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The organizational niche is a concept integral to organizational ecology, reflecting an organization’s mission, expertise, capacity, and resource requirements. The choice of niche is crucial to the viability of the organization; however, the reasons organizations alter their niche are poorly understood. We hypothesize that nonprofit organizations alter their niche to reduce environmental pressure and gain access to resources. The results indicate that niche alteration predicts increases in total revenue with average increases in revenue from program services and contributions (depending on the measure). Additionally, nonprofits that are younger, larger, and have more concentrated revenue, are more likely to alter their niche.

H2A.Xis an H2A variant histone in eukaryotes, unique for its ability to respond to DNA damage, initiating the DNA repair pathway.H2A.Xreplacement within the histone octamer is mediated by the FAcilitates Chromatin Transactions (FACT) complex, a key chromatin remodeler. FACT is required for DEMETER (DME)-mediated DNA demethylation at certain loci inArabidopsis thalianafemale gametophytes during reproduction, though it is not known how FACT targets DME sites. Here, we investigated whether H2AX is involved in DME- and FACT-mediated DNA demethylation during Arabidopsis reproduction. We show thath2a.xmutants are more sensitive to genotoxic stress, consistent with previous reports.H2A.Xfused to theGreen Fluorescent Protein (GFP)gene under theH2A.Xpromoter was highly expressed in newly developingArabidopsistissues, including in male and female gametophytes. We examined DNA methylation inh2a.xdeveloping seeds using whole genome bisulfite sequencing, and found that CG DNA methylation in the developing endosperm, but not the embryo, is decreased genome-wide inh2a.xmutants, predominately in transposons and intergenic DNA. Hypomethylated sites overlapped 62 % with canonical DME loci. These data indicate that H2A.X is not required for DME function, but is important for DNA methylation homeostasis in the unique chromatin environment ofArabidopsisendosperm.

In Ohio, African American babies die at 2.5–3 times the rate of White babies. Preterm birth and low birth weight are the leading causes of infant mortality. Home visiting is an evidence-based strategy for serving low-income pregnant women; however, there are relatively few rigorous studies examining its effect on birth outcomes. This study uses a propensity score technique to estimate the causal effect of participation in home visiting on prematurity and low birth weight among a low-income, predominantly African American sample (N = 26,814). We found that participation in home visiting significantly reduced the odds of experiencing both adverse birth events, with a larger program effect for the low birth weight outcome. Results suggest that selective prevention strategies must be accompanied by universal attempts to improve the health and life circumstances of low income and minority women.

Housing insecurity and involvement with the child welfare system are common experiences for low-income families. To date, previous empirical studies on family housing insecurity have focused on the most severe form of housing insecurity (i.e., entering the emergency shelter) and its association with foster care placement of the children. However, we know relatively little about the relationships between other forms of housing insecurity and types of child welfare involvement. This study, a systematic review, examines various forms of housing problems and their relationship to different types of child welfare involvement. Five electronic databases were searched and a total of 12 studies were included in the review. Overall, research findings indicated mixed findings. Most studies suggested that housing insecurity was associated with child maltreatment investigation, foster care placement and prolonged time before achieving case closure, while some studies found no relationship between housing insecurity and child maltreatment substantiation. The findings have implications for practice and research for families who experience housing insecurity and child welfare involvement.

Organizations around the world have increasingly employed data for a variety of purposes, and nonprofit organizations are no exception. This article reviews the use of data in nonprofit organizations, including the types of data collected and accessed, the motivations for data capture, and the barriers to systematic use of data. The literature shows that nonprofit organizations capture a variety of data, including public and financial data, performance measures, program evaluation data, and volunteer information. Organizations use these with diverse motivations such as program or organizational improvement, marketing, and accountability. Prominent barriers faced by organizations include challenges in identifying meaningful information, lack of technical ability, inability to prioritize data work, as well as external influences. The article highlights the challenges in synthesizing the available literature, with a high degree of fragmentation, including research from distinct intellectual traditions resulting in many disconnected constructs, measurements, and theories. Finally, the paper discusses challenges in the study of nonprofit data use and strives to provide guidance for future inquiry.

Professor Michael Reisch has written a book designed to satisfy several related goals, while maintaining an aim of enhancing bachelor and master’s social work education. Namely, this text seeks to ...

This study explores the extent to which teen participants in a youth development program had a greater empowerment self-connectedness, intrapersonal, and interpersonal skills after participating in the program. Findings from 2 years of a youth development program in East Cleveland, Ohio, are reported. A collaborative health navigator model was used to increase connectedness, empowerment, improve health care access, and ultimately prevent health disparities. Pre-test and post-test surveys covering two 10-month periods for two cohorts of teens collected standardized data on teens’ (N = 31) senses of empowerment and connectedness. Focus groups were conducted with both health navigators and teen ambassadors about their experiences with the program and its impact. The quantitative findings were mixed, but qualitative findings suggested that the program helped the teens develop a sense of personal empowerment through increased intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. While long-term research including control groups is needed, the findings suggest that targeted teen programming can be a useful tool in the battle against health disparities.

