The impact of technology use and teacher professional development on U.S. national assessment of educational progress (NAEP) mathematics achievement

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of technology use and teacher professional development on students’ mathematics academic achievement. The U.S. Department of Education National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) published results for mathematics assessments for Grade 4 from the years 2005–2015 served as the dependent variable. Specific items related to technology use and professional development selected from both student and mathematics teacher questionnaires served as the independent variables. The Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) was used as a framework to guide this research. Data analyses revealed significant differences across multiple variables and multiple years.     

Development of a magnetic immunosorbent for on-chip preconcentration of amyloid β isoforms: Representatives of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers

Determination of amyloid β (Aβ) isoforms and in particular the proportion of the Aβ 1-42 isoform in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients suspected of Alzheimer's disease might help in early diagnosis and treatment of that illness. Due to the low concentration of Aβ peptides in biological fluids, a preconcentration step prior to the detection step is often necessary. This study utilized on-chip immunoprecipitation, known as micro-immunoprecipitation (μIP). The technique uses an immunosorbent (IS) consisting of magnetic beads coated with specific anti-Aβ antibodies organized into an affinity microcolumn by a magnetic field. Our goal was to thoroughly describe the critical steps in developing the IS, such as selecting the proper beads and anti-Aβ antibodies, as well as optimizing the immobilization technique and μIP protocol. The latter includes selecting optimal elution conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the efficiency of anti-Aβ IS for μIP and specific capture of 5 Aβ peptides under optimized conditions using various subsequent analytical methods, including matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), capillary electrophoresis, microchip electrophoresis, and immunoblotting. Synthetic Aβ peptides samples prepared in buffer and spiked in human CSF were analyzed. Finally, on-chip immunoprecipitation of Aβ peptides in human CSF sample was performed.     

How to design the master data architecture: Findings from a case study at Bosch

Master data management (MDM) is a topic of increasing prominence both in the scientific and in the practitioners’ information systems (IS) community. As a prerequisite for meeting strategic business requirements, such as compliance with regulations, business integration, or integrated customer management, MDM comprises numerous activities. One of the central activities is designing and maintaining the master data architecture. Interestingly, though, the scientific community has remained almost silent with regard to the question as to how companies should proceed when designing the master data architecture. In order to shed light on this unexplored topic, the paper at hand presents the findings of a case study at Bosch Group. The case study shows that designing the master data architecture is a multidimensional task which requires balancing the interests of various organizational stakeholders, managing an array of technical opportunities, and meeting requirements of numerous master data classes. Also, the case study suggests that taking advantage of architectural design patterns may be an appropriate way to adequately address the complexity of the task.     

An integrated microfluidic chip for immunocapture,preconcentration and separation of β-amyloid peptides

We present an integrated microfluidic chip for detection of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides. Aβ peptides are major biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer''s disease (AD) in its early stages. This microfluidic device consists of three main parts: (1) An immunocapture microcolumn based on self-assembled magnetic beads coated with antibodies specific to Aβ peptides, (2) a nano-porous membrane made of photopolymerized hydrogel for preconcentration, and (3) a microchip electrophoresis (MCE) channel with fluorescent detection. Sub-milliliter sample volume is either mixed off-chip with antibody coated magnetic beads and injected into the device or is injected into an already self-assembled column of magnetic beads in the microchannel. The captured peptides on the beads are then electrokinetically eluted and re-concentrated onto the nano-membrane in a few nano-liters. By integrating the nano-membrane, total assay time was reduced and also off-chip re-concentration or buffer exchange steps were not needed. Finally, the concentrated peptides in the chip are separated by electrophoresis in a polymer-based matrix. The device was applied to the capture and MCE analysis of differently truncated peptides Aβ (1–37, 1–39, 1–40, and 1–42) and was able to detect as low as 25 ng of synthetic Aβ peptides spiked in undiluted cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The device was also tested with CSF samples from healthy donors. CSF samples were fluorescently labelled and pre-mixed with the magnetic beads and injected into the device. The results indicated that Aβ1-40, an important biomarker for distinguishing patients with frontotemporal lobe dementia from controls and AD patients, was detectable. Although the sensitivity of this device is not yet enough to detect all Aβ subtypes in CSF, this is the first report on an integrated or semi-integrated device for capturing and analyzing of differently truncated Aβ peptides. The method is less demanding and faster than the conventional Western blotting method currently used for research.     

Do financial constraints hold back innovation and growth?: Evidence on the role of public policy

This paper provides evidence that capital-market imperfections hold back innovation and growth, and that public policy can complement capital markets. We deliver the evidence by studying the effects of government funding on the behavior of SMEs in Finland. By adapting the methodology recently proposed by Rajan and Zingales [Rajan, R.G., Zingales, L., 1998. Financial dependence and growth. American Economic Review 88, pp. 559-587] to firm-level data, we show that government funding disproportionately helps firms from industries that are dependent on external finance. We demonstrate that the result is economically significant and robust to a variety of tests.