From: mhulsey@hestia.fcs.uga.edu (Martin Hulsey)
Subject: Re: animals in research
Followup-To: talk.politics.animals
Organization: Dept. Foods & Nutrition, Univ. of GA
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 19:20:36 GMT

In article <BzDL6s.247@wpg.com>, russ@wpg.com (Russell Lawrence) wrote:
>
> rl> How do you know?  Please tell us how many articles Dr. Barnard has
> rl> published, and how you determined the figure.  
> 
> From article <mhulsey-161292100622@fatrat.fcs.uga.edu>, by mhulsey@hestia.fcs.uga.edu (Martin Hulsey):
> mh> [rest of exchange deleted.  To be addressed at a later date.]
> 
> Why are you stalling, Martin?   As a "scientist" who understands the
> concept of intellectual integrity, I'm sure that you wouldn't have
> voiced your opinions unless you had the facts to prove your point.
> 
> In particular, please tell us how many articles Dr. Barnard has
> published, without further delay.  And, of course, be sure to
> tell us how you determined this figure.  

Further delay?  Don't be an asshole.  How about coughing up some of those
references that YOU have been promising for nearly TWO MONTHS!

I am not stalling Russell.  Unlike you, my time here is limited.  I will no
longer attempt to respond to every point you make.  This should not matter
to you, as you have evaded, and continue to evade, many of my questions. 
If you have time on your hands, you should consider answering some of these
unanswered questions, without further delay, rather than making false
accusations about me.

A year ago, I did a Medline (MESZ, 1966 to present) search on the criterion
"Barnard-N.au. or Barnard-N-D.au."  I found only two full-length
references, which began in 1986:

++++++++++

AU Barnard-N-D.  Stolz-J.  Baron-L.
TI Use of and alternatives to animals in laboratory courses at U.S.medical
   schools.
SO J-Med-Educ.  1988 Sep.  63(9).  P 720-2.

AU Gabel-R-H.  Barnard-N.  Norko-M.  OConnell-R-A.
TI AIDS presenting as mania.
SO Compr-Psychiatry.  1986 May-Jun.  27(3).  P 251-4.

++++++++++

I'm not sure whether the second of these is really by your hero, but, since
it is a psychiatric paper, I assume so.  Please note that none of these
references has even the slightest implications for the field of nutrition.

To give him the benefit of the doubt, I repeated this search today, and
found no new articles.  According to Medline, your buddy has published
NOTHING for the past six years.  Some scientist.

Medline encompasses over 5,000 medical journals (at last assessment), but
is missing some.  Some of my full-length, peer-reviewed, publications are
not listed there.  I assume that the same is true for Barnard.

I do not consider my own publication record spectacular, but I am not the
one calling press conferences falsely proclaiming that nutritional
recommendations should be altered.

I have had my degree less than one year.  Nonetheless, even I have more
publications referenced in Medline than Barnard:

++++++++++

AU Hargrove-J-L.  Hulsey-M-G.  Beale-E-G.
IN Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens
   30602.
TI The kinetics of mammalian gene expression.
SO Bioessays.  1991 Dec.  13(12).  P 667-74.
AB When rates of transcription from specific genes change, delays of
   variable length intervene before the corresponding mRNAs and proteins
   attain new levels.  For most mammalian genes, the time required to
   complete transcription, processing, and transport of mRNA is much
   shorter than the period needed to achieve a new, steady-state level
   of protein.  Studies of inducible genes have shown that the period
   required to attain new levels of individual mRNAs and proteins is
   related to their unique half-lives.  The basis for this is a physical
   principle that predicts rates of accumulation of particles in
   compartmental systems.  The minimum period required to achieve a new
   level is directly proportional to product half-lives because rates of
   decay control the ratio between the rate of synthesis and the
   concentration of gene products at steady state.  This kinetic model
   suggests that sensitivity of gene products to degradation by
   ribonucleases and proteinases is an important determinant of the time
   scale of gene expression.  Author-abstract. 78 Refs.

AU Hulsey-M-G.  Martin-R-J.
IN Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Family and Consumer
   Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
TI A system for automated recording and analysis of feeding behavior.
SO Physiol-Behav.  1991 Aug.  50(2).  P 403-8.
AB We have designed and implemented a system that utilizes a network of
   top-loading balances digitally interfaced to a Macintosh computer.
   The system simultaneously collects two forms of data which allow the
   evaluation of the animal's biting and/or licking behavior in addition
   to cumulative food intake and meal patterns.  The system is capable
   of resuming data acquisition following a power failure without user
   intervention.  Plexiglas cages utilized with the system features
   adjustable tunnel feeders and are appropriate for use with small
   rodents.  Given appropriate caging, the system may be utilized to
   evaluate the feeding behavior of other species.  Author-abstract.

AU Hargrove-J-L.  Hulsey-M-G.  Schmidt-F-H.  Beale-E-G.
IN Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens,
   30602.
TI A computer program for modeling the kinetics of gene expression.
SO Biotechniques.  1990 Jun.  8(6).  P 654-9.
AB Enzyme induction may be modeled on the basis of four, quantifiable
   processes that control the rates at which specific gene products
   accumulate and decay.  These processes include synthesis of
   functional mRNA, translation and degradation of mRNA, and degradation
   of the protein product.  We present a simple computer program that
   permits mathematical simulation of gene expression on the basis of
   experimentally determined rates of synthesis and degradation.  The
   program was implemented as a spreadsheet using Microsoft Excel for
   Macintosh and MS-DOS operating systems and also was adapted for
   HyperCard on the Macintosh.  It contains a formula to account for
   growth of tissue or cell populations.  The program predicts amounts
   of individual mRNAs and proteins (or enzyme activities) in cells as
   a function of time after a stimulus alters their rates of synthesis
   or degradation.  Author-abstract.

++++++++++

Therefore, my yearly publication rate, which is not spectacular (three
papers from 1990-1992), is 3.5 times that of Barnard's (two papers from
1986-1992).  When my December, 1992 publication is soon added, this factor
will increase to 4.7 times that of Barnard.

You have repeatedly claimed that one cannot determine the truth or falsity
of a person's ideas by assessing their qualifications.  I have never
disagreed.  You are unscrupulously trying to extend my remarks here just as
you did previously when I suggested that animal activists should eschew
treatments developed with animals.

The falsehood of the PCRM milk/diabetes press release did not center on
Barnard's lack of credentials in nutrition.  The falsehood instead centered
on PCRM's attempt to extend PRELIMINARY findings regarding INFANTS to
adults and school-age children.  The falsehood also centered on the fact
that existing recommendations were sufficient to protect infants even *if*
the preliminary findings of Dosch et al. were later proven to be true.

Barnard's credentials became a critical issue for me when he labeled the
work of John Orem as having "no clinical value."  As you know, Orem
conducts basic research on the neural regulation of breathing during sleep.
 Using five cats per year, Orem's research could someday find a cure for
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which kills thousands of human infants every
year.

Barnard has no scientific credentials or expertise that would allow him to
assess the quality or applicability of work done by Orem.  Is this logical?
 Probably not.  However, it is likewise illogical for courts of law to
value the opinions of experts over lay persons.  Such is common practice in
law as well as science.

--
mhulsey@hestia.fcs.uga.edu                      Society for Neuroscience
Martin G. Hulsey                              National Rifle Association
Dept. Foods & Nutrition      Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior
University of Ga.    North American Association for the Study of Obesity