Whales, dolphins, and porpoises of the western North Atlantic: a guide to their identification

This is an identification guide for cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). It was designed to assist laypersons in identifying cetaceans encountered in the western North Atlantic Ocean and was intended for use by ongoing cetacean observer programs. This publication includes sections on identifying cetaceans at sea as well as stranded animals on shore. Species accounts are divided by body size and presence or lack of a dorsal fin. Appendices cover tags used on cetacean species; how to record and report cetacean observations at see and for stranded cetaceans; and a list of contacts for reporting cetacean strandings. (Document pdf contains 183 pages - file takes considerable time to open

A Software Application for Cardiac-Gated Computerized Tomography Scanning

Computerized tomography (CT) scans are a common clinical imaging procedure used worldwide. Operating in the X-Ray spectrum, these machines rotate scanners around a stationary body in order to compile two-dimensional images into a unified three-dimensional image. With adjustment to scan frequency and intensity, internal features such as muscles, organs, and tendons can easily be viewed. However, the heart has long evaded CT use due to its near-constant motion. Recently, cardiac-gated scans have entered the market as a technique to image the heart at a specific moment in time when it is nearly still - the quiescent period. Occurring during rapid depolarization of the ventricles, the stationary heart is briefly imaged until the next cycle occurs and quiescence re-emerges. Cardiac-gated imaging requires an electrogardiography (ECG) input from the heart in order to coordinate with the movements of the CT scanner. A software application was developed for FMI Medical Systems to integrate a pre-existing CT scanner with an ECG. The software was responsible for reading a raw ECG input from a system network port, analyzing the signal, and triggering the CT to scan during the quiescent period of the heart. This required the code to interface with the ECG and the CT, which were both simulated for testing and demonstration purposes. The complexity of software design was approached by an iterative process, where portions of code were developed to meet specific customer and engineering requirements. The final code will be used by FMI to bring cardiac-gated functionality to their CT scanners

A banking history of Louisiana

When in 1927 Dr. E.L. Bogart, the economic historian, declared that he considered that Louisiana furnished the 'richest field of unexplored research in banking evolution of any state in America,' he expressed a need that has been felt by students of banking for many years. Though Louisiana has been a pioneer in the development of sound banking in this country, having passed even as early as 1842 a law that Horace White has described as 'eminently scientific' and 'in nearly all respects a model for other states and countries,' no adequate single treatment of the development of banking in Louisiana has ever been written. When and why were banks first chartered in Louisiana? What part did the State play in the development of Louisiana's banking system? How did the banks affect the development of the Mississippi Valley, and how were they themselves in turn affected by this development? What were the results of the Civil War upon the banks in Louisiana? To what extent have the banking laws of Louisiana been copied by other states and by the United States? These are some of the problems considered in this study. It should not be forgotten, though, that Louisiana's banking system did not develop wholly of itself. Remarkably original as it has been, nevertheless, at nearly every stage of its development, it has reflected the evolution taking place throughout the country. Completely to understand its history, therefore, one should have well in mind the facts in the development of banking in other states and in the Union. Only the most important facts can be given in the short space of a chapter, but it is hoped that the outline in Chapter I will suffice to provide an adequate background for this studyEconomic

Substance Abuse via Legally Prescribed Drugs: The Case of Vicodin in the United States

Vicodin is the most commonly prescribed pain reliever in the United States. Research indicates that there are two million people who are currently abusing Vicodin, and the majority of those who abuse Vicodin were initially exposed to it via prescription. Our goal is to determine the most effective strategies for reducing the overall population of Vicodin abusers. More specifically, we focus on whether prevention methods aimed at educating doctors and patients on the potential for drug abuse or treatment methods implemented after a person abuses Vicodin will have a greater overall impact. We consider one linear and two non-linear compartmental models in which medical users of Vicodin can transition into the abuser compartment or leave the population by no longer taking the drug. Once Vicodin abusers, people can transition into a treatment compartment, with the possibility of leaving the population through successful completion of treatment or of relapsing and re-entering the abusive compartment. The linear model assumes no social interaction, while both non-linear models consider interaction. One considers interaction with abusers affecting the relapse rate, while the other assumes both this and an additional interaction between the number of abusers and the number of new prescriptions. Sensitivity analyses are conducted varying the rates of success of these intervention methods measured by the parameters to determine which strategy has the greatest impact on controlling the population of Vicodin abusers. From these models and analyses, we determine that manipulating parameters tied to prevention measures has a greater impact on reducing the population of abusers than manipulating parameters associated with treatment. We also note that increasing the rate at which abusers seek treatment affects the population of abusers more than the success rate of treatment itself

Haemostatic alterations and management of haemostasis in patients with cirrhosis

Patients with cirrhosis frequently acquire complex changes in their haemostatic system including a decreased platelet count and decreased levels of various haemostatic proteins. Although historically patients with cirrhosis were thought to have a haemostasis-related bleeding tendency, it is now widely accepted that the haemostatic system of patients with cirrhosis remains in balance as a result of simultaneous changes in pro- and anti-haemostatic systems. The concept of rebalanced haemostasis has led to changes in clinical management, although firm evidence from well-designed clinical studies is largely lacking. For example, many invasive procedures in patients with cirrhosis and a prolonged prothrombin time are now performed without prophylaxis with fresh frozen plasma. Conversely, clinicians have become more aware of the need for anti-thrombotic therapy, even in those patients with abnormal routine coagulation tests. This paper will outline recent advances in pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of both bleeding and thrombotic complications in patients with cirrhosis. Among other topics, we will discuss the haemostatic status of acutely ill patients with cirrhosis, the various causes of bleeding in patients with cirrhosis, and how best to prevent or treat bleeding. In addition, we will discuss the hypercoagulable features of patients with cirrhosis, new insights into the pathogenesis of portal vein thrombosis, and how best to prevent or treat thromboses

Effects of restoring portal flow with anticoagulation and partial splenorenal shunt embolization

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110757/1/hep27241.pd

Historic Scour Data Collected at Selected Bridges in South Carolina

2008 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Addressing Water Challenges Facing the State and Regio

In Search of a New Lunes Ni Kodas : an Integrated Approach Towards Increased Rainy Season Vegetable Production in Two Municipalities in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. (Volumes I and II).

Vegetable production in the rainy season (May-October) in two municipalities in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines, was studied as a test of a general methodology for integrating observation of farmer production systems with technology development. The approach taken was that technology