Introducing the Perfect Language. Department of Computer Science, Technical Report Series. NUIM-CS-TR-2005-06

Perfect Developer is an environment that supports software development by providing a verification of the softwares correctness. Software is constructed with the Perfect language, an Object Oriented programming language that encompasses both specification and implementation features. This paper provides a general overview of the syntax of Perfect, describing a class template for Perfect. The novel features of the language are highlighted to document the uniqueness of Perfect. A small example is developed toward the end of the paper, to illustrate the process of software development on a small scale

Great debates of the French Revolution: A study and evaluation of the oratory of the Constituent Assembly (May 1789-September 1791) with especial regard to those speeches commonly attributed to Mirabeau

This thesis sets out to evaluate the oratory of the Constituent Assembly and, in particular, the contribution of Mirabeau. After an introductory chapter on oratory in France before the Revolution, the Constituent Assembly is surveyed. First the circumstances are outlined and then the oratory reviewed. The general characteristics of this oratory are described, and then the work of the more important orators, in particular the Abbe Maury, Cazales and Barnave, is analysed and assessed. The second and larger half of the thesis deals with Mirabeau's contribution to this eloquence. An account of his early life and that of his role in the Constituent Assembly covers two chapters. But, before one can consider Mirabeau's oratory as literature, it is essential to establish the authorship of his speeches. An account of the extensive help given to Mirabeau by six or seven collaborators is given. The multiplication of authors makes it necessary to appraise the literary worth of the eloquence of each collaborator separately. Only after this can Mirabeau's own personal contribution be gauged. This contribution is relatively small, but, even if the honour of writing most of his speeches does not belong to Mirabeau, he had the undisputed power of swaying the whole Assembly on important issues not only by his amazingly powerful delivery (the function of an actor rather than an orator), but by his outbursts of spontaneous eloquence. An attempt to characterize and evaluate this eloquence and to place it within the context of French oratory as a whole is made in the final chapter.<p

Software Specification, Implementation and Execution with Perfect. Department of Computer Science, Technical Report Series. NUIM-CS-TR-2005-07

Perfect is an Object Oriented programming language that is supported by the Perfect Developer software development tool. The paper presents the techniques that Perfect supports for the specification and implementation of software. The executable code produced by Perfect is also discussed. A guideline to the techniques of software development is provided by the paper, illustrating the many software development mechanisms that are supported by Perfect and the Perfect Developer tool

Sex-specific Outcomes of Acute Stroke in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus : A National Inpatient Sample Study

We would like to acknowledge the HCUP Data Partners (https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/db/hcupdatapartners.jsp, accessed on 28 December 2022).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Depressive symptoms in the second trimester relate to low oxytocin levels in African-American women: a pilot study

Low-income African-American women report elevated prenatal depressive symptoms more often (42 %) than the national average (20 %). In the USA in 2012, 16.5 % of African-American women experienced a premature birth (less than 36 completed gestational weeks) compared to 10.3 % of white women. In addition, 13 % of African-American women had a low-birth weight infant (less than 2,500 g) compared to 7 % of white women. Variation in the neuropeptide, oxytocin has been implicated in perinatal depression, maternal behavior, regulation of stress responses, and may be associated with this health disparity. The purpose of this investigation was to examine factors associated with prenatal depressive symptoms, including plasma oxytocin levels and birth weight, in a sample of urban African-American women. Pregnant African-American women (N = 57) completed surveys and had blood drawn twice during pregnancy at 15-22 weeks and 25-37 weeks. In addition, birth data were collected from medical records. A large number of participants reported elevated prenatal depressive symptoms at the first (n = 20, 35 %) and the second (n = 19, 33 %) data points. Depressive symptoms were higher in multigravidas (t(51) = -2.374, p = 0.02), women with higher anxiety (r(47) = 0.71, p = 0.001), women who delivered their infants at an earlier gestational age (r(51) = -0.285, p = 0.04), and those without the support of the infant's father (F(4, 48) = 2.676, p = 0.04). Depressive symptoms were also higher in women with low oxytocin levels than in women with high oxytocin levels (F(2, 47) = 3.3, p = 0.05). In addition, women who had low oxytocin tended to have infants with lower birth weights (F(2, 47) = 2.9, p = 0.06). Neither prenatal depressive symptoms nor prenatal oxytocin levels were associated with premature birth. Pregnant multigravida African-American women with increased levels of anxiety and lacking the baby's father's support during the pregnancy are at higher risk for prenatal depressive symptoms. Prenatal depressive symptoms are associated with low oxytocin levels and lower infant birth weights. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms between prenatal depressive symptoms, oxytocin, and birth weight in order to better understand this health disparity

