Cognitive Ability, Wages, and Meritocracy

This paper presents new evidence from the NLSY on the importance of meritocracy in American society. In it, we find that general intelligence, or g -- a measure of cognitive ability--is dominant in explaining test score variance. The weights assigned to tests by g are similar for all major demographic groups. These results support Spearman's theory of g. We also find that g and other measures of ability are not rewarded equally across race and gender, evidence against the view that the labor market is organized on meritocratic principles. Additional factors beyond g are required to explain wages and occupational choice. However, both blue collar and white collar wages are poorly predicted by g or even multiple measures of ability. Observed cognitive ability is only a minor predictor of social performance. White collar wages are more g loaded than blue collar wages. Many noncognitive factors determine blue collar wages.

Comparison of rapid laboratory tests for failure of passive transfer in the bovine

peer-reviewedBackground Failure of passive transfer of maternal immunity via colostrum can occur in the bovine, and a number of blood tests have been developed to test calves for this failure. It is not clear which test is most suitable for this purpose. The objective was to examine the most commonly used tests for failure of passive transfer and to decide which is most suitable for routine laboratory use. 126 serum samples were taken from calves of dairy cows after birth but prior to colostrum feeding, and at 48 h of age. Five different tests were compared against radial immunodiffusion which is considered the appropriate reference method. These tests were serum gamma-glutamyltransferase levels, serum protein levels, serum globulin levels, an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and the zinc sulphate turbidity test. Results The tests examined displayed high sensitivity but widely varying specificity. Examination of the use of different cut-off points allowed some improvement in specificity at the expense of sensitivity, but the tests which had performed best at the original cut-off points still displayed the best performance. Gamma-glutamyltransferase levels as a measure of colostrum absorption returned, in this study, the best balance between sensitivity and specificity. The ELISA used in this study and serum globulin levels displayed performance similar to the gamma-glutamyltransferase levels. Serum total protein was less successful than others examined at providing both sensitivity and specificity but may, when performed via refractometer, be useful for on-farm testing. As currently performed the poor sensitivity for which the zinc sulphate turbidity test is most often criticized is evident. Modification of the cut-off point to increase specificity is less successful at balancing these parameters than the ELISA, gamma-glutamyltransferase levels, and globulin levels. Conclusions Gamma-glutamyltransferase levels, ELISA testing and circulating globulin levels performed best in detecting failure of passive transfer in serum samples, although all three had some practical considerations

Certification of Reference Materials of Potato Powder with Different Mass Fractions of the Event AM04-1020 - Certified Reference Materials ERM®-BF430 (ERM®-BF430a, ERM®-BF430b, ERM®-BF430c,ERM®-BF430d, ERM®-BF430e)

This report describes the processing and certification of five potato powder Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) containing different mass fractions of genetically modified (GM) AM04-1020 potato (ERM-BF430a,b,c,d,e). The materials were processed and certified in 2011 by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM, Geel, Belgium), according to the principles of ISO Guide 34JRC.D.2 - Standards for Innovation and sustainable Developmen

Docemur docemus:peer-assisted learning improves the knowledge gain of tutors in the highest quartile of achievement but not those in the lowest quartile

Objectives: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is a form of collaborative learning where members of a peer group act as teachers for each other. A reciprocal PAL program was designed to investigate whether there were differential gains in knowledge acquisition among tutors compared with tutees. Design: Bayesian statistical analysis was used to quantitatively assess the effect of tutor status on performance in a knowledge-based examination. Subgroup analysis according to student achievement and question difficulty was performed. Participants and Setting: Final year undergraduate medical students in a 5-year degree program (n = 126). Results: The overall probability of getting a correct answer on the knowledge examination was 49.7%. For questions on topics where a student had acted as a tutor this improved to 57.3%. However, students who performed in the upper quartile had a greater percentage gain in the probability of a correct answer in topics that they had taught vs students who performed in the lowest quartile. Conclusions: There was demonstrable overall knowledge gain associated with acting as a tutor in a PAL program but the greatest gain occurred in students of highest academic ability.</p

Primary splenic lymphoma presenting with ascites

An 84 year-old gentleman presented with abdominal distension, anorexia and occasional epigastric pain over a four-week period. Blood parameters revealed a hypochromic microcytic anaemia. Both CT and US scan identified ascites and a mass in the left upper quadrant. An ascitic tap was performed identifying bloody ascites and the presence of reactive mesothelial cells on cytology. A subsequent laparotomy and splenectomy was performed. Histology of the resected spleen revealed a Grade 2 follicular lymphoma (Figure 2). The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery and was well at 6 months follow up. The spleen is an organ with an important immunological function. Primary splenic involvement occurs in less than 1% of non-hodgkin’s lymphoma. Symptoms of primary splenic lymphoma (PSL) include pyrexia, weight-loss, night sweats, generalised weakness and left upper quadrant pain secondary to spleno - megaly. Ascites is a rare presenting feature of PSL. This report illustrates a case of primary splenic lymphoma which poses diagnostic challenges for the pathologist and clinician and ultimately requires definitive splenectomy to confirm a diagnosis

Synchronous Upper Squamous and Lower Adenocarcinoma of the Oesophagus: A Rarely Reported Case Treated with Palliative Chemotherapy and Stenting

Oesophageal cancer is divided into two main subtypes, squamous and adenocarcinoma. It is the eighth most common cancer in the world with squamous more common in the developing world and adenocarcinoma most prevalent in the developed world. Incidences of concomitant squamous carcinoma with adenocarcinoma are exceedingly rare with only a few documented occurrences in the form of case reports existing. Here we report a case of synchronous squamous and adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus occurring in an 81-year-old lady with dysphagia, weight loss, and no identifiable risk factors

The transcriptional landscape of age in human peripheral blood

Disease incidences increase with age, but the molecular characteristics of ageing that lead to increased disease susceptibility remain inadequately understood. Here we perform a whole-blood gene expression meta-analysis in 14,983 individuals of European ancestry (including replication) and identify 1,497 genes that are differentially expressed with chronological age. The age-associated genes do not harbor more age-associated CpG-methylation sites than other genes, but are instead enriched for the presence of potentially functional CpG-methylation sites in enhancer and insulator regions that associate with both chronological age and gene expression levels. We further used the gene expression profiles to calculate the \u27transcriptomic age\u27 of an individual, and show that differences between transcriptomic age and chronological age are associated with biological features linked to ageing, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, fasting glucose, and body mass index. The transcriptomic prediction model adds biological relevance and complements existing epigenetic prediction models, and can be used by others to calculate transcriptomic age in external cohorts