Showing papers by "University of South Carolina published in 1982"

Digital Imaging Techniques In Experimental Stress Analysis

Abstract: Digital imaging techniques are utilized as a measure of surface displacement components in laser speckle metrology. An image scanner which is interfaced to a computer records and stores in memory the laser speckle patterns of an object in a reference and deformed configuration. Subsets of the deformed images are numerically correlated with the references as a measure of surface displacements. Discrete values are determined around a closed contour for plane problems which then become input into a boundary integral equation method in order to calculate surface traction in the contour. Stresses are then calculated within this boundary. The solution procedure is illustrated by a numerical example of a case of uniform tension.

Sample size effects on chi square and other statistics used in evaluating causal models.

Abstract: A simulation study of the effects of sample size on the overall fit statistic provided by the LISREL program indicates the statistic is well behaved over a wide range of sample sizes for simple mod...

Neurons of the lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei: a Golgi study in the rat

Abstract: Neurons in the lateral and basolateral nuclei of the rat amygdala were studied using Golgi-Kopsch and rapid Golgi techniques. According to differences in perikaryal, dendritic, and axonal morphology, three main neuronal classes are recognized. Class I neurons, the predominant cell type in both nuclei, are large, spiny neurons that vary in size in different subdivisions of the lateral and basolateral nuclei. These neurons often have a pyramidal shape, exhibiting one or two thick "apical" dendrites and several thinner "basal" dendrites. Axons of class I neurons, which appear to pass out of the nucleus of origin, usually give off several collaterals that arborize modestly in the vicinity of the cell. Class II neurons are smaller, ovoid cells that comprise approximately 5% of impregnated neurons. These neurons are characterized by spine-sparse dendrites and fairly dense local axonal arborizations. Class II neurons may be classified as multipolar, bitufted, or bipolar, depending on dendritic branching pattern. Another type of class II neuron, the amygdaloid chandelier cell, is recognized by virtue of its distinctive axon. The chandelier cell axon gives off numerous collaterals that form nestlike entanglements exhibiting clusters of axonal varicosities. Isolated chandelierlike axons of undetermined origin were observed forming multiple contacts with initial segments of class I axons. Several small, spherical class III neurons with short, varicose dendrites were observed. Axons branch profusely to form a dense tangle of collaterals in the vicinity of the cell. Both axons and dendrites establish numerous contacts with class I dendrites. This investigation, the first detailed Golgi study of the basolateral amygdala of the rat, reveals that the cytoarchitecture of this brain region in the rat is basically similar to that of the opossum and other mammals. Morphologic details described in this report should be useful in the interpretation of ultrastructural, immunocytochemical, and electrophysiological studies of the basolateral amygdala.

The Importance of “Outsiders” in Small Firm Strategic Planning

Abstract: The value of “outsider-based” strategic planning for small firms is empirically examined using a sample of firms engaging in outsider-based planning and two control groups. The effectiveness of sma...

Cytoarchitecture of the central amygdaloid nucleus of the rat.

Abstract: Since recent studies indicate that distinct neuropeptides and projections are associated with discrete portions of the central amygdaloid nucleus (CN), a detailed investigation of the cytoarchitecture of CN should contribute to an understanding of its organization. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the rat CN using Nissl, Kluver-Barrera, and Golgi techniques suggests that it consists of four subdivisions. The medial subdivision (CM), which is closely associated with the stria terminalis, is narrow caudally but enlarges near the rostral pole of CN. Most neurons in CM have long dendrites that branch sparingly and have a moderate number of dendritic spines. A smaller number of CM neurons have thick dendrites with virtually no spines. Lateral to CM is the lateral subdivision (CL) which appears round in coronal sections. Neurons of CL have a very dense covering of dendritic spines and resemble medium-size spiny neurons of the striatum. Area X of Hall contains spiny neurons similar to those of CL and spine-sparse neurons that resemble medium-size spine-sparse cells of the striatum. Since area X encapsulates the lateral aspect of CL, it is termed the lateral capsular subdivision (CLC) of CN. The lateral capsular subdivision enlarges rostrally and is divided into dorsal and ventral portions by a laminar extension of the putamen. Near the rostral pole of CN a small region of tightly packed, intensely stained neurons is interposed between CL and CM. Golgi preparations reveal that this intermediate subdivision (CI) of CN contains neurons similar to those of CM. The lateral subdivision, CLC, and CM correspond, in part, to subdivisions recognized in previous Nissl studies. The intermediate subdivision has not been recognized as a distinct subdivision in previous investigations. This is the first Golgi study to recognize differences in neuronal morphology in particular subdivisions of the rat CN. The correlation of Nissl and Golgi preparations has permitted a more accurate determination of the boundaries and total extent of each subdivision than the use of Nissl techniques alone.

