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The use of evolutionary profiles to predict protein secondary structure, as well as other protein structural features, has been standard practice since the 1990s. Using profiles in the input of such predictors, in place or in addition to the sequence itself, leads to significantly more accurate predictions. While profiles can enhance structural signals, their role remains somewhat surprising as proteins do not use profiles when folding in vivo. Furthermore, the same sequence-based redundancy reduction protocols initially derived to train and evaluate sequence-based predictors, have been applied to train and evaluate profile-based predictors. This can lead to unfair comparisons since profiles may facilitate the bleeding of information between training and test sets. Here we use the extensively studied problem of secondary structure prediction to better evaluate the role of profiles and show that: (1) high levels of profile similarity between training and test proteins are observed when using standard sequence-based redundancy protocols; (2) the gain in accuracy for profile-based predictors, over sequence-based predictors, strongly relies on these high levels of profile similarity between training and test proteins; and (3) the overall accuracy of a profile-based predictor on a given protein dataset provides a biased measure when trying to estimate the actual accuracy of the predictor, or when comparing it to other predictors. We show, however, that this bias can be mitigated by implementing a new protocol (EVALpro) which evaluates the accuracy of profile-based predictors as a function of the profile similarity between training and test proteins. Such a protocol not only allows for a fair comparison of the predictors on equally hard or easy examples, but also reduces the impact of choosing a given similarity cutoff when selecting test proteins. The EVALpro program is available in the SCRATCH suite ( www.scratch.proteomics.ics.uci.edu) and can be downloaded at: www.download.igb.uci.edu/#evalpro.

Dugbe orthonairovirus (DUGV) is a tick-borne arbovirus within the order Bunyavirales. Although displaying mild pathogenic potential, DUGV is genetically related to the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), another orthonairovirus that causes severe liver dysfunction and hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate in humans. As we previously observed that CCHFV infection could massively recruit and lipidate MAP1LC3 (LC3), a core factor involved in the autophagic degradation of cytosolic components, we asked whether DUGV infection also substantially impacts the autophagy machinery in epithelial cells. We observed that DUGV infection does impose LC3 lipidation in cultured hepatocytes. DUGV infection also caused an upregulation of the MAP1LC3 and SQSTM1/p62 transcript levels, which were, however, more moderate than those seen during CCHFV infection. In contrast, unlike during CCHFV infection, the modulation of core autophagy factors could influence both LC3 lipidation and viral particle production: the silencing of ATG5 and/or ATG7 diminished the induction of LC3 lipidation and slightly upregulated the level of infectious DUGV particle production. Overall, the results are compatible with the notion that in epithelial cells infected with DUGV in vitro, the autophagy machinery may be recruited to exert a certain level of restriction on viral replication. Thus, the relationship between DUGV infection and autophagy in epithelial cells appears to present both similarities and distinctions with that seen during CCHFV infection.

Mammary carcinoma, including triple-negative breast carcinomas (TNBC) are tumor-types for which human and canine pathologies are closely related at the molecular level. The efficacy of an oncolytic vaccinia virus (VV) was compared in low-passage primary carcinoma cells from TNBC versus non-TNBC. Non-TNBC cells were 28 fold more sensitive to VV than TNBC cells in which VV replication is impaired. Single-cell RNA-seq performed on two different TNBC cell samples, infected or not with VV, highlighted three distinct populations: naïve cells, bystander cells, defined as cells exposed to the virus but not infected and infected cells. The transcriptomes of these three populations showed striking variations in the modulation of pathways regulated by cytokines and growth factors. We hypothesized that the pool of genes expressed in the bystander populations was enriched in antiviral genes. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that the reduced activity of the virus was associated with a higher mesenchymal status of the cells. In addition, we demonstrated experimentally that high expression of one gene, DDIT4, is detrimental to VV production. Considering that DDIT4 is associated with a poor prognosis in various cancers including TNBC, our data highlight DDIT4 as a candidate resistance marker for oncolytic poxvirus therapy. This information could be used to design new generations of oncolytic poxviruses. Beyond the field of gene therapy, this study demonstrates that single-cell transcriptomics can be used to identify cellular factors influencing viral replication.

