The work of reuse: birth certificate data and healthcare accountability measurements

Data reuse – long a key focus of information studies and CSCW research on eScience – is increasingly a major issue in organizations attempting to leverage data gathered using information systems for accountability functions such as performance measurements. Carrying out organizational analytics and performance measurements for accountability typically rests on the ability to successfully reuse existing, procurable data. We present results from an ethnographic study of the practices of recording birth certificate data and related attempts to assess and improve birth certificate data in response to a new re-use of birth certificate data for measurements introduced to hold hospitals accountable for the quality of the care they are delivering. Drawing on literature on data reuse and information infrastructure, we describe the situated work that must take place in order for birth certificate data to be reused for accountability purposes, and the organizational capacity building that must take place to facilitate the reuse of birth certificate data for measurement oriented to organizational improvement and accountability

Chave para identificação de mamíferos da região amazônica brasileira com exceção dos quirópteros e primatas

Apresenta-se uma chave para identificar os mamíferos encontrados na região amazônica brasileira, excluídos os morcegos e macacos. Esta chave utiliza quantidade mínima de termos técnicos e poderá ser usada tanto por pessoas sem conhecimentos básicos, como também, por conhecedores de mastozoologia. São relacionadas 107 espécies de mamíferos compreendendo: 17 marsupiais, 16 edentatos, 1 lagomorfo, 41 roedores, 2 cetáceos, 20 carnívoros, 2 sirênios, 1 perissodáctilo e 7 artiodáctilos. Esta chave será especialmente útil para identificar mamíferos coletados em levantamentos da fauna e em estudos epidemiológicos.A key to the mammals, other than bats and monkeys, believed to be found in the Brazilian Amazon Region is presented. This key uses a minimum number of technical terms, and is intended to be used by persons untrained in mammalogy as well as by mammalogists. It includes 107 species: 17 marsupials, 16 edentates, 1 lagomorph, 41 rodents, 2 cetaceans, 20 carnivores, 2 sirenians, 1 perissodactyl and 7 artiodactyls. It should be of special use in identifying mammals collected in faunal surveys and in epidemiological studies

The second known specimen of Monodelphis unistriata (Wagner) (Mammalia: Didelphimorphia), with redescription of the species and phylogenetic analysis

Very little information exists concerning taxonomic information and phylogenetic relationships of the opossum genus Monodelphis Burnett. Of the clearly distinct named species, the least information is available for M. unistriata (Wagner), one of the world's most poorly known species of mammals. Extant specimens consist of the Brazilian holotype of a skin now without a skull and dating from almost 200 years ago, and a second specimen with skin and incomplete skull dating from over a hundred years ago and from Argentina. The most recent published notes on the holotype date from well over half a century ago and, all told, such notes, the earliest dating from 1842, add up to a highly fragmentary and contradictory picture. No observations whatsoever have ever been published for the second and more complete specimen. Also, no hypotheses have ever been made concerning the intrageneric affinities of M. unistriata and such affinities have also been obscure throughout the genus. Herein, we provide a detailed redescription of M. unistriata, the first published images of specimens, and the first account, beyond the previous few most vague and incomplete remarks, of the morphology of the skull. In an effort to ascertain the phylogenetic affinities of M. unistriata, we performed a combined molecular (cytochrome b) and nonmolecular (postcranial, cranial, integument, and karyotypic characters) parsimony analysis incorporating 27 species of didelphids, including 11 of Monodelphis. Our results strongly support the monophyly of Monodelphis, and places M. unistriata as sister group to M. iheringi, among the included species.Fil: Pine, Ronald H.. University of Kansas. Biodiversity Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Flores, David Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Bauer, Kurt. Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Austri

A newly recognized clade of trans-Andean Oryzomyini (Rodentia: Cricetidae), with description of a new genus.

We expand upon recent studies on relationships within the Oryzomyini, in particular, those involving taxa currently assigned to the genus Sigmodontomys. In recent years, Sigmodontomys has been treated as including 2 species, alfari (J. A. Allen, 1897) and aphrastus (Harris, 1932), but throughout their complicated taxonomic history both species also have been placed in the genus Oryzomys, and alfari independently in Nectomys. Using morphological (98 external, cranial, dental, and postcranial) and molecular (nuclear interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein gene and mitochondrial cytochrome-b and ribosomal 12S RNA genes) characters, we infer the phylogenetic position of these 2 species within Oryzomyini. We document that alfari and aphrastus do not form a monophyletic group. Sigmodontomys alfari is most closely related to Melanomys, and aphrastus is either the sister to that clade, or to the extinct Caribbean genus Megalomys. Thus, aphrastus is best regarded as representing a new genus, which is described and named herein. This new genus falls within the Sigmodontomys–Melanomys–Aegialomys–Nesoryzomys clade, which forms a monophyletic group of mainly southern Central American and northern South American taxa primarily restricted to lowland to midelevation montane trans-Andean habitats and possessing a marked ability to cross expanses of salt water. The new genus occurs in middle elevations from north-central Costa Rica to northwestern Ecuador and along with some populations of Aegialomys and Melanomys occupies the highest elevations for members of this group. Resumen—A partir de estudios recientes, profundizamos acerca de las relaciones filogenéticas dentro de Oryzomyini (Rodentia: Cricetidae), en particular aquellas que involucran taxa actualmente atribuidos al género Sigmodontomys. Recientemente se ha considerado que Sigmodontomys incluye dos especies—alfari (J. A. Allen, 1897) y aphrastus (Harris, 1932), sin embargo, a través de su complicada historia taxonómica, ambas especies también han sido incluidas dentro del género Oryzomys, y alfari independientemente dentro del género Nectomys. Usando caracteres morfológicos (98 externos, craneales, dentales y postcraneales) y moleculares (citocromo b, 12S y IRBP), inferimos la posición filogenética de estas dos especies dentro de Oryzomyini. Documentamos que alfari y aphrastus no forman un grupo monofilético. Sigmodontomys alfari es el taxón hermano de Melanomys, mientras aphrastus es hermano de dicho grupo, o del género caribeño extinto Megalomys. Por consiguiente, consideramos a aphrastus como un nuevo género que describimos y nombramos a continuación. Este nuevo género está incluido dentro del clado formado por Sigmodontomys–Melanomys–Aegialomys–Nesoryzomys, el cual representa un grupo monofilético bien sustentado principalmente del sur de Centroamérica y norte de Sudamérica, restringido principalmente a hábitats de tierras bajas a elevaciones intermedias trasandinas, y caracterizado por su habilidad de cruzar barreras de agua salada. El nuevo género se encuentra en elevaciones medianas y altas desde el centro y norte de Costa Rica hasta el noroeste de Ecuador y, junto con algunas poblaciones de Aegialomys y Melanomys, ocupa las elevaciones más altas de cualquier miembro de este grupo

