MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'analysis'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:55:13 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158863&cid=t_112793_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F21%2Fpubmeds-higher-sensitivity-than-ovid-medline-other-published-cliches%2F Is it just me, or are biomedical papers about searching for a systematic review often of low quality or just too damn obvious? I’m seldom excited about papers dealing with optimal search strategies or peculiarities of PubMed, even though it is my specialty. It is my impression, that many of the lower quality and/or less relevant papers are [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158863 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 19:21:49 +0100 5158863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118647&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fexpensive-medications-is-the-benefit-worth-the-cost%2F2011.08.10 The concept of cost-effectiveness in medicine is elastic. One’s view on this issue depends upon who is paying the cost. Of course, this is true in all spheres of life. When you’re in a fine restaurant, you order differently when the meal will be charged to someone else. Under these circumstances, the foie gras appetizer and the jumbo shrimp cocktail are no longer luxuries, but are considered as essential amino acids that are necessary to maintain life. In the marketplace, except in the medical universe, goods and services are priced according to what the market will bear. If an item is priced too high, then the seller will have fewer sales and a bloated inventory. Consumers will not pay absurd prices for common items, regardless of supernatural claims of quality. Would you pay $100 fo... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118647 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0100 5118647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5094816&cid=t_112793_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2F1fw6w28v_7s%2F Thirty years ago this month I did an experiment that set the course of my career, and provided an important step forward for animal virology. I showed that a cloned DNA copy of the poliovirus RNA genome is infectious in mammalian cells. When I arrived as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of David Baltimore in 1979, the restrictions placed on cloning complete genomes from pathogenic viruses in bacterial plasmid vectors had just been lifted. Consequently David suggested that I construct a full-length DNA copy of the poliovirus RNA genome, decode the genetic information, and determine if the DNA is infectious. By the fall of 1980 I had produced three different plasmids which contained overlapping DNA copies of poliovirus RNA. For most of the next year I worked on deciphering the complet... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5094816 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:33:58 +0100 5094816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028220&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmeta-analyses-and-a-capricious-drug-approval-process-the-actos-and-avandia-stories%2F2011.07.13 Both Germany and France have now suspended the marketing of Actos (pioglitazone) due to concerns of a link between Actos and bladder cancer. Though we have known about bladder cancer concerns for some time, these recent concerns about the bladder cancer link stem from a recent report analyzing the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS), which found that 93 cases of cancer were recorded between 2004 and 2009 in patients treated with antidiabetic drugs, of which 31 patients were treated with pioglitazone, representing a statistically significant increased risk of bladder cancer (ROR 4.30, 95% confidence interval, 2.82-6.52; P less than 0.0001). Interestingly, the FDA announced that it was going to look into the link between Actos and bladder cancer only a few days before it made i... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028220 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:00:00 +0100 5028220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952737&cid=t_112793_86_f&fid=35599&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshrlibrary.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fcommunity-view-collaboration.html In collaboration with the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Public School Division, Saskatoon Greater Catholic Schools, and other Saskatoon Regional Intersectoral Committee agencies, Public Health Services of the Saskatoon Health Region have developed a regional comprehensive community information system, the CommunityView Collaboration (CVC). The main features of the system are:- The assembly of data from multiple sources, and; - A system supported by appropriate information technologies and tools for end-user analysis including the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS). CommunityView allows for inter-sectoral and inter-jurisdictional data sharing and access among human services organisations. According to the CVC site, its primary objective of this sharing is to "ensure consistent, tim... SHR Medical Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952737 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:04:00 +0100 4952737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841741&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fresearch-bytes-reliability-paradox-in.html Conclusions from this review suggest that unlike effect (reflective) indicators, whose application is based on classical test theory, today’s application of causal (formative) indicators is based on research demonstrating their practical application rather than on psychometric theory supporting their use. The authors suggest that this lack of theory has contributed to the confusion surrounding their implementation. Recent research has questioned the generalizability of formatively measured latent constructs. In the current study, the authors discuss how the use of fixed-weight composites may be one way to employ causal indicators so that they may be generalized to additional contexts. More specifically, they suggest the use of meta-analysis principles for identifying optimum causal indic... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841741 Wed, 18 May 2011 15:27:00 +0100 4841741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794816&cid=t_112793_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F06%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2011%2F This article reports on a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) assessing associations of structured exercise training regimens (aerobic, resistance, or both) and physical activity advice with or without dietary cointervention on change in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in type 2 diabetes patients. The article concludes that structured exercise training that consists of aerobic exercise, resistance training, or both combined is associated with HbA1c reduction in patients with type 2 diabetes. Structured exercise training of more than 150 minutes per week is associated with greater HbA1c declines than that of 150 minutes or less per week. Physical activity advice is associated with lower HbA1c, but only when combined with dietary advice. Filed under: A... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794816 Fri, 06 May 2011 12:53:30 +0100 4794816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693388&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fap101-brief-8-guest-brief-independent.html This IAP AP101 Brief Report was sent to me for posting by Philippe Golay.  It is reproduced "as is" with only minor editing.  This is a guest blog/brief report.  Figures included should be possible to enlarge by double clicking on them.If other folks have completed research related to this blog, and would like to make brief post reports, please contact the blogmaster @ iap@earthlink.netPhilippe Golay, Isabelle Reverte, Thierry Lecerf,University of Geneva, SwitzerlandThe fourth edition of the French Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adult (WAIS-IV) was recently released (Editions du Centre de Psychologie Appliquée – ECPA, 2011). The French WAIS-IV was standardized on a representative sample of 876 people in France ranging in age from 16 to 79. However, for some subtests (Let... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693388 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:54:00 +0100 4693388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684429&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F07%2Fpsychiatrists-are-like-catholics-disliked-by-the-media%2F If you follow the news, you know it’s a bad time to be a psychiatrist. I’d say almost as bad as being a Catholic (especially during the sex scandal … holy Jesus). Apparently they no longer really care about their patients. They are a bunch of greedy Mr. Krabs. They have abandoned psychotherapy, only to pass out samples of the latest drug so that they can get their free lunch from big Pharma. (My sister used to make them … they’re quite good!) And then along comes one of my favorite psychiatrists, Ronald Pies, M.D., to set the story straight. In a World of Psychology post earlier this week, he dissects the front-page article in the March 6 issue of The New York Times. Pies cites some statistics that, yes, indicate there is less psychotherapy today performed in psychiat... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684429 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:39:45 +0100 4684429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636505&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fsperm-dna-fragmentation-assessment-is_17.html All infertile couples know that the sperm plays a vitally important role in fertility. However, there's still a lot of confusion ! If we need only one sperm to fertilise an egg during ICSI, does the sperm count and motility really matter ? And if it does, how and why ?The fact that the WHO has kept on changing the definition of what a normal sperm count just testifies to the fact that experts are as confused as patients are. This is especially true when we consider 3 contentious areas. While it's true that the sperm provides 50% of the child's DNA, can it be responsible for:failed fertilisation after ICSI ?poor qualty embryos ?miscarriages ?In order to drill down further into when the sperm can be responsible for reproductive problems, researchers have developed sophisticated tests to anal... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636505 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:46:00 +0100 4636505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636513&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fhow-couples-reduce-their-own-fertility.html Infertile couples are often willing to move heaven and earth in order to have a baby. However, I find to my dismay that a lot of them do things which actually end up reducing their fertility !1. They use lubricants while having sex which kill the sperm . Having "baby making sex" on demand is not much fun for either husband or wife - and it's quite common to have to use lubricants in order to be able to achieve intravaginal penetration. However, many couples will use lubricants such as K-Y jelly or saliva - both of which can kill the sperm ! If you do need to use a lubricant, please use a sperm friendly lubricant. The easiest one to buy ( and the cheapest one) is liquid paraffin. It' easy available OTC at a chemist - just look under the laxatives !2. Timing sex. Most couples know that the w... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636513 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 13:58:00 +0100 4636513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570609&cid=t_112793_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FFmI61RondR4%2F John’s Note: One of the requests I got in the recent survey I did was to cover more details of HIPAA. So, I’m glad to have John Brewer (yes, another John) providing some guest posts on the subject. Do they go together like peanut butter and jelly?  Cookies and milk? Nothing quite as good as these…but they do go together…now. HIPAA has been around for some time.  Many argue that HIPAA has no “teeth”.  Sure it has big fines…but when’s the last time you heard of a physician getting fined for a HIPAA violation? In steps Meaningful Use. Buried in the details of the Stage 1 Core Objectives is a single block that refers to the seemingly innocuous statement of “Conduct a risk analysis per 45CFR164.308(a)(1)”. A risk analysis seem simple enough…right? Dig a lit... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570609 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:03:09 +0100 4570609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4566339&cid=t_112793_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FP09cTmu9FyE%2F In recent years, the meta-analysis has taken on new prominence. These are, of course, not new studies, but detailed reviews combining results of several studies in order to address a hypothesis. Perhaps one of the most high-profile examples was published in 2007 in The New England Journal of Medicine and determined the Avandia diabetes pill led to a greater chance of cardiovascular risk. However, the meta-analysis has also been criticized as an imperfect beast, since sources of bias are not controlled by method, which is considered a weakness. A new study, though, has found another reason to take issue - most meta-analysis authors are not examining whether the authors of the underlying randomized, controlled clinical trials have disclosed conflicts of interest. Specifically, of 29 meta-ana... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4566339 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:59:53 +0100 4566339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512446&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fwhy-do-my-sperm-counts-vary-so-much.html One of the most frustrating problems for infertile men is the fact that their sperm counts seem to vary all the time. On some days it is 5 million per ml; on others it drops to 2 million per ml; while on good days it goes upto 10 million per ml ! It's like the Sensex; as volatile; as hard to predict ; impossible to control; and variations in the sperm count cause as much stress as dips in the Sensex !Remember that the testes are sperm production factories which produce billions of sperm daily. The efficiency of this factory is affected by many variables, many of which we still cannot identify ! Even in a normal healthy fertile man, sperm counts fluctuate all the time - and can vary all the way from 10 million per ml to 80 million per ml !What makes a bad situation worse is the fact that ma... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512446 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 03:23:00 +0100 4512446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501690&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fresearch-brief-wais-iv-us-canadian.html The transportability of the meaning of an intelligence test batteries composite scores across countries/cultures is important when a test is originally developed and normed in one country and is then adapted and used in a second country.Bowden et al (2010) recently investigated the factorial invariance of the WAIS-IV across US and Canadian samples. The results are summarized in the abstract below (click to enlarge). The WAIS-IV was found to measure the same theoretical constructs across the two countries. However, the reported difference in latent mean factor intercepts indicated that the WAIS-IV provides higher scores with Canadian subjects. The need for Canadian norms are suggested.- iPost using BlogPress from my Kevin McGrew's iPadintelligence IQ tests IQ testing IQ scores CHC intellige... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501690 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:54:00 +0100 4501690 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460017&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fwhy-are-men-so-reluctant-to-get-their.html Most men are very reluctant to get their sperm tested. For one, most men hate going to a doctor - and they need to be dragged to the clinic for any medical testing - whether it's a X-ray or a sperm test. Secondly, most men still believe that having a baby is their wife's job, so it's the wife who should get tested. For another, they expect that their sperm count must be fine , so why bother to get it tested ? " Hey - I can have sex as often as I want, and if my virility is fine, I am sure my fertility will be superb too ! Why waste time and money getting it tested ? " Finally, it can be quite humiliating to have to go to a lab to produce a semen sample - and this is an experience most men are quite happy to bypass.The problem is much worse for men who know that they have a low sperm count.... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460017 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:34:00 +0100 4460017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450391&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fcarroll-like-exploratory-factor.html An excellent Jack Carroll-like exploratory factor analysis of the WISC-IV Integrated at Joel Schneider's blog.- iPost using BlogPress from my Kevin McGrew's iPadintelligence IQ tests IQ testing IQ scores CHC intelligence theory CHC theory Cattell-Horn-Carroll human cognitive abilities psychology school psychology individual differences cognitive psychology neuropsychology psychology special education educational psychology psychometrics psychological assessment psychological measurement IQs Corner neuroscience neurocognitive cognitive abilities cognition WISC-IV factor analysis Generated by: Tag Generator (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450391 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 01:46:00 +0100 4450391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399678&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fblending-neuropsychological-and-chc.html Here is more on my take on how neuropsychological and CHC-based psychometric approaches to assessment can be understood and potentially blended. This is material from my keynote presentation at the Australian Neuropsychology Conference (click here for more information and a link to the PPT of the entire presentation).Note: Images are embedded in this post. It should be possible to enlarge them by double clicking on each. If that does not work I would suggest you go to the link above and see the entire PPT show, which you can download for free.