Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): Components, Dimensions, and its Correlates

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has been identified as one of the crucial factors that affect teaching effectiveness and student learning worldwide. UNESCO, many international organizations, and many governments emphasized the importance of ICT and try to incorporate ICT into education systems. This study examined self-assessed computer competency in thirteen ICT areas from two samples, e.g., the United States and Mexico. Reliability tests were conducted, and rank analysis was done among them. By using factor analysis, these thirteen areas were grouped into three categories: “basic ICT skills”; “advanced ICT skills;” and “multimedia skills and attitudes towards ICT”. Subjects showed the highest scores in basic ICT skills, which include knowledge of computer systems, use of the operating system, search internet and communication and networking. The multimedia skills and attitudes towards ICT demonstrated the second highest scores. Advanced ICT skills that include image processing, use of database, technological platforms, and web 2.0 tools was found to have the lowest competency scores among subjects. Multivariate analysis was also conducted and found that age and gender are two significant factors to predict ICT competency, and age was found to have a non-linear relationship on advanced ICT skills

Exploring the Impact of Coaches’ Emotional Abuse on Intercollegiate Student-Athletes’ Experiences

Despite widespread anecdotal accounts of coaches’ emotional abuse in intercollegiate sports, empirical literature is lacking. To address this gap, the present exploratory study was designed to explore how former intercollegiate student-athletes interpreted experiences of emotionally abusive coaching. Former female NCAA and NJCAA student-athletes (N = 14; Mage = 25.3 years) took part in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Data were interpreted using a constructivist grounded theory approach. The final product of the research was a three-stage grounded theory explaining how former student-athletes interpret their experiences of emotional abuse over time organized into sections on antecedents to abuse, experiences and actions within the abusive program, and after the abuse. Implications for this work include the idea that individual student-athletes may have different experiences and recollections of coaches’ emotionally abusive behavior and that intercollegiate student-athletes are able to discern between “hard, but fair” coaching practices and emotionally abusive coaching practices

Insect gallers and their plant hosts : From omics data to systems biology

Gall-inducing insects are capable of exerting a high level of control over their hosts’ cellular machinery to the extent that the plant’s development,metabolism,chemistry,and physiology are all altered in favour of the insect. Many gallers are devastating pests in global agriculture and the limited understanding of their relationship with their hosts prevents the development of robust management strategies. Omics technologies are proving to be important tools in elucidating the mechanisms involved in the interaction as they facilitate analysis of plant hosts and insect effectors for which little or no prior knowledge exists. In this review,we examine the mechanisms behind insect gall development using evidence from omics-level approaches. The secretion of effector proteins and induced phytohormonal imbalances are highlighted as likely mechanisms involved in gall development. However,understanding how these components function within the system is far from complete and a number of questions need to be answered before this information can be used in the development of strategies to engineer or breed plants with enhanced resistance

Understanding inner music: A dimensional approach to musical imagery

Musical imagery—hearing music inside your head that isn’t playing in the environment—is a common yet complex experience. To capture the diversity of musical imagery, the present research develops a new conceptual framework consisting of five dimensions, including a distinction between initiation and management as different ways in which musical imagery can be voluntary. A dimensional approach can represent both common and unusual forms of musical imagery, and it can highlight conceptual similarities between seemingly different experiences. In an experience-sampling study, musicians and people from the university community (n = 132) were contacted throughout the day via a smartphone app and asked about their in vivo experiences with musical imagery, with an emphasis on five dimensions: valence, repetitiveness, vividness, length, and mental control. The results indicated substantial variability at both the within-person and between-person levels on each dimension—people have a wide variety of musical imagery experiences, not a few types. A within-person network model illustrated that the dimensions were internally coherent and distinct from each other. Taken together, the findings reveal rich heterogeneity in musical imagery and indicate that mental control over musical imagery is both common and multifaceted

Creative fixation is no laughing matter: The effects of funny and unfunny examples on humor production

How do people come up with humorous ideas? In creative cognition research, exposure to good examples sometimes causes fixation (people get “stuck” on the examples) but other times sparks inspiration (people's responses are more creative). The present research examined the effects of funny and unfunny examples on joke production. A sample of 175 adults read scenarios that they completed with funny responses. All participants were instructed to be funny, but before responding they read (a) funny responses as examples of good responses to emulate, (b) unfunny responses as examples of poor responses to avoid, or (c) no examples. The participants’ own responses were rated for funniness and for similarity to the example responses, and response times were recorded. Reading either funny or unfunny examples, compared to no examples, caused people to come up with funnier jokes. Similarity to the examples was low in all conditions, so fixation was relatively modest, but people who saw unfunny examples spent more time coming up with their responses. Taken together, the findings support the growing literature showing that examples are often inspiring rather than constraining, and they imply that good and bad examples spark creative thought via different paths

Projected effects of climate change on Pseudo-nitzschia bloom dynamics in the Gulf of Maine

