Scituate (including Norwell), Massachusetts, 1831 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Map of Scituate, Mass., surveyed by A. Robbins and S.A. Turner. It was published by Pendleton's Lithography in 1831. Scale [1:19,800]. Covers the towns of Scituate and Norwell, Massachusetts. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate System, Mainland Zone (in Feet) (Fipszone 2001). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, drainage, public buildings, schools, churches, cemeteries, industry locations (e.g. mills, factories, mines, etc.), private buildings, town boundaries and more. Relief is shown by hachures. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps of Massachusetts from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates (1755-1922), scales, and purposes. The digitized selection includes maps of: the state, Massachusetts counties, town surveys, coastal features, real property, parks, cemeteries, railroads, roads, public works projects, etc.

Formal specification and refinement of a safe train control function

Motivated by the design and development challenges of the BART case study, an approach for developing and analyzing a formal model for reactive systems is presented. The approach makes use of a domain specific language for specifying control algorithms able to satisfy competing properties such as safety and optimality. The domain language, called SPC, offers several key abstractions such as the state, the profile, and the constraint to facilitate problem specification. Using a high-level program transformation system such as HATS being developed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, specifications in this modelling language can be transformed to ML code. The resulting executable specification can be further refined by applying generic transformations to the abstractions provided by the domain language. Problem dependent transformations utilizing the domain specific knowledge and properties may also be applied. The result is a significantly more efficient implementation which can be used for simulation and gaining deeper insight into design decisions and various control policies. The correctness of transformations can be established using a rewrite-rule based induction theorem prover Rewrite Rule Laboratory developed at the University of New Mexico.

The effects of sevoflurane and ketamine on intraocular pressure in children during examination under anesthesia

PURPOSE: We studied the effects on intraocular pressure (IOP) of anesthesia administered during examination under anesthesia (EUA) in children. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. METHODS: This randomized trial compared IOP after inhaled sevoflurane gas to that after intramuscular ketamine hydrochloride in children undergoing EUA. IOP was measured in 30 eyes with TonoPen XL (Mentor, Inc, Norwell, Massachusetts, USA) as soon as possible after anesthesia induction (T1) and two, four, six, and eight minutes thereafter. At the same times, we recorded systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and heart rate (HR). RESULTS: Compared with the mean IOP at T1, IOP in the sevoflurane group was significantly lower for all measurements from two to eight minutes thereafter (mean decrease in IOP: two minutes = 12%, four minutes = 19%; six minutes = 19%; eight minutes = 17%, all P < or = .01). In the ketamine group, mean IOP was not significantly changed from T1 through six minutes, whereas at eight minutes, it was 7% lower (P = .03). SBP and DBP were significantly lower for sevoflurane than for ketamine at all measurements from two minutes onward, and HR was lower for sevoflurane than for ketamine at two, four, and six minutes. CONCLUSIONS: IOP measured after ketamine sedation is more likely to represent the awake IOP than that after sevoflurane anesthesia. Changes in SBP, DBP, and HR caused by sevoflurane suggest that hemodynamic alterations may underlie its effects on IOP.

Desarrollo de un plan estratégico de logística para la empresa Aconquistar S.A.S.

El presente trabajo de grado surgió a partir de una investigación realizada semestres anteriores a la empresa ACONQUISTAR S.A.S., en donde se encontraron falencias logísticas relacionadas con el transporte de mercancías. Por consiguiente este trabajo es el resultado del análisis de la cadena de Abastecimiento y el acercamiento a la creación de un plan estratégico de logística Para dicha empresa. Para el desarrollo del trabajo se establecieron tres frentes de ejecución; la cadena de abastecimiento de la empresa, los operadores logísticos de transporte y los clientes, con el fin de obtener las bases necesaria para lograr trabajar en el diseño del plan estratégico de logística para la empresa. El cual, consistió en la aplicación del Modelo de Referencia de Operaciones para la Cadena de abastecimiento (SCOR).

