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Author(s): Christina de Fontnouvelle [sup.1] , Michael Zappitelli [sup.2] , Heather R. Thiessen-Philbrook [sup.3] , Yaqi Jia [sup.3] , Paul L. Kimmel [sup.4] , James S. Kaufman [sup.5] , Prasad [...], Background Children who require surgery for congenital heart disease have increased risk for long-term chronic kidney disease (CKD). Clinical factors as well as urine biomarkers of tubular health and injury may help improve the prognostication of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline. Methods We enrolled children from 1 month to 18 years old undergoing cardiac surgery in the ASSESS-AKI cohort. We used mixed-effect models to assess the association between urinary biomarkers (log2-transformed uromodulin, NGAL, KIM-1, IL-18, L-FABP) measured 3 months after cardiac surgery and cyanotic heart disease with the rate of eGFR decline at annual in-person visits over 4 years. Results Of the 117 children enrolled, 30 (24%) had cyanotic heart disease. During 48 months of follow-up, the median eGFR in the subgroup of children with cyanotic heart disease was lower at all study visits as compared with children with acyanotic heart disease (p = 0.01). In the overall cohort, lower levels of both urine uromodulin and IL-18 after discharge were associated with eGFR decline. After adjustment for age, RACHS-1 surgical complexity score, proteinuria, and eGFR at the 3-month study visit, lower concentrations of urine uromodulin and IL-18 were associated with a monthly decline in eGFR (uromodulin [beta] = 0.04 (95% CI: 0.00-0.09; p = 0.07) IL-18 [beta] = 0.07 (95% CI: 0.01-0.13; p = 0.04), ml/min/1.73 m.sup.2 per month). Conclusions At 3 months after cardiac surgery, children with lower urine uromodulin and IL-18 concentrations experienced a significantly faster decline in eGFR. Children with cyanotic heart disease had a lower median eGFR at all time points but did not experience faster eGFR decline. Graphical abstract

Introduction Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex disorder associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. AKI has long been believed to be a fully reversible condition. However, recent [...], INTRODUCTION. Acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are common in hospitalized patients. To inform clinical decision making, more accurate information regarding risk of long-term progression to kidney failure is required. METHODS. We enrolled 1538 hospitalized patients in a multicenter, prospective cohort study. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1/CCL2), uromodulin (UMOD), and YKL-40 (CHI3L1) were measured in urine samples collected during outpatient follow-up at 3 months. We followed patients for a median of 4.3 years and assessed the relationship between biomarker levels and changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) over time and the development of a composite kidney outcome (CKD incidence, CKD progression, or end-stage renal disease). We paired these clinical studies with investigations in mouse models of renal atrophy and renal repair to further understand the molecular basis of these markers in kidney disease progression. RESULTS. Higher MCP-1 and YKL-40 levels were associated with greater eGFR decline and increased incidence of the composite renal outcome, whereas higher UMOD levels were associated with smaller eGFR declines and decreased incidence of the composite kidney outcome. A multimarker score increased prognostic accuracy and reclassification compared with traditional clinical variables alone. The mouse model of renal atrophy showed greater Ccl2 and Chi3l1 mRNA expression in infiltrating macrophages and neutrophils, respectively, and evidence of progressive renal fibrosis compared with the repair model. The repair model showed greater Umod expression in the loop of Henle and correspondingly less fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS. Biomarker levels at 3 months after hospitalization identify patients at risk for kidney disease progression. FUNDING. NIH.

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00584.x Byline: James C. Kaufman (*), Weihua Niu ([dagger]), Janel D. Sexton ([double dagger]), Jason C. Cole (s.) Abstract: Creativity has been proposed as a supplement to ability tests as a way to reduce bias, as a result of the typical lack of ethnic or gender differences. Yet, creativity is usually measured through a consensus of rater judgment. Could there be implicit biases against people of different ethnicities or gender? This study examined stories and poems written by 205 students and rated by 108 different students. Females wrote poems that were judged to be more creative; there were no significant differences by ethnicity across all raters. Among notable findings, European Americans and African Americans both preferred stories written by European Americans. Reasons for this and other findings are discussed. Author Affiliation: (*)Learning Research InstituteCalifornia State University at San Bernardino ([dagger])Pace University ([double dagger])Johns Hopkins University (s.)Consulting Measurement Group Article note: (1) James C. Kaufman, Learning Research Institute, California State University at San Bernardino, Department of Psychology, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407. E-mail: jkaufman@csusb.edu

A study was conducted to determine the beneficial effects of administering dipyridamole for patients undergoing hemodialysis. Results revealed that treatment with dipyridamole plus aspirin had a positive effect and reduced the risk of stenosis while improving the duration of primary unassisted patency of new grafts.

