Red Tides in Inshore and Offshore Casco Bay and Their Relationship to Local and Gulf of Maine Physical and Biological Conditions

The objective of this report focuses on the secondary goal of the overall program – to develop a better understanding of A. fundyense bloom dynamics in Casco Bay – by examining bloom origin and development (outside Casco Bay, within Casco Bay or both) and correlations between water quality data, location, and bloom intensity. We analyzed the IPSP monitoring program 2006-2008 data to characterize the blooms (spatially and temporally), and examine correlations between water quality, toxicity and A. fundyense data. Using the IPSP data along with data from other studies, we have examined the role of local and regional physical and biological factors in the larger Gulf of Maine and their potential impact on the onset and temporal and spatial extent of red tide blooms in Casco Bay. We have also examined the role of nutrient availability in the spatial and temporal extent of Casco Bay blooms

HUD's Response to Hurricane Katrina

This report discusses the response of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to Hurricane Katrina

Spending by the Major Charter Management Organizations: Comparing Charter School and Local Public District Financial Resources

Policymakers have long pursued more cost-effective, scalable alternatives for delivering elementary and secondary education. The elusive goal is identifying how to reform educational systems so that children will consistently achieve more academically—at a lesser cost. A frequently heard reform claim of this sort is that charter schools deliver higher performance at a lower cost. While the test score side of this question has been addressed by a great number of studies (with generally mixed findings), the cost side of the question has received far less attention. This study evaluates the cost claim by comparing the per-pupil spending of charter schools operated by major charter management organizations (CMOs) in New York City, Texas and Ohio with district schools. In each context, we assemble three-year panel data sets including information on school level spending per pupil, school size, grade ranges and student populations served for both charter schools and district schools. For charter schools we use both government (and authorizer) reports of spending, and spending as reported on IRS non-profit financial filings (IRS 990). We compare the spending of charters to that of district schools of similar size, serving the same grade levels and similar student populations. Overall, charter spending variation is large as is the spending of traditional public schools. Comparative spending between the two sectors is mixed, with many high-profile charter network schools outspending similar district schools in New York City and Texas, but other charter network schools spending less than similar district schools, particularly in Ohio. We find that in New York City, KIPP, Achievement First and Uncommon Schools charter schools spend substantially more ($2,000 to$4,300 per pupil) than similar district schools. Given that the average spending per pupil was around $12,000 to$14,000 citywide, a nearly $4,000 difference in spending amounts to an increase of some 30%. In Ohio, charters across the board spend less than district schools in the same city. And in Texas, some charter chains such as KIPP spend substantially more per pupil than district schools in the same city and serving similar populations, around 30 to 50% more in some cities (and at the middle school level) based on state reported current expenditures, and 50 to 100% more based on IRS filings. Even in New York where we have the highest degree of confidence in the match between our IRS data and Annual Financial Report Data, we remain unconvinced that we are accounting fully for all charter school expenditures

Cathepsin K Deficiency Reduces Elastase Perfusion-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Mice

Objective: Cathepsin K (CatK) is one of the most potent mammalian elastases. We have previously shown increased expression of CatK in human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) lesions. Whether this protease participates directly in AAA formation, however, remains unknown. Methods and Results: Mouse experimental AAA was induced with aortic perfusion of a porcine pancreatic elastase. Using this experimental model, we demonstrated that absence of CatK prevented AAA formation in mice 14 days postperfusion. CatK deficiency significantly reduced lesion CD4 T-cell content, total lesion and medial cell proliferation and apoptosis, medial smooth muscle cell (SMC) loss, elastinolytic CatL and CatS expression, and elastin fragmentation, but it did not affect AAA lesion Mac-3 macrophage accumulation or CD31 microvessel numbers. In vitro studies revealed that CatK contributed importantly to CD4 T-cell proliferation, SMC apoptosis, and other cysteinyl cathepsin and matrix metalloproteinase expression and activities in SMCs and endothelial cells but played negligible roles in microvessel growth and monocyte migration. AAA lesions from CatK-deficient mice showed reduced elastinolytic cathepsin activities compared with those from wild-type control mice. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that CatK plays an essential role in AAA formation by promoting T-cell proliferation, vascular SMC apoptosis, and elastin degradation and by affecting vascular cell protease expression and activities.Other Research Uni

109th Congress

This report discusses the budget request for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which would be a decrease of $2.8 billion, or almost 9%, from FY2005

Differential impact of two risk communications on antipsychotic prescribing to people with dementia in Scotland: segmented regression time series analysis 2001-2011

The two risk communications were associated with reductions in antipsychotic use, in ways which were compatible with marked differences in their content and dissemination. Further research is needed to ensure that the content and dissemination of regulatory risk communications is optimal, and to track their impact on intended and unintended outcomes. Although rates are falling, antipsychotic prescribing in dementia in Scotland remains unacceptably hig

Can a Code of Ethics Improve Manager Behavior and Investor Confidence? An Experimental Study

Policy makers and corporations have recently emphasized a code of ethics as an effective aspect of corporate governance. The corporate governance literature in accounting, however, provides little empirical or theoretical support for this emphasis. We address this gap between public policy and the literature by studying the effectiveness of a code of ethics in an experimental setting. Using Bicchieri\u27s (2006) model of social norm activation, we predict that a code of ethics will improve manager return behavior and investor confidence to the extent that it activates social norms that control opportunistic behavior. Further, we predict that adding a certification choice whereby the manager can publicly certify that he will adhere to the code will enhance the potential for the code of ethics to activate such norms. We find that a code of ethics only improves manager return behavior and investor confidence when the code incorporates a public certification choice by the manager. When the code is present but there is no certification choice, manager return behavior does not improve and investor confidence erodes over time because of increased expectations that are not met by managers. An analysis of individual return decisions and exit questionnaire responses supports the activation of social norms as the underlying mechanism behind our results