Significance Plant gene imprinting (allele-specific chromatin modification) results in parent-of-origin–dependent expression in endosperm, a nutritive tissue essential for embryo viability. Imprinted genes function in species reproductive isolation by causing embryo abortion in crosses. We analyzed the evolution of rice gene imprinting using four cultivars spanning domestication and the divergence of two subspecies 9,000 and 300,000 y ago, respectively. Most imprinted genes are imprinted across cultivars and enriched in regulatory functions. However, approximately 10% of imprinted genes have lost or gained imprinting, often associated with stably inherited epigenetic and genetic variation, suggesting a role in rice diversification. Our results highlight the role of transposable elements and epigenetic variation in shaping heritable changes in gene expression during rice evolution., Parent-of-origin–dependent gene expression in mammals and flowering plants results from differing chromatin imprints (genomic imprinting) between maternally and paternally inherited alleles. Imprinted gene expression in the endosperm of seeds is associated with localized hypomethylation of maternally but not paternally inherited DNA, with certain small RNAs also displaying parent-of-origin–specific expression. To understand the evolution of imprinting mechanisms in Oryza sativa (rice), we analyzed imprinting divergence among four cultivars that span both japonica and indica subspecies: Nipponbare, Kitaake, 93-11, and IR64. Most imprinted genes are imprinted across cultivars and enriched for functions in chromatin and transcriptional regulation, development, and signaling. However, 4 to 11% of imprinted genes display divergent imprinting. Analyses of DNA methylation and small RNAs revealed that endosperm-specific 24-nt small RNA–producing loci show weak RNA-directed DNA methylation, frequently overlap genes, and are imprinted four times more often than genes. However, imprinting divergence most often correlated with local DNA methylation epimutations (9 of 17 assessable loci), which were largely stable within subspecies. Small insertion/deletion events and transposable element insertions accompanied 4 of the 9 locally epimutated loci and associated with imprinting divergence at another 4 of the remaining 8 loci. Correlating epigenetic and genetic variation occurred at key regulatory regions—the promoter and transcription start site of maternally biased genes, and the promoter and gene body of paternally biased genes. Our results reinforce models for the role of maternal-specific DNA hypomethylation in imprinting of both maternally and paternally biased genes, and highlight the role of transposition and epimutation in rice imprinting evolution.

Significance The angiosperm life cycle has alternating diploid (sporophyte) and haploid (gametophyte) generations. The sporophyte generation begins with fertilization of haploid gametes and the gametophyte generation begins after meiosis. In Arabidopsis, the DEMETER (DME) DNA demethylase is essential for reproduction and is expressed in the central cell and vegetative cell of the female and male gametophyte, respectively. Little is known about DME function in the sporophyte. We show that DME activity is required for sporophyte development—seed germination, root hair growth, and cellular proliferation and differentiation during development—and we identify sporophytic genes whose proper expression requires DME activity. Together, our study provides important clues about the genetic circuits regulated by the DME DNA demethylase that control Arabidopsis sporophyte development., The flowering plant life cycle consists of alternating haploid (gametophyte) and diploid (sporophyte) generations, where the sporophytic generation begins with fertilization of haploid gametes. In Arabidopsis, genome-wide DNA demethylation is required for normal development, catalyzed by the DEMETER (DME) DNA demethylase in the gamete companion cells of male and female gametophytes. In the sporophyte, postembryonic growth and development are largely dependent on the activity of numerous stem cell niches, or meristems. Analyzing Arabidopsis plants homozygous for a loss-of-function dme-2 allele, we show that DME influences many aspects of sporophytic growth and development. dme-2 mutants exhibited delayed seed germination, variable root hair growth, aberrant cellular proliferation and differentiation followed by enhanced de novo shoot formation, dysregulation of root quiescence and stomatal precursor cells, and inflorescence meristem (IM) resurrection. We also show that sporophytic DME activity exerts a profound effect on the transcriptome of developing Arabidopsis plants, including discrete groups of regulatory genes that are misregulated in dme-2 mutant tissues, allowing us to potentially link phenotypes to changes in specific gene expression pathways. These results show that DME plays a key role in sporophytic development and suggest that DME-mediated active DNA demethylation may be involved in the maintenance of stem cell activities during the sporophytic life cycle in Arabidopsis.

In Ohio, African American babies die at 2.5-3 times the rate of White babies. Preterm birth and low birth weight are the leading causes of infant mortality. Home visiting is an evidence-based strategy for serving low-income pregnant women; however, there are relatively few rigorous studies examining its effect on birth outcomes.This study uses a propensity score technique to estimate the causal effect of participation in home visiting on prematurity and low birth weight among a low-income, predominantly African American sample (N = 26,814).We found that participation in home visiting significantly reduced the odds of experiencing both adverse birth events, with a larger program effect for the low birth weight outcome.Results suggest that selective prevention strategies must be accompanied by universal attempts to improve the health and life circumstances of low income and minority women.

