Marketization without marginalization? Approaches to integration in a dual enrollment magnet school

Despite the well-documented benefits of integration and Southern California’s racial, socioeconomic, and linguistic diversity, California and U.S. efforts to promote integrated magnet schools have been minimal and primarily driven by local districts. Attempts to evaluate magnet programs primarily focus on student outcomes, yet surprisingly few studies examine approaches used by school leaders to establish and achieve program outcomes. This study contributes to the knowledge and practice of magnet implementation by exploring one California high school’s efforts to establish a dual enrollment magnet program. An explanatory mixed methods case study design was used to understand how school leaders promoted student integration and academic excellence, challenged systemic inequities, and committed resources to close opportunity gaps. Data comprised archival records, in-depth interviews with ten administrative, teacher, and parent leaders from the high school, and school documents. Findings indicated that a combination of factors contributed to increased and increasingly diverse enrollment, equity, and academic excellence in a dual enrollment magnet. These factors included visibly committed school leaders, bringing the college campus to the high school, open and free access to college courses, embedded supports (dedicated program staff and introductory courses to build students’ confidence), anti-bias teacher training, and open-door communication. Study results indicated a need for transparent, open, and comprehensible communication and increased collaboration between the college partner and school administrators, teachers, and parents to address and overcome equity barriers

VHDL Design of a Scalable VLSI Sorting Device Based on Pipelined Computation

This paper describes the VHDL design of a sorting algorithm, aiming at defining an elementary sorting unit as a building block of VLSI devices which require a huge number of sorting units. As such, care was taken to reach a reasonable low value of the area-time parameter. A sorting VLSI device, in fact, can be built as a cascade of elementary sorting units which process the input stream in a pipeline fashion: as the processing goes on, a wave of sorted numbers propagates towards the output ports. The paper describes the design starting from an initial theoretical analysis of the algorithm\u27s complexity to a VHDL behavioural analysis of the proposed architecture to a structural synthesis of a sorting block based on the Alliance tools to, finally, a silicon synthesis which was worked out again using Alliance. Two points in the proposed design are particularly noteworthy. First, the sorting architecture is suitable for treating a continuous stream of input data rather than a block of data as in many other designs. Secondly, the proposed design reaches a reasonable compromise between area and time, as it yields an A T product which compares favourably with the theoretical lower bound

A Hard Real-Time Kernel for Motorola Microcontrollers

This paper describes a real-time kernel for running embedded applications on a recent family of Motorola microcontrollers. Both periodic and aperiodic real-time tasks are managed, as well as non real-time tasks. The kernel has been called Yartos, and uses a hard real-time scheduling algorithm based on an EDF approach for the periodic task; aperiodic tasks are executed with a Total Bandwith Server

Differential diagnosis between functional and organic intestinal disorders: is there a role for non-invasive tests?

Abdominal pain and bowel habits alterations are common symptoms in the general population. The investigation to differentiate organic from functional bowel disorders represents a considerable burden both for patients and public health service. The selection of patients who should undergo endoscopic and/or radiological procedures is one of the key points of the diagnostic process, which should avoid the abuse of invasive and expensive tests as well as the underestimation of potentially harmful diseases. Over the coming years, clinicians and researchers will be challenged to develop strategies to increase the patient's compliance and to reduce the economic and social costs of the intestinal diseases

A markov-model-based framework for supporting real-time generation of synthetic memory references effectively and efficiently

Driven by several real-life case studies and in-lab developments, synthetic memory reference generation has a long tradition in computer science research. The goal is that of reproducing the running of an arbitrary program, whose generated traces can later be used for simulations and experiments. In this paper we investigate this research context and provide principles and algorithms of a Markov-Model-based framework for supporting real-time generation of synthetic memory references effectively and efficiently. Specifically, our approach is based on a novel Machine Learning algorithm we called Hierarchical Hidden/ non Hidden Markov Model (HHnHMM). Experimental results conclude this paper

