Milwaukee Longitudinal School Choice Evaluation: Annual School Testing Summary Report 2010-11

Effective at the start of the 2010-11 school year, 2009 Wisconsin Act 28 requires private schools participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) to administer the state test, the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in reading, mathematics and science to all MPCP pupils in the same grades as public school students tested under Title 1 of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Prior to the 2010-11 school year, 2005 Wisconsin Act 125 required private schools participating in the MPCP to administer a nationally normed standardized test of their choosing annually in reading, mathematics, and science to the MPCP students enrolled in the 4th, 8th, and 10th grades. Schools are currently given the option to continue to administer other nationally normed tests if they wish, in addition to the WKCE. The law further directs MPCP schools to submit copies of the test scores from all tests and examinations administered to their pupils in 2010-11 to the School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP) for processing and reporting to the Legislative Audit Bureau. During the 2010-11 school year, all 102 MPCP schools that were required to administer tests did so and provided the results to the SCDP. Specifically, the SCDP received 10,657 WKCE test scores. Sixty-three schools submitted only the WKCE test scores and the remaining 39 schools submitted both nationally normed tests, such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the WKCE. Five MPCP schools were not required to send in scores as they enrolled no MPCP students in mandatory testing grades

Establishment of pluripotent cell lines from vertebrate species - Present status and future prospects

Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated cell lines derived from early embryos and are capable of unlimited undifferentiated proliferation in vitro. They retain the ability to differentiate into all cell types including germ cells in chimeric animals in vivo, and can be induced to form derivatives of all three germ layers in vitro. Mouse ES cells represent one of the most important tools in genetic research. Major applications include the targeted mutation of specific genes by homologous recombination and the discovery of new genes by gene trap strategies. These applications would be of high interest for other model organisms and also for livestock species, However, in spite of tremendous research activities, no proven ES cells colonizing the germ line have been established for vertebrate species other than mouse a nd chicken thus far. This review summarizes the current status of deriving pluripotent embryonic stem cell lines from vertebrates and recent developments in nuclear transfer technology, which may provide an alternative tool for genetic modification of livestock animals. Copyright (C) 1999 S. Karger AG, Basel

Spin interference in silicon one-dimensional rings

We present the first findings of the spin transistor effect caused by the Rashba gate-controlled ring embedded in the p-type self-assembled silicon quantum well that is prepared on the Si (100) surface. The coherence and phase sensitivity of the spin-dependent transport of holes are studied by varying the value of the external magnetic field and the gate voltage that are perpendicular to the plane of the double-slit ring. Firstly, the quantum scatterers connected to two one-dimensional leads and the quantum point contact inserted in the one of the arms of the double-slit ring are shown to define the amplitude and the phase of the Aharonov-Bohm and the Aharonov-Casher conductance oscillations. Secondly, the amplitude and phase sensitivity of the 0.7 feature of the hole quantum conductance staircase revealed by the quantum point contact inserted are found to result from the interplay of the spontaneous spin polarization and the Rashba spin-orbit interaction.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, presented at the 5th International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, SCES'05, Vienna, Austria, 26-30 July, 200

Accurate quantification of selenoproteins in human plasma/serum by isotope dilution ICP-MS : focus on selenoprotein P

Acknowledgements The research leading to these results was funded by the EMRP Joint Research Project “Metrology for metalloproteins” (HLT-05 2012). The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within EURAMET and the European Union.Peer reviewedPostprin

Assessment of myelination in infants and young children by T1 relaxation time measurements using the magnetization-prepared 2 rapid acquisition gradient echoes sequence

Background: Axonal myelination is an important maturation process in the developing brain. Increasing myelin content correlates with the longitudinal relaxation rate (R1=1/T1) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Objective: By using magnetization-prepared 2 rapid acquisition gradient echoes (MP2RAGE) on a 3-T MRI system, we provide R1 values and myelination rates for infants and young children. Materials and methods: Average R1 values in white and grey matter regions in 94 children without pathological MRI findings (age range: 3 months to 6 years) were measured and fitted by a saturating-exponential growth model. For comparison, R1 values of 36 children with different brain pathologies are presented. The findings were related to a qualitative evaluation using T2, magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MP-RAGE) and MP2RAGE. Results: R1 changes rapidly in the first 16 months of life, then much slower thereafter. R1 is highest in pre-myelinated structures in the youngest subjects, such as the posterior limb of the internal capsule (0.74-0.76 +/- 0.04 s(-1)) and lowest for the corpus callosum (0.37-0.44 +/- 0.03 s(-1)). The myelination rate is fastest in the corpus callosum and slowest in the deep grey matter. R1 is decreased in hypo- and dysmyelination disorders. Myelin maturation is clearly visible on MP2RAGE, especially in the first year of life. Conclusion: MP2RAGE permits a quantitative R1 mapping method with an examination time of approximately 6 min. The age-dependent R1 values for children without MRI-identified brain pathologies are well described by a saturating-exponential function with time constants depending on the investigated brain region. This model can serve as a reference for this age group and to search for indications of subtle pathologies. Moreover, the MP2RAGE sequence can also be used for the qualitative assessment of myelinated structures

