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Throughout every region of North Carolina, leaders of organizations in all fields -- business, education, government, community, faith-based, and others -- agree that the future prosperity and well-being of the state's citizens requires successfully educating all of its children. That means effectively supporting children of every race and ethnicity, economic level, family background, and location, from the most rural to the most urban. However, North Carolina's current education system fails to meet the educational needs of many of its children and thereby fails to provide for the future success of these individuals, their communities, and the state. The Supreme Court of North Carolina's decision in "Leandro v. the State of North Carolina" (1997) ("Leandro") affirmed that the state has a constitutional responsibility to provide every student with an equal opportunity for a sound basic education and that the state was failing to meet that responsibility. As documented in this action plan, the challenges of meeting this responsibility have increased since the original decision, and the state needs to significantly increase its commitment and efforts to provide for the education of every student. This action plan provides recommendations for actions that will advance the state's efforts to achieve compliance with the "Leandro" decision. It identifies the highest leverage and most critical actions that the state needs to take immediately and over the next six years and beyond to transform the education system and provide the necessary foundational opportunities for all students.

Functional AA (FAA), the need for which dramatically increases in response to immune response, are mobilized through the degradation of muscle protein. Dietary FAA supplementation has been hypothesized to enhance the immune system or fortify the health of weaned piglets, thereby improving protein accretion and growth performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of dietary FAA supplementation in weaned pigs in relation to different weaning stressors. In Experiments 1 and 2, dietary Thr supplementation was evaluated in relation with diet complexity. Dietary L-Thr supplementation enhanced the intestinal morphology (villus height and number of goblet cells) and microbial metabolites in the gut (short-chain fatty acid concentration), as well as body protein mass. The benefits of supplementation were greater with a simple diet than with a complex diet. However, the inflammation (the increase in interleukin-6 and interleukin-10) caused by feeding a simple diet could not be modulated with L-Thr supplementation. In Experiment 3, dietary sulfur amino acids supplementation was investigated in pigs under oxidative and inflammatory status that were induced by a lipopolysaccharide challenge. Dietary DL-Met supplementation at 0.1% failed to restore the intestinal morphology, permeability, and redox status impaired by a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge, but it improved the hepatic glutathione levels and inflammatory responses. By contrast, dietary L-Cys supplementation at 0.1% improved intestinal morphology, permeability, and redox status of LPS-challenged pigs, restoring them to a level comparable to the sham-challenged control. Supplementation with combined DL-Met and L-Cys showed antagonistic effects on the inflammatory response, intestinal morphology, and redox status. Experiment 4 explored the effect of dietary Val supplementation on inflammatory status and intestinal microbial composition in weaned pigs raised in low or high sanitary condition. Diet

Background & Aims: Chronic liver disease (CLD) and cirrhosis are associated with immune dysregulation, leading to concerns that affected patients may be at risk of adverse outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on patients with pre-existing liver disease, which currently remains ill-defined. Methods: Between 25th March and 8th July 2020, data on 745 patients with CLD and SARS-CoV-2 (including 386 with and 359 without cirrhosis) were collected by 2 international registries and compared to data on non-CLD patients with SARS-CoV-2 from a UK hospital network. Results: Mortality was 32% in patients with cirrhosis compared to 8% in those without (p <0.001). Mortality in patients with cirrhosis increased according to Child-Pugh class (A [19%], B [35%], C [51%]) and the main cause of death was from respiratory failure (71%). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, factors associated with death in the total CLD cohort were age (odds ratio [OR] 1.02; 1.01–1.04), Child-Pugh A (OR 1.90; 1.03–3.52), B (OR 4.14; 2.4–7.65), or C (OR 9.32; 4.80–18.08) cirrhosis and alcohol-related liver disease (OR 1.79; 1.03–3.13). Compared to patients without CLD (n = 620), propensity-score-matched analysis revealed significant increases in mortality in those with Child-Pugh B (+20.0% [8.8%–31.3%]) and C (+38.1% [27.1%–49.2%]) cirrhosis. Acute hepatic decompensation occurred in 46% of patients with cirrhosis, of whom 21% had no respiratory symptoms. Half of those with hepatic decompensation had acute-on-chronic liver failure. Conclusions: In the largest such cohort to date, we demonstrate that baseline liver disease stage and alcohol-related liver disease are independent risk factors for death from COVID-19. These data have important implications for the risk stratification of patients with CLD across the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lay summary: This international registry study demonstrates that patients with cirrhosis are at increased