Circadian rhythms are known to modulate memory, but it’s not known whether clock genes in the hippocampus are required for memory consolidation. Here, the authors show that epigenetic regulation of clock gene Period1 in the hippocampus regulates memory and contributes to age-related memory decline, independent of circadian rhythms.

Abstract Background Machupo virus (MACV) is a member of the Mammarenavirus genus, Arenaviridae family and is the etiologic agent of Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, which causes small outbreaks or sporadic cases. Several other arenaviruses in South America Junín virus (JUNV) in Argentina, Guanarito in Venezuela, Sabiá in Brazil and Chapare in Bolivia, also are responsible for human hemorrhagic fevers. Among these arenaviruses, JUNV caused thousands of human cases until 1991, when the live attenuated Candid #1 vaccine, was used. Other than Candid #1 vaccine, few other therapeutic or prophylactic treatments exist. Therefore, new strategies for production of safe countermeasures with broad spectrum activity are needed. Findings We tested a tri-segmented MACV, a potential vaccine candidate with several mutations, (r3MACV). In cell culture, r3MACV showed a 2-log reduction in infectious virus particle production and the MACV inhibition of INF-1β was removed from the construct and produced by infected cells. Furthermore, in an animal experiment, r3MACV was able to protect 50% of guinea pigs from a simultaneous lethal JUNV challenge. Protected animals didn’t display clinical symptoms nor were virus particles found in peripheral blood (day 14) or in organs (day 28 post-inoculation). The r3MACV provided a higher protection than the Candid #1 vaccine. Conclusions The r3MACV provides a potential countermeasure against two South America arenaviruses responsible of human hemorrhagic fever.

The catalytic subunit E9 of the vaccinia virus DNA polymerase forms a functional polymerase holoenzyme by interacting with the heterodimeric processivity factor A20/D4. Here the authors present the structure of full-length E9 and show that an insertion within its palm domain binds A20, in a mode different from other family B polymerases.

We investigated 4 related human cases of cowpox virus infection reported in France during 2011. Three patients were infected by the same strain, probably transmitted by imported pet rats, and the fourth patient was infected by another strain. The 2 strains were genetically related to viruses previously isolated from humans with cowpox infection in Europe.

We describe the spread of a dengue virus during an outbreak in Saint Martin island (French West Indies) during winter 2003–2004. Dengue type 3 viruses were isolated from 6 patients exhibiting clinical symptoms. This serotype had not been detected on the island during the preceding 3 years. Genome sequence determinations and analyses showed a common origin with dengue type 3 viruses isolated in Martinique 2 years earlier.

West Nile virus (WNV) reemerged in Morocco in September 2003, causing an equine outbreak. A WNV strain isolated from a brain biopsy was completely sequenced. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, Moroccan WNV strains isolated during the 1996 and 2003 outbreaks were closely related to other strains responsible for equine outbreaks in the western Mediterranean basin.

This paper used cross-lagged panel models to test the longitudinal interplay between maternal cultural socialization, peer ethnic-racial discrimination, and ethnic-racial pride across 5th to 11th grade among Mexican American youth (N = 674, Mage  = 10.86; 72% born in the United States; 50% girls; Wave 1 collected 2006-2008). Maternal cultural socialization predicted increases in subsequent youth ethnic-racial pride, and youth ethnic-racial pride prompted greater maternal cultural socialization. However, peer ethnic-racial discrimination was associated with subsequent decreases in ethnic-racial pride. The magnitude of these associations was consistent across 5th to 11th grades suggesting that maternal cultural socialization messages are necessary to maintain ethnic-racial pride across adolescence, thus families must continually support the development of ethnic-racial pride in their youth to counter the effects of discrimination.

Since the official declaration of smallpox eradication in 1980, the general population vaccination has ceased worldwide. Therefore, people under 40 year old are generally not vaccinated against smallpox and have no cross protection against orthopoxvirus infections. This naïve population may be exposed to natural or intentional orthopoxvirus emergences. The virology unit of the Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées (France) has developed research programs on orthopoxviruses since 2000. Its missions were conceived to improve the diagnosis capabilities, to foster vaccine development, and to develop antivirals targeting specific viral proteins. The role of the virology unit was asserted in 2012 when the responsibility of the National Reference Center for the Orthopoxviruses was given to the unit. This article presents the evolution of the unit activity since 2000, and the past and current research focusing on orthopoxviruses.

