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Anatomy

Should Grey’s Anatomy Fans Be Worried About Jackson Avery? – E! NEWS

Grey's Anatomy said goodbye to Justin Chambers' Alex Karev (sort of), but fans don't have to worry about another exityet.

Jesse Williams, Jackson Avery on the show since season six, will make his Broadway debut in the revival of Take Me Out in the spring of 2020. But that doesn't mean Williams is leaving the show or Jackson is leaving Grey Sloan Memorial.

"I've known since the beginning of the season and I've been able to plan [Jackson]'s storyline [accordingly]," executive producer Krista Vernoff told TVLine about any possible scheduling conflicts. "Jesse is able to fly back one day a week; we're just making it work [because] this was important to him."

Typically, Broadway shows are dark (meaning they don't run) one day out of the week. Rest easy, Grey's Anatomy fans. Jackson is sticking around...for now.

Meanwhile, the show has yet to fully explain Karev's exit aside from the fact that he's still visiting family. His character's last episode aired in November. Chambers has been with the show since the start.

"There's no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that's defined so much of my life for the past 15 years," Chambers said in a statement. "For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time. As I move on from Grey's Anatomy, I want to thank the ABC family, Shonda Rimes, original cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, and the rest of the amazing cast and crew, both past and present, and, of course, the fans for an extraordinary ride."

What happens to Karev remains to be seen. As of now, his wife, Jo (Camilla Luddington) is still at work in Seattle and he's still visiting his mom out of state.

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays, 9 p.m. on ABC.

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Should Grey's Anatomy Fans Be Worried About Jackson Avery? - E! NEWS

Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Richard and Catherine’s Marriage Is On the RocksHere’s Why Fans Are Happy About It – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Its no secret that most fans are annoyed with Debbie Allens character, Catherine Fox, on this season of Greys Anatomy. However, in her defense, Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) did have some shady business going on with his friend from AA. Lets take a look at why fans think their relationship is about to crumble, and why fans are ecstatic about it.

[Warning: Greys Anatomy Season 16 spoilers ahead]

Although Richard was in a good majority of scenes this week, Catherine only made a quick appearance in the last two minutes. She took that time to grill her husband on where he was all day. The only Catherine we see this season is the jealous one.

The entire episode, Richard was consoling his daughter, Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary), and trying to get her to come back to work. However, Catherine doesnt think that should have taken him all day.

Catherine, this isnt going to work if you dont trust me, Richard tells his wife.

Who said this is working? she responds. Richard, I think its time for us to have a much bigger conversation.

By the way she is looking at him, we know that this is not going to go well. Next weeks promo for Greys Anatomy reveals that it is Richard and Catherines anniversary. We are in for a snarky dinner party.

Does anyone really care about Catherine and Richards marriage at this point?one Reddit userposed the question. Out of all the relationships, this one annoys me the most. Its either arguing, or shes out of town. I just felt his relationships with Adele and Ellis were way better and worth being invested in.

After the fan complained about the couple, several other viewers joined in. They feel that Richards relationship with Adele (Loretta Divine) or even Merediths mother, Ellis (Kate Burton), was better than this one. Thats saying a lot since Richard had an affair with Ellis and cheated on Adele.

The last season she has been on the STUPIDEST jealousy-trip, another Redditor added. And she becomes such a bitch. Its really annoying. She always demands to be so POWERFUL. Yes, she is strong and has been through a lot, but that DOES NOT mean she can bulldoze through everyone else just to fulfill her demands.

There are many instances where Catherine dismisses others feelings. She does not seem like the right fit for Richard, with how demanding she is.

Viewers of the show are calling for the couple to break up. Some fans are asking for worse than a breakup.

Well, its been a while since a major character death, her cancer might come back soon, one fan pointed out. Or they might break up, and one or both of them end up retiring. Because yeah, the relationship sucks.

Whether Catherine dies or they break up, it sounds like fans will be happy about it.

I get that shes a powerful, strong woman and is a leader, another fan added. But she acts like she is the end all be all of the relationship. I feel like Richard has consistently lessened himself just to give her her own way. Every once in a while, he stands up for himself, but she basically whaps him with a newspaper. I dont like what their relationship has done to Richards character.

Viewers are ready to see Richard without Catherine. He is an original character to the show and deserves a better storyline without her destructive personality.

