The Founding of an Urban Charter School: Three Years of Academic Growth and Key School Characteristics

The Kauffman School is a public charter school that serves students from low-income neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri. This paper used a matched comparison group design to estimate the impacts of the Kauffman School on student achievement, attendance, and suspensions. We found that the Kauffman School had positive and statistically significant impacts on student achievement in mathematics, reading, and science. This paper also used surveys, interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations to describe the hallmarks and operations of the Kauffman School and explore possible mechanisms for its effects, informing the literature on school effectiveness. We found evidence that the Kauffman School's hallmarks are largely being implemented faithfully, and that key stakeholders believe the Kauffman School's methods are having a positive influence on students' behavior, attitudes, and performance

Trajectory and global attractors for generalized processes

In this work the theory of generalized processes is used to describe the dynamics of a nonautonomous multivalued problem and, through this approach, some conditions for the existence of trajectory attractors are proved. By projecting the trajectory attractor on the phase space, the uniform attractor for the multivalued process associated to the problem is obtained and some conditions to guarantee the invariance of the uniform attractor are given. Furthermore, the existence of the uniform attractor for a class of p-Laplacian nonautonomous problems with dynamical boundary conditions is established.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. BrasilEuropean Commission (EC). Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO). EspañaJunta de Andalucí

The global diffusion of clean technology: China and the solar energy boom

Adopting clean energy technology is crucial for reducing emissions and achieving global climate goals. In this Kühne Impact Series, we shed light on the importance of global diffusion of clean technology through international trade. In particular, we highlight China’s expansion in the solar energy sector and its role in bringing down the cost of solar energy worldwide. Our main result is that international trade and globally integrated value chains have dramatically reduced the global average cost of renewable technologies. Keeping markets open to trade is essential for enabling a low-carbon energy transition as it ensures that all countries benefit from the lower cost of clean energy technologies. Moreover, we highlight three potential challenges that represent considerable vulnerabilities for the global diffusion of clean technology: (i) the current geographical concentration in global supply chains, (ii) the US-China and EU-China “Solar Trade War,” and (iii) the global slowdown in high-quality solar energy inventions

Praxeologías para revisar prácticas heredadas

Este trabajo describe y analiza un dispositivo organizado con una capacitadora, seis profesores de secundario acompañantes de los/as maestros/as de 4to, 5to y 6to grado de 32 escuelas primarias, en la conceptualización de los números racionales. El análisis se centra en las relaciones entre lo desarrollado con los profesores en el ciclo de formación, con los maestros en la discusión de secuencias didácticas y lo que pudo concretarse en las aulas. Tres analizadores de posibilidades de complejización de las conceptualizaciones: acuerdos institucionales de gradualidad y la nociones de variable didáctica y de secuencia didáctica. Intervenciones, el medio como herramienta -de la TSD- tanto como las praxeologías de la TAD nos permiten profundizar el estudio de las prácticas docentes en tanto dispositivos de conocimiento, de comprensión y de intervención

Effectiveness of the GAEC cross compliance standards Rational management of set aside, Grass strips to control soil erosion and Vegetation buffers along watercourses on surface animal diversity and biological quality of soil

Landscape simplification and loss of natural and semi-natural habitats are the major causes of biodiversity decrease in agricultural landscapes. In order to mitigate the effects of intensive agricultural management the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies in Italy has included the agronomic measures Rational management of set aside, Grass strips to control soil erosion and Vegetation buffers along watercourses in the decree on cross compliance. In this paper we review the results of a field research performed in Central Italy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the above mentioned GAEC standards for animal diversity enhancement. Using different animal groups as indicators, superficial Arthropod fauna and Herpetofauna, we found striking differences in the biodiversity levels of areas characterized by the application or by the lack of GAEC standards, with the latter being characterized by a significatively impoverished fauna. In particular, the set aside area and the buffer of riparian vegetation resulted of primary importance to allow higher biodiversity levels. Also the analysis of the biological quality of the soil, as assessed through the QBS-ar index based on edaphic micro-Arthropod fauna, indicated a higher quality of semi-natural habitats with respect to arable lands

Comparing perspective reformulations for piecewise-convex optimization

Our study is motivated by the solution of Mixed-Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) problems with separable non-convex functions via the Sequential Convex MINLP technique, an iterative method whose main characteristic is that of solving, for bounding purposes, piecewise-convex MINLP relaxations obtained by identifying the intervals in which each univariate function is convex or concave and then relaxing the concave parts with piecewise-linear relaxations of increasing precision. This process requires the introduction of new binary variables for the activation of the intervals where the functions are defined. In this paper we compare the three different standard formulations for the lower bounding subproblems and we show, both theoretically and computationally, that -- unlike in the piecewise-linear case -- they are not equivalent when the perspective reformulation is applied to reinforce the formulation in the segments where the original functions are convex

Integrated Solutions for Daylighting and Electric Lighting: IEA SHC Task 61/EBC Annex 77, Subtask D – Proposal and First Results

