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Recent Cases

Constitutional Law -- Newsperson\u27s Privilege - The First Amendment Guarantee of a Free Press Protects Against Compelled Disclosure of a Journalist\u27s Exercise of Editorial Control and Judgment Plaintiff, a former army officer who had achieved national prominence by claiming that his superiors ignored his reports of atrocities by American forces in Vietnam,\u27 brought a libel suit against defendant television producer, reporter, and network for broadcasting a program that cast doubt upon plaintiff\u27s allegations. Contending that defendant did not present available information corroborating plaintiff\u27s claims, plaintiff sought discovery of the producer\u27s beliefs, opinions, intent, and conclusions in preparing the program. Alan William Duncan ===================== Income Taxation--Alternative Tax--In Computing Alternative Tax Under Section 1201 of the Internal Revenue Code Taxpayer May Not Deduct from Net Long-Term Capital Gain That Portion of Capital Gain Required To Be Set Aside Permanently for Charitable Organizations Decedent\u27s will required taxpayer estate to distribute to specified charitable organizations a specific portion, of net long-term capital gain realized upon the sale of any securities included in the residue of the estate.\u27 In calculating the alternative tax\u27 on the capital gains realized by the estate in 1967 and 1968, taxpayer deducted from capital gains the amounts required to be set aside for charities.: The Internal Revenue Service disallowed the taxpayer\u27s computation method, contending that a deduction for charitable set asides and payments was not allowable under section 1201. Elton Gregory Snowden ========================= Income Taxation-Corporate Reorganization-Stock Received Under Contingent Payment Plan Is Subject to Imputed Interest Provisions of Section 483 of the Internal Revenue Code Decedent\u27s will required taxpayer estate to distribute to specified charitable organizations a specific portion, of net long-term cap-ital gain realized upon the sale of any securities included in the residue of the estate.\u27 In calculating the alternative tax\u27 on the capital gains realized by the estate in 1967 and 1968, taxpayer deducted from capital gains the amounts required to be set aside for charities. Joseph W. Gibbs ==================== Torts-Independent Contractors-Employer Is Liable for Tortious Conduct of His Financially Irresponsible Independent Contractor All rules affecting the master-servant relationship derive from the historic legal principle that employers are liable for the tortious conduct of their employees occurring in the course of employment. Respondeat superior, which imputes employee negligence to the employer, is not premised on fault. Instead, because the employer has the right to select, control, and dismiss employees\u27 and because he is assumed to be in a better financial position to respond to judgments, the employer is held vicariously liable for tortious acts of his employees within the scope of employment. William Arthur Holb

Prevalence and risk factors for brucellosis in prolonged fever patients in post-conflict Northern Uganda

Background: Brucellosis is a disease with significant public and economic implications but strategies for controlling this disease remain problematic.Objectives: This study sought to determine the sero-prevalence of brucellosis in prolonged fever patients and to identify modifiable risk factors for the infection in humans in post conflict Northern Uganda.Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional method among prolonged fever patients who had visited selected health facilities in the study districts in Northern Uganda. Sero-prevalence of brucellosis was calculated for i-ELISA IgG/IgM. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on possible risk factors for brucellosis. Associations between sero-prevalence and risk factors were measured using the Odds Ratio.Results: Brucellosis was confirmed in 18.7% of the 251 patients that tested positive for the disease, with the rapid Brucella Plate Agglutination Test, and ages 10-84 years (median age 47+0.86). Sex (p = 0.001; OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.75 - 8.24), rearing livestock (p < 0.005; OR 8.44; 95% CI 2.84-25.03) and consumption of unpasteurised milk (p = 0.023; OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.14-5.80) were factors associated with brucellosis.Conclusion: Control of brucellosis in animals, training and sensitisation of the community on brucellosis is needed to stimulate action on human brucellosis control.Keywords: Brucellosis, human, fever, prevalence, Uganda, zoonosis

An integrated Structure-from-Motion and time-lapse technique for quantifying ice-margin dynamics

