A Protein Thermometer Controls Temperature-Dependent Transcription of Flagellar Motility Genes in Listeria monocytogenes

Facultative bacterial pathogens must adapt to multiple stimuli to persist in the environment or establish infection within a host. Temperature is often utilized as a signal to control expression of virulence genes necessary for infection or genes required for persistence in the environment. However, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms that allow bacteria to adapt and respond to temperature fluctuations. Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a food-borne, facultative intracellular pathogen that uses flagellar motility to survive in the extracellular environment and to enhance initial invasion of host cells during infection. Upon entering the host, Lm represses transcription of flagellar motility genes in response to mammalian physiological temperature (37°C) with a concomitant temperature-dependent up-regulation of virulence genes. We previously determined that down-regulation of flagellar motility is required for virulence and is governed by the reciprocal activities of the MogR transcriptional repressor and the bifunctional flagellar anti-repressor/glycosyltransferase, GmaR. In this study, we determined that GmaR is also a protein thermometer that controls temperature-dependent transcription of flagellar motility genes. Two-hybrid and gel mobility shift analyses indicated that the interaction between MogR and GmaR is temperature sensitive. Using circular dichroism and limited proteolysis, we determined that GmaR undergoes a temperature-dependent conformational change as temperature is elevated. Quantitative analysis of GmaR in Lm revealed that GmaR is degraded in the absence of MogR and at 37°C (when the MogR:GmaR complex is less stable). Since MogR represses transcription of all flagellar motility genes, including transcription of gmaR, changes in the stability of the MogR:GmaR anti-repression complex, due to conformational changes in GmaR, mediates repression or de-repression of flagellar motility genes in Lm. Thus, GmaR functions as a thermo-sensing anti-repressor that incorporates temperature signals into transcriptional control of flagellar motility. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a protein thermometer that functions as an anti-repressor to control a developmental process in bacteria

Putting induction into practice: a case study of how school context mediates induction policies and practices

This study describes beginning teacher support and retention in four high schools in a large school district in North Carolina. State and district policies mandate that all beginning teachers receive multiple layers of mentor support, including district mentors, school-level mentors, school buddies, and school Induction Coordinators. Little is known about how individual schools enact the induction policies set forth by the district, or about individual teacher’s response to the activities within a given school context. This qualitative research study on the nature of the implementation of induction at four different high school sites and beginning teachers’ experiences in these contexts during their first two years provided information about the kinds of support that beginning teachers need and receive, and the impact that induction practices had on their decisions to stay, move to another school, or leave the profession. Data collection from 25 first and second year teachers and 13 Support Providers (district administrators, school administrators, mentors, and Induction Coordinators) provided evidence regarding what factors were helpful to them for transitioning into their professional roles and what factors most influenced their decisions to stay or leave. The general research question for this study is: “How do participants (Support Providers and beginning teachers) involved with induction perceive the relationship between school context, support, and teacher retention at their respective schools?” Two specific research and several sub-questions guided this study: 1) How do participants perceive support for beginning teachers at their schools? *How do they perceive the implementation of induction policies and practices at their schools? *How do participants perceive other types of support at their schools? 2) Why do some beginning teachers choose to leave, and why do some beginning teachers choose to stay in their schools? *How do participants perceive support needs in relationship to the unique needs of their school? *How do participants perceive retention for beginning teachers at their schools? The research found that Support Providers and Beginning Teachers cited similar sources of support for beginning teachers, including induction-related activities, mentors, administrators, and colleagues. Some teachers found induction supports cumbersome, time consuming, and misaligned to their needs. Support Providers reported that a primary role in support of beginning teachers was to provide a menu of options for beginning teachers to choose from. District personnel felt that they set up a strong structure of support for beginning teachers, but that they felt constrained by their case-load to work with schools with large numbers of beginning teachers. All participants felt that beginning teachers who left their school were not adequately prepared for and supported in their particular school environment. Beginning teachers who stayed did so because of their passion for working with their students and satisfaction from seeing students make academic gains, regardless of whether or not they felt supported by their administration. These teachers had a personal commitment to their school and students and felt supported enough to continue in their respective schools. Each of the four schools presented a unique teaching context. As a result, the needs of the beginning teachers varied greatly depending on the school’s needs and their individual preparation and expectations for the role. Induction was embedded in each school’s particular culture, and as a result, district level induction policies played out differently at each school

The Robertson v. Princeton Case: Too Important to Be Left to the Lawyers

Offers comments from eleven contributors on the Robertson family's donor rights suit against the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs for violation of donor intent. Explores its effects on and implications for the nonprofit sector

Criminal Process in Queensland

A student text on criminal procedure in Queensland. The book includes chapters on proving offences, policing, police accountability, bail, charges and commencing proceedings, committals and indictments, please of double jeopardy, trial process, fair trial and abuse of process, legal representation, considerations underlying sentencing, punishment and penalty, appeals, executive pardons, royal prerogatives of mercy and appeals to the High Court and restoring justice

Implementation and Sustainment of a Statewide Telemedicine Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Network for Federally Designated Safety-Net Clinics

