cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Key ideas in criminology and criminal justice

Pratt, T. C., Gau, J. M., & Franklin, T. W. 2010. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN-13 978-1-412-97014-3. pp. 208, pbk.Within criminology and criminal justice there are a number of taken for granted “f...
Interdialytic Weight Gain Correlates With Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Diabetic Hemodialysis Patients

Most of the excess mortality and morbidity in diabetic end-stage renal disease patients is ascribed to diabetes-associated cardiovascular disease, which is accelerated by uremia. We compared the interdialytic weight gain in 33 diabetic patients (group 1) undergoing maintenance hemodialysis in an ambulatory facility retrospectively over 3 months, with 25 randomly selected nondiabetic hemodialysis patients (group 2); in addition, we assessed glycemic control in the diabetic subjects using glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Interdialytic weight gain was expressed as a percentage of the immediately preceding postdialysis weight, and a mean was calculated for each subject. In all subjects, predialysis serum aldosterone, plasma renin activity, and the interdialytic change in serum sodium were measured. Both groups received an equivalent amount of dialysis using a cellulose membrane (mean +/- SD of thrice weekly dialysis: group 1 = 3.8 +/- 0.35 hours, group 2 = 3.86 +/- 0.3 hours; P < 0.5) and had similar predialysis serum creatinine, hematocrit, and serum albumin levels. Group 1 patients had a mean age of 56.5 +/- 11.4 years (age range, 30 to 71 years) and group 2 had a mean age of 55.8 +/- 15.4 years (age range, 29 to 76 years) (P < 0.84). Mean (+/- SD) duration on maintenance hemodialysis was 18.7 +/- 15.3 months (range, 2 to 84 months) for group 1 and 21 +/- 28.9 months (range, 3 to 156 months) for group 2 (P < 0.9). Interdialytic weight gain was 30% greater in group 1 (4.2% +/- 0.19%) than in group 2 (3.2% +/- 0.2%) (P < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Xanthomonas maltophilia Endophthalmitis After Cataract Extraction

Purpose To report a case of Xanthomonas maltophilia endophthalmitis and to increase awareness of its potential as an intraocular pathogen. METHOD: Case report. Results A 76-year-old woman developed X maltophilia endophthalmitis after cataract extraction. To eradicate the infection, we performed two vitrectomies and treated the patient with numerous intravitreal antibiotic injections. Conclusions X maltophilia is a potential intraocular pathogen in an immunocompetent host. If the infection takes a persistent course, persistent topical and intravitreal antibiotic treatment and possibly vitrectomy are needed to eradicate the infection.
Implicit constitutive models with a thermodynamic basis: a study of stress concentration

Motivated by the recent generalization of the class of elastic bodies by Rajagopal (Appl Math 48:279–319, 2003), there have been several recent studies that have been carried out within the context of this new class. Rajagopal and Srinivasa (Proc R Soc Ser A 463:357–367, 2007, Proc R Soc Ser A: Math Phys Eng Sci 465:493–500, 2009) provided a thermodynamic basis for such models and appealing to the idea that rate of entropy production ought to be maximized they developed nonlinear rate equations of the form $${\mathbf{A}\dot{\mathbf{T}}+\mathbf{B}\mathbf{D} = \mathbf{O}}$$ where T is the Cauchy stress and D is the stretching tensor as well as $${\mathbf{A}\dot{\mathbf{S}}+\mathbf{B}\dot{\mathbf{E}} = \mathbf{O}}$$ , where S is the Piola–Kirchhoff stress tensor and E is the Green–St. Venant strain tensor. We follow a similar procedure by utilizing the Gibb’s potential and the left stretch tensor V from the Polar Decomposition of the deformation gradient, and we show that when the displacement gradient is small one arrives at constitutive relations of the form $${\boldsymbol{\varepsilon} = \mathbf{f}(\mathbf{T})}$$ . This is, of course, in stark contrast to traditional elasticity wherein one obtains a single model, Hooke’s law, when the displacement gradient is small. By solving a classical boundary value problem, with a particular form for f(T), we show that when the stresses are small, the strains are also small which is in agreement with traditional elasticity. However, within the context of our model, when the stress blows up the strains remain small, unlike the implications of Hooke’s law. We use this model to study boundary value problems in annular domains to illustrate its efficacy.
An algorithm for companion form realization

Abstract A simple procedure which employs only numerically stable steps is described in this paper, to obtain a minimal realization for a proper transfer function matrix. The resulting realization is in a companion form (or in the so-called Luenberger canonical form) and is obtained via the Hankel matrix. A comparison with existing methods is provided.
How well is the United States competing? A comment on Papadakis

We contend that Papadakis's inferences regarding past and future competitiveness crises cannot be made on the basis of the evidence she has presented. We support this assertion in three ways. First, we argue that the import penetration ratio is not a reasonable measure of national competitiveness in international markets. Second, we show that conventional macroeconomic models can explain the deterioration in the trade balance during the 1980s. Third, we present data demonstrating that, as of 1990, the United States had very low unit labor costs relative to other developed countries, and had the highest level of aggregate productivity in the world.
Pattern definition of the p-efficiency concept

