INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION POLICIES: BUILDING A BLENDED LEARNING NETWORK

Pennsylvania’s public school districts and institutions of higher education share similar challenges with demographic shifts, diminishing public funds, and increased expectations to prepare students with limited resources. Over the past 30 years, Pennsylvania rural school districts have had to learn to do more with less, leaving little in district budgets’ for courses beyond the established curriculum. The problem may be that children living in these less densely populated areas have fewer educational opportunities to prepare for college and attend at lesser rates than their peers in more urban and suburban areas. Historically, the lack of funding in small rural school districts have often times left academic leaders and teachers without adequate resources to prepare students for college and/or careers. Policy practices of the past focused on the consolidation of rural schools that were unable to sustain operations, and address pedagogical issues due to the financial limitations of the local tax base. While the technologies of the early 1900s loosely connected rural students to formal education by mail. By the end of the 20th century, advances in broadband technologies enabling rapid and large transfers of data eliminated the obstacles that encumbered earlier forms of distance and online education. Regrettably, financial struggles in these less-densely, populated areas still persist. In Pennsylvania, one study found that the poorer the district, the more difficult it was for the district to purchase digital content and train teachers and staff to implement blended learning courses (Kolat, 2014). Another study recommended legislators to develop policies that encouraged collaboration between schools, especially for rural districts that cannot afford to start their own online programs (Murin & Watson, 2012). The literature is void of research that examines local level administrative policies to support blended learning within and among institutions in rural locales. The most recent research illustrated how some organizations are perhaps collaborating and moving beyond BL classrooms and forming blended learning networks (BLNs) among and with other institutions (Watson et al., 2014). The aim of this study was to examine the inter-institutional collaboration policies used to build a BLN through a mixed-method case study

Automation in irrigation distribution systems

Presented at SCADA and related technologies for irrigation district modernization: a USCID water management conference on October 26-29, 2005 in Vancouver, Washington.Includes bibliographical references.Total Channel Control™ is a patented automation design for large scale open canal irrigation networks that manages water distribution within capacity constraints to achieve on-demand water delivery whilst maximizing water distribution. Here it is shown that this decentralized and distributed control implementation realizes near globally optimal performance. Furthermore, the performance enhancement above optimally scheduled open loop or manual operations is exemplified

MicroRNAs and Uveal Melanoma: Understanding the Diverse Role of These Small Molecular Regulators.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is a rare tumour of the eye, characterised by a high propensity to metastasise in half of all patients, most frequently to the liver. Although there are effective treatment options for the primary tumour, once metastasis has occurred prognosis is poor, with overall survival limited to months. Currently, there are no effective treatments for metastatic UM, despite the tumour having a well-defined signalling pathway to which many therapies have been directed. In an effort to develop novel treatment approaches, understanding the role of other signalling molecules, such as microRNAs, is fundamental. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules involved in posttranscriptional gene regulation, resulting in reduced target gene expression and subsequent protein translation. In UM, several dysregulated miRNAs have been proposed to play a functional role in disease progression, whereas others have been put forward as clinical biomarkers of high-risk disease following isolation from blood, plasma and exosomes. Most recently, analyses of large datasets have identified promising prognostic miRNA signatures and panels. This review navigates the plethora of aberrant miRNAs disclosed so far in UM, and maps these to signalling pathways, which could be targeted in future therapies for the disseminated disease

A novel de novo deletion of chromosome 7 [46,XX,del(7)(p14.2 p15.1)] in a child with feeding problems

