Review -- The Palmetto State’s Memory: A History of the South Carolina Department of Archives & History, 1905-1960

A critical review of the book, "The Palmetto State's Memory: A History of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History 1905-1960," by Charles H. Lesser, is presented

Guyasuta: Warrior, Estate, and Home to Boy Scouts

For nearly a century, Camp Guyasuta has been “an ideal place for Boy Scouts to live out their Handbook, to dream and be inspired and become good Americans.” Situated on roughly 130 acres in a deep valley between Aspinwall and Sharpsburg, Guyasuta is the primary camp for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in the newly formed Laurel Highlands Council. But before Guyasuta was established in 1918, the land was home to multiple generations of a prominent Pittsburgh family. It also served as the burial ground for a famous Native American. It has hosted lively parties, protected wildlife as a sanctuary, and was the center of a contentious battle between the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad and a “silver-haired old woman.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal (1964-1989)Electronic Archive

Current research and clinical practice in cleft palate and craniofacial disorders “stands on the shoulders of giants” who came before us. To enable thirty years of seminal research articles to become digitally available to a worldwide community of students, scholars, and clinicians, a collaboration was forged in 2004 between University of Pittsburgh’s Digital Research Library (DRL) and ACPA, (with the agreement of Allen Press), to create an electronic archive of the first thirty years of the Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal . The work was performed pro bono, by all parties

Induction without Probabilities

A simple indeterministic system is displayed and it is urged that we cannot responsibly infer inductively over it if we presume that the probability calculus is the appropriate logic of induction. The example illustrates the general thesis of a material theory of induction, that the logic appropriate to a particular domain is determined by the facts that prevail there

Comparison of various lazaroid compounds for protection against ischemic liver injury

Lazaroids are a group of 21-aminosteroids that lack steroid action but have a potent cytoprotective effect by inhibiting iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. However, there have been conflicting reports on the effectiveness and potency of the various lazaroid compounds. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of three major lazaroids on warm liver ischemia in dogs using a 2-hr hepatic vascular exclusion model. The agents were given to the animals intravenously for 30 min before ischemia. The animals were divided into 5 groups: Control (n=10), no treatment; Group F (n=6), U-74006F (10 mg/kg); Group G (n=6), U-74389G (10 mg/kg); Group A1 (n=6), U-74500A (10 mg/kg); Group A2 (n=6), U-74500A (5 mg/kg). The effect of treatment was evaluated by two-week animal survival, hepatic tissue blood flow, liver function tests, blood and tissue biochemistry, and histological analyses. Animal survival in all treated groups was significantly improved compared with the control (83-100% versus 30%). Elevation of liver enzymes after reperfusion was markedly attenuated in treated groups, except for an early significant increase in Group G. Postreperfusion hepatic tissue blood flow was much higher in all treated animals (50% of the preischemic level vs. 25% in the control). Lazaroids, particularly U-74500A at 5 mg/kg (Group A2), suppressed adenine nucleotide degradation during ischemia and enhanced the resynthesis of high-energy phosphates after reperfusion. Although structural abnormalities in postreperfusion liver tissues were markedly ameliorated in all treated groups, Group A2 showed significantly less neutrophil infiltration. Liver injury from warm ischemia and reperfusion was attenuated with all lazaroid compounds, of which U-74500A at 5 mg/kg exhibited the most significant protective activity

Regional Settlement Patterns and Political Complexity in the Cinti Valley, Bolivia

