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Each year, preeclampsia—a life-threatening pregnancy complication—affects nearly 1 in 25 expectant mothers in the United States. Emerging suddenly after 20 weeks of pregnancy, it can lead to dangerously high blood pressure, premature birth, and long-term health issues for both mother and baby. Despite its severity, the root causes of preeclampsia remain poorly understood, and treatment options are limited.

Currently, the only effective treatment for preeclampsia is early delivery of the placenta, which often leads to premature birth and associated health risks for the baby. While researchers know the placenta plays a central role in the disease, the exact causes of its dysfunction remain unclear. This lack of understanding makes preeclampsia difficult to predict, prevent, or treat effectively.

Researchers at UC San Diego are tackling these challenges with help from NSF-supported computational resources. The team leveraged advanced computing systems like the San Diego Supercomputer Center’s Expanse to conduct large-scale RNA sequencing analysis to compare placental tissue from healthy and preeclamptic pregnancies—processing terabytes of next-generation sequencing data to identify genes that behave differently in the disease.

Expanse also enabled the team to develop a model system of preeclampsia using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which allows scientists to recreate the disease in the lab and observe how stress conditions like low oxygen affect placental development. By replicating these abnormal conditions, the team identified biological pathways—like inflammation and

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President Trump turbocharged the emergency aid process to provide a 100% federal cost share in North Carolina for Public Assistance from the declaration date of September 29, 2024, to March 24, 2025.

WASHINGTON — In light of false reporting and charges from politicians, FEMA is setting the record straight. North Carolina received one of the longest 100% cost share periods in FEMA’s history — 6 full months of full federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures. Today, the state is still receiving a 90% cost share. Due to the severity of the disaster with Hurricane Helene, exacerbated by the previous administrations’ mismanagement and neglect, FEMA is currently providing North Carolina a 90% federal cost share, far exceeding the normal 75% and the same amount the state of North Carolina requested on December 6, 2024.   

Through FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which provides funds for state and local governments’ response and recovery work, the state received more than $484 million at a 100% federal cost share for 180 days, funding projects for road repair, debris removal, critical infrastructure repair and more. Since January 20, 2025, more than $172 million in Public Assistance reimbursements has been approved to support the recovery efforts in North Carolina.

In addition to the higher threshold federal cost share, federal emergency management support to North Carolina has accelerated under President Trump’s administration.

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In-brief analysis

May 30, 2025

Data source: Wards Intelligence

About 22% of light-duty vehicles sold in the first quarter of the year in the United States were hybrid, battery electric, or plug-in hybrid vehicles, up from about 18% in the first quarter of 2024. Among those categories, hybrid electric vehicles have continued to gain market share while battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles have remained relatively flat, according to estimates from Wards Intelligence.

These different vehicle types affect the broader energy sector in different ways. Battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles can consume electricity from isolated power sources or, more commonly, from the grid. So, their use can affect electricity demand. By comparison, hybrid electric vehicles do not have plugs, so they don’t directly affect grid-delivered electricity demand.

Data

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