2,323 research outputs found
Sex differences in Cognitive Abilities Test scores: a UK national picture
No full textBackground and aims. There is uncertainty about the extent or even existence of sex differences in the mean and variability of reasoning test scores ( Jensen, 1998; Lynn, 1994, ; Mackintosh, 1996). This paper analyses the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) scores of a large and representative sample of UK pupils to determine the extent of any sex differences.
Sample. A nationally representative UK sample of over 320,000 school pupils aged 11-12 years was assessed on the CAT (third edition) between September 2001 and August 2003. The CAT includes separate nationally standardized tests for verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal reasoning. The size and recency of the sample is unprecedented in research on this issue.
Methods. The sheer size of the sample ensures that any sex difference will achieve statistical significance. Therefore, effect sizes (d) and variance ratios (VR) are employed to evaluate the magnitude of sex differences in mean scores and in score variability, respectively.
Results. The mean verbal reasoning score for girls was 2.2 standard score points higher than the mean for boys, but only 0.3 standard points in favour of girls for non-verbal reasoning (NVR), and 0.7 points in favour of boys for quantitative reasoning (QR). However, for all three tests there were substantial sex differences in the standard deviation of scores, with greater variance among boys. Boys were over represented relative to girls at both the top and the bottom extremes for all tests, with the exception of the top 10% in verbal reasoning.
Conclusions. Given the small differences in means, explanations for sex differences in wider domains such examination attainment at age 16 need to look beyond conceptions of `ability'. Boys tend to be both the lowest and the highest performers in terms of their reasoning abilities, which warns against the danger of stereotyping boys as low achievers
Habitatkartlegging av sjøaurebekker i Hjelmeland, Strand og Sandnes Kommune
No full textBakgrunnen for oppdraget var et ønske fra Ryfylke Vassområde og Suldal Kommune om å få habitatkartlagt en rekke sjøaurevassdrag i Rogaland. NORCE LFI fikk oppdraget og har i denne forbindelse gjennomført feltarbeid i form av kartlegging av habitat og fysiske inngrep i 9 forskjellige vassdrag i Hjelmeland, Strand og Sandnes Kommune. Eksisterende informasjon om vassdragene ble også hentet inn underveis i arbeidet. Samlet gir resultatene av arbeidet grunnlag for å kunne vurdere habitatforhold og påvirkningsgrad av fysiske inngrep på habitatforholdene. I tillegg gir de mulighet til å anbefale tiltak for å gjenopprette mest mulig naturlig tilstand i hver enkel delstrekning av vannforekomsten.Habitatkartlegging av sjøaurebekker i Hjelmeland, Strand og Sandnes KommunepublishedVersio
Nation
No full textThe state of civic participation in the U.S. is the subject of much hand-wringing. The lament is generally that citizens are withdrawn - that civic life is less vibrant than it once was and should be. This book review welcomes Downsizing Democracy: How America Sidelined its Citizens and Privatized its Public, by Matthew Crenson & Benjamin Ginsburg (2002), as an alternative to the tendency to blame citizens for the current malaise. Crenson & Ginsburg make the case that the government itself has disinvited civic participation in several key ways. The author observes that, notwithstanding this lack of invitation, citizens can and should still take on themselves the responsibility for civic action - not just in traditional political spheres, but in the myriad venues of our everyday lives.525-2927
MRE11 facilitates the removal of human topoisomerase II complexes from genomic DNA
No full textTopoisomerase II creates a double-strand break intermediate with topoisomerase covalently coupled to the DNA via a 5'-phosphotyrosyl bond. These intermediate complexes can become cytotoxic protein-DNA adducts and DSB repair at these lesions requires removal of topoisomerase II. To analyse removal of topoisomerase II from genomic DNA we adapted the trapped in agarose DNA immunostaining assay. Recombinant MRE11 from 2 sources removed topoisomerase IIalpha from genomic DNA in vitro, as did MRE11 immunoprecipitates isolated from A-TLD or K562 cells. Basal topoisomerase II complex levels were very high in A-TLD cells lacking full-length wild type MRE11, suggesting that MRE11 facilitates the processing of topoisomerase complexes that arise as part of normal cellular metabolism. In K562 cells inhibition of MRE11, PARP or replication increased topoisomerase IIalpha and beta complex levels formed in the absence of an anti-topoisomerase II dru
Lower trophic level mixed fishery (LOTROMIX) - Implications for ecosystem and management
No full textThere is an increasing interest in new marine resources for the production of aquaculture feed, to meet the increasing growth of the aquaculture industry. Marine species from lower trophic levels are a potential resource that could partly cover the increasing need for lipid and protein in aquaculture feed. The mesopelagic layer present a variety of species that is estimated to hold a vast biomass to harvest from, both globally and in the Norwegian Sea and fjords. Marine species at high latitudes are known for a high lipid content, with a potential for high concentrations of essential fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids that are sought to incorporate into aquaculture feed.
The main objective of this present study was to quantify the species composition and assess the biomass distribution and production in the Norwegian Sea and fjords by trawling. The catch were further analysed, and the suitability catch from the mesopelagic layer would provide as a feed component was determined by analysing the total lipid content, and further assess the fatty acid and lipid class composition.
