Showing papers by "University of Pittsburgh published in 1979"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied how knowledge of a given topic influences the acquisition of topic-related information. And they found that high (HK) or low (LK) baseball knowledge was superior to low knowledge.
614 citations
TL;DR: This paper presents the detailed propositional analyses of the text employed in a study that compared the contents of recall protocols of highAnowledde (HK) and by knowledge (LK1 groups) and the results are presented.
481 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the need to identify the boundaries of increasingly complex product markets has spawned a number of analytical methods based on customer behavior or judgments, and various methods are compared and compared.
Abstract: The need to identify the boundaries of increasingly complex product-markets has spawned a number of analytical methods based on customer behavior or judgments. The various methods are compared and ...
436 citations
TL;DR: A four-parameter probability distribution, which includes a wide variety of curve shapes, is presented, because of the flexibility, generality, and simplicity of the distribution, it is useful in the representation of data when the underlying model is unknown.
Abstract: A four-parameter probability distribution, which includes a wide variety of curve shapes, is presented. Because of the flexibility, generality, and simplicity of the distribution, it is useful in the representation of data when the underlying model is unknown. A table based on the first four moments, which simplifies parameter estimation, is given. Further important applications of the distribution include the modeling and subsequent generation of random variates for simulation studies and Monte Carlo sampling studies of the robustness of statistical procedures.
418 citations
TL;DR: A method is presented for the purification of gp groE, an Escherichia coli protein which is required for correct assembly of bacteriophages λ, T4, T5 and others, which is identical to a protein commonly found to copurify withRNA polymerase and which was originally misidentified as RNA polymerase.
407 citations
TL;DR: Multi-attribute research in marketing seeks an understanding of the structure of customer decisions with respect to the market offerings of a firm and its competitors as mentioned in this paper, and through such understanding the...
Abstract: Multiattribute research in marketing seeks an understanding of the structure of customer decisions with respect to the market offerings of a firm and its competitors. Through such understanding the...
394 citations
TL;DR: The presence of LETS protein and GP-2 in basement membranes suggests that there are subtle interactions which are important in adhesion of epithelial cells to basement membranes.
348 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new methodology for dealing with ill-defined, messy organizational problems is proposed, arguing that conflict, assumption surfacing, and assumption challenging are central to such a methodology.
Abstract: This article attempts to develop a new methodology for dealing with ill-structured (i.e., ill-defined, messy) organizational problems, arguing that conflict, assumption surfacing, and assumption challenging are central to such a methodology. As such, the methodology for ill-structured problems is very different from that for well-structured ones. The methodology is illustrated through the analysis of an actual case.
338 citations
TL;DR: This article examined whether clique-structure in cognitive data (i.e. recall of who one talks to) may be used as a proxy for clique structure in behavioral data (e.g., who one actually talks to).
330 citations
TL;DR: It was found that there is a marked and highly significant increase in the thickness of the skin during the indurative phase of PSS, and that this is associated with a proportionate increase in total dermal collagen content.
Abstract: Skin biopsies of uniform location and surface area (7 mm diameter) were obtained from the extensor aspect of the forearm of 147 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) (107 with diffuse scleroderma, 40 with the CREST syndrome variant) and 58 individuals with normal skin. After careful removal of all subcutaneous fatty tissue, the skin cores were weighed and their water and hydroxyproline content determined. Despite recent claims to the contrary, it was found that there is a marked and highly significant increase in the thickness of the skin during the indurative phase of PSS, and that this is associated with a proportionate increase in total dermal collagen content. A similar degree of thickening was found in the skin of patients with eosinophilic fasciitis and acromegaly. A close correlation was observed between clinical estimation of the degree of skin thickening and the weight of the skin biopsy cores. Change in the weight of skin cores was observed during the course of illness of the patients with PSS and may serve as a useful measurement of alteration in the degree of skin thickening.
310 citations
TL;DR: Although only a small series, the most recent cases have shown induction/remission and survival characteristics of AML patients without granulocytic sarcoma, a misdiagnosis of histiocytic lymphoma may result.
