Frost Tillage for Soil Management in the Northeastern USA

Tillage during the winter is typically considered impossible, despite its desirability in some cases. Soil freezing results in net upward movement of water to the freezing zone which facilitates primary tillage or incorporation of amendments. these can be performed during a time window when the frost layer is sufficiently thin to be ripped and the underlying soil is tillable. We evaluated the feasibility of frost tillage and performed an agronomic comparison with spring-tilled soil. Soil conditions conductive to frost tillage occurred during three time windows in the 1991/1992 and two in the 1992/1993 winter at Ithaca, NY. Frost tillage resulted in a rough soil surface, even after thawing, thereby presumably facilitating water infiltration. Soil drying was improvised in the spring of 1992, but not in 1993 after a very wet period had caused soil settling. Residue cover was greater with frost tillage in 1993 compared to spring tillage. Yields were similar in both 1992 and 1993. Frost tillage may be an attractive management option to shift fall and spring field work (primary tillage or manure application/injection) to the winter. In addition, winter manure incorporation may reduce spring runoff losses

Comparison of decision making and administrative organization for municipal water supplies in medium-sized and small Illinois municipalities

The study was designed to provide information on the decision making and organizational characteristics of municipally owned water systems in small and medium-sized Illinois municipalities, and to relate these characteristics to municipal as well as other water system characteristics. Data on the municipal water systems of 228 Illinois incorporated municipalities were gathered through mail and telephone surveys, as well as from secondary sources. The municipalities were chosen as part of a 50-percent sample, stratified by size, of all incorporated municipalities in Illinois with populations between 1,000 and 50,000. In addition to selected descriptive information on the water systems, the data are reported under water system decision making; planning and financial management; and technical management. Attempts to determine the relationships between the dependent variables and municipal and water system characteristics indicated a general weakness or absence of such relationships. While the quality of the data cannot be ruled out with certainty as the reason for the absence of the relationships, it is suggested that the relative lack of active interest on the part of municipalities in their water systems may account for the findings. The historical absence of the necessity to actively manage the water system other than in a routine fashion may have left these water systems quite unprepared to meet future sudden challenges.U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyOpe

The political dimension: added value for cross-cultural analysis:Nozawa and Smits, two CEO's and their public statements

Work-related cultural differences, which were familiarized by scholars such as Hall and Hofstede, offer important concepts to help us understand various forms of cooperation and communication. However, the predominant focus of cultural analysis on collectivistic harmony prevents us from gaining an understanding of strategy and conflict. In an attempt to grasp how conflicts are handled, a political analysis can provide new insights. This is illustrated by a comparative study of two CEOs who gave public statements concerning management failure: Shouhei Nozawa of Yamaichi and Paul Smits of KPN. Their statements were strikingly different in several ways, but the classical insights of cross-cultural analysis can only partly explain the differences. This is where political analysis comes in, focusing on interest relationships, responsibilities and virtues, tactics and strategy

Неустойчивость двухслойных течений в проливах Черного моря

Рассмотрена плоская задача о прогрессивных гравитационных внутренних волнах в горизонтальном двухслойном течении Кельвина-Гельмгольца. Найдено аналитическое решение задачи и условия существования внутренних волн. Для течений с параметрами, типичными для пролива Босфор и Керченского пролива, рассчитаны характеристики бароклинных волн. В пространстве волновых чисел определены диапазоны устойчивости и неустойчивости двухслойных течений с характерными для этих проливов параметрами относительно малых возмущений в форме прогрессивных волн.Розглянуто плоску задачу про прогресивні гравітаційні внутрішні хвилі у горизонтальній двошаровій течії Кельвіна-Гельмгольца. Знайдено аналітичне рішення задачі та умови існування внутрішніх хвиль. Для течій з параметрами, типовими для протоки Босфор і Керченської протоки, розраховані характеристики бароклінних хвиль. У просторі хвильових чисел визначені діапазони стійкості і нестійкості двошарових течій з характерними для цих проток параметрами відносно малих збурень у формі прогресивних хвиль.The plane problem of the progressive internal gravity waves in a horizontal two-layer Kelvin-Helmholtz flow is considered. The analytical solution of the problem and the conditions of existence of internal waves are found. For the flows with the typical parameters for the Bosphorus Strait and the Strait of Kerch, characteristics of baroclinic waves are calculated. The stability and instability regimes of two-layer currents with characteristic parameters of these straits with respect to small wave disturbances are found in the space of wave numbers

