Games on partial orders and other relational structures

This thesis makes a contribution to the classification of certain specific relational structures under the relation of n-equivalence, where this means that Player II has a winning strategy in the n-move Ehrenfeucht-Fraı̈ssé game played on the two structures. This provides a finer classification of structures than elementary equivalence, since two structures A and B are elementarily equivalent if and only if they are n-equivalent for all n. On each move of such a game, Player I picks a member of either A or B, and Player II responds with a member of the other structure. Player II wins the game if the map thereby produced from a substructure of A to a substructure of B is an isomorphism of induced substructures. Certain ordered structures have been studied from this point of view in papers by Mostowski and Tarski, for ordinals [22], and Mwesigye and Truss, for ordinals [25], some scattered orders, and finite coloured linear orders [24]. Here we extend the known results on linear orders by classifying them all up to 3-equivalence (which had previously been done for 2-equivalence), of which there are 281, using the method of characters. We also classify all partial orders up to 2-equivalence (there are 39), and discuss the difficulties of extending this to 3-equivalence, since the method of characters is not as effective as in the linear case. We classify (total) circular orders up to 3-equivalence, and relate the classification of partial circular orders to both these and to partial orders. A variety of related structures are discussed: trees, directed and undirected graphs, and unars (sets with a single unary function), which we categorise up to 2-equivalence. In a pebble game, the players of an otherwise standard Ehrenfeucht-Fraı̈ssé game are in addition provided with two identical sets of k distinguishable pebbles, and on each move they place a pebble on their chosen point. On each move, Player I may choose either to move a pebble to another point, or else use a new pebble, if any remain, and Player II must place the corresponding partner pebble. Such games correspond to logics in which there are only k variables, and moving a pebble corresponds to reusing the variable. Here we extend some work of Immerman and Kozen [14] on pebble games played on linear orders

Tensile Properties of Beef Semitendinosus Muscle as Affected by Heating Rate and End Point Temperature

Tenderness of meat is one of its most important attributes of quality. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of heating rate (comparable to oven roasting at 93° and 149°C) and end point temperature (50°, 60° and 70°C) on tensile properties of muscle fibers and connective tissue of beef semitendinosus muscle. Cores of meat were heated in tubes in a water bath programmed to produce the desired rate of heating. Samples were evaluated by Warner-Bratzler shears and by lnstron measurements of breaking strength and work of rupture. Tensile measurements with fibers parallel to the stress were interpreted as reflecting the heat effects on the muscle fibers, whereas measurements with fibers perpendicular to the stress were considered representative of the heat effects on the connective tissue. Slow rate of heating resulted in lower (P \u3c 0.01) shear values than heating at the fast rate. Shear values decreased significantly (P \u3c 0.01) between 50° and 60°C and reached a minimum at 67°C. Although shears were lower at 70° than 60°C the decrease was not significant. Muscle fibers (fibers oriented parallel) were more resistant (P \u3c 0.001) to shearing than the connective tissue (fibers oriented perpendicularly). Breaking strength and work of rupture were not significantly affected by rate of heating. A significant interaction (P \u3c 0.001) between endpoint temperature and fiber direction was illustrated by polynomial curves. Fibers oriented parallel to the stress deceased significantly (P \u3c 0.01) in breaking strength and work of rupture from 50° to 60°C and from 60° to 70°C. Minimum breaking strength and work of rupture were obtained at 67°C; thereafter as internal temperature increased breaking strength and work of rupture started to increase. A nonsignificant decrease in breaking strength and work of rupture occurred with increasing internal temperature when fibers were oriented perpendicularly to the stress. Major changes in tensile strength occurred in the muscle fibers rather than in the connective tissue. Instron measurements in this study give no explanation for the reported increase in tenderness of meat heated at slow rates. Further work might be directed toward studying the changes in the muscle fibers which resulted in the decreased tensile strength that occurred during the early stages of heating

Temperature effects in the collisional deactivation of highly vibrationally excited pyrazine by unexcited pyrazine

Time‐dependent infrared fluorescence (IRF) from the C–H fundamental and overtone bands was used to monitor the vibrational deactivation (by unexcited pyrazine) of pyrazine excited at 308 nm with a pulsed laser. The 1‐color and 2‐color IRF results were modeled with collisional master equation calculations in order to determine the temperature dependence of the energy transfer parameters. The experimental data cannot be modeled without invoking a biexponential collision step size distribution, which implies that ‘‘super collisions’’ are significant. The results show that the energy transfer parameters are essentially constant at temperatures greater than the Lennard–Jones well depth, but at lower temperatures, energy transfer is enhanced. It is likely that vibration–vibration energy transfer dominates in this system. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70488/2/JCPSA6-105-8-3012-1.pd

Velamentous Cord: A Dangerous Case Complicated by a Rural Population

A velamentous cord insertion occurs when the umbilical cord’s Wharton jelly fails to reach the placenta, due to early placental atrophy around the insertion site, leaving a segment of unprotected vessels running through the thin membranes of the amniotic sac. This area of weakness exposes a threat to the well-being of the fetus through acute hemorrhage and both acute and chronic restriction of nutrition. With advances in technology, resolution capabilities of ultrasounds allow for antenatal diagnosis, when previously this was impossible. With this knowledge, considerations for screening and management of this pathology are essential when dealing with a rural population that has barriers to accessing health care

Resilience of New Zealand indigenous forest fragments to impacts of livestock and pest mammals

A number of factors have combined to diminish ecosystem integrity in New Zealand indigenous lowland forest fragments surrounded by intensively grazed pasture. Livestock grazing, mammalian pests, adventive weeds and altered nutrient input regimes are important drivers compounding the changes in fragment structure and function due to historical deforestation and fragmentation. We used qualitative systems modelling and empirical data from Beilschmiedia tawa dominated lowland forest fragments in the Waikato Region to explore the relevance of two common resilience paradigms – engineering resilience and ecological resilience – for addressing the conservation management of forest fragments into the future. Grazing by livestock and foraging/predation by introduced mammalian pests both have direct detrimental impacts on key structural and functional attributes of forest fragments. Release from these perturbations through fencing and pest control leads to partial or full recovery of some key indicators (i.e. increased indigenous plant regeneration and cover, increased invertebrate populations and litter mass, decreased soil fertility and increased nesting success) relative to levels seen in larger forest systems over a range of timescales. These changes indicate that forest fragments do show resilience consistent with adopting an engineering resilience paradigm for conservation management, in the landscape context studied. The relevance of the ecological resilience paradigm in these ecosystems is obscured by limited data. We characterise forest fragment dynamics in terms of changes in indigenous species occupancy and functional dominance, and present a conceptual model for the management of forest fragment ecosystems

'On the surface': a qualitative study of GPs' and patients' perspectives on psoriasis

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 2% of the UK population and is currently incurable. It produces profound effects on psychological wellbeing and social functioning and has significant associated co-morbidities. The majority of patients with psoriasis are managed in primary care, however in-depth patient and GP perspectives about psoriasis management in this setting are absent from the literature. This article reports an in-depth study which compares and contrasts the perspectives of people with psoriasis and of GPs on the challenges of managing psoriasis in primary care. METHODS: In-depth, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 29 people with psoriasis and 14 GPs. Interviews were coded using principles of Framework Analysis to enable a comparison of patient and practitioner perspectives on key issues and concepts arising from the data. RESULTS: Patients perceived GPs to be lacking in confidence in the assessment and management of psoriasis and both groups felt lacking in knowledge and understanding about the condition. While practitioners recognised that psoriasis has physical, emotional and social impact, they assumed patients had expertise in the condition and may not address these issues in consultations. This resulted in patient dissatisfaction and sub-optimal assessment of severity and impact of psoriasis by GPs. Patients and GPs recognised that psoriasis was not being managed as a complex long-term condition, however this appeared less problematic for GPs than for patients who desired a shared management with their GP incorporating appropriate monitoring and timely reviews. CONCLUSIONS: The research suggests that current routine practice for psoriasis management in primary care is mismatched with the expressed needs of patients. To address these needs, psoriasis must be recognised as a complex long-term condition involving exacting physical, psychological and social demands, co-morbidity and the development of new treatments.General practitioners need to improve both their knowledge and skills in the assessment and management of psoriasis. This in turn will facilitate management of the condition in partnership with patients. Commissioning multi-disciplinary services, which focus on long-term impacts on wellbeing and quality of life, might address current deficits in care