Fine resolution topographic data derived from methods such as Structure from Motion (SfM) and Multi-View Stereo (MVS) have the potential to provide detailed observations of geomorphological change, but have thus far been limited by the logistical constraints of conducting repeat surveys in the field. Here, we present the results from an automated time-lapse camera array, deployed around an ice-marginal lake on the western margin of the Greenland ice sheet. Fifteen cameras acquired imagery three-times per day over a 426 day period, yielding a dataset of ~19 000 images. From these data we derived 18 point clouds of the ice-margin across a range of seasons and successfully identified calving events (ranging from 234 to 1475 m2 in area and 815–8725 m3 in volume) induced by ice cliff undercutting at the waterline and the collapse of spalling flakes. Low ambient light levels, locally reflective surfaces and the large survey range hindered analysis of smaller scale ice-margin dynamics. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that an integrated SfM-MVS and time-lapse approach can be employed to generate long-term 3-D topographic datasets and thus quantify ice-margin dynamics at a fine spatio-temporal scale. This approach provides a template for future studies of geomorphological change

Surgical and medical complications following perineal urethrostomy in a goat

Perineal urethrostomy was carried out in a Golden Guernsey goat to relieve urethral obstruction associated with urethral calculi. The surgery was successful, but post-surgical complications developed, including haemorrhage and failure of the penile stump to heal. Revision surgeries were carried out with a successful surgical resolution. Bacterial cystitis subsequently developed, and Proteus spp. and Trueperella pyogenes were identified. Treatment of the bacterial cystitis proved challenging, and intense management was required. Survival post-surgery was over 3.5 years

Aerodynamic roughness of glacial ice surfaces derived from high-resolution topographic data

This paper presents new methods of estimating the aerodynamic roughness (z0) of glacier ice directly from three-dimensional point clouds and digital elevation models (DEMs), examines temporal variability of z0, and presents the first fully distributed map of z0 estimates across the ablation zone of an Arctic glacier. The aerodynamic roughness of glacier ice surfaces is an important component of energy balance models and meltwater runoff estimates through its influence on turbulent fluxes of latent and sensible heat. In a warming climate these fluxes are predicted to become more significant in contributing to overall melt volumes. Ice z0 is commonly estimated from measurements of ice surface microtopography, typically from topographic profiles taken perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. Recent advances in surveying permit rapid acquisition of high-resolution topographic data allowing revision of assumptions underlying conventional z0 measurement. Using Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry with Multi-View Stereo (MVS) to survey ice surfaces with millimeter-scale accuracy, z0 variation over 3 orders of magnitude was observed. Different surface types demonstrated different temporal trajectories in z0 through 3 days of intense melt. A glacier-scale 2 m resolution DEM was obtained through terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), and subgrid roughness was significantly related to plot-scale z0. Thus, we show for the first time that glacier-scale TLS or SfM-MVS surveys can characterize z0 variability over a glacier surface potentially leading to distributed representations of z0 in surface energy balance models

Prevalence and risk factors for brucellosis in prolonged fever patients in post-conflict Northern Uganda

Background: Brucellosis is a disease with significant public and economic implications but strategies for controlling this disease remain problematic. Objectives: This study sought to determine the sero-prevalence of brucellosis in prolonged fever patients and to identify modifiable risk factors for the infection in humans in post conflict Northern Uganda. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional method among prolonged fever patients who had visited selected health facilities in the study districts in Northern Uganda. Sero-prevalence of brucellosis was calculated for i-ELISA IgG/IgM. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on possible risk factors for brucellosis. Associations between sero-prevalence and risk factors were measured using the Odds Ratio. Results: Brucellosis was confirmed in 18.7% of the 251 patients that tested positive for the disease, with the rapid Brucella Plate Agglutination Test, and ages 10-84 years (median age 47+0.86). Sex (p = 0.001; OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.75 - 8.24), rearing livestock (p < 0.005; OR 8.44; 95% CI 2.84-25.03) and consumption of unpasteurised milk (p = 0.023; OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.14-5.80) were factors associated with brucellosis. Conclusion: Control of brucellosis in animals, training and sensitisation of the community on brucellosis is needed to stimulate action on human brucellosis control

Bostonia: The Boston University Alumni Magazine. Volume 9

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs