The first homosporous lycophyte genome revealed the association between the recent dynamic accumulation of LTR-RTs and genome size variation.

The contrasting genome size between homosporous and heterosporous plants is fascinating. Different from the heterosporous seed plants and mainly homosporous ferns, the lycophytes are either heterosporous (Isoetales and Selaginellales) or homosporous (Lycopodiales). Many lycophytes are the resource plants of Huperzine A (HupA) which is invaluable for treating Alzheimer's disease. For the seed-free vascular plants, several high-quality genomes of heterosporous Selaginella, homosporous ferns (maidenhair fern, monkey spider tree fern), and heterosporous ferns (Azolla) have been published and provided important insights into the origin and evolution of early land plants. However, the homosporous lycophyte genome has not been decoded. Here, we assembled the first homosporous lycophyte genome and conducted comparative genomic analyses by applying a reformed pipeline for filtering out non-plant sequences. The obtained genome size of Lycopodium clavatum is 2.30 Gb, distinguished in more than 85% repetitive elements of which 62% is long terminal repeat (LTR). This study disclosed a high birth rate and a low death rate of the LTR-RTs in homosporous lycophytes, but the opposite occurs in heterosporous lycophytes. we propose that the recent activity of LTR-RT is responsible for the immense genome size variation between homosporous and heterosporous lycophytes. By combing Ks analysis with a phylogenetic approach, we discovered two whole genome duplications (WGD). Morover, we identified all the five recognized key enzymes for the HupA biosynthetic pathway in the L. clavatum genome, but found this pathway incomplete in other major lineages of land plants. Overall, this study is of great importance for the medicinal utilization of lycophytes and the decoded genome data will be a key cornerstone to elucidate the evolution and biology of early vascular land plants.

[Association between hypertension and oral cancer prognosis in non-smoking and non-drinking women].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between hypertension and prognosis of oral cancer patients in non-smoking and non-drinking women. METHODS: From September 2010 to February 2019, 362 non-smoking and non-drinking female patients with pathologically confirmed oral cancer were recruited and followed up in the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. The patients were divided into hypertension group and non-hypertensive group, and the Kaplan-Meier method was performed to calculate the cumulative survival rate. The survival curve was tested by the log-rank method for differences between the two groups. Cox proportional regression model was utilized to explore the prognostic factors. 1∶1 propensity score matching was applied in order to verify the above findings. Stratified analysis was used to explore the prognosis of oral cancer treated by different method and fish intake between two groups respectively. RESULTS: The Cox proportional hazards model showed that the risk of death of hypertension patients was 1.976 times than nonhypertensive patients(95%CI 1.003-3.890), the risk of death for patients with lymph node metastasis was 2.938 times than patients without metastasis(95%CI 1.318-6.551), the risk of death for patients underwent surgery combined with adjuvant therapy was 0.454 times than surgery alone(95%CI 0.236-0.875). After propensity score matching, the Cox proportional hazard model showed that the risk of death for patients with hypertension was 2.987 times than non-hypertensive patients(95%CI 1.050-8.497). The result of stratified analysis showed that the risk of death for non-hypertensive patients with surgery combined with adjuvant therapy was 0.233 times than patients with surgery alone(95%CI 0.085-0.643) and the risk of death in patients with hypertension who consumed fish ≥3 times/week was 0.020 times higher than that in women with oral cancer who consumed fish<3 times/week(95%CI 0.001-0.392). CONCLUSION: Hypertension is an independent prognostic factor for oral cancer in non-smoking and non-drinking women. Non-hypertensive patients underwent surgery combined with adjuvant therapy can reduce the risk of death and the increase of fish intake can improve the prognosis of hypertensive female oral cancer patients.

Stigma and Stigma Resilience: Role of the Undergraduate and the Campus Environment.

RATIONALE: Stigma permeates disability experiences and compounds disability-related challenges. OBJECTIVE: Identify individual and environmental factors of stigmatizing experiences of college students with learning disabilities (LDs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODOLOGY: A qualitative descriptive design was used with a thematic analysis of 30 transcripts from group discussions among four cohorts of undergraduates with LD/ADHD (N = 52). The Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance Model was used in interpreting the stigmatizing experiences. FINDINGS: The themes Perceived Misconceptions and Stigmatizing Actions describe key social-environmental factors. The theme Overcoming Stigmatizing Experiences elucidates key skills and processes for developing stigma resilience. These skills and processes were anchored in self-awareness and personally contextualized understanding of disability-related challenges and strengths, which were fostered during positive interactions with supportive others, such as instructors and mentors. IMPLICATIONS: Findings illustrate the biopsychosocial nature of stigma and highlight the role of individual and social-environmental factors in building stigma resilience among young adults with LD/ADHD.

