Assessing the Barriers to Universal Antiretroviral Treatment Access for HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Caveolae are a type of invaginated membrane domain that has been shown to be involved in several disease states, including lipodystrophy, muscular dystrophies and cancer. Several of these diseases are caused by the lack of caveolae or caveolae-related signaling deficiencies in the tissues in which the caveolar domain are abundant such as lung, adipose, muscle and their related endothelial cells. Caveolae are formed through the assembly of the membrane inserted protein caveolin, cholesterol and the recently described family of cavin proteins, which together form the caveolae coat. The work in this thesis focuses on understanding the protein components and mechanisms that control the biogenesis and dynamics of caveolae. We have found that the protein EHD2 is an important regulator and stabilizer of the caveolar domain at the cell membrane. EHD2 is a dimeric ATPase known to oligomerize into ring-like structures around lipid membranes to control their shape. We have characterized the domain interactions involved in the specific targeting and assembly of this protein at caveolae. We propose a stringent regulatory mechanism for the assembly of EHD2 involving ATP binding and switching of the EH domain position to release the N-terminus and facilitate oligomerization in the presence of membrane species. We show that loss of EHD2 in cells results in hyper- dynamic caveolae and that caveolae stability at the membrane can be restored by reintroducing EHD2 into these cells. In a study of the protein cavin-3, which is known to be an integral component of the caveolar coat, we showed that this protein is targeted to caveolae via direct binding to the caveolar core protein caveolin1. Furthermore, we show that cavin-3 is enriched at deeply invaginated caveolae and regulate the duration time of caveolae at the cell surface. In combination with a biochemical and cellbiological approach, the advanced fluorescence microscopy techniques, like Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP), Total Internal Reflection microscopy (TIRF), combined with correlative Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) have allowed us to characterize distinct caveolae-associated proteins and their respective functions at caveolae

The Interdependence of School Outcomes and School and Neighborhood Crime

In this paper, we estimate the effects of neighborhood crime and in-school crime on educational outcomes for elementary and secondary schools in the city of Atlanta over the period 1999 to 2002. We specify a model that accounts for the joint determination of both types of crime along with school outcomes. Despite the large empirical literature on both education production functions and crime incidence, there has been little empirical work on crime's effect on school outcomes. One exception is Grogger (1997) who used individual data from the High School and Beyond study to estimate the effect of school violence on measures of individual student performance. After controlling for individual and school characteristics, he found that moderate and severe levels of school violence had substantial negative consequences for school outcomes. Our study both updates and expands on his work, using current data and better measures of neighborhood violence. Working Paper 07-1

On the pulse of change: the new beat of special education in higher education

The roles and responsibilities of special educators in both special and regular school settings are changing rapidly. More than two decades ago the move towards more inclusive practices disrupted the traditional, niche separatism of special educators to the extent that they are now an integral part of the regular school teaching staff. Today the broad agenda to facilitate access and participation for all students in education, not just students with disabilities, influences the roles and responsibilities of special educators. This article briefly identifies some of the generic pulses that are moving the special education profession from a focus on low incidence disabilities towards a more comprehensive approach to inclusion, school responsiveness and individualised learning pathways. From the foundation of inclusive practice, this paper will describe how a qualitative study was used to understand the changing roles and responsibilities of special educators. A case study analysis of 17 schools formed the basis of the investigation. Principals, lead teachers in special education and special education teachers were asked to identify trends and priorities in special education and also to identify rewards and challenges in their jobs. Further cross referencing with teacher and special educator standards, a focus group, a stakeholder group and research in the field increased the opportunity for academics and special educators to critically reflect on the emerging demands placed on special educators and the attributes that are needed to be professionally effective

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

Revenue Losses from Exemptions of Goods from the Georgia Sales and Use Tax

This report provides estimates of the revenue loss from sales tax exemptions. FRC Report 13

Georgia Agricultural Water Use Metering Program: Using Results To Benefit Farmers And The State

In their adoption of HB 579, the apparent legislative intent was to obtain clear and accurate information on the patterns and amounts of such use, which information is essential to proper management of water resources by the state and useful to farmers for improving efficiency and effectiveness of their use of water. As a part of their charge to implement this program of measuring agricultural water use, GSWCC is required to read metering devices annually, and to compile and report findings.This paper suggests approaches that might be used by the GSWCC in responding to these legislative mandates. Using data drawn from meters installed during the meter installation program's first year -- 2004 -- examples are given for types of summary statistics that might serve the GSWCC's interests in using metering data for purposes that support their more general mission of assisting farmers in their efforts to improve the management and conservation of land and water resources. We also suggest the structure of an analytical model that can be used to several important purposes, most important among which are to explore primary determinants of water use in the agricultural sector, and to assess the effectiveness of public policies in improving water use efficiency. While the peculiarities of hydrological conditions in 2004, coupled with expected data problems during the meter installation program's initial year of operation, does not allow for meaningful applications of the model when 2004 data are used, we suggest that it will play its intended role for data analyses in future years as improved data become available from the metering program.Finally, we describe a program that we are in the process of developing that will carry results from the metering program directly to the farmer in ways that should be useful to him or her in efforts to optimally manage land and water resources. This program will involve making available to farmers a secure, on-line means for accessing data, and an ability to compare their individual performance (in terms of such measures as yields and water use) with average performance measures from farms with similar characteristics. Working Paper Number 2005-00

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

Land Grant Application- Walker, John (Livermore)

Land grant application submitted to the Maine Land Office on behalf of John Walker for service in the Revolutionary War, by their widow Mary.https://digitalmaine.com/revolutionary_war_me_land_office/1928/thumbnail.jp

Social networking sites, body image and well-being : the roles of social comparison and compassion

This portfolio thesis comprises three parts: a systematic literature review, a quantitative empirical paper and supporting appendices.Part One is a systematic review of the literature regarding the role that social comparison plays in the relationship of social networking site use and wellbeing. This review builds upon evidence suggesting that social network site use impacts positively and negatively upon well-being, aiming to understand possible underlying processes.The psychological impacts of social comparison on social networking sites are also considered in the empirical investigation presented in the paper in Part Two. The empirical study focuses specifically upon appearance comparisons made when using social networking sites and considers the impacts upon body satisfaction. Furthermore, the empirical paper considers whether compassion is protective against the negative impacts on body image of appearance comparison when social networking. The empirical study used quantitative methodology and questionnaire data from social network site users to explore these relationships.Part Three comprises of appendices, including reflective and epistemological statements