This study revisits the celebrated p-efficiency concept introduced by Prekopa (Z. Oper. Res. 34:441–461, 1990) and defines a p-efficient point (pLEP) as a combinatorial pattern. The new definition uses elements from the combinatorial pattern recognition field and is based on the combinatorial pattern framework for stochastic programming problems proposed in Lejeune (Stochastic programming e-print series (SPEPS) 2010-5, 2010). The approach is based on the binarization of the probability distribution, and the generation of a consistent partially defined Boolean function representing the combination (F,p) of the binarized probability distribution F and the enforced probability level p. A combinatorial pattern provides a compact representation of the defining characteristics of a pLEP and opens the door to new methods for the generation of pLEPs. We show that a combinatorial pattern representing a pLEP constitutes a strong and prime pattern and we derive it through the solution of an integer programming problem. Next, we demonstrate that the (finite) collection of pLEPs can be represented as a disjunctive normal form (DNF). We propose a mixed-integer programming formulation allowing for the construction of the DNF that is shown to be prime and irreducible. We illustrate the proposed method on a problem studied by Prekopa (Stochastic programming: handbook in operations research and management science, vol. 10, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2003).
Roles of the Af and Tl Genes in Pea Leaf Morphogenesis: Shoot Ontogeny and Leaf Development in the Heterozygotes

The wildtype leaf blade of Pisum sativum possesses proximal leaflets and distal tendrils, which may be altered by two recessive mutations that affect pinna morphology, afila (afaf) and tendrilless (tltl). Using morphological observations and SEM, the variation in leaf forms along the plant axis and leaf development were characterized for plants heterozygous at the Af and/or Tl loci. The Af and Tl genes interacted to affect many characteristics of shoot ontogeny, including rate changes in leaf blade length and complexity increases, as well as time to flowering. The Af gene retarded early vegetative development and accelerated the time to flowering. The leaf phenotypes of these heterozygous genotypes were specified mainly by changes in the timing of major developmental events. The data support the hypotheses that both genes are heterochronic in nature and that the pea leaf blade consists of three genetically- and developmentally- determined regions: proximal, distal and terminal.
Effects of Egg Yolk Source on the Cryopreservation of Stallion Spermatozoa

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to determine whether replacement of chicken egg yolk, as a component of freezing extenders, with egg yolk from other avian species would improve the post-thaw motility and percentage of intact acrosomes of stallion spermatozoa. In the first experiment, substitution of chicken egg yolk with chukar egg yolk, as a component of the lactose–ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid extender, improved (P ≤ .05) the post-thaw motility of stallion spermatozoa. These results were not replicated in (IMV Technologies, Maple Grove, MN, USA) a more expansive study comparing 2%, 4%, 6%, or 8% egg yolk combined with INRA 96 when a “slow freeze” method was used, or the same substitution at levels ranging from 13% to 22% when egg yolk was combined with lactose–ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid for diluents used for a “fast freeze” method of cryopreservation. In the third study, egg yolks from regular and high omega-3 chicken eggs as well as from turkey, chukar, and mallard duck eggs were analyzed for lipid content and fatty acid profile. The yolk from the turkey eggs was higher (1,300 mg/100 g) and that from mallard ducks was lower (560 mg/100 g) in cholesterol as compared with the two types of chicken eggs and chukar egg yolk (range, 1,046-1,094 mg/100 g). In addition, the high omega-3 eggs did test higher for fatty acids (4.51 g/100 g) than other types of eggs (range, 0.28-0.73 g/100 g). Substitution of chicken egg yolk with turkey, but not duck, egg yolk resulted in higher post-thaw total motility (P ≤ .05) for spermatozoa obtained from two of the three stallions used in the third experiment.
Expression of the gene encoded by a family of macronuclear chromosomes generated by alternative DNA processing in Oxytricha fallax

Abstract Hypotrichous ciliated protozoa, such as Oxytricha fallax, produce tiny chromosomes during generation of the transcriptionally active macronucleus. The 81-MAC family of macronuclear chromosomes is produced by alternative DNA processing, such that the chromosomes share a common region of 1.6 kbp. Transcription of a 1.3 kb mRNA from the common region has been analyzed. Transcription starts very near the telomere (34 bp), in a 23 bp region of pure A + T DNA. Polyadenylation sites are very near the other telomere (26 bp), also in a region of nearly pure A + T DNA. Three introns are clustered in the first third of the gene. Intron removal can follow polyadenylation, and the order of removal is not fixed. All three known sequence versions of the 81-MAC chromosomes are represented in the mRNA pool, with no evidence of any further versions. The A + T sequences surrounding the transcription starts and polyadenylation sites are conserved among versions. Introns have conserved 5' and 3' ends and a putative branch-point sequence (YYRAT), but otherwise are highly diverged and are AT-rich. A single long open reading frame, interrupted by the three introns, encodes a homolog of known mitochondrial solute carriers, and contains the codon TAA, which does not encode 'stop,' but a conserved glutamine; TAG appears also to encode glutamine. The results significantly enlarge the small data set of transcription start and polyadenylation sites, of intron features, and of translation signals for hypotrichs.
SU-E-T-623: Utilizing a Hybrid Optimizer to Improve Dose Conformity during IMRT Planning.

