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RNA biology is revolutionized by recent developments of diverse high-throughput technologies for transcriptome-wide profiling of molecular RNA structures. RNA structurome profiling data can be used to identify differentially structured regions between groups of samples. Existing methods are limited in scope to specific technologies and/or do not account for biological variation. Here, we present dStruct which is the first broadly applicable method for differential analysis accounting for biological variation in structurome profiling data. dStruct is compatible with diverse profiling technologies, is validated with experimental data and simulations, and outperforms existing methods.

RNA helicases are a class of enzymes that unwind RNA duplexes in vitro but whose cellular functions are largely enigmatic. Here, we provide evidence that the DEAD-box protein Dbp2 remodels RNA-protein complex (RNP) structure to facilitate efficient termination of transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via the Nrd1-Nab3-Sen1 (NNS) complex. First, we find that loss of DBP2 results in RNA polymerase II accumulation at the 3' ends of small nucleolar RNAs and a subset of mRNAs. In addition, Dbp2 associates with RNA sequence motifs and regions bound by Nrd1 and can promote its recruitment to NNS-targeted regions. Using Structure-seq, we find altered RNA/RNP structures in dbp2∆ cells that correlate with inefficient termination. We also show a positive correlation between the stability of structures in the 3' ends and a requirement for Dbp2 in termination. Taken together, these studies provide a role for RNA remodeling by Dbp2 and further suggests a mechanism whereby RNA structure is exploited for gene regulation.

Objective Study Setting and Design Data Sources and Analytic Sample Principal Findings Conclusions To evaluate healthcare cost and utilization changes among Medicaid and dually eligible participants of a supportive housing program implemented by a managed care organization and community‐based organization.Healthcare claims were reviewed retrospectively for 80 program participants in one urban Pennsylvania county between 1/1/2018 and 9/28/2023 who had ≥6 months of claims data in both pre‐ and post‐housing periods. Eligibility included age >18 years, Medicaid/Special Needs Plan enrollment, and housing need. Due to limited housing units, potential participants were prioritized by medical need and history of unplanned care.Healthcare cost and utilization were compared during pre‐ (i.e., 12 months before housing initiation) and post‐periods (i.e., 12 months after housing initiation).Compared to the pre‐period, significantly lower medical (−40.4%, p = 0.004), emergency department (−62.7%, p = 0.02), and total (−33.3%, p = 0.02) costs of care were observed in the post‐period. Significantly lower primary care (−50.0%, p = 0.0003), specialist (−31.3%, p = 0.02), and emergency department (−50.0%, p = 0.03) utilization were also observed.Healthcare cost and utilization among medically complex individuals were lower with supportive housing. Future evaluations with randomized designs can address the potential causal impact of supportive housing as a healthcare intervention on specific outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an integrated multi-objective model to determine the optimal rescue path and traffic controlled arcs for disaster relief operations under uncertainty environments. The model consists of three sub-models: [...]

Background: In the United States, there are considerable racial inequities in adverse perinatal outcomes. Exposure to racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression may help explain these inequities.Objectives: To describe the application of real-time data collection using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and smartphone technology to assess exposure to stress, racism, sexism, microaggressions, and other forms of oppression.Methods: The Postpartum Mothers Mobile Study (PMOMS) is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study that began recruitment in December 2017. Participants delivering at a hospital in Pittsburgh, PA are recruited by 29 weeks' gestation. Using smartphones and smart scales, participants complete daily surveys related to psychosocial, behavioural, and contextual factors and weigh themselves weekly for approximately 15 months. We provide a preliminary descriptive analysis of EMA self-reported measures of stress, racism, sexism, and microaggressions; and non-EMA measures of stress and major discrimination.Results: The sample (n = 230) is 63.5% White, 24.8% Black/African American, and 7% Hispanic origin. The most commonly reported item from the Major Discrimination Scale is being unfairly fired (18.1% of the sample). Of those, 31.7% and 17.1% attribute unfair firing to their gender and race, respectively. From the random EMA measures, on average, participants report experiences of racism and sexism at least once daily, in an average 12-hour day over the 4-week period. Black participants indicate about two experiences per day of racism, and White participants indicate more than 1 per day of sexism. Mean stress levels from the EMA measures were similar to the stress measures collected at baseline.Conclusions: The methods applied in PMOMS provide real-time data regarding how participants' daily experiences of stress and discrimination influence their lives. Future work will include understanding if and how these EMA measures may relate to already established measures of racism, sexism, and stress; and ultimately understanding associations with perinatal inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]