Effects of evaluation on creative production

Despite considerable interest in the problem of creativity, both in psychology and in other fields, there is still no standard definition of the term. Guilford (1 9 6 7 ) defines creativity by making a distinction between convergent thinking and divergent thinking. In convergent thinking, according to Guilford, there is a single right answer or best answer to a problem, while in divergent thinking there is not. He uses the term divergent thinking interchangeably with creativity. Ilis research indicates that of the factors identified as making up divergent thinking, ideational fluency, which Guilford defines as fairly rapid generation of units of verbal or semantic information, has least variance in common with intelligence. The correlation between ideational fluency and convergent thinking is .01 (Guilford, Frick, Christensen, & Merrifield, 1957)* Since a number of studies have indicated fairly low correlations (around .3 ) between I.Q, scores and scores of creativity, at least in children (e.g., Getzels & Jackson, 1962), it would seem that ideational fluency may be an important component of creativity. Other writers approach the term somewhat differently. Parnes and Meadow (1959) use the criteria of uniqueness and usefulness as determiners of good ideas in their studies on creativity. Wallach and Kogan (19&5) speak of total number of ideas generated as well as their uniqueness within a given subject sample. Though ideational output includes qualitative considerations as well as quantitative ones, the present study is concerned only with the quantitative — number of ideas produced in a divergent thinking situation

Fribūro universiteto studentų ateitininkų kuopos susirinkimų protokolai

This publication presents the minutes of the meetings of University of Friborg students, members of “Ateitininkai” association, from the period of 1921–1929, which are kept in the manuscript of the library of the Lithuanian Institute of History. The publication of archival material is important not only for knowing better the public activities and daily routine of the Lithuanian students in the University of Friborg, but also for the research of the activities of “Ateitininkai” in general, and especially for the organizational goals of students, members of “Ateitininkai” association, studying abroad. The Lithuanian Catholic Student Union was founded in 1910 in Leven University and is considered to be the initiator of the Union of Ateitininkai. During the First World War, the activities of the Lithuanian Catholic Students’ Union were interrupted. In 1920, students in Berlin took the initiative to revive the student union and became a coordinating centre. Lithuanian students of the University of Friborg have already had their own society, which was founded in 1899 and was called “Ruta”. In 1915 the name of this association was changed to “Lituania”. However, the “Lituania” society was not able to join the Union of Ateitininkai under the Statutes of the Union of Corporations of the Friborg University. As a result, a new organization had to be set up, although its members were the same students. The founding meeting of the Friborg Ateitininkai took place on the 9th of January, 1921. Based on the remaining minutes, the Association operated until 1929. This publication publishes all the minutes of the meetings of the Ateitininkai of the University of Friborg, which are now stored in the manuscript of the Library of the Lithuanian Institute of History.Publikacijoje skelbiami Fribūro universiteto studentų ateitininkų kuopos 1921–1929 m. susirinkimų protokolai, kurie saugomi Lietuvos istorijos instituto bibliotekos rankraštyne. Skelbiama archyvinė medžiaga svarbi ne tik pažinti Fribūro universiteto lietuvių studentų visuomeniniai veiklai, studentų kasdienybei, bet ir apskritai ateitininkų veiklos tyrimams ir ypač studentų ateitininkų organizaciniams siekiams užsienyje

Transport and fluctuations in nonlinear-dissipative systems: role of interparticle collisions

The goal of the paper is to overview contemporary theoretical and experimental research of the microwave electric noise and fluctuations of hot carriers in semiconductors, revealing sensitivity of the noise spectra to non-linearity in the applied electric field strength and, especially, in the carrier density. During the last years, investigation of electronic noise and electron diffusion phenomena in doped semiconductors was in a rapid progress. By combining analytic and Monte Carlo methods as well as the available experimental results on noise, it became possible to obtain the electron diffusion coefficients in the range of electric fields where inter-electron collisions are important and Price’s relation is not necessarily valid. Correspondingly, a special attention to the role of inter-electron collisions and of the non-linearity in the carrier density while shaping electric noise and diffusion phenomena in the non-equilibrium states will be paid. The basic and up-to-date information will be presented on methods and advances in this contemporary field - the field in which methods of non-linear analytic and computational analysis are indispensable while seeking coherent understanding and interpretation of experimental results

From aptamer-based biomarker discovery to diagnostic and clinical applications: an aptamer-based, streamlined multiplex proteomic assay

Recently, we reported an aptamer-based, highly multiplexed assay for the purpose of biomarker identification. To enable seamless transition from highly multiplexed biomarker discovery assays to a format suitable and convenient for diagnostic and life-science applications, we developed a streamlined, plate-based version of the assay. The plate-based version of the assay is robust, sensitive (sub-picomolar), rapid, can be highly multiplexed (upwards of 60 analytes), and fully automated. We demonstrate that quantification by microarray-based hybridization, Luminex bead-based methods, and qPCR are each compatible with our platform, further expanding the breadth of proteomic applications for a wide user community