Suspect terranes and accretionary history of the Appalachian orogen

Abstract: The North American connection, or the Grenvillian continental crust that separated from eastern North America during the initiation of the Appalachian orogenic cycle, is poorly defined within the present orogen. A variety of terranes occur outboard of the North American miogeocline, all structurally uncoupled and therefore suspect. Stratigraphic analysis indicates that Appalachian accretion progressed from the miogeocline outward. The boundaries of the earliest accreted western terranes are marked by melange and ophiolite complexes. Later boundaries between eastern terranes are steep mylonitic zones and brittle faults. Accretionary events, defined by Stratigraphic analysis, correspond to times of major deformation, plutonism, and metamorphism in the history of the orogen.

Campaign Contributions and Congressional Voting: A Simultaneous Probit-Tobit Model

Abstract: M /[ ANY citizens and scholars have been troubled by the influence that special interest groups appear to exert over policymaking as a result of their roles in the financing of political campaigns. These concerns inspired the enactment of a number of election law reforms in the 1970s, and have led to increasing popular support for public financing of electoral campaigns. Despite the public attention these issues have attracted, few social scientists have attempted to analyze the financial relationships between interest groups and policymakers empirically.1 One such study was reported by Durden and Silberman (1976), who included contributions from the AFL-CIO political action committee as an independent variable in an equation explaining congressional voting on minimum wage legislation. Their results indicated that campaign contributions significantly affected voting on that issue. The work I have done differs substantially from that of Durden and Silberman in two ways. First, I have chosen to examine issues which were of considerably narrower concern than the minimum wage issue. In the interest of simplicity, I examine issues of concern to just one or a few groups. I have also used a different econometric technique. If campaign contributions are actually endogenous (as seems plausible), the single equation estimation technique employed by Durden and Silberman is subject to a possible simultaneous equations bias. For each issue studied, I have therefore jointly estimated a two equation system explaining both votes on the bill and contributions from an associated interest group. The "'simultaneous probit-Tobit" model which I use takes into account the dichotomous nature of the variable indicating a congressman's vote, the non-negativity constraint imposed on the contribution variable, and the possibility of correlation between the error terms for the equations explaining these two variables.2 Full-information maximum likelihood (FIML) estimates for the model are consistent and asymptotically efficient.

The Use of Extrinsic Cues to Facilitate Product Adoption

Abstract: Two field experiments were conducted to explore the effects of varying levels of product warranty, manufacturer reputation, and price on consumers’ risk perceptions and affective responses to new p...

The sites of origin brain stem neurotensin and serotonin projections to the rodent nucleus raphe magnus

Abstract: The combined horseradish peroxidase retrograde transport-peroxidase-antiperoxidase immunohistochemical procedure was utilized in the present study to ascertain the sites of origin of serotonin and neurotensin projections to the rodent nucleus raphe magnus. The major serotonin inputs to the raphe magnus arise from the B-8 and B-9 groups of Dahlstrom and Fuxe (Dahlstrom, A., and K. Fuxe (1964) Acta Physiol. Scand. Suppl. 232 62: 1-55), the nucleus reticularis paragigantocellularis, and the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis pars alpha. Neurotensinergic projections to the raphe magnus originate predominantly from the periaqueductal gray, the nucleus solitarius, the dorsal and ventral parabrachial nuclei, and the nucleus cuneiformis. The periaqueductal gray and the nucleus paragigantocellularis were found to provide both a neurotensin and a serotonin projection to this raphe nucleus. The present results indicate that several brain stem nuclei, which have been implicated previously in endogenous analgesia mechanisms, provide serotonergic and neurotensinergic input to the nucleus raphe magnus.

The determination and use of condition index of oysters

Abstract: Oyster condition measures should be standardized through use of Hopkins’ formula: Condition Index = (dry meat weight in g) (100)/(internal cavity volume in cm3). Cavity volumes, previously measured chiefly as capacity by a water displacement method, may be determined by subtracting the weight in air of the oyster’s valves from the weight in air of the intact oyster (both in g). This method is valid because the effective density of cavity contents is close to 1g per cm3. The technique is simple and time-efficient and could promote more widespread use of oyster condition studies.

