  The transmission through a magnetic layer of correlated electrons sandwiched
between non-interacting normal-metal leads is studied within model
calculations. We consider the linear regime in the framework of the
Meir-Wingreen formalism, according to which the transmission can be interpreted
as the overlap of the spectral function of the surface layer of the leads with
that of the central region. By analyzing these spectral functions, we show that
a change of the coupling parameter between the leads and the central region
significantly and non-trivially affects the conductance. The role of band
structure effects for the transmission is clarified. For a strong coupling
between the leads and the central layer, high-intensity localized states are
formed outside the overlapping bands, while for weaker coupling this
high-intensity spectral weight is formed within the leads' continuum band
around the Fermi energy. A local Coulomb interaction in the central region
modifies the high-intensity states, and hence the transmission. For the present
setup, the major effect of the local interaction consists in shifts of the band
structure, since any sharp features are weakened due to the macroscopic
extension of the configuration in the directions perpendicular to the transport
direction.
