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Urea replaced ammonium nitrate (AN) as a nitrogen (N) source for dryland Kentucky bluegrass seed production in the inland Pacific Northwest in the United States. This study assessed ammonia (NH3) volatilization, N recovery, and seed yield from urea as compared to AN. Laboratory incubations indicate NH3 volatilization is greater from soil covered by fresh residue than soil alone or covered by burned residue. Although pH of the fresh and burned residues exceeded 8.0, urease activity in burned residue was <15% of that in unburned residue or soil. Ammonia volatilization from dry urea and fluid urea AN was greater than AN at burned and unburned sites after a 5 October application. Ammonia volatilization was higher and N recovery and seed yield were lower for urea after a 15 November application at an unburned site. To reduce NH3 volatilization, apply urea to fields with low urease activity or moisture content and/or immediately before a significant rain event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considers Semantic Web-like tools that can be used for grid-based large-scale scientific endeavors. Motivation for large-scale grid projects; Science case studies in the U.S.; Benefits of a science simulation environment rich with discipline data.

Dual-task studies assessed the effects of cellular-phone conversations on performance of a simulated driving task. Performance was not disrupted by listening to radio broadcasts or listening to a book on tape. Nor was it disrupted by a continuous shadowing task using a handheld phone, ruling out, in this case, dual-task interpretations associated with holding the phone, listening, or speaking. However, significant interference was observed in a word-generation variant of the shadowing task, and this deficit increased with the difficulty of driving. Moreover, unconstrained conversations using either a handheld or a hands-free cell phone resulted in a twofold increase in the failure to detect simulated traffic signals and slower reactions to those signals that were detected. We suggest that cellular-phone use disrupts performance by diverting attention to an engaging cognitive context other than the one immediately associated with driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the use of data and computing software system for large-scale science and engineering problems in the United States. Requirements for science Grids; Grid common services; Services and architecture of the United States National Aeronautics Science & Space Administration's Information Power Grid and the Department of Energy's Science Grid.

Examines key issues relevant to the free speech rights of government employees in the U.S. Rights and restrictions of public employee speech; Law enforcement speech on matters of public concern; Government's interest in maintaining efficient service.

This paper explores the variation in class consciousness in three Western democracies: Canada, Sweden and the United States. Its main empirical finding is that Swedish levels of working class identification, conflict consciousness and capacity to envisage an alternative form of social organization are considerably higher than their North American counterparts. While this finding is not surprising to comparative political sociologists, it does provide an occasion for an argument that the differences were basically established in the postwar period and are the product of the different outcomes of the social conflict that surrounded the Great Depression. In its reduced form, our argument is that outcomes of social conflict have had an impact on the distribution of social power and the working classes' sense of collective efficacy which, in turn, have profoundly influenced the consolidation and extension of class consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a test of S.M. Lipect's thesis that Americans are less respectful or accepting of authority than people from Canada and from the other English-speaking democracies; Australia, and Great Britain. We use data from World Values Survey, 1981-83, to compare adult samples from the four populations, with separate analyses for English Canada and French Canada. Twenty-one dependent variables are employed, measuring beliefs about authority in general, civil dissent and disobedience, authority in the workplace, confidence in social institutions and obedience in children. The English-Canadian-American comparisons consistently disconfirm Lipect's hypothesis, with English Canadians either being less accepting of authority than Americans or showing no significant differences. The results comparing Americans with the other samples are less consistent but also indicate that Americans are not the least accepting of authority. Contrary to Lipect's thesis, Australians are not especially lots in respect for authority, either; nor are the British exceptionally high. Some support is found for Lipect's suggestion that French Canadians are relatively low in acceptance of authority. These results hold both with and without controls for ten social background factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the results of a 1992 Medicaid cost-of-dispensing study among North Carolina pharmacies. President Bill Clinton's proposed inclusion of prescription drug benefits as part of a reformed health care system; Components of a prescription's selling price at the retail level; Survey design and data collection; Pharmacy characteristics.

Focuses on staff development for middle level rural educators in the United States. Definition of rural schools; Rural schools' reduced access to colleges and universities; Funding for staff development; Virginia Middle School Association's regional structure for middle schools in rural areas for their staff development.

The article discusses the developments in the American Judicature Society (AJS) in the U.S. It explores the author's experience as president of AJS and his gratefulness for all the opportunities provided for him such as working with other AJS members including Seth Andersen and Richard Teitelman. It also cites the different contributions of the members of AJS's centers, task forces and committees and the move of AJS to continue its judicial selection reforms amidst repeated attacks on both the federal and state judiciary. It further mentions that Peter Webster, a litigation partner of Carlton Fields law firm, will lead the society, along with other officers and directors such as Judge Jon Comstock, Justice Randy Holland and Professor Jon Gould.