Find out what happens with the couple when Greys Anatomy returns on Feb. 6, 2020, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

Read more: Greys Anatomy: Fans May Hate Catherine Fox, but They Despise Richard Webber Right Now Even More

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'Grey's Anatomy': Richard and Catherine's Marriage Is On the RocksHere's Why Fans Are Happy About It - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Anatomy

Is Jesse Williams Checking Out of Greys Anatomy? – Soap Hub

Doctors check in to Grey Sloan Memorial on Greys Anatomy both as doctors and as patients as we saw in last weeks back-to-back episodes of the hit ABC series and its sister show Station 19. But they also check out, too. Is that what is happening now that one of the shows actors is headed for Broadway?

Jesse Williams, who plays Dr. Jackson Avery, is making his Broadway debut in April in a revival of Richard Greenbergs Tony-winning play, Take Me Out. Does this mean hell have to temporarily hang up his stethoscope? Fortunately, no!

Ive known since the beginning of the season [about Williams play] and Ive been able to plan [Jackson]s storyline [accordingly], Greys executive producer Krista Vernoff recently told TV Line. Jesse is able to fly back one day a week; were just making it work [because] this was important to him.

The actors fans were thrilled when they learned he signed a new two-year deal with the ABC medical drama that will keep him on the show through Season 17. He joined the cast of Greys Anatomy in Season 6.

Many doctors have come and gone from Greys over the years. Last November, original cast member Justin Chambers suddenly exited as Dr. Alex Karev. Alexs absence has been explained as saying he left town to visit his mother.

There have been no announced plans for any specific returns but just because a doctor checks out of Greys doesnt mean theyre never coming back. Kim Raver, who originated the role of Dr. Teddy Altman in Season 6, left Greys in Season 8, popped up for a few episodes in Season 14, and then returned as a regular in Season 15.

Vernoff is both executive producer and head writer of Greys Anatomy. She also serves as the showrunner for Station 19, which airs Thursdays at 8 p.m on ABC. Greys Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.

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Is Jesse Williams Checking Out of Greys Anatomy? - Soap Hub

Immunology

Technical comment on Synovial fibroblast-neutrophil interactions promote pathogenic adaptive immunity in rheumatoid arthritis – Science

Abstract

Reassessment of citrullinome cargo in neutrophil extracellular traps confirms the presence of citrullinated peptides.

In an article previously published in Science Immunology (1), we reported a previously unidentified mechanism of induction of pathogenic adaptive immunity against citrullinated antigens in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This mechanism was mediated by an interaction between neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and synovial fibroblasts (FLS) that promote the presentation of citrullinated peptides identified in NETs by the FLS to the adaptive immune system. The identification of citrullinated peptides in NETs was performed by a variety of methods described in this and previous manuscripts and included the use of citrulline-specific probes, antibodies, and mass spectrometry (MS) (1, 2).

Following this publication, we were contacted by an investigator with concerns about our MS analysis. Given the magnitude of the mass shift expected between a citrulline and an arginine residue (+0.984 Da), misannotation of citrulline-containing peptides can occur because of fragmentation of misassigned monoisotopic mass peaks. In addition, the +0.984-Da mass increase upon citrullination is identical to the mass increase observed upon protein deamination of asparagine and glutamine residues within a peptide, thereby confounding the correct assignment of citrullinated species. Last, most of the previously identified peptides contained a C-terminal citrulline. Whereas several endogenous proteases, including cathepsin B, cleave after citrulline, trypsin, the protease used in sample preparation, does not (3). These discrepancies prompted us to reevaluate the initial proteomic data more stringently. Upon reevaluation, the spectra were either not consistent with citrullination or not definitive enough to be consistent with a citrullinated residue. Therefore, we generated new samples for analysis. Herein, we report the identification of 58 sites of citrullination on 32 proteins that are present in NETs using a highly stringent data analysis workflow.

In the analysis, healthy neutrophils were purified as described (1), resuspended in RPMI, seeded in 12-well plates, and incubated with 2.5 M calcium ionophore (A23187, Sigma-Aldrich) or 100 g of rheumatoid factor for 4 hours at 37C. Supernatants were carefully removed, and NETs were harvested with micrococcal nuclease (MNase) (10 U/ml) in RPMI for 15 min at 37C. Supernatant-containing NETs were isolated via centrifugation and stored at 80C until analysis. Note that the proteomic analysis was performed on NETs and not from cells treated with ionophore or rheumatoid factor; hence, it is not possible to generate control proteomes.