Traditionally, scholars investigating prehispanic Andean polities and sociopolitical organization have worked from cross-cultural models of complex societies underlain by concepts of political hierarchy and centralized control. Recently, however, some archaeologists, drawing from ethnohistorical and ethnographic sources, have argued that late prehispanic polities in various parts of the Andes were organized around principles very different from those that underlie traditional constructs of complex societies. This ethnohistoric evidence raises the possibility that the models of political organization often used by archaeologists are not adequate to account for the development and dynamics of all prehispanic Andean polities.Ethnohistoric sources portray the structure and dynamics of the "ethnic kingdoms" as rooted in still poorly understood indigenous principles of organization featuring nested, dual socio-territorial units (ayllus), decentralized political leadership, and confederation as the basis of hierarchy. To date, there has been very little study of what these polities would look like archeologically, or how the supposedly different principles of organization would manifest themselves in a regional settlement structure, wealth and status differentiation, or production and exchange patterns. Ethnohistoric documentation for the existence of ayllu polities in the Cinti region, southern Bolivia, made this area a prime setting for exploration of the archaeological ramifications of traditional and ayllu-based models. Full-scale regional survey and excavation generated data on the long-term evolution of sociopolitical structure and economic processes in the Cinti Valley. The investigation was organized around identifying strategies (economic and social) associated with political leadership, and their role in politico-economic centralization and social differentiation. The research revealed the emergence, by AD 800, of a strongly integrated, regional polity, characterized by a traditional settlement hierarchy, and elite residence at a dominant center. Catchment zone analysis indicated that increasing agricultural production was most closely linked to strategies of political leadership and status differentiation. The Cinti Valley investigation served to refine our understanding of the ayllu polity both as an archaeological model, and as a form of prehispanic political organization. Highlighting the convergence and divergence between emic constructs and empirical regional patterns should contribute to a better understanding of the nature and variability of southern Bolivian prehispanic societies, and how they should be archaeologically approached

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS DRIVEN SHOULDER ARTHROPLASTY

Shoulder arthroplasty, the most common treatment option for patients diagnosed with end-stage glenohumeral osteoarthritis, is able to provide pain relief and restore some functionality. However, this highly advanced surgical procedure often suffers from a major complication of glenoid prosthesis loosening. The problem is magnified during repeat surgeries mainly due to the minimal quantity of bone in the glenoid vault. The goals of this dissertation were to perform structural analysis of normal and osteoarthritic glenoid, evaluate glenoid design variable effects on restoring long-lasting functionality to damaged shoulders, and create a finite element model (FEM)-based simulation process for computing subject-specific internal glenoid bone remodeling.3D computer models of normal and osteoarthritic scapulae were created using high-resolution volumetric computed tomography images. The computer models were used for glenoid structural analyses. The morphological measurements were comparable to prior studies. The glenoid was found to be approximated by geometric analogs. The osteoarthritic scapula was highly retroverted compared to the normal, and had relatively higher glenoid bone density. Internal glenoid morphology was quantified for the first time. Two and three dimensional stress analysis was used to compare glenoid prosthesis design variables. A custom program assigned location-specific material properties to the bone elements, based on the computed tomography data, making the FEMs similar to the actual scapula. Cemented or uncemeneted polyethylene pegs, compared to metal, gave stresses comparable to intact scapula.Two dimensional FEM based simulation process for normal glenoid bone remodeling was successfully created and validated. The "element" approach better predicted the actual specimen bone density distribution than the "node". Some of the findings agreed with past studies that is, obtaining "checkerboard" pattern in the "element" approach. The various combinations of multiple loads had minimal effect on the predicted bone density distribution.The computer modeling, numerical stress analysis, and the simulated bone remodeling allowed successful glenoid structural analysis. The approach adopted improved our understanding of the glenoid prosthesis and successful shoulder arthroplasty

Here Comes the Sunburst: Measuring and Visualizing Scholarly Impact

Our ARL institution partnered with a new service (PlumX) to track, measure, and visualize faculty scholarly impact. In a pilot project, both traditional and emerging measures of scholarly impact were collected for 32 researchers. The presenters will chronicle the data management and enhancements applied, including utilizing content from our institutional repository, importing and enriching metadata, and using an intranet to organize work and collaborate with colleagues. Results will assist faculty and those who work with them to identify strengths and weaknesses of scholarly impact and where to focus efforts to increase research visibility

ULS FY14 Planning and Budget Report

This document was submitted by the University Library System (ULS) to the University of Pittsburgh's provost's office on March 1, 2013. Incorporating the work of the ULS FY14 Planning Task Force, it reports ULS accomplishments for 2012-2013 and strategic priorities for 2013-2014