Catches from the mesopelagic layer showed high variation in densities of species at different season and location. With jellyfish and mesopelagic fish dominating the hauls conducted in the fjords, while krill and mesopelagic fish were dominating the hauls at sea. The mesopelagic fishes Maurolicus muelleri (Gmelin, 1789) and Benthosema glaciale (Reinhardt, 1837) had the highest lipid content of the analysed species from the mesopelagic layer, with mixed layer samples containing an average of 30.6 % lipid from dry weight, equivalent to 9.1 % lipid of wet weight. Placing a mixed catch from the mesopelagic layer between some of the pelagic fish species that are the main source of fishmeal and fish oil today in regards of lipid content. The highest lipid content was found in samples collected in the fjords during spring. The fatty acid composition of the catch contained favourable amounts of both PUFA and DHA+ EPA in all samples. With higher relative content found in smaller and leaner samples. The lipid class composition was satisfying, with the mixed layer samples containing well beneath the upper limit for the potentially limiting wax ester
Lower trophic level mixed fishery (LOTROMIX) - Implications for ecosystem and management
No full textThere is an increasing interest in new marine resources for the production of aquaculture feed, to meet the increasing growth of the aquaculture industry. Marine species from lower trophic levels are a potential resource that could partly cover the increasing need for lipid and protein in aquaculture feed. The mesopelagic layer present a variety of species that is estimated to hold a vast biomass to harvest from, both globally and in the Norwegian Sea and fjords. Marine species at high latitudes are known for a high lipid content, with a potential for high concentrations of essential fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids that are sought to incorporate into aquaculture feed.
The main objective of this present study was to quantify the species composition and assess the biomass distribution and production in the Norwegian Sea and fjords by trawling. The catch were further analysed, and the suitability catch from the mesopelagic layer would provide as a feed component was determined by analysing the total lipid content, and further assess the fatty acid and lipid class composition.
Catches from the mesopelagic layer showed high variation in densities of species at different season and location. With jellyfish and mesopelagic fish dominating the hauls conducted in the fjords, while krill and mesopelagic fish were dominating the hauls at sea. The mesopelagic fishes Maurolicus muelleri (Gmelin, 1789) and Benthosema glaciale (Reinhardt, 1837) had the highest lipid content of the analysed species from the mesopelagic layer, with mixed layer samples containing an average of 30.6 % lipid from dry weight, equivalent to 9.1 % lipid of wet weight. Placing a mixed catch from the mesopelagic layer between some of the pelagic fish species that are the main source of fishmeal and fish oil today in regards of lipid content. The highest lipid content was found in samples collected in the fjords during spring. The fatty acid composition of the catch contained favourable amounts of both PUFA and DHA+ EPA in all samples. With higher relative content found in smaller and leaner samples. The lipid class composition was satisfying, with the mixed layer samples containing well beneath the upper limit for the potentially limiting wax ester
Strand separation establishes a sustained lock at the Tus-Ter replication fork barrier
No full textThe bidirectional replication of a circular chromosome by many bacteria necessitates proper termination to avoid the head-on collision of the opposing replisomes. In Escherichia coli, replisome progression beyond the termination site is prevented by Tus proteins bound to asymmetric Ter sites. Structural evidence indicates that strand separation on the blocking (nonpermissive) side of Tus-Ter triggers roadblock formation, but biochemical evidence also suggests roles for protein-protein interactions. Here DNA unzipping experiments demonstrate that nonpermissively oriented Tus-Ter forms a tight lock in the absence of replicative proteins, whereas permissively oriented Tus-Ter allows nearly unhindered strand separation. Quantifying the lock strength reveals the existence of several intermediate lock states that are impacted by mutations in the lock domain but not by mutations in the DNA-binding domain. Lock formation is highly specific and exceeds reported in vivo efficiencies. We postulate that protein-protein interactions may actually hinder, rather than promote, proper lock formation.Accepted Author ManuscriptBN/Nynke Dekker LabBN/Cees Dekker LabBN/Martin Depken La
idX Information Design Exchange. What information designers know and can do
No full textStrand, Lennart (2007). Co-author: idX Information Design Exchange. What information designers know and can do. "Development of International Core Competencies and Student and Faculty Exchange in Information Design" within the EU/US Cooperation Programme in Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training Outcome. Developed in co-operation with International Institute for Information Design, http://www.iiid.net/</p
An Observation of the Strand Theater
No full textThis article provides a history of The Strand Theater in downtown Binghamton NY based on fire insurance maps and the author\u27s observations
A self-conscious Kurt Vonnegut: an analysis of Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions
No full textThe works of Kurt Vonnegut stand as seminal in the American literary canon. Looking at three of his most influential novels, namely Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions, this study aims to better understand the mechanisms which inform his fiction. Working chronologically through the novels, the study examines historical context, narrative technique, theoretical underpinnings and the social critique of each novel. Guided by an idea of the postmodern novel the study examines how these elements interact, concluding that by way of what may be considered "simple" yet self-conscious metafiction and prose as well as variations in narrative technique, Vonnegut is able to more accurately convey his opinions on the American situation as well as demonstrate his stance on the role of fiction and the writer in contemporary society. The study also considers closely the role of the reader and the author/reader/text relationship
- …