Neighboring in an urban environment

Abstract: Neighbors are an informal resource who may act individually to provide socioemotional support to each other as well as collectively to ameliorate problems in their residential environment. To explore when neighbors are likely to interact and provide aid and emotional support for each other, 702 residents living in a neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, were interviewed during 1978. Factor analysis was used to cluster several variables of individual characteristics of residents related to neighboring. Other indices assessed the block environment. Neighboring activities were found to be associated with an individual's psychological investment in his neighborhood as well as his rootedness and integration on his block, a positive sense of well-being, sex, and life stage. At the neighborhood block level, homogeneity of socioeconomic status (SES) contributed to neighbor relations along with indices of an individual's similarity to block residents. Implications are discussed for the development of neighboring activities and neighborhood organizations.

Microbially mediated manganese oxidation in a freshwater lake1

Abstract: Geochemical and microbiological studies support the hypothesis that bacteria mediate manganese oxidation in aerobic bottom waters of Oneida Lake, N.Y. In lake water samples maintained in the laboratory, decreases in soluble Mn2+ and the formation of oxidized manganese (MnO,) occurred only in summer samples which supported metabolically active Mn-oxidizing bacteria. The effect of initial Mn2+ concentrations on Mn oxidation and on the disappearance of soluble Mn2+ (binding) was studied in water enriched from natural levels (1.2 k 0.4 PM in June and 0.48 PM in August 1979) to 9.1-200 PM Mn 2i. Highly enriched lake water (265 @4 Mn2+) inhibited Mn oxidation. Binding and oxidation of Mn was inhibited in filtered samples when particles X.4 pm were removed, ancl inhiljition persisted when the particles were first ethanol treated and then reintroduced into filtered lake water. Within the range of O-20 PM Mn2+ rates of Mn 2+ binding varied with the initial Mn2+ concentrations in August water samples.

Dimension Theory for Ordered Sets

Abstract: In 1930, E. Szpilrajn proved that any order relation on a set X can be extended to a linear order on X. It also follows that any order relation is the intersection of its linear extensions. B. Dushnik and E.W. Miller later defined the dimension of an ordered set P = 〈X;≤〉 to be the minimum number of linear extensions whose intersection is the ordering ≤.

Sampling design and enumeration statistics for bacteria extracted from marine sediments.

Abstract: The spatial and temporal distributions of marine bacteria were studied at both a muddy and a sandy subtidal site in North Inlet, S.C. The sampling design was hierarchical, since subsampling (by a dilution series) of the sediments was necessary to count bacterial cells using acridine orange epifluoresence microscopy. The cell count data fit a log-normal distribution. The abundance of bacteria was 1011 g−1 (dry weight) of mud and 109 g−1 (dry weight) of sand. Variance component analyses demonstrated that variation due to the subsampling procedures was always statistically significant. Thus the common practice of counting 20 fields from one filter preparation is inadequate for estimating the true bacterial population variance in marine sediments. It is recommended that replication of the subsampling level be performed. Standardization of data (by dry weight of sediment) decreased sampling variance at the mud site but not at the sand site, implying that bacteria are more homogeneously distributed in sand than in mud.

FUZZY QMODEL—A new approach for linear unmixing

Abstract: Many data sets can be viewed as a collection of samples representing mixtures of a relatively small number of end members. When end members are present in the sample set, the algorithm QMODEL by Klovan and Miesch can efficiently determine proportionate contributions. EXTENDED QMODEL by Full, Ehrlich, and Klovan was designed to deduce the composition of realistic end members when the end members are not represented by samples. However, in the presence of high levels of random variation or outliers not belonging to the system of interest, EXTENDED QMODEL may not be reliable inasmuch as it is largely dependent on extreme values for definition of an initial mixing polyhedron. FUZZY QMODEL utilizes the fuzzy c-means algorithm of Bezdek to provide an alternative initial mixing polyhedron. This algorithm utilizes the collective property of all the data rather than outliers and so can produce suitable solutions in the presence of noisy or “messy” data points.

An Analysis of Methods for Permanently Mounting Ovules Cleared in Four-and-a-Half Type Clearing Fluids