We report the first laboratory-confirmed human infection with O'nyong-nyong virus in Chad. This virus was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a patient with evidence of a seroconversion to a virus related to Chikungunya virus. Genome sequence was partly determined, and phylogenetic studies were conducted.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a widely distributed tick-borne member of the Nairovirus genus (Bunyaviridae) with a high mortality rate in humans. CCHFV induces a severe disease in infected patients that includes, among other symptoms, massive liver necrosis and failure. The interaction between liver cells and CCHFV is therefore important for understanding the pathogenesis of this disease. Here, we described the in vitro CCHFV-infection and -replication in the hepatocyte cell line, Huh7, and the induced cellular and molecular response modulation. We found that CCHFV was able to infect and replicate to high titres and to induce a cytopathic effect (CPE). We also observed by flow cytometry and real time quantitative RT-PCR evidence of apoptosis, with the participation of the mitochondrial pathway. On the other hand, we showed that the replication of CCHFV in hepatocytes was able to interfere with the death receptor pathway of apoptosis. Furthermore, we found in CCHFV-infected cells the over-expression of PUMA, Noxa and CHOP suggesting the crosstalk between the ER-stress and mitochondrial apoptosis. By ELISA, we observed an increase of IL-8 in response to viral replication; however apoptosis was shown to be independent from IL-8 secretion. When we compared the induced cellular response between CCHFV and DUGV, a mild or non-pathogenic Nairovirus for humans, we found that the most striking difference was the absence of CPE and apoptosis. Despite the XBP1 splicing and PERK gene expression induced by DUGV, no ER-stress and apoptosis crosstalk was observed. Overall, these results suggest that CCHFV is able to induce ER-stress, activate inflammatory mediators and modulate both mitochondrial and death receptor pathways of apoptosis in hepatocyte cells, which may, in part, explain the role of the liver in the pathogenesis of CCHFV.

The primary vector at the origin of the 2007 outbreak in Libreville, Gabon is identified as Aedes albopictus, trapped around the nearby French military camp. The Chikungunya virus was isolated from mosquitoes and found to be identical to the A226V circulating human strain. This is the first field study showing the role of the recently arrived species Aedes albopictus in Chikungunya virus transmission in Central Africa, and it demonstrates this species' role in modifying the epidemiological presentation of Chikungunya in Gabon.

We report the isolation of chikungunya virus from a patient during an outbreak of a denguelike syndrome in Cameroon in 2006. The virus was phylogenetically grouped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo cluster, indicating a continuous circulation of a genetically similar chikungunya virus population during 6 years in Central Africa.

The use of evolutionary profiles to predict protein secondary structure, as well as other protein structural features, has been standard practice since the 1990s. Using profiles in the input of such predictors, in place or in addition to the sequence itself, leads to significantly more accurate predictions. While profiles can enhance structural signals, their role remains somewhat surprising as proteins do not use profiles when folding in vivo. Furthermore, the same sequence-based redundancy reduction protocols initially derived to train and evaluate sequence-based predictors, have been applied to train and evaluate profile-based predictors. This can lead to unfair comparisons since profiles may facilitate the bleeding of information between training and test sets. Here we use the extensively studied problem of secondary structure prediction to better evaluate the role of profiles and show that: (1) high levels of profile similarity between training and test proteins are observed when using standard sequence-based redundancy protocols; (2) the gain in accuracy for profile-based predictors, over sequence-based predictors, strongly relies on these high levels of profile similarity between training and test proteins; and (3) the overall accuracy of a profile-based predictor on a given protein dataset provides a biased measure when trying to estimate the actual accuracy of the predictor, or when comparing it to other predictors. We show, however, that this bias can be mitigated by implementing a new protocol (EVALpro) which evaluates the accuracy of profile-based predictors as a function of the profile similarity between training and test proteins. Such a protocol not only allows for a fair comparison of the predictors on equally hard or easy examples, but also reduces the impact of choosing a given similarity cutoff when selecting test proteins. The EVALpro program is available in the SCRATCH suite ( www.scratch.proteomics.ics.uci.edu) and can be downloaded at: www.download.igb.uci.edu/#evalpro.