​CHC-based neuropsychologists have integrated CHC theory into assessment practice based largely on theoretical, non-CHC empirical research, or logical analysis. Empirical CHC-based neuropsychological assessment research has been sparse. The CHC psyc... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399678 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:27:00 +0100 4399678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337907&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FE1X9AI_imIg%2F By Jason KuznickiI’m pleased to announce the publication of my new Cato Policy Analysis, “Marriage against the State: Toward a New View of Civil Marriage.” As I note in the introduction, it’s quite rare that Congress ever considers marriage as a policy area in its own right. There are comprehensive health care bills, defense spending bills, farm bills, and civil rights bills, but no really comprehensive marriage bills. Of course, this might be a good thing, but one of the side effects is that marriage policy can be haphazard in the extreme. Inconsistencies and surprises abound. Marriage influences welfare, immigration, tax law, child custody and support, and many others besides. Are all of these things legitimate? A popular view among libertarians is that the federa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337907 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:08:10 +0100 4337907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318382&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Ftop-10-myths-about-infertility.html Probably one of the most enjoyable books I've read on infertility is: A Few Good Eggs: Two Chicks Dish on Overcoming the Insanity of Infertility by Julie Vargo and Maureen Regan. This guide is actually targeted to infertile women residing in the US, and it is designed in the currently fashionable "chick-lit" style. It's amusingly put together; and it is certainly a breath of healthy air, if you are the type of individual who discovers a sense of humor can help you deal much better with infertility.This book is loaded with lots of Top-10 lists, and here is their valuable listing of Top 10 Myths Regarding Infertility:10 Mis(sed)-Conceptions Regarding Infertility1. Infertility will not happen to me.2. I cannot be infertile. I already have got a child!3. I can easily conceive, therefore i do n... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318382 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:32:00 +0100 4318382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304983&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35070&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurobot.bio.auth.gr%2F2011%2Fan-expectation-maximization-tutorial-in-neural-signal-processing%2F In this tutorial by Dr. Liam Paninski, the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm is discussed and illustrated in a variety of neural examples. Key topics addressed: Example: Mixture models and spike sorting The method of bound optimization via auxiliary functions provides a useful alternative optimization technique The EM algorithm for maximizing the likelihood given hidden data may be derived [...] (Source: Neurobot) Neurobot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304983 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:18:06 +0100 4304983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304988&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fhot-and-cold-chc-intelligence-abilities.html Interesting article in the journal Intelligence reviewing the state-of-the-art of factor analysis practices for identifying the g (general intelligence) factors. Abstract is below. Of interest is the use of the CHC framework to classify the type of broad CHC factor indicators found in the research synthesis.Not unexpectedly, Gf, Gc, and Gv were found most often in IQ factor analysis research, followed by Gq, Gs and Gsm. Abilities that appear underrepresented in IQ factor analysis g research are the domains of Glr and Ga.However, a couple of major caveats. The literature review was primarily adult samples. There has been considerable factor analysis activity with tests in childhood and adolescent samples that might increase the proportion of Glr and Ga indicators. Also, the authors did not ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304988 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:29:00 +0100 4304988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304989&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fmds-analysis-of-wisc-iv.html It is no secret that I'm a big fan of multidimensional scaling (MDS--especially Guttman's Radex) model as a supplement to factor analysis of cognitive tests. While going thru some of my e-files I found a recent 3D MDS analysis of the WISC-IV. Below is the abstract and final 3D model. Clicking on images should take you to a larger version of the image.For those interested, the content/stimulus dimension of my proposed cognitive ability assessment design and interpretation matrix is due to my application of MDS to data from the WJ III and the various Wechsler batteries. The complete "beyond CHC theory" presentation can be found at a prior post.- iPost using BlogPress from my Kevin McGrew's iPadintelligence IQ tests IQ scores CHC theory Cattell-Horn-Carroll human cognitive abilities psycholog... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304989 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:43:00 +0100 4304989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4298720&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fresearch-brief-wais-iv-factor-structure.html Click on image to enlarge. A related publication (IAP AP101 Report #2) regarding the WAISIV factor structure can be found here.- iPost using BlogPress from my Kevin McGrew's iPadintelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology Forensic psychology IQ tests IQ scores IQs Corner WAIS-IV factor analysis CHC theory (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4298720 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:56:00 +0100 4298720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294831&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fgerman-gc-crystallized-iq-res-synthesis.html Copy of open access article can be found by clicking here. Double click on image to enlarge.- iPost using BlogPress from my Kevin McGrew's iPadintelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology Forensic psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment ABA IQ tests IQ scores adaptive behavior AAIDD mental retardation intellectual disability Flynn effect (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294831 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:58:00 +0100 4294831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4258838&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZYrGJ-pPqvM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellOkay, perhaps the title of this post is not quite as memorable as Charlton Heston’s famous line from Planet of the Apes, but it certainly captures my sentiments after reading an article in Slate that calls for the elimination of the $100 bill. The author, Timothy Noah, says that large bills are only for “criminals and sociopaths.” Here’s the crux of his argument. …why does the U.S. continue to print C-notes…? Technological change has reduced much further the plausible need of any law-abiding American to carry a C-note in his wallet or to stash a pile of C-notes in his mattress. Noah’s argument is unconvincing for several reasons. First, he is underestimating the degree to which “law-abiding” Americans use “Ben... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4258838 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:44:18 +0100 4258838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245426&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fresearch-bytes-factor-analysis-of-sb5.html Conclusions: Collectively, the results suggested a relatively strong psychometric basis for using the factor structure in clinical samples that match the characteristics of this cohort. This confirmed an invariant factor structure should prove useful in research aimed to detect the earliest cognitive signature of preclinical AD in similar middle aged cohorts.Williams, T. H., McIntosh, D. E., Dixon, F., Newton, J. H., & Youman, E. (2010). A CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS OF THE STANFORD-BINET INTELLIGENCE SCALES, FIFTH EDITION, WITH A HIGH-ACHIEVING SAMPLE. Psychology in the Schools, 47(10), 1071-1083.AbstractThe Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (SB5), is a recently published, multidimensional measure of intelligence based on Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) theory. The author... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245426 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:47:00 +0100 4245426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241681&cid=t_112793_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F08%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2010-vol-304-no-21%2F Contents Page Fade Fave: Toward an Outcomes-Based Health Care System: A View From the United Kingdom Fade Skinny: In a comprehensive, publicly funded system like the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) there is an overriding imperative to deliver maximum health benefit per pound spent. Quality, effectiveness, and efficiency are the goals. Following a decade of above-inflation increases in NHS funding, the urgent need to reduce the United Kingdom’s national debt means the NHS is entering a sustained period of flat or declining funding, while demand for services continues to increase (from technological progress, an aging population, increasing expectations, and population growth). Striving for value therefore becomes an ethical imp... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241681 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:14:42 +0100 4241681 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4238013&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fresearch-byte-what-works-for-improving.html Berkeley, S., Scruggs, T. E., & Mastropieri, M. A. (2010). Reading Comprehension Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities, 1995-2006: A Meta-Analysis. Remedial and Special Education, 31(6), 423-436.AbstractMeta-analysis procedures were employed to synthesize findings of research for improving reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities published in the decade following previous meta-analytic investigations. Forty studies, published between 1995 and 2006, were identified and coded. Nearly 2,000 students served as participants. Interventions were classified as fundamental reading skills instruction, text enhancements, and questioning/strategy instruction—including those that incorporated peer-mediated instruction and self-regulation. Mean weighted effect sizes w... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4238013 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 03:31:00 +0100 4238013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233128&cid=t_112793_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F06%2Fimpact-assessment-visualised%2F Overall Impact We saw a great feedback wordle from a training session the other day so we thought it would be interesting to run the Impact Assessment feedback forms through it as a really quick and lazy piece of content analysis. This is particularly useful for the comment boxes on our feedback forms which we’ve been mor than a little gratified people have completed. Mediated Search Feedback Document Supply Impact Feedback Information Handling Training Impact Feedback   Filed under: Fade, Fade Comms, Librarianship, Library Services, Literature Searching, Searching, Study Skills Tagged: Content Analysis, Data, Impact Assessment, Visualisation (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233128 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:34:35 +0100 4233128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190097&cid=t_112793_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F11%2F22%2Finternational-journal-of-epidemiology-2010-vol-39-no-5%2F This article looks at statistical approaches adopted in the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, in which primary data has been collated to enable analyses of various risk markers in relation to incident cardiovascular disease outcomes Print subscription held at Fade Library Filed under: Journals Tagged: Analysis, Epidemiological Studies, Epidemiology, Meta-Analysis, Statistical Data (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190097 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:35:37 +0100 4190097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4167942&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fp-KvZOVwRUU%2F By Michael F. CannonThe new prostate-cancer vaccine Provenge (manufacturer: Dendreon) appears to extend life by an average of four months at the relatively high cost of $93,000 per patient.  This week, Medicare bureaucrats will conduct a national coverage analysis before deciding whether Medicare will cover the vaccine.  This “unusual“ step has sparked charges that government bureaucrats are rationing medical care to save money. Today’s Washington Post includes letters from two cancer survivors that neatly illustrate why the government should not be in the business of providing health insurance or purchasing medical care at all.  Cancer Survivor #1 argues that Medicare should cover Provenge: “Expensive” treatments have given me many extra years with my... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4167942 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:58:59 +0100 4167942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4152014&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FN3OunENy05o%2F This study clearly demonstrates that there is only little support for a specific Mozart effect in published as well as in unpublished work. Although results indicate a positive, significant effect of exposure to the Mozart sonata (KV 448) compared to no stimulus at all on spatial task performance, observed effects were only small in size. Moreover, exposure to other musical stimuli compared to exposure to no stimulus at all yielded a significant overall effect of about the same size…On the whole, there is little left that would support the notion of a specific enhancement of spatial task performance through exposure to the Mozart sonata KV 448.” I think the jury is in on this one: The Mozart effect is weak, at best. Maybe the question can finally be put to rest. Does this mean that m... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4152014 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:49:09 +0100 4152014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4105787&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Funexplained-infertility-vs-incompletely.html Many patients are diagnosed with having unexplained infertility. This means that all their fertility tests - semen analysis; hormonal blood tests ( FSH,LH,PRL,TSH and AMH) for egg quality; HSG ( hysterosalpingogram) for tubal patency; and ultrasound scanning for ovulation monitoring are normal.This can be a very frustrating diagnosis for patients. " But doctor, if everything is normal, then why aren't I getting pregnant ? " Patients are never happy with doctors who honestly answer - We do not know ! Patients expect a scientific definitive answer from their doctor who is meant to be an expert - and if a doctor cannot provide this, then be mustn't be very competent at his job is the natural conclusion many of them jump to . The truth is that our technology for identifying problems is still v... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4105787 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 02:19:00 +0100 4105787 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4098097&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fmaking-sense-of-your-infertility.html I just saw an infertile 42 year old woman who said - Doctor, my husband has a low sperm count. Can you please prescribe some medicines so we can improve it and have a baby. "It always amazes me that even in this day and age so many infertile couples do so little to try to make sense of their treatment options.Many find it very hard to decipher the medical terms their doctor uses. They do all the tests the doctor asks for - and are often completely lost when he then explains to them what the next action steps are.Unfortunately, many doctors also "complexify" matters rather than simplifying them. They take a perverse pride in doing so, because it allows them to position themselves as experts in a difficult subject which the poor patient will never be able to understand !I think they just mak... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4098097 Sat, 23 Oct 2010 01:42:00 +0100 4098097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074148&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F15%2Fjill-bolte-taylor-a-stroke-of-insight-and-our-brains%2F Many of you may have seen the Ted video by Jill Bolte Taylor, the neuroanatomist and spokesperson for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center who survived a stroke in 1996, at age 37, to describe the shifts in her brain that took place as part of her recovery. Fascinating stuff. And very useful and inspiring to not only those recovering from neurological disorders, but also psychological ones. I had the privilege of meeting Taylor and attending her workshop at the NAMI National Convention in DC. This woman knows her stuff and is a powerful communicator. I couldn’t scribble fast enough to get it all down on paper. First she described the right brain (the buddha): Nonverbal Thinks in pictures Kinesthetic Present moment Holistic thinking Seek similarities Perceives energy Compassiona... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074148 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:01:16 +0100 4074148 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060549&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fthe-dream-police-sex-dreams-about-your-partners-friend-take-our-poll%2F Share your stories (anonymously, of course) in the comments section, below. Whether or not you tell anyone about them, have your sex dreams about your partner/spouse’s pals ever changed the dynamic of your relationships? Dish. Post from: BlissTree The Dream Police: Sex Dreams About Your Partner's Pals? Take Our Poll (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060549 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:04:15 +0100 4060549 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965702&cid=t_112793_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FxylflFXqUYo%2F For the past three years, the reliability of the meta-analysis has been widely debated thanks to such a review that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine about the cardiovascular risks of GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia diabetes pill (back story). At issue, of course, is whether a meta-analysis can sufficiently capture the sort of specific information needed to make a solid judgment about risks. Although such concerns have cropped up concerning other drugs, the FDA has largely avoided taking a position. The other day, however, three FDA staffers - one from the Division of Pulmonary, Allergey and Rheumatology Products in the Office of New Drugs, and two from the Division of Epidemiology in the Office of Surveillance - offered a cautionary word about the utility of the meta-an... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965702 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:05:25 +0100 3965702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3862010&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdevice-shows-concussion-effects-linger-off-the-field%2F2010.08.12 It’s an August tradition: Football training camps open, and we’re treated to warnings about working out in the heat. In the past few years, however, when it comes to football, there’s been a new emphasis on traumatic brain injury (TBI). This has caught our eyes here at MedGadget. We’ve covered innovative impact-sensing helmet technology before (as well as smart helmets for temperature monitoring). But for the athlete with a concussion, what happens off the field? Unless a neurologist is involved, it’s up to the players and trainers to follow guidelines or make guesses about when to return to play. Hopefully that will change, and a device like BrainScope will lead the way. When we first covered BrainScope, they were positioning their new device, based on contro... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3862010 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:00:29 +0100 3862010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858142&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcCf6h1Zwm2w%2F By Tad DeHavenThe Bureau of Economic Analysis latest release of industry compensation levels shows that the average federal worker ranks up at the top along with employees in the finance and energy industries. That’s not exactly popular company these days. The BEA presents compensation data for 72 industries that span the U.S. economy. Figure 1 shows the 20 industries with the highest levels of average compensation, which includes wages and benefits. It also shows the average for all U.S. private industries and the average for the industry with the lowest compensation. (The names of the industries have been simplified in some cases). Federal civilian workers have the sixth highest average compensation of the 72 industries: As yesterday’s post showed, federal employee compensation has ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858142 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:25:42 +0100 3858142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854512&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfyZ0zcA79Hk%2F By Tad DeHavenThe Bureau of Economic Analysis has released its annual data on compensation levels by industry. The data show that the pay advantage enjoyed by federal civilian workers over private-sector workers continues to expand. This state of affairs is a thumb in the eye of the private sector, which continues to struggle with high unemployment. Many private sector employees have been forced to take pay and benefit cuts while continuing to fund generous federal employee compensation with their taxes. Figure 1 looks at average wages. In 2009, the average wage for 1.95 million federal civilian workers was $81,258, which compared to an average $50,462 for the nation’s 101 million private sector workers (measured in full-time equivalents). The figure shows that the federal pay advantage ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854512 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:29:20 +0100 3854512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3822963&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F04%2Finternet-addiction-depression-and-chinese-teens%2F An interesting new study was published earlier this week about “Internet addiction.” Unlike many previous studies on this hypothesized disorder, this one actually took measurements at two different points in time to try and tease out the possibility that “Internet addiction” can cause mental health problems, like depression or anxiety. Can we show that simply using the Internet causes depression? Researchers set to find out on Chinese teens. Psychologist Lawrence Lam and his colleague studied 1,041 Chinese teens, mostly ages 13 to 16, who had no signs of depression at the onset of the study. Some of the group, however, had moderate to severe pathological use of the Internet (64 of the subjects). The researchers then assessed all 1,041 teens for depression, anxiety ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3822963 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:32:42 +0100 3822963 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3794913&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fjoint-cfa-floyd-et-al-2010-of-wj-iii.html John Garruto took advantage of my offer and thus, now provides his comments regarding the following recently published research study.  John has been a regular guest blogger at IQ's Corner....how about the rest of you!!!!!!!  I am open to any topic, but am particularly interested in guest posts regarding articles that have been FYI-mentioned at this blog (typically under Research Bytes tag)---and I especially would like to encourage graduate students to send me possible guest posts...as a way to get experience with analyzing research and providing brief summaries.  Maybe some of my professorial colleagues could make the submission of one guest blog post a requirement in one of their classes :)Floyd, R. G., Bergeron, R., Hamilton, G. & Parra, G. R. (2010).  How do ex... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3794913 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:02:00 +0100 3794913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714442&cid=t_112793_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FkbaEvFLNUu4%2F Nothing like an after-hours plunge in a stock. Dendreon shares fell as much as 23 percent this evening after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it is reviewing the prostate cancer vaccine to determine whether national coverage is “reasonable and necessary,” but a final decision won’t be made for an entire year. The stock later regained some of its losses to close at $26.69, but remains well below its 52-week high of $57.67 on May 3. The agency will take public comments through July 30 “on the evidence regarding the effects of this treatment on health outcomes in patients with prostate cancer,” according to a statement, adding that it is “particularly interested in clinical studies and other scientific information relevant to the ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714442 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:24:51 +0100 3714442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3633621&cid=t_112793_147_f&fid=39202&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnicolaziady.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F05%2Flink-analysis-tools%2F The tools below are used to analyze your link profile compared to your competitors, identify and fix broken links and find new linking sources to give your site the authority needed for top rankings. Xenu Link Sleuth: Free software identifies broken links, verifies internal links, images, frames, plug-ins, backgrounds, local image maps, style sheets, scripts and Java applets. Backlink Watch: Free tool shows details on your backlinks including anchor text SEO Book Backlink Analyzer: Free tool shows anchor text linking to your site or page SEO Book Hub Finder: Free tool identifies hub sites/pages that link tseo related resources SEO Book Link Popularity Tool: Free tool compares your link profile to leading competitors (Source: Nicola Ziady) Nicola Ziady blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3633621 Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:43:04 +0100 3633621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3632422&cid=t_112793_147_f&fid=39202&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnicolaziady.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F04%2Fsearch-engine-optimization-techniques%2F Website Analysis Content Optimization Sitemaps and Submission Reporting and Ongoing Maintenance Defining META Tags (Source: Nicola Ziady) Nicola Ziady blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3632422 Sat, 05 Jun 2010 03:53:59 +0100 3632422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595710&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2010%2F05%2F24%2Fconnectomeviewer-multi-modal-multi-level-network-and-neuroimaging-visualization-and-analysis%2F Two neat tools concerned with the “connectome” (i.e. the pattern of connections in the nervous system): Semantic wiki: http://www.connectome.ch/wiki/Main_Page Desktop viewer: http://connectomeviewer.org/viewer “Multi-Modal Multi-Level Network and Neuroimaging Visualization and Analysis” (screencasts) (Source: neurodudes) neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595710 Tue, 25 May 2010 02:29:22 +0100 3595710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3567889&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEL030zabcUQ%2F By David BoazThe sight of middle-class Americans rallying to protest overtaxing, overspending, Wall Street bailouts, and government-directed health care scares the bejeezus out of a lot of people. The elite media are full of stories declaring the Tea Partiers to be racists, John Birchers, Glenn Beck zombies, and God knows what. So it’s a relief to read a sensible discussion (subscription required) by John Judis, the decidedly leftist but serious journalist-historian at the New Republic. Once the managing editor the journal Socialist Revolution, Judis went on to write a biography of William F. Buckley Jr. and other books, so he knows something about ideological movements in the United States. Judis isn’t happy about the Tea Party movement, but he warns liberals not to dismiss ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3567889 Sat, 15 May 2010 19:38:52 +0100 3567889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552476&cid=t_112793_131_f&fid=35743&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthegenesherpa.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fpersonal-genomes-in-clinical-care-quake.html With all due respect to the scientists involved in analyzing Stephen Quake's genome in clinical context.You did a major league $h!tty job.No offense. I can only assume this based on what you reported in the lancet paper.Start by asking yourself."Is Stephen healthier because of what that genome and clinical assessment added to his care?"I am speaking precisely on this topic at the Consumer Genomics Conference on June 3rd at 830 AM. So I will hold off on all my arguments....But,The Paper even says"We noted that most of the sequence information is difficult to interpret, and discussed error rates"Ummm, ok. Nice counseling session."patients with whole genome sequence data need information about more diseases with a wide clinical range"Perhaps that person could actually be a physician, maybe a ... Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552476 Tue, 11 May 2010 00:34:00 +0100 3552476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3549395&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fwhy-do-doctors-treat-men-with-normal.html I see many men with completely normal sperm reports who have been prescribed all sorts of medicines, presumably to "boost their fertility" . These include a wide variety of pills ( depending upon which part of the world they come from) , ranging from Proxeed to Speman to Manix to CoQ and antioxidants.Why are doctors so keen to treat normal men who do not need any treatment whatsoever ?I feel there are multiple reasons.First is ignorance. Many sperm testing labs and doctors still do not even know what a normal sperm count is. I still see labs which print the normal sperm count range as being from 60 - 150 million per ml ! This means that even men with normal counts of 40 million are " diagnosed " as having a low sperm count !Second is pressure from patients. Many men are petrified that they... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3549395 Mon, 10 May 2010 12:42:00 +0100 3549395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511609&cid=t_112793_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2Fy_fl2QFkSP8%2F           Autism is a developmental disability that comes from a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain.  It is characterized by the abnormal development of communication skills, social skills and reasoning.  Males are affected four times as often as females.  Children may appear normal until around the age of 30 months.  Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) varies significantly in character and severity, it occurs in all ethnic and socioeconomic groups and affects every age group.  Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have ASD.  The cause of autism remains unclear, but a psychological one has been ruled out.  Neurological studies seem to indicate a primary brain dysfunction, and a genetic component is sugges... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511609 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:35:04 +0100 3511609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3504966&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=35451&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jung-at-heart.com%2Fjung_at_heart%2Fas-the-twig-is-bent.html "Psychoanalysis cannot be considered a method of education if by education we mean the topiary art of clipping a tree into a beautiful artificial shape. But those who have a higher conception of education will prize most the method of cultivating a tree so that it fulfils to perfection its own natural conditions of growth."Jung CW, vol. 4, para. 442 People come to therapy expecting cure or healing from their problems. I don't think of therapy as healing in the usual sense. To heal means to make whole or healthy, to recover or restore and comes from the root kailo meaning whole or uninjured. In order to think of what I do as healing, I would need to see the people I work with, and indeed myself, as broken, ill and I don't, not in the sense of illness. Barbara Stevens Sullivan has... Jung At Heart blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3504966 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:04:51 +0100 3504966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3502876&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fresearch-bytes-4-24-10-wisc-iv-tbi-and.html In this study, the structure and cross-age invariance of the latest WAIS–IV revision were examined to (a) elucidate the nature of the constructs measured and (b) determine whether the same constructs are measured across ages. Results suggest that a Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC)–inspired structure provides a better description of test performance than the published scoring structure does. Broad CHC abilities measured by the WAIS–IV include crystallized ability (Gc), fluid reasoning (Gf), visual processing (Gv), short-term memory (Gsm), and processing speed (Gs), although some of these abilities are measured more comprehensively than are others. Additionally, the WAIS–IV provides a measure of quantitative reasoning (QR). Results also suggest a lack of cross-age invariance resulting ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3502876 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:32:00 +0100 3502876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487288&cid=t_112793_131_f&fid=34995&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.discovermagazine.com%2Fgnxp%2F2010%2F04%2F1980-2000-the-age-of-death%2F Poking around the GSS for another reason I stumbled onto something weird. Something which I’d seen hints of, or seen referred to before, but never followed up myself. It seems that support for abortion-on-demand and the death penalty peaked concurrently in the span between 1980-2000. This is evident in two GSS variables, ABANY and CAPPUN, which ask if you support a woman’s right to an abortion for any reason and the death penalty for murder. Additionally, I decided to look at attitudes toward homosexuality using HOMOSEX as a reference as a point of contrast. Unlike abortion or the death penalty attitudes toward homosexuality have been changing in the same direction for the past 30 years. Additionally, the magnitude of the change seems to be much greater than in regards to the o... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487288 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:49:26 +0100 3487288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3482956&cid=t_112793_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fmaking-sense-of-your-semen-analysis.html The semen analysis report is the basic test of a man's fertility. However, this is a complex report and it can be hard to make sense of the numbers on this laboratory test.Here's a free simple tool to help you make sense of what your sperm test numbers mean ! Just download this pdf file to view it ! (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3482956 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:31:00 +0100 3482956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3395112&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3XDrt0gUkyE%2F By Daniel GriswoldLost in the buzz last week over health care was the news that the broadest measure of the U.S. trade deficit fell sharply in 2009 from the year before. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. current account deficit plunged from $706 billion in 2008 to $420 billion last year — the smallest deficit since 2001. I’ve been waiting for a few days now for the usual trade deficit hawks to hail this development as great news for millions of Americans looking for work. In years when the trade deficit was rising, it was common practice for the labor-union-friendly Economic Policy Institute to publish detailed studies showing that larger trade deficits caused the U.S. economy to lose hundreds of thousands of jobs each year. For example, according to an October... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3395112 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:25:33 +0100 3395112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322508&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2010%2F03%2F02%2Fover-time-distribution-of-shot-lengths-in-movies-has-moved-closer-to-pink-noise%2F The statistics of shot durations in 150 films from 1935 to 2005 were analyzed. From about 1970 to the present, the power spectrum of shot durations in individual films has tended to become more like pink noise (power ~= 1/f). Also, autocorrelation shows that the lengths of nearby shots has become more and more correlated. The authors, Cutting, DeLong, and Nothelfer, speculate that the pink noise bit is being driven by some process that is related to attention, since there are some other results (which they cite) showing the relevance of pink noise to attention. However, IMDB ratings were not positively correlated with the pink-noise-ness of the movie (partial correlation with release date factored out). Incidentally, this guy did his PhD thesis on cognitive science explanations for film e... neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322508 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:12:47 +0100 3322508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3318545&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35068&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainwindows.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F01%2Fcompressed-sensing-in-neuroscience%2F Wired has a nice lay-person write-up of the rapidly developing field of compressed sensing. This is a technique that allows accurate reconstructions of highly undersampled sparse datasets. This field really took off in 2004 when Emmanuel J. Candès discovered that a tomography phantom image could be reconstructed exactly even with data deemed insufficient by the Nyquist-Shannon criterion. It is probably the hottest topic in imaging theory today. Modified Shepp-Logan phantom with enhanced contrast for visual perception. According to this review, Compressed Sensing MRI, its successful application requires three conditions to be met : Transform Sparsity: The desired image must have a sparse representation in a known transform domain (i.e., it must be compressible by transform coding), I... Brain Windows blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3318545 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:03:53 +0100 3318545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3287880&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2010%2F02%2F18%2Fstatoolkit%2F http://neuroanalysis.org/ Octave/MATLAB toolkit for analysis of spike train data. Open source. Information theory-y. (Source: neurodudes) neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3287880 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:48:04 +0100 3287880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259100&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35068&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainwindows.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F09%2Fmonte-carlo-calcium-spike-detection%2F I somehow missed that Josh Vogelstein’s method on action potential detection was published last summer. In Spike Inference from Calcium Imaging Using Sequential Monte Carlo Methods, the authors use a Monte Carlo approach to determine spike times from calcium imaging with superior performance to other deconvolution methods.  It does a great job on simulated and in vitro data, I’d love to see performance on real in vivo recordings.  If you are serious about calcium imaging, you should definitely get in touch with Josh and see what magic he can do with all that math.  You should also ask him about the benefits of linen pants vs. denim, he’s got strong opinions on that subject as well… Using only strongly saturating and very noisy in vitro fluorescence measuremen... Brain Windows blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259100 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:01:42 +0100 3259100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231450&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYsUdwzn3Ljo%2F By Cato EditorsGlobalization holds tremendous promise to improve human welfare but can also cause conflicts and crises. How will competition for resources, employment, and growth shape economic policies among developed nations as they attempt to maintain productivity growth, social protections, and extensive political and cultural freedoms? In a new study, Cato scholar Jagadeesh Gokhale offers policy recommendations for developed nations to reduce globalization’s negative effects and, indeed, harness it for solving economic challenges. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231450 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:47:15 +0100 3231450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231106&cid=t_112793_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2010%2F02%2Fmicrobial-phylogenetics-global-markers.html The introduction of comparative rRNA sequence analysis represents a major milestone in the history of microbiology. The current taxonomy of prokaryotes as well as modern probe and chip based identification methods are mainly based upon rRNA derived phylogenetic conclusions. Also of importance is single gene based phylogenetic inference and alternative global markers include elongation and initiation factors, RNA polymerase subunits, DNA gyrases, heat shock and recA proteins. Although the comparative analyses are hampered by the generally low phylogenetic information content, and different resolution power, and multiple copies of the individual markers, the domain and prokaryotic phyla concept is globally supported read more ... from Molecular Phylogeny of Microorganisms by Aharon Oren and ... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231106 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:32:00 +0100 3231106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231107&cid=t_112793_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2010%2F02%2Fmultilocus-sequence-analysis.html Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) represents the novel standard in microbial molecular systematics. In this context, MLSA is implemented in a relatively straightforward way, consisting essentially in the concatenation of several sequence partitions for the same set of organisms, resulting in a "supermatrix" which is used to infer a phylogeny by means of distance-matrix or optimality criterion-based methods. This approach is expected to have an increased resolving power due to the large number of characters analyzed, and a lower sensitivity to the impact of conflicting signals (i.e. phylogenetic incongruence) that result from eventual horizontal gene transfer events. The strategies used to deal with multiple partitions can be grouped in three broad categories: the total evidence, separate... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231107 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:29:00 +0100 3231107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231108&cid=t_112793_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2010%2F02%2Fmicrobial-phylogenetics-methods.html The purpose of phylogenetic analysis is to understand the past evolutionary path of organisms. Even though we will never know for certain the true phylogeny of any organism, phylogenetic analysis provides best assumptions, thereby providing a framework for various disciplines in microbiology. Due to the technological innovation of modern molecular biology and the rapid advancement in computational science, accurate inference of the phylogeny of a gene or organism seems possible in the near future. There has been a flood of nucleic acid sequence information, bioinformatic tools and phylogenetic inference methods in public domain databases, literature and worldwide web space. Phylogenetic analysis has long played a central role in basic microbiology, for example in taxonomy and ecology. In a... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231108 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:25:00 +0100 3231108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3201760&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F23%2Fchange-your-password%2F Humans are creatures of habit. We eat the same foods at the same times nearly every day. Cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, maybe we change it up for dinner. Look at us, we’re living on the edge! But because humans are so predictable, we’re also pretty lousy at protecting ourselves from the pitfalls of predictability. We tend to choose things like passwords based upon easily-memorized components — the word “password” or some combination of characters that a 4-year old would pick (abc or 123). So as a public service, I have to mention a study released last week of 32 million breached password accounts. You’d like to think that people aren’t really that obvious. And you’d be wrong. If your password is one of the below, please change it... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3201760 Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:47:53 +0100 3201760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3172067&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fpushing-edge-of-chc-theory-and-wj-iii.html I just posted a new online presentation at SlideShare summarizing a series of recent analyses I've completed. The analyses are grounded in a variety of exploratory data analysis I've completed over the past nine years, which when combined with recent theoretical literature, resulted in an attempt to search for possible modifications and extensions to CHC model of intelligence, as operationally defined by the WJ III test battery.The show can be viewed by clicking here. Alternatively, clicking here provides access to a PDF copy of the slides.This is part Iof a two-part series. Part II will present information regarding new insights into the abilities measured by some of the WJ II  individual tests as well as possible new interpretive clusters to consider.Stay tuned for updatesThe results, i... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3172067 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:43:00 +0100 3172067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3159499&cid=t_112793_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2010%2F01%2Fmolecular-phylogeny-of-microorganisms.html A proper understanding of the diversity, systematics and nomenclature of microbes is increasingly important in many branches of biological science. The molecular approach to phylogenetic analysis, pioneered by Carl Woese in the 1970s and leading to the three-domain model (Archaea, Bacteria, Eucarya), has revolutionized our thinking about evolution in the microbial world. The technological innovation of modern molecular biology and the rapid advancement in computational science have led to a flood of nucleic acid sequence information, bioinformatic tools and phylogenetic inference methods. Phylogenetic analysis has long played a central role in microbiology and the emerging fields of comparative genomics and phylogenomics require substantial knowledge and understanding of phylogenetic analy... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3159499 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:06:00 +0100 3159499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146212&cid=t_112793_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F9lss1R4hDDE%2F The agency approved 26 new meds last year compared with 25 in 2008, a level that hadn’t been reached in five years, according to Dow Jones, which cites a report by Washington Analysis, a research firm. Newly approved meds included Effient, a blood thinner from Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo; Sanofi-Aventis’ Multaq heart pill, and two drugs to treat advanced kidney cancer: GlaxoSmithKline’s Votrient and Novartis’ Afinitor. However, several drugs that had been expected to reach medicine cabinets never made it that far, as the agency delayed some approvals in search of additional info. An example: Amgen’s Prolia, or denosomab, for treating post-menopausal osteoporosis. Ira Loss, a healthcare analyst at Washington Analysis, says the FDA did a decent job approving drugs... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146212 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:04:14 +0100 3146212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3133703&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fwmf-human-cognitive-abilities-hca.html The free on-line WMF Human Cognitive Abilities (HCA) archive project was updated today. An overview of the project, with a direct link to the archive, can be found at the Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation web page (click on "Current Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation Human Cognitive Abilities Archive") . Also, an on-line PPT copy of a poster presentation I made at the 2008 (Dec) ISIR conference re: this project can be found by clicking here.After a period of inactivity (due to being swamped), I am pleased to announce the following additions and revisions.Currently, 115 of Jack Carroll's original correlation matrices (in Excel file format) are now available at the archive. These correlation files can be downloaded for free and can be used for secondary data analysis. Of these 115, 75 also include the ori... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3133703 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:57:00 +0100 3133703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3115197&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fresearch-byte-12-23-09-shared-and.html A factorial analysis of timed and untimed measures of mathematics and reading abilities in school aged twins (Sara A. Hart, Stephen A. Petrill and Lee A. Thompson)  Learning and Individual Differences, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 27 October 2009, AbstractThe present study examined the phenotypic and genetic relationship between fluency and non-fluency-based measures of reading and mathematics performance. Participants were drawn from the Western Reserve Reading and Math Project, an ongoing longitudinal twin project of same-sex MZ and DZ twins from Ohio. The present analyses are based on tester-administered measures available from 228 twin pairs (age M = 9.86 years). Measurement models suggested that four factors represent the data, namely Decoding, Fluency, Comprehensi... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3115197 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:48:00 +0100 3115197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079323&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUKClRcE7WKw%2F By Chris EdwardsThe expansion in government and poor state of the economy got me thinking about how government growth is reflected in measured gross domestic product. So here is a wonky look at the treatment of government in the Bureau of Economic Analysis GDP data. Data notes: By “government,” I mean total federal, state, and local. For 2009, I’m using the average of second and third quarter data. All data from BEA Tables here. GDP measures total production. In 2009, government production was 20.7 percent of U.S. GDP.  Government production is roughly the sum of government value-added (the stuff it produces itself) and government purchases. The first item, government value-added, was 12.4 percent of GDP and mainly consists of employee compensation. For exampl... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079323 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:37:11 +0100 3079323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3035828&cid=t_112793_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2009%2F11%2Fselect-biosciences-conferences-2010.html January 20 - 21, 2010 Stem Cells World CongressSan Francisco, CA, USA Further information4th annual Stem Cells World Congress and exhibition. There will be two parallel tracks focused specifically on: (1) Stem Cells in Drug Discovery and Development and (2) Regenerative MedicineFebruary 11 - 12, 2010 Screening EuropeBarcelona, Spain Further information7th annual Screening Europe conference and exhibition, claimed to be the largest screening event in Europe with four conference rooms in 2010. Novel Screening Platforms and Drug Discovery Methods, High Content Screening, Fragment Based Screening, Label Free Screening, Enzymes as Drug Targets, Receptors as Drug TargetsSuggested reading: Biology BooksMarch 4 - 5, 2010 Advances in Synthetic BiologyLondon, UK Further information3rd annual Advance... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3035828 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:10:00 +0100 3035828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023302&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fdissertation-dish-new-insights-on.html Exploring the relationships among various measures of processing speed in a sample of children referred for psychological assessments by Nelson, Megan A., Ph.D., University of Virginia, 2009 , 102 pages; AAT 3348732AbstractProcessing speed is a robust psychometric factor in modern tests of cognitive ability (Carroll, 1993), but the common factors underlying mental speed and its contributions to individual differences in functioning are not well understood. The goal of the current study was to further explore mental speed by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on 11 speeded subtest scores. It was hypothesized that the 11 subtests would be best represented by a four-factor model. These four factors were then submitted to a cluster analysis to identify whether certain patterns of ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023302 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:27:00 +0100 3023302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999695&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fcluster-analysis-of-wj-iii-implications.html IAP AP101 # 4 report is now available (click here for all AP101 reports and briefs).  "IAP AP101 Report #4: Cluster analysis of the WJ III Battery:  Implications for CHC test interpretation and possible CHC model extensions" can be downloaded or viewed by clicking here.PPT files are also viewable and downloadable via SlideShare.AbstractThe WJ III Battery is comprised of both cognitive (intelligence) and achievement components. As reported in the technical manual, the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities organizational structure of the WJ III has been validated. The current investigation analyzed the cognitive and achievement tests for all WJ III norm subjects from ages 6-18 years of age. Cluster analysis of the 50 WJ III tests provides additional validity for ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999695 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:48:00 +0100 2999695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999508&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FA4DDT0pXBF4%2F In a new Policy Analysis, Cato Research Fellow Jason Kuznicki examines the ongoing threats to free speech both at home and around the world, from hate-speech laws in the United Kingdom and Canada and university speech codes in the United States, to the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam: The result is not more happiness, but a race to the bottom, in which aggrieved groups compete endlessly with one another for a slice of government power. Philosopher Robert Nozick once observed that utilitarianism is hard-pressed to banish what he termed utility monsters—that is, individuals who take inordinate satisfaction from acts that displease others. Arguing about who hurt whose feelings worse, and about who needs more soothing than whom, seems designed to discover—or create—utility mon... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999508 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:26:33 +0100 2999508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2974096&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fwhat-does-wais-iv-measure-applied.html What does the WAIS-IV measure?:  CHC analysis and beyond.IAP AP101 # 2 report is now available (click here for other AP101 reports and briefs).  "IAP AP101 IQ TEST SCORE DIFFERENCE SERIES #2: What does the WAIS-IV measure? CHC analysis and beyond" can be viewed  or downloaded by clicking here.The PPT files are also viewable and downloadable via SlideShare.AbstractThe WAIS-IV (2008) is the latest revision of the adult Wechsler battery. The addition of new, and deletion of old tests, plus a more-factor based foundation for the composite indexes, requires psychologists to be familiar with the best possible interpretative structure of the venerable battery. In this PowerPoint based report, the available published and unpublished confirmatory factor studies of the WAIS-IV subtest... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2974096 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:51:00 +0100 2974096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876022&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fc18y9pP9fp8%2F Many commentators have argued that if the Federal Reserve had followed a stricter monetary policy earlier this decade when the housing bubble was forming, and if Congress had not deregulated banking but had imposed tighter financial standards, the housing boom and bust—and the subsequent financial crisis and recession—would have been averted. In a new study, Cato scholars Jagadeesh Gokhale and Peter Van Doren investigate those claims and dispute them. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876022 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:05:50 +0100 2876022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871568&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPfLxrrDOg54%2F The U.S. sustainability standard currently requires ethanol production to emit at least 20% less CO2 than the gasoline it is assumed to replace. In a new study, authors Harry de Gorter and David R. Just argue that sustainability standards for ethanol are, by definition, illogical and ineffective. Moreover, say de Gorter and Just, those standards divert attention from the contradictions and inefficiencies of ethanol import tariffs, tax credits, mandates, and subsidies, all of which exist whether ethanol is sustainable or not. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871568 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:12:38 +0100 2871568 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865622&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7954 Finally it’s out in the Star and the reporter got it right by calling it a Bleeding Scam. Whether or not carried out by hoemopaths, naturopaths, sinsehs or real doctors, Live Blood Analysis is indeed junk science. Rather curious that “Up to press time, Health Ministry’s director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican had yet to respond to requests for comment on this practice.” I am sure the MOH is aware of this practice. Rather than let thousands and thousands of gullible Malaysians continue to be duped by this scam, shouldn’t the authorities do something? Related posts: Medical misinformation in Malaysiakini: the Live Blood Analysis hocus pocus Nutritional Live Blood Analysis Update 6/10/9 : The DG has made a statement in the press: No evidence to back LBA’s effect... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865622 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2865622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2857491&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35068&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainwindows.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F02%2Fautomated-roi-analysis-for-calcium-imaging%2F One of the most time consuming and frustrating tasks associated with fluorescence imaging in the brain is picking out your regions of interest.  Which pixels do you include in as part of the cell and which are part of the surrounding neuropil?  Often, the answer is not obvious, and even with painstaking selections you can make errors.  Eran Mukamel et. al, from Mark Schnitzer’s lab just published this Neurotechnique Automated Analysis of Cellular Signals from Large-Scale Calcium Imaging Data that aims to simplify and improve the results of ROI selection.  The authors used a multistage approach to identify and quantify the calcium-dependent fluorescence changes of imaged neurons. First, they used principal component analysis to identify the components of the image that were likel... Brain Windows blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2857491 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:04:54 +0100 2857491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823676&cid=t_112793_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2009%2F09%2Fsoil-microbiology.html Until fairly recently, the living soil has been considered as a functional black box that is intrinsically too difficult to be unravelled into its core components. However, this concept has changed with the advent of the modern methodologies. The intricacies of microbial life in soil has been impacted by the advanced, mainly molecular-based, approaches that have been unleashed on the soil habitat in recent years. The application of molecular and other advanced methods (cultivation-independent analyses) has provided exciting new insights into microbial life in soil. Soil is an extremely diverse and complex habitat containing many microsites and gradients that form a range of different biogeochemical interfaces. Depending on the proportion of sand, silt and clay, the surface area in soil can... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823676 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:02:00 +0100 2823676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2824168&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F23%2Fthe-complexity-of-psychology-research%2F A lot of times, I write about the results of some new psychology research study or scientific analysis. I boil the results down to digestible findings and try and wrap the whole thing up in simple, common-sense terms. But sometimes what I don’t write about is often more fascinating than what I do. The science of psychological research is, in itself, a complex and regularly contested issue. For every new study published, another study will come out that will directly refute or at the very least, call into question, the findings of the study. One of the journals I subscribe to from the Association for Psychological Science is called Perspectives on Psychological Science. This journal publishes scholarly debates about the merits of certain aspects of the science of psychology. Every i... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2824168 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:45:44 +0100 2824168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820447&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2009%2F09%2F21%2Fdead-salmon-in-fmri-machine-shows-signs-of-thought-not-really%2F This poster, by Bennett, Baird, Miller, and Wolford, provides a memorable reminder that you have to do a statistical correction for multiple comparisons when you datamine a large number of things for correlation. “The task administered to the salmon involved completing an open-ended mentalizing task. The salmon was shown a series of photographs depicting human individuals in social situations with a specified emotional valence. The salmon was asked to determine what emotion the individual in the photo must have been experiencing.” Voxels in the data were searched to find voxels which show a statistically significant correlation with the experimental condition. 16 such voxels were found (without doing any correction). As the poster says, “Across the 130,000 voxels in a ty... neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820447 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:46:50 +0100 2820447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796600&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fwmf-human-cognitive-abilities-hca.html The free on-line WMF Human Cognitive Abilities (HCA) archive project was updated today. An overview of the project, with a direct link to the archive, can be found at the Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation web page (click on "Current Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation Human Cognitive Abilities Archive") . Also, an on-line PPT copy of a poster presentation I made at the 2008 (Dec) ISIR conference re: this project can be found by clicking here.Today's update added the following 10 new datasets from John "Jack" Carroll's original collection.Davis, F.B. (1944). Fundamental factors of comprehension in reading. Psychometrika, 9, 185-197.Davis, P.C. (1956). A factor analysis of the Wechsler-Bellevue scale. Educational & Psychological Measurement, 16, 127-146.**Day, R. (1980). Unpublished study of the Langua... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796600 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:41:00 +0100 2796600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796616&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fchc-cognitive-achievement-relations.html [Double click on image to enlarge]I'm pleased to announce the completion of the Cattell - Horn - Carroll (CHC) Cognitive Abilities-Achievement Research Synthesis project, a project first described in a prior post. The purpose of this project is to systematically synthesize the key Cattell-Horn- Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities designed research studies that have investigated the relations between broad and narrow CHC abilities and school achievement.The project can be accessed via a clickable MindMap visual-graphic navigational tool (similar to the image above...but "active" and "dyanamic") or via the more traditional web page outline navigational method. You can toggle back and forth between the different navigation methods via the options in the upper right hand corner of the ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796616 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:02:00 +0100 2796616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2747914&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFOSgWZM_BO0%2F What do workers in finance, energy, and the federal government have in common? Very generous compensation packages, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. When I posted federal compensation data last week, I received a flood of comments that disputed my contention that federal workers are overpaid. A common retort was that “federal workers are not burger flippers.” That’s true, but workers in the computer systems design, computer manufacturing, and chemicals industries are not burger flippers either, yet those folks also earn less than federal workers, on average. The Bureau of Economic Analysis presents compensation data for 72 industries that span the U.S. economy (Table 6.2D). Figure 1 shows the 20 industries with the highest levels of average compensation, inclu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2747914 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:49:33 +0100 2747914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737700&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZptJwMYfVis%2F My post yesterday on federal worker pay generated a large and aggressive response from federal workers, both in my inbox and on websites such as Fedsmith.com. (See also Federal Times and Govexec). Here are four points raised in criticism: First, people accuse me of producing distorted data somehow. Actually, it’s essentially just raw Bureau of Economic Analysis data, but the data is usually overlooked by the media because I don’t think the BEA puts out a press release on it. Anyway, the average wage data is from BEA Table 6.6D. The average compensation data is simply total compensation (Table 6.2D) divided by the number of workers (Table 6.5D). Second, people argue that reporting overall averages for wages and compensation is somehow illegitimate. People email me co... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737700 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:19:26 +0100 2737700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719831&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fdependability-of-general-g-factor.html This is an update to a prior "IQ Pipeline" post regarding a manuscript that had been accepted for publication in the journal Intelligence.  The article is now official.  The reference citation (with link to copy) is:Floyd, R. G., Shands, E. I., Rafael, F. A., Bergeron, R., & McGrew, K. S. (2009). The dependability of general-factor loadings: The effects of factor-extraction methods, test battery composition, test battery size, and their interactions. Intelligence, 37, 453-465. (click here to view/download)As an FYI, the prior post included a link the to original Thorndike (1987) classic "Stability of Factor Loadings" article that was foundation of the current article.Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, cognition, neuropsychology, intelligence, IQ, ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719831 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:40:00 +0100 2719831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2716088&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fcan-cognitive-tests-differentiate.html Can cognitive ability tests differentially diagnosis Alzheimer's from Vascular-Dementia?  A recent meta-analysis  (see reference below) suggests that the answer is "no"---cognitive measures need to be augmented by other diagnostic techniques when trying to differentiate Alzheimer's from Vascular Dementia.Mathias, J. L. & Burke, J.  (2009).  Cognitive Functioning in Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia:A Meta-Analysis.  Neuropsychology, 23(4), 411–423Abstract (underlining is emphasis added by blogmaster)Differentiating between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) remains difficult but important if existing pharmacological treatments are to provide symptomatic relief in the case of AD or to alter disease progression in the case of VaD. Cognitive assessments play a... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2716088 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:06:00 +0100 2716088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2705158&cid=t_112793_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fmetabolic-fingerprint-of-your-urine.html For decades, the word “fingerprint” has been used to denote a set of unique characteristics, whether literally the complex patterns of arches, loops, and whorls on one’s fingertips or entirely figuratively and more recently, the notion of a genetic fingerprint based on an analysis of an individual’s DNA sequence. Most recently though, scientists have turned to another “omic” metabonomic fingerprinting using the analytical technique of NMR spectroscopy to obtain a unique view of an individual based on the complete range of metabolites produced by their body. In the press release that discussed the research and in my follow-up news story on Spectroscopynow.com, there was an allusion to the idea that each one of the 6.7 billion people on earth would have a ... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2705158 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:00:39 +0100 2705158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2705211&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2009%2F08%2F16%2Ffrontiers-in-neuroscience-journal%2F The journal, Frontiers in Neuroscience, edited by Idan Segev, has made it Volume 3, issue 1.  Launching last year at the Society for Neuroscience conference, its probably the newest Neuroscience-related journal. I’m a fan of it because it is an open-access journal featuring a “tiered system” and more.  