Purpose: For IMRTtreatment planning, an index‐dose based algorithm features a fast approach in optimizing beam shapes and weights, and the quasi‐Newton method is adopted in segment weight optimization by many commercial products. By combining these two optimizers, we aim to improve IMRT plan quality by achieving better normal tissue sparing. Methods: An IMRT plan was generated using an in‐house treatment planning system in three steps: 1) optimize fluence using beamlet intensity modulation, 2) generate Multi‐collimator leaf sequence and segment weights, 3) tune the segment shapes and weights as each segment treated as a single beam. A quick converge was achieved by the optimizer implementing the index‐dose concept in step (1 and 3). To further improve the plan's quality, we optimized the segment weights via a quasi‐Newton gradient search method where a convex objective function was constructed using both existing segment shapes and dose constraints defined by the planner. Thus, the segment shapes were optimized with index‐dose, the shapes optimized with quasi‐Newton, alternately. The new approach was evaluated with patient cases including prostate and head & neck. Results: Both plans had equivalent tumor dose coverage. For the prostate case, the rectal dose was reduced by 6% for V60% and 2% for V10cc, respectively. For the head and neck, better sparing was observed for the spinal cord, the left parotid, and the larynx.Conclusions: Combining index‐dose and quasi‐ newton gradient search can effectively improve sparing of normal tissues without sacrificing target dose coverage. This work indicates the potential of improving treatment plan quality by integrating different optimization methods.
Myosin Learns to Recruit AMPA Receptors

The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) leads to an increase in the density of AMPA receptors at dendritic spines. New work by Wang et al. (2008) reveals the mechanism by which myosin Vb regulates the intracellular trafficking of AMPA receptors from recycling endosomes to synaptic sites during LTP.
Tamquam domino proprio: Contesting Ecclesiastical Lordship over Jews in Thirteenth-Century Castile

AbstractBishoprics and monasteries in many parts of Western Christendom possessed various combinations of jurisdictional and fiscal rights over Jewish communities. Prelates placed high value on their rights as the Jews’ temporal lords for the same reason secular rulers did: having Jews under one’s protection brought substantial benefits. Yet, with the growth of lay institutions—royal as well as communal—many of these prelates found their jurisdictional rights disputed by secular powers eager to wrest control over Jewish communities from the church. Anchoring the argument in two case studies from Northern Spain (Sahagun and Palencia, in Castile), the present study suggests that of far greater concern to local ecclesiastical leadership than any ideological program directed at the Jews was the growing competition for Jewish services and revenues between church authorities, royal governments, and municipal councils.
Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme pattern and total LDH activity in the lung and liver of rats chronically exposed to low and high oxygen concentrations

Abstract Young adult rats were continuously exposed for 44 and 84 days to environments containing 9–11%, 20%, and 80% oxygen. Low and high oxygen atmospheres were achieved by using boxes laminated with silicone rubber membranes which have a differing permeability for oxygen on one side and for carbon dioxide and nitrogen on the other. Animals exposed to both extreme concentrations significantly slowed body growth, and the weight of the lungs was proportionally less. The pattern of LDH isoenzymes in the lung showed the presence of all five characteristically changing isoenzymes in relation to oxygen concentration. A marked increase of M subunits in the LDH in lungs of rats exposed to low oxygen indicated a higher tissue concentration of lactate. Thus, the percentage of M subunits was significantly higher in low oxygen and significantly lower in lungs of rats exposed to high oxygen as compared to controls. Under the same experimental conditions there were no changes in the liver LDH isoenzyme pattern. Total LDH activity in the lungs of rats exposed to either extreme oxygen atmosphere was significantly elevated as compared to controls kept at an ambient atmosphere. It is concluded that chronic exposure of rats to low as well as to high oxygen was injurious to the lung tissue, as evidenced by total LDH activity. Thus, LDH isoenzyme pattern in the lung reflected the actual gas exposure (pO2), rather than local tissue metabolism.
Direct solid sampling of fire assay beads by spark ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A spark-based, solid-sampling cell is described for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The cell is devised for the direct sampling of gold and silver beads produced by the classical lead fire assay procedure. The sampler produces a solid aerosol composed of submicron-sized vapor condensates and small (< 2 μm) spherules. In contrast to solution nebulization, the mass spectrum for spark-ICP-MS is relatively free of interfering metal oxide, polyatomic, and multiply-charged ions. The measurement precision is 3% RSD for Pt, Pd, and Rh preconcentrated into fire assay beads, but is 6% RSD for Ir due to its heterogeneous distribution in a silver bead. Detection limits determined for Pt, Pd, Rh, and Ir in fire assay beads range from 0.6 μg/g (Pt) to 1.2 μg/g (Pd). Calibration curves for these elements are linear up to the highest concentration in the bead studied (2000 μg/g). The quantitative potential of the method is evaluated using the South African Reference Material (SARM-7) geologic standard.
Molybdenum-iron-sulfur clusters of nuclearities eight and sixteen, including a topological analogue of the P-cluster of nitrogenase.