CONTEXT: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of incident blindness among working-age adults in the United States. Federally designated safety-net clinics (FDSC) often serve as point-of-contact for patients least likely to receive recommended DR screenings, creating opportunity for targeted interventions to increase screening access and compliance. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: With such a goal, we implemented and assessed the longitudinal performance of an FDSC-based telemedicine DR screening (TDRS) network of 22 clinical sites providing nonmydriatic fundus photography with remote interpretation and reporting. Retrospective analysis of patient encounters between February 2014 and January 2019 was performed to assess rates of pathology and referral. A generalized estimating equation logistic regression model was used for subset analysis from audits of pre- and post-implementation screening rates. Finally, patient surveys were conducted and assessed as a measure of intervention acceptability. RESULTS: Of the 13,923 individual telescreening encounters (4327 female, 4220 male, and 5376 unspecified; mean [SD] age, 54.9 [12.5] years) studied, 10,540 were of adequate quality to identify 3532 (33.5%) patients with ocular pathology: 2319 (22.0%) patients had some level of DR with 1604 (15.2%) requiring specialist referral, and 808 (7.7%) patients required referral for other ocular pathologies. The mean screening rate for audited clinics in the year prior to program implementation was 29.9% (641/2147), which increased to 47.7% (1012/2124) in the program’s first year, doubling patients’ odds of being screened (OR 2.2; 95% CI: 1.3–3.7; P = .003). These gains were sustained over four years following implementation (OR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1–3.1; P = .018) despite varied clinic screening performance (4-year averaged range, 22.9–55.1%). Odds of early detection likewise doubled for patients with consecutive screenings (OR 2.2, 95% CI: 2.0–2.4; P \u3c .001). Finally, surveyed patients preferred TDRS to specialist exams (82.5%; 776/941) and would recommend the service to friends (92.7%; 868/936). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: A statewide, FDSC-centered TDRS network was successfully established and sustained in a medically underserved region of the United States. Our results suggest that large TDRS networks in FDSCs can increase screening access and compliance for otherwise unscreened populations, but outcomes can vary greatly among clinics. Further work to optimize program implementation is needed to maximize this model\u27s impact

The Role of Handheld Computing in Facilitating Resilience Through Problem Solving

Becoming an effective teacher that thrives not only survives involves much more than finishing a licensing higher education program. This study explored problem-solving strategies that student teachers used during their internship semester to cope with professional challenges and to develop resilience. The research questions in this study included: What strategies support the development of resilience? How are teachers approaching the professional dilemmas encountered? How can handheld devices facilitate reflective problem-solving? Six student teachers from early childhood education, special education, and science education used mobile computing devices for a variety of professional and personal purposes and reflected upon and documented uses. Data was analyzed using a case study approach. Major themes included risk factors such as low self-confidence, and protective factors such as strong motivation to teach, and critical reflection skills. Mobile technology devices proved to be easy to use and very helpful in the problem solving process

Exploring the Relationship between Diet and TV, Computer and Video Game Use in a Group of Canadian Children

Increased screen-time has been linked to unhealthy dietary practices but most studies have looked primarily at television viewing or an amalgam. Therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between specific screen-time (TV, computer, video game) and a selection of healthy dietary intake measures (calories, carbohydrate, fat, sugar, fruit, vegetables, fibre and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB)) in a group of Canadian children. We used single day sedentary and dietary recalls to assess sedentary behaviour and diet in 1423 children (9.90 (0.58) y; 737 girls, 686 boys) from the Action Schools! BC Dissemination study. Correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to explore sedentary behaviour-diet relationships. TV and video game use were correlated with higher calories, fat, sugar and SSB consumption (r = 0.07 to 0.09; p <.01) and lower fibre intake (r = -0.05 to -0.06; p <.05). TV use was also correlated with lower fruit and vegetable intake. Regression analyses showed that when controlling for other variables, only TV and video game use predicted sugar and SSB consumption (β =.06 to.08; p <.05). Computer use was correlated with calories but did not significantly predict any of the measures of dietary intake. Although screen time was significantly associated with less healthy eating profiles, it did not account for much variance in dietary behaviour of these children

The Grizzly, August 30, 2007

Ursinus Opens the New Building on the Block • Ursinus Battles U.S. News: Interview with President Strassburger • Sex at Ursinus • Who are the New RDs? • Spotlight: Student Emergency Response Volunteers (SERV) • Fresh Faces at Ursinus • Opinions: Freeganism: The New, Gentle Face of Anarchy; Global Warming: Modern Day Witch Hunt • Dubble Vision: Football Forecast • Ready, Set, Go Bears!https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1740/thumbnail.jp

Teachers matter for metacognition : facilitating metacognition in the primary school through teacher-pupil interactions

Despite the ubiquity of Structured Thinking Activities (STAs) throughout primary school education in the UK and beyond, little is known about the ways that activities such as learning logs are used to support pupils to think about and manage their own thinking (i.e., engage with metacognition). Here we investigated how pupils engaged with STAs throughout a school year by conducting an in-depth case study of one Scottish primary four classroom, examining factors that facilitated and/or inhibited pupil metacognition. By triangulating data from participant observation, interviews and document analysis, we found that pupils were often un-motivated to engage with STAs, with responses provided during written and oral activities typically revealing superficial references to classroom topics of interest. Whilst factors such as the classroom culture and the timing of activities were found to influence pupil engagement with STAs, observational data indicated that teacher-pupil interactions are essential for eliciting metacognition from pupils (i.e., via discussions that occurred as part of the STAs). Our findings suggest that teachers play a critical role in encouraging elaboration from pupils in relation to descriptions of their own thinking and learning, particularly when pupils’ initial responses are broad or superficial. We discuss the critical importance of teacher talk for metacognition, emphasising the ‘dual role’ that teachers must play when facilitating metacognition within the classroom.PostprintPeer reviewe