Understanding Stigma and Resilience Among College Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHDWe studied how college students with learning disabilities (LDs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience stigma, which means feeling judged or treated unfairly because of their disabilities. We talked to 52 undergraduates in four groups to understand their experiences and found three main things related to stigma. First, students feel like others have wrong ideas about them and their disabilities. Second, they experience actions from others that make them feel stigmatized. Third, they develop ways to overcome these experiences. Students became more resilient to stigma when they understood themselves better and had support from others like teachers and mentors. Stigma is not just a personal thing for students with LD/ADHD; but it is also influenced by the people around them and how they see themselves.

Genome analysis of human respiratory syncytial virus in Fujian Province, Southeast China.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the main causes of acute respiratory infections (ARI) leading to a heavy disease burden. Reports on RSV in China are limited, especially in Fujian Province, and RSV whole-genome sequences in Fujian Province are not reported. This study aimed to explore the genomic characteristics of RSV to provide evidence for the development of vaccines and medicines. METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to amplify and obtain the attachment (G) gene and whole-genome fragments from the positive samples. Genetic evolution as well as nucleotide and amino acid homology analyses of the virus sequences were conducted to identify any amino acid mutations. RESULTS: A total of 72 RSV-positive cases were collected, and 53 G gene sequences were obtained using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. The ON1 and BA11 genotypes were found to be dominant using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) on the NCBI website. The 40 genotype ON1 sequences had high nucleotide identity (95.3%-99.8%) and amino acid similarity (92.5%-100%), whereas the 13 BA11 genotype sequenceshad 97.3% - 99.6% nucleotide identity and 94.8% - 99.7% amino acid similarity. Compared to the ON1 prototype (JN257693) and BA11 prototype (AY333364), the obtained sequences had no nucleotide insertions or deletions, indicating high similarity among the samples. A total of 17 RSV whole genome sequences were obtained, 10 of which were genotype ON1 and seven were genotype BA11. Certain amino acid mutations were found in the antigen site and epitope of the fusion (F) protein but not in the G protein. Glycosylation analyses of specific RSV genes revealed high positive selection rates for the gene, and the N- and O-linked glycosylation sequences in the F gene were relatively conserved. CONCLUSIONS: From July 2018 to January 2020, ON1 and BA11 were the most prevalent RSV genotypes in Fujian Province. A high nucleotide identity and amino acid similarity were observed between the reference strain and the obtained strains, as well as among the sequences of the obtained isotypes. Certain amino acid mutations occur at the antigen site and the epitope of the F protein.

An ancient whole-genome duplication event and its contribution to flavor compounds in the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).

Tea, coffee, and cocoa are the three most popular nonalcoholic beverages in the world and have extremely high economic and cultural value. The genomes of four tea plant varieties have recently been sequenced, but there is some debate regarding the characterization of a whole-genome duplication (WGD) event in tea plants. Whether the WGD in the tea plant is shared with other plants in order Ericales and how it contributed to tea plant evolution remained unanswered. Here we re-analyzed the tea plant genome and provided evidence that tea experienced only WGD event after the core-eudicot whole-genome triplication (WGT) event. This WGD was shared by the Polemonioids-Primuloids-Core Ericales (PPC) sections, encompassing at least 17 families in the order Ericales. In addition, our study identified eight pairs of duplicated genes in the catechins biosynthesis pathway, four pairs of duplicated genes in the theanine biosynthesis pathway, and one pair of genes in the caffeine biosynthesis pathway, which were expanded and retained following this WGD. Nearly all these gene pairs were expressed in tea plants, implying the contribution of the WGD. This study shows that in addition to the role of the recent tandem gene duplication in the accumulation of tea flavor-related genes, the WGD may have been another main factor driving the evolution of tea flavor.

Gender differences in faculty development: a faculty needs survey.

OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated professional development needs of faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California (UC) Davis, while also exploring any existing differences according to gender and academic rank. METHODS: An online survey was sent to 75 faculty members, and 41 responses (17 women, 24 men) were collected. Respondents rated 29 items on a Likert scale, from "very important" to "not important" and ranked the top three items in order of importance. RESULTS: Very important items included finding meaning in one's work, maintaining integrity and ethics, maintaining one's values and academic vitality, balancing personal and professional demands, a flexible work environment, and preventing and handling burnout. Results were similar across gender and rank. CONCLUSION: UC Davis men and women academic psychiatrists in different career development stages have similar needs, although paths leading to personal and professional fulfillment may vary according to gender.