Life course models of the impact of discrimination on health and mental health outcomes posit that the pernicious effects of discrimination may not be immediate, but instead may become apparent at later stages in development. This study tests whether peer discrimination changes at particular transition points (i.e., transition to middle and high school) predict subsequent internalizing symptoms in Mexican-origin youth. In a sample of 674 Mexican-origin youth (50% female), this study used a latent change score framework to model changes in peer discrimination across time and to test whether changes in peer discrimination at 7th and 9th grades predicted greater depressive and anxiety symptoms in 12th grade controlling for 5th grade symptoms. Irrespective of longitudinal changes, greater peer discrimination in 5th grade predicted greater depressive and anxiety symptoms in 12th grade. Further, significant increases in peer discrimination from 7th to 8th grade and in 9th to 10th grade uniquely predicted greater anxiety symptoms in 12th grade. These findings suggest that longitudinal research on peer discrimination needs to take into account unique periods of risk. Future research implications are discussed.

Mammals rely on a network of circadian clocks to control daily systemic metabolism and physiology. The central pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is considered hierarchically dominant over peripheral clocks, whose degree of independence, or tissue-level autonomy, has never been ascertained in vivo. Using arrhythmic Bmal1-null mice, we generated animals with reconstituted circadian expression of BMAL1 exclusively in the liver (Liver-RE). High-throughput transcriptomics and metabolomics show that the liver has independent circadian functions specific for metabolic processes such as the NAD+ salvage pathway and glycogen turnover. However, although BMAL1 occupies chromatin at most genomic targets in Liver-RE mice, circadian expression is restricted to ∼10% of normally rhythmic transcripts. Finally, rhythmic clock gene expression is lost in Liver-RE mice under constant darkness. Hence, full circadian function in the liver depends on signals emanating from other clocks, and light contributes to tissue-autonomous clock function.

