025.431: The Dewey blog

Dewey Crossword Puzzle #1—Answers

A blog entry posted last week gave clues for a crossword puzzle composed of DDC numbers (but minus decimal points).  Did anyone actually do the puzzle? Too hard? Too easy? Want more? Let us hear from you.

The clues are repeated below, with the intended DDC notation for each clue given in square brackets; the relationship between the clue and the notation is also given. Built numbers are explained further below.

ACROSS
1 Superconductivity [621.35; caption]
2 General classification schemes [025.43; caption: General classification systems]
3 Sami [494.55; Relative Index: Sami language; built number]
4 Initiation of business enterprises devoted to literature [806.81; built number]
5 Crossword puzzles (abridged) [793.73; Including . . . crossword puzzles . . .]

DOWN
1 People with physical disabilities in technology [604.87; built number]
2 Geography, history, chronology, persons in the Apocrypha [229.09; built number]
3 Dreams [154.63; caption]
4 Criminal law of  Venezuela [345.87; built number]
5 Mechanical wave theory [535.13; caption]

494.55 Sami is built from 494 Uralic languages plus 55 from T6—9455 Sami, following the instructions at 494. 

806.81 Initiation of business enterprises devoted to literature is built from 8 Literature (i.e., 800, minus its final placeholder zeros, which disappear when further notation is added) plus T1—0681 Organization and financial management (“including . . . initiation of business enterprises”).

604.87 People with physical disabilities in technology is built from 604.8 History and description with respect to kinds of persons, a displaced standard subdivision T1—08 (displaced from 608, as indicated by the note “Do not use for history and description of technology with respect to kinds of persons; class in 604.8”), plus 7 from T1—087 Persons with disabilities and illnesses (“Class here persons with physical disabilities”), following the instructions at 604.8.

229.09 Geography, history, chronology, persons in the Apocrypha is built from 229 Apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, intertestamental works plus 09 Geography, history, chronology, persons from the add table under 221-229 Specific parts of Bible, Apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, intertestamental works, as instructed at 229, where the instruction is given that subdivisions can be added for Apocrypha alone.    

345.87 Criminal law of Venezuela  is built from 345 Criminal law plus T2—87 Venezuela, following the instructions at 345.3–345.9 Specific jurisdictions and areas.

 

What would Freud think?, or, For the puzzle junkies among you

The night life of a Dewey editor has its moments. From time to time I have awakened to the realization that I had been dreaming a blog, or Weekly List (LCSH-to-DDC) mappings, or an expansion.  (In my first week or two here, I dreamed I had been asked to work on developing a standard subdivision for things! Joan’s comment, after a pause that perhaps masked concern that I might actually think that possible, was simply, “Massive dual provision.”  Duh.) A few days ago I awakened and realized I had been dreaming Dewey in the context of doing a crossword puzzle. After a few seconds’ amusement, I thought, “Why not?” So, draw yourself a five-by-five grid, and have fun!    Answers and explanations will be posted next week.

Unless indicated otherwise, numbers come from DDC 22. Decimal points are omitted from all numbers; all numbers are five digits. And just to keep things a little more interesting, one number is drawn from each of the main classes, except one (since 1 down and 1 across necessarily come from the same main class).

ACROSS
1 Superconductivity
2 General classification schemes
3 Sami
4 Initiation of business enterprises devoted to literature
5 Crossword puzzles (abridged)

DOWN
1 People with physical disabilities in technology
2 Geography, history, chronology, persons in the Apocrypha
3 Dreams
4 Criminal law of Venezuela
5 Mechanical wave theory

Camellias and Azaleas

Camellias and azaleas in southern United States were featured in a recent news story from Associated Press:

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A group of gardeners across the South is on a hunt for century-old strains of camellias and azaleas that are vanishing as modern cultivators breed daintier hybrids with bigger, more vibrant blooms.

"What you have is a beautiful bloom and a plant where you have to have a $30,000 greenhouse and a Ph.D. to grow," said Tom Johnson, chief horticulturist at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. "You lose the beauty of the common ones in the wild or in people's backyards."

He is part of a group of individuals and 11 gardens across the South that have formed the Great Gardens of America Preservation Alliance to identify and preserve the so-called ancient or historic plants. Ancient plants are ones propagated before 1900; a historic designation is for plants from 1900 to 1960.