Feasibility of Implementing a School Nutrition Intervention That Addresses Policies, Systems, and Environment

We conducted a process evaluation of the Shaping Healthy Choices Program, a multicomponent school-based nutrition program, when implemented in partnership with University of California (UC) CalFresh and UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE). There were positive impacts on participating students, but results varied across counties, possibly due to variation in fidelity to the curriculum and implementation of program components. Our evaluation identified the strength of UCCE in delivering nutrition education and a need for additional support and training for building capacity to effect change in school policies, systems, and environment. Because educators throughout Extension are working to integrate programs addressing policies, systems, and environment, our results may have applicability in other Extension programs

Stress debriefing and patterns of recovery following a natural disaster

Stress debriefing has been used extensively following traumatic events; however, there is little evidence of its effectiveness. This paper reports the effects of stress debriefing on the rate of recovery of 195 helpers (e.g., emergency service personnel and disaster workers) following an earthquake in Newcastle, Australia (62 debriefed helpers and 133 who were not debriefed). Post-trauma stress reactions (Impact of Event Scale) and general psychological morbidity (General Health Questionnaire: GHQ-12) were assessed on four occasions over the first 2 years postearthquake. There was no evidence of an improved rate of recovery among those helpers who were debriefed, even when level of exposure and helping-related stress were taken into account. More rigorous investigation of the effectiveness of stress debriefing and its role in posttrauma recovery is urgently required

Risk Factors for Postpartum Depressive Symptoms in Low-Income Women With Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants

PURPOSE: This study examined factors associated with postpartum depressive symptoms in mothers with premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). SUBJECTS: A total of 113 new mothers with very low-birth-weight infants in their initial NICU admission were recruited from 2 urban hospitals servicing low-income minority communities. DESIGN: This study employed a cross-sectional design. METHODS: Data were collected during the infants' postpartum NICU admission and included maternal demographic information (eg, age, education, race, living with the baby's father), infant illness severity (Neurobiologic Risk Score from infant's medical record), and maternal psychological measures (the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Perinatal Posttraumatic Stress Questionnaire, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). RESULTS: The findings indicated that 47 (42%) women had elevated postpartum depressive symptoms and 33 (30%) women had elevated postpartum posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSs). Factors associated with postpartum depressive symptoms included PTS, anxiety, maternal age, and whether the mother lived with the baby's father (F₄, ₁₀₄ = 52.27, P < .001). The severity of the infants' illness, parental stress, and maternal education were not associated with depressive symptoms among low-income mothers of NICU infants. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of our findings, we recommend that low-income women should be screened for symptoms of anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and postpartum depression on their infants' admission to the NICU. When this is not feasible, we advise NICU healthcare providers to assess women for familial support, maternal age, posttraumatic stress related to their infants birth, and anxiety to determine which mothers are at the greatest risk for postpartum depressive symptoms. Screening for postpartum depression in the NICU can aid in early identification and treatment, thereby decreasing negative consequences for mothers and their infants

The Lantern Vol. 50, No. 2, Spring 1984

• The Storm • Je ne sais pas • The Ghetious Blastious • An Empty Cradle • The Playing Hands • Battle Hymn • A Limerick • Parting Thoughts • The River • Miss You • De la Tristeza • Two So Special • Time of the Unicorn • The Absence • Thru The Breeze • Is the World Really a Round Ball? • Brother • To Michael • Gravity • Refuge • Der Witwer • Plastic Flowers Never Die • Book on the Shelfhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1124/thumbnail.jp