First principles numerical model of avalanche-induced arc discharges in electron-irradiated dielectrics

The model consists of four phases: single electron dynamics, single electron avalanche, negative streamer development, and tree formation. Numerical algorithms and computer code implementations are presented for the first three phases. An approach to developing a code description of fourth phase is discussed. Numerical results are presented for a crude material model of Teflon

Marsupials and rodents of the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea

We provide the first account of all non-volant, non-marine mammals recorded, whether reliably, questionably, or erroneously, from the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea. Species recorded with certainty, or near certainty, are the bandicoot Echymipera cf. kalubu, the widespread cuscus Phalanger orientalis, the endemic (?) cuscus Spilocuscus kraemeri, the endemic rat Melomys matambuai, a recently described species of endemic Rattus, R. detentus, and the commensal rodents Rattus exulans and Rattus rattus. Species erroneously reported from the islands or whose presence has yet to be confirmed are the rats Melomys bougainville, Rattus mordax, Rattus praetor, and Uromys neobrittanicus. Included additional specimens to those previously reported in the literature are of Spilocuscus kraemeri and two new specimens of the endemic Melomys matambuai, previously known only from the holotype and a paratype, and new specimens of Rattus exulans. The identity of a specimen previously thought to be of Spilocuscus kraemeri and said to have been taken on Bali, an island off the coast of West New Britain, does appear to be of that species, although this animal is generally thought of as occurring only in the Admiralties and vicinity. Summaries from the literature and new information are provided on the morphology, variation, natural history, and zoogeography of the species treated

Zero sound in a single component fermion - Bose Einstein Condensate mixture

The resonant dynamics of mediated interactions supports zero-sound in a cold atom degenerate mixture of a single component fermion gas and a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). We characterize the onset of instability in the phase separation of an unstable mixture and we find a rich collective mode structure for stable mixtures with one undamped mode that exhibits an avoided crossing and a Landau-damped mode that terminates.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Roosting habits of disk-winged bats, especially Thyroptera discifera

Roosting habits of disk-winged bats of the genus Thyroptera (Chiroptera: Thyropteridae) have been unknown to very poorly known except for those of the commonly encountered T. tricolor. Many secondary literature publications state that roosting habits of Thyroptera in general are those of tricolor, known to roost almost exclusively in vertical, unfurling large leaves, especially of native Heliconia and introduced banana (genus Musa). However, so far as known, no other species of Thyroptera chooses such roosts. Until 1993, the only species of Thyroptera known were tricolor and discifera—they had been the only two known for 139 years. During this long period, the unique roosting habits of tricolor often were attributed to the genus as a whole, as sometimes still happens today. Now there are three more known species—lavali, devivoi, and wynneae. In this paper, we correct misconceptions concerning roosting habits in Thyroptera, summarize what is known for all five species, and provide the first detailed observations on roosting in discifera. Thyroptera discifera has been found roosting attached to the underside of a palm leaflet or leaflets in Brazil and in conically curled portions of dead banana leaves in Costa Rica. Los hábitos de selección de refugios de los murciélagos de ventosas del género Thyroptera (Chiroptera: Thyropteridae) han sido desconocidos o muy poco conocidos, con excepción a los hábitos de T. tricolor, que es la especie que se encuentra comúnmente. Muchas publicaciones de literatura secundaria afirman que los hábitos de selección de refugio de los Thyroptera en general son los mismos que los de tricolor, que son conocidos por descansar casi exclusivamente en hojas grandes verticales y parcialmente enrolladas, especialmente hojas de Heliconia nativa y banano introducido (género Musa). Sin embargo, por el momento no se conoce ninguna otra especie de Thyroptera que elija este tipo de refugio. Hasta 1993, las únicas especies de Thyroptera conocidas eran tricolor y discifera y habían sido las únicas dos especies conocidas durante 139 años. Durante este largo período, los hábitos particulares de selección de refugios de tricolor frecuentemente se atribuyeron a todo género, como a veces todavía sucede hoy en día. Actualmente se conocen tres especies más en este género: lavali, devivoi y wynneae. En este artículo, corregimos los conceptos erróneos sobre selección de refugios en Thyroptera, resumimos lo que se conoce de las cinco especies y brindamos las primeras observaciones detalladas sobre la selección de refugios de discifera. Thyroptera discifera se ha encontrado descansando adherido a la parte inferior de un folíolo o folíolos de palma en Brasil y en porciones de hojas muertas de plátano enrolladas cónicamente en Costa Rica