A study of attitudes of mothers of acting out, latency-aged boys in residential treatment

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Gender-based differences in letters of recommendation written for ophthalmology residency applicants.

BACKGROUND:To determine whether gender-based differences may be present in letters of recommendation written for ophthalmology residency applicants. METHODS:All applications submitted through SF Match to the UCLA Stein Eye Institute Residency Training Program from the 2017-2018 application cycle were analyzed using validated text analysis software (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (Austin, TX)). The main outcome measures were differences in language use in letters of recommendation by gender of applicant. RESULTS:Of 440 applicants, 254 (58%) were male and 186 (42%) were female. The two gender groups had similar United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 scores, undergraduate grade point averages (uGPA's), proportions of underrepresented minority (URM) applicants and Gold Humanism Honor Society members, numbers of academic and service activities listed, and gender distributions of their letter writers (all P values > 0.05). However, letters written for male applicants were determined to use more "authentic" words than those written for female applicants (mean difference, 0.800; 95% CI, 0.001-1.590; P = 0.047). Letters written for male applicants also contained more "leisure" words (mean difference, 0.056; 95% CI, 0.008-0.104; P = 0.023) and fewer "feel" words (mean difference, 0.033; 95% CI, 0.001-0.065; P = 0.041) and "biological processes" words (mean difference, 0.157; 95% CI, 0.017-0.297; P = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS:There were gender differences detected in recommendation letters in ophthalmology consistent with prior studies from other fields. Awareness of these differences may improve residency selection processes

Effects of regulating the European Internal Market on the integration of variable renewable energy

ABSTRACT: The new proposal for regulating the European Internal Market for Electricity (EIME) can motivate the harmonization of the various National markets. The process of harmonizing the day-ahead markets (DAMs) is at an advanced stage, with an efficiency in the use of interconnectors of 86%. However, the harmonization of both intraday (IDMs) and balancing markets (BMs) is still in its infancy, with an efficiency in the use of interconnectors of 50 and 19%, respectively. The new proposal brings new targets to DAMs, and European countries should make efforts to comply with them. The same is true for IDMs and BMs, but involving more ambitious targets, requiring higher efforts to be accomplished. Both the analysis of the various National markets (according to their compliance with the new proposal for regulating the EIME) and the advantages of the new proposal for key market participants (particularly, consumers, variable renewable generation, and conventional generation) are presented. The analysis indicates that the proposal contributes to a potential increase of the general welfare of market participants. However, some aspects of the proposal can negatively affect the revenue obtained from the National markets, notably for variable renewable generation and conventional generation. This article is categorized under: Wind Power > Systems and Infrastructure Energy Policy and Planning > Economics and Policy Energy Systems Analysis > Economics and Policy Energy and Development > Economics and Policyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Early Childhood Science and Engineering: Engaging Platforms for Fostering Domain-General Learning Skills

Early childhood science and engineering education offer a prime context to foster approaches-to-learning (ATL) and executive functioning (EF) by eliciting children’s natural curiosity about the world, providing a unique opportunity to engage children in hands-on learning experiences that promote critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, persistence, and other adaptive domain-general learning skills. Indeed, in any science experiment or engineering problem, children make observations, engage in collaborative conversations with teachers and peers, and think flexibly to come up with predictions or potential solutions to their problem. Inherent to science and engineering is the idea that one learns from initial failures within an iterative trial-and-error process where children practice risk-taking, persistence, tolerance for frustration, and sustaining focus. Unfortunately, science and engineering instruction is typically absent from early childhood classrooms, and particularly so in programs that serve children from low-income families. However, our early science and engineering intervention research shows teachers how to build science and engineering instruction into activities that are already happening in their classrooms, which boosts their confidence and removes some of the stigma around science and engineering. In this paper, we discuss the promise of research that uses early childhood science and engineering experiences as engaging, hands-on, interactive platforms to instill ATL and EF in young children living below the poverty line. We propose that early childhood science and engineering offer a central theme that captures children’s attention and allows for integrated instruction across domain-general (ATL, EF, and social–emotional) and domain-specific (e.g., language, literacy, mathematics, and science) content, allowing for contextualized experiences that make learning more meaningful and captivating for children

Structural role of hydrophobic core in proteins-selected examples

This paper discusses the sequence/structure relation. The core question concerns the degree to which similar sequences produce similar structures and vice versa. A mechanism by which similar sequences may result in dissimilar structures is proposed, based on the Fuzzy Oil Drop (FOD) model in which structural similarity is estimated by analyzing the protein’s hydrophobic core. We show that local changes in amino acid sequences, in addition to producing local structural alterations at the substitution site, may also change the shape of the hydrophobic core, significantly affecting the overall tertiary conformation of the protein. Our analysis focuses on four sets of proteins: 1) Pair of designer proteins with specially prepared sequences; 2) Pair of natural proteins modified (mutated) to converge to a point of high-level sequence identity while retaining their respective wild-type tertiary folds; 3) Pair of natural proteins with common ancestry but with differing structures and biological profiles shaped by divergent evolution; and 4) Pair of natural proteins of high structural similarity with no sequence similarity and different biological function

