CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA A Resolution: Amend the Constitution of the State of Georgia to Prevent Discrimination in the Public Funding of Social Services by Allowing Religious or Sectarian Organizations to Receive Public Aid, Directly or Indirectly, for the Provision of Such Services; to Provide for the Submission of This Amendment for Ratification or Rejection; and for Other Purposes

The amendment would have amended the Georgia Constitution to allow religious and sectarian organizations to receive state funding for social services. Currently, such organizations cannot receive state funding for social services

Social Media Use Among Nonprofit Organizations in Rural Appalachia

Introduction: Social media have changed the landscape of health communication for nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Yet, adoption and use of social media lag among NPOs in rural Appalachia due largely to limited infrastructure development. Methods: Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted in January–March 2018 with 21 NPO representatives in an 8-county region of rural Appalachian Tennessee. NPO representatives were asked questions pertaining to social media use and message content, effective communication strategies, and best practices in social media use. Transcripts were analyzed in April–May 2018 using thematic analysis. Results: The majority of NPOs had a Facebook page and recognized its promise as a communication tool. However, due to resource constraints, most NPOs used social media as a secondary communication strategy to complement traditional approaches. In terms of messaging, NPOs used social media primarily to share information and solicit donations or volunteers. Representatives identified several obstacles to social media use among NPOs in the region. These included limited organizational resources, community infrastructure, and household resources. Implications: Social media are inexpensive communication tools that NPOs in rural Appalachia can use to expand their digital footprint into hard-to-reach populations. Therefore, eliminating the digital divide across the U.S. is an important step toward enhancing rural NPOs’ capacity to serve their communities well. Opportunities for NPO staff to access low-cost professional development and training in the use of social media, specifically for social marketing purposes, are also essential

The Family Check-Up in a Pediatric Clinic: An Integrated Care Delivery Model to Improve Behaviors in the Home Environment

This study examines the feasibility of adapting the Family Check Up (FCU), an evidence-based program to identify and manage behavioral concerns in children ages 4 and 5 years, within a pediatric primary care clinic with an integrated mental health professional. Methods: Caregivers attending their child’s 4 and 5 year-old well child visit were asked to complete a screening tool (Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17; PSC-17) measuring behavioral concerns as part of routine care. Families who screened positively, were referred to the FCU and asked to participate in a study evaluating the intervention. The FCU is a 2-session intervention during which information on home environment and parenting style was collected through tailored questionnaires, videotaped interactions, and a clinical interview. Feasibility was examined using portions of the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (REAIM) framework from the Dissemination and Implementation Science field. This study presents preliminary data on the domains of Reach and Adoption over the first 5 months of the FCU. Results: The number of families referred who attended at least one session (Reach) was 77.2%. Current data shows that use of the PSC-17 screening instrument (Adoption) is 91.4% for well child checks and 25% for acute visits. Adoption of those referred to the FCU is 84%, indicating most families screening positively for behavioral concerns were successfully referred to the FCU. Conclusion: Initial results suggest Reach and Adoption rates support the feasibility of adapting a behavioral intervention for delivery in the pediatric clinic. Notably, having an existing integrated care delivery model is a critical piece to this early success. Future directions will continue to explore feasibility of the remaining REAIM domains

Topological organization of whole-brain white matter in HIV infection

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with neuroimaging alterations. However, little is known about the topological organization of whole-brain networks and the corresponding association with cognition. As such, we examined structural whole-brain white matter connectivity patterns and cognitive performance in 29 HIV+ young adults (mean age = 25.9) with limited or no HIV treatment history. HIV+ participants and demographically similar HIV− controls (n = 16) residing in South Africa underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological testing. Structural network models were constructed using diffusion MRI-based multifiber tractography and T(1)-weighted MRI-based regional gray matter segmentation. Global network measures included whole-brain structural integration, connection strength, and structural segregation. Cognition was measured using a neuropsychological global deficit score (GDS) as well as individual cognitive domains. Results revealed that HIV+ participants exhibited significant disruptions to whole-brain networks, characterized by weaker structural integration (characteristic path length and efficiency), connection strength, and structural segregation (clustering coefficient) than HIV− controls (p < 0.05). GDSs and performance on learning/recall tasks were negatively correlated with the clustering coefficient (p < 0.05) in HIV+ participants. Results from this study indicate disruption to brain network integrity in treatment-limited HIV+ young adults with corresponding abnormalities in cognitive performance

GIANT CHLOROPLAST 1 Is Essential for Correct Plastid Division in Arabidopsis

AbstractPlastids are vital plant organelles involved in many essential biological processes [1, 2]. Plastids are not created de novo but divide by binary fission mediated by nuclear-encoded proteins of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic origin [3–7]. Although several plastid division proteins have been identified in plants [8–17], limited information exists regarding possible division control mechanisms. Here, we describe the identification of GIANT CHLOROPLAST 1 (GC1), a new nuclear-encoded protein essential for correct plastid division in Arabidopsis. GC1 is plastid-localized and is anchored to the stromal surface of the chloroplast inner envelope by a C-terminal amphipathic helix. In Arabidopsis, GC1 deficiency results in mesophyll cells harbouring one to two giant chloroplasts, whilst GC1 overexpression has no effect on division. GC1 can form homodimers but does not show any interaction with the Arabidopsis plastid division proteins AtFtsZ1-1, AtFtsZ2-1, AtMinD1, or AtMinE1. Analysis reveals that GC1-deficient giant chloroplasts contain densely packed wild-type-like thylakoid membranes and that GC1-deficient leaves exhibit lower rates of CO2 assimilation compared to wild-type. Although GC1 shows similarity to a putative cyanobacterial SulA cell division inhibitor, our findings suggest that GC1 does not act as a plastid division inhibitor but, rather, as a positive factor at an early stage of the division process