Transformations of the edge-bridged double cubane cluster [(Cl4cat)2(Et3P)2Mo2Fe6S8(PEt3)4] (1) under reducing conditions have been investigated as synthetic approaches to the clusters of nitrogena...
The evolving role of alemtuzumab (Campath-1H) in renal transplantation.

The introduction of new immunosuppressive agents into clinical transplantation in the 1990s has resulted in excellent short-term graft survival. Nonetheless, extended long-term graft outcomes have not been achieved due in part to the nephrotoxic effects of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) and the adverse effects of steroid on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Induction therapy with lymphocyte depleting antibodies has originally been introduced into renal transplantation to provide intense immunosuppression in the early post-transplant period to prevent allograft rejection. Over the past half decade, induction therapy with both non-lymphocyte depleting (basiliximab and daclizumab) and lymphocyte-depleting antibodies (antithymocyte antibodies, OKT3, alemtuzumab) has increasingly been utilized in steroid or CNI sparing protocols in the early postoperative period. Alemtuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeted against CD52 on the surface of circulatory mononuclear cells. The ability of alemtuzumab (Campath-1H) to provide rapid and profound depletion of lymphocytes from the peripheral blood has sparked interest in the use of this agent as induction therapy in steroid and/or CNI minimization or avoidance protocols. This article provides an overview of the literarure on the evolving role of alemtuzumab in renal transplantation.
Estimates for inverse coefficients of univalent functions from integral means

The purpose of this note is to point out that sharp coefficient bounds for the inverses of univalent functions from certain families are fairly direct corollaries of results on integral means. As an example, in §1 the method is applied to the familiar schlicht classS. The resulting coefficient estimates for the inverses of functions inS were first obtained by K. Lowner. Following this prototype, in §2 we obtain corresponding results, which are new, for a classS(p) of meromorphic schlicht functions in |z|<1.
The role of neuron death in the development of the gender difference in the number of neurons in the rat superior cervical ganglion.

Abstract Adult male rats have more neurons in their superior cervical ganglia than do adult females. This difference arises over the first two postnatal weeks and is apparently related to perinatal levels of circulating testosterone. Exposure of neonatal rats to testosterone or estradiol during the first postnatal weeks results in an increase in the number of neurons in the superior cervical ganglion seen at 15, 30 or 60 days postnatally. The present studies were undertaken to determine whether this observed increase in neurons is due to an increase in neuronal proliferation or to a decrease in neuronal death. Results of autoradiographic studies show no evidence of enhanced neuronal proliferation following postnatal exposure to estradiol, but do show an increased survival of a prenatally labeled population of cells. Counts of degenerating cells in the superior cervical ganglion show that during the peak period of normal neuronal degeneration, on postnatal day 5, 17-β-estradiol or testosterone propionate treated animals have significantly fewer degenerating superior cervical ganglion cells than do vehicle-injected littermate controls. In addition, vehicle-injected females have more degenerating cells on day 5 than do vehicle-injected males. Taken together these results provide strong evidence that the increase in superior cervical ganglion neurons seen after neonatal exposure to estradiol results from a reduction in developmental neuron death.
Active Label Correction

Active Label Correction (ALC) is an interactive method that cleans an established training set of mislabeled examples in conjunction with a domain expert. ALC presumes that the expert who conducts this review is either more accurate than the original annotator or has access to additional resources that ensure a high quality label. A high-cost re-review is possible because ALC proceeds iteratively, scoring the full training set but selecting only small batches of examples that are likely mislabeled. The expert reviews each batch and corrects any mislabeled examples, after which the classifier is retrained and the process repeats until the expert terminates it. We compare several instantiations of ALC to fully-automated methods that attempt to discard or correct label noise in a single pass. Our empirical results show that ALC outperforms single-pass methods in terms of selection efficiency and classifier accuracy. We evaluate the best ALC instantiation on our motivating task of detecting mislabeled and poorly formulated sites within a land cover classification training set from the geography domain.
Hartree-Fock dynamical electron-correlation effects in C60 after laser excitation.

