Computer/PERT technique monitors actual versus allocated costs

A computer method measures the users performance in cost-type contracts utilizing the existing nasa program evaluation review technique without imposing any additional reporting requirements. progress is measured by comparing actual costs with a value of work performed in a specific period

Profile of allergy-related articles in the primary academic publication for UK General Practitioners

Background: Concern is often expressed about primary health care professionals’ lack of knowledge about allergies, particularly diagnostic testing and the management of atopic disorders. Limited training opportunities in allergy have been documented in both undergraduate and postgraduate education. The British Journal of General Practice is the leading UK-based Family Practice journal, it has a strong clinical focus. The BJGP was established in 1953. It is a high quality journal and is the world’s 2nd most highly cited journal of general practice and primary care. Methods: Keyword search of bjgp.org. Terms used were ‘allergy’, ‘allergies’, ‘allergic’, ‘rhinitis’, ‘urticaria’, ‘eczema’, ‘angioedema’. All titles and articles from 1953 to 2013 were searched. Full copies of relevant publications were downloaded and variables extracted, including title, year of publication, type of article, clinical focus. As a comparator a similar search was conducted for articles about asthma using the search term ‘asthma’. Results: 41 allergy-related articles were identified in the 60 years since the journal was launched. In the same time period there were 147 articles about asthma. In 31 of the 60 years reviewed there were no articles at all about any allergy-related topic. The focus of the articles published were eczema (6), food allergy (6), rhinoconjunctivitis (5), anaphylaxis (4), urticaria (1). There were no articles on angioedema. Some articles addressed multiple atopic disorders, eg ‘Allergic diseases in the elderly’ (1968), ‘Allergic disorders amongst horticultural, agricultural and forestry workers’ [letter] (1965). Conclusions: Allergy has a low profile in the British Journal of General Practice. This low profile persists despite the increasing prevalence of atopic disorders and major national reports highlighting the need for better care of the allergic patient in primary care. Our exploratory study highlights a missed opportunity to educate and inform General Practitioners about allergy through this widely circulated journal. Further work is needed to understand better why so few articles on allergy are published in the BJGP. If the paucity of publications reflects the number of articles submitted then BSACI members interested in informing and improving allergy management in General Practice should include the BJGP on their list of target journals. Where next: To share these observations with the Editor of the BJGP to understand whether they reflect editorial policy or lack of submissions from clinicians and researchers with expertise in allergy. To work with the BJGP to identify collaborative initiatives to address the serious mismatch between the prevalence of allergy in the clinical consultation and the number of allergy- related articles in the literature for GPs

Coloured mulch as a weed control technology and yield booster for summer savory

An investigation into the effect of coloured mulch technology as a technique to control weeds when growing the essential oil plant, summer savory (Satureja hortensis) was made. As well as weed control, the effects on the production of crop biomass and essential oil content and quality were also considered. The mulch treatments produced significantly more biomass than either of the control treatments (which used no mulch either with or without herbicide). The white mulch treatment produced the greatest biomass, closely followed by the red mulch treatment. The blue mulch treatment was third in ranking, although not significantly greater than the black mulch. Estimates of the quantity of essential oil produced by each treatment followed a similar trend to that shown by biomass production

CS J = 2 yields 1 emission toward the central region of M82

M82 is an irregular (Type II) galaxy located at a distance of approximately 3.5 Mpc. Its unusual appearance and high luminosity, particularly in the infrared, has led many astronomers to classify it as a starburst galaxy. This interpretation is supported by the observation of a large number of radio continuum sources within the central arcminute of the galaxy. These sources are thought to be associated with supernova remnants. The starburst in the central region of the galaxy is believed to have been triggered by tidal interaction with either M81 or the HI cloud surrounding the M81 group. High angular resolution CO-12 J=1 to 0 maps by Nakai (1984) and Lo et al. (1987) indicate the existence of a 400 to 450 pc rotating ring of molecular material about the central region of M82. Red- and blue-shifted absorption components of the HI and OH lines measured by Weliachew et al. (1984) provided the first evidence for the presence of the ring. Many astronomers, each using a different angular resolution, have compared CO-12 J=1 to 0, J=2 to 1, and J=3 to 2 emission and concluded that a large fraction of the CO emission is optically thin. Additional observations suggest that the molecular material toward the center of M82 is clumpy and dense. Unlike the lower rotational transitions of CO, CS is excited only at relatively high densities, n sub H sub 2 greater than or equal to 10(exp 4) cm(-3). It is in clouds with these densities that stars are expected to form. This makes CS an excellent probe of star formation regions. Researchers observed the CS J=2 to 1 transition (97.981 GHz) toward 52 positions in M82 using the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) 12 m telescope

Working Together to Build Beacon Centers in San Francisco: Evaluation Findings from 1998-2000

Since 1996, private and public funders in San Francisco have supported a city-wide Beacons Initiative. Eight Beacon Centers, located in public schools, serve 7500 youth and adults each year, providing a rich array of developmental activities in the non-school hours. This report looks at how the centers were created; it describes the centers' operation; and investigates the role of the initiative's "theory of change" in organizing and guiding the effort

Radiation damage in GaAs solar cells

Recent results of electron and proton irradiation and annealing of GaAs solar cells are presented along with some implications of these results. A comparison between the energy-levels produced by protons and by electrons which are not stopped in the material indicate that the damage produced by protons and electrons may be qualitatively different. Thus, annealing of proton damage may be very different from the annealing of electron damage

Thermal protection of reentry vehicles by actively cooled nosetips

Analytical modeling efforts and clear-air ground test results of a transportation-cooled nosetips (TCNT) design are presented. The discrete water injection platelet TCNT described was conceived and created to achieve the performance requirements for severe reentry vehicle trajectories. Thermal performance computer modeling techniques, combing both local heat blockage and boundary layer recovery enthalpy reduction are outlined

Behavior of the sodium and hydroxyl nighttime emissions during a stratospheric warming

The behavior of the sodium and hydroxyl nighttime emissions during a stratospheric warming has been studied principally by use of data from the airglow photometers on the OGO-4 satellite. It was found that during the late stages of a major warming, both emissions increase appreciably, with the sodium emission returning to normal levels prior to the decrease in hydroxyl emission. The emission behaviors are attributed to temperature and density variations from 70 to 94 km, and a one-dimensional hydrostatic model for that altitude range is used to calculate the effects on the emissions and on the mesospheric ozone densities

Static magnetic field models consistent with nearly isotropic plasma pressure

Using the empirical magnetospheric magnetic field models of Tsyganenko and Usmanov (TU), we have determined the self-consistent plasma pressure gradients and anisotropies along the midnight meridian in the near-Earth magnetosphere. By “inverting” the magnetic field, we determine what distributions of an anisotropic plasma, confined within the specified magnetic field configuration, are consistent with the magnetohydrostatic equilibrium condition, J × B = ∇ · P. The TU model, parameterized for different levels of geomagnetic activity by the Kp index, provided the magnetic field values from which J × B was numerically evaluated. A best fit solution was found that minimized the average difference between J × B and ∇ · P along an entire flux tube. Unlike previous semi-empirical models, the TU models contain magnetic stresses that can be balanced by a nearly isotropic plasma pressure with a reasonable radial gradient at the equator