The effects of school reform under NCLB waivers: Evidence from focus schools in Kentucky.

Under waivers to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the federal government required states to identify schools where targeted subgroups of students have the lowest achievement and to implement reforms in these “Focus Schools.” In this study, we examine the Focus School reforms in the state of Kentucky. The reforms in this state are uniquely interesting for several reasons. One is that the state developed unusually explicit guidance for Focus Schools centered on a comprehensive school-planning process. Second, the state identified Focus Schools using a “super subgroup” measure that combined traditionally low-performing subgroups into an umbrella group. This design feature may have catalyzed broader whole-school reforms and attenuated the incentives to target reform efforts narrowly. Using regression discontinuity designs, we find that these reforms led to substantial improvements in school performance, raising math achievement by 17 percent and reading achievement by 9 percent

Mechanisms Controlling the Unique Phenotype of Brain Endothelium

Endothelial cells from different tissues differ widely in the expression of junctional proteins like occludin and transporters like the transferrin receptor. The mechanism(s) responsible for the differential expression of these proteins is not known. In this project we have studied how the occludin promoter interacts with nuclear transcription factors (TFs) from brain and non-brain endothelium. EMSA data indicates the TFs Sp1, Sp3 and YY1 are responsible for the specific binding to the occludin promoter in hCMEC/D3 cells, a transformed brain endothelial cell line. Using ChIP assays, we confirmed the interaction between these three transcription factors and DNA as these complexes were active in live cultured cells from transformed and primary brain endothelium. We investigated the expression and localisation of Sp1, Sp3 and YY1 in these cells and compared with lung endothelial cells and report the specific association of the TFs Sp3 and YY1 in brain endothelium which is absent in non brain endothelium. In addition, we have compared the activity of the occludin promoter in hCMEC/D3 cell to that in primary human dermal and lung endothelial cells by transfection with reporter vectors under the control of the full length and fragments of the occludin promoter. Our work identifies a group of transcription factors present in brain endothelium which may regulate the expression of the tight junction protein occludin. We propose a model whereby the TF Sp3 is necessary for the transcription of the occludin promoter in brain endothelium and YY1 negatively regulates promoter activity in non-brain endothelium by controlling access of Sp3 to the initiation sites on the occludin promoter

Drought and oxidative stress

Drought, a natural stress factor has the highest percentage with 26%, when the usable areas on the earth are classified in view of stress factors. Biotic and abiotic stress factors may cause yield loss in plants and affect human and animal nutrition. Amount of lacking yield due to biotic and abiotic stress factors ranged between 65 and 87%. The best option for crop production, yield improvement and yield stability under soil moisture deficient conditions is to develop drought tolerant crop varieties (Siddique et al., 2000). A physiological approach would be the most attractive way to develop new varieties rapidly. Only few studies highlighted the importance of antioxidant enzymes during drought stress. The antioxidant defenses appear to provide crucial protection against oxidative damage in cellular membranes and organelles in plants grown under unfavorable conditions. Thus, plants are equipped with complex and a highly efficient antioxidative defense system which can respond and adapt to drought stress. This system is composed of protective nonenzymatic and enzymatic protection mechanisms. They interrupt the uncontrolled oxidation and serve to maintain the antioxidants in their reduced functional state, that efficiently scavenge ROS (reactive oxygen species) and prevent damaging effects of free radicals. Balance at aerobic metabolism is defined as free radical generation and rapid removal by antioxidant systems. The structure of cells and functional changes of systems, may be damaged by the formation of irreversible oxidative stress. Redox signalling and antioxidative defense systems are very important for protection towards uncontrolled and cascade damage of biotic and abiotic stress factors. In this review, drought, drought types and antioxidative defense system components will be discussed.Key words: Antioxidative defense system, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, drought types, glutathione reductase, oxidative stress, superoxide dismutase

Testing Methods to Enhance Longevity Awareness

Many people have only a vague notion of the concept of life expectancy and the longevity risk they face at older ages, which in turn implies that they are likely to undersave for retirement. This paper employs an online experiment to investigate alternative ways to describe both life expectancy and longevity risk, with the goal of assessing whether these can raise peoples’ awareness of possible retirement shortfalls. We also evaluate whether providing this information promotes interest in saving activity and demand for longevity insurance products. We find that providing longevity risk information impacts respondents’ subjective survival probabilities, while simply describing average life expectancy does not. Yet providing life expectancy or longevity information significantly affects financial decisions, mostly regarding annuitization. Interestingly, we also find that merely prompting people to think about financial decisions changes their perceptions regarding subjective survival probabilities

Longevity Perceptions and Saving Decisions During the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Experimental Investigation

We experimentally study individuals’ perceptions about and advice to others regarding retirement savings and annuitization during the pandemic. Many people recommend that others save more for retirement, but those most affected by the pandemic tell others to save and annuitize less. We investigate two possible channels for this result and show that the pandemic does not substantially alter optimism regarding survival probabilities. Hence, we conclude that economic factors are driving our results. Consequently, some financial ramifications of the COVID-19 outbreak are yet to be revealed, as the pandemic is having longer-term effects on peoples’ willingness to save and annuitize

Acute Presentation of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Requiring Damage Control Laparotomy in an Adult Patient

Congenital diaphragmatic hernias constitute an infrequent but potentially serious presentation of bowel obstruction in the adult patient. Herein, we present a rare case of an adult patient with strangulation of colon within a Morgagni\u27s hernia where timely recognition and intervention were life-saving. An 18-year-old female presented with an acute abdomen, respiratory failure, and shock secondary to a strangulated, previously undiagnosed Morgagni hernia requiring emergency laparotomy, reduction of hernia contents and resection of non-viable colon. The patient underwent repair of the hernia with restoration of bowel continuity and reconstruction of her abdominal wall in sequential fashion. Although congenital diaphragmatic hernias have been previously described in the adult population, there are few if any reports of such pathology presenting in such an acute, life-threatening fashion. This case highlights the importance of a high index of suspicion, early recognition, and timely surgical intervention for this rare, potentially fatal condition