The purpose of this study was to determine if the intervention of attending public school pre-kindergarten reflected an impact on student achievement as measured by third grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) considering gender, English language learner status, socio-economic status, and the language of the test. To determine this impact, the performance of third grade students who attended prekindergarten in 10 selected elementary schools in San Antonio was compared to students in these same schools who did not attend pre-kindergarten. Quantitative techniques and analyses were used to illustrate data collected from the research sample. A t-test for independent means was used for Research Questions #1 and #2. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) procedure was also used to analyze the data as a function of gender, English language learner status, socio-economic status, and the language of the test in Research Question #3. Findings in the study included the following: 1. There was statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS reading scores among the students who attended pre-kindergarten. 2. There was statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS math scores among the students who attended pre-kindergarten. 3. There was no statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS reading or math among the students who attended or did not attend pre-kindergarten based on gender, socio-economic, English language learner status, and the language of the test.

In recent years, HVAC systems of commercial buildings imposed heavy load on power demand, especially during summertime on-peak periods. The HVAC power consumption of commercial buildings usually accounts for 40% of total which indicated huge potential for energy-savings if proper operation strategies can be implemented. In this research, three different operational strategies were studied in an attempt to conserve energy, namely: the Night Purge, Free Cooling,and Pre-cooling. They were simulated , under the local weather conditions, and then validated with full-scale experiments.The experimental results indicated that significant load-shifting effect can be experienced, which also warranted good engineering application potentials when coupled with other HVAC energy-savings operation strategies.

The analysis of the large-scale international multi-sports event and city development¡Ðtaking the 2009 World Games pre-events as examples. Since winning the right to host the 2009 World Games in June 2004, Taiwan has been making numerous preparations for the big event. During the preparation period, intense preparations and the support of human resource as well as material resource are essential. However, Taiwan is currently lacking of experienced organizations on hosting large-scale international sports events and un-unified affair right. The promotion of the central policy rarely takes into account the diverse local public opinion over an extended period of time, which causes the inappropriate resource allocation for local development. The preparation is full of difficulties because the central and local resources could not bring out the full beneficial result. This research aims to analyze the 2009 World Games pre-events by using the data and literature review analysis. It does not only improve the hardware and software of city¡¦s structure. It also offers the opportunity for citizens to interact with various cultures. The most important thing is increasing the centripetal force of the people in a short time and promoting Taiwan into the international stage. The key factor is the marketing tactics brought out by the sports event, which expresses concretely the cultural integration, united harmony and state consciousness of Taiwan. The marketing tactics brought out by sports event pushes the rapid development of the city appearance, creative and artistic livelihood, and sustainable environment and tourism industries. We hope to drive the economic development by hosting large-scale sports event. Our goal is to promote the city and show the vitality of entire city. The global participative sports event will bring the long-term benefit for the city economy. Kaohsiung should work harder in the future, striving actively for the right to host international event which helps internationalize the city, expand commercial possibilities, and gain people recognition.

Inaug.-Diss.--Erlangen. / "Literatur": p. 70-72.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF) is an erythroid specific transcription factor that binds to the proximal [beta]-globin gene promoter and is essential for high level expression. In addition, EKLF binds to the far upstream enhancer commonly referred to as the Locus Control Region (LCR). The nature of these two events, their relationship to other events at the multigene [beta]-globin locus and the precise and required interaction of these cis-acting sequences remains unclear. Equally, the mode of action ofEKLF at other erythroid-specific gene loci that are not regulated by an LCR has not yet been reported. These targets include chaperones, membrane-bound proteins, and enzymes of the heme biosynthesis pathway that are essential for red blood cell function. To elucidate the role of EKLF at the multigene locus, and at other erythroid genes, we monitored the temporal EKLF-directed events across the [beta]-globin locus, at the AHSP and Dematin as well as the ALAD promoter using a unique 4-0H-Tamoxifen EKLF-inducible erythroid cell line (JH31), developed in the laboratory, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies, and DNasel hypersensitivity assays. We demonstrate here that EKLF is not required for priming of the [beta]-globin locus for expression. However, EKLF is essential for maximal erythroid factor occupancy, recruitment of chromatin-modifying enzymes, and effective recruitment of the RNA Polymerase II complex. We show that EKLF recruits these complexes first to the LCR prior to the [beta]-globin promoter, suggesting that the LCR serves as a docking element. Finally we provide evidence that the LCR/promoter interacting factor, Ldb-l, is recruited to the [beta]-promoter in an EKLF-dependent manner. We extend our observations to several EKLF-regulated genes outside the [beta]-globin cluster, demonstrating not only the kinetics of transcriptional activation, but also a previously unknown mechanism of chromatin remodeling that implicates histone eviction. Finally, we report a discrepancy between the roles of the histone acetyltransferases CBP and p300 at EKLF target gene promoters, challenging conservative notions of basic transcriptional events. Together, our observations deepen our understanding of the mechanisms of action of EKLF, and provide a platform for additional studies.