Works on camellias in gardens are classed in 635.933624 Floriculture of Theales (built with 635.93 Flowers and ornamental plants—Groupings by life duration; taxonomic groupings plus 3624 from 583.624 Theales, following instructions at 635.933-635.938 Taxonomic groupings). 583.624 Theales has the note “Including camellias . . . .” The Relative Index entry is Camellias—floriculture. An example of a work classed in 635.933624 is Camellias: The Gardener's Encyclopedia.

Works on azaleas in gardens are classed in 635.93366 Floriculture of Ericales (built with 635.93 Flowers and ornamental plants—Groupings by life duration; taxonomic groupings plus 366 from 583.66 Ericales, following instructions at 635.933-635.938 Taxonomic groupings). 583.66 Ericales has the note “Including azaleas . . . .” The Relative Index entry is Azaleas—floriculture. An example of a work classed in 635.93366 is American Azaleas, which has the LCSH Azaleas—United States.

Because camellias and azaleas are named in Including notes, they are in standing room, and no standard subdivisions may be added for works that focus on them alone.

Incidentally, azaleas are blooming in the Washington, DC, area, and they are gorgeous, even after being beaten by heavy (and much needed) rains last weekend.

Seasons

To everything there is a season. The spring season officially commenced in the northern hemisphere this past week, the fall season in the southern hemisphere. Parts of the world experience fewer than four seasons a year and may speak instead of a rainy season (or monsoon season), a dry season, a hot season, a cool season. Other kinds of seasons exist in nature: breeding season, mating season, lambing season. There are also human-made seasons: hunting season, basketball season, holiday season, tourist season, an orchestra’s season, and so forth.

Works on seasons (e.g., The changing seasons) are classed in 508.2 Seasons, a subdivision of natural history. There we find a note, “For a specific aspect of seasons, see the aspect.” Thus we find works on Seasons—influence on crime (e.g., The seasonality of crime victimization) classed in 364.22 Influence of physical environment on crime and delinquency, while works on Seasonal affective disorder (e.g., Winter blues: Seasonal affective disorder: What it is and how to overcome it) are classed in 616.8527 Depressive disorder.

While the explicit intent of the note at 508.2 is limited to meteorological seasons, other kinds of seasons function similarly.  For example, works on breeding seasons of specific animals are classed with the animals; thus, works on breeding seasons of owls, e.g., The breeding season of the American barn owl (Strix pratincola) in South Carolina, class in 598.97 Owls (because the American barn owl does not approximate the whole of 598.97, we do not add for South Carolina). Works on hunting seasons are classed in 799.2 Hunting, e.g., All-season hunting: A guide to early season, late season and winter hunting in America 799.2973 (built with 799.29 Geographic treatment plus T2—73 United States, following instruction at 799.29). And works on holiday seasons are classed in 394.26 Holidays—indeed, a note here explicitly instructs us, “Class a season associated with a holiday with the holiday, e.g., the Christmas season 394.2663.” For example, Christmas in America: A photographic celebration of the holiday season is classed in 394.26630973 (built with 394.2663 Christmas plus T1—09 Geographic treatment plus T2—73).

On a musical note, Antonio Vivaldi’s The four seasons (Le quattro stagioni), a set of four violin concertos (for solo violin, string quartet, and basso continuo) that capture the character of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, are classed in 787.2186 Violin concertos (built from 787.2 Violin music plus 186 Concerto form from 784.186 as instructed under 784-788). There are other plausible numbers that need to be rejected: The four seasons are not classed in 784.272 Music for solo violin with orchestra (built with 784.2 Full orchestra plus 72 from 787.2 Violin music, as instructed under 784.26–784.28), because the accompanying instruments do not constitute a full orchestra; the work is not classed under 785 Ensembles with only one instrument per part, because of the class-elsewhere note there that reads, “Class works for solo melody instrument with keyboard or other accompaniment in 786–788.”

 

 

Water and Sanitation

Sanitation was the theme for World Water Day 2008, celebrated March 22.  “Today some 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion lack proper sanitation (adequate sewage disposal)” (Christian Science Monitor).

Works that focus on water supply technology are classed in 628.1 Water supply, a subdivision of 628 Sanitary and municipal engineering    Environmental protection engineering.  Works that emphasize processing water to make it safe for drinking are classed in 628.162 Treatment, which has the notes: “Class here treatment of sewage effluent for reuse; comprehensive engineering works on treatment of water supply and sewage” and “For sewage treatment, see 628.3.”  Examples of works classed in 628.162 are Advances in Water and Wastewater Treatment and Introduction to Potable Water Treatment Processes.