From their website: The Frontiers Journal Series is not just another journal. It is a new approach to scientific publishing. As service to scientists, it is driven by researchers for researchers but it also serves the interests of the general public. Frontiers disseminates research in a tiered system that begins with original articles submitted to Specialty Journals. It evaluates research truly democratically and objectively based on the reading activity of the scienti... neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2705211 Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:02:16 +0100 2705211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702345&cid=t_112793_107_f&fid=35041&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fdigitalbio%2F%7E3%2FjhPG04HFvo0%2Fnext_generation_dna_sequencing.php You might think the coolest thing about the Next Generation DNA Sequencing technologies is that we can use them to sequence long-dead mammoths, entire populations of microbes, or bits of bone from Neanderthals.But you would be wrong. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Discovering Biology in a Digital World) Discovering Biology in a Digital World blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702345 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:24:16 +0100 2702345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702404&cid=t_112793_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator%2Ffree-dentist-website-analysis-is-your-site-user-friendly%2F The pros at TNT Dental tell us, “you can lead a patient to your website, but you can’t make ‘em stay.” That’s not to say your potential patients are horses, but there’s some truth in the statement. This week, in the TNT Tips Blog, you’ll find expert advice regarding no-nos! and yes-yesses! for building a user-friendly dental website. Design and copy elements are addressed in the informative article, which includes a checklist for you to assess your site’s usability. If you don’t want to assess your own site, TNT is offering a free website analysis. All you have to to is call 877-868-4932 and ask for your usability analysis. You may also want to request an SEO analysis a the same time. In this economy, TNT wants to help dentists make the... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702404 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:58:53 +0100 2702404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2641331&cid=t_112793_107_f&fid=35041&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fdigitalbio%2F%7E3%2FQSKfs-yDURk%2Fbioinformatics_summit_proceedi.php Last spring, I gave my first hands-on workshop in working with Next Generation Sequencing data at the Eighth Annual UT-ORNL-KBRIN Bioinformatics Summit at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee. The proceedings from that conference are now on-line at BMC Bioinformatics and it's fun to look back and reflect on all that I learned at the conference and all that's happened since. Figure 1. Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Discovering Biology in a Digital World) Discovering Biology in a Digital World blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2641331 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:56:46 +0100 2641331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2637897&cid=t_112793_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fbone-scans-and-dna-testing-by-major.html The New York Times published a very interesting piece a few days ago called Baseball's Use of DNA Raises Questions.The impetus for these tests:Dozens of Latin American prospects in recent years have been caught purporting to be younger than they actually were as a way to make themselves more enticing to major league teams.Apparently, such players have been able to borrow the birth certificate of a younger child from some other family.Can these tests actually reveal one's age? In the case of DNA, no. However, it can be used to check whether a given player is actually related to the parents listed on the birth certificate. According to the Times, this alone was enough to void the signing of a Yankee prospect last year from the Dominican Republic.In the case of a bone "scan", I presume the Ti... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2637897 Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:59:00 +0100 2637897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630219&cid=t_112793_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fautostitching-big-apple-v-40.html Since it was next door to our hotel, we took a college tour of the Juilliard School this morning. Looks like a swell place, but probably not the best fit for my son, whose musical tastes, shall we say, are somewhat orthogonal to most Julliard norms. I did use part of the tour time to grab this quick Autostich panorama of the Paul Recital Hall there, using 6 images:Then we hopped the D train up to the Bronx, and watched the Yankees beat the Orioles 6 - 4. It's a very nice stadium -- if they can consistently fill it up with enough hungry and thirsty fans every game, they might just be able to make payroll on their team of millionaires. I grabbed two panoramas -- an exterior view (3 images), and an interior view (28 images):The Orioles hit two successive home runs in the last inning, which el... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630219 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:01:00 +0100 2630219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2626132&cid=t_112793_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fautostitching-big-apple-v-30.html I hope it doesn't seem as if I've gone completely off the deep end about Autostich here in NYC. It never came up at all during most of the things we did today, including several tasty meals, the Hayden Planetarium show or the Broadway production (Westside Story) we saw this evening.However, we also spent the afternoon at the wonderful American Museum of Natural History, where there were way too many large photogenic objects that were beyond my ability to resist. Here are my favorites, along with the number of images I used to create them.Ginormous Northwest Native American dugout canoe, 6 images:Same canoe, different angle, 3 images:Views from both ends of the Hall of Biodiversity -- a stunning way to convey the concept of just how many species we have on this planet, 4 and 5 images, respe... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2626132 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:59:00 +0100 2626132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2621899&cid=t_112793_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fautostitching-big-apple-v-20.html I tried out a few more panoramas again today in Manhattan, using my iPhone 3GS and Autostich.The image on the left was built from four shots of a tower crane which was hauling up a big container of wet cement up many stories into the sky. The waviness of the tower is, fortunately, an artifact of the process, as well as my inexact positioning of the camera.Vertical panoramas seem to be a weak point of Autostitch -- at least when one is pretty close to the subject. The following shot of Rockefeller Center (built from 11 shots) demonstrates this well -- the actual main building is much taller than it appears here. Autostitch's big brothers may well have settings to control for this prominent shortening effect.While the kids were sacking and pillaging the M&M and Hershey store in Times Squ... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2621899 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:38:00 +0100 2621899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2616751&cid=t_112793_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fautostitching-big-apple.html We just spent the day visiting a few cultural icons here in Manhattan. This seemed like a fine time to play with a new iPhone app called Autostich, which merges multiple separate pictures into a much larger panoramic image.I've actually used one of this program's big brothers (Calico) for several years to stitch together mountain photos from my big Nikon into cool panoramas. Both programs are based on image-processing research from the University of British Columbia, which has licensed its algorithms to other developers, including Industrial Light & Magic. We also use similar software at work to stitch together life-sized vertical panoramas of the entire human spine from several smaller shots.To kick things off, here are 4 iPhone 3GS photos of the Time Warner Center at dusk...The resul... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2616751 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:37:00 +0100 2616751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2611052&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fcattell-horn-cattell-chc-intelligence.html I've been busy taking information from my Cattell-Horn-Carroll CHC (Gf-Gc) Theory:  Past, Present & Future book chapter (in Flanagan & Harrison, 2005 CIA book) and putting it together in a piece of professional timeline software (Timeline Maker).  The software is "way cool" as it allows me to embed hyperlinks to files, images, web pages, etc.  Then, I can use the software, when making presentations, and bring events in one-at-a-time.  AND, at each event there are icons that serve as menus to files, images, etc. that I can "bring up" for viewing and discussion.  I've been embedding the timeline with all kinds of historical images, original classic articles (e.g., Spearman, Thurstone, Cattell, etc.) as well as more recent CHC-related articles.  The idea is for a timeline-based ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2611052 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:13:00 +0100 2611052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2598351&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fjohn-horn-1965-doctoral-dissertation.html John Horn's Gf-Gc dissertation available for viewing.I'm working on a visual-graphic and text-based summary and extension of my previously published "CHC Theory: Past, Present and Future" book chapter...so it can be displayed on the web, and more importantly, can serve as a presentation for instructional/historical purposes. When done I will be giving this material away to those that are interested.In the process I'm trying to embed hyperlinks to classic articles that will give readers the chance to view and read many of the seminal works that have led us to contemporary CHC theory and intellectual assessment.Today I'm posting a real gem I found in the process of completing this project. A PDF copy of John Horn's original dissertation (1965). According to Carroll (1993), this was the first... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2598351 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:56:00 +0100 2598351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2584270&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fapplied-psych-test-design-part-g.html The seventh  in the series Art and Science of Applied Test Development is now available.The seventh module (Part G:  Psychometric/technical statistical analysis:  External) is now posted and is accessible via SlideShare.In addition, I've made some new edits and additions  to prior presentations (Part A-F)....so if you've viewed the prior modules you may want to revisit them again.This is the seventh in a series of PPT modules explicating the development of psychological tests in the domain of cognitive ability using contemporary methods (e.g., theory-driven test specification; IRT-Rasch scaling; etc.). The presentations are intended to be conceptual and not statistical in nature. Feedback is appreciated.This project can be tracked on the left-side pane of the blog under the heading of ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2584270 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:20:00 +0100 2584270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580365&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fapplied-psych-test-development-series_07.html The sixth in the series Art and Science of Applied Test Development is now available.The sixth module (Part F--Psychometric/technical statistical analysis:  Internal) is now available.In addition, I've made some edits and additions (esp. summary "Tools, Tips, and Troubles" and "Advanced Topics" slides) to prior presentations (Part A-E).This is the sixth in a series of PPT modules explicating the development of psychological tests in the domain of cognitive ability using contemporary methods (e.g., theory-driven test specification; IRT-Rasch scaling; etc.). The presentations are intended to be conceptual and not statistical in nature. Feedback is appreciated.This project can be tracked on the left-side pane of the blog under the heading of Applied Test Development Test Development Series.T... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580365 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:41:00 +0100 2580365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580366&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fwj-iii-chc-cluster-g-specificity.html The following article, which was previously previewed in an earlier post, has now been published. Check the prior post for links to supplementary tables mentioned in the article. [Conflict of interest disclosure - I am a co-author of the WJ III, which was the focus of this publication]Floyd, R., McGrew, K., Barry, A., Rafael, F & Rogers, J. (2009) General and Specific Effects on Cattell–Horn–Carroll Broad Ability Composites: Analysis of the Woodcock–Johnson III Normative Update CHC Factor Clusters Across Development. School Psychology Review, 38(2), 249-265AbstractMany school psychologists focus their interpretation on composite scores from intelligence test batteries designed to measure the broad abilities from the Cattell-Hom-Carroll theory. The purpose of this study was to inv... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580366 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:35:00 +0100 2580366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570912&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2009%2F07%2F02%2Ftranscriptomics-of-the-fetal-human-brain%2F A cutting-edge application of the Affy total human exome GeneChip (4X coverage per exon, 40X coverage per gene): Functional and Evolutionary Insights into Human Brain Development through Global Transcriptome Analysis. From the News and Views, I was intrigued to learn that previous transcriptome analyses of adult human brains found very little difference in gene expression between brain areas: [...] this suggests that it is the gene expression during development that largely determines higher brain functions by specifying the complexity of neural connections. Numerically, the most important genes relating to cognitive differences between species may be genes that specify how the machinery is put together. In support of this hypothesis, many of the identified differentially expressed genes ... neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570912 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:59:16 +0100 2570912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2561400&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fdifferntiation-of-cognitive-abilites.html The following manuscript, which analyzed the WJ III norm data [conflict of interest--I'm a coauthor of the WJ III), has been accepted for publication in the journal Developmental PsychologyDifferentiation of Cognitive Abilities across the Lifespan. Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, Department of Psychology University of Virginia Charlottesville, V.A.AbstractExisting representations of cognitive ability structure are exclusively based on linear patterns of interrelations. However, a number of developmental and cognitive theories predict that abilities are differentially related across ages (age differentiation-dedifferentiation) and across levels of functioning (ability differentiation). Nonlinear factor analytic models were applied to multivariate cognitive ability data from 6,273 individuals, ages 4... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2561400 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:45:00 +0100 2561400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4219966&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35070&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurobot.bio.auth.gr%2F2009%2Fstatistical-data-mining-tutorials%2F The following set of tutorials focus on many aspects of statistical data mining, including the foundations of probability, the foundations of statistical data analysis, and most of the classic machine learning and data mining algorithms. These include classification algorithms such as decision trees, neural nets, Bayesian classifiers, Support Vector Machines and cased-based (aka non-parametric) learning. [...] (Source: Neurobot) Neurobot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4219966 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:47:11 +0100 4219966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511161&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F06%2F18%2Fputting-cool-ahead-of-science-tweetpsych%2F A new service launched this week by a web developer named Dan Zarrella called TweetPsych. Zarrella is also a marketing manager for HubSpot, an online marketing firm. Zarrella calls himself a “scientist,” because I guess it sounds sexier than “web developer” or “marketing manager,” but he doesn’t list any academic credentials. (I wouldn’t mention the scientist or credentials part except that Zarrella makes specific scientific claims about his new service.) The interesting new service is marketed as offering “psychological profiling” based upon what you post to Twitter. But it’s really just a content analysis service, using two psychological dictionaries and your past 1,000 tweets. Zarrella claims this analysis “builds a... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511161 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:03:49 +0100 2511161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511973&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fiq-pipeline-dependability-of-general-g.html The following article, which is a contemporary update (via more sophisticated statistical methodology) and extension of Thorndike's (1987) classic article on the "Stability of Factor Loadings", is now "in press" in the journal Intelligence.Floyd, R., Shands, E., Rafaela, F., Bergeron, R & McGrew, K. (2009, in press). The dependability of general-factor loadings: The effects of factor-extraction methods, test battery composition, test battery size, and their interactions. IntelligenceAbstractTo understand the extent to which the general-factor loadings of tests are inherent in their characteristics or due to the sampling of tests, the number of tests in the correlation matrix, and the factor-extraction methods used to obtain them, test scores from a large sample of young adults were ins... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511973 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:43:00 +0100 2511973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469731&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fart-and-science-of-test-development-ets.html I'm in the process of developing a four-hour course presentation on the "Art and Science of Test Development:  Theories, tools, tips and troubles" that I will unveil late July at a Brazil psychological assessment conference.  I'm very excited about putting this together.  There are many books on different aspects of test development and psychometrics, but nothing that is really "applied" test development or psychometrics.  I'm excited, but also am finding it a challenge to do within a four-hour time constraint.  When done, it may serve as the outline for a manuscript and PPT slides that may be available via the WMF.  Much of it is based on Dr. Woodock's approach to test development and he has graciously provided me access to many of his notes and documents.  If we do ever get this t... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469731 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:45:00 +0100 2469731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447459&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWMU4MywH88I%2F From the Bureau of Economic Analysis news release of May 29: Profits from current production (corporate profits with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments) increased $42.6 billion in the first quarter. . . Taxes on corporate income increased $31.6 billion. . . [therefore] profits after tax . . . increased $11.1 billion. In other words, taxes extracted 74.2% of any added (marginal) corporate earnings, leaving only scraps for stockholder. Companies that lost money, on the other hand, were often bailed out and/or nationalized. Why bother even trying to maximize profits or minimize losses? (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447459 Sat, 30 May 2009 20:40:38 +0100 2447459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441535&cid=t_112793_107_f&fid=36698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fminingdrugs.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fdrug-popularity-via-google-queries-yet.html Here some drug popularity trends based on automatic Google queries. The drug names were taken from DrugBank.The top ten areCholesterolAspirinEthanolIbuprofenInsulinAcetaminophenTestosteroneCocaineOxycodoneVardenafilReferencesI used a Python script for the Google data fetching. Let me know, if you need more details.The Long Tail @WikipediaDrugBank: a knowledgebase for drugs, drug actions and drug targets. Wishart DS, Knox C, Guo AC, Cheng D, Shrivastava S, Tzur D, Gautam B, Hassanali M.Nucleic Acids Res. 2008, 36, (Database issue):D901-6.PMID: 18048412DrugBank: a comprehensive resource for in silico drug discovery and exploration.Wishart DS, Knox C, Guo AC, Shrivastava S, Hassanali M, Stothard P, Chang Z, Woolsey J.Nucleic Acids Res. 2006, 34, (Database issue):D668-72. PMID: 16381955 (So... Mining Drug Space blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441535 Fri, 29 May 2009 22:09:00 +0100 2441535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441169&cid=t_112793_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDdyysKBdvUk%2F The Federal Diary column in the Washington Post is a curious piece of newspaper real estate. Most newspaper columns are aimed at the broad general public, but this column is aimed directly at the few hundred thousand government workers in the DC region. The result is that it takes a very government- and union-centric view of the world. The fact that the federal civilian workforce costs taxpayers an enormous $300 billion or so every year is beside the point for the column. In a briefing with reporters yesterday, the head of the Office of Personnel Management complained about a Lou Dobbs television bit that featured this data that I assembled from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The Federal Diary columnist called me yesterday about the data, and I explained to him the shortcomings of ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441169 Thu, 28 May 2009 20:46:14 +0100 2441169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2415542&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fchc-cognitive-achievement-relations_18.html This is another post in a continued series of posts re: research synthesis of the CHC cognitve-achievement research literature. Click here for other posts in this series.The sheer number of key, review, and individual studies populating the published Flanagan et al. (2006) CHC CB COG-ACH correlates summary tables is impressive. However, the available CHC COG-ACH relations summaries suffer from a number of limitations. First is a lack of descriptive and operational rigor in the CHC COG-ACH syntheses. The Flanagan research group’s efforts appear to fit the definition of a purposeful research synthesis which “focus on empirical studies and seek to summarize past research by drawing overall conclusions from many separate investigations that address related or identical hypotheses” (Coope... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2415542 Mon, 18 May 2009 19:47:00 +0100 2415542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405841&cid=t_112793_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F2vem5X-Covs%2F We know type 1 diabetes is as much affected by genes as it is by lifestyle and environment. But a huge international study found that there could be as many as 41 genetic loci that affect the risk of type 1 diabetes! Research on Type 1 Diabetes. Image: Newscom Touted as the largest genetic study into type 1 diabetes, and published in Nature Genetics online this week, the study combined results from two previous studies and found 41 genomic locations were significantly associated with diabetes. The DNA of more than 10,000 people with diabetes from all over the world were studied, including more than 2,300 families with at least two diabetic kids. Another 11,000 people without diabetes were also studied. Of the 41 genes located, the study also found that 18 chromosomal regions that were asso... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405841 Wed, 13 May 2009 23:49:00 +0100 2405841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2390097&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fdissertation-dish-dimensionality-of.html Exploring the relationships among various measures of processing speed in a sample of children referred for psychological assessments by Nelson, Megan A., Ph.D., University of Virginia, 2009, 102 pages; AAT 3348732Abstract (Summary)Processing speed is a robust psychometric factor in modern tests of cognitive ability (Carroll, 1993), but the common factors underlying mental speed and its contributions to individual differences in functioning are not well understood. The goal of the current study was to further explore mental speed by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on 11 speeded subtest scores. It was hypothesized that the 11 subtests would be best represented by a four-factor model. These four factors were then submitted to a cluster analysis to identify whether certain pat... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2390097 Tue, 05 May 2009 14:20:00 +0100 2390097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349062&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fwmf-human-cognitive-abilities-project.html The free on-line WMF Human Cognitive Abilities (HCA) archive project was updated today. An overview of the project, with a direct link to the archive, can be found at the Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation web page (click on "Current Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation Human Cognitive Abilities Archive") . Also, an on-line PPT copy of a poster presentation I made at the 2008 (Dec) ISIR conference re: this project can be found by clicking here.Request for assistance: The HCA project needs help tracking down copies of old journal articles, dissertations, etc. for a number of datasets being archived. Please visit he special "Requests for Assistance" section of this archive to view a list of manuscripts that we are currently having trouble locating. If you have access to either a paper or e-copy of any of th... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349062 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:18:00 +0100 2349062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2324237&cid=t_112793_133_f&fid=35124&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Faspergerwoman%2F%7E3%2Fqz9QiPuxQhg%2Fautists-and-autism-awareness.html Thank you for all your comments on yesterday's blog. It's time the world realises how much people with autism generally are aware of their own shortcomings. But I think we should not be too hard in judging the outdoor world. Besides, speaking of diabilities there are few people who really know what it's like to have impairments. Most people live a generally quiet life. What people might not experience in fysical or mental impairments, they might have to live with other unpleasant things. We all carry our luggage throughout life. Be aware of autism but do not live live as an autist, because you are more than just that!While typing this the sun shines, as I sit outside I can hear the sound of singing birds (it is busy in the air! sounds like several songs sung by different birds LOL)and the ... The Art of Being Asperger Woman blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2324237 Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:55:00 +0100 2324237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313573&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34742&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeception.crimepsychblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D316 This study was designed to evaluate commonly used voice stress analyzers—in this case the layered voice analysis (LVA) system. The research protocol involved the use of a speech database containing materials recorded while highly controlled deception and stress levels were systematically varied. Subjects were 24 each males/females (age range 18–63 years) drawn from a diverse population. All held strong views about some issue; they were required to make intense contradictory statements while believing that they would be heard/seen by peers. The LVA system was then evaluated by means of a double blind study using two types of examiners: a pair of scientists trained and certified by the manufacturer in the proper use of the system and two highly experienced LVA instructors provided by thi... Deception Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313573 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:46:45 +0100 2313573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2320450&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fdivergent-thinking-creative-problem.html Results from a large scale study (n=1300+) of German subjects (Kuhn & Holing, 2009;  European Journal of Psychological Assessment) suggests that the factor structure of divergent thinking (idea generation, creative problem solving, etc.) abilities may be domain-specific (numerical, verbal, figural), consistent with the BIS intelligence theory (which was the framework for the study).  My only criticism is that no attempt was made to relate (test a model?) or interpret the results as per the divergent abilities that are subsumed as the fluency/rate factors under Glr in the CHC theory of intelligence.  Without detailed descriptions of the tests in the manuscript, it is not possible to do a post-hoc BIS-CHC "cross-walk."  My hunch is that the content-classified divergent thinking tests... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2320450 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:41:00 +0100 2320450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2312662&cid=t_112793_107_f&fid=35041&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fdigitalbio%2F%7E3%2FrSMrFiMp8B4%2Fsitting_on_the_dna_watching_th.php Watching the chIPs roll in, then I watch them roll away again, I'm just sitting on the DNA, wasting time (sung to the tune of "Sitting on the dock of the bay" by Otis Redding) Hesselberth et.al. recently published a paper about digital genomic footprinting that blew me away because it has so much potential. The authors used DNAse I and Next Generation DNA Sequencing to map every site in the yeast genome where a protein might be sitting. Since I used to do similar kinds of experiments, albeit on a much, much smaller scale, this sort of publication boggles my mind. It's only recently that I've come to terms with techniques like chIP and chIP Seq, and now, I imagine both of these will likely be replaced by this new method. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Discovering Biology in a Digital World blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2312662 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:06:00 +0100 2312662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2267324&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fquantoids-corner-confirmatory-factor.html Just read a good article in Psychological Methods on the state-of-the-art of CFA methods, statistical methods used with considerable frequency in intelligence research. Here is a nifty manuscript/research checklist ... double click on image to enlarge. I will follow-up with a more detailed post in the next few days. (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2267324 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:45:00 +0100 2267324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2259382&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fquantoids-corner-reporting-cfa-results.html Double click on image to enlarge (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2259382 Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:17:00 +0100 2259382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249713&cid=t_112793_113_f&fid=36504&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalRecordShow%2F%7E3%2F5JcE2jSa4Sc%2F This is part 3 of a 3-part series: EMR 101. Along with Step 4, Step 5 starts to open the door into EMR 201: Getting Really Good. If EMR 101 is about surviving the day, EMR 201 is about getting efficient, which enables you to think widely and deeply about patient care, as well as proactively. Step 5a: Abstract Abstracting refers to distilling old chart or patient record info directly into your EMR. It differs from scanning those other records, in the same way that data is different from information – one is raw potential, the other is immediately useful. A scanned chart, or hospital discharge summary, is just a snapshot, an image in your medical record reference files. It can be accessed and read, and key info extracted, but until someone actively accesses, reads, and extracts that ... The EMR/EHR Show: Making Your Electronic Medical Records Really Work blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249713 Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:26:46 +0100 2249713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2242985&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fwmf-human-cognitive-abilities-hca.html The free on-line WMF Human Cognitive Abilities (HCA) archive project was updated today. An overview of the project, with a direct link to the archive, can be found at the Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation web page (click on "Current Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation Human Cognitive Abilities Archive") . Also, an on-line PPT copy of a poster presentation I made at the 2008 (Dec) ISIR conference re: this project can be found by clicking here.Current Update: Today's update added information (either original correlation matrix or manuscript--or both) for the datasets listed below:FAIRO1A/FAIRO1:  Fairbank, B.A. Jr., Tirre, W., Anderson, N.S. (1991).  Measures of thirty cognitive tasks:  Intercorrelations and correlations with aptitude battery scores. In P.L. Dann, S. M. Irvine, & J. Collis (Eds.), A... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2242985 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:46:00 +0100 2242985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2235744&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fwhere-does-attention-fit-in-chc.html I just read with great interest (and attention) an excellent article that investigated the relations between the construct of attention and intelligence within the confines of the CHC model of intelligence. A constant source of discomfort with the CHC model, and, in particular, the use of the CHC nomenclature to classify what is measured by the tests in individual intelligence batteries, has been the lack of clarity of the role/presence/validity of AC (attention/concentration) in the model. Carroll (1993) clearly articulated the unknown status of attention in a model of cognitive abilities when he stated:"...it can be argued that attention is involved, in varying degrees, in all cognitive performances and, thus, in all performances that are regarded as indicating cognitive abilities. One c... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2235744 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:22:00 +0100 2235744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2195668&cid=t_112793_113_f&fid=36504&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalRecordShow%2F%7E3%2F5yygu52TgTE%2F Back in the day when I was a burgeoning kendo student, I read an account about a visiting fencing master. The writer, an established member of a kendo club, was looking forward like everyone else to the visit of this celebrity sensei. While having practiced kendo for nearly seven decades, the guest was appallingly fast, and had a reputation for winning known throughout Japan. He was, in a word, amazing, and every bit as impressive in person as his record suggested. When the guest asked the writer to practice with him, the club member was practically beside himself. What special techniques and feints would he be privileged to witness? What insights into timing, distance, and psyching-out your opponent would he be party to? “I’d like to work the overhead strike,” the guest ... The EMR/EHR Show: Making Your Electronic Medical Records Really Work blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2195668 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:31:32 +0100 2195668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2191194&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F17%2Fthe-stereotype-tax%2F The last issue of The Economist includes an interesting article, titled “The Price of Prejudice,” summarizing IAT research and two other studies employing conjoint analysis to measure the difference between what we would do as compared to what we would say we would do.  