A study was conducted to establish the efficacy of clopidogrel in reducing early failure of hemodialysis fistulas. Results indicated that clopidogrel is helpful to reduce the frequency of early thrombosis of new arteriovenous fistulas but does not increase the proportion of fistulas for dialysis.

The effect of homocysteine lowering on mortality and vascular disease by the use of folic acid and B vitamins in patients with chronic and end-stage renal disease is studied. The high doses of vitamins do not show significant improvement in survival.

The association between dialysis facility ownership and the dose of epoetin administered is examined. The results have shown that dialysis facility organizational status and ownership are linked with variation in epoetin dosing in the U.S.

Little research has been conducted on how gifted novices compare to experts in their judgments of creative writing. If novices and experts assign similar ratings, it could be argued that gifted novices are able to offer their peers feedback of a similar quality to that provided by experts. Such a finding would support the use of collaborative feedback in gifted classrooms. We asked gifted high school creative writers and three groups of experts (cognitive psychologists, creative writers, and teachers) to rate a set of 27 short stories and 28 poems for creativity using a scale of 1 to 6. The interrater agreement among the novices was within acceptable standards, and the agreement among the experts was very strong. When the ratings of novices were compared to the ratings of experts, a strong degree of correlation was found, supporting the use of peer feedback among gifted novice creative writers.

One of the most contentious areas in creativity theory is the question of domain specificity. How we conceptualize creativity--as something that transcends content domains, or as something that varies depending on the domain in question--has important implications for both creativity research and creativity training programs. The Amusement Park Theoretical (APT) model of creativity is the first creativity theory to successfully bridge the gap between these contrasting views of creativity. The APT model uses the metaphor of an amusement park to explore creativity. There are four stages: Initial requirements, general thematic areas, domains, and micro-domains. The first level (initial requirements) is very general, and each subsequent level gets more and more domain-specific. The APT model can provide a powerful framework for creativity assessment, selection of students for gifted education programs, and the development of creativity training programs., Is Creativity the Same in All Domains? A recent review of creativity research and theory (Kaufman & Baer, in press-a) noted a number of topics that have captured the sustained [...]

The relationship of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test scores to selected personality traits like conscientiousness, rationality, quickness, and creativity among others was explored. The results indicated slight positive correlations of GRE scores with both creativity and quickness and slight negative correlations with conscientiousness.

Although several investigations have found that poets tend to die younger than other types of writers, these studies often do not take into account variables of gender and culture. This study examines 1,987 deceased writers from four different cultures: American, Chinese, Turkish, and Eastern European. Both male and female poets had the shortest life spans of all four types of writers (fiction writers, poets, playwrights, and non-fiction writers), and poets had the shortest life spans in three of the four cultures (and the second shortest life span among Eastern European writers). Possible reasons for the poet's shorter life span are then discussed. She is the Gaelic muse, for she gives inspiration to those she persecutes. The Gaelic poets die young, for she is restless, and will not let them remain long on earth--this malignant phantom. William Butler Yeats