Corrupción y delitos contra la administración pública especial referencia a los delitos cometidos en la contratación

La corrupción sigue siendo uno de los principales problemas del Estado de Derecho en el siglo XXI. Su incidencia reduce la eficacia de la inversión, aumenta el valor de los bienes y servicios, reduce la competitividad de las empresas, vulnera la confianza de los ciudadanos en el ordenamiento jurídico y sobre todo condena a la miseria a quienes deben ser destinatarios de las políticas públicas.Sin embrago, la lucha que han realizado muchos gobiernos y funcionarios judiciales contra este fenómeno ha modificado sus formas de aparición, pues es cada vez menos frecuente la apropiación directa de los caudales públicos o la entrega de sobornos a los funcionarios, prefiriéndose métodos mucho más sutiles como los sobrecostos, la subcontratación masiva o la constitución de complicadas sociedades, en las cuales tienen participación los funcionarios públicos o sus familias.Este libro constituye un esfuerzo por el estudio jurídico y criminológico de la corrupción y los delitos contra la administración pública en Europa y Latinoamérica y reúne la selección de los temas penales más relevantes de la tesis doctoral del profesor Carlos Guillermo Castro Cuenca, denominada Aproximación a la Corrupción en la contratación pública y defendida en la universidad de Salamanca en febrero de 2008, con lo cual obtuvo la calificación de sobresaliente por unanimidad.

Chess endgames: data and strategy

While Nalimov’s endgame tables for Western Chess are the most used today, their Depth-to-Mate metric is not the only one and not the most effective in use. The authors have developed and used new programs to create tables to alternative metrics and recommend better strategies for endgame play.

Model endgame analysis

A reference model of Fallible Endgame Play has been implemented and exercised with the chess engine WILHELM. Various experiments have demonstrated the value of the model and the robustness of decisions based on it. Experimental results have also been compared with the theoretical predictions of a Markov model of the endgame and found to be in close agreement.

Sellar collision tumor involving pituitary gonadotroph adenoma and chondroma: a potential clinical diagnosis

We report on a 74-year-old male patient who presented with progressive neuroophthalmologic symptoms soon after the administration of a long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist for treatment of a prostate cancer. Imaging revealed a destructively growing and extensively calcified sellar mass inconsistent with a pituitary adenoma. A transseptal transsphenoidal tumor mass reduction yielded a histological diagnosis of a collision tumor comprised of a gonadotroph adenoma intermingled with osteochondroma. We discuss a potential causal relationship between the administration of the long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and the sudden appearance of the previously unsuspected sellar lesion. Although the association of these two tumors is very likely coincidental, the possibility of causal relationship is addressed.

Pituitary surgery for small prolactinomas as an alternative to treatment with dopamine agonists

Despite the fact that consensus guidelines recommend long-term dopamine agonist (DA) therapy as a first-line approach to the treatment of small prolactinoma, some patients continue to prefer a primary surgical approach. Concerns over potential adverse effects of long-term medical therapy and/or the desire to become pregnant and avoid long-term medication are often mentioned as reasons to pursue surgical removal. In this retrospective study, 34 consecutive patients (30 female, 4 male) preferably underwent primary pituitary surgery without prior DA treatment for small prolactinomas (microprolactinoma 1-10 mm, macroprolactinoma 11-20 mm) at the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Bern, Switzerland. At the time of diagnosis, 31 of 34 patients (91%) presented with symptoms. Patients with microprolactinomas had significantly lower preoperative prolactin (PRL) levels compared to patients with macroprolactinomas (median 143 μg/l vs. 340 μg/l). Ninety percent of symptomatic patients experienced significant improvement of their signs and symptoms upon surgery. The postoperative PRL levels (median 3.45 μg/l) returned to normal in 94% of patients with small prolactinomas. There was no mortality and no major morbidities. One patient suffered from hypogonadotropic hypogonadism after surgery despite postoperative normal PRL levels. Long-term remission was achieved in 22 of 24 patients (91%) with microprolactinomas, and in 8 of 10 patients (80%) with macroprolactinomas after a median follow-up period of 33.5 months. Patients with small prolactinomas can safely consider pituitary surgery in a specialized centre with good chance of long-term remission as an alternative to long-term DA therapy.