Cardiomyocyte Contractile Dysfunction in the APPswe/PS1dE9 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Ample clinical and experimental evidence indicated that patients with Alzheimer's disease display a high incidence of cardiovascular events. This study was designed to examine myocardial histology, cardiomyocyte shortening, intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and regulatory proteins, electrocardiogram, adrenergic response, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and protein carbonyl formation in C57 wild-type (WT) mice and an APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic (APP/PS1) model for Alzheimer's disease.Cardiomyocyte mechanical properties were evaluated including peak shortening (PS), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-relengthening (TR), maximal velocity of shortening and relengthening (+/-dL/dt), intracellular Ca(2+) transient rise and decay.Little histological changes were observed in APP/PS1 myocardium. Cardiomyocytes from APP/PS1 but not APP or PS1 single mutation mice exhibited depressed PS, reduced+/-dL/dt, normal TPS and TR compared with WT mice(.) Rise in intracellular Ca(2+) was lower accompanied by unchanged resting/peak intracellular Ca(2+) levels and intracellular Ca(2+) decay in APP/PS1 mice. Cardiomyocytes from APP/PS1 mice exhibited a steeper decline in PS at high frequencies. The responsiveness to adrenergic agonists was dampened although beta(1)-adrenergic receptor expression was unchanged in APP/PS1 hearts. Expression of the Ca(2+) regulatory protein phospholamban and protein carbonyl formation were downregulated and elevated, respectively, associated with unchanged SERCA2a, Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger and ER stress markers in APP/PS1 hearts. Our further study revealed that antioxidant N-acetylcysteine attenuated the contractile dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice.Our results depicted overt cardiomyocyte mechanical dysfunction in the APP/PS1 Alzheimer's disease model, possibly due to oxidative stress

Monetary Transmission in Hungary

The Hungarian Monetary Transmission Mechanism research project was expected to fill the gaps in our knowledge. Almost fifteen years after the beginning of the Hungarian transition to a market economy, we felt that the time has come to launch a comprehensive research project with the purpose of obtaining an understanding based on more solid econometric results. Our project was also motivated by the Monetary Transmission Network in the Eurosystem, which gave us the opportunity to compare the Hungarian transmission mechanism to that of the euro area. It took almost three years for the colleagues at the Bank's economics department to explore the most important areas of the transmission mechanism. The research faced several challenges. The data used for estimation are still not completely satisfactory. Moreover, the framework of monetary policy, as well as some structural features of the Hungarian economy have changed during the period under investigation. Moreover, the special characteristics of our economy required a focus somewhat different from what is usual in the literature. Due to the uneven information available regarding the various sectors and markets, it was clear from the beginning that some areas would have to receive only limited coverage, rendering the synthesis of individual results difficult. Despite these shortcomings, the empirical work presented in this volume allows us to gain a better understanding of the Hungarian monetary transmission mechanism and has thus served its stated objective well. The benefits of the project are threefold. First, it confirms our assumption about the primacy of the exchange rate channel in Hungary's small open economy. Second, there are some interesting results that may alter our thinking about how the monetary transmission works. For example, we obtained a refined and – at least compared to earlier beliefs – slightly different picture about the way consumption and investments react to monetary policy actions . Third, it brought to the fore important areas where our knowledge is far from being satisfactory. This recognition calls for further research in order to strengthen the theoretical underpinnings of our monetary policy actions. Such areas are, for example, the labour market and credit markets. We also need a deeper understanding of the factors at work determining the exchange rate. This volume collects the papers written by the project participants. The volume is structured as follows. Studies dealing with the first stages of the transmission mechanism, i.e. how the monetary policy actions are transmitted to financial markets and asset prices, are presented first. They are followed by papers estimating the macroeconomic effects of monetary policy and the behavior of aggregate demand. The last study in the volume tries to assess the potential consequences on the transmission mechanism of joining the eurozone.monetary transmission, Hungary, interest rate pass-through, monetary policy shock, exchange rate smoothing, bank-lending, structural VAR, aggregate demand, investment behavior, euro.