Sequence-to-structure relation in proteins-amyloidogenic proteins with chameleon sequences

The existence of polypeptide chain fragments in which identical sequences translate into different secondary folds gives rise to questions concerning the structural variability associated with amyloidogenesis. In this paper the structural contribution of identical sequences to a common hydrophobic core is assessed on the basis of the fuzzy oil drop model. The model compares the observed hydrophobicity density distribution in a protein molecule to its idealized counterpart, where all hydrophilic residues are exposed on the surface while all hydrophobic residues are internalized. The conformational variability of such fragments is thought to be associated with their role: they either participate in the formation of a stable core, or become involved in mediating the protein’s biological function. The fuzzy oil drop model provides clues as to the role of chameleon sequences in prions, seen as potential loci of conformational changes resulting in amyloidogenesis

Oligomerization of HEXIM1 via 7SK snRNA and coiled-coil region directs the inhibition of P-TEFb

Transcriptional elongation of most eukaryotic genes by RNA polymerase II requires the kinase activity of the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb). The catalytically active P-TEFb complex becomes inactive when sequestered into the large complex by the cooperative actions of 7SK snRNA and HEXIM1. In this study, we report that HEXIM1 forms oligomers in cells. This oligomerization is mediated by its predicted coiled-coil region in the C-terminal domain and 7SK snRNA that binds a basic region within the central part of HEXIM1. Alanine-mutagenesis of evolutionary conserved leucines in the coiled-coil region and the digestion of 7SK snRNA by RNase A treatment prevent this oligomerization. Importantly, mutations of the N-terminal part of the coiled-coil region abrogate the ability of HEXIM1 to bind and inhibit P-TEFb. Finally, the formation of HEXIM1 oligomers via the C-terminal part of the coiled-coil or basic regions is critical for the inhibition of transcription. Our results suggest that two independent regions in HEXIM1 form oligomers to incorporate P-TEFb into the large complex and determine the inhibition of transcriptional elongation

Observation of a New Mechanism of Spontaneous Generation of Magnetic Flux in a Superconductor

We report the discovery of a new mechanism of spontaneous generation of a magnetic flux in a superconductor cooled through $T_c$. The sign of the spontaneous flux changes randomly from one cooldown to the next, and follows a Gaussian distribution. The width of the distribution increases with the size of the temperature gradient in the sample. Our observations appear inconsistent with the well known mechanisms of flux generation. The dependence on the temperature gradient suggests that the flux may be generated through an instability of the thermoelectric superconducting-normal quasiparticle counterflow

Ocena zdrowia kobiet w okresie okołomenopauzalnym

Wstęp. Okres okołomenopauzalny występuje w życiu kobiety pomiędzy okresem reprodukcyjnym, a początkiem okresu starzenia się. Zmiany hormonalne zachodzące w organizmie kobiety w okresie okołomenopauzalnym prowadzą do wystąpienia objawów zespołu klimakterycznego. Objawy mogą utrzymywać się przez klika lat wywierając wpływ na jakość życia kobiety. Cel pracy. Celem pracy była ocena zdrowia kobiet w okresie okołomenopauzalnym. Materiał i metoda. Badaną grupę stanowiło 200 kobiet. Narzędziem badawczym był samodzielnie opracowany kwestionariusz ankiety do oceny charakterystyki badanej grupy oraz kwestionariusz „Zdrowie kobiet” (Women’s Health Questionnaire- WHQ). Uzyskane wyniki badań poddano analizie statystycznej. Wnioski. Kobiety w okresie okołomenopauzalnym odczuwają wzmożone objawy naczynioruchowe i czują się nieatrakcyjne fizycznie. Dość często wskazują również na problemy ze snem, kłopoty z pamięcią i koncentracją. Natomiast nie odczuwają raczej nastroju depresyjnego i nie mają poczucia niepokoju i lęku. Wiek, miejsce zamieszkania, wykształcenie i stan cywilny warunkują poszczególne aspekty zdrowia w grupie badanych kobiet.Introduction. Perimenopause occurs in a woman's life between the reproductive period and the onset of aging. Hormonal changes occurring in a woman’s body in the perimenopausal lead to symptoms of the climacteric syndrome. Symptoms can persist for several years, affecting the quality of life of a woman. Aim of the study. The aim of the study was to assess the health of women in the perimenopausal period. Materials and method. The study group consisted of 200 women. The research tools were: a self-developed questionnaire survey to assess the characteristics of the study group and "Women's Health Questionnaire” (WHQ). The results obtained were analysed statistically. Conclusions. In the perimenopausal period, women experience increased vasomotor symptoms and feel physically unattractive. Quite often they also indicate problems with sleep, memory, and concentration. On the other hand, they are not depressed and do not feel anxiety or anxiety. Age, place of residence, education and marital status are the determinants of the health aspects of the study group