Retroperitoninė endometrioidinė cista

Giedrius Laužikas, Kazys Katilius, Danguolė Vildaitė, Juozas StanaitisVilniaus universiteto Bendrosios ir kraujagyslių chirurgijosBendrosios chirurgijos centrasGreitosios pagalbos universitetinė ligoninė Retroperitoninio tarpo endometriozė yra labai reta. Aprašome retroperitoninio tarpo besimptomę endometrioidinę cistą, nustatytą 21 metų merginai kasmetinio sveikatos patikrinimo metu. Išsiaiškinus tikslią jos lokalizaciją, ligonei atlikta laparotomija ir cista pašalinta. Anksčiau ligonė jokių operacijų nepatyrusi. Mergina pasveiko. Prasminiai žodžiai: retroperitoninė cista, endometriozė, laparotomija. Retroperitoneal endometrioma Giedrius Laužikas, Kazys Katilius, Danguolė Vildaitė, Juozas Stanaitis Endometriosis rarely involves the spatium retroperitonealis. We report a case of asymptomatic endometrioid cyst of the spatium retroperitonealis. A 21-year-old woman was diagnosed with a cystic retroperitoneal mass, and laparotomy revealed a cystic endometrioma. The primary form of endometriosis is described in a young woman who has not previously undergone surgery of the uterus. Keywords: retroperitoneal mass, endometriosis, laparotomy

From SOMAmer-Based Biomarker Discovery to Diagnostic and Clinical Applications: A SOMAmer-Based, Streamlined Multiplex Proteomic Assay

Recently, we reported a SOMAmer-based, highly multiplexed assay for the purpose of biomarker identification. To enable seamless transition from highly multiplexed biomarker discovery assays to a format suitable and convenient for diagnostic and life-science applications, we developed a streamlined, plate-based version of the assay. The plate-based version of the assay is robust, sensitive (sub-picomolar), rapid, can be highly multiplexed (upwards of 60 analytes), and fully automated. We demonstrate that quantification by microarray-based hybridization, Luminex bead-based methods, and qPCR are each compatible with our platform, further expanding the breadth of proteomic applications for a wide user community

Pentacyclic adenine: a versatile and exceptionally bright fluorescent DNA base analogue

Emissive base analogs are powerful tools for probing nucleic acids at the molecular level. Herein we describe the development and thorough characterization of pentacyclic adenine (pA), a versatile base analog with exceptional fluorescence properties. When incorporated into DNA, pA pairs selectively with thymine without perturbing the B-form structure and is among the brightest nucleobase analogs reported so far. Together with the recently established base analog acceptor qAnitro, pA allows accurate distance and orientation determination via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements. The high brightness of its emission at wavelengths above 400 nm also makes it suitable for fluorescence microscopy, as demonstrated by imaging of single liposomal constructs coated with cholesterol-anchored pA-dsDNA, using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Finally, pA is also highly promising for two-photon excitation at 780 nm, with a brightness (5.3 GM) that is unprecedented for a base analog

Aptamer-based multiplexed proteomic technology for biomarker discovery

Interrogation of the human proteome in a highly multiplexed and efficient manner remains a coveted and challenging goal in biology. We present a new aptamer-based proteomic technology for biomarker discovery capable of simultaneously measuring thousands of proteins from small sample volumes (15 [mu]L of serum or plasma). Our current assay allows us to measure ~800 proteins with very low limits of detection (1 pM average), 7 logs of overall dynamic range, and 5% average coefficient of variation. This technology is enabled by a new generation of aptamers that contain chemically modified nucleotides, which greatly expand the physicochemical diversity of the large randomized nucleic acid libraries from which the aptamers are selected. Proteins in complex matrices such as plasma are measured with a process that transforms a signature of protein concentrations into a corresponding DNA aptamer concentration signature, which is then quantified with a DNA microarray. In essence, our assay takes advantage of the dual nature of aptamers as both folded binding entities with defined shapes and unique sequences recognizable by specific hybridization probes. To demonstrate the utility of our proteomics biomarker discovery technology, we applied it to a clinical study of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified two well known CKD biomarkers as well as an additional 58 potential CKD biomarkers. These results demonstrate the potential utility of our technology to discover unique protein signatures characteristic of various disease states. More generally, we describe a versatile and powerful tool that allows large-scale comparison of proteome profiles among discrete populations. This unbiased and highly multiplexed search engine will enable the discovery of novel biomarkers in a manner that is unencumbered by our incomplete knowledge of biology, thereby helping to advance the next generation of evidence-based medicine