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Clark, S., Hubbard, K., Ralston, D., McGillicuddy, D., Stock, C., Alexander, M., & Curchitser, E. Projected effects of climate change on Pseudo-nitzschia bloom dynamics in the Gulf of Maine. Journal of Marine Systems, 230, (2022): 103737, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2022.103737.Worldwide, warming ocean temperatures have contributed to extreme harmful algal bloom events and shifts in phytoplankton species composition. In 2016 in the Gulf of Maine (GOM), an unprecedented Pseudo-nitzschia bloom led to the first domoic-acid induced shellfishery closures in the region. Potential links between climate change, warming temperatures, and the GOM Pseudo-nitzschia assemblage, however, remain unexplored. In this study, a global climate change projection previously downscaled to 7-km resolution for the Northwest Atlantic was further refined with a 1–3-km resolution simulation of the GOM to investigate the effects of climate change on HAB dynamics. A 25-year time slice of projected conditions at the end of the 21st century (2073–2097) was compared to a 25-year hindcast of contemporary ocean conditions (1994–2018) and analyzed for changes to GOM inflows, transport, and Pseudo-nitzschia australis growth potential. On average, climate change is predicted to lead to increased temperatures, decreased salinity, and increased stratification in the GOM, with the largest changes occurring in the late summer. Inflows from the Scotian Shelf are projected to increase, and alongshore transport in the Eastern Maine Coastal Current is projected to intensify. Increasing ocean temperatures will likely make P. australis growth conditions less favorable in the southern and western GOM but improve P. australis growth conditions in the eastern GOM, including a later growing season in the fall, and a longer growing season in the spring. Combined, these changes suggest that P. australis blooms in the eastern GOM could intensify in the 21st century, and that the overall Pseudo-nitzschia species assemblage might shift to warmer-adapted species such as P. plurisecta or other Pseudo-nitzschia species that may be introduced.This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant Number OCE-1840381), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Grant Number 1P01ES028938), the Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, and the Academic Programs Office of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Letter from NY Law Faculty in Support of Diploma Privilege