To help their children survive and thrive in our unequal society, parents of color must engage in the process of ethnic–racial socialization (ERS) or teaching about race, ethnicity, and racism. Equally important to the provision of ERS messages are parents' confidence, skills, and stress levels around delivering ERS (i.e., ERS competency). Currently, little work speaks to how different aspects of parental ERS competency and the content of the messages they give are related to each other. This is important to better understand not only for the continued refinement of theory but also to inform newly developed and future interventions intervening upon parental ERS. The present study, therefore, utilizes network analysis, an analytical tool not yet applied to the study of ERS but with the capabilities of illustrating the interrelations between specific aspects of ERS content and competency. Among 576 Black, Asian American, and Latinx parents (Mage = 44.52 years old, SDage = 9.16, 59.5% mothers) with adolescent children (Mage = 14.31, SDage = 2.48), we found evidence for relatively sparse interconnections between dimensions of ERS content and competency. However, we identified parental messages about racism and coping (preparation for bias), the celebration of diversity (cultural pluralism), the history and values of one's ethnic–racial group (cultural socialization), and parents' levels of socialization-related stress as particularly central, important aspects of ERS; these central components of ERS may have the potential to serve as particularly powerful intervention targets. Specific findings and the potential for network analyses to add to our understanding of the complex process of ERS are discussed. Public Significance Statement: This study identifies how different messages parents give to their kids about race/ethnicity and discrimination and how parents feel about giving these messages are related to one another. In a sample of Black, Latinx, and Asian American parents, parental messages about discrimination awareness and coping, the celebration of diversity, the history and values of one's ethnic–racial group, and parental feelings of stress around the socialization process were particularly important aspects of socialization. Different parental messages around race, ethnicity, and culture were not all highly related to one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To resist and cope with oppression, youth of color may use the process of critical consciousness which involves understanding racial injustices (critical reflection), developing motivation to fight these injustices (critical motivation), and taking action to enact sociopolitical change (critical action). However, little is known about how each dimension of critical consciousness affects mental health in adolescents of color. In a sample of 367 ethnically and racially diverse American adolescents of color (age range = 13–17; 68.9% girls, 28.6% boys, and 2.5% gender minority; 84.4% US‐born), we conducted multivariate regressions in Mplus to examine the cross‐sectional links between each critical consciousness dimension (reflection, motivation, and action) and mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and stress) over and above the impact of everyday discrimination. We also investigated the interaction between critical consciousness and discrimination in predicting mental health outcomes. Controlling for age, gender, nativity, and social class, we found that discrimination and critical action were both positively associated with anxiety, depression, and stress. For our covariates, girls and gender minority adolescents reported worse outcomes. No interactions were significant. Overall, critical action, while necessary to enact societal change, may have a complex relationship with youth's depression, anxiety, and psychological stress symptoms and warrants careful exploration. Future research should focus on understanding the longitudinal mechanisms of critical action and how we can maximize the benefits by protecting youth from those negative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic‐racial discrimination has pervasive negative effects on Black youth's mental health; therefore, it is crucial to identify factors that provide resilience against discrimination. Two promising factors to help youth cope are ethnic‐racial identity (how one feels about their ethnicity/race) and shift‐and‐persist coping (reappraising and accepting an uncontrollable stressor while remaining optimistic about the future). While there is existing scholarship on ethnic‐racial identity among Black youth, this work has not yet assessed the impacts of shift‐and‐persist in this population. Using a sample of 155 Black youth (ages 13–17), the current study examined the interplay between discrimination, ethnic‐racial identity, shift‐and‐persist coping, and internalizing symptoms. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were positively associated with discrimination and negatively associated with shift‐and‐persist. Significant interactions between discrimination and shift‐and‐persist predicting both depressive and anxiety symptoms revealed significant negative associations between shift‐and‐persist and internalizing symptoms at low and average, but not high discrimination levels. Effects are, thus, protective‐reactive; the protective effects of shift‐and‐persist are not significant for youth facing high levels of discrimination. Ethnic‐racial identity, surprisingly, was not significantly associated with either depressive or anxiety symptoms, nor did it interact with shift‐and‐persist as it has in studies of Latinx youth. By understanding the protective benefits of shift‐and‐persist and ethnic‐racial identity in Black youth, during a pivotal period for mental health, we can provide this growing population with tools to lessen the maladaptive outcomes associated with discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment and repair strategies for reflective and fatigue cracking that initiate at the pavement surface (i.e., top-down cracking) and at the bottom of the asphalt concrete layer (i.e., bottom-up cracking) are noticeably different. However, pavement management engineers are facing difficulties in identifying these cracks in the field because they usually appear in visually identical patterns. The objective of this study was to develop artificial neural network (ANN) and convolutional neural network (CNN) applications to differentiate and classify top-down, bottom-up, and cement-treated reflective cracking in in-service flexible pavements using deep-learning models. The developed CNN model achieved an accuracy of 93.8% in the testing and 91% in the validation phases, and the ANN model showed an overall accuracy of 92%. The ANN classification tool was developed based on variables related to pavement and crack characteristics including pavement age, annual average daily traffic, thickness of the asphalt concrete layer, type of base, crack orientation, and crack location. Key words: artificial neural network, convolutional neural network, cement-treated reflective cracking, bottom-up cracking, top-down cracking. Les strategies de traitement et de reparation de fissuration reflective et de fissuration de fatigue qui commencent a la surface de la chaussee (c.-a-d. fissuration de haut en bas) et au bas de la couche de beton asphaltique (c.-a-d. fissuration de bas en haut) sont nettement differentes. Cependant, les ingenieurs en gestion des chaussees eprouvent des difficultes a identifier ces fissures sur le terrain, car habituellement elles semblent identiques visuellement. L'objectif de cette etude etait de developper des applications de reseau de neurones artificiels (RNA) et de reseau de neurones a convolution (RNC) pour differencier et classer les fissures reflectives descendantes, ascendantes et traitees au ciment dans les chaussees flexibles en service a l'aide de modeles d'apprentissage profond. Le modele RNC developpe a atteint une precision de 93,8 % dans les essais et de 91 % dans les phases de validation et le modele RNA a montre une precision globale de 92 %. L'outil de classification RNA a ete elabore en fonction de variables liees aux caracteristiques de la chaussee et des fissures, y compris l'age de la chaussee, le trafic quotidien moyen, l'epaisseur de la couche de beton asphaltique, le type de base, l'orientation des fissures et l'emplacement des fissures. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : reseau de neurones artificiels, reseau de neurones a convolution, fissuration reflective traitee au ciment, fissuration ascendante, fissuration descendante., Introduction Evaluating pavement condition is an essential component of pavement management systems (PMSs) to plan for necessary maintenance and rehabilitation activities and to maintain the road network in acceptable conditions [...]