The Housing First approach has shown promise in helping to combat homelessness among chronically homeless single males, but less is known about the approach when it is applied to families and young adults. This study examined data from a pilot Housing First program that served 78 families (n = 63) and single young adults (n = 15) with homeless histories and mental health and/or substance use disorders to explore program functioning and client service use patterns. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods research design ( Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011 ), qualitative interview data were conducted first, and quantitative administrative data and qualitative progress note data were then analyzed to explore ideas presented in the qualitative interviews. The in-depth qualitative interviews with staff (N = 9) collected information on program functioning and client successes and challenges. Quantitative data were collected on all 78 clients and sources included administrative data about return to homelessness, child welfare involvement, receipt of public assistance, and interactions with case managers. Qualitative exploration of a sample of client progress notes (N = 32) then followed. Integrating the findings, interviews suggested that clients faced many challenges, especially those related to having little to no income, multiple children, and stigmas, but that “success” would be indicated by needing their case managers less over time. We found that 89% remained enrolled in the program, 21% returned to shelter at some point, child welfare involvement decreased, and public assistance receipt increased after program entry. Content analysis of case management notes indicated that case managers worked with clients to develop independent living skills to improve clients' chances for becoming sufficient over the long-term.

Significance The chromatin remodeling activities of the FACT (facilitates chromatin transactions) complex are required for many cellular functions, including transcription, DNA replication, and repair. Here, we demonstrate that the two FACT subunits, SSRP1 and SPT16, are also required for genome-wide DNA demethylation and regulation of gene imprinting during Arabidopsis reproduction. Without FACT, Arabidopsis seeds undergo abnormal development and exhibit aberrant DNA hypermethylation, including at imprinting control region loci. We show that FACT associates with the DEMETER (DME) DNA demethylase, facilitating DNA demethylation at over half of DME’s targets, specifically those which reside in heterochromatin. These results provide insight into upstream events in the DNA demethylation pathway and reveal the importance of chromatin remodeling for DNA demethylation during Arabidopsis reproduction., The DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase catalyzes genome-wide DNA demethylation and is required for endosperm genomic imprinting and embryo viability. Targets of DME-mediated DNA demethylation reside in small, euchromatic, AT-rich transposons and at the boundaries of large transposons, but how DME interacts with these diverse chromatin states is unknown. The STRUCTURE SPECIFIC RECOGNITION PROTEIN 1 (SSRP1) subunit of the chromatin remodeler FACT (facilitates chromatin transactions), was previously shown to be involved in the DME-dependent regulation of genomic imprinting in Arabidopsis endosperm. Therefore, to investigate the interaction between DME and chromatin, we focused on the activity of the two FACT subunits, SSRP1 and SUPPRESSOR of TY16 (SPT16), during reproduction in Arabidopsis. We found that FACT colocalizes with nuclear DME in vivo, and that DME has two classes of target sites, the first being euchromatic and accessible to DME, but the second, representing over half of DME targets, requiring the action of FACT for DME-mediated DNA demethylation genome-wide. Our results show that the FACT-dependent DME targets are GC-rich heterochromatin domains with high nucleosome occupancy enriched with H3K9me2 and H3K27me1. Further, we demonstrate that heterochromatin-associated linker histone H1 specifically mediates the requirement for FACT at a subset of DME-target loci. Overall, our results demonstrate that FACT is required for DME targeting by facilitating its access to heterochromatin.

The Pay For Success (PFS) and Social Impact Bond (SIB) movements to date have focused heavily on shorter-term outcomes that can be monetized and show clear savings to government entities. In part, this focus derives from the need to specify contract payments based on a narrow set of well measured outcomes (e.g., avoided days in jail and foster care, decreased use of behavioral health services). Meanwhile efforts to measure the social return on investment (SROI) of interventions have sought to expand the view of relevant outcomes to include domains that lend themselves less clearly to monetization. This paper explores the intersection between these two movements with illustrations from a SIB initiative underway focused on homeless families with children in foster care. Challenges and potential for SROI in a third-party payor environment will be discussed as well as opportunities to better leverage the strengths of both types of initiative.

Nonprofit agencies face increasing competition for scarce funding resources. Many agencies are considering ways to restructure themselves, often via mergers and acquisitions, as a way to become more effective and competitive. This case study examines a pilot initiative in Cleveland, Ohio, in which philanthropic funders invited and supported nonprofits in the pursuit of significant restructuring efforts. Health and human service nonprofits were recruited into a three-phase facilitated pilot that assisted the agency executive directors and boards in determining what type of restructuring was feasible and desirable. Overall, 75 nonprofits participated in some part of the pilot, 17 of which formally explored a restructuring opportunity within the pilot year, and eight of which ultimately consolidated. The study highlights key learnings from the initiative and the implications for the nonprofit sector in the promotion of restructuring discussions.