Here’s an excerpt. * * * Nobody likes to admit an uncomfortable truth about himself, especially when charged issues such as race, sex, age and even supersized waistlines come into play. That makes the task of the behavioural scientist a difficult one. Not only may participants in a study be lying to those running a test, but they may also, fundamentally, be lying to themselves. Prising the lid off human assumptions and hidden biases thus requires clever tools. One of the most widely deployed, known as the... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2191194 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:41:01 +0100 2191194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210448&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FxOTuo6A1vCQ%2Fsample_bias_and_homosexuality.php A couple hours ago I posted a quick poll, in what might be construed as an unbiased fashion. I simply asked respondents for their sexual orientation, offering a wide array of choices ranging from "straight" to "mostly gay" to "gay" to "other." In fact, my poll was biased -- not because the question itself was slanted, but because of the way respondents were recruited: I titled the post "Are you homosexual?" Potential respondents who are homosexual or who don't have traditional sexual preferences are more likely to be interested in the question, and therefore more likely to respond. How do I know this biased the sample? Because I collected similar data last week in the Casual Fridays survey about romantic gifts. In that survey, women reported same-gender partners 5.7 percent of the time, a... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210448 Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:52:21 +0100 2210448 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2150767&cid=t_112793_109_f&fid=34742&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeception.crimepsychblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D314 Controversy and debate is the driver of scientific progress.  It forces us to re-examine our assumptions, scrutinise our methods and think hard about the meaning of data.  Of course, there is another way of dealing with controversy… Voodoo science in fMRI If you’re involved or simply interested in fMRI research you’ll already be well aware of the ongoing debate about Voodoo Correlations in Social Neuroscience [pdf]. If not, you’ll find the detail in coverage all over the psych and neuroblogs by googling the title or simply “voodoo correlations”. Here’s how it went: 1. Edward Vul, Christine Harris, Piotr Winkielman, and Harold Pashler wrote a critique of a series of recent research studies exploring the neural correlates of various social psychol... Deception Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2150767 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:00:00 +0100 2150767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2112204&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2009%2F01%2F17%2Fsocial-neuroscience-fmri-specious-correlations%2F Nature is reporting on potential flaw in multiple imaging (fMRI) studies of social neuroscience. Ed Vul (a graduate student in my dept) and colleagues have a paper in press that says that many of the high correlations between brain regions and social behavior are implausible, given the inherent variability/noise in fMRI. Furthermore, based on a survey of methods from individual investigators, they created a list of papers that commit, in their view, a statistical mistake (non-independence). Naturally, the authors named in the paper aren’t happy and, according to the Nature article, several rebuttals are in the works. At the very least, to my non-expert eyes, this seems like an important discussion to have about data analysis and methodology. (Source: neurodudes) neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2112204 Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:02:11 +0100 2112204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2097936&cid=t_112793_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FiwQPMH6okcI%2F There is no doubt that obesity is primarily caused by poor eating habits and inactive lifestyle. But a meta-analysis of several obesity studies found that six new obesity genes are expressed in the brain. Scientists from the international GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Parameters) consortium analyzed data from 15 genome-wide association studies and identified six new candidate genes that were related to regulation of body weight. Several of these new genes are highly expressed or known to act in the brain, emphasizing the role of the central nervous system in predisposition to obesity. UPDATE: Endurance Geek made me rethink my title with obesity being “all in the mind”. Instead of changing the post title (or maybe I should? I DID) I thought I would add to my p... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2097936 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:53:04 +0100 2097936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2063130&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fdetterman-laws-of-individual.html Early in my career I ran across a tremendous tongue-in-check book chapter by Doug Detterman where he articulated Detterman's Laws of Individual Differences (click here to view--you will need to rotate in your pdf reader). Many of the laws make me laugh to this day. All serious individual difference psychologists (psychometrics, intelligence researchers, developers and users of intelligence tests) should read these from time-to-time....to regain perspective on research in this area. You can read them for yourself...but below are a few of my favorites:Laws of statistical inertiaLaw II. Anything which exists can be measured incorrectlyLaw III. Incorrect measurements require intelligent application of appropriate statistics to be interpretableLaw IV. It can't be done.Law VII. Everything is cor... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2063130 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:15:00 +0100 2063130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056674&cid=t_112793_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fmri-mind-reading-imaging.html In this study, the authors presented simple visual patterns to volunteers. The authors were then were able to reconstruct the patterns seen from the volunteers' brains using fMRI. Check out the following reconstructed images:As Michael Russell commented:It looks like the JPEG compressor in the test subject's brain is set WAAAY too high.Agreed. Even so: Wow.The keys to this god-like power are topological maps of the cerebral cortex, such as the well-known sensory and motor homunculi first mapped out by Wilder Penfield.It turns out that there are also retinotopic maps, connecting retinal stimuli to certain areas in the visual cortex. By imaging functional information directly from volunteers' occipital lobes with fMRI, Miyawaki et al were able to use such retinotopic maps to reconstruct what... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056674 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:22:00 +0100 2056674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2042806&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fmcgrew-2009-now-official-chc-and-hca.html As previously reported, my article in Intelligence (CHC theory and the Human Cognitive Abilities project:  Standing on the giants of psychometric intelligence research) is now officially published and available (click here).Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, intelligence, cognition, IQ, HCA, CHC, Human Cognitive Abilities, Catell-Horn-Carroll (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2042806 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:12:00 +0100 2042806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2019279&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fwmf-human-cognitive-abilities-overview.html At the forthcoming 2008 International Society for Intelligence Researchers (ISIR) conference (next week- Dec 11-14), I'm presenting an overview and update of the Woodcock-Munoz-Foundation (WMF) Human Cognitive Abilities project.For those who cannot attend, I've uploaded a copy of my PPT slides to Slideshare. Click here to view. I would recommend selecting the "full view" icon to better see the detail in the slides.Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, cognition, cognitive, intelligence, HCA, Human Cognitive Abilities, WMF, Woodcock-Munoz Foundation.ISIR (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2019279 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:17:00 +0100 2019279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1985810&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fdissertation-dish-chc-theory-and.html This study determined whether popular neuropsychological measures evaluate Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) broad and narrow cognitive abilities. A thorough literature review was conducted to identify relevant datasets that would permit factor analyses of targeted instruments. Seventy-seven datasets were obtained and analyzed, or reanalyzed, to ensure methodological consistency across samples. Many factor solutions included dimensions that reflected broad CHC ability constructs, which suggests it is possible to integrate aspects of neuropsychological assessment and the CHC theory. Overall, the project is relevant to assessment practice because it connects neuropsychological tests with CHC theory, and thus facilitates accurate interpretation of performances across different measures. It ultimatel... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1985810 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:53:00 +0100 1985810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1982212&cid=t_112793_113_f&fid=38130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tempdev.net%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D391 Beware of printers during an EMR implementation. For one reason or another, they will get you every time! Last week, I was helping with a small go-live. For this project, I am only responsible for template development, application support, and training material development, but from past experience I knew to check with the local IT guy to ensure that the printers were tested ahead of time. He said they were, but sure enough with the first patient the users were unable to print! As a result, the plan document could not be handed to the patient and the progress note could not be printed and put in the patient’s chart (the practice is keeping paper charts for now). No matter how much you prepare, chances are you will have a printer issue come up during go-live. However, there’s so... Implementing EMRs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1982212 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:38:12 +0100 1982212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1976389&cid=t_112793_133_f&fid=37107&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aspieweb.net%2Fautism-consultant-scams-school-parents%2F Stacy Lore, creator of ‘Spectrum Kids’ is being accused of scamming Norwalk Public Schools with false credentials, and charging up to rates of up to $125 and fees for academic assessments of $1,500, falsely claiming Florida Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and the school didn’t find out about it - parents did. According to The [...] (Source: AspieWeb.net) AspieWeb.net blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1976389 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:16:38 +0100 1976389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1962547&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fresearch-bytes-3-friday-pm-intelligence.html Friday afternoon factor analysis fest!I just posted information on a CFA study examining the constructs of broad cognitive processing speed (Gs) and sustained attention (SA).  A few other factor-analysis based articles caught my eye in my e-inbox.Blaga et al. have an "in press" study in the journal Intelligence that examined the continuity of the structure of cognitive development from infancy to preschool with a longitudinal research design.  Support was found for strong continuity of cognitive development.  To learn more...Also in press in Intelligence is a very intriguing article by Demetriou et al. that attempts to go beyond the hot research topic/hypothesis that fluid reasoning (Gf) or g (general intelligence) may be strongly influenced by working memory (Gsm-MW) and indirectly by ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1962547 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:23:00 +0100 1962547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1962548&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fprocessing-speed-gs-measures-sustained.html This study is limited to a young adult age range and 199 subjects. It would be nice to see simlar studies across the entire age range.Krumm, S, Schmidt-Atzert, L., Michalczyk, K. & Danthiir, V. (2008). Speeded Paper-Pencil Sustained Attention and Mental Speed Tests: Can Performances Be Discriminated?J ournal of Individual Differences, 29,p. 205–216Abstract. Mental speed (MS) and sustained attention (SA) are theoretically distinct constructs. However, tests of MS are very similar to SA tests that use time pressure as an impeding condition. The performance in such tasks largely relies on the participants’ speed of task processing (i.e., how quickly and correctly one can perform the simple cognitive tasks). The present study examined whether SA and MS are empirically the same or diffe... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1962548 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:33:00 +0100 1962548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1940985&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Ffree-on-line-wmf-human-cognitive.html The free on-line WMF Human Cognitive Abilities (HCA) archive project was updated today. An overview of the project, with a direct link to the archive, can be found at the Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation web page (click on "Current Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation Human Cognitive Abilities Archive") .Request for assistance: The HCA project needs help tracking down copies of old journal articles, dissertations, etc. for a number of datasets being archive. Please visit the "master bibliography/inventory" section of this archive and visit the on-line dataset/reference file. When viewing the on-line working inventory, manuscripts/references featured in the color red are those we are currently having trouble locating. If you have access to either a paper or e-copy of any of the designated "fugitive" docu... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1940985 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:13:00 +0100 1940985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939211&cid=t_112793_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FAJN9SIKTRLc%2F A gene linked to susceptibility to autism, CNTNAP2, has also been connected to specific language impairment, the most common childhood language disorder, as reported yesterday in Reuters. The study, A Functional Genetic Link between Distinct Developmental Language Disorders, is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Specific language impairment involves difficulties with language and, in particular, the repetition of nonsense words. Researchers analyzed CNTNAP2 function in 184 families with common language impairments; children with certain forms of the gene had certain difficulties with language, such as the repetition of nonsense words. It was found that FOXP2, which is mutated in people with a rare speech and language disorder, “directly regulates expression” of C... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939211 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:58:01 +0100 1939211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1897016&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fwisc-iiiwj-iii-cross-battery-gspecific.html WISC-III/WJ III cross-battery g+specific abilities research reinforces "just say maybe" program of CHC g+specific abilities research.I'm just starting the process of drafting a manuscript to summarize the results of the IAP CHC COG-ACH Correlates Meta-Analysis project (click here).  In that on-line EWOK (Evolving Web of Knowledge) I list a McGrew (2007a) study in the reading and math summary tables.  That reference reflects unpublished re-analysis I completed (last fall) with the Phelps et al. (2007) joint (cross-battery) WISC-III/WJ III dataset.  In order to include the findings in the synthesis manuscript, I felt it appropriate to at least informally publish the final models for reference.  Two important caveats.  I'm a coauthor of the WJ III (conflict of interest disclosure).  The... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1897016 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:27:00 +0100 1897016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1889372&cid=t_112793_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fwj-iii-2-d-mds-analysis-ages-6-18.html As promised, this is a follow-up to my posting of a 3-D Guttman Radex MDS model of WJ III tests. I'm now presenting a 2-D Radex model based on the analysis of all WJ III norm subjects from ages 6-18 (using the WJ III NU norms). You can view/download the pdf file by clicking here.I could write an entire chapter on implications, hypotheses, etc. Instead, I'm going to make just a few comments and post a few questions in hopes that this approach to examining the characteristics of tests generates some interest. IMHO, MDS is an excellent analytic tool that provides a unique lens by which to augment our factor-analytic based understanding of cognitive ability tests. I wish more of us would complete these analyses with all major intelligence batteries.A few thoughts/comments/questions:Note that C... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1889372 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:51:00 +0100 1889372