The interaction of typical host adapted enteric bacterial pathogens with fresh produce grown in fields is complex. These interactions can be more pronounced in co-managed or sustainable farms where animal operations are, by design, close to fresh produce, and growers frequently move between the two production environments. The primary objectives of this study were to 1) determine the transmission of STEC or enteric pathogens from small and large animal herds or operations to fresh produce on sustainable farms in TN and NC, 2) identify the possible sources that impact transmission of AMR E. coli, specifically STEC on these systems, and 3) WGS to characterize recovered E. coli from these sources. Samples were collected from raw and composted manure, environment, and produce sources. The serotype, virulence, and genotypic resistance profile were determined using the assembled genome sequences sequenced by Illumina technology. Broth microdilution was used to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of each isolate against a panel of fourteen antimicrobials. The prevalence of E. coli increased during the summer season for all sources tested. ParSNP trees generated demonstrated that the transmission of AMR E. coli is occurring between animal feeding operations and fresh produce. Ten isolates were identified as serotype O45, a serotype that is associated with the “Big Six” group that is frequently linked with foodborne outbreaks caused by non-O157 E. coli. However, these isolates did not possess the stx gene. The highest frequency of resistance was detected against streptomycin (n = 225), ampicillin (n = 190) and sulfisoxazole FIS (n = 140). A total of 35 (13.7%) isolates from two TN farms were positive for the blaCMY (n = 5) and blaTEM (n = 32) genes. The results of this study show the potential of AMR E. coli transmission between animal feeding operations and fresh produce, and more studies are recommended to study this interaction and prevent dissemination in sustaina

Reflections from objects in Earth orbit can produce subsecond, star-like optical flashes similar to astrophysical transients. Reflections have historically caused false alarms for transient surveys, but the population has not been systematically studied. We report event rates for these orbital flashes using the Evryscope Fast Transient Engine, a low-latency transient detection pipeline for the Evryscopes. We select single-epoch detections likely caused by Earth satellites and model the event rate as a function of both magnitude and sky position. We measure a rate of ${1800}_{-280}^{+600}$ sky−1 hr−1, peaking at mg = 13.0, for flashes morphologically degenerate with real astrophysical signals in surveys like the Evryscopes. Of these, ${340}_{-85}^{+150}$ sky−1 hr−1 are bright enough to be visible to the naked eye in typical suburban skies with a visual limiting magnitude of V ≈ 4. These measurements place the event rate of orbital flashes orders of magnitude higher than the combined rate of public alerts from all active all-sky fast-timescale transient searches, including neutrino, gravitational-wave, gamma-ray, and radio observatories. Short-timescale orbital flashes form a dominating foreground for untriggered searches for fast transients in low-resolution, wide-angle surveys. However, events like fast radio bursts with arcminute-scale localization have a low probability (~10−5) of coincidence with an orbital flash, allowing optical surveys to place constraints on their potential optical counterparts in single images. Upcoming satellite internet constellations, like SpaceX Starlink, are unlikely to contribute significantly to the population of orbital flashes in normal operations.

Ralstonia solanacearum is a bacterial vascular pathogen causing devastating bacterial wilt. In the field, resistance against this pathogen is quantitative and is available for breeders only in tomato and eggplant. To understand the basis of resistance to R. solanacearum in tomato, we investigated the spatio-temporal dynamics of bacterial colonization using non-invasive live monitoring techniques coupled to grafting of susceptible and resistant varieties. We found four ‘bottlenecks’ that limit the bacterium in resistant tomato: root colonization, vertical movement from roots to shoots, circular vascular bundle invasion, and radial apoplastic spread in the cortex. Radial invasion of cortical extracellular spaces occurred mostly at late disease stages but was observed throughout plant infection. This study shows that resistance is expressed in both root and shoot tissues, and highlights the importance of structural constraints to bacterial spread as a resistance mechanism. It also shows that R. solanacearum is not only a vascular pathogen but spreads out of the xylem, occupying the plant apoplast niche. Our work will help elucidate the complex genetic determinants of resistance, setting the foundations to decipher the molecular mechanisms that limit pathogen colonization, which may provide new precision tools to fight bacterial wilt in the field.