Significance Flowering plants reproduce via a unique double-fertilization event, producing the zygote and the nutritive endosperm. The genome of the central cell, the precursor of the endosperm, undergoes extensive demethylation prior to fertilization. This epigenetic reconfiguration, directed by the DEMETER (DME) glycosylase at thousands of loci in Arabidopsis, differentiates the epigenetic landscapes of parental genomes and establishes parent of origin-specific expression of many imprinted genes in endosperm essential for seed development. However, how DME is targeted to various locations remains unknown. Here we show that the multidomain DME is organized into 2 functional regions: the C-terminal region, which guides localization and catalysis, and the N-terminal region, which likely recruits chromatin remodelers to facilitate demethylation within heterochromatin., The Arabidopsis DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase demethylates the maternal genome in the central cell prior to fertilization and is essential for seed viability. DME preferentially targets small transposons that flank coding genes, influencing their expression and initiating plant gene imprinting. DME also targets intergenic and heterochromatic regions, but how it is recruited to these differing chromatin landscapes is unknown. The C-terminal half of DME consists of 3 conserved regions required for catalysis in vitro. We show that this catalytic core guides active demethylation at endogenous targets, rescuing dme developmental and genomic hypermethylation phenotypes. However, without the N terminus, heterochromatin demethylation is significantly impeded, and abundant CG-methylated genic sequences are ectopically demethylated. Comparative analysis revealed that the conserved DME N-terminal domains are present only in flowering plants, whereas the domain architecture of DME-like proteins in nonvascular plants mainly resembles the catalytic core, suggesting that it might represent the ancestral form of the 5mC DNA glycosylase found in plant lineages. We propose a bipartite model for DME protein action and suggest that the DME N terminus was acquired late during land plant evolution to improve specificity and facilitate demethylation at heterochromatin targets.

The Arabidopsis DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase demethylates the maternal genome in the central cell prior to fertilization, and is essential for seed viability. DME preferentially targets small transposons that flank coding genes, influencing their expression and initiating plant gene imprinting. DME also targets intergenic and heterochromatic regions, and how it is recruited to these differing chromatin landscapes is unknown. The C-terminal DME catalytic core consists of three conserved regions required for catalysis in vitro. We show that the catalytic core of DME guides active demethylation at endogenous targets, rescuing the developmental and genomic hypermethylation phenotypes of DME mutants. However, without the N-terminus, heterochromatin demethylation is significantly impeded, and abundant CG-methylated genic sequences are ectopically demethylated. We used comparative analysis to reveal that the conserved DME N-terminal domains are only present in the flowering plants, whereas the domain architecture of DME-like proteins in non-vascular plants mainly resembles the catalytic core, suggesting that it might represent the ancestral form of the 5mC DNA glycosylase found in all plant lineages. We propose a bipartite model for DME protein action and suggest that the DME N-terminus was acquired late during land plant evolution to improve specificity and facilitate demethylation at heterochromatin targets.

Significance Rice seeds comprised of embryo and endosperm are generated when the vegetative cell pollen tube delivers two sperm cells that fertilize central and egg cells, respectively. We show that the ROS1a DNA glycosylase actively demethylates DNA of rice vegetative cell genomes, which is required for viable seed production. Thus, DNA glycosylase-mediated DNA demethylation, conserved for 150 million years between rice and Arabidopsis, is likely an essential feature of seed development in all flowering plants. We also reveal that global DNA methylation levels in rice sperm and egg cells are different both from each other and also compared with the embryo, suggesting that dynamic DNA methylation reprogramming occurs during plant embryogenesis., Epigenetic reprogramming is required for proper regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic organisms. In Arabidopsis, active DNA demethylation is crucial for seed viability, pollen function, and successful reproduction. The DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase initiates localized DNA demethylation in vegetative and central cells, so-called companion cells that are adjacent to sperm and egg gametes, respectively. In rice, the central cell genome displays local DNA hypomethylation, suggesting that active DNA demethylation also occurs in rice; however, the enzyme responsible for this process is unknown. One candidate is the rice REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1a (ROS1a) gene, which is related to DME and is essential for rice seed viability and pollen function. Here, we report genome-wide analyses of DNA methylation in wild-type and ros1a mutant sperm and vegetative cells. We find that the rice vegetative cell genome is locally hypomethylated compared with sperm by a process that requires ROS1a activity. We show that many ROS1a target sequences in the vegetative cell are hypomethylated in the rice central cell, suggesting that ROS1a also demethylates the central cell genome. Similar to Arabidopsis, we show that sperm non-CG methylation is indirectly promoted by DNA demethylation in the vegetative cell. These results reveal that DNA glycosylase-mediated DNA demethylation processes are conserved in Arabidopsis and rice, plant species that diverged 150 million years ago. Finally, although global non-CG methylation levels of sperm and egg differ, the maternal and paternal embryo genomes show similar non-CG methylation levels, suggesting that rice gamete genomes undergo dynamic DNA methylation reprogramming after cell fusion.