Active volcanism on Io has been monitored during the nominal Galileo satellite tour from mid 1996 through late 1997. The Solid State Imaging (SSI) experiment was able to observe many manifestations of this active volcanism, including (1) changes in the color and albedo of the surface, (2) active airborne plumes, and (3) glowing vents seen in eclipse. About 30 large-scale (tens of kilometers) surface changes are obvious from comparison of the SSI images to those acquired by Voyager in 1979. These include new pyroclastic deposits of several colors, bright and dark flows, and caldera-floor materials. There have also been significant surface changes on Io during the Galileo mission itself, such as a new 400-km-diameter dark pyroclastic deposit around Pillan Patera. While these surface changes are impressive, the number of large-scale changes observed in the four months between the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 flybys in 1979 suggested that over 17 years the cumulative changes would have been much more impressive. There are two reasons why this was not actually the case. First, it appears that the most widespread plume deposits are ephemeral and seem to disappear within a few years. Second, it appears that a large fraction of the volcanic activity is confined to repeated resurfacing of dark calderas and flow fields that cover only a few percent of Io's surface. The plume monitoring has revealed 10 active plumes, comparable to the 9 plumes observed by Voyager. One of these plumes was visible only in the first orbit and three became active in the later orbits. Only the Prometheus plume has been consistently active and easy to detect. Observations of the Pele plume have been particularly intriguing since it was detected only once by SSI, despite repeated attempts, but has been detected several times by the Hubble Space Telescope at 255 nm. Pele's plume is much taller (460 km) than during Voyager 1 (300 km) and much fainter at visible wavelengths. Prometheus-type plumes (50-150 km high, long-lived, associated with high-temperature hot spots) may result from silicate lava flows or shallow intrusions interacting with near-surface S[O.sub.2]. A major and surprising result is that [approximately]30 of Io's volcanic vents glow in the dark at the short wavelengths of SSI. These are probably due to thermal emission from surfaces hotter than 700 K (with most hotter than 1000 K), well above the temperature of pure sulfur volcanism. Active silicate volcanism appears ubiquitous. There are also widespread diffuse glows seen in eclipse, related to the interaction of energetic particles with the atmosphere. These diffuse glows are closely associated with the most active volcanic vents, supporting suggestions that Io's atmosphere is dominated by volcanic outgassing. Globally, volcanic centers are rather evenly distributed. However, 14 of the 15 active plumes seen by Voyager and/or Galileo are within 30 of the equator, and there are concentrations of glows seen in eclipse at both the sub- and antijovian points. These patterns might be related to asthenospheric tidal heating or tidal stresses. Io will continue to be observed during the Galileo Europa Mission, which will climax with two close flybys of Io in late 1999. Key Words: Io; volcanism; infrared observations; satellites of Jupiter; spacecraft.

Subcutaneous injections of epoetin rather than intravenous infusions can allow patients to receive lower doses of the costly drug. Epoetin is a synthetic version of a natural hormone that increases the production of red blood cells. Researchers evaluated both forms of administration in 208 patients with end-stage kidney disease who were on dialysis. These patients often develop anemia, which epoetin can reverse. Subcutaneous injections allowed physicians to lower the dose by 32% and 86% of those who received the injections were able to tolerate the pain of the injection.

Horn abilities appear differently in different age groups. The results of a study on individuals aged 15-94 years support the classification of crystallized and quantitative abilities as maintained abilities, and fluid and broad visualization abilities as vulnerable abilities. The 40-44 year age group exhibits peak performance on crystallized abilities. However, this peak is lower than the peak of the 55-64 year age group on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test - Revised Verbal IQ. The results show that short-term acquisition and retrieval are maintained abilities.

In a previous study, multiple regression analysis was used to predict membership in baseball's Hall of Fame for nonpitchers. For this study, similar procedures were used to predict Hall of Fame status for pitchers. The sample included 40 former baseball pitchers, 20 who were elected to the Hall of Fame and 20 good pitchers who were not elected. Using numerous predictors, it was possible to account for about 60 to 73% of the variance in the selection of pitchers to the Hall of Fame.

The examination of race/ethnic variation on the Horn-Cattel fluid and crystallized constructs reveals that there is a remarkable relationship between race/ethnic groups and performance on fluids and crystallized variables. Blacks and Hispanics are overwhelmed by Whites with regards to tasks dependent on school learning (crystallized), and on those which show new problem solving (fluid). Covariation in educational attainments do not affect the results. Hispanics do better on fluid.

Laboratory safety has received little attention in school management, despite reports of increase in accidents during scientific experiments. To increase the safety in the laboratories, it is necessary to have a written safety policy and a safety committee. It is also necessary to offer incentives for good safety practices. Regular laboratory inspections and adequate protective equipment can ensure safe learning.