In the static Hartree-Fock limit, the on-site electron-electron interaction has no effect on the electronic properties of C 6 0 . But upon the laser excitation, the dynamical correlation effect appears. The time-dependent Hartree-Fock simulation through the Hubbard model shows that such an effect originates from the charge fluctuation, but an increase in the on-site electron-electron interaction suppresses the charge fluctuation and reduces the absorbed energy and the bond structure distortion.
Genetic Factors and Polypeptide Chain Subclasses of Human Immunoglobulin G Detected in Chimpanzee Serums

The Gm and Inv genetic factors, characteristic antigens of human immunoglobulin G, were detected in chimpanzee serums. All animals tested were Gm(a+, x—, bl—, b2—, b3+, b4+). Polymorphism was demonstrated for factors Gm(c), Inv(l), and Inv(b). Three of the subclasses of heavy polypeptide chains and both types of light polypeptide chains that are present in human immunoglobulin G were identified in chimpanzee serums.
The abrogation of the electorate: an emergent African phenomenon

This paper captures an emerging African phenomenon in which the form of democracy is brazenly used to invalidate its very substance. Drawing on particulars from Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria, we articulate the re-ascendance and re-invigoration of anti-democratic forces across Africa, and weigh up the challenge that violent erasure of the electoral sovereignty of citizens constitutes to democratic theory and practice.
You must be joking... dares to ask: hey, internet, who's your daddy?

What is the earliest sign of success for an idea or a trend? If you don't have insider's information like Martha Stewart, the best indication is seeing whether people are trying to associate their names with it. For example, AI has seen some rough patches until Spielberg produced the movie that gave that community credibility. (I wonder if program managers are affected by movie critics and reviews? Oops, there goes my funding for the foreseeable future). Case in point, how many articles have you seen paying tributes to the "father of AI"? How many people do you hear in talks claiming that they were there when the A and the I were separate and they were among the first, but really the very first, to join the two letters together.
The ATTRACT Trial: Rationale for Early Intervention for Iliofemoral DVT:

The management of acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by medical therapy with anticoagulation has long been supported by evidence-based clinical practice guidelines outlined in the American College of Chest Physicians supplement. Early thrombus removal in patients with iliofemoral DVT has been reported to lead to improved venous valve function, improved quality of life, and decreased incidence of postthrombotic syndrome over anticoagulation alone. The ATTRACT trial will randomize patients to medical management with standard anticoagulation versus catheter-directed thrombolysis in addition to standard anticoagulation after stratification to iliofemoral versus femoropopliteal DVT in order to determine the primary outcome of postthrombotic syndrome over a 24-month follow-up.
The Foreign-Language Effect Thinking in a Foreign Tongue Reduces Decision Biases

Would you make the same decisions in a foreign language as you would in your native tongue? It may be intuitive that people would make the same choices regardless of the language they are using, or that the difficulty of using a foreign language would make decisions less systematic. We discovered, however, that the opposite is true: Using a foreign language reduces decision-making biases. Four experiments show that the framing effect disappears when choices are presented in a foreign tongue. Whereas people were risk averse for gains and risk seeking for losses when choices were presented in their native tongue, they were not influenced by this framing manipulation in a foreign language. Two additional experiments show that using a foreign language reduces loss aversion, increasing the acceptance of both hypothetical and real bets with positive expected value. We propose that these effects arise because a foreign language provides greater cognitive and emotional distance than a native tongue does.
Resisting Regimentation: The Committee to Oppose the Conscription of Women

During the Second World War, some U.S. leaders proposed the conscription of women for production work. Pacifists reacted by forming the Committee to Oppose the Conscription of Women. The controversy that followed revealed the extent to which government leaders believed, and political activists were prepared to assert, that motherhood was the most important value to be preserved during wartime.
Organizing libraries of DFG patterns

We propose to arrange a library of tree patterns into a hierarchy by means of identity operations. Compared with current unstructured approaches, our new method reduces the computational complexity of searching a pattern from O(n-p) to only O(d), d /spl les/ p. Furthermore, the organization reveals synergies between patterns for ASIP instruction-set synthesis, data-path sharing, and code generation.
Severe Left Atrial Appendage Stunning After Electrical Cardioversion of Atrial Fibrillation

A 77-year-old man with a history of ischemic cardiomyopathy presented with 3 days of progressively worsening dyspnea. An ECG revealed atrial fibrillation at a rate of 97 bpm. An echocardiogram showed severe left atrial enlargement, severely elevated left ventricular filling pressure, and an ejection fraction of 30%. Thyroid function …
Liquidity Constraints, Maturity Structure and Time‐Consistency of Fiscal Policy

Both the maturity structure and liquidity constraints are important to have time-consistent optimal fiscal policy. The maturity structure of the initial bond holding position introduces asymmetry/symmetry in treating consumption goods across time, leading to time-inconsistent/consistent optimal fiscal policy. In a closed economy, Ramsey governments can treat all consumption goods symmetrically and the liquidity constraints are satisfied. Therefore, the optimal fiscal policy is time-consistent. In a small open economy, liquidity constraints result in an endogenous determinacy restriction from the labour market. This determinacy restriction on Lagrange multipliers is in general orthogonal to the restriction from the good market, leading to time-inconsistent optimal fiscal policy.
Alley cropping as a sustainable agricultural technology for the hillsides of Haiti: Experience of an agroforestry outreach project

