equal-interval scales. Equality of intervals is achieved through log transformations of raw data odds, and abstraction is accomplished through probabilistic equations. Unlike other probabilistic measurement models, the Rasch Model is the only one that provides the necessary objectivity for the construction of a scale that is separable from distribution of the attribute in the persons it measure...

A noteworthy feature of Yiddish present tense verbal inflection is that, unlike many other Germanic languages, Yiddish has virtually no irregular stem vowel changes. Whereas Middle High German (the source language for Yiddish verbal inflection1) had numerous subclasses of verbs with different patterns of present tense vowel alternations, Yiddish verbs have the same vowel for all persons and num...

Suicide rates among schizophrenic individuals are disturbingly high. At present, suicide is the number one cause of premature death among schizophrenics, with 10 to 13 percent killing themselves. Recent studies place the risk of suicide for persons with schizophrenia at a level comparable to that for persons with affective disorder. Depression, especially the symptom of self-reported or perceiv...

It has frequently been suggested that some of the enduring subtle cognitive impairments seen in sober alcohol-dependent persons may be a result of subclinical liver dysfunction. Cognitive performance and liver function among 85 recently abstinent alcohol-dependent persons were assessed by means of a neuropsychological examination and the GGT test of liver function. Unlike some previous studies,...

Articular cartilage was predicted to be one of the first tissues to successfully be regenerated, but this proved incorrect. In contrast, bone (but also vasculature and cardiac tissues) has seen numerous successful reparative approaches, despite consisting of multiple cell and tissue types and, thus, possessing more complex design requirements. Here, we use bone-regeneration successes to highlig...

The occurrence of Down's syndrome in both dizygotic twins appears to be very rare. A case of twins of unlike sex is reported, in which chromosomal analysis showed trisomy 21 in both of them, while the parental karyotypes were normal. This is the third reported case of such a constellation, and the second one in which infant and parental chromosomal analysis was done.