High-resolution Galileo spacecraft images of Jupiter's moon Europa indicate the existence of mobile 'icebergs.' There is convincing evidence for the existence of liquid water at shallow depths below the surface, either now or at some point in the past. It appears that the mobile layer, either water or warm ice, is or was widespread, and not limited to the small area studied. The processes that have disrupted Europa's plains are almost certainly continuing at present.

Multiple regression procedures were used to predict membership in baseball's Hall of Fame. The sample included 62 former baseball players, 31 who were elected to the Hall of Fame and 31 good players who were not elected. Using a variety of predictors, it was possible to account for about 50 to 66% of the variance in Hall of Fame selection.

In preparing two lots in New York City's (US) Times Square as sites for modern skyscrapers, engineers devised foundations that would allow for subway lines, subway stations, and a century-old theater. The way in which foundations were meticulously installed is explained. .

Despite nearly a century of research on IQ, tests of ability have changed little despite changes in our understanding of human abilities. This failure to evolve has particular implications for identification of gifted as well as creative children. A few recent tests challenge the Wechsler-Binet stronghold, among them the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS; Naglieri & Das, 1997a). The CAS is based on the PASS theory (Naglieri, 1999), which centers on Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive cognitive processes. The inclusion of planning in particular allows for a more accurate assessment of gifted and creative children, as past research has shown a strong connection between planning and creativity. This more extensive and inclusive measure of intelligence could identify gifted children who would otherwise not be identified using traditional IQ tests. In this article we summarize the validity of an alternative approach to intelligence and illustrate its utility for identification of gifted and creative children., Donna is a very capable young girl who earned an IQ score of 123 on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children -- Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991). She was referred [...]

An old explanation of the moon illusion holds that various cues place the horizon moon at an effectively greater distance than the elevated moon. Although both moons have the same angular size, the horizon moon must be perceived as larger. More recent explanations hold that differences in accommodation or other factors cause the elevated moon to appear smaller. As a result of this illusory difference in size, the elevated moon appears to be more distant than the horizon moon. These two explanations, both based on the geometry of stereopsis, lead to two diametrically opposed hypotheses. That is, a depth interval at a long distance is associated with a smaller binocular disparity, whereas an equal depth interval at a smaller distance is associated with a larger disparity. We conducted experiments involving artificial moons and confirmed the hypothesis that the horizon moon is at a greater perceptual distance. Moreover, when a moon of constant angular size was moved closer it was also perceived as growing smaller, which is consistent with the older explanation. Although Emmert's law does not predict the size-distance relationship over long distances, we conclude that the horizon moon is perceived as larger because the perceptual system treats it as though it is much farther away. Finally, we observe that recent explanations substitute perceived size for angular size as a cue to distance. Thus, they imply that perceptions cause perceptions.

Blair makes a strong case that fluid cognition and psychometric g are not identical constructs. However, he fails to mention the development of the prefrontal cortex, which likely makes the Gf--g distinction different in children than in adults. He also incorrectly states that current IQ tests do not measure Gf; we discuss several recent instruments that measure Gf quite well.

School administrators should take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and health of their students in science laboratories. The laboratory is a place where many accidents are likely to occur, and could thus be the source of many liability claims against schools. The most important step is for administrators and teachers to put health and safety in the laboratory as one of their top priorities. Then, they should develop a written safety policy, conduct regular safety inspections and make safety equipment available.

Boards of education and school administrators should develop and implement safety programs to comply with state and Occupational Safety and Health Administration laws and to prevent any injuries to students and employees. Schools should develop safety programs that would include facility inspections, accident reporting, investigation and recording and health and safety training programs.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued health and safety standards for occupational hazardous chemical exposure in laboratories on Jan 31, 1990. Compliance with these regulations is required for almost all public and private laboratories, covering employees including teaching and research assistants. Students are covered under a stricter standard of care. Employers are required to inform employees about hazardous chemicals and prevent unsafe exposures. Violations carry a maximum fine of $70,000. An outline of the regulations is included.