University of Wisconsin-Madison

About: University of Wisconsin-Madison is a education organization based out in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 108707 authors who have published 237594 publications receiving 11883575 citations.

Cross-National Patterns of Gender Differences in Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis.

Abstract: A gender gap in mathematics achievement persists in some nations but not in others. In light of the underrepresentation of women in careers in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering, increasing research attention is being devoted to understanding gender differences in mathematics achievement, attitudes, and affect. The gender stratification hypothesis maintains that such gender differences are closely related to cultural variations in opportunity structures for girls and women. We meta-analyzed 2 major international data sets, the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Programme for International Student Assessment, representing 493,495 students 14-16 years of age, to estimate the magnitude of gender differences in mathematics achievement, attitudes, and affect across 69 nations throughout the world. Consistent with the gender similarities hypothesis, all of the mean effect sizes in mathematics achievement were very small (d < 0.15); however, national effect sizes showed considerable variability (ds = -0.42 to 0.40). Despite gender similarities in achievement, boys reported more positive math attitudes and affect (ds = 0.10 to 0.33); national effect sizes ranged from d = -0.61 to 0.89. In contrast to those of previous tests of the gender stratification hypothesis, our results point to specific domains of gender equity responsible for gender gaps in math. Gender equity in school enrollment, women's share of research jobs, and women's parliamentary representation were the most powerful predictors of cross-national variability in gender gaps in math. Results are situated within the context of existing research demonstrating apparently paradoxical effects of societal gender equity and highlight the significance of increasing girls' and women's agency cross-nationally.

Magnetodendrimers allow endosomal magnetic labeling and in vivo tracking of stem cells

Abstract: Magnetic resonance (MR) tracking of magnetically labeled stem and progenitor cells is an emerging technology, leading to an urgent need for magnetic probes that can make cells highly magnetic during their normal expansion in culture. We have developed magnetodendrimers as a versatile class of magnetic tags that can efficiently label mammalian cells, including human neural stem cells (NSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), through a nonspecific membrane adsorption process with subsequent intracellular (non-nuclear) localization in endosomes. The superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocomposites have been optimized to exhibit superior magnetic properties and to induce sufficient MR cell contrast at incubated doses as low as 1 microg iron/ml culture medium. When containing between 9 and 14 pg iron/cell, labeled cells exhibit an ex vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation rate (1/T2) as high as 24-39 s-1/mM iron. Labeled cells are unaffected in their viability and proliferating capacity, and labeled human NSCs differentiate normally into neurons. Furthermore, we show here that NSC-derived (and LacZ-transfected), magnetically labeled oligodendroglial progenitors can be readily detected in vivo at least as long as six weeks after transplantation, with an excellent correlation between the obtained MR contrast and staining for beta-galactosidase expression. The availability of magnetodendrimers opens up the possibility of MR tracking of a wide variety of (stem) cell transplants.

Teacher Attrition and Retention: A Meta-Analytic and Narrative Review of the Research:

Abstract: This comprehensive meta-analysis on teacher career trajectories, consisting of 34 studies of 63 attrition moderators, seeks to understand why teaching attrition occurs, or what factors moderate attrition outcomes. Personal characteristics of teachers are important predictors of turnover. Attributes of teachers’ schools, including organizational characteristics, student body composition, and resources (instructional spending and teacher salaries), are also key moderators. The evidence suggests that attrition from teaching is (a) not necessarily “healthy” turnover, (b) influenced by various personal and professional factors that change across teachers’ career paths, (c) more strongly moderated by characteristics of teachers’ work conditions than previously noted in the literature, and (d) a problem that can be addressed through policies and initiatives. Though researchers have utilized a number of national and state databases and have applied economic labor theory to questions related to teacher attrition, ...

Equity incentives and earnings management

Abstract: This paper examines the link between managers' equity incentives—arising from stock‐based compensation and stock ownership—and earnings management. We hypothesize that managers with high equity incentives are more likely to sell shares in the future and this motivates these managers to engage in earnings management to increase the value of the shares to be sold. Using stock‐based compensation and stock ownership data over the 1993–2000 time period, we document that managers with high equity incentives sell more shares in subsequent periods. As expected, we find that managers with high equity incentives are more likely to report earnings that meet or just beat analysts' forecasts. We also find that managers with consistently high equity incentives are less likely to report large positive earnings surprises. This finding is consistent with the wealth of these managers being more sensitive to future stock performance, which leads to increased reserving of current earnings to avoid future earnings disappointm...