Gastrointestinal manifestations in myotonic muscular dystrophy

Myotonic dystrophy (MD) is characterized by myotonic phenomena and progressive muscular weakness. Involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is frequent and may occur at any level. The clinical manifestations have previously been attributed to motility disorders caused by smooth muscle damage, but histologic evidence of alterations has been scarce and conflicting. A neural factor has also been hypothesized. In the upper digestive tract, dysphagia, heartburn, regurgitation and dyspepsia are the most common complaints, while in the lower tract, abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel habits are often reported. Digestive symptoms may be the first sign of dystrophic disease and may precede the musculo-skeletal features. The impairment of gastrointestinal function may be sometimes so gradual that the patients adapt to it with little awareness of symptoms. In such cases routine endoscopic and ultrasonographic evaluations are not sufficient and targeted techniques (electrogastrography, manometry, electromyography, functional ultrasonography, scintigraphy, etc.) are needed. There is a low correlation between the degree of skeletal muscle involvement and the presence and severity of gastrointestinal disturbances whereas a positive correlation with the duration of the skeletal muscle disease has been reported. The drugs recommended for treating the gastrointestinal complaints such as prokinetic, anti-dyspeptic drugs and laxatives, are mainly aimed at correcting the motility disorders. Gastrointestinal involvement in MD remains a complex and intriguing condition since many important problems are still unsolved. Further studies concentrating on genetic aspects, early diagnostic techniques and the development of new therapeutic strategies are needed to improve our management of the gastrointestinal manifestations of MD

Yet Another Automated OLAP Workload Analyzer: Principles, and Experiences

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Probiotic administration in patients with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis is associated with expansion of mucosal regulatory cells.

BACKGROUND: Probiotics have anti-inflammatory effects in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and appear to regulate mucosal immune response through reductions in proinflammatory cytokines. The probiotic VSL#3 prevents pouchitis if started within a week of ileostomy closure and maintains remission following antibacterial treatment in patients with refractory or recurrent pouchitis. However, the efficacy of probiotics and their effects on regulatory cells if started at a greater time after surgery in patients undergoing ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis are unknown. METHODS: We conducted an open-label study in which 31 patients at different periods from surgery without signs and symptoms of pouchitis were randomized to 2 sachets of VSL#3 once daily or no treatment for 12 months. Pouchitis disease activity index (PDAI) was evaluated at baseline and after 3, 6, and 12 months. The percentage of CD4+ T lymphocytes expressing CD25 and the inactive form of transforming growth factor-beta [latency-associated peptide (LAP)] were evaluated at baseline and after 3 and 6 months in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells and mucosal biopsies. Variation in tissue interleukin-1beta and Foxp3 mRNA expression was also evaluated. RESULTS: During the study period, VSL#3-treated patients showed a significant reduction in PDAI score and a significant increase in the percentage of mucosal CD4+CD25(high) and CD4+ LAP-positive cells compared with baseline values. Tissue samples at different points showed a significant reduction in IL-1beta mRNA expression, and a significant increase in Foxp3 mRNA expression. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that VSL#3 administration in patients with IPAA modulates the PDAI and expands the number of mucosal regulatory T cells

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction in inactive systemic lupus erythematosus: An unusual finding

Abstract Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP) is an infrequent complication of an active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We illustrate a case of SLE inactive-related CIP. A 51-year old female with inactive SLE (ECLAM score 2) was hospitalized with postprandial fullness, vomiting, abdominal bloating and abdominal pain. She had had no bowel movements for five days. Plain abdominal X-ray revealed multiple fluid levels and dilated small and large bowel loops with air-fluid levels. Intestinal contrast radiology detected dilated loops. CIP was diagnosed. The patient was treated with prokinetics, octreotide, claritromycin, rifaximin, azathioprine and tegaserod without any clinical improvement. Then methylprednisolone (500 mg iv daily) was started. After the first administration, the patient showed peristaltic movements. A bowel movement was reported after the second administration. A plain abdominal X-ray revealed no air-fluid levels. Steroid therapy was slowly reduced with complete resolution of the symptoms. The patient is still in a good clinical condition. SLE-related CIP is generally reported as a complication of an active disease. In our case, CIP was the only clinical demonstration of the SL