NETs (50 g) were precipitated with 20% trichloroacetic acid. The pellets were washed with acetone and then resuspended in urea (8 M). Ammonium bicarbonate (100 mM) was then added to the solution. Samples were reduced with dithiothreitol (15 mM) and alkylated with iodoacetamide (12.5 mM). Next, samples were diluted to 1.8 M urea with phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). Samples were then digested overnight at 37C with Trypsin Gold (2 g, Promega) and 1 mM CaCl2. Tryptic peptides were separated on a ZORBAX extended C18 column (Agilent) over a 1-hour, biphasic gradient from 0% buffer A (10 mM ammonium bicarbonate plus 5% acetonitrile) to 100% buffer B (10 mM ammonium bicarbonate and 90% acetonitrile). The resulting 96 fractions were pooled to yield 6 fractions for liquid chromatographytandem MS (MS/MS) analysis.

Fractions were dried and resuspended in 25 l of 5% acetonitrile/0.1% trifluoroacetic acid. Peptides were eluted from a gravity-pulled analytical column packed with 3-m (100 ) Magic C18AQ particles using a biphasic linear gradient from 5 to 60% of B (acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid) in mobile phase A (water and 0.1% formic acid) over 120 min. Ions were introduced by positive electrospray ionization at 1.4 kV into a Thermo Scientific Q Exactive hybrid mass spectrometer. Raw data files were peak processed by MaxQuant 1.6.3.4, and identifications were searched by Andromeda against the Human SwissProt database. First-search mass tolerance was 20 parts per million (ppm) for precursors and 20 ppm for fragment ions, and main search tolerance after precursor mass recalibration was 4.5 ppm for precursors and 20 ppm for fragments. All positive citrullination sites were verified manually.

To unambiguously detect and verify the presence of citrullinated arginines, we followed a recently proposed workflow (4). First, we filtered the data to remove C-terminal citrullines. Next, we compared the observed MS isotopic envelopes to predicted envelopes for arginine- and citrulline-containing (+0.984 Da) peptides. If the MS spectra demonstrated a mass shift correlating with citrulline, then we searched for a neutral loss of isocyanic acid (CNOH, 43.0058 Da) in the MS/MS fragmentation spectra. Neutral loss of isocyanic acid, which is unique to citrulline-containing ion fragments, is frequently observed during high-energy collision dissociation (4). It is important to note that, although deamination of glutamine and asparagine results in a similar mass shift, it does not yield the neutral loss. Using this algorithm, we identified 58 sites of citrullination on 32 proteins (Table 1; spectra data available upon request).

r, citrulline; c, alkylated cysteine; m, oxidized methionine; n or q, deamination; m/z, mass/charge ratio; IO, ionophore; RF, rheumatoid factor.

Notably, three of the proteins we found as being citrullinated, actin, heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), and plastin-2 (PLSL), were also identified as being citrullinated in RA patient samples (5). In addition, over half of the proteins found in the NETs were also previously found in the proteome of RA synovial fluid and neutrophils treated with ionophores (6). Together, our new data uncovered 15 previously unreported citrullinated proteins present in NETs.

The identified proteins include vimentin and myeloperoxidase (MPO), the latter also identified in the original report (1). Notably, citrullinated vimentin, /-tubulin, -actin, and NCF1 are known RA antigens (1, 4, 7, 8). In addition, we identified S100-A8, plastin, coronin, moesin, and erzin, which are all linked to RA (9). Several inflammation-associated proteins were also observed (S100A8, MPO, LKHA, and HMGB1). Furthermore, our list of citrullinated proteins includes numerous cytoskeletal and cell motility proteins such as PLSL, myosin, vimentin, tubulin, and actin. S100A8 is interesting because several targets of the iNOS-S100A8 transnitrosylase complex (i.e., EZR1, MOES, and VIME) are also present as citrullinated proteins in these NETs. Last, linking our analysis to NETosis is our identification of several citrullinated chromatin binding proteins (HMGB1, HP1B3, and HNRPU) and NCF1, which is a component of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase complex.

In summary, these findings continue to support the conclusions of our previous publications (1, 2), mainly, that NETs are a source of citrullinated autoantigens. We have identified 58 sites of citrullination in 32 proteins from purified NET samples induced via rheumatoid factor or calcium ionophore. Because citrullination is a modification in such low abundance, generating a comprehensive database of citrulline-containing peptides found in any complex proteome is challenging (10). In addition, the need to verify each identified peptide via manual inspection of MS and MS/MS spectra has hampered the growing field exploring this specific modification. Methods to enrich for citrulline-containing peptides and/or computationally automate the process of picking out true citrulline peptides by neutral loss MS/MS analysis would further facilitate the process of decoding the citrullinome.

Funding: This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease/NIH (ZIAAR041199). This work was also supported in part by NIH grants R35GM118112 (P.R.T.), F32GM128231 (A.J.S.), 1R01GM117004 (E.W.), and 1R01GM118431-01A1 (E.W.).