The Arabidopsis female gametophyte contains seven cells with eight haploid nuclei buried within layers of sporophytic tissue. Following double fertilization, the egg and central cells of the gametophyte develop into the embryo and endosperm of the seed, respectively. The epigenetic status of the central cell has long presented an enigma due both to its inaccessibility, and the fascinating epigenome of the endosperm, thought to have been inherited from the central cell following activity of the DEMETER demethylase enzyme, prior to fertilization. Here, we present for the first time, a method to isolate pure populations of Arabidopsis central cell nuclei. Utilizing a protocol designed to isolate leaf mesophyll protoplasts, we systematically optimized each step in order to efficiently separate central cells from the female gametophyte. We use initial manual pistil dissection followed by the derivation of central cell protoplasts, during which process the central cell emerges from the micropylar pole of the embryo sac. Then, we use a modified version of the Isolation of Nuclei TAgged in specific Cell Types (INTACT) protocol to purify central cell nuclei, resulting in a purity of 75-90% and a yield sufficient to undertake downstream molecular analyses. We find that the process is highly dependent on the health of the original plant tissue used, and the efficiency of protoplasting solution infiltration into the gametophyte. By isolating pure central cell populations, we have enabled elucidation of the physiology of this rare cell type, which in the future will provide novel insights into Arabidopsis reproduction.

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has called for ending youth homelessness by 2020, a goal that requires accurate data on the scope and characteristics of youth experiencing homelessness. This research note describes the methodology and results of a collaborative survey conducted by 30 community-based organizations to estimate and describe youth experiencing homeless. Data were collected from 558 youth. Approximately 23% of youth were homeless or unstably housed the night before the count; an additional 15% reported being homeless in the month before the count. Characteristics of youth experiencing homelessness are described, and comparisons are made between homeless and nonhomeless youth. Strengths and limitations of the methodology are discussed in light of their implications for sampling and data collection with vulnerable and difficult-to-access populations.

Large numbers of children of low income families in the United States arrive at kindergarten already far behind their more affluent peers on measures of school readiness. In the absence of any federal preschool policy and amidst alarm about this growing divide, universal prekindergarten (UPK) programs have been launched around the United States, at both the state and local levels, to address the school readiness gap. Invest in Children, a public/private partnership in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, OH) launched a UPK program of high quality, affordable preschool nine years ago. The program’s creation, implementation and challenges are discussed along with evaluation findings that document its positive impact on school readiness. Lessons learned are discussed in terms of the impact of political and economic shifts, as well as state policy changes, on this local program. The program’s planned expansion and enhancements to program design and evaluation are also described.

Poor housing quality and housing crises have been linked to adverse outcomes for children. However, few studies have focused on the early childhood period or been able to pinpoint how the timing and duration of housing problems contributes to early educational success. This longitudinal study draws on linked administrative records from housing, education, social service and health agencies to examine the influence of exposure to housing neighborhood conditions since birth on school readiness of all children entering kindergarten over a four-year period in a big city school system. Using marginal structural models that properly account for dynamic housing and neighborhood selection, we find that children exposed to problematic housing and disadvantaged neighborhoods have lower kindergarten readiness scores after accounting for other factors. The negative effects of housing problems on kindergarten readiness are partially mediated by child maltreatment incidences, residential instability, and elevated blood lead levels. Communities are advised to pay more attention to distressed housing as a cause of disparities in early child development and school readiness.

An experiment with 2 trials (28 d/trial) was conducted to determine body composition, tissue deposition, and utilization of Lys for protein deposition (PD) of barrows and gilts fed -Lys·HCl (CLys) or protein-bound Lys in soybean meal (SBM). Thirty-two growing pigs (16 barrows and 16 gilts; average initial BW of 18.6 kg) were used in each of 2 trials. Four pigs (2 barrows and 2 gilts) were euthanized at the start of each trial to determine initial body composition. The remaining pigs were euthanized at the end of the trials to determine empty-body composition and deposition rates of water, protein, fat, ash, and AA. Pigs were randomly allotted to 1 of 7 dietary treatments. There were 2 replications per treatment in each trial for a total of 4 replications. Dietary treatments consisted of a corn-SBM basal diet (0.48% Lys) and diets containing 0.56%, 0.65%, and 0.74% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys that were achieved by adding Lys to the basal diet from either SBM or CLys. Pigs fed the CLys-supplemented diets at 0.65% SID Lys had more ( < 0.05) body water (663 vs. 624 g/kg) and less ( < 0.01) body protein (153 vs. 160 g/kg) than pigs fed the SBM-supplemented diets. Body fat content decreased ( < 0.01) as the dietary Lys increased similarly for pigs fed Lys from SBM and pigs fed CLys. Gilts had greater ( = 0.05) body Lys content in body protein than barrows (7.68 vs. 7.52 g/100 g). Empty-body ash contents were not different between pigs fed CLys or SBM-supplemented diets. Water deposition and PD increased linearly ( < 0.01) with dietary Lys and were least ( < 0.01) in pigs fed the basal diet but were similar when comparing pigs fed CLys and SBM-supplemented diets at the same dietary Lys concentration. Lysine deposition showed a linear increase ( < 0.01) with dietary Lys but was not different between pigs fed the 2 Lys sources at the same concentration. Barrows and gilts did not differ in tissue deposition rates. Overall, empty-body contents and deposition rates of essential and nonessential AA were not different between pigs fed CLys and pigs fed SBM-bound Lys. The amount of SID Lys required for PD ranged between 0.09 and 0.13 g/g for both sources of Lys. The Lys deposition:SID Lys intake ratio was greater ( < 0.01) in gilts than barrows (0.62 vs. 0.56). Body composition, tissue deposition, and utilization of Lys for PD and Lys deposition were not different in pigs fed diets supplemented with -Lys·HCl with respect to protein-bound Lys in SBM.