Prospectus, March 22, 1984

BARKSTALL TALKS ABOUT DISCRIMINATION; News Digest; This is Karyn\u27s chance: and nothing will stop her!!; Scream and run--best self defense; PC Happenings: Workshop for radiologic technologists, SIU counselor at Parkland, Parkland play to open; Fear, anger, guilt and confusion: Common feelings after rape; StuGo conducting survey; 1984 motorcycle courses; Fall Registration; Did You Know...; The changing face of Women\u27s Lib: Working with and through the system; \u27Harry and Son\u27 warm and touching......; Run--\u27Just for the health of it\u27; Parkland student helps disaster effort; School prayer debate continues; \u27Yes\u27 appears at Assembly Hall; Creative Corner...Especially for you!!: Rain, Window Watching, We begin our lives as tiny..., The sun\u27s golden rays..., Climbing the Mountain, We are alone in this world..., He was only joking..., Used Too, You can\u27t stop rock-\u27n-roll..., The prison of my mind..., I am too younf to feel so worn and tired..., Living hard and fast..., Don\u27t get me wrong..., I can never forget...; Champaign County in the middle of a tornado belt; Tornado prevention; Classifieds; YES concert proves to be big disappointment; Skating projects emotion; \u27Splash\u27 wildly funny entertainment; WILL hosts telecourse; Orioles to repeat; Class A results; Lady Cobras finish third; Cobras eliminated; 1984 Parkland College Baseball Roster; Wet grounds hamper softball; Chargers ready for the Hall; I.M. Newshttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1984/1028/thumbnail.jp

The habitus and the critique of the present. A Wittgensteinian reading of Bourdieu’s social theory

I tackle some major criticisms addressed to Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of habitus by foregrounding its affinities with Ludwig Wittgenstein’s notion of rule-following. To this end, I first clarify the character of the habitus as a theoretical device, and then elucidate what features of Wittgenstein’s analysis Bourdieu found of interest from a methodological viewpoint. To vindicate this reading, I contend that Wittgenstein’s discussion of rule-following was meant to unearth the internal connection between rules and the performative activities whereby rules are brought into life. By portraying rules as tools that allow agents to stabilize and renegotiate practices, I illustrate the active role social agents play in the production of shared accounts of practices. I conclude by showing that, if viewed through this prism, the habitus proves to be meant to provide guidance on how social theory helps historicize and denaturalize the social world

Maternal risk factors for abnormal placental growth: The national collaborative perinatal project

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies of maternal risk factors for abnormal placental growth have focused on placental weight and placental ratio as measures of placental growth. We sought to identify maternal risk factors for placental weight and two neglected dimensions of placental growth: placental thickness and chorionic plate area.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted an analysis of 24,135 mother-placenta pairs enrolled in the National Collaborative Perinatal Project, a prospective cohort study of pregnancy and child health. We defined growth restriction as < 10^thpercentile and hypertrophy as > 90^thpercentile for three placental growth dimensions: placental weight, placental thickness and chorionic plate area. We constructed parallel multinomial logistic regression analyses to identify (a) predictors of restricted growth (vs. normal) and (b) predictors of hypertrophic growth (vs. normal).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Black race was associated with an increased likelihood of growth restriction for placental weight, thickness and chorionic plate area, but was associated with a reduced likelihood of hypertrophy for these three placental growth dimensions. We observed an increased likelihood of growth restriction for placental weight and chorionic plate area among mothers with hypertensive disease at 24 weeks or beyond. Anemia was associated with a reduced likelihood of growth restriction for placental weight and chorionic plate area. Pre-pregnancy BMI and pregnancy weight gain were associated with a reduced likelihood of growth restriction and an increased likelihood of hypertrophy for all three dimensions of placental growth.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Maternal risk factors are either associated with placental growth restriction or placental hypertrophy not both. Our findings suggest that the placenta may have compensatory responses to certain maternal risk factors suggesting different underlying biological mechanisms.</p