Works that focus on technology of sewage treatment are classed in 628.3 Sewage treatment and disposal. For example, Acclimation of Nitrifiers for Activated Sludge Treatment: A Bench-scale Evaluation is classed in 628.354 Activated sludge process.

Interdisciplinary works on supply of safe drinking water, including public utility aspects, are classed in 363.61 Water supply, a subdivision of 363.6 Public utilities and related services.  An example of a work classed in 363.61 is Social policies and Private Sector Participation in Water Supply: Beyond Regulation.

Does pediatrics include adolescent medicine?

The Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC) and the Dewey editorial team seek advice.  The scope of 618.92 Pediatrics is defined by the first three notes in the entry:

Medicine for infants and children up to puberty

Class here comprehensive works on child and adolescent medicine

For medicine for young people who have reached puberty, see 616.00835

The problem is that many other definitions of the scope of pediatrics include young people past puberty.  For example:

Welcome to the official public Web site of the American Academy of Pediatrics - an organization of 60,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

The Indian Academy of Pediatrics in India makes a similar statement (stopping with adolescents, not including young adults).  Is the broader definition of pediatrics that includes adolescents widespread in the world?  We have received indications that it is, but we would like to hear from more countries.

If we broaden the scope of 618.92 Pediatrics, there will be no change in the treatment of comprehensive works on child and adolescent medicine in general; they are already in 618.92.  There will also be no change in the treatment of comprehensive works on child and adolescent medicine of a specific disease; those works are already classed in subdivisions of 618.92.

What will change is the placement of adolescent medicine in general; it will be moved from 616.00835 Adolescent medicine (built with 616 Diseases plus an extra zero as shown at 616.001-616.009 Standard subdivisions plus T1—0835 Young people twelve to twenty) to a subdivision of 618.92 Pediatrics.   

What will also change is the placement of adolescent medicine with respect to a specific disease.  For example, If Your Adolescent Has an Eating Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents is currently classed in 616.852600835 Eating disorders in adolescents (built with 616.8526 Eating disorders plus an extra zero as indicated in the add table under 616.1-616.9 Specific diseases plus T1—0835 Young people twelve to twenty).  Meanwhile, Eating Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence is classed in 618.928526 Eating disorders in children and adolescents (built with 618.92 Pediatrics plus 8526 from 616.8526 Eating disorders, following instructions at 618.921-618.929 Specific diseases).  If we broaden the scope of 618.92 Pediatrics, works treating only adolescents will also be classed in 618.928526, plus an extra zero and T1—0835 Young people twelve to twenty.

Is the broader definition of pediatrics that includes adolescents widespread in the world? Should we broaden the scope of 618.92 Pediatrics to match?  Please reply directly to this blog entry.  If you prefer, you may also send comments and suggestions directly to dewey@loc.gov.

Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases

“Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack” was the title of a recent Washington Post article about increased incidence of diseases caused by “misfiring immune systems,” specifically allergies and autoimmune diseases.  The article also discussed theories about what causes these diseases, experimental methods of treating them, and specific allergies and autoimmune diseases, e.g., hay fever, asthma, food allergies, lupus, and multiple sclerosis.

The comprehensive number in medicine for allergies is 616.97 Diseases of immune system, which has the note: “Class here comprehensive works on allergies” (example of a work:  Allergy in Practice).  There is also a scatter note: “For a specific allergy not provided for here, see the allergy, e.g., hay fever 616.202.”  Allergies can affect different systems of the body, and some allergies are classed not under diseases of the immune system, but with diseases of the other system that they most affect.  Hay fever is classed in a subdivision of 616.2 Diseases of respiratory system: 616.202 Respiratory allergies. The entry for 616.202  has the notes: “Class here hay fever” and “Class asthma in 616.238.”  An example of a work classed in 616.202 is Coping Successfully with Hay Fever.  Asthma is classed with diseases of the respiratory system in 616.238 Asthma, e.g., The Asthma Sourcebook.  Food allergies, however, are classed under diseases of the immune system in 616.975 Food and drug allergies.  The entry for 616.975 has the note: “Subdivisions are added for food and drug allergies together, for food allergies alone.”  An example of a work classed in 616.975 is Peanut Butter, Milk, and Other Deadly Threats:  What You Should Know about Food Allergies.