Abstract: An unusual case of granulocytic sarcoma presenting in a pericardial effusion following trauma and preceding acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) by 8 months is presented. Five additional cases of granulocytic sarcoma preceding leukemia collected by the author are also tabulated. Granulocytic sarcoma in a nonautopsy population of myelogenous leukemic patients was found to be 2.9%. When presenting in an extramedullary site, especially preceding peripheral blood and bone marrow manifestations of leukemia, a misdiagnosis of histiocytic lymphoma may result. In questionable cases, other techniques including the naphthol-ASD-chloroacetate stain, touch imprints, immunoperoxidase stain for lysozyme, and electron microscopy should be utilized. Although only a small series, the most recent cases have shown induction/remission and survival characteristics of AML patients without granulocytic sarcoma.
TL;DR: Compared with other aspects of reading comprehension, the use of context in identifying words is not a major source of reading difficulty and the general relationship between word predictability and latency was the same for skilled readers and for less skilled readers.
Abstract: Word identification latencies and word prediction accuracy were compared for groups of skilled and less skilled young readers in three experiments. In each experiment, discourse context reduced identification latencies for less skilled as well as skilled readers. This was true both when context was heard and when it was read. The general relationship between word predictability and latency was the same for skilled readers and for less skilled readers, but only less skilled readers’ identification latencies were affected by word length and word frequency when the word appeared in context. When subjects predicted the word before identifying it, correctly predicted words were identified more quickly than words not predicted correctly, and skilled readers were more accurate in prediction than were less skilled readers. Although reading-related differences in the use of discourse context may characterize other aspects of reading comprehension, the use of context in identifying words is not a major source of reading difficulty.
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TL;DR: Risks of natural and occupational radiation and exposure to radioactivity from the nuclear industry are compared with risks of similar or competing activities.
Abstract: Information on risks is collected from various sources and converted into loss of life expectancy throughout life and in various age ranges. Risks included are radiation, accidents of various types, various diseases, overweight, tobacco use, alcohol and drugs, coffee, saccharin, and The Pill, occupational risks, socioeconomic factors, marital status, geography, serving in U.S. armed forces in Vietnam, catastrophic events, energy production, and technology in general. Information is also included on methods for reducing risks, risks in individual actions, “very-hazardous” activities, and priorities and perspective. Risks of natural and occupational radiation and exposure to radioactivity from the nuclear industry are compared with risks of similar or competing activities.
TL;DR: Men and women judged whether pairs of stimuli were identical or mirror images as mentioned in this paper, and the linear function relating response latency to degree of rotation was computed for each individual, the slope of this function was steeper for women than for men, with approximately 30% falling outside the range of distribution for men.
Abstract: College men and women judged whether pairs of stimuli were identical or mirror images. One stimulus of a pair was presented upright; the other was rotated 0°–150° from the vertical. The stimuli were either alphanumeric symbols or unfamiliar letter-like characters of the type found on the Primary Mental Abilities Spatial Relations Test. For each individual, the linear function relating response latency to degree of rotation was computed. The slope of this function was steeper for women than for men. Further, the distribution of slopes was more variable among women, with approximately 30% falling outside the range of distribution for men. Women and men were quite similar in the accuracy of their judgments, the intercepts of the latency functions, and the precision with which the linear function characterized the latency data. It is suggested that the sex difference in the slope of the rotation function may reflect differences in strategies of mental rotation.
TL;DR: Bardsley and Wadehra as mentioned in this paper showed that dissociative attachment and vibrational excitation in low-energy collisions of electrons with H2 and D2 can be explained.
Abstract: Bardsley JN, Wadehra JM. Dissociative attachment and vibrational excitation in low-energy collisions of electrons with H2 and D2.
TL;DR: In this article, a model for an inventory system which stocks two types of items: repaired and unrepaired, was examined and extended to the case where there is limited storage space in both the repair and supply depots.
Abstract: SUMMARY This paper examines a model for an inventory system which stocks two types of items: repaired and unrepaired. This model extends a previous model developed by Schrady to allow for a finite repair rate at the repair depot. Formulas for the optimal repair and procurement batches are developed and extended to the case where there is limited storage space in both the repair and supply depots.