Repeated Endovascular Thrombectomy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: Results From a Nationwide Multicenter Database

Background and Purpose- Patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with endovascular thrombectomy may be treated with repeat endovascular thrombectomy (rEVT) in case of recurrent large vessel occlusion. Data on safety and efficacy of these interventions is scarce. Our aim is to report on frequency, timing, and outcome of rEVT in a large nation-wide multicenter registry. Methods- In the Netherlands, all patients with endovascular thrombectomy have been registered since 2002 (MR CLEAN Pretrial registry, MR CLEAN Trial [Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands], and MR CLEAN Registry). We retrospectively reviewed these databases for anterior circulation rEVT cases. Patient characteristics, procedural data, and functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale at 90 days) were analyzed. Results- Of 3928 patients treated between 2002 and 2017, 27 (0.7%) underwent rEVT. Median time between first and second procedure was 78 (1-1122) days; 11/27 patients were re-treated within 30 days. Cardioembolism was the most common etiology (18 patients [67%]). In 19 patients (70%), recurrent occlusion occurred ipsilateral to previous occlusion. At 90 days after rEVT procedure, 44% of the patients had achieved functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2), and 33% had died. Adverse events were 2/27 (7.4%) intracranial hemorrhage, 1/27 (3.7%) stroke progression, and 1/27 (3.7%) pneumonia. Conclusions- In this large nationwide cohort of patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with endovascular thrombectomy, rEVT was rare. Stroke cause was mainly cardio-embolic, and most recurrent large vessel occlusions in which rEVT was performed occurred ipsilateral. Although there probably is a selection bias on repeated treatment in case of recurrent large vessel occlusion, rEVT appears safe, with similar outcome as in single-treated cases

Feasibility study of ultrasound-guided resection of tongue cancer with immediate specimen examination to improve margin control - Comparison with conventional treatment

Objectives: Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (SCCT) is preferably treated by surgery. Free resection margins (> 5 mm) provide local control and disease-free survival. However, close (1-5 mm) and positive margins (< 1 mm) are frequently encountered. We present our first experience of in-vivo ultrasound (US) guided SCCT resections followed by ex-vivo US control on the resection specimen to obtain free margins. We compare the results with those from a hisorical cohort of 91 conventionally treated SCCT patients. Materials and methods: Ten patients with SCCT were included in a consecutive US-cohort. We aimed for a 5-10 mm margin during surgery, while we visualized the resection plane on US. Ex-vivo US measurements on the resection specimen determined whether there was any need for an immediate re-resection. US measurements were then compared with histopathology. Histopathological margins were compared with a consecutive cohort of 91 patients who had undergone conventional surgery for a SCCT. Results: In the US cohort, 70% of the margins were free. In the conventional cohort, this figure was 17% (P = 0.005). US predicted minimal histopathological margin distance with a mean +/- SD error of 1.9 +/- 1.8 mm. The mean +/- SD of the histopathological overall submucosal/deep margin distance was 7.9 +/- 2.1 mm in the US cohort and 7.0 +/- 2.2 mm in the conventional cohort (P = 0.188). Ex-vivo examination through use of US indicated an immediate re-resection, which prevented local adjuvant treatment. Conclusion: Use of US-guided SCCT resection is feasible and improves margin control

Feasibility study of ultrasound-guided resection of tongue cancer with immediate specimen examination to improve margin control - Comparison with conventional treatment

Objectives: Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (SCCT) is preferably treated by surgery. Free resection margins (&gt; 5 mm) provide local control and disease-free survival. However, close (1-5 mm) and positive margins (&lt; 1 mm) are frequently encountered. We present our first experience of in-vivo ultrasound (US) guided SCCT resections followed by ex-vivo US control on the resection specimen to obtain free margins. We compare the results with those from a hisorical cohort of 91 conventionally treated SCCT patients. Materials and methods: Ten patients with SCCT were included in a consecutive US-cohort. We aimed for a 5-10 mm margin during surgery, while we visualized the resection plane on US. Ex-vivo US measurements on the resection specimen determined whether there was any need for an immediate re-resection. US measurements were then compared with histopathology. Histopathological margins were compared with a consecutive cohort of 91 patients who had undergone conventional surgery for a SCCT. Results: In the US cohort, 70% of the margins were free. In the conventional cohort, this figure was 17% (P = 0.005). US predicted minimal histopathological margin distance with a mean +/- SD error of 1.9 +/- 1.8 mm. The mean +/- SD of the histopathological overall submucosal/deep margin distance was 7.9 +/- 2.1 mm in the US cohort and 7.0 +/- 2.2 mm in the conventional cohort (P = 0.188). Ex-vivo examination through use of US indicated an immediate re-resection, which prevented local adjuvant treatment. Conclusion: Use of US-guided SCCT resection is feasible and improves margin control.</p

