A fast algorithm for generating a uniform distribution inside a high-dimensional polytope

We describe a uniformly fast algorithm for generating points \vec{x} uniformly in a hypercube with the restriction that the difference between each pair of coordinates is bounded. We discuss the quality of the algorithm in the sense of its usage of pseudo-random source numbers, and present an interesting result on the correlation between the coordinates.Comment: 7 pages, cpu-time table added to illustrate efficienc

The Ellis Archives-1972 to 1981: An Early View from the Parkdale Trenches

The author was intimately involved with PCLS from 1972 to 1981. Significant extracts from a recently uncovered, personal horde of archival materials--framed by the author\u27s description and explication of the materials\u27 original context--provide old perspectives on a wide range of surprisingly current issues--perspectives which the author believes readers will find still useful. The subject matter includes: the private bar\u27s role in the ultimate success of PCLS and the clinic system; legal aid services; the bar\u27s role in the legal aid system; the need for customized legal services in low-income communities; the role and operation of community based legal clinics; a closely considered analysis of a law school\u27s fundamental goals; and, finally, clinical education. The archival materials also provide unique windows on various facets of the PCLS program during its first decade

Faculty development to help preservice educators model the integration of technology in the classroom: perspectives from an action research case study

This action research case study focuses on faculty development and finding better ways to educate the faculty in modeling technology in their classroom and in their curriculum. Three School of Education faculty members and the Director of Instructional Technology Services at a small, Midwestern, liberal-arts university teamed together using participatory action research to study their practice with hopes of coming to an understanding of ways to remove some barriers to technology literacy and pedagogical issues. Three articles suitable for publication make up the body of the study. Article one is a review of literature in the field of faculty development, media centers, modeling technology, and action research. It describes what is currently happening at other schools pertaining to faculty development strategies. Article two tells the story of three faculty participants\u27 views on modeling technology in the classroom and their cyclical evolution of technology modeling throughout the duration of the study. Simple, effective tools designed to provide technology literacy instruction are described. Article three describes a study of the personal practice of the instructional technology services director at a small, Midwestern, liberal-arts university. It provides insight into his evolution in teaching philosophy as he struggled with his concept of technology literacy instruction while searching for better methods of providing faculty development in that area. The cyclical nature of the participatory action research model he utilized assisted him in improving his practice and in developing an effective educational environment for his clients; the faculty. Barriers related to faculty use of technology in the classroom are explored and ways to help remove these barriers are suggested. Discussed in all three articles is the field of change theory and the concept of people\u27s perspectives and how they deal with innovations and change

Brain abscess following rituximab infusion in a patient with pemphigus vulgaris.

BackgroundImmunocompromised patients are at increased risk for developing meningitis or, rarely, brain abscess with opportunistic organisms like Listeria monocytogenes.Case reportA 52 year-old Saudi Arabian woman who was diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris and diabetes and had been on prednisolone and azathioprine for about 4 years. She presented with headache, low-grade fever, and left-sided weakness 2 weeks after receiving the second dose of rituximab infusion. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an enhanced space-occupying lesion with multiple small cyst-like structures and vasogenic edema in the right temporoparietal area. Her blood culture was positive for Listeria monocytogenes, and a brain biopsy showed necrotic tissues with pus and inflammatory cells. She recovered after a 6-week course of antibiotics with ampicillin and gentamycin.ConclusionsBrain abscess due to Listeria monocytogenes is a risk that should be considered when adding rituximab to the regimen of a patient who is already Immunocompromised

Radiation and snowmelt dynamics in mountain forests

Utilising extensive field observations and physically-based simulations of forest-snow processes, the impacts of needleleaf forest-cover on radiation and snowmelt dynamics were investigated in an eastern Rocky Mountain headwater catchment. At low-elevation pine forest sites, the sparse canopy-cover allowed for substantial shortwave transmittance to snow, giving topography-influenced snow radiation balances and snowmelt timing. By comparison, the denser high-elevation spruce cover minimised shortwave radiation to snow, resulting in snowmelt dominated by longwave radiation gains, and close synchronisation in melt timing across opposing mountain slopes. Field observations were used to direct and evaluate physically-based simulation models describing radiation-snow exchanges in needleleaf forests. This included the estimation of shortwave irradiance transfer through sparse needleleaf canopies with explicit account for differing shortwave transmittance properties of trunks, crowns, and gaps within highly structured mountain pine stands. Improved representation of sub-canopy longwave irradiance to mountain snow was also made through the determination of added longwave emissions from shortwave heated canopies. From model simulations, forest-cover effects on radiation to snow were found to vary substantially with both topography and seasonal meteorological conditions. In general, forest-cover increased radiation during the mid-winter by reducing longwave losses from snow. However, with greater shortwave irradiance into the spring, forest-cover effects on radiation to snow became increasing influenced by topography, with greater radiation under more open canopies on south-facing slopes and under more closed canopies on north-facing slopes. Drawing upon past field investigations and modelling exercises, a physically-based simulation model was constructed to represent snow accumulation and melt processes in needleleaf forest environments. By means of an objective evaluation, the model well represented differences in snow accumulation and melt in paired forest and clearing sites of varying location and climate. The model was subsequently applied to examine forest-cover impacts on mountain snowmelt, revealing that forest-cover removal substantially increased total snowmelt and sizeably expanded the spring melt period through a de-synchronisation of melt contributions from south-facing and north-facing landscapes. These results demonstrate the potential for altering the magnitude and timing of mountain snowmelt through topographic-specific changes in mountain forest-cover

Field Evaluation of Herbicides on Vegetables and Small Fruits 2004

Herbicide evaluation studies on vegetables and small fruits were conducted in 2004 at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at Fayetteville, AR, in an effort to evaluate new herbicides, herbicide mixtures, and their application timings for weed control efficacy and crop tolerance. Results of these studies, in part, provide useful information to producers, fellow researchers, the Crop Protection Industry, and the IR-4 Minor Crop Pest Management Program in the development of potential new herbicide uses in vegetable, and fruit

Somatic signals counteract reproductive aging in females

Recent research shows that declining oocyte quality with age is not inevitable in nematodes, and similar signals might regulate reproductive aging in women