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Technical comment on Synovial fibroblast-neutrophil interactions promote pathogenic adaptive immunity in rheumatoid arthritis - Science

Immunology

Improving CAR-T therapy for cancer by regulating 2 proteins – FierceBiotech

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies that are made from a patients own T cells haveproven effective in blood cancers, and they are showingpromise for treating solid tumors, too. But scientists are still looking for ways to fine-tune this form of immunotherapy.

Now, scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill havefound new methods for either dialing up CAR-T cells cancer-killing effects when needed or dampening their activity to avoid severe side effects. The technique involvestwo proteins that are responsible for stimulating the cells. The team published the results in Cancer Cell.

In immunology, its always about balance; you don't want to have too much T-cell activation, and you don't want T-cell activation to be too low, the studys co-first author Peishun Shou, Ph.D., said in a statement. We wanted to keep the T-cell activation and tumor killing at a suitable or sustainable level.

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Shou worked in a team led by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Centers Gianpietro Dotti, M.D. In 2018, Dottis team developed CARs that can target a protein called CSPG4, and they showed the treatment worked in mice with glioblastoma.

For the current study, the researchers zeroed in on two different types of CARs, whichare differentiated by the signals that activate them. CAR-T cells tumor-regression ability is first triggered by a signal called CD3-zeta, which is commonly used as the main CAR component to recognize markers on tumors. But the cellsalso require co-stimulatory moleculeseither CD28 or 4-1BB proteinin addition to CD3-zeta to further boosttheir activation.

The UNC team found that they could improvethe activityof T cellsthat areco-stimulated by 4-1BBby increasing the expression of a tyrosine kinase called LCK.

What we found is that the LCK molecule can bind to the CAR, enhancing the CAR-T cell activation and signaling transduction, which therefore will help CAR-T cells get a better tumor-killing effect, Shou said.

RELATED:Redesigned CAR-T eliminates dangerous cytokine release syndrome in lymphoma trial

Use of CAR-T therapy has been linked to a dangerous side effect called cytokine release syndrome, so scientists have also been working on methods to rein in CAR-T activitywhen necessary.

Shou and colleagues found such a safety switch in CAR-T cells that are co-stimulated by CD28. They showed that an enzyme called SHP1 attenuates T-cell activity. They discovered that adding a drug named AP21967which is an analog to Pfizers immunosuppressive drug Sirolimus (rapamycin)can pull SHP1 to the CAR to reduce cytokine release. Whats more, the transient recruitment of SHP1 didnt kill the CAR-T cells or impair their antitumor effects, the researchers demonstrated in a mouse model.

Many other efforts have been made to reduce CAR-Ts toxic side effects. For example, a research team led by the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center developed a CAR variant called CD19-BBz(86) that didnt trigger any serious side effect in 25 lymphoma patients.

As for4-1BB, it's a target that has already attracted some interest among drug developers. Pfizer is developing utomilumab (PF-05082566), a 4-1BB agonist, to leverage the receptors T-cell stimulation effect. The drug is being paired with Pfizer and Merck KGaAs anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy Bavencio in a phase 2 study in solid tumors.

The UNC scientists want to use their findings on CD28 and 4-1BB to improve CAR-T treatments against blood cancers and to potentially make them viable for solid tumors.

Researchers in the CAR-T immunotherapy field now want to solve the solid tumor problem, Shou said. Solid tumors have an immunosuppressive microenvironment, so you need stronger CAR-T activation.

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Improving CAR-T therapy for cancer by regulating 2 proteins - FierceBiotech

Human Behavior

The surveillance-industrial complex is targeting our kids – MinnPost

MinnPost photo by Tony Nelson

Minnetonka Public Schools Superintendent Dennis Peterson signed a three-year contract, at $23,500 annually, with a company that pledged to alert the district to threats shared publicly.

A few months ago, MinnPost reported on a concerning contract between Social Sentinel (a surveillance company) and Minnetonka Public Schools that largely went under the radar. A growing number of surveillance and data-sharing efforts have emerged in the Twin Cities in recent years using a mix of tactics to spy on youth. Tapping into public fears related to school shootings, bullying, and unfounded fears regarding the threat of terrorism, surveillance efforts have become rationalized as an acceptable prevention practice at the expense of young peoples civil rights and free expression. The idea that patterns of behavior can be tracked and used to identify the warning signs of potential violence continues to have a firm footing within our school system.