It is well documented that children from housing unstable families tend to stay longer in the foster care system and are less likely to reunify with their caregivers as compared to stably housed families. Various housing interventions have been implemented to promote reunification. Previous studies have primarily focused on examining the effectiveness of these housing interventions, however, no qualitative study has explored the mechanisms by which housing interventions are being delivered. This study aims to fill this critical literature gap by exploring how Family Critical Time Intervention (FCTI) is being carried out in the context of serving housing-unstable families with children in foster care. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 16 families, five PFS workers who delivered the intervention, and 15 child welfare workers involved in the families’ cases. Coding and analyses focused on themes describing clients’ and workers’ experiences during the FCTI phases. Themes developed for each phase included (1) Pre-FCTI: workers built trust through compassion; (2) Phase 1: workers helped stabilize clients through collaborative partnerships; Phase 2: workers helped clients with skill development and advocacy, and Phase 3: clients and workers wished for service continuity rather than termination. The findings have implications for promoting innovative practices for families who are at the intersection of housing instability and child welfare involvement.

Community organizations addressing health and human service needs generally have minimal capacity for research and evaluation. As a result, they are often inadequately equipped to independently carry out activities that can be critical for their own success, such as conducting needs assessments, identifying best practices, and evaluating outcomes. Moreover, they are unable to develop equitable partnerships with academic researchers to conduct community-based research. This paper reports on the progress of the Community Research Scholar Initiative (CRSI), a program that aims to enhance community research and evaluation capacity through training of selected employees from Greater Cleveland community organizations. The intensive 2-year CRSI program includes didactic instruction, fieldwork, multiple levels of community and academic engagement, leadership training, and a mentored research project. The first cohort of CRSI Scholars, their community organizations, and other community stakeholders have incorporated program lessons into their practices and operations. The CRSI program evaluation indicates: the importance of careful Scholar selection; the need to engage executive leadership from Scholar organizations; the value of a curriculum integrating classwork, fieldwork, and community engagement; and the need for continual scholar skill and knowledge assessment. These findings and lessons learned guide other efforts to enhance community organization research and evaluation capacity.

Significance We describe the spatial and temporal profiles of soybean and Arabidopsis seed methylomes during development. CHH methylation increases globally from fertilization through dormancy in all seed parts, decreases following germination, and targets primarily transposons. By contrast, CG- and CHG-context methylation remains constant throughout seed development. Mutant seeds lacking non-CG methylation develop normally, but have a set of up-regulated transposon RNAs suggesting that the CHH methylation increase may be a failsafe mechanism to reinforce transposon silencing. Major classes of seed genes have similar methylation profiles, whether they are active or not. Our results suggest that soybean and Arabidopsis seed methylomes are similar, and that DNA methylation does not play a significant role in regulating many genes important for seed development., We profiled soybean and Arabidopsis methylomes from the globular stage through dormancy and germination to understand the role of methylation in seed formation. CHH methylation increases significantly during development throughout the entire seed, targets primarily transposable elements (TEs), is maintained during endoreduplication, and drops precipitously within the germinating seedling. By contrast, no significant global changes in CG- and CHG-context methylation occur during the same developmental period. An Arabidopsis ddcc mutant lacking CHH and CHG methylation does not affect seed development, germination, or major patterns of gene expression, implying that CHH and CHG methylation does not play a significant role in seed development or in regulating seed gene activity. By contrast, over 100 TEs are transcriptionally de-repressed in ddcc seeds, suggesting that the increase in CHH-context methylation may be a failsafe mechanism to reinforce transposon silencing. Many genes encoding important classes of seed proteins, such as storage proteins, oil biosynthesis enzymes, and transcription factors, reside in genomic regions devoid of methylation at any stage of seed development. Many other genes in these classes have similar methylation patterns, whether the genes are active or repressed. Our results suggest that methylation does not play a significant role in regulating large numbers of genes important for programming seed development in both soybean and Arabidopsis. We conclude that understanding the mechanisms controlling seed development will require determining how cis-regulatory elements and their cognate transcription factors are organized in genetic regulatory networks.