Metformin reduces airway glucose permeability and hyperglycaemia-induced Staphylococcus aureus load independently of effects on blood glucose

Background Diabetes is a risk factor for respiratory infection, and hyperglycaemia is associated with increased glucose in airway surface liquid and risk of Staphylococcus aureus infection. Objectives To investigate whether elevation of basolateral/blood glucose concentration promotes airway Staphylococcus aureus growth and whether pretreatment with the antidiabetic drug metformin affects this relationship. Methods Human airway epithelial cells grown at air–liquid interface (±18 h pre-treatment, 30 μM–1 mM metformin) were inoculated with 5×105 colony-forming units (CFU)/cm2 S aureus 8325-4 or JE2 or Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 on the apical surface and incubated for 7 h. Wild-type C57BL/6 or db/db (leptin receptor-deficient) mice, 6–10 weeks old, were treated with intraperitoneal phosphate-buffered saline or 40 mg/kg metformin for 2 days before intranasal inoculation with 1×107 CFU S aureus. Mice were culled 24 h after infection and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid collected. Results Apical S aureus growth increased with basolateral glucose concentration in an in vitro airway epithelia–bacteria co-culture model. S aureus reduced transepithelial electrical resistance (RT) and increased paracellular glucose flux. Metformin inhibited the glucose-induced growth of S aureus, increased RT and decreased glucose flux. Diabetic (db/db) mice infected with S aureus exhibited a higher bacterial load in their airways than control mice after 2 days and metformin treatment reversed this effect. Metformin did not decrease blood glucose but reduced paracellular flux across ex vivo murine tracheas. Conclusions Hyperglycaemia promotes respiratory S aureus infection, and metformin modifies glucose flux across the airway epithelium to limit hyperglycaemia-induced bacterial growth. Metformin might, therefore, be of additional benefit in the prevention and treatment of respiratory infection

Fructose transport-deficient Staphylococcus aureus reveals important role of epithelial glucose transporters in limiting sugar-driven bacterial growth in airway surface liquid.

Hyperglycaemia as a result of diabetes mellitus or acute illness is associated with increased susceptibility to respiratory infection with Staphylococcus aureus. Hyperglycaemia increases the concentration of glucose in airway surface liquid (ASL) and promotes the growth of S. aureus in vitro and in vivo. Whether elevation of other sugars in the blood, such as fructose, also results in increased concentrations in ASL is unknown and whether sugars in ASL are directly utilised by S. aureus for growth has not been investigated. We obtained mutant S. aureus JE2 strains with transposon disrupted sugar transport genes. NE768(fruA) exhibited restricted growth in 10 mM fructose. In H441 airway epithelial-bacterial co-culture, elevation of basolateral sugar concentration (5-20 mM) increased the apical growth of JE2. However, sugar-induced growth of NE768(fruA) was significantly less when basolateral fructose rather than glucose was elevated. This is the first experimental evidence to show that S. aureus directly utilises sugars present in the ASL for growth. Interestingly, JE2 growth was promoted less by glucose than fructose. Net transepithelial flux of D-glucose was lower than D-fructose. However, uptake of D-glucose was higher than D-fructose across both apical and basolateral membranes consistent with the presence of GLUT1/10 in the airway epithelium. Therefore, we propose that the preferential uptake of glucose (compared to fructose) limits its accumulation in ASL. Pre-treatment with metformin increased transepithelial resistance and reduced the sugar-dependent growth of S. aureus. Thus, epithelial paracellular permeability and glucose transport mechanisms are vital to maintain low glucose concentration in ASL and limit bacterial nutrient sources as a defence against infection

Exploring the Political-Economic Factors of Participatory Journalism: Views of Online Journalists in 10 Countries

This comparative study of user-generated content (UGC) in 10 Western democracies examines the political economic aspects of citizen participation in online media, as assessed by journalists who work with this content. Drawing on interviews with more than 60 journalists, we explore their perceived economic motivations for an ongoing redefinition of traditional journalistic roles, as UGC becomes an increasingly dominant feature of news websites

Multiple Sclerosis risk variants regulate gene expression in innate and adaptive immune cells

At least 200 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. A key function that could mediate SNP-encoded MS risk is their regulatory effects on gene expression. We performed microarrays using RNA extracted from purified immune cell types from 73 untreated MS cases and 97 healthy controls and then performed Cis expression quantitative trait loci mapping studies using additive linear models. We describe MS risk expression quantitative trait loci associations for 129 distinct genes. By extending these models to include an interaction term between genotype and phenotype, we identify MS risk SNPs with opposing effects on gene expression in cases compared with controls, namely, rs2256814 MYT1 in CD4 cells (q = 0.05) and rs12087340 RF00136 in monocyte cells (q = 0.04). The rs703842 SNP was also associated with a differential effect size on the expression of the METTL21B gene in CD8 cells of MS cases relative to controls (q = 0.03). Our study provides a detailed map of MS risk loci that function by regulating gene expression in cell types relevant to MS