Functionalisation of PLLA nanofiber scaffolds using a possible cooperative effect between collagen type I and BMP-2: impact on colonization and bone formation in vivo

The reconstruction of large bone defects after injury or tumor resection often requires the use of bone substitution. Artificial scaffolds based on synthetic biomaterials can overcome disadvantages of autologous bone grafts, like limited availability and donor side morbidity. Among them, scaffolds based on nanofibers offer great advantages. They mimic the extracellular matrix, can be used as a carrier for growth factors and allow the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Differentiation is triggered by a series of signaling processes, including integrin and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), which act in a cooperative manner. The aim of this study was to analyze whether these processes can be remodeled in artificial poly-(l)-lactide acid (PLLA) based nanofiber scaffolds in vivo. Electrospun matrices composed of PLLA-collagen type I or BMP-2 incorporated PLLA-collagen type I were implanted in calvarial critical size defects in rats. Cranial CT-scans were taken 4, 8 and 12 weeks after implantation. Specimens obtained after euthanasia were processed for histology and immunostainings on osteocalcin, BMP-2 and Smad5. After implantation the scaffolds were inhomogeneously colonized and cells were only present in wrinkle- or channel-like structures. Ossification was detected only in focal areas of the scaffold. This was independent of whether BMP-2 was incorporated in the scaffold. However, cells that migrated into the scaffold showed an increased ratio of osteocalcin and Smad5 positive cells compared to empty defects. Furthermore, in case of BMP-2 incorporated PLLA-collagen type I scaffolds, 4 weeks after implantation approximately 40 % of the cells stained positive for BMP-2 indicating an autocrine process of the ingrown cells. These findings indicate that a cooperative effect between BMP-2 and collagen type I can be transferred to PLLA nanofibers and furthermore, that this effect is active in vivo. However, this had no effect on bone formation. The reason for this seems to be an unbalanced colonization of the scaffolds with cells, due to insufficient pore size.

Ectopic growth hormone-releasing hormone secretion by a metastatic bronchial carcinoid tumor: a case with a non hypophysial intracranial tumor that shrank during long acting octreotide treatment

Ectopic acromegaly represents less than 1% of the reported cases of acromegaly. Although clinical improvement is common after treatment with somatostatin (SMS) analogs, the biochemical response and tumor size of the growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)-producing tumor and its metastases are less predictable. Subject A 36-year-old male was referred because of a 3-year history of acromegaly related symptoms. He had undergone lung surgery in 1987 for a "benign" carcinoid tumor. Endocrine evaluation confirmed acromegaly Plasma IGF-1: 984 ng/ml (63-380), GH: 49.8 ng/ml (<5). MRI showed a large mass in the left cerebellopontine angle and diffuse pituitary hyperplasia. Pulmonary, liver and bone metastases were shown by chest and abdominal CT scans. Ectopic GHRH secretion was suspected. Methods Measurement of circulating GHRH levels by fluorescence immunoassay levels and immunohistochemical study of the primary lung tumor and metastatic tissue with anti-GHRH and anti-somatostatin receptor type 2 (sst2A) antibodies. Results Basal plasma GHRH: 4654 pg/ml (<100). Pathological study of liver and bone biopsy material and lung tissue removed 19 years earlier was consistent with an atypical carcinoid producing GHRH and exhibiting sst2A receptor expression. Treatment with octreotide LAR 20-40 mg q. month resulted in normalization of plasma IGF-1 levels. Circulating GHRH levels decreased dramatically. The size of the left prepontine cistern mass, with SMS receptors shown by a radiolabeled pentetreotide scan, decreased by 80% after 18 months of therapy. Total regression of pituitary enlargement was also observed. No changes were observed in lung and liver metastases. After 24 months of therapy the patient is asymptomatic and living a full and active life.