Outcome Prediction Models for Endovascular Treatment of Ischemic Stroke:Systematic Review and External Validation

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Prediction models for outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke who will undergo endovascular treatment have been developed to improve patient management. The aim of the current study is to provide an overview of preintervention models for functional outcome after endovascular treatment and to validate these models with data from daily clinical practice. METHODS: We systematically searched within Medline, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, to include prediction models. Models identified from the search were validated in the MR CLEAN (Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands) registry, which includes all patients treated with endovascular treatment within 6.5 hours after stroke onset in the Netherlands between March 2014 and November 2017. Predictive performance was evaluated according to discrimination (area under the curve) and calibration (slope and intercept of the calibration curve). Good functional outcome was defined as a score of 0–2 or 0–3 on the modified Rankin Scale depending on the model. RESULTS: After screening 3468 publications, 19 models were included in this validation. Variables included in the models mainly addressed clinical and imaging characteristics at baseline. In the validation cohort of 3156 patients, discriminative performance ranged from 0.61 (SPAN-100 [Stroke Prognostication Using Age and NIH Stroke Scale]) to 0.80 (MR PREDICTS). Best-calibrated models were THRIVE (The Totaled Health Risks in Vascular Events; intercept −0.06 [95% CI, −0.14 to 0.02]; slope 0.84 [95% CI, 0.75–0.95]), THRIVE-c (intercept 0.08 [95% CI, −0.02 to 0.17]; slope 0.71 [95% CI, 0.65–0.77]), Stroke Checkerboard score (intercept −0.05 [95% CI, −0.13 to 0.03]; slope 0.97 [95% CI, 0.88–1.08]), and MR PREDICTS (intercept 0.43 [95% CI, 0.33–0.52]; slope 0.93 [95% CI, 0.85–1.01]). CONCLUSIONS: The THRIVE-c score and MR PREDICTS both showed a good combination of discrimination and calibration and were, therefore, superior in predicting functional outcome for patients with ischemic stroke after endovascular treatment within 6.5 hours. Since models used different predictors and several models had relatively good predictive performance, the decision on which model to use in practice may also depend on simplicity of the model, data availability, and the comparability of the population and setting

An optical coherence tomography study of a biodegradable vs. durable polymer-coated limus-eluting stent: a LEADERS trial sub-study

Aims Incomplete endothelialization has been found to be associated with late stent thrombosis, a rare but devastating phenomenon, more frequent after drug-eluting stent implantation. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has 10 times greater resolution than intravascular ultrasound and thus appears to be a valuable modality for the assessment of stent strut coverage. The LEADERS trial was a multi-centre, randomized comparison of a biolimus-eluting stent (BES) with biodegradable polymer with a sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) using a durable polymer. This study sought to evaluate tissue coverage and apposition of stents using OCT in a group of patients from the randomized LEADERS trial. Methods and results Fifty-six consecutive patients underwent OCT during angiographic follow-up at 9 months. OCT images were acquired using a non-occlusive technique at a pullback speed of 3 mm/s. Data were analysed using a Bayesian hierarchical random-effects model, which accounted for the correlation of lesion characteristics within patients and implicitly assigned analytical weights to each lesion depending on the number of struts observed per lesion. Primary outcome was the difference in percentage of uncovered struts between BESs and SESs. Twenty patients were included in the analysis in the BES group (29 lesions with 4592 struts) and 26 patients in the SES group (35 lesions with 6476 struts). A total of 83 struts were uncovered in the BES group and 407 out of 6476 struts were uncovered in the SES group [weighted difference −1.4%, 95% confidence interval (CI) −3.7 to 0.0, P = 0.04]. Results were similar after adjustment for pre-procedure lesion length, reference vessel diameter, number of implanted study stents, and presence of stent overlap. There were three lesions in the BES group and 15 lesions in the SES group that had ≥5% of all struts uncovered (difference −33.1%, 95% CI −61.7 to −10.3, P < 0.01). Conclusion Strut coverage at an average follow-up of 9 months appears to be more complete in patients allocated to BESs when compared with SESs. The impact of this difference on clinical outcome and, in particular, on the risk of late stent thrombosis is yet to be determine