The comprehensive number in medicine for autoimmune diseases is a subdivision of 616.97 Diseases of immune system: 616.978 Autoimmune diseases (example of a work: Autoimmune Diseases).  Like allergies, autoimmune diseases can affect different systems of the body.  The entry for 616.978 has a scatter note: “For a specific autoimmune disease, see the disease, e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus 616.772.”  Systemic lupus erythematosus is classed in a subdivision of 616.77 Diseases of connective tissues:  616.772 Systemic lupus erythematosus,  e.g., Lupus.  Multiple sclerosis is classed in a subdivision of 616.801-616.84 Diseases of nervous system: 616.834 Multiple sclerosis, e.g., Handbook of Multiple Sclerosis.

New Provisions for Wine

In the March 2008 New and Changed Entries (PDF, Word), new provisions for rosé wine and fortified wine appear under the number for wine in home and family management, which is also the interdisciplinary number (641.22 Wine), and under the number for commercial processing of wine (663.2 Wine).  The new provisions have been under discussion for some time (see previous blog). 

In another blog, we asked “How important is the geographic aspect of wine?”  The answer: very important.  Thanks to all who gave feedback!  At both the old and the new numbers for wine, we have added class-here notes to allow addition of standard subdivisions—especially geographic subdivisions—for any specific named wine, e.g., at 641.2223 Red wine: “Class here specific red wines (specific brands, estate wines, varietals).” Consequently, a work on North American Pinot Noir is classed in 641.2223097 Red wines of North America (built with 641.2223 Red wine plus T1—09 Geographic treatment plus T2—7 North America).

Here are examples of topics that belong in the new numbers.  Rosé wines of France are classed in 641.222320944 (built with 641.22232 Rosé wine plus T1—09 Geographic treatment plus T2—44 France).  Sherry is classed in 641.2226094688 Fortified wine of Cádiz province, Spain (built with 641.2226 Fortified wine plus T1—09 Geographic treatment plus T2—4688 Cádiz province).  Port wine is classed in 641.22260946915 Fortified wine of the Douro region, Portugal (built with 641.2226 plus T1—09 plus T2—46915 Porto District, which has the note “Class here Douro region”).  Madeira is classed in 641.2226094698 Fortified wine of Madeira, Portugal (built with 641.2226 plus T1—09 plus T2—4698 Madeira).

Heart Disease and Women

February is American Heart Month. “Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a ‘man’s disease,’ it is the leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States.”  American Heart Month begins with National Wear Red Day, part of a movement sponsored by the American Heart Association to emphasize what women must do to improve their heart health.

Comprehensive medical works on cardiovascular disease are classed in 616.1 Diseases of cardiovascular system, on heart disease in 616.12 Diseases of heart.  Comprehensive medical works focusing on women are classed in 616.10082 Cardiovascular disease in women (built with 616.1 plus extra 0, following pattern at 008 History and description with respect to kinds of persons in add table at 616.1-616.9 Specific diseases, plus T1—082 Women) and 616.120082 Heart disease in women (built with 616.12 plus extra 0, following pattern at 008 in add table at 616.1-616.9, plus T1—082).  Examples are Cardiovascular Disease in Women and Women & Heart Disease.

Mardi Gras

Today is the last day before Lent starts in the Western Church.  (The Orthodox Church waits a few weeks to start Lent in most years, including this one).  So it's Mardi Gras, Carnival, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday, depending on where you live.

My first experience of Carnival was back on February 14th, 1961, in Florence (Firenze in Italian), where my family was on holiday for a couple of days.  For an Australian teenager, it was an amazing experience to be surrounded by those crazy-for-one-day Italians.  And the next day we saw TV cameras being set up on the Ponte Vecchio, and wondered why, until we found out that there was a total solar eclipse in that part of Italy on that day  The two events made our visit to Italy even more memorable than we had expected.

Mardi Gras is classed at 394.25 Carnival in Dewey; Lent is classed at 263.92 Lent; pancakes (for Pancake Tuesday) are classed at 641.815 Bread and bread-like foods; Florence is classed at T2--45511 Florence; and total solar eclipses are classed at 523.78 [Solar] Eclipses.