For more information, please refer to Karen Sloan\u27s article, Hundreds of New York Law Professors Endorse Emergency Diploma Privilege, published by the New York Law Journal and appearing on Law.com on July 22, 2020. Additional Signatories: Susan Abraham (New York Law School), Michelle Adams (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Miriam Albert (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Jose E. Alvarez (New York University School of Law), Claudia Angelos (New York University Law School), Deborah Archer (New York University Law School), Jennifer Arlen (New York University Law School), Anna Arons (New York University Law School), Jonathan Askin (Brooklyn Law School), Barbara L. Atwell (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Aditi Bagchi (Fordham University School of Law), Rachel Barkow (New York University Law School), Melynda Barnhart (New York Law School), John Q. Barrett (St. John’s University School of Law), Christine P. Bartholomew (University at Buffalo School of Law), Mark Bartholomew (University at Buffalo School of Law), Jennifer Baum (St. John’s University School of Law), Christopher Beauchamp (Brooklyn Law School), Debra Bechtel (Brooklyn Law School), Edith Beerdsen (New York University School of Law), Peter A. Bell (Syracuse University College of Law), Lenni Benson (New York Law School), Paula Berg (City University of New York School of Law), Anya Bernstein (University at Buffalo School of Law), Beryl Blaustone (City University of New York School of Law) Susan Block-Lieb Cooper (Fordham University School of Law), Pamela Bookman (Fordham University School of Law), Rebecca M. Bratspies (City University of New York School of Law), Ray Brescia (Albany Law School), Richard Briffault (Columbia Law School), William Brooks (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Emily Brown (Syracuse University College of Law), James J. Brudney (Fordham University School of Law), Christopher Buccafusco (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Jessica Bulman-Pozen Betts (Columbia Law School), Keith Bybee (Syracuse University College of Law), Gina M. Calabrese (St. John’s University School of Law), Janet M. Calvo (City University of New York School of Law), Ann Cammett (City University of New York School of Law) Juli Campagna (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Bennett Capers (Fordham University School of Law), Stacy Caplow (Brooklyn Law School), Rosa Castello (St. John’s University School of Law), Oscar G. Chase (New York University School of Law), Asima Chaudhary (City University of New York School of Law), Nina Chernoff (City University of New York School of Law), Elaine Chiu (St. John’s University School of Law), Wilfred U. Codrington III (Brooklyn Law School), Jim Cohen (Fordham University School of Law), Jeffrey M. Colon (Fordham University School of Law), Jordana Confino (Fordham University School of Law), George W. Conk (Fordham University School of Law), Elizabeth B. Cooper (Fordham University School of Law), Briane Cornish (Brooklyn Law School), Bridget J. Crawford (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Laura E. Cunningham (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Noel B. Cunningham (New York University School of Law), Jason J. Czarnezki (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Matthew D\u27Amore (Cornell Law School), Alina Das (New York University School of Law), Lisa Davis (City University of New York School of Law), Christian C. Day (Syracuse University College of Law), Brett M. Dignam (Columbia Law School), Rebekah Diller (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Shane Dizon (Brooklyn Law School), Laura Dooley (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Ryan Dooley (City University of New York School of Law), David Dorfman (Elisabeth Haub Law School at Pace University), Doron Dorfman (Syracuse University College of Law), Helen Agnes Drew (University at Buffalo School of Law), Catharine Du Bois (Brooklyn Law School), Catherine Baylin Duryea (St John\u27s University School of Law), Robin Effron (Brooklyn Law School), Elizabeth F. Emens (Columbia Law School), Richard A. Epstein (New York University School of Law), Howard Erichson (Fordham University School of Law), Jeffrey Fagan (Columbia Law School), Golnaz Fakhimi (City University of New York School of Law), John D. Feerick (Fordham University School of Law), Dave Fields (City University of New York School of Law), Martin Flaherty (Fordham University School of Law), Katherine Franke (Columbia Law School), Eric M. Freedman (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Barry Friedman (New York University School of Law), Jeanne Fromer (New York University School of Law), Kellen Funk (Columbia Law School), Raquel Gabriel (City University of New York School of Law), Paolo Galizzi (Fordham University School of Law), James A. Gardner (University at Buffalo School of Law), David Garland (New York University School of Law), Mark A. Geistfeld (New York University School of Law), Philip M. Genty (Columbia Law School), Doni Gewirtzman (New York Law School), Shubha Ghosh (Syracuse University College of Law), Maeve Glass (Columbia Law School), Cynthia Godsoe (Brooklyn Law School), Rachel T. Goldberg (Cornell Law School), Elizabeth Goldman (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Julie Goldscheid (City University of New York School of Law), Ann Goldweber (St. John\u27s University School of Law), Natalie Gomez-Velez (City University of New York School of Law), Jennifer Gordon (Fordham University School of Law), Lauryn Gouldin (Syracuse University College of Law), Elayne E. Greenberg (St. John’s University School of Law), Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Abner Greene (Fordham University School of Law), Jamal Greene (Columbia Law School), Lissa Griffin (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Jill Gross (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Lisa Grumet (New York Law School), Martin Guggenheim (New York University School of Law), Jennifer A. Gundlach (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Hugh C. Hansen (Fordham University School of Law), Bernard E. Harcourt (Columbia Law School), Jonathan Harris (New York University School of Law), Melina Healey (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Julia Hernandez (City University of New York School of Law), Tanya Hernandez (Fordham University School of Law), Helen Hershkoff (New York University School of Law), Randy Hertz (New York University School of Law), Robert A. Heverly (Albany Law School), Michael F. Higgins (University at Buffalo School of Law), Tracy Higgins (Fordham University School of Law), Alexis Hoag (Columbia Law School), Martha R. Hochberger (New York Law School), Babe Howell (City University of New York School of Law), Rob Howse (New York University School of Law), Bert I. Huang (Columbia Law School), Carmen Huertas (City University of New York School of Law), Kyron Huigens (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Tarek Z. Ismail (City University of New York School of Law), Conrad Johnson (Columbia Law School), Paula C. Johnson (Syracuse University College of Law), Kathryn Judge (Columbia Law School), Mitchell Kane (New York University School of Law), Arlene S. Kanter (Syracuse University College of Law), Ramzi Kassem (City University of New York School of Law), Constantine N. Katsoris (Fordham University School of Law), Avery Katz (Columbia Law School), Eileen Kaufman (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Florence Kerner (City University of New York School of Law), Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Richard Klein (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Kate Klonick (St. John’s University School of Law), Lewis Kornhauser (New York University School of Law), Minna Kotkin (Brooklyn Law School), Anita S. Krishnakumar (St. John’s University School of Law), Rebecca M. Kysar (Fordham University School of Law), Sarah Lamdan (City University of New York School of Law), Christine Lazaro (St. John’s University School of Law), Donna Lee (City University of New York School of Law), Nicole Lefton (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Arthur S. Leonard (New York Law School), Michael Lewyn (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Theo Liebmann (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Edward Lloyd (Columbia Law School), Stephen Loffredo (City University of New York School of Law), Grace M. Lozito (Fordham University School of Law), Shirley Lung (City University of New York School of Law), Mary Lynch (Albany Law School), James Macleod (Brooklyn Law School), Kevin Maillard (Syracuse), Matthew Main (City University of New York School of Law), Deborah C. Malamud (New York University School of Law), Michael W. Martin (Fordham University School of Law), Princess Masilungan (City University of New York School of Law), Camille Massey (City University of New York School of Law), Nancy Maurer (Albany Law School), Andrea McArdle (City University of New York School of Law), Justin McCrary (Columbia Law School), Thomas M. McDonnell (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Kevin McElroy (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Peggy McGuinness (St. John’s University School of Law), Estelle M. McKee (Cornell Law School), Mary Helen McNeal (Syracuse University