Assessing Inflation Targeting in Latin America With a DSGE Model

In this paper we assess Inflation Targeting with a unique treatment and control group of strictly Latin American countries. We estimate a small Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium model to determine whether economic behavior within an economy fundamentally changes under Inflation Targeting. We find that although Inflation Targeting central banks appear to be if anything, slightly more aggressive in responding to inflation than Non-Inflation Targeting central banks, this has not resulted in more forward looking inflation expectations by economic agents.

Why Urban Parents Resist Involvement in Their Children’s Elementary Education

We examined the perceptions of teachers and parents about family involvement in urban schools. The study generated from several others that we have been conducting about teaching in high poverty, urban schools. Using focus groups, our purpose was to learn how we could better prepare teachers for urban schools. The data revealed that teachers are frustrated with a lack of parental involvement in literacy activities at home and at school. Parents, however, expressed distrust toward the local elementary school because they felt the faculty has been biased against African American and Latino children and their families. Consequently, the parents said they deliberately decided not to participate in school activities. Parents explained they would only work with teachers who respected and valued their children. Results of our study point to the importance of helping new teachers learn strategies for developing strong trusting relationships and effective communication strategies when working with urban families

Democracy and Social Justice in Sarajevo’s Schools

After the end of the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, the people of Sarajevo found themselves rebuilding their country while also learning to live with their former enemies in this developing democracy. In this study we examined the extent to which democratic practices and social justice values were being taught in Sarajevo’s schools. Using a case study method, we gathered data gathered from interviews with educators in a variety of roles in Sarajevo, observations of elementary and secondary classroom teaching, and daily reflective journal entries about living and teaching in the city during the fall of 2008. Our data analyses revealed that democratic teaching practices and multicultural values are not being taught in Sarajevo’s schools. Instead, entangled and fragmented governmental structures, lingering emotional trauma from the war, and a general sense of pessimism about the future are interfering with educational reform and movement toward a democratic and socially-just society

Procurers, Providers and Users (PPU): towards a meta-role model for conceptualising product-service in the built environment

The product-service paradigm requires a shift in focus for many engineering disciplines, forcing them to change from providing products to providing products and associated services. Such a shift is likely to present several challenges to the built environment due to its inherent organisational fragmentations and through-life discontinuities. This paper presents a preliminary conceptualisation of the product-service paradigm as seen from a built environment perspective. The proposed PPU model represents the meta-roles and the information flows, considered as key to sustaining the product-service concept within the built environment

Comprehensive protein profiling of synovial fluid in osteoarthritis following protein equalization

Objective The aim of the study was to characterise the protein complement of synovial fluid (SF) in health and osteoarthritis (OA) using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) following peptide-based depletion of high abundance proteins. Design SF was used from nine normal and nine OA Thoroughbred horses. Samples were analysed with LC-MS/MS using a NanoAcquity™ LC coupled to an LTQ Orbitrap Velos. In order to enrich the lower-abundance protein fractions protein equalisation was first undertaken using ProteoMiner™. Progenesis-QI™ LC-MS software was used for label-free quantification. In addition immunohistochemistry, western blotting and mRNA expression analysis was undertaken on selected joint tissues. Results The number of protein identifications was increased by 33% in the ProteoMiner™ treated SF compared to undepleted SF. A total of 764 proteins (462 with≥2 significant peptides) were identified in SF. A subset of 10 proteins were identified which were differentially expressed in OA SF. S100-A10, a calcium binding protein was upregulated in OA and validated with western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Several new OA specific peptide fragments (neopeptides) were identified. Conclusion The protein equalisation method compressed the dynamic range of the synovial proteins identifying the most comprehensive SF proteome to date. A number of proteins were identified for the first time in SF which may be involved in the pathogenesis of OA. We identified a distinct set of proteins and neopeptides that may act as potential biomarkers to distinguish between normal and OA joints. Keywords Synovial fluid; Equalization; Osteoarthritis; S100-A10; Neopeptid

Transcriptome‐Wide Analysis of Messenger RNA Decay in Normal and Osteoarthritic Human Articular Chondrocytes

Objective Messenger RNA (mRNA) decay rates control not only gene expression levels, but also responsiveness to altered transcriptional input. We undertook this study to examine transcriptome‐wide posttranscriptional regulation in both normal and osteoarthritic (OA) human articular chondrocytes. Methods Human articular chondrocytes were isolated from normal or OA tissue. Equine articular chondrocytes were isolated from young or old horses at a commercial abattoir. RNA decay was measured across the transcriptome in human cells by microarray analysis following an actinomycin D chase. Messenger RNA levels in samples were confirmed using quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. Results Examination of total mRNA expression levels demonstrated significant differences in the expression of transcripts between normal and OA chondrocytes. Interestingly, almost no difference was observed in total mRNA expression between chondrocytes from intact OA cartilage and those from fibrillated OA cartilage. Decay analysis revealed a set of rapidly turned over transcripts associated with transcriptional control and programmed cell death that were common to all chondrocytes and contained binding sites for abundant cartilage microRNAs. Many transcripts exhibited altered mRNA half‐lives in human OA chondrocytes compared to normal cells. Specific transcripts whose decay rates were altered were generally less stable in these pathologic cells. Examination of selected genes in chondrocytes from young and old healthy horses did not identify any change in mRNA turnover. Conclusion This is the first investigation into the “posttranscriptome” of the chondrocyte. It identifies a set of short‐lived chondrocyte mRNAs likely to be highly responsive to altered transcriptional input as well as mRNAs whose decay rates are affected in OA chondrocytes

Influence of geologic parent material and climate on distribution of shortleaf pine in Missouri

This bulletin is a report on Department of Forestry Research Project 260, 'Soil and Species'--P. [2].Digitized 2007 AES.Includes bibliographical references (pages 27-28)

Influence of light and nutrition on color and growth of redcedar seedlings

Digitized 2007 AES.Includes bibliographical references (page 15)