Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for English Language Learners

A study by the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy finds that English language learners (ELLs), a rapidly growing percentage of the Commonwealth's student population, are qualifying for transition into mainstream classrooms at a much slower pace than originally expected. The report examines the evolution of policies and practices affecting ELLs since the passage of Question 2 in November 2002. Question 2 mandated English immersion as the primary means of instruction for most ELLs and compelled schools to expedite the transition of students to mainstream classes. While Question 2 sought to limit English learners' immersion experience to a "period not normally intended to exceed one school year," federal Civil Rights legislation trumped Question 2 and mandated that students could not be re-classified out of ELL status until they can "participate meaningfully" in English-only classes.The Rennie Center's report examines whether expectations for an expedited transition process have been met and explores the ways in which the state Department of Education and schools and districts have tried to make sense of the conflicting mandates on what constitutes an adequate amount of time for a student to become proficient in English.Data from the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA), a test designed to gauge the progress of English language learners, shows that after one year of English immersion only 17% of ELLs score at levels indicating they are ready to transition to mainstream classrooms. Among ELLs who have been in Massachusetts' schools for five or more years, only slightly more than half score at the transitioning level. The report also found that schools throughout Massachusetts have developed diverse ways of interpreting and implementing sheltered English immersion.At a time of national debate about the status of immigrants and sharp increases in the numbers of non-English speakers in cities and towns across the Commonwealth and nation, it is critical that public schools focus greater attention on the issue of how best to meet the needs of English language learners. The report cites that while ten years ago only slightly more than half the school districts in Massachusetts enrolled ELLs, today that proportion has soared to nearly three-quarters. The number of districts enrolling one hundred or more English language learners has risen 37% in the past decade.As the number of English language learners continues to rise, their performance persistently lags far behind that of native English speakers. According to the Rennie Center's report, ELLs scored below the median at every grade level in every subject on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Further, ELLs are 57% less likely than their native English-speaking peers to earn the competency determination needed to graduate from high school. Both the No Child Left Behind legislation and the Massachusetts Education Reform Act require schools to ensure that ELLs meet the same performance standards as their native English-speaking counterparts. According to report authors, "That we are so woefully far from that goal should be cause for alarm and action."The Rennie Center's study seeks to shed light on this issue by providing an analysis of policies and practices affecting ELLs in Massachusetts over the past five years and examining the state role in promoting improved practice. The report includes case studies of three schools that are making significant strides with large populations of English language learners and highlights common elements that the three schools have utilized to successfully meet the needs of English language learners. For example, each school studied offered multiple types of programs to accommodate the needs of students at varying levels of English proficiency, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Case study schools also developed a staged transition process that provided vital support as students moved into mainstream classes.Next Steps at the State and District LevelsIn a series of recommended next steps, the report urges state policymakers to encourage flexibility and experimentation with innovative approaches to meet the needs of English language learners;offer opportunities for schools to share practices;get specific about when students should transition out of ELL status and to provide clear guidance to schools and districts;ensure a pipeline of leaders for ELL programs;require sheltered English immersion training in teacher preparation programs.And schools and districts to:consider staged transition processes;set goals and create incentives to get teachers trained;pool resources among districts with small ELL populations; andfocus more attention on reaching out to communicate with and provide guidance for the families of ELLs.The report, Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for English Language Learners, was released at a public event on May 31, 2007 in Marlborough, MA

Security cooperation, counterterrorism, and EU–North Africa cross-border security relations, a legal perspective

The EU is clearly in the process of developing an external dimension to the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ). This paper focuses on ex. Police and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters (PJCCM) provisions. These developments pose specific legal basis issues for the EU, given its complex EU–member state legal relationship, and the inter-institutional balance, all reflected in the treaty framework post-Lisbon. New Court of Justice rulings are now emerging which will assist in this issue. Equally the approach to be taken in developing these relationships will be crucial. This paper proposes the adoption of an Onuf style constructivism in order to best capture the reality of the process that is developing, and has developed for the ex. PJCCM measures internally. This then needs to be allied with a constitutionalism model to ensure a balanced development of all three aspects of the AFSJ