Aging is accompanied by impairments in both circadian rhythmicity and long-term memory. Although it is clear that memory performance is affected by circadian cycling, it is unknown whether age-related disruption of the circadian clock causes impaired hippocampal memory. Here, we show that the repressive histone deacetylase HDAC3 restricts long-term memory, synaptic plasticity, and experience-induced expression of the circadian gene Per1 in the aging hippocampus without affecting rhythmic circadian activity patterns. We also demonstrate that hippocampal Per1 is critical for long-term memory formation. Together, our data challenge the traditional idea that alterations in the core circadian clock drive circadian-related changes in memory formation and instead argue for a more autonomous role for circadian clock gene function in hippocampal cells to gate the likelihood of long-term memory formation.

Recent human exome-sequencing studies have implicated polymorphic Brg1-associated factor (BAF) complexes (mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes) in several intellectual disabilities and cognitive disorders, including autism. However, it remains unclear how mutations in BAF complexes result in impaired cognitive function. Post-mitotic neurons express a neuron-specific assembly, nBAF, characterized by the neuron-specific subunit BAF53b. Subdomain 2 of BAF53b is essential for the differentiation of neuronal precursor cells into neurons. We generated transgenic mice lacking subdomain 2 of Baf53b (BAF53bΔSB2). Long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP) and long-term memory, both of which are associated with phosphorylation of the actin severing protein cofilin, were assessed in these animals. A phosphorylation mimic of cofilin was stereotaxically delivered into the hippocampus of BAF53bΔSB2 mice in an effort to rescue LTP and memory. BAF53bΔSB2 mutant mice show impairments in phosphorylation of synaptic cofilin, LTP, and memory. Both the synaptic plasticity and memory deficits are rescued by overexpression of a phosphorylation mimetic of cofilin. Baseline physiology and behavior were not affected by the mutation or the experimental treatment. This study suggests a potential link between nBAF function, actin cytoskeletal remodeling at the dendritic spine, and memory formation. This work shows that a targeted manipulation of synaptic function can rescue adult plasticity and memory deficits caused by manipulations of nBAF, and thereby provides potential novel avenues for therapeutic development for multiple intellectual disability disorders.