Alley cropping is a form of hedgerow intercropping where fast-growing leguminous trees are planted at dense within-row spacing, with agricultural crops planted between the hedgerows. This agroforestry technology, with the hedgerows planted on the contour across the slope, appears promising for small farmers on the hittslopes of Haiti An agroforestry outreach project operating in Haiti since 1981 has helped thousands of farmers plant hedgerows on their farms. The farmers are increasingly accepting the technology: the length of hedgerows planted by the farmers in the project area increased from 11 lineal km in 1987 to 140 lineal km in 1988. An evaluation of 50 farms where hedgerows had been installed shows that this technology results in soil conservation and microsite enrichment between hedgerows; the hedgerows also provide fodder and fuelwood. However, refinements are needed in technical aspects of hedgerow management, such as planting configurations, pruning regime, and choice of species. Moreover, soil and plant parameters as well as socioeconomic characteristics must be monitored in a systematic way in order to assess the impact of hedgerow intercropping on the sustainability of Haitian farming systems.
Quantitative Culture of Intravenous Catheters and Other Intravascular Inserts

Quantitative cultures were done on 149 intravenous catheters and 40 additional intravascular inserts. Intradermal and intravascular segments of the insert were cultured separately. The inserts were immersed in broth and flushed. The number of colony-forming units (cfu) per insert was estimated by surface culture of serial dilution of the broth. Nonquantitative culture of undiluted broth was also done. Since all inserts associated with bacteremia had at least 10(3) cfu, inserts greater than 10(3) cfu were considered infected. Staphylococcus epidermidis was more likely than more virulent organisms to colonize an insert without causing bacteremia. The inserts in one bacteremic patient were infected from a distant bloodstream focus; however, in the majority of patients, quantitative intradermal cultures suggested that the insertion site was the portal of entry. In bacteremic patients, either a positive quantitative or a nonquantitative culture identified an infected insert. However, only 33% of positive nonquantitative insert cultures from nonbacteremic patients were confirmed by quantitative insert culture.
An operations-oriented approach to decision support system

An argument for an operations-oriented, as opposed to management-oriented, approach to information systems design in public organizations is presented. It is demonstrated through empirical evidence that the resulting operations information systems can both support the activities of the operating staff and meet the management needs of the administrative staff, whereas the traditional management information system can at best meet the needs of the administrative staff. The two approaches and their respective systems are compared in terms of a range of system issues, including system focus, requirements, input, output, users, flexibility, and scope. >
Supracervical hysterectomy - the vaginal route

Removal of the cervix during hysterectomy is not mandatory. There has been no irrefutable evidence so far that total hysterectomy is more beneficial to patients in terms of pelvic organ function. The procedure that leaves the cervix intact is called a subtotal hysterectomy. Traditional approaches to this surgery include laparoscopic and abdominal routes. Vaginal total hysterectomy has been proven to present many advantages over the other approaches. Therefore, it seems that this route should also be applied in the case of subtotal hysterectomy. We present 9 cases of patients who underwent subtotal hysterectomy performed through the vagina for benign gynecological diseases.
Modified LRU policies for improving second-level cache behavior

Main memory accesses continue to be a significant bottleneck for applications whose working sets do not fit in second-level caches. With the trend of greater associativity in second-level caches, implementing effective replacement algorithms might become more important than reducing conflict misses. After showing that an opportunity exists to close part of the gap between the OPT and the LRU algorithms, we present a replacement algorithm based on the detection of temporal locality in lines residing in the L2 cache. Rather than always replacing the LRU line, the victim is chosen by considering both its priority in the LRU stack and whether it exhibits temporal locality or not. We consider two strategies which use this replacement algorithm: a profile-based scheme where temporal locality is detected by processing a trace from a training set of the application and an on-line scheme, where temporal locality is detected with the assistance of a small locality table. Both schemes improve on the second-level cache miss rate over a pure LRU algorithm, by as much as 12% in the profiling case and 20% in the dynamic case.
Toward a verified relational database management system

We report on our experience implementing a lightweight, fully verified relational database management system (RDBMS). The functional specification of RDBMS behavior, RDBMS implementation, and proof that the implementation meets the specification are all written and verified in Coq. Our contributions include: (1) a complete specification of the relational algebra in Coq; (2) an efficient realization of that model (B+ trees) implemented with the Ynot extension to Coq; and (3) a set of simple query optimizations proven to respect both semantics and run-time cost. In addition to describing the design and implementation of these artifacts, we highlight the challenges we encountered formalizing them, including the choice of representation for finite relations of typed tuples and the challenges of reasoning about data structures with complex sharing. Our experience shows that though many challenges remain, building fully-verified systems software in Coq is within reach.
The Primacy of Partnership: Scoping a New National Disaster Recovery Policy