Exploring combinatorial microRNA therapy for chronic wound healing

Wound healing is a highly orchestrated process involving the coordinated action of many cell types, growth factors, cytokines and small regulatory RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs). These small RNA molecules become expressed in a spatiotemporal pattern to fine-tune signalling pathways coordinating tissue repair. Recently, miRNA dysregulation has been linked to impaired healing, including the formation and progression of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), a type of chronic wound associated with diabetes. While most of the interest has gone into the role of individual miRNAs in DFUs, research into the combinatorial role of dysregulated miRNAs remains limited. Complicating factors, such as dosage-dependent effects of miRNAs and current stochastic delivery methods, can make it challenging to study combinatorial miRNA effects. This project addressed some of these understudied limiting elements to explore how combinatorial miRNA dysregulation can contribute to impaired healing in DFUs. First, a set of differentially expressed miRNAs between DFU-derived fibroblasts and healthy fibroblasts was identified and, using bioinformatics, the biological impact of their dysregulation was explored in delaying wound healing. Next, three miRNAs were chosen from this dataset and their individual and combinatorial effects was investigated in primary skin cells isolated from amputated human limbs. Lastly, a novel in vitro engineering-based approach for miRNA delivery was used for studying incremental dosage effects of specific differentially expressed miRNAs. Altogether, these findings opened opportunities for investigating dose-dependent effects of miRNA combinations for the treatment of DFUs, yet not addressed by current research.Open Acces

Evaluating soil productivity and climate change benefits of woody biochar soil amendments for the US Interior West

2018 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Managing our lands to provide for today and the future requires sustainable land management practices that enhance productivity while reducing climate impacts. Proponents claim biochar soil amendments offer a comprehensive solution to enhance soil capacity to deliver water and nutrients to plants while decreasing climate impacts through reduced nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from fertilizer use and carbon (C) sequestration. This dissertation evaluates such claims for woody biochar applications within the US Interior West; to enhance crop production and reduce N2O emissions in deficit irrigation agricultural systems, and to support forest road restoration efforts. It also employs laboratory incubations and soil biogeochemical modeling to predict and to better understand the controls on biochar's greenhouse gas mitigation potential. The field studies demonstrate that this woody biochar improved soil moisture content but its enhanced capacity to retain water did not alleviate plant water stress when water inputs were low. Similarly, in forest soils, this woody biochar amendment improved plant available N but at levels that did not impact productivity. In lab incubations this woody biochar reduced N2O emissions. While this reduction could not be explained by bulk soil mineral N transformations, the soil moisture regime did affect biochar's ability to reduce N2O emissions. Despite the observed biochar N2O emission reductions in incubated soils, under field conditions biochar effects on N2O emissions were inconclusive. When evaluating biochar's C sequestration potential, soil biogeochemical modeling revealed that 59 percent of the biochar C applied will be sequestered in soils after 100 years. Losses from biochar fragmentation and leaching may constitute a considerable proportion of the C losses. Of the applications considered, C sequestration remains the most promising use for biochar soil amendments within the US Interior West

Applying next generation sequencing of genomes and transcriptomes to investigate the population structure and biology of Plasmodium species

Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, are responsible for a significant burden of disease worldwide. Understanding populations and parasite biology is critical to developing effective control mechanisms and questions relating to these have been addressed in this thesis using whole genome and transcriptome sequencing. In Southeast Asia, the zoonotic species Plasmodium knowlesi now causes a significant amount of malarial disease, particularly in Malaysia. Clinical isolates of P. knowlesi from peninsular Malaysia were whole genome sequenced and single nucleotide polymorphisms were used to inform population genomic analyses. This work confirmed the existence of a third, divergent population of P. knowlesi in peninsular Malaysia and uncovered evidence of selection acting on these parasites. In sub-Saharan Africa, P. falciparum is responsible for virtually all malarial disease. Clinical isolates sampled from West Africa were investigated using whole transcriptome sequencing of ex vivo parasites, focusing on a gene known as mspdbl2, which is a possible marker of gametocytogenesis. Schizonts from clinical isolates were assessed for MSPDBL2 expression by immunofluorescence assays and were whole transcriptome sequenced. Analysis of gene expression was carried out correlating to expression of MSPDBL2, revealing enrichment of genes with known or suspected involvement in gametocytogenesis. A limiting factor of this investigation was the very low amount of material available from ex vivo culture. An alternative avenue for investigating limiting material is through single-cell sequencing. One method for single-cell transcriptomics was trialled in this thesis and extensive optimisation resulted in the sequencing of transcriptomes from a small number of P. falciparum schizonts, offering a future methodology for investigating gene expression using very few parasites

Antibiotic capture by bacterial lipocalins uncovers an extracellular mechanism of intrinsic antibiotic resistance