The human mitochondrial polymerase (pol γ) is a nuclearly-encoded polymerase that is solely responsible for the faithful replication and repair of the mitochondrial genome. The Y955C mutation in pol γ results in early onset progressive external ophthalmoplegia, premature ovarian failure, and Parkinson’s disease. It is believed that the position of this Y955 residue on the catalytic helix in the polymerase makes it responsible for stabilizing the incoming nucleotide. I have investigated the kinetic effect of the Y955C mutation. Mutation of the tyrosine to a cysteine resulted in a decreased maximum rate of polymerization and increased the dissociation constant for incoming nucleotide. In turn, this decreased catalytic efficiency by 30 to 100-fold. In addition, the polymerase did not incorporate all bases with the same efficiency, it was most efficient when incorporating dGTP opposite a dC, but showed less efficient catalysis when faced with an A:T or T:A base-pair. The polymerase also showed reduced discrimination against misincorporation events. However, when presented with an oxidatively-damaged base, 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine, the polymerase chose to incorporate the base in the correct conformation opposite a dC, discriminating against the mutagenic incorporation of 8-oxo-dGTP opposite a dA. The results presented in this thesis suggest that the severe clinical symptoms of patients with this mutation are at least due in part to the reduced efficiency and discrimination of this polymerase γ mutation. / text

Dietary factors in early life (infant feeding practices and timing of introduction of solid foods) are the most potentially modifiable early life exposures associated with childhood growth, as compared to genetic determinants, co-morbidity, and other environmental influences. Yet, studies assessing the association of infant feeding with growth may be limited by out-of-date data and unable to compare results due to inconsistent definitions of infant feeding practices. Mixed feeding (i.e. breast and bottle feeding) calls for special attention due to the reality of mothers returning to work after childbirth in the US. This report used data from the National Children’s Study Formative Research in Physical Measurements. A discovery set of 300 participants were selected by ethnicity from the sample available when this report was developed. This report emphasized statistical methods as well as data pre-processing, which are critical but typically under-studied. This report is intended to contribute towards closing this gap by describing a study from design, data pre-processing, to analysis. Results showed that non-Hispanic Black children had the lowest rates of ever and exclusively breastfeeding, compared to Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites. Mothers aged 30 years and over, married, and educated above the high school level exclusively breastfed more than other mothers. Mixed feeding was categorized into three and five subgroups according to maternal recalls of the extent or frequency of breast/formula-feeding and compared by mean durations of breast/formula-feeding. Mixed feeding groups may provide unique opportunities to assess the relationship between mixed feeding versus exclusively breast/formula-feeding and childhood linear growth in the author’s dissertation. The percentage of children who were breastfed less than 6 months differed from those breastfed more than 6 months by ethnicity, child’s birthweight, gestational age, maternal age at childbirth, education level, and marital status, which suggests 6 months as a reasonable cut-off for breastfeeding categorization. Children of low birthweight and born preterm were introduced to solid foods later than those of normal/high birthweight and those born on time/postterm, even after adjusting for ethnicity. Analyses on a re-test set will be performed and compared to this discovery set in the author’s dissertation. / text

State-funded voluntary pre-K programs have grown steadily over the past decade and now enroll 1.3 million children (Barnett, Carolan, Fitzgerald, J., & Squires, 2012). While the overall trend has been to increase participation in state funded Pre-K, access in most states is targeted to select groups of at-risk 4-year-olds. Unfortunately, targeted programs for disadvantaged children tend to underserve their targeted populations with respect to availability and quality (Gelbach & Pritchett, 2002). In light of this, Pre-K advocates have begun pushing for universal Pre-K. However, only six states offer universal-prekindergarten, and with varying degrees of success. In this environment of modest state funding for Pre-K, the state of Oklahoma has managed to rise to the forefront of the universal Pre-K movement. That a high-quality Pre-K system exists in a conservative state is a very curious case and provides an opportunity for a thorough examination of the political processes. This study seeks not only to explain the development and passage of universal Pre-K in Oklahoma, but to also understand what lessons can be taken from a historical analysis of this issue for contemporary education policy. / text

This article responds to the rapid urbanisation of sub-Saharan Africa. It laments the loss and deterioration of its pre-colonial urban artefacts due to neglect and even war, and pleads for their conservation and the recognition of relevant characteristics as contemporary urban solutions. Part one outlines the conceptual framework and highlights four theoretical considerations pertaining to definitions, preconceptions, methodology and sources of information. Part two contextualises the origins and nature of African urbanism with a brief historical perspective. Part three analyses the morphology of urban space, while part four concludes by discussing some seemingly intrinsic urban characteristics and their compatibility with current urban theories.