Abstract: Ovules cleared in benzyl benzoate-4 1/2 clearing fluid can be permanently mounted in Piccolyte or Permount by replacing the cleaning fluid with absolute ethanol, upgrading the ovules in mixtures of ethanol and xylene (3:1, 2:2, 1:3, and xylene), and mounting them in either mountant under the supported coverglass of a Raj slide. Optical saggittal sections through the ovules resemble microtome sections in that the protoplasts are slightly shrunken away from the cell walls. The artifact is common in permanently mounted sections; fixation and paraffin infiltration are usually cited as the causes--its appearance in the whole-mounted ovules is caused by xylene. Although miscible with the clearing fluid, Euparal is the least satisfactory of the standard mountants for permanent preparations of cleared ovules and is best used with an equal quantity of clearing fluid for semipermanent preparations. A large quantity of Euparal in the mountant produces pronounced shrinkage. A method for permanently mounting cleared ovules with the clearing image unaltered employs a mountant which contains the ingredients of Spurr low viscosity embedding medium. Vinylcyclohexene dioxide (10 drops) is combined with diglycidyl ether of polypropylglycol (6 drops) and nonenyl succinic anhydride (26 drops). Ovules treated for 24 hr in benzyl benzoate-4 1/2 clearing fluid are passed through a graded series of clearing fluid-epoxy medium mixtures (3:1, 2:2, 1:3, and pure epoxy medium) at intervals of 14 minutes. One drop of dimethylaminoethanol, the cure accelerator, is then added to the epoxy medium and the ovules are mounted and covered immediately on a Raj slide. The preparation is cured in an oven at 60 C for 24 hr and observed with phase contrast or Nomarski interference optics.

Timing of larval production and flux of invertebrate larvae in a well-mixed estuary

Abstract: Flux of invertebrate larvae between an estuary and coastal waters and the effect of the timing of larval production by estuarine crabs on larval transport were studied in North Inlet estuary, South Carolina. Invertebrate larvae were sampled from three transects across the entrances to this well-mixed estuary during spring and neap tidal periods in each season in 1979. Crab zoeae also were sampled nightly throughout the summer at a single station in the upper reaches of the estuary. The net flux of most larval groups corresponded to the net flux of water and was not different from zero. Six of the 20 larval groups sampled (e.g. echinoderm plutei, barnacle cyprids) showed significant imports to the estuary during one or more sampling periods. Only crab zoeae were exported significantly from the estuary. Such exports occurred during spring tidal periods in the summer when the densities of stage I zoeae of the seven dominant estuarine species were 6 to 57 times greater in the lower estuary and 100 to 10,000 times greater in the upper estuary than during neap tidal periods. Maximum zoeal densities occurred when female crabs released larvae. The timing of larval release may result in rapid seaward transport of newly hatched zoeae on nocturnal ebb tides of greatest amplitude during the semilunar cycle, leading to significant net export from the estuary.

Instrument inferences and verb schemata

Abstract: Five studies employed a Stroop paradigm to examine the activation of instruments in sentence comprehension. Two types of instruments were studied, tools (e.g., spoon, hammer) and body parts (e.g., hand, wing). For example, is the concept “broom” activated by the sentence “The man swept the floor,” or is the concept “wing” activated by the sentence “The duck flew over the pond”? Earlier studies have suggested that implicit instruments are not encoded in the underlying representation of a sentence during comprehension. The first four studies in the present paper reveal no evidence that abstract knowledge of the instruments is even activated. In the fifth study, the Stroop task reveals an effect if subjects are instructed to generate implicit instruments, although a facilitatory (rather than an inhibitory) effect is obtained.

processes of dispute management among urban black children

Abstract: This paper investigates the forms and functions of alternative dispute procedures as well as distinctive operating cultures that account for them among urban black working-class children. It is found that children strategically manage the social organization of a dispute through the selection of particular argument formats. In conducting argumentative exchanges, children display a range of communicative competencies and collaborate in performing highly orderly negotiations of power. [conversation analysis, child language, social organization, legal anthropology, Black English Vernacular]

Civil Engineering Department

Abstract: The Department of Civil Engineering at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA offers programs of study at both the undergraduate and graduate (Master's and Ph.D.) levels. Students may specialize in the traditional fields of Civil Engineering, including applied mechanics, structures, geotechnical engineering, traffic and transportation, and environmental and water resources engineering. There are fourteen faculty in the Department, actively engaged in teaching, research, and administration. Current faculty research interests and laboratory facilities available to support the experimental programs are described.

“instigating”: storytelling as social process

Abstract: This paper investigates a particular form of storytelling, instigating, that occurs within a gossip-dispute activity called “he-said-she-said.” Through the storytelling a party is informed about another person's having committed the offense of talking about her behind her back. The larger framework of the dispute provides organization for the storytelling process in several ways: (1) it provides structure for the cited characters and their activities within the story; (2) it influences the types of analysis recipients must engage in to appropriately understand the story; (3) it makes relevant specific types of next moves by recipients: for example, evaluations of the offending party's actions during the story, pledges to future courses of action near the story's ending, and rehearsals of future events at story completion and upon subsequent retellings. [conversation analysis, social organization, narrative, gossip, situational analysis, Black English Vernacular]