The unusual microtubule polarity in teleost retinal pigment epithelial cells.

In cells of the teleost retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), melanin granules disperse into the RPE cells long apical projections in response to light onset, and aggregate toward the base of the RPE cell in response to dark onset. The RPE cells possess numerous microtubules, which in the apical projections are aligned longitudinally. Nocodazole studies have shown that pigment granule aggregation is microtubule-dependent (Troutt, L. L., and B. Burnside, 1988b Exp. Eye Res. In press.). To investigate further the mechanism of microtubule participation in RPE pigment granule aggregation, we have used the tubulin hook method to assess the polarity of microtubules in the apical projections of teleost RPE cells. We report here that virtually all microtubules in the RPE apical projections are uniformly oriented with plus ends toward the cell body and minus ends toward the projection tips. This orientation is opposite that found for microtubules of dermal melanophores, neurons, and most other cell types

Models of co-operation in Germany’s migrant services

This comparative research project looks at the co-operation between state and social organizations (SOs) in China and Germany. It focusses on social service delivery in the area of integration of migrating populations with special attention to the fields of education, employment, vulnerable groups and social assistance (incl. legal aid) as a crosscutting issue to all of the fields. Within this subject area, the project wants to identify different models of state-SO co-operation and analyze which models are successful and why and where this co-operation is problematic. It aims to capture the different models of co-operation in Germany and China, to analyze and compare the underlying structures and to show potentialities for development

Information for Impact: Liberating Nonprofit Sector Data

This paper explores the costs and benefits of four avenues for achieving open Form 990 data: a mandate for e-filing, an IRS initiative to turn Form 990 data into open data, a third-party platform that would create an open database for Form 990 data, and a priori electronic filing. Sections also discuss the life and usage of 990 data. With bibliographical references

Informing Lottery Budget Decisions: HOPE and Pre-K

This report address how different allocations of lottery revenue between the Pre-K and HOPE programs might affect the achievement of the objectives of these two programs

Starting young? children’s experiences of trying smoking during pre-adolescence

Although the risks smoking poses to health are now well known, many young people continue to take up the habit. While numerous crosssectional studies of adolescents have identified correlates of smoking initiation, much less prospective, longitudinal research has been conducted with young children to gather their accounts of early experiences of smoking, and this study fills that significant gap. Quantitative and qualitative data, collected using questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, are presented from the pre-adolescent phase of the Liverpool Longitudinal Study of Smoking. By age 11, 27% of the cohort had tried smoking, 13% had smoked repeatedly and 3% were smoking regularly. Rates of experimentation increased over time. Qualitative data revealed that curiosity and the role of peers were central to children’s accounts of early smoking. By preadolescence, children are at different stages in their smoking careers, therefore interventionsmust be targeted to their varied experiences. Current prevention strategies often focus on restricting access to cigarettes, but a broad range of intervention measures is required which take account of the multifactorial nature of smoking onset. To be effective, policies that aim to prevent smoking must be grounded in children’s lived experiences

Estimating Differential Responses to Local Fiscal Conditions: A Mixture Model Analysis

Alternative hypotheses exist regarding the impact of local sales and income taxes on local governments' taxing and spending decisions. One hypothesis is that local governments use sales and income taxes to pay for spending increases and leave property tax collections unchanged, while an equally plausible alternative is that local governments use sales and income taxes to reduce property taxes. Traditional models that restrict the impact of these local taxes to be the same across all local governments are not able to capture both types of behavior. The methodological difficulty lies in allowing for differences in behavior with no a priori information on which cities belong in which category. In this article, the authors use panel data to estimate a mixture model of spending and property tax response to the existence of local taxes. These empirical results provide evidence to support both hypotheses. These differences are both substantive and statistically significant

Enhancing Christian School Experiences for Pre-Service Teachers through Service-Learning Partnerships

The mission of the Teacher Licensure Program at Liberty University is to develop competent professionals with a Christian worldview for Christian, public, and private schools. To be consistent with the mission, classroom experience in both Christian and public schools should be required for each teacher candidate who successfully completes Liberty’s program. One of the challenges in the implementation of the mission has been an inadequate number of field experience placements available in Christian school settings