Hurricane Katrina is widely perceived as a threshold-crossing event, capable of bringing about changes in public policy comparable with those that followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Headline-grabbing proposals for improving the leadership of disaster-management organizations divert attention from a task of greater importance: the nourishment of partnerships among different stakeholder groups. Such partnerships have previously been organized around common material interests. Stronger and more enduring partnerships might better be based on ideas that capture shared ambiguities of hazard, as well as material interests. Lay publics need to be engaged with contradictory concepts that exist across the full range of environmental and societal contexts in which hazards are embedded. The process of recovery from Katrina presents social scientists with an opportunity to extend inquiry and partnerships into new arenas that have the potential to sharpen intellectual understanding as well as to addr...
An Innovative Approach to Teaching an Undergraduate Software Engineering Course

Software engineering is defined as a discipline concerned with all aspects of software production from inception to the maintenance of a system. It has often been dubbed as the "cradle-to-grave" approach to producing reliable, cost-efficient software delivered in a timely manner that satisfies the customer's needs. It interleaves the concepts of individual work with team work and the soft skills of technical writing with technical proficiency. Therefore, as computer science educators, we are faced with the challenge of creating a learning experience for our students that effectively introduces the technical aspect of software engineering principles, as well as those essential non-technical skills. The goal of this paper is to describe a work in progress that focuses on creating an enhanced learning experience where computational thinking, collaborative learning, and service-learning are infused into an undergraduate software engineering course. The paper introduces these concepts and how each is used to train students.
Post-Minkowski expansion of general relativity

A post-Minkowski approximation of general relativity is described as a power series expansion in $G$, Newton's gravitational constant. Material sources are hidden behind boundaries, and only the vacuum Einstein equations are considered. An iterative procedure is outlined which, in one complete step, takes any approximate solution of the Einstein equations and produces a new approximation which has the error decreased by a factor of $G$. Each step in the procedure consists of three parts: first the equations of motion are used to update the trajectories of the boundaries; then the field equations are solved using a retarded Green function for Minkowski space; finally, a gauge transformation is performed which makes the geometry well behaved at future null infinity. Differences between this approach to the Einstein equations and similar ones are that we use a general (nonharmonic) gauge and formulate the procedure in a constructive manner which emphasizes its suitability for implementation on a computer.
The Jakobshanvs effect

The Jakobshavns Effect may have been a significant factor in hastening the collapse of palaeo ice sheets with the advent of climatic warming after 18,000 years ago and may precipitate partial collapse of the present-day Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets following CO2-induced climatic warming in the decades ahead. The Jakobshavns Effect is observed today on Jakobshavns Glacier, which is located at 69°10′N on the west coast of Greenland. The Jakobshavns Effect is a group of positive feedback mechanisms which allow Jakobshavns Glacier to literally pull ice out of the Greenland Ice Sheet at a rate exceeding 7 km/a across a floating terminus 800 m thick and 6 km wide. The pulling power results from an imbalance of horizontal hydrostatic forces in ice and water columns at the grounding line of the floating terminus. Positive feedback mechanisms that sustain the rapid ice discharge rate are ubiquitous surface crevassing, high summer rates of surface melting, extending creep flow, progressive basal uncoupling, progressive lateral uncoupling, and rapid iceberg calving.
Exact equation of state for a 2-dimensional plasma

Abstract We present a fully exact expression for the equation of state for a classical system of N positive and N negative charges all interacting with each other through 2-dimensional Coulomb potentials.
Monitoring Urinary Bladder Temperature in the Intensive Care Unit: State of the Science

Body temperature of patients in critical care units can be monitored with a variety of devices and at a variety of body sites. In recent years, monitoring of urinary bladder temperature has become more common. Temperature-sensing indwelling urinary catheters allow continuous drainage of urine and continuous measurement of body temperature. This article provides a comprehensive and critical review of research undertaken in intensive care units to compare body temperatures measured in the urinary bladder with temperatures measured at a core site, the pulmonary artery. The studies support the use of urinary bladder temperature as a reliable index of core temperature during times of thermal stability. For critically ill patients who are already under considerable stress and whose condition necessitates the use of an indwelling urinary catheter, bladder temperature monitoring is an easy and convenient method that eliminates the need to use alternative sites. Further studies on the effects of shivering and urinary flow rate on temperatures measured in the bladder in critical care patients are needed. The economics of monitoring urinary bladder temperature also should be studied.
Factors influencing immediate results, complications, and short-term follow-up status after inoue balloon mitral valvotomy: A North American multicenter study