Disability advocacy messaging and conceptual links to underlying disability identity development among college students with learning disabilities and attention disorders.

BACKGROUND: Learning disabilities and attention disorders (LD/AD) are highly prevalent neurodevelopmental conditions that influence developmental trajectories and whose impacts exist throughout the life course. Self-advocacy skills are critical for college students with LD/AD, which are underpinned by understanding of self and one's disability. OBJECTIVE: This study examined disability advocacy messaging included in projects created by college students with LD/AD, compared patterns in disability messaging to existing disability identity models, and explored changes in disability messaging during receipt of holistic campus-based LD/AD supports. METHODS: Participants were 52 undergraduates with LD/AD enrolled in a larger study. This one-group analysis involved qualitative exploration of the projects' topical content, use of grounded theory procedures for conceptualizing the data, and quantitative analysis to explore changes over time in disability advocacy messaging. RESULTS: Participants messaged a broad range of disability-related topics. A five-level theoretical model of disability messaging was created from the textual data. The model evinces parallels to existing disability identity development models. A significant (p < .01) positive shift in disability messaging was observed in a comparison of messages from participants' first and last projects submitted over the four-semester period of study involvement. CONCLUSION: Study findings support conceptual linkages among disability messaging and disability identity development. The resultant continuum model suggests a potential extension of existing disability identity development paradigms. Shifts in disability messaging provide preliminary evidence for potential personal and institutional benefits of engaging college students with LD/AD in disability-focused project creation.

Beyond Academics: A Model for Simultaneously Advancing Campus-Based Supports for Learning Disabilities, STEM Students' Skills for Self-Regulation, and Mentors' Knowledge for Co-regulating and Guiding.

Learning disabilities are highly prevalent on college campuses, yet students with learning disabilities graduate at lower rates than those without disabilities. Academic and psychosocial supports are essential for overcoming challenges and for improving postsecondary educational opportunities for students with learning disabilities. A holistic, multi-level model of campus-based supports was established to facilitate culture and practice changes at the institutional level, while concurrently bolstering mentors' abilities to provide learning disability-knowledgeable support, and simultaneously creating opportunities for students' personal and interpersonal development. Mixed methods were used to investigate implementation of coordinated personal, interpersonal, and institutional level supports for undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students with learning disabilities. A one-group pre-test post-test strategy was used to examine undergraduate outcomes. Participants included 52 STEM undergraduates with learning disabilities, 57 STEM graduate student mentors, 34 STEM faculty mentors, and 34 university administrators and personnel as members of a university-wide council. Enrolled for 2 years, undergraduates were engaged in group meetings involving psychoeducation and reflective discussions, development of self-advocacy projects, and individual mentorship. Undergraduates reported improved self-efficacy (p = 0.001), campus connection (p < 0.001), professional development (p ≤ 0.002), and self-advocacy (p < 0.001) after two academic years. Graduate student mentors increased their understanding about learning disabilities and used their understanding to support both their mentees and other students they worked with. Council members identified and created opportunities for delivering learning disability-related trainings to faculty, mentors and advisors on campus, and for enhancing coordination of student services related to learning and related disorders. Disability-focused activities became integrated in broader campus activities regarding diversity. This research explicates a role that college campuses can play in fostering the wellbeing and the academic and career development of its students with developmental learning and related disorders. It offers an empirically tested campus-based model that is multilevel, holistic, and strengths-based for supporting positive outcomes of young people with learning disabilities in STEM. Moreover, findings advance the knowledge of supports and skills that are important for self-regulating and navigating complex and multi-faceted disability-related challenges within both the postsecondary educational environment and the young adults' sociocultural context.

The Transcultural Wellness Center: rehabilitation and recovery in Asian and Pacific Islander mental health care.

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIAs) are a diverse group, representing many cultures of origin, a range of immigration experiences, and varying access to economic and other resources. Despite stereotypes such as the "model minority" and cultural values that stigmatize mental illness and complicate mental health help-seeking, APIAs' psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery needs are significant. These needs are inadequately treated within existing systems of care. Passage of California's Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) in 2004 created the opportunity for Sacramento County to fund a full-service mental health clinic designed to meet the needs of the APIA community. The process by which this clinic, the Transcultural Wellness Center, was conceptualized, advocated for, and launched is described. This clinic is considered a best practice model within the MHSA system redesign effort.