We would like to thank the patient's family for consenting to this publication and for their kind cooperation during the clinical investigations of their child. The authors also thank Professor Patrícia Maciel, Fátima Lopes and Dr. L. Van Maldergem for their help during this case study.The phenotype and severity of symptoms associated with deletions on chromosome 7 are directly proportional to the size of the deleted segment. Distal and interstitial deletions have been described in 40 cases. In this report the authors aim to report a child with a novel de novo interstitial deletion on chromosome 7, with the following karyotype: 46,XX,del(7)(p14.2 p15.1). We described a female, born at 38 weeks with intrauterine growth restriction and feeding problems with episodes of cyanosis after feedings and failure to thrive. Physical examination showed low implantation of ears, hypertelorism, oblique palpebral fissures, retrognathia, and palate ogived, with insertion anomalies of the toes, poor facial expression and mild axial hypotonia. Transfontanelar ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, bronchofibroscopy and metabolic studies were normal. She was hospitalized until the 32nd day of life. She started speech therapy and presented improvements in swallowing. The percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy was removed at 36 months. She had recurrent urinary tract infection with normal dimercaptosuccinic acid but with a vesicoureteral reflux (grade III). Imagiological studies revealed a bilateral osteonecrosis of femoral epiphysis (Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease). Currently (6 years-old), she is being normally fed (body mass index=15.8 kg/m2). Her weight is 16.4 kg (3rd centile) and length is 105 cm (3rd to 5th centiles). She has a mild delay of psychomotor development impairment and some speech problems. This is the first case report of a patient with this de novo small interstitial deletion on chromosome 7. This rare chromosomal abnormality was associated with severe feeding problems in the first years of life

Multiple quantum filtered ²³Na NMR in the Langendorff perfused mouse heart:Ratio of triple/double quantum filtered signals correlate with [Na]_i

AbstractWe investigate the potential of multiple quantum filtered (MQF) 23Na NMR to probe intracellular [Na]i in the Langendorff perfused mouse heart. In the presence of Tm(DOTP) shift reagent the triple quantum filtered (TQF) signal originated largely from the intracellular sodium pool with a 32±6% contribution of the total TQF signal arising from extracellular sodium, whilst the rank 2 double-quantum filtered signal (DQF), acquired with a 54.7° flip-angle pulse, originated exclusively from the extracellular sodium pool. Given the different cellular origins of the 23Na MQF signals we propose that the TQF/DQF ratio can be used as a semi-quantitative measure of [Na]i in the mouse heart. We demonstrate a good correlation of this ratio with [Na]i measured with shift reagent at baseline and under conditions of elevated [Na]i. We compare the measurements of [Na]i using both shift reagent and TQF/DQF ratio in a cohort of wild type mouse hearts and in a transgenic PLM3SA mouse expressing a non-phosphorylatable form of phospholemman, showing a modest but measurable elevation of baseline [Na]i. MQF filtered 23Na NMR is a potentially useful tool for studying normal and pathophysiological changes in [Na]i, particularly in transgenic mouse models with altered Na regulation

French database of children and adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare multisystem genetic disease leading to severe complications mainly related to obesity. We strongly lack information on the natural history of this complex disease and on what factors are involved in its evolution and its outcome. One of the objectives of the French reference centre for Prader-Willi syndrome set-up in 2004 was to set-up a database in order to make the inventory of Prader-Willi syndrome cases and initiate a national cohort study in the area covered by the centre.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>the database includes medical data of children and adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome, details about their management, socio-demographic data on their families, psychological data and quality of life of the parents. The tools and organisation used to ensure data collection and data quality in respect of good clinical practice procedures are discussed, and main characteristics of our Prader-Willi population at inclusion are presented.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>this database covering all the aspects of PWS clinical, psychological and social profiles, including familial psychological and quality of life will be a powerful tool for retrospective studies concerning this complex and multi factorial disease and could be a basis for the design of future prospective multicentric studies. The complete database and the Stata.do files are available to any researcher wishing to use them for non-commercial purposes and can be provided upon request to the corresponding author.</p

Scoliosis in patients with Prader Willi Syndrome – comparisons of conservative and surgical treatment

In children with Prader Willi syndrome (PWS), besides growth hormone (GH) therapy, control of the food environment and regular exercise, surgical treatment of scoliosis deformities seems the treatment of choice, even though the risks of spinal surgery in this specific population is very high. Therefore the question arises as to whether the risks of spinal surgery outweigh the benefits in a condition, which bears significant risks per se. The purpose of this systematic review of the Pub Med literature was to find mid or long-term results of spinal fusion surgery in patients with PWS, and to present the conservative treatment in a case study of nine patients with this condition