15 p.-6 fig.The potential for microbes to overcome antibiotics of different classes before they reach bacterial cells is largely unexplored. Here we show that a soluble bacterial lipocalin produced by Burkholderia cenocepacia upon exposure to sublethal antibiotic concentrations increases resistance to diverse antibiotics in vitro and in vivo. These phenotypes were recapitulated by heterologous expression in B. cenocepacia of lipocalin genes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Purified lipocalin bound different classes of bactericidal antibiotics and contributed to bacterial survival in vivo. Experimental and X-ray crystal structure-guided computational studies revealed that lipocalins counteract antibiotic action by capturing antibiotics in the extracellular space. We also demonstrated that fat-soluble vitamins prevent antibiotic capture by binding bacterial lipocalin with higher affinity than antibiotics. Therefore, bacterial lipocalins contribute to antimicrobial resistance by capturing diverse antibiotics in the extracellular space at the site of infection, which can be counteracted by known vitamins.This work was funded by grants from Cystic Fibrosis Canada, the European Commission,a Marie Curie Career Integration grant (projects 618095, NONANTIRES), and the Infection and Immunity Translational Research Group, Northern Ireland HSC to M.A.V.;the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO CTQ2011-22724 and CTQ2014-57141-R), European Commission Marie Curie grants GLYCOPHARM FP7-PITNGA-2012-317297 and TOLLerant H2020-MSC-ETN-642157 to S.M.S.; and Canadian Institutes of Health research grant MOP-49597 and a grant from Cystic Fibrosis Canada to M.E.P.M.Peer reviewe

The house dust microbiota in the Drakenstein Child Health Study

Introduction: The indoor home environment comprises many niches that are occupied by bacterial communities. The composition of these bacterial communities may be influenced by numerous factors such as number of occupants, pets, season and location. Understanding the house dust microbial community is vital to understanding its' influence on human respiratory health. Aims: The aims of the studies described in this MSc dissertation were to: 1) evaluate the performance of ten commercial nucleic acid extraction kits on dust samples; 2) optimise dust removal from electrostatic dustfall collectors (EDC); 3) determine the bacterial composition of house dust using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and 4) determine those factors influencing the bacterial composition of house dust by performing bioinformatic and data analysis on the sequenced dust samples. Methods: In order to study the microbial content of house dust, an efficient DNA extraction protocol was required. Ten commercial nucleic acid purification protocols were evaluated on their ability to efficiently extract good quality DNA from very low quantities (20 mg) of wet bulk house dust. For the purpose of this study, EDCs were used to collect settled dust from homes of participants in the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS). Electrostatic Dustfall Collectors were placed twice within the same household, approximately 6 months apart, spanning two seasons. The Z/R Fungal/Bacterial DNA MicroprepTM (ZMC) protocol was used to extract DNA from dust removed from EDCs. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform to determine the bacterial taxonomic composition of the house dust samples. A custom python wrapper that meshes a set of tools integrated into a computationally efficient workflow, known as the YAP pipeline was used to classify 16S rRNA sequences into bacterial taxonomies. Based on 97% sequence similarity, the pre-processed sequences were assigned to Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU). R software together with RStudio software was used for all statistical analysis and graphical representations of the data

Computational and experimental analysis of TAL effector-DNA binding

TAL effectors, from the plant-pathogenic bacterial genus Xanthomonas, are DNA binding proteins that can be engineered to bind to almost any sequence of interest. The DNA target of the TAL effector is encoded by a modular central repeat region, with each repeat specifying a single binding site nucleotide. TAL effectors can be targeted to novel DNA sequences by assembling the corresponding repeat sequence. Therefore, custom TAL effectors have become important tools for manipulating gene expression and creating site-specific DNA modifications. This dissertation explores TAL effector-DNA binding through computational and experimental analyses. I identified positional and composition biases in known TAL effector-target pairs and proposed guidelines for designing custom TAL effectors and TAL effector nucleases (TALENs). Using these guidelines, I created a software tool for TAL effector design. We expanded this tool into a suite of tools for TAL effector/TALEN design and target site prediction. Target site predictions can be used to estimate potential off-target binding of custom TAL effector constructs or to identify unknown targets of natural TAL effectors. Next, I present a case study in engineering disease resist rice plants. Inserting multiple TAL effector binding elements (EBEs) into the promoter of a rice resistance gene conferred resistance to diverse strains of Xanthomonas oryzae. Analysis of the EBE sequences revealed that TAL effectors have evolved to target specific host regulatory sequences, and caution is warranted when introducing such sequences into the promoter of an executor resistance gene. Finally, I examine the role of the TAL effector N terminus in DNA binding. Most natural TAL effector binding sites are preceded by a T at the 5\u27 end (T0). Structural data suggests T0 is encoded by tryptophan 232 (W232) in the cryptic -1st repeat. We show that substitutions for W232 alter TAL effector activity and specificity for T0. However, we find that the TAL effector-T0 interaction is complex and may depend on other residues in the -1st repeat, the 0th cryptic repeat, or repeat sequence context. Better understanding of TAL effector-DNA binding will improve TAL effector design and target prediction and enhance understanding of the role of TAL effectors in plant disease