Tracking of behavior classification, intervention, and academic performance are now becoming the basis for surveillance of youth with unaddressed needs. Measures like these further distance us from addressing the root causes that fuel crime and incarceration. It is an investment in the permanence of rigid inequities and continued reliance on punitive measures. In lieu of an investment in qualitative approaches to community and relationship, there is now an incentive to militarize the relationship between young people and those whove promised to protect them. What this does is serve the interest of corporate analytics companies and law enforcement bodies by well-meaning school administrators who are in search of low-cost ways to promote safety at the expense of students greater well-being. The missing piece is the aim to address the needs of children/youth and their families. In these quiet, seemingly innocuous ways, the unobjectionable language of surveillance has crept into our schools.

Here are some examples of how surveillance has materialized in our schools in addition to Minnetonka Public Schools agreement with social media surveillance firm Social Sentinel:

We believe these aforementioned programs are indicative of surveillance systems due to a number of characteristics, including:

The stated purpose behind many of these efforts is to streamline the availability of services for communities experiencing disparities or inequities. The optimistic take on this would have us believe that the algorithms on which these programs are built are objective and evidence-based. Experience tells us otherwise.

Instead, algorithmic decisions are the product of inputs which themselves are premised on biased information, and often lead to silly interpretations. Consider this fact from the Brennan Center for Justice: Algorithmic tone and sentiment analysis, which senior DHS officials have suggested is being used to analyze social media, is even less accurate. One tool flagged posts in English by black and Hispanic users like Bored af den my phone finna die!!!! (which can be loosely translated as Im bored as f*** and then my phone is going to die) as Danish with 99.9 percent confidence.

Writer and philosopher Emma Goldman once said, A society gets all the criminals it deserves. What she meant, of course, is that criminality is defined by the powers-that-be, and in some societies, that they mirror the values, biases, and priorities of those in power. Put simply, what we invest in says a lot about what and who we value, as well as the ways in which conversations around public safety are framed to tee up policies/practices around security. The fact that our schools continue to invest heavily in surveillance efforts says more about our distrust of children/youth and our commitment to cultivating the cradle-to-prison algorithm. Because it is easier to fix broken people than to do the work of transforming a broken system, those in power are exploiting the struggles of some students mostly poor youth of color to justify disproportionate scrutiny.

Ramla Bile

Dominique Diaddigo-Cash

In fact, the Brennan Center reports that social media monitoring has been used to target racial and religious minorities, and to police speech that is seen as dissent. From the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the current Black Lives Matter movement (labeled Black identity extremists), activists have been targeted by law enforcement bodies through surveillance tactics at the expense of the civil, political, and human rights. In the early adoption of programs such as the one in Minnetonka, little consideration has been given to the impact of such programs on the civil rights of children, youth, and their families, particularly since:

Kids do better when they are connected to caring adults, and when we can create a community of belonging that embraces the whole child. We cant replace the need for human-to-human connection with analytics systems. And while private corporations rush in with prescribed solutions to the behavior problem with no lens for equity or racial analysis on how surveillance works, were exposing our children to law enforcement. In addition to grossly violating the privacy of children/youth, we need to acknowledge that surveillance is a form of systemic racism. Institutional surveillance is a leading contributor to mass incarceration. Normalizing such practices minimizes the harmful impact of surveillance.

Ramla Bile is a Twin Cities-based writer and activist who challenges the surveillance apparatus and the ways systems criminalize BIPOC communities. Dominique Diaddigo-Cash is a writer and community organizer whose life and work explores the impacts of state violence on marginalized peoples and identities.

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The surveillance-industrial complex is targeting our kids - MinnPost

Human Behavior

Common ground is harder to find, but worth seeking – Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Life experiences shape how we see ourselves and how we as a people relate to one another.

In earlier times, those life experiences were similar among those who lived in a certain area or even in a particular country. People rarely traveled any significant distances and spent their lives in the same area among the same people with whom they had much in common. Thus was born the concept of community, though humans being humans, there likely were disagreements. Still, similar experiences led to a common theme, a common purpose, an understanding of one another, a bond.

As they were forming a new country, most Americans in the 19th century traced their roots to northern Europe, with the exception of Africans brought here as slaves, and the culture was mostly agrarian. In 1900, despite the advent of the Industrial Revolution, a majority of Americans still lived in rural areas.

But change was coming. U.S. cities grew by 15 million people from 1880 to 1900 with much of the growth fueled by a massive influx of immigrants. According to the website History.com, some 20 million people came to the United States between 1880 and 1920, most from central, eastern and southern Europe. Included in that group were more than 4 million Italians. The Jewish population also grew dramatically with some 2 million coming in that same time frame, many fleeing religious persecution.