We profiled soybean and Arabidopsis methylomes from the globular stage through dormancy and germination to understand the role of methylation in seed formation. CHH methylation increases significantly during development throughout the entire seed, targets primarily transposable elements (TEs), is maintained during endoreduplication, and drops precipitously within the germinating seedling. By contrast, no significant global changes in CG- and CHG-context methylation occur during the same developmental period. An Arabidopsis ddcc mutant lacking CHH and CHG methylation does not affect seed development, germination, or major patterns of gene expression, implying that CHH and CHG methylation does not play a significant role in seed development or in regulating seed gene activity. By contrast, over 100 TEs are transcriptionally de-repressed in ddcc seeds, suggesting that the increase in CHH-context methylation may be a failsafe mechanism to reinforce transposon silencing. Many genes encoding important classes of seed proteins, such as storage proteins, oil biosynthesis enzymes, and transcription factors, reside in genomic regions devoid of methylation at any stage of seed development. Many other genes in these classes have similar methylation patterns, whether the genes are active or repressed. Our results suggest that methylation does not play a significant role in regulating large numbers of genes important for programming seed development in both soybean and Arabidopsis. We conclude that understanding the mechanisms controlling seed development will require determining how cis-regulatory elements and their cognate transcription factors are organized in genetic regulatory networks.

The DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase catalyzes genome-wide DNA demethylation and is required for endosperm genomic imprinting and embryo viability. Targets of DME-mediated DNA demethylation reside in small, euchromatic, AT-rich transposons and at the boundaries of large transposons, but how DME interacts with these diverse chromatin states is unknown. The STRUCTURE SPECIFIC RECOGNITION PROTEIN 1 (SSRP1), subunit of the chromatin remodeler FAcilitates Chromatin Transactions (FACT), was previously shown to be involved in the DME-dependent regulation of genomic imprinting in Arabidopsis endosperm. Therefore, to investigate the interaction between DME and chromatin, we focused on the activity of the two FACT subunits, SSRP1 and SUPPRESSOR of TY16 (SPT16), during reproduction in Arabidopsis. We find that FACT co-localizes with nuclear DME in vivo, and that DME has two classes of target sites, the first being euchromatic and accessible to DME, but the second, representing over half of DME targets, requiring the action of FACT for DME-mediated DNA demethylation genome-wide. Our results show that the FACT-dependent DME targets are GC-rich heterochromatin domains with high nucleosome occupancy enriched with H3K9me2 and H3K27me1. Further, we demonstrate that heterochromatin-associated linker histone H1 specifically mediates the requirement for FACT at a subset of DME-target loci. Overall, our results demonstrate that FACT is required for DME targeting by facilitating its access to heterochromatin.

The DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase initiates active DNA demethylation via the base-excision repair pathway and is vital for reproduction in Arabidopsis thaliana DME-mediated DNA demethylation is preferentially targeted to small, AT-rich, and nucleosome-depleted euchromatic transposable elements, influencing expression of adjacent genes and leading to imprinting in the endosperm. In the female gametophyte, DME expression and subsequent genome-wide DNA demethylation are confined to the companion cell of the egg, the central cell. Here, we show that, in the male gametophyte, DME expression is limited to the companion cell of sperm, the vegetative cell, and to a narrow window of time: immediately after separation of the companion cell lineage from the germline. We define transcriptional regulatory elements of DME using reporter genes, showing that a small region, which surprisingly lies within the DME gene, controls its expression in male and female companion cells. DME expression from this minimal promoter is sufficient to rescue seed abortion and the aberrant DNA methylome associated with the null dme-2 mutation. Within this minimal promoter, we found short, conserved enhancer sequences necessary for the transcriptional activities of DME and combined predicted binding motifs with published transcription factor binding coordinates to produce a list of candidate upstream pathway members in the genetic circuitry controlling DNA demethylation in gamete companion cells. These data show how DNA demethylation is regulated to facilitate endosperm gene imprinting and potential transgenerational epigenetic regulation, without subjecting the germline to potentially deleterious transposable element demethylation.

Child welfare-involved homeless families are at greater risk of poor social and economic outcomes compared with homeless families not involved with child welfare, and these negative outcomes reverberate in terms of economic and social costs to society. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to examine process findings from a randomized control trial from the first county-level Pay for Success initiative, Partnering for Family Success. The research compared housing, child welfare and public assistance outcomes for the treatment (N = 90) and control (N = 73) groups, explored how the program delivered its services, the service pattern over time, and perspectives of child welfare and program staff. We found that during and in the year after exiting the program, treatment group clients were less likely to use homeless services and were more likely to access public assistance benefits as compared with the control group clients, and during and after the program, the treatment and control group clients’ child maltreatment reports were not statistically significantly different. There were positive indications from quantitative data showing that the intervention patterns align with those of Critical Time Intervention (CTI), with qualitative interview data indicating shifts over time in case management focus from short-term crisis management and housing stability toward working on longer-term independent living skills. The findings contribute to the literature regarding how best to serve homeless, child welfare-involved families, and suggest the necessity for longer-term interventions and greater attention to non-housing-related needs.

The prevalence of serious emotional and behavioral concerns in early childhood is estimated to be in the range of 9% to 14% of the general population (Brauner & Stephens, 2006) and as high as 24% a...

Returning veterans often experience difficulties engaging with community-based treatment services. This article describes a collaborative effort between social work evaluators and veteran community leaders to investigate a perceived social disconnection between returning veterans and a treatment court attempting to assist them. Collaborators conducted an exploratory evaluation with individuals participating in a veterans treatment court (VTC) in Hamilton County, Ohio. The evaluation utilized both ecological theory and culturally responsive methods to explore participant perceptions. The analysis made explicit a chain of participant perceptions expected to promote program engagement and retention. Recommendations are made for program evaluation, training, and avenues for further study.

Methylation of cytosine to 5-methylcytosine (5mC) is important for gene expression, gene imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation, and transposon silencing. Active demethylation in animals is believed to proceed by DNA glycosylase removal of deaminated or oxidized 5mC. In plants, 5mC is removed from the genome directly by the DEMETER (DME) family of DNA glycosylases. Arabidopsis thaliana DME excises 5mC to activate expression of maternally imprinted genes. Although the related Repressor of Silencing 1 (ROS1) enzyme has been characterized, the molecular basis for 5mC recognition by DME has not been investigated. Here, we present a structure-function analysis of DME and the related DME-like 3 (DML3) glycosylases for 5mC and its oxidized derivatives. Relative to 5mC, DME and DML3 exhibited robust activity toward 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, limited activity for 5-carboxylcytosine, and no activity for 5-formylcytosine. We used homology modeling and mutational analysis of base excision and DNA binding to identify residues important for recognition of 5mC within the context of DNA and inside the enzyme active site. Our results indicate that the 5mC binding pocket is composed of residues from discrete domains and is responsible for discrimination against 5mC derivatives, and suggest that DME, ROS1, and DML3 utilize subtly different mechanisms to probe the DNA duplex for cytosine modifications.

Families involved in the child welfare system in the United States often face housing instability and other complex issues, such as challenges regarding mental health, substance abuse, poverty, and domestic violence. Housing instability, in particular, can hinder parents' progress on completing their case plans and regaining custody of their children. Thus, interagency collaboration between the child welfare system and community agencies is necessary to achieve optimal child welfare outcomes. This study explores facilitators of and barriers to effective collaboration between workers at partner organizations working on a program focused on the reunification of housing-unstable families with their children in out-of-home placement. A series of focus group interviews were conducted with 23 workers from two agencies: a local community agency providing assistance with housing and supportive services and child welfare workers. Three key collaboration facilitators were identified: feelings of support; program workers bridging communication between child welfare workers and clients; and supervisors' support. Barriers to interagency collaboration included: a lack of shared values; misunderstanding the other worker's role; lack of buy-in of the program's philosophical approach, and perceptions of worker lack of commitment. The findings have implications for promoting interagency collaboration and innovative practices for families who experience both housing instability and child welfare involvement.

One in 3 patients sees a primary care physician (PCP) for chronic pain yet most PCPs receive no training in this field. We evaluated the impact of 4PCP (© Primary Practice Physician Program for Chronic Pain) comprising of a specialist-PCP training collaboration integrated with clinical support.This prospective, controlled pilot study randomly assigned 31 physicians to receive a training program either immediately or after a 1-year control period. 4PCP includes: (1) an active learning arm, providing patient-focused, practice-based learning collaboration emphasizing the biopsychosocial pain model; (2) a PCP-led clinical support arm facilitating rehabilitative matrix style care by teams of pain-informed health providers. Main outcome measures included a 19-item chronic pain physician perspectives questionnaire, physician engagement through continuing medical education hours earned, and an array of established measures of patient pain and function.PCPs receiving the intervention reported improvements in diagnosing and managing chronic pain (P=0.023), especially its functional consequences (P=0.008), in treatment satisfaction, and in involving other disciplines. Mean visit time dropped from 20 to 11 minutes (P0.03) with improved patient outcomes, which correlated with 4PCP physician engagement. Significant benefit began at 10 continuing medical education hours and proved durable 1 year after trial.This pilot study demonstrates successful interdisciplinary chronic pain management by PCPs with durability of training effect, improved patient outcomes, visit efficiency, and job satisfaction. 4PCP provides a promising framework to propel the national concept of PCP-specialist collaboration for chronic pain management.