Plants employ a diverse intracellular system of NLR (nucleotide binding–leucine-rich repeat) innate immune receptors to detect pathogens of all types. These receptors represent valuable agronomic traits that plant breeders rely on to maximize yield in the face of devastating pathogens. Despite their importance, the mechanistic underpinnings of NLR-based disease resistance remain obscure. The rapidly increasing numbers of plant genomes are revealing a diverse array of NLR-type immune receptors. In parallel, mechanistic studies are describing diverse functions for NLR immune receptors. In this review, we intend to broadly describe how the structural, functional, and genomic diversity of plant immune receptors can provide a valuable resource for rational engineering of plant immunity.

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a relevant family of polysaccharides that participates in a large variety of biological events that are related to neural processes by regulating various growth factors through the pattern and degree of sulfation of the polysaccharide. However, their own complexity makes their optimization for biomedical applications a difficult undertaking. Thus, a different perspective has to be taken. Herein, we show that the particular sulfate distribution within the disaccharide repeating-unit plays a key role in the binding of growth factors (GFs). In particular, this disposition modulates the surface charge of the helical structure that, interestingly, has a significant influence on the binding capacity of CSs with several GFs. This fact should be carefully considered in the design of new ligands with improved activity as GFs ligands.

Diverse CRISPR-Cas systems provide adaptive immunity in many bacteria and most archaea, via a DNA-encoded, RNA-mediated, nucleic-acid targeting mechanism. Over time, CRISPR loci expand via iterative uptake of invasive DNA sequences into the CRISPR array during the adaptation process. These genetic vaccination cards thus provide insights into the exposure of strains to phages and plasmids in space and time, revealing the historical predatory exposure of a strain. These genetic loci thus constitute a unique basis for genotyping of strains, with potential of resolution at the strain-level. Here, we investigate the occurrence and diversity of CRISPR-Cas systems in the genomes of various Bifidobacterium longum strains across three sub-species. Specifically, we analyzed the genomic content of 66 genomes belonging to B. longum subsp. longum, B. longum subsp. infantis and B. longum subsp. suis, and identified 25 strains that carry 29 total CRISPR-Cas systems. We identify various Type I and Type II CRISPR-Cas systems that are widespread in this species, notably I-C, I-E, and II-C. Noteworthy, Type I-C systems showed extended CRISPR arrays, with extensive spacer diversity. We show how these hypervariable loci can be used to gain insights into strain origin, evolution and phylogeny, and can provide discriminatory sequences to distinguish even clonal isolates. By investigating CRISPR spacer sequences, we reveal their origin and implicate phages and prophages as drivers of CRISPR immunity expansion in this species, with redundant targeting of select prophages. Analysis of CRISPR spacer origin also revealed novel PAM sequences. Our results suggest that CRISPR-Cas immune systems are instrumental in mounting diversified viral resistance in B. longum, and show that these sequences are useful for typing across three subspecies

As a continued study on combined use of different antibacterial chemistries, N-chloramine and short chain Quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) were immobilized on modified poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface in various ratios via “click” chemistry. In this study, contribution of surface bound QAC to the conversion of cyclic and acyclic N-H to N-Cl, fastest recharging chlorination as well as the most effective antibacterial efficacy was investigated. Surface bound positive charge at the density of 8.4x1016charges/cm2 achieved highest equilibrium conversion and facilitated a nine-fold increase in conversion of sterically hindered acyclic N-H to N-Cl from 0.39 to 3.92%. Within the range of 2.8x1016 to 8.4x1016charges/cm2, highest active chlorine loading within first five minutes of chlorination was observed on sample loaded with 4.6x1016charges/cm2.As it comes to PET surface grafted with a cyclic N-chloramine precursor, the presence of 2x1016charges/cm2 enabled a five-fold increase in the conversion of cyclic N-H to N-Cl. The highest biocidal efficacy was observed for sample loaded with cyclic N-chloramine/QAC 17.2:10 which presented total kill of E.coli (5.8 log reduction) in 10 minutes compared to 1.9 log reduction for other ratios (22.8/10, 75.5/10) tested at a similar level of active chlorine(223±6ppm respectively).

Combination of complementary imaging techniques, like hybrid PET/MRI, allows protocols to be developed that exploit the best features of both. In order to get the best of these combinations the use of dual probes is highly desirable. On this sense the combination of biocompatible iron oxide nanoparticles and 68Ga isotope is a powerful development for the new generation of hybrid systems and multimodality approaches. Our objective was the synthesis and application of a chelator-free 68Ga-iron oxide nanotracer with improved stability, radiolabeling yield and in vivo performance in dual PET/MRI. We carried out the core doping of iron oxide nanoparticles, without the use of any chelator, by a microwave-driven protocol. The synthesis allowed the production of extremely small (2.5 nm) 68Ga core-doped iron oxide nanoparticles. The microwave approach allowed an extremely fast synthesis with a 90% radiolabeling yield and T1 contrast in MRI. With the same microwave approach the nano-radiotracer was functionalized in a fast and efficient way. We finally evaluated these dual targeting nanoparticles in an angiogenesis murine model by PET/MR imaging.

Nuisance blooms of toxic cyanobacteria are a common occurrence in many tropical and subtropical locations. Benthic marine cyanobacteria of the genera Lyngbya, Okeania, and Moorea are frequently observed in both Florida and throughout the Caribbean, sometimes forming large mats, and are prolific producers of bioactive secondary metabolites that often act as feeding deterrents to generalist herbivores. Little is known regarding the ecological roles of the secondary metabolite chemistry and the palatability of benthic cyanobacteria to grazers. This study examines the palatability of benthic cyanobacterial species from Florida (IRL1, IRL2, IRL3 and Okeania erythroflocculosa) and Belize (BEL1, BEL2) to a range of macro- and mesograzers in Florida and Belize. Pair-wise feeding assays using artificial diets of Gracilaria tikvahiae or fish food coated with cyanobacterial extracts and a control were used to determine palatability of extracts to Floridian and Belizean generalist grazers. The extracts of IRL1, IRL2, IRL3 and O. erythroflocculosa from Florida did not deter feeding by invertebrate grazers. Reef fish, however, were deterred by the non-polar extracts of IRL1, IRL3 and O. erythroflocculosa. Stylocheilus striatus was stimulated to feed on IRL2 extracts and non-polar extracts from IRL3. Non-polar extracts of BEL1 stimulated feeding in S. striatus; however, no significant difference was observed between BEL2 extracts and the control. Most generalist invertebrate grazers, sympatric and non-sympatric, appear indifferent to cyanobacteria extracts whilst reef fish are more likely to be deterred by cyanobacterial extracts, which may affect species interaction within communities with fluctuating or dominating benthic cyanobacterial blooms.

A moderate resolution single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) map of the genome of Drosophila melanogaster that is designed for use in quantitative genetic mapping is described. Seventeen approximately 500 nucleotide gene sequences spaced at 10 to 20 centimorgan intervals were combined with 49 shorter sequence tag sites (STSs) at 5 to 10 centimorgan intervals to generate a map that should not leave any gaps greater than one half of a chromosome arm when any two wild type lines are compared. Of 20 markers with sufficient polymorphism to construct haplotype cladograms, 13 showed evidence for two divergent classes of haplotype. The possible mechanisms for and implications of the unexpected finding that two thirds of all short gene sequences in D. melanogaster may be dimorphic are discussed, including the suggestion that admixture between two separate lineages may have been a major event in the history of the species. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 288:63???75, 2000.?? 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The diffusion mechanism of pure component Ar and binary mixtures of Ar/Kr and Ar/Ne confined in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and bundles was investigated by a combined Grand Canonical Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics study. For Ar confined in SWNTs, a crossover from single-file to Fickian diffusion existed when the density of Ar was a minimum as a function of the SWNT diameter. Argon diffused by a single-file mechanism in SWNTs smaller than an accessible diameter of 1.76σAr, corresponding to (7,7), (12,0) and (8,6) SWNTs but by a Fickian mechanism for SWNTs larger in diameter. Both components in Ar/Kr mixtures had a single-file diffusional mechanism in (6,6) and (7,7) SWNTs and a Fickain mechanism for SWNTs larger in diameter. Likewise, both components in a Ar/Ne mixtures had a single-file diffusional mechanism in a (6,6) CNT, and Ar had a single-file diffusional mechanism in a (7,7) SWCNT. However, Ne in the Ar/Ne mixture exhibited Fickian diffusion in the (7,7) SWNT , which indicated bi-modal diffusion. Larger diameters of SWNTs provided Fickian diffusion for both components in an Ar/Ne mixture. Argon diffused in a (25,0) SWNT bundle (with a bimodal pore size distribution) in a bimodal mechanism, with Ar diffusing in single-file in interstitial sites and in a Fickian mechanism in inner nanotube channels. In all cases of single-file diffusion the mean-squared displacement (MSD) of the fluid molecules had a square root of time dependence, while molecules diffusing by a Fickian mechanism had a MSD with a linear time dependence.