These changes meant people who spoke a different language, practiced a different religion and celebrated different holidays were now a part of the American fabric.

Still, some things stayed the same. Most households included a married couple and a number of children. The men farmed or worked for a paycheck to support the family and the women took care of the children and managed the household. Life expectancy in 1900 was much lower than today, with men living to an average of 43 years and women two years longer. Most of their lives was consumed by raising children.

A notable group of Americans, former African slaves and their offspring, did not benefit from the changes that were lifting much of America to a higher standard of living as the 20th century dawned. Discriminatory laws and practices kept them separate from their fellow Americans and thus they created a culture all their own. They shared a common history and a common reality.

The same was true, to a lesser degree, of many of the immigrant groups that tended to live near one another and shared a life filled with similar experiences. Still, most Americans lived lives that resembled one another.

Keeping a family going was an all-consuming task, but what little leisure time was available was often spent with neighbors and relatives who usually lived nearby and had shared experiences. People ate the same food, read the same newspapers, celebrated the same occasions, followed the same baseball teams and attended the same churches.

With the advent of radio, families would gather around to listen to the same programs. Television had a similar effect on family life and people across the country now were seeing the same programs and news reports. Their view of the larger world was shaped by these shared experiences.

All that seems so quaint today. Families are smaller and far less similar. In 1960, 73% of children lived in a family with a mother and father married for the first time. The Pew Research Center reports that percentage has fallen to 46 today.

At the same time, the information age has brought a wide range of vehicles for communication. Neilsen reports that Americans aged 18 and older spend more than four hours a day watching television and three hours interacting with their smartphones. But with a proliferation of cable television, streaming services and social media, there is no common experience. Newspaper circulation has fallen dramatically in recent years and fewer people are attending religious services.

Diversity can be seen as a good thing. In fact, a Pew Research Center report released last May indicated that 57% of Americans believe a diverse population is a very good thing for the country and another 20% say this is somewhat good.

That is encouraging news, but more than ever America has become a nation of many perspectives born of different life experiences. The challenge comes in finding consensus on issues including how the nation should be governed, what is acceptable human behavior and how thorny issues should be resolved.

Our future as a nation depends on finding common ground on what it means to be American while still honoring the lives, beliefs and traditions of all people.

Kathy Silverberg is former publisher of the Herald-Tribunes southern editions. She can be reached at kathy.silverberg@comcast.net or followed on Twitter @kdsilver.

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Common ground is harder to find, but worth seeking - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Human Behavior

Brazils First Indigenous Congresswoman Wants Her Government to Save the Amazon – NowThis

Jonia Wapixana is a lawyer, Brazils first Indigenous congresswoman, and president of the National Commission for the Defense of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Wapixana started her term in February 2019. She has vowed to fight for Brazils Indigenous people and their land, which President Jair Bolsonaro has threatened with economic and commercial development plans.

More than 900,000 Indigenous people live in Brazilabout 98% of their land lies within the Amazon, where they continually protect and preserve the land.

Deforestation in the Amazon surged 30% between August 2018 and July 2019, and 2019 saw an 80% increase in fires in Brazil more than half of which were in the Amazon. Experts attribute the widespread burning to weakened protections under Bolsonaro and illegal deforestation.

Wapixana spoke with NowThis about her new role, why shes motivated to protect Indigenouslands, and what more people should know about her culture and community. This is an edited and condensed version of the conversation.

NowThis: What does it mean for you and your community that you are the first Indigenous lawyer?Wapixana: Indigenous people need one voice in [the] National Congress. I [became] a lawyer to defend the Indigenous rights, especially in landsto protect the life, to protect the biodiversity, to protect the autonomy for Indigenous peoples.

NowThis: Tell us about the Wapixana people and their culture.Wapixana: Wapixana people are [a population of] seven thousand in all Brazil. The Indigenous have a lot of traditional knowledge, and live very close to rivers and have a small village. And the Indigenous Wapixana live together with others.

NowThis: Can you tell us about your role and what you're serving?Wapixana: I was elected by the Indigenous community because my people, especially Indigenous assembly, decided to improve the policies and improve the law to protect Indigenous rights. So my first challenge is to put this idea in policy to National Congress, improve the law to protect the Indigenous rights, [and help] the Amazon [become] more sustainable for my country.

NowThis: Why is the Amazon rainforest important to indigenous people?Wapixana: The Amazon is my home is my life. Not just for me, for my quality of rights and my quality of lands. Amazon means the everything. Its the reason for Indigenous peoples whohave traditional knowledge and understand the forest to become us and the forest tobecome the life is essential for the planet to protect the Amazon to continue the life in theplanet.

