FIELD O 

 Column 49 



Either type of information may be double coded, if necessary (see Division 2), so that two or more of 

 Symbols 0, #, or * can be double coded, two or more of Symbols 1 through 9 can be double coded, or 

 both can be double coded, though the situation for which this would be necessary is improbable or 

 infrequent. 



8. Relationship between Fields O and P; the complication arising from Fields O and P having 

 two uses 



Field P is used primarily to express the duration of administration of the test compound at the 

 frequency indicated in Field O. However, when coding data from tests involving a secondary compound, 

 Field P is always used to indicate the time between administration of the secondary compound and 

 administration of the test compound. If the two compounds are administered simultaneously, however, 

 there is no intervening time and Field P is therefore freed for indicating any period of administration of 

 the test compound. The following coding pattern will be observed accordingly. 



When a secondary compound is administered prior to or after administration of the test compound 

 and when, therefore, Field O is coded with either of Symbols (test compound administered prior to 

 secondary compound) or # (test compound administered after secondary compound), the time between 

 administration of the two compounds is coded in Field P. If doses of the test compound are subsequently 

 administered so that a frequency of administration of the test compound is also coded in Field O, the 

 duration of administration can not be coded in Field P or elsewhere, but it must be recorded in the 

 written abstract portion of Field P. If Field O is double coded with both Symbols and # (see Division 

 2), the coder must use his best judgment as to which of the periods to code in Field P and which to 

 include only in the written abstract portion of Field P. (In such a case, the two periods, corresponding 

 to the two situations indicated by Symbols and # in Field O, are apt to be nearly the same. ) 



When a secondary compound is administered simultaneously with the test compound and when, 

 therefore, Field O is coded with Symbol * (test compound and secondary compound administered together), 

 Field P is not coded, although if doses of the test compound are subsequently administered so that a 

 frequency of administration of the test compound is also coded in Field O, the duration of administration 

 is coded in Field P. If Field O is double coded with Symbols and * or with Symbols # and *, Field P 

 is coded with the time between administrations indicated by Symbol or by Symbol #, as described in 

 the preceding paragraph. 



In summary: When Field O is coded with either or both of Symbols or #, Field P expresses the 

 time between administrations of test compound and secondary compound. When Field O is coded with 

 only Symbol *, or only with any of Symbols 1 through 9, or with Symbol * plus any of Symbols 1 through 

 9, an entry in Field P expresses the duration of administration of the test compound. 



9. Symbols available for additional items of Field O 



Inasmuch as each of the three IBM zone punches have been given special meanings and can be 

 used with any of the numerical punches (representing thereby two units of information), they can not be 

 used in punching combination with numerical punches to form letters for symbols. Therefore, none of 

 Symbols A through Z can be used in Field O as it is now designed, and all other available symbols have 

 been used. 



10. File of coded biology data on IBM punched cards arranged according to symbols for dosage 

 frequency 



No file of coded biology data in which Field O has been used has been established and arranged 

 by Field O entries. The information coded in Field O is of such a nature that sorting for it is almost 

 invariably subsequent to retrieval of information by specific actions, test organisms, test compounds, 

 etc. (for which there are special IBM files); after the initial sorts by other code fields, the number of 

 IBM cards is sufficiently limited to make efficient a simple mechanical sort or visual interpretation of 

 dosage frequency. 



1 1. Double coding in Field O 



Double coding (with the restrictions noted in Division 8) is permitted in Field O. When Field O 

 is coded with Symbol *, #, or and also with one of Symbols 1-9, both symbols are punched on the same 

 IBM card in Column 49. If more than one of Symbols *, #, and are coded (double coding) or/and more 

 than one of Symbols 1-9 are coded (double coding), all the symbols are punched on the same IBM card 

 in Column 49. 



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