The integration of daylight and electric lighting, considering user satisfaction and energy savings potentially can contribute significantly to reduce energy demand for lighting, that represents 18% of global energy demands. This paper presents the work and first results of IEA SHC Task 61/EBC Annex 77 “Integrated Solutions for Daylighting and Electric Lighting: From component to user centered system efficiency”, a joint project activity between the Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) and Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC). The project deals with the idea that an integrated design approach for the whole system, combining daylighting, electric lighting, the associated lighting controls and the users’ interaction, can achieve higher energy saving than the simple energy-efficient design of single components. First results show the main experience from three completed case studies

Frequent detection of high human papillomavirus DNA loads in oral potentially malignant disorders

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is estimated to be the cause of 40-80% of the squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx but only of a small fraction of the oral cavity cancers. The prevalence of oral HPV infection has significantly increased in the last decade, raising concerns about the HPV role in progression of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) toward squamous cell carcinomas. We sought to study HPV infection in patients with oral lesions, and in control individuals, using non-invasive and site-specific oral brushing and sensitive molecular methods. HPV DNA positivity and viral loads were evaluated in relation to patient data and clinical diagnosis. We enrolled 116 individuals attending Dental Clinics: 62 patients with benign oral lesions (e.g. fibromas, papillomatosis, ulcers) or OPMD (e.g. lichen, leukoplakia) and 54 controls. Oral cells were collected with Cytobrush and HPV-DNA detected with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for the more common high-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR) genotypes. HPV detection rate, percentage of HR HPVs and HPV-DNA loads (namely HPV16 and in particular, HPV18) were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Lichen planus cases had the highest HPV positive rate (75.0%), hairy leukoplakia the lowest (33.3%). This study detected unexpectedly high rates of HPV infection in cells of the oral mucosa. The elevated HR HPV loads found in OPMD suggest the effectiveness of qPCR in testing oral lesions. Prospective studies are needed to establish whether elevated viral loads represent a clinically useful marker of the risk of malignant progression

(ESEL) - Equivalencia en Sistemas de Ecuaciones Lineales

Esta propuesta se concreta a partir de haber comenzado a indagar autores en seminarios de maestría cuyas conceptualizaciones nos ponían en sintonía con planteos en los que recurrentemente nos hemos encontrado como docentes en matemática, vinculados a la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de cuestiones algebraicas en la escolaridad básica. El trabajo se enmarca en un análisis no extensivo en bibliografías específicas, de didáctica de la matemática, en libros de texto de circulación en nuestros ámbitos laborales y, particularmente, en el diseño y ensayo de una secuencia de enseñanza para el tratamiento de la equivalencia de sistemas de ecuaciones lineales en dos variables. Nos interesa la relación entre marcos algebraicos y gráficos. Si bien la propuesta fue pensada para Polimodal, presentamos algunas interpretaciones sobre las respuestas y consideraciones realizadas por un grupo de alumnos avanzados de las carreras de Profesorado y Licenciatura en Matemática, con los cuales ensayamos previamente. Categorías conceptuales como equivalencia entre sistemas de ecuaciones lineales en dos variables, reduccionismo metodológico, relación entre marcos algebraicos y gráficos, denotación y sentido, guiaron nuestro análisis. La conservación de un conjunto solución demanda que la enseñanza se ocupe de la concepción de conservación de soluciones en un gráfico a diferencia de la conservación del gráfico, que distinga la conservación de la igualdad numérica y la obtención de ecuaciones con el mismo conjunto solución así como las diferencias entre cómo armar algebraicamente ecuaciones equivalentes y cómo armar sistemas de ecuaciones equivalentes, sin que necesariamente sean equivalentes las ecuaciones que los definen

Degradation rate of 5-fluorouracil in metastatic colorectal cancer. A new predictive outcome biomarker?

BACKGROUND: 5-FU based chemotherapy is the most common first line regimen used for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Identification of predictive markers of response to chemotherapy is a challenging approach for drug selection. The present study analyzes the predictive role of 5-FU degradation rate (5-FUDR) and genetic polymorphisms (MTHFR, TSER, DPYD) on survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genetic polymorphisms of MTHFR, TSER and DPYD, and the 5-FUDR of homogenous patients with mCRC were retrospectively studied. Genetic markers and the 5-FUDR were correlated with clinical outcome. RESULTS: 133 patients affected by mCRC, treated with fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy from 2009 to 2014, were evaluated. Patients were classified into three metabolic classes, according to normal distribution of 5-FUDR in more than 1000 patients, as previously published: poor-metabolizer (PM) with 5-FU-DR ≤ 0,85 ng/ml/106 cells/min (8 pts); normal metabolizer with 0,85 < 5-FU-DR < 2,2 ng/ml/106 cells/min (119 pts); ultra-rapid metabolizer (UM) with 5-FU-DR ≥ 2,2 ng/ml/106 cells/min (6 pts). PM and UM groups showed a longer PFS respect to normal metabolizer group (14.5 and 11 months respectively vs 8 months; p = 0.029). A higher G3-4 toxicity rate was observed in PM and UM, respect to normal metabolizer (50% in both PM and UM vs 18%; p = 0.019). No significant associations between genes polymorphisms and outcomes or toxicities were observed. CONCLUSION: 5-FUDR seems to be significantly involved in predicting survival of patients who underwent 5-FU based CHT for mCRC. Although our findings require confirmation in large prospective studies, they reinforce the concept that individual genetic variation may allow personalized selection of chemotherapy to optimize clinical outcomes