NowThis: What is at stake for the indigenous people in Brazil if the Amazon is destroyed?Wapixana: The Amazon is at risk now. It is a responsibility not just for Indigenous people, but for everybody who wants to survive on the planet. We need to respect the forest, respect the biodiversity, respect the Amazon. We need to take care of this you need to become more responsible, and take care to protect the Amazon like Indigenous peoples. You need to understand, you need to become more sensible and make some compromises to change it. More bad human behavior will have to change. If not, the Amazon will disappear. And it is a consequence not just for those who live in the Amazon, but for our planet.

NowThis: What is the most important thing people around the world need to know what's going on between the Indigenous people and President Jair Bolsonaro's government?Wapixana: President Bolsonaro hates Indigenous peoples. In his first speech, Bolsonaro said, No more Indigenous land for Indigenous people. He doesn't recognize Indigenous rights. It puts the national Constitution at risk. So for this reason, the Indigenous people are more vulnerable in Bolsonaro's government.

So the first thing that people [should] understand is that Brazil and Indigenous people are at risk. [T]he indigenous and the government [can] work to improve the law and policy and give more protection.

NowThis: Why do you think it's important for indigenous people to keep their land?Wapixana: Because the land means life for everybody. We try to teach [the] next generation to take care of the forests, the biodiversity, the water, the kinds of values you need to show for planets. You need to calibrate the behavior; you need to teach but live according to nature. So it is very important not just for Indigenous [people], but for everybody who lives here.

NowThis: How have you stood up against President Bolsanaro to protect your land and your people?Wapixana: I am in [National Congress]. So I try to write good law. And try to monitor President Bolsonaro. We try to ask themthe governmentto do the action, the policy according to our national Constitution. Now, I try to improve the law to protect more Indigenous land. Try to create one front. This front, becomes stronger to try to call different parameters to face and try to show what's the matter. [He] needs to change this behavior and change the conception about Indigenous rights because Indigenous rights are in [protected in] the national Constitution.

President Bolsonaro must respect the national Constitution. That's number one. If he respects the national Constitution theyd try to to invest in some national program to protect Indigenous land, to open this responsibility, not just for Brazil, but for everybody in the world. They have to give the rights for Indigenous [people] and stop the violence against Indigenous people.

Learn more about Waxipana here.

PRODUCERSRex SakamotoJasmine AmjadKimberly J. Avalos

CAMERARex Sakamoto

VIDEO EDITORKimberly J. Avalos

PRODUCTION MANAGERKelsey Marsh

SENIOR PRODUCERRhon G. Flatts

EDITORSarah Frank

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Brazils First Indigenous Congresswoman Wants Her Government to Save the Amazon - NowThis

Human Behavior

Philadelphia looks to evidence-based insights to inform policy – Penn: Office of University Communications

Philadelphia city employees as well as researchers from Penn and other institutions around the city and country gathered on Jan. 24 for a conference aimed at providing evidence-based insights from social science that could be put to work to benefit the city.

The GovLabPHL conference, Bridging Evidence and Policy in Philadelphia, was a daylong event hosted by Penns Fels Institute of Government and sponsored by the City of Philadelphia and the School of Arts and Sciences.

The conference, held at Perry World House sprang out of the Philadelphia Behavioral Science Initiative (PBSI), which was established in 2016 as a partnership between academics and the City of Philadelphia. The focus is on strengthening the citys external research partnerships and its ability to apply behavioral science in local government. In 2017, Mayor Jim Kenney supported the creation of GovLabPHL, led by the Mayors Policy Office, to expand the citys commitment to evaluation and practical use of data. Its led by Anjali Chainani, Kenneys director of policy, and co-founded by Daniel Hopkins, a professor in the Political Science Department in Penns School of Arts and Sciences.

Too often, researchers and policymakers can work on the same problem but in very different silos, and the practical knowledge about what actually works in policymaking doesn't make it back to university-based researchers. Through the Philadelphia Behavioral Science Initiative, we've been building a bridge between academic researchers and policymakers to close those gaps, Hopkins said. We were able to invite in something of a dream team of academic researchers doing actionable, policy-relevant research. I think many attendees left inspired to try new ideas and to deepen these ties between Penn, other local colleges and universities, and the City."

PBSI and GovLabPHL are working towards sustaining culture change within local government where we think about evaluation at the onset of a program of policy. We owe it the residents of our city to demonstrate how their taxpayer dollars are working and how we are using data to make continuous improvements. This annual conference creates a learning opportunity for city employees to bring common municipal challenges and hear from leading researchers about what has proven to work in other contexts, Chainani said.