TL;DR: In this article, the Schrodinger equation with logarithmic nonlinearity is described and the motion of gaussons in uniform electric and magnetic fields is studied and explicit solutions describing linear and rotational internal oscillations are found and analyzed.
Abstract: Properties of the Schrodinger equation with the logarithmic nonlinearity are briefly described. This equation possesses soliton-like solutions in any number of dimensions, called gaussons for their Gaussian shape. Excited, stationary states of gaussons of various symmetries, in two and three dimensions are found numerically. The motion of gaussons in uniform electric and magnetic fields is studied and explicit solutions describing linear and rotational internal oscillations are found and analyzed.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: There has been little improvement in the clinical effectiveness of weight reduction therapy since Stunkard & McLaren-Hume's (1959) review, and weight losses produced by different methods are very much the same.
Abstract: To provide a quantitative comparison of outpatient treatments for obesity, an analysis was made of all such research published between 1966 and 1977. All articles which presented data for five or more healthy outpatients were included. Conclusions were: (1) there has been little improvement in the clinical effectiveness of weight reduction therapy since Stunkard & McLaren-Hume's (1959) review; (2) weight losses produced by different methods, from behavior therapy to anorectic medication, are very much the same; (3) the in-treatment results of diet therapies are the largest of those reviewed and deserve further attention; (4) behavior therapy produces the best maintenance of weight losses, although data from other types of therapy are very scanty; and (5) techniques for motivating clients to adhere to treatment recommendations are needed for improvement in the future. Recommendations for improving the methodology of weight-control research are also presented.
TL;DR: Cerebral infarcts in infants who survive with less severe systemic complications may lead to porecephaly, hemiplegia, mental and motor retardation, and recurrent seizures, while in others autonomic dysfunction with prolonged apnea, episodic seizures, and metabolic acidosis were the major associated clinical features.
Abstract: Among 592 infants examined at autopsy during a four-year period, 32 (5.4%) had cerebral infarcts. Excluded were cases of traumatic hemorrhages and softening, periventricular leukomalacia, venous lesions, and any mass, including encephaloceles, with arterial distortion and infarction. Histological abnormalities were similar to those of infarcts in adults. Relatively advanced histopathological changes in some infants living only a few hours indicated that some infarctions may have occured in utero. The most common cause of arterial occlusion was embolization, with sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation playing a major role. The brains of term neonates were more frequently involved than those of premature infants. Multiple small infarcts occurred more often in premature infants. In most cases autonomic dysfunction with prolonged apnea, episodic seizures, and metabolic acidosis were the major associated clinical features, rather than focal neurological deficits. Similar cerebral infarcts in infants who survive with less severe systemic complications may lead to porencephaly, hemiplegia, mental and motor retardation, and recurrent seizures.
TL;DR: The paper shows how the dialectical approach to strategic planning first suggested by Churchman C. W. can put on a more systematic and operational basis such that it can serve as a useful methodology for addressing ill-to-define, problems.
Abstract: This paper deals with the critical role that assumptions play in strategic planning and strategic problem forming. It attempts to formulate a methodology or systematic procedure for 1 uncovering surfacing, 2 analyzing the effect, and 3 challenging key policy assumptions. The paper shows how the dialectical approach to strategic planning first suggested by Churchman Churchman, C. W. 1971. The design of inquiring systems. Basic Books, New York; Churchman, C. W. 1968. The systems approach. Delacorte, New York. and Mason Mason, R. O. 1969. A dialectical approach to strategic planning. Management Sci.15 B-403--B-414. can put on a more systematic and operational basis such that it can serve as a useful methodology for addressing ill-structured, i.e., difficult-to-define, problems.
TL;DR: This paper argued that when a sentence of a discourse is comprehended, its given portion must be matched to prior text memories by one of three processes: matching is rapid; if no direct antecedent is found, bridging inferences, which take time to make, are performed; and an intermediate case in which prior memories exist but must be reinstated to active memory.