Clinical trials with the Inoue mitral valvotomy balloon have recently begun in the United States. We assessed the effects of 17 demographic, echocardiographic, procedural, and hemodynamic variables on the immediate results, complications, and short-term follow-up of 200 patients in 15 centers undergoing valvotomy with this device. The study population had a mean age +/- SD of 53 +/- 15 years, and the total echocardiographic score was 7.2 +/- 2.4. Valvotomy was technically successful in 96.5% of procedures and increased the mean mitral valve area from 1.0 +/- 0.3 to 1.8 +/- 0.7 cm2 (p less than 0.001); 72% had an increase in valve area greater than or equal to 50%, and 67% had a final area greater than or equal to 1.5 cm2. Major procedural complications included cardiac tamponade during transseptal puncture (1.0%), systemic embolism (1.5%), and severe mitral regurgitation (2.4%); there were no procedural deaths and one hospital death. Multivariate analysis identified the absence of prior surgical commissurotomy and younger age as significant predictors of the gain in mitral valve area, but the correlation coefficients were low. Although the absence of subvalvular disease on echocardiograms was a predictor of a final valve area greater than or equal to 1.5 cm2, the total echocardiographic score did not correlate well with the immediate outcome (r = 0.01, p = NS). No variable was identified as predictive of restenosis, which occurred according to echocardiographic criteria in 14 of 66 (21%) patients evaluated 6 months after valvotomy. Good hemodynamic results with valvotomy were achieved in the majority of patients with low complication rates by many investigators with the use of the Inoue balloon device.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Trends in trans–North Atlantic commonality among Phanerozoic invertebrates, and plate tectonic events

Invertebrate commonality trends at the generic level between landmasses on the eastern and western sides of the present North Atlantic, as computed from data in the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology , have an intriguing relationship with plate tectonic events. Commonality peaks in early Paleozoic time coincided roughly with Taconic and Caledonian orogenic events. Following an Early and Middle Devonian decrease, an increase in commonality through the late Paleozoic apparently reflects plate tectonic processes associated with the Acadian, Alleghenian, and Hercynian orogenies. Commonality highs can be attributed to proximity of land masses, building of island arcs, and transfer of crustal blocks during continental convergence and divergence. The commonality data support the hypothesis of a proto–Atlantic Ocean during early Paleozoic time. An all-time commonality high was reached in Triassic time, associated with Pangean continental assembly, and commonality has decreased since then, reflecting continental fragmentation and divergence.
Economic Rationality and a Moral Science of Business Ethics

This article examines the relationship between economic rationality and the possibility of a moral science of business ethics. The purpose of this inquiry is to consider whether a universal and non-controversial moral science of business ethics can be defined satisfactorily, and linked to economic rationality of managers and other stakeholders of firms operating in market economies. Economic rationality connotes economic efficiency, meaning a strictly instrumental maximization of actor utility from limited resources. This rationality is a universal and value free (or value neutral) axiom: actors should and generally will be rationally efficient. Utilitarianism accepting aggregation across values is the moral framework associated with market exchange. Business ethics is about normative valuation of motives, actions, and consequences. This article argues that the common foundation across relevant ethical frameworks – moral common sense, Kantianism, virtue theory, religion as a belief system, and utilitarianism – is a first or axiomatic principle of no harm without acceptable justification. A moral science of business ethics proceeds from this no harm axiom.
Reduction in Radiation Exposure through a Stress Test Algorithm in an Emergency Department Observation Unit.

Author(s): Pena, Margarita E.; Jakob, Michael R.; Cohen, Gerald I.; Irvin, Charlene B.; Solano, Nastaran; Bowerman, Ashley R.; Szpunar, Susan M.; Dixon, Mason K. | Abstract: Introduction: Clinicians are urged to decrease radiation exposure from unnecessary medical procedures. Many emergency department (ED) patients placed in an observation unit (EDOU) do not require chest pain evaluation with a nuclear stress test (NucST). We sought to implement a simple ST algorithm that favors non-nuclear stress test (Non-NucST) options to evaluate the effect of the algorithm on the proportion of patients exposed to radiation by comparing use of NucST versus Non-NucST pre- and post-algorithm.Methods: An ST algorithm was introduced favoring Non-NucST and limiting NucST to a subset of EDOU patients in October 2008. We analyzed aggregate data before (Jan-Sept 2008, period 1) and after (Jan-Sept 2009 and Jan-Sept 2010, periods 2 and 3 respectively) algorithm introduction. A random sample of 240 EDOU patients from each period was used to compare 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE). We calculated confidence intervals for proportions or the difference between two proportions.Results: A total of 5,047 STs were performed from Jan-Sept 2008-2010. NucST in the EDOU decreased after algorithm introduction from period 1 to 2 (40.7%, 95% CI [38.3-43.1] vs. 22.1%, 95% CI [20.1-24.1]), and remained at 22.1%, 95% CI [20.3-24.0] in period 3. There was no difference in 30-day MACE rates before and after algorithm use (0.1% for period 1 and 3, 0% for period 2).Conclusion: Use of a simple ST algorithm that favors non-NucST options decreases the proportion of EDOU chest pain patients exposed to radiation exposure from ST almost 50% by limiting NucST to a subset of patients, without a change in 30-day MACE.