Mariele McGlazer, the citys GovLabPHL manager and a student in the Fels Executive masters of public administration program, moderated the days event.

This was our fourth annual conference, and we were delighted to have another opportunity to invite academics and city workers to share ideas on how to tackle some of our toughest challenges and bring to the mayors policy priorities into reality, McGlazer said.

During his first term as mayor, Kenney enacted a tax on sweetened beverages that he saw as a way to help lift citizens out of poverty by improving early childhood education and rebuilding and renovating recreation centers, parks, and libraries.

Because of the tax, more than 6,000 3- and 4-year-olds gained access to pre-K, and 17 new schools serving 9,500 students were created, Kenney said.

The city also initiated work at 60 parks, recreation centers, playgrounds, and libraries through the Rebuild program. Philadelphia schools were also returned to local control and more than $1.2 billion in new money was invested by the city schools, Kenney told the attendees.

Still, the city has a lot of work to do fighting poverty, opioid addiction, and gun violence and continuing to improve public schools, and those will be the focus of his current and final term, he said.

Philadelphia is the poorest big city in the nation and had 356 homicides in 2019, up from 353 the year before, according to Philadelphia Police Department data.

Even my mother says to me, you should smile more. But when Im dealing with the things were dealing with, the poverty and addiction and violence, its hard to be happy, Kenney told the crowd at the start of the conference. But then I come into a room like this and I see all these dedicated public servants and others who are interested in government and public service here to help. Im smart but Im certainly not the smartest person in this room and that makes me feel good, that there are a lot smarter people in this room who really want to make our city the best it can be. Im really grateful to you and grateful to your commitment to making this work and hope that together well get there.

Among the speakers was Sendhil Mullainathan, the Roman Family University Professor of Computation and Behavioral Science at the University of Chicagos Booth School of Business. His current research uses machine learning to understand complex problems in human behavior, social policy, and especially medicine; Sara Goldrick-Rab, professor of higher education policy and sociology at Temple University, best known for her research on food and housing insecurity in higher education; and Jamila Michener, an assistant professor in the Department of Government at Cornell University who studies American politics with a focus on the political causes and consequences of poverty and racial inequality.

Philadelphia has long had a high poverty rate, and we certainly cant outspend cities like New York or San Francisco. But we can still compete. The way we can do so is partly by making use of the resources at our great universities here. Places like Penn and Temple, Swarthmore and Villanova, St. Joes and so many other local colleges and universities, Hopkins said. These universities are full of researchers who want to know what works, who want to know which of their ideas can actually translate into practice. We want to improve the city that we call home. Through this sustained partnership, Mayor Kenney is giving us that opportunity and we are deeply grateful.

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Philadelphia looks to evidence-based insights to inform policy - Penn: Office of University Communications

Human Behavior

Film on undocumented queer activist to be screened – UB Now: News and views for UB faculty and staff – University at Buffalo Reporter

The Department of Theatre and Dance will present a free screening on Feb. 5 of Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America, an award-winning, feature-length documentary about an undocumented queer activist fighting for equality.

The screening will take place at 7 p.m. in the Screening Room in the Center for the Arts, North Campus. It will be followed by a Q-and-A with the subject of the film, Moises Serrano, and the films director, Tiffany Rhynard, who is an artist-in-residence with the Department of Theatre and Dance this week.

Forbidden tells the story of Serrano, whose parents brought him from Mexico to the U.S. as a baby. After 23 years growing up in the rural south as an undocumented gay man, he is forbidden to live and love in the country he calls home and sees only one option to fight for justice.

Rhynard is an artist, dancer and filmmaker whose work examines the complexity of human behavior and addresses social issues. Her choreography, dance films and documentaries have been presented nationwide and internationally.

Her recent dance documentary short, Black Stains, about black male identity in the United States, is currently screening at film festivals. The film was created in collaboration with Trent D. Williams Jr.

As a performer, Rhynard has danced for such choreographers as Gerri Houlihan, Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians, and Chavasse Dance and Performance Group. She has taught at colleges and universities throughout the country and currently is an assistant professor in the School of Dance at Florida State University.

Serrano served as a producer and one of the cinematographers for Forbidden. His mission is to de-criminalize and humanize the issue of migration while advocating for immediate relief to migrant communities.

Forbidden earned the first-ever Social Justice Film Award from the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Freedom Award from Outfest Film Festival.

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Film on undocumented queer activist to be screened - UB Now: News and views for UB faculty and staff - University at Buffalo Reporter