TL;DR: Because clinical observations suggest that treatment of serious infections with combinations of antibiotics found to be synergistic in vitro may enhance survival, standardization of the methods and criteria used to test for synergy should be undertaken.
Abstract: The methods and criteria for testing for synergy were compared with use of 22 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and a combination of cephalothin and gentamicin. With the checkerboard technique, the frequency of synergy varied depending on the criterion employed. When the rate of killing of bacteria by antibiotics was measured, results varied depending on the size of inoculum. When the checkerboard and killing-curve techniques were compared, there was poor correlation in terms of the frequency of strains showing synergy. Because clinical observations suggest that treatment of serious infections with combinations of antibiotics found to be synergistic in vitro may enhance survival, standardization of the methods and criteria used to test for synergy should be undertaken.
TL;DR: Two facilities are used to illustrate the power of the exposure zone method to reduce the number of required samples while increasing the confidence of identifying workers at high risk.
Abstract: A method involving classification of employee job tasks into exposure zones is proposed to guide the industrial hygienist in assigning personal samples to employees in a facility. Workers are assigned to an exposure zone on the basis of similar profiles of chemical exposures, ventilation characteristics, and job tasks. Two facilities are used to illustrate the power of the exposure zone method to reduce the number of required samples while increasing the confidence of identifying workers at high risk. Details of the zoning and calculation procedures are described in detail.
TL;DR: The results indicate that the sensory inattention syndrome seen after intracerebral 6-OH-DA injections is a consequence of damaging dopamine-containing neurons, and the occurrence of normal-appearing sensorimotor integration requires optimal brain dopamine receptor activity.
TL;DR: Some of the behavioral-ecological variation in the primate order can be explained by reference to a general model known as the Jarman/Bell principle, which suggests that body size is a fundamental tactic in an animal's feeding strategy.
Abstract: Some of the behavioral-ecological variation in the primate order can be explained by reference to a general model known as the Jarman/Bell principle. This principle involves a scaling relationship between metabolism and body size which suggests that body size is a fundamental tactic in an animal's feeding strategy. Relatively accurate predictions regarding the diets of primates of known body weight follow from this model. In addition, it can be expanded to predict the kinds of adaptations that would appear in animals that deviate from the expected size/diet pattern. The model is general enough such that, when joined with feeding strategy theory, it can be applied to extinct organisms. In this context it is suggested that Pleistocene hominid ecology was characterized more by omnivory than carnivory.
TL;DR: Techniques employed in the behavioral assessment and treatment of socially deficient children are reviewed and the utility of incorporating developmental and social psychological methods into behavioral programs is discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, light scattering was used to study phase separation in critically quenched mixtures of isobutyric acid and 2,6-lutidine, and the results were consistent with Kawasaki and Ohta's model of domain growth.
Abstract: Light scattering was used to study phase separation in critically quenched mixtures of isobutyric-acid---water and 2,6-lutidine---water. The measurements spanned the time interval $10\ensuremath{\le}t\ensuremath{\lesssim}{10}^{3}$ s and quench depths from 0.7 to 9 mK. The parameters measured were ${k}_{m}(t)$, i.e., the photon momentum transfer at the angle of maximum scattering, and the ring intensity $I({k}_{m},t)$. The early-stage measurements of ${k}_{m}$ vs $t$ are in very good agreement with the calculations of Kawasaki and Ohta and with the coalescence model of domain growth, which gives ${k}_{m}\ensuremath{\propto}{t}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\phi}}$, with $\ensuremath{\phi}=\frac{1}{3}$. In the late stage $\ensuremath{\phi}$ increases to unity in both systems. This implies that hydrodynamic effects control the rate of growth of the nucleating domains of size $l\ensuremath{\simeq}{k}_{m}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. In both early and late stages, the intensity measurements are consistent with $I({k}_{m},t)\ensuremath{\propto}{l}^{3}$. The scattering experiments were supplemented by direct observation of domain growth with a microscope.
TL;DR: The performance of a computer-based clinical consultation system, called MYCIN, is evaluated, designed to function as an aid for infectious disease diagnosis and therapy selection, with an initial emphasis on bacteremias.