Fortran Can it be Structured-Should it be?

There is no doubt about it, structured programming (SP) is making waves. Wherever one goes within the computing community people are asking what it is and how they can use it. And the answers they are receiving are sometimes very different. This inability to pin down a precise definition has caused the original concept of SP to become widely distorted. For example, a recent advertisement described SP as "a means of improving the quality of the code, improving project control, reducing the debugging phase of the project, forcing good software documentation as an integral part of the system design, and making programs less sensitive to turnover of project personnel."1 Thus portrayed as a panacea for the entire programming process, it is not surprising that in a recent week-long seminar given by Dr. Dijkstra, he refused to use the term at all.     

Respiratory electromyographic estimates of ventilatory functions in piglets

The best electromyographic (EMG) predictors of respiratory drive (P100), tidal volume (VT) and ventilation (VE) were determined from diaphragmatic (DI) and posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) EMG measures in 8-48-day-old, anesthetized piglets. Progressive hypercapnia was employed to obtain a wide range of muscle activity. A custom-designed, microcomputer-based system was employed to measure the duration, peak amplitude, rate of rise (initial slope) as well as the summed total and initial (first 100 ms) EMG activity from the DI and the PCA. For each respiratory function, the following combinations of EMG measures were identified as significant predictors using regression analyses: (1) for P100, DI amplitude, PCA initial area and PCA rate of rise; (2) for VT, DI amplitude, PCA duration and DI duration; (3) for VE, DI amplitude, DI initial area, PCA initial area, PCA rate of rise, PCA duration, DI area and DI rate of rise. Thus, whereas the traditionally employed measure of DI amplitude is an important correlate of P100, VT or VE, a complete estimate of these respiratory functions requires the inclusion of initial EMG measures and duration.     

Motivation for psychotherapy: A factorial and conceptual analysis.

Constructed a rater measure of patient motivation for psychotherapy to include the concepts, such as libidinal drives, degree of suffering experienced, ego-derived recognition of reality demands, conscious readiness, self-actualization motives, and secondary gain, used in previous studies, with added items for theoretical completeness. Additional new items in the measure, which contained 36 items, deal with previous patient positive or negative experiences with therapy, the patient's confidence in his/her own abilities to participate in therapy, consequences expected from therapy, and environmental incentives and support. A factor analysis of the measure revealed 4 factors: Active Engagement, Psychological Mindedness, Incentive-Mediated Willingness to Sacrifice, and Positive Valuation of Therapy. Items from previous studies of motivation for psychotherapy were distributed across several factors. Results indicate that motivation needs to be treated as a multidimensional construct. Distinctions need to be made between factors pertinent to patient motivation and those which refer to patients' suitability for a particular treatment. It is concluded that motivation for psychotherapy should not be conceptualized as a static quantity, but as a fluctuating interaction of multiple factors. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lymphocytic infiltration in endometrial adenocarcinoma. Correlation with histologic differentiation, clinical staging and prognosis

Lymphocytic infiltration in endometrial adenocarcinoma was evaluated in curettings from 50 patients and correlated with histologic differentiation, clinical staging and prognosis. In spite of the absence of any significant correlation between lymphocytic infiltration and the various parameters investigated, the presence of a marked infiltrate in 46% of the cases suggests that in endometrial adenocarcinoma, as in other neoplasms, a cell-mediated immune response does indeed exist, but warrants further investigation by more refined methods.     

Serum enzyme activities in the African elephant (loxodonta africana)

The serum activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase have been measured in the African elephant. In general, the values were broadly comparable with those of man except that alanine aminotransferase was much lower and creatine phosphokinase higher. No variation due to age, sex, season or location was observed.     

The effect of price on the residential demand for electricity: A statistical study

The statistics of the demand for electricity and the relationship between the price of electricity and the demand are examined through analysis of the monthly consumption statistics of a community of owner-occupied, almost identical townhouses. The average yearly demand for electricity grew from 1971 until 1973 and then decreased by less than 2% a year for the next three years. In spite of price increases, demand for electricity during the heating season (the units are heated by a forced-air natural gas furnace) increased steadily but slightly over the six years of observation. A simple statistical model is used to split the cooling season demand for electricity into air-conditioner demand and the demand for lights and appliances. The non-cooling portion of the demand decreased from 1974 to 1975, but otherwise increased each year from 1971 to 1976. The portion of the demand that we estimate is used for cooling appears to have increased between 1971 and 1974 and then decreased between 1974 and 1976. The evolution of the electricity-rate schedule for this community is considered and then two simple statistical models, which relate demand to price, are estimated. These indicate that, although the marginal price has doubled (in current dollars), these changes in price have had little effect on demand.