Background: Multiracial American adults have the highest rates of binge drinking and illicit drug use of all racial groups, yet little is known about the risk and promotive factors that contribute to their substance use. Objectives: This study examines how individual factors (i.e., shifting racial expressions, perceived racial ambiguity, creating third space, self-esteem, depression) and family cohesion relate to substance use among 574 Multiracial young adults in the United States (Mage = 19.87). Results: Findings suggested that Multiracial young adults who reported higher scores on perceived racial ambiguity, self-esteem, and depression had a higher likelihood of drinking to feel drunk and binge drinking, while more family cohesion with their first primary caregiver was associated with a lower likelihood of drinking to feel drunk. Perceived racial ambiguity was also associated with a higher likelihood of illicit drug use, while family cohesion with their second primary caregiver was associated with a lower likelihood of illicit drug use. Multiracial young adults with White ancestry were more likely to drink to feel drunk than Multiple Minority Multiracials, but there were no differences between groups in binge drinking or illicit drug use. Conclusions: In sum, the unique racialized experiences, mental health, and family relationships of Multiracial Americans may play a role in substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents of color's critical consciousness development (understanding of and actions to redress societal inequalities) is an important yet understudied area, especially relative to the burgeoning literature on youth's critical consciousness development. As with youth of color, ethnic–racial identity, or the meaning and importance placed on one's ethnic–racial group membership, likely plays a notable yet complex role in parents' critical consciousness. Specifically, parents' participation in activities that engage them in the culture of their racial–ethnic group (exploration), the importance they place on race–ethnicity (centrality), and their perceptions of how society views their group (public regard) may each be differentially associated with understanding of inequalities (critical reflection), motivation toward ending inequalities (critical motivation), and the behaviors parents engage in to address inequalities (critical action). Further, it is possible that associations may vary across racial–ethnic groups given different sociocultural histories, experiences (including immigrant experiences), and positionality within the United States. In the present study, we employ multigroup structural equation modeling among a sample of 203 Black, 193 Asian American, and 188 Latinx parents (total N = 584, Mage = 44.46, SD = 2.49, 59.6% mothers) of an adolescent child between the ages of 13 and 17 to examine associations between ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness across groups. Results indicate highly complex, group-specific relations between identity and critical consciousness: public regard was most consistently predictive of critical consciousness dimensions among Black parents. Exploration and centrality were most predictive among Asian American and Latinx parents, respectively. Implications for relations between ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness in light of different group experiences are discussed. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Beliefs around the meaning and importance of one's race are not only paramount for the well-being of parents of color in the United States, but these beliefs and behaviors are also associated with parents' understanding of societal inequalities, as well as motivation and action toward making positive community and societal changes. The aspects of identity that are associated with these positive outcomes, however, differ meaningfully between Black, Asian American, and Latinx parents. Therefore, community organizers interested in fostering a sense of social responsibility and community activism among parents of color may benefit from providing targeted programming addressing different relevant aspects of identity for different groups. For instance, helping Black parents better understand how their racial group is viewed in society, providing Asian American parents additional opportunities to explore their racial identities (e.g., cultural events related to civil rights initiatives), and helping Latinx parents further understand the importance their race–ethnicity has on their sense of self may help motivate parents from these groups to better understand systemic inequalities and be more motivated to and active in addressing these inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peels make up a considerable proportion of solid waste generated from fruit and vegetable production and processing. If not properly managed, they could contribute to environmental degradation through the dispersion of nutrient-rich leachate and the release of various greenhouse gases. Alternatively, these peels could be transformed to biosorbents, which could assist in the removal of pollutants of environmental and human health concerns from wastewaters. Using peels as raw material for biosorbent production is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective option for waste disposal. Peels also contain bio-activators, which can be used to activate the biosorbent produced, minimizing the use of synthetic chemicals for biosorbent activation. This review considers the different physicochemical characteristics of vegetable and fruit peels that make them suitable raw materials for biosorbent production. Additionally, their transformation to biosorbents using hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis is discussed. The review concludes with a discussion on the efficiency of peel-based biosorbents in the removal of diverse types of pollutants from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The LGBT People of Color Microaggressions Scale (LGBT‐PCMS) is a widely used measure of intersectional microaggression experiences among sexual and gender minority people of color. Although it is widely used—and increasingly used in adolescent and young adult samples—it is unknown whether the LGBT‐PCMS demonstrates similar measurement properties across subgroups of sexual and gender minority youth of color (SGMYOC). Among 4142 SGMYOC (ages 13–17) we found evidence for either partial or full scalar invariance (item loadings and intercepts were generally equal) across sexual orientation, race‐ethnicity, and gender identity groups for all three subscales. Specific patterns of invariance and noninvariance across groups, as well as implications for the use of the LGBT‐PCMS and its subscales among SGMYOC are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MotivationNot only sequence data continue to outpace annotation information, but also the problem is further exacerbated when organisms are underrepresented in the annotation databases. This is the case with non-human-pathogenic viruses which occur frequently in metagenomic projects. Thus, there is a need for tools capable of detecting and classifying viral sequences.ResultsWe describe VIRALpro a new effective tool for identifying capsid and tail protein sequences, which are the cornerstones toward viral sequence annotation and viral genome classification.Availability and implementationThe data, software and corresponding web server are available from http://scratch.proteomics.ics.uci.edu as part of the SCRATCH suite.Contactclovis.galiez@inria.fr or pfbaldi@uci.eduSupplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.