The article presents the report from the president of the American Judicature Society (AJS) concerning the state of the society. It discusses the five areas tackled by AJS including judicial selection, judicial ethics, and the jury system. It announces that AJS will sponsor the National College on Judicial Conduct and Ethics conference in October 2011 which will provides information on judicial conduct and ethics. Furthermore, it acknowledges editor Dave Richert for helming the society since 1917 and cites some of his contributions along with his professionalism.

The article offers the author's insights regarding the associated opportunities, responsibilities, and benefits of American Judicature Society (AJS) membership. The author mentions that being part of an organization which focuses on the improvement of the administration of justice was one of the benefits of being a member of AJS. The author states that the receipt of the bi-monthly peer-reviewed journal "Judicature" was one of the evident benefits of AJS membership which provided judicial ethics and discipline resources. The author refers the survey conducted to the members which confirmed the AJS membership benefits wherein members viewed that AJS give good value.

The article discusses developments at the American Judicature Society (AJS) in the U.S. It cites the commitment of the AJS to uphold and promote fair justice administration and explores the negative impact of incivility on the country's justice system and the rule of law. Meanwhile, it also mentions the death of AJS member William W. Baker and Mary H. Wechsler who made significant contribution to the achievement of the mission of the society.

This paper brings together two related hut distinct issues in the analysis of culture and values in Canada and the United States. The first of these is Lipset's well-known thesis on the differences in national character and belief systems between Canadians and Americans. The second issue is the purported existence of distinct regional cultures within both countries. Using national sample survey data, we assess both cross-national and regional differences on a range of attitudes and perceptions. The results indicate that the pattern of regional cultures is not significantly affected or defined by the national border separating Canada and the United States. Instead, hierarchical tests of several different models suggest that, with a few exceptions, the map of regional cultures involves three major segments: a relatively left-liberal Quebec, a more conservative southern United States, and a comparatively moderate sector that largely encompasses the remainder of the two countries. The implications for Lipset's thesis on Canadian-American differences, and for the analysis of regional distinctions in both nations, are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Intuitively, independent study by residents would be expected to improve performance on the in-training examination (ITE). So far, however, studies that have examined this issue have used historical controls and have not evaluated the amount of personal study and its impact on performance. We therefore examined the relationship between the amount of self-reported time devoted to personal study by 36 clinical anesthesia year 1 and 2 residents at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and their scores on the ITE administered in July 2003. The average time spent in self-study was 8 ± 3.6 hours per week, and the average scaled score was 28.7 ± 7.3. Linear regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between hours spent in self-study per week and scaled score performance on the ITE (correlation coefficient = 0.64, P < 0.0001), where the ITE scaled score = (1.3) (hours of self-study per week) + 18.4. Our findings emphasize the importance of personal study by residents. In conjunction with our diverse clinical and didactic experience, these findings indicate that anesthesiology residents who invest a minimum of 10.5 hours of personal study per week are well positioned to achieve a passing score on the ITE. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: To determine the psychosocial effects of a facial skeletal mal-relationship with its subsequent surgical correction in a group of patients treated using surgical orthodontics compared with a matched group of nontreated controls., Methods: This study was approved by The Ohio State University Institutional Review Board. Subjects were patients presenting with facial skeletal mal-relationships whose proposed treatment plans included orthognathic surgery. This study used valid and reliable questionnaires: Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ), Beck Depression Inventory II (Children's Depression Inventory - 2), Satisfaction with Life Scale, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children), administered at 3 different stages of treatment (time 1 = initial pretreatment, time 2 = before oral surgery, and time 3 = at completion of treatment). Matched controls recruited at each time point completed the same questionnaires., Results: A total of 267 subjects were recruited to participate in this study. There were no significant differences between treatment and control groups in age, sex, education level, or employment status at any of the 3 time points. The randomization test was used to compare values for all outcome variables between groups at the 3 stages of treatment. For the pretreatment period, T 1 , there were significant differences between patients and controls in domains 1 (P = 0.0126), 2 (P = 0.0000), and 3 (P = 0.0000) of the OQLQ (social aspects, facial esthetics, and oral function, respectively) as well as total OQLQ (P = 0.0000). For the presurgery period, T 2 , there were significant differences between patients and controls in domains 2 (P = 0.0136) and 3 (P = 0.0001) of the OQLQ (facial esthetics and oral function) as well as total OQLQ (P = 0.0291). Finally, for the posttreatment period, T 3, there was a significant difference between patients and controls only in domain 3 (P = 0.0196) of the OQLQ (oral function)., Conclusions: The psychosocial profile of patients with a facial skeletal mal-relationship does not differ from the general population in depression, anxiety, and overall satisfaction with life. However, these patients do report a reduced quality of life based on condition-specific measures in social aspects, facial esthetics, and oral function. Concerns about oral function remain even up to 2 years after treatment is completed., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: We compared the immunogenicity, safety and 1-year antibody persistence of a single-dose and a 2-dose series of a licensed meningococcal ACWY-CRM conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-CRM) in 2- to 10-year-old children., Methods: In this phase III, multicenter, observer-blind study, children aged 2-5 years (n = 359) and 6-10 years (n = 356) were randomized 1:1 to receive 2 doses of MenACWY-CRM (ACWY2) or 1 dose of placebo followed by 1 dose of MenACWY-CRM (ACWY1), 2 months apart. Immunogenicity was measured using serum bactericidal activity with human complement (hSBA). Primary outcomes were to assess the immunologic noninferiority and superiority of ACWY2 versus ACWY1., Results: One-month after the second dose, the hSBA seroresponse in ACWY2 was noninferior to ACWY1 for all 4 serogroups, in both age cohorts, and was superior for serogroups C and Y in the 2- to 5-year-old age cohort and for serogroup Y in the 6- to 10-year-old age cohort. Overall, 90%-99% of subjects in ACWY2 and 65%-96% in ACWY1 had hSBA titers ≥ 8; geometric mean titers were 1.8- to 6.4-fold higher in ACWY2 than ACWY1 across serogroups. At 1 year postvaccination, geometric mean titers declined, and the differences between ACWY2 and ACWY1 remained significant for serogroups A and C in the 2- to 5-year-old age cohort and for serogroups C and Y in the 6- to 10-year-old age cohort. The safety profile of MenACWY-CRM was similar in both groups., Conclusions: The single dose and 2-dose MenACWY-CRM series were immunogenic and well tolerated. Although antibody responses were greater after 2 doses, especially in the 2- to 5-year-old age cohort, this difference was less pronounced at 1 year postvaccination.

