polar due to the asymmetric bridge, and the HOMO is located almost exclusively on the ZnTriPP unit attached to the nitrogen of the imine, and the LUMO on the C-attached ring. Thus the Q-band transition is mapped as a comprehensive charge-transfer from the former ring to the latter. This may have consequences for the non-linear optical properties of the system. The azoporphyrin 5 exhibits the largest splittings between the interacting MOs via the conjugated bridge, vindicating a prediction by Anderson and co-workers in 2002, and confirmed experimentally by our synthesis of 5. The collected results also indicate that this level of theory is more thanadequate as a model with which to handle these large delocalised molecules.

A conserved glutamine plays a central role in LOV domain signal transmission and its duration.

Light is a key stimulus for plant biological functions, several of which are controlled by light-activated kinases known as phototropins, a group of kinases that contain two light-sensing domains (LOV, light-oxygen-voltage domains) and a C-terminal serine/threonine kinase domain. The second sensory domain, LOV2, plays a key role in regulating kinase enzymatic activity via the photochemical formation of a covalent adduct between a LOV2 cysteine residue and an internally bound flavin mononucleotide (FMN) chromophore. Subsequent conformational changes in LOV2 lead to the unfolding of a peripheral Jalpha helix and, ultimately, phototropin kinase activation. To date, the mechanism coupling bond formation and helix dissociation has remained unclear. Previous studies found that a conserved glutamine residue [Q513 in the Avena sativa phototropin 1 LOV2 (AsLOV2) domain] switches its hydrogen bonding pattern with FMN upon light stimulation. Located in the immediate vicinity of the FMN binding site, this Gln residue is provided by the Ibeta strand that interacts with the Jalpha helix, suggesting a route for signal propagation from the core of the LOV domain to its peripheral Jalpha helix. To test whether Q513 plays a key role in tuning the photochemical and transduction properties of AsLOV2, we designed two point mutations, Q513L and Q513N, and monitored the effects on the chromophore and protein using a combination of UV-visible absorbance and circular dichroism spectroscopy, limited proteolysis, and solution NMR. The results show that these mutations significantly dampen the changes between the dark and lit state AsLOV2 structures, leaving the protein in a pseudodark state (Q513L) or a pseudolit state (Q513N). Further, both mutations changed the photochemical properties of this receptor, in particular the lifetime of the photoexcited signaling states. Together, these data establish that this residue plays a central role in both spectral tuning and signal propagation from the core of the LOV domain through the Ibeta strand to the peripheral Jalpha helix.

Structural dynamics in the activation of Epac.

Epac1 is a cAMP-responsive exchange factor for the small G-protein Rap. It consists of a regulatory region containing a cyclic nucleotide binding (CNB) domain and a catalytic region that activates Rap. In the absence of cAMP, access of Rap to the catalytic site is blocked by the regulatory region. We analyzed the conformational states of the CNB domain in the absence and in the presence of cAMP and cAMP analogues by NMR spectroscopy, resulting in the first direct insights into the activation mechanism of Epac. We prove that the CNB domain exists in equilibrium between the inactive and the active conformation, which is shifted by binding of cAMP. cAMP binding results in conformational changes in both the ligand binding pocket and the outer helical segments. We used two different cAMP antagonists that block these successive changes to elucidate the steps of this process. Highlighting the role of dynamics, the superactivator 8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP induces similar conformational changes as cAMP but causes different internal mobility. The results reveal the critical elements of the CNB domain of Epac required for activation and highlight the role of dynamics in this process.

Disruption of the LOV-Jalpha helix interaction activates phototropin kinase activity.

Light plays a crucial role in activating phototropins, a class of plant photoreceptors that are sensitive to blue and UV-A wavelengths. Previous studies indicated that phototropin uses a bound flavin mononucleotide (FMN) within its light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) domain to generate a protein-flavin covalent bond under illumination. In the C-terminal LOV2 domain of Avena sativa phototropin 1, formation of this bond triggers a conformational change that results in unfolding of a helix external to this domain called Jalpha [Harper, S. M., et al. (2003) Science 301, 1541-1545]. Though the structural effects of illumination were characterized, it was unknown how these changes are coupled to kinase activation. To examine this, we made a series of point mutations along the Jalpha helix to disrupt its interaction with the LOV domain in a manner analogous to light activation. Using NMR spectroscopy and limited proteolysis, we demonstrate that several of these mutations displace the Jalpha helix from the LOV domain independently of illumination. When placed into the full-length phototropin protein, these point mutations display constitutive kinase activation, without illumination of the sample. These results indicate that unfolding of the Jalpha helix is the critical event in regulation of kinase signaling for the phototropin proteins.

Conformational changes in a photosensory LOV domain monitored by time-resolved NMR spectroscopy.

Phototropins are light-activated kinases from plants that utilize light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) domains as blue light photosensors. Illumination of these domains leads to the formation of a covalent linkage between the protein and an internally bound flavin chromophore, destabilizing the surrounding protein and displacing an alpha-helix from its surface. Here we use a combination of spectroscopic tools to monitor the kinetic processes that spontaneously occur in the dark as the protein returns to the noncovalent ground state. Using time-resolved two-dimensional (2D) NMR methods, we measured the rate of this process at over 100 independent sites throughout the protein, establishing that regeneration of the dark state occurs cooperatively within a 1.6-fold range of observed rates. These data agree with other spectroscopic measurements of the kinetics of protein/FMN bond cleavage and global conformational changes, consistent with these processes experiencing a common rate-limiting step. Arrhenius analyses of the temperature dependence of these rates suggest that the transition state visited during this regeneration has higher energy than the denatured form of this protein domain despite the fact that there is no global unfolding of the domain during this process.

Structural basis of a phototropin light switch.

Phototropins are light-activated kinases important for plant responses to blue light. Light initiates signaling in these proteins by generating a covalent protein-flavin mononucleotide (FMN) adduct within sensory Per-ARNT-Sim (PAS) domains. We characterized the light-dependent changes of a phototropin PAS domain by solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and found that an alpha helix located outside the canonical domain plays a key role in this activation process. Although this helix associates with the PAS core in the dark, photoinduced changes in the domain structure disrupt this interaction. We propose that this mechanism couples light-dependent bond formation to kinase activation and identifies a signaling pathway conserved among PAS domains.

Structure and interactions of PAS kinase N-terminal PAS domain: model for intramolecular kinase regulation.

PAS domains are sensory modules in signal-transducing proteins that control responses to various environmental stimuli. To examine how those domains can regulate a eukaryotic kinase, we have studied the structure and binding interactions of the N-terminal PAS domain of human PAS kinase using solution NMR methods. While this domain adopts a characteristic PAS fold, two regions are unusually flexible in solution. One of these serves as a portal that allows small organic compounds to enter into the core of the domain, while the other binds and inhibits the kinase domain within the same protein. Structural and functional analyses of point mutants demonstrate that the compound and ligand binding regions are linked, suggesting that the PAS domain serves as a ligand-regulated switch for this eukaryotic signaling system.