Background: In phase II studies, MenACWY-CRM elicited robust immunologic responses in young infants. We now present results from our pivotal phase III infant immunogenicity/safety study., Methods: In this open-label phase III study, we randomized full-term 2-month-old infants to 4 doses of MenACWY-CRM coadministered with routine vaccines at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months of age or with routine vaccines alone. We monitored for local and systemic reactions and serious adverse events among all study participants and evaluated for sufficiency of the immune responses to MenACWY-CRM through serum bactericidal activity assay with human complement., Results: Bactericidal antibodies were present in 94% to 100% of subjects against each of the serogroups in MenACWY-CRM after the 4-dose series and were 67% to 97% after the first 3 doses. Geometric mean titers were higher after the fourth dose of MenACWY-CRM compared with a single dose of MenACWY-CRM at 12 months of age for all serogroups (range of ratios, 4.5-38). Responses to 3 doses of routine vaccines coadministered with MenACWY-CRM were noninferior to routine vaccinations alone, except for small differences in pneumococcal serotype 6B responses after dose 3 but not dose 4 and pertactin after dose 3. Inclusion of MenACWY-CRM did not affect the safety or reactogenicity profiles of the routine infant vaccine series., Conclusions: A 4-dose series of MenACWY-CRM was highly immunogenic and well tolerated in young infants, and it can be coadministered with routine infant vaccines. Substantial immunity was conferred after the first 3 doses administered at 2, 4, and 6 months of age.

Performance-based compensation is encouraged in medical schools to improve faculty productivity. Medical specialties other than anesthesiology have used financial incentives for clinical work. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence and the types of clinical incentive plans among academic anesthesiology departments. We performed an electronic survey of the members of the Society of Academic Anesthesiology Chairs and the Association of Anesthesiology Program Directors in the spring of 2003. The survey included questions about departmental size, presence of a clinical incentive plan, characteristics of existing incentive plans, primary quantifiers of productivity, and factors used to modify productivity measurements. An incentive plan was considered to be present if the department measured clinical productivity and varied compensation according to the measurements. The plans were grouped by the primary measure used into the following categories: None, Charges, Time, Shift, Late/Call (only late rooms and call), and Other. Eighty-eight (64%) of 138 programs responded to the survey, and 5 were excluded for incomplete data. Of the responding programs, 29% had no system, 30% used a Late/Call system, 20% used a Shift system, 11% used a Charges system, 6% used a Time system, and 3% fit in the Other category. Larger groups (>40 faculty members) had a significantly more frequent prevalence of incentive plans compared with smaller groups (<20 faculty members). Incentives were paid monthly or quarterly in 85% of the groups. In 90% of groups, incentive payments accounted for <25% of total compensation. Adjustments for operating room schedule supervisors, personally performed cases, day surgery preoperative clinics, pain-management services, and critical care services were included in less than half of the programs that reported incentive plans. Call and late room compensation was based on varied formulas. Sixty-nine percent of academic anesthesiology departments did not vary compensation according to clinical activity during regular hours. Most did vary payments on the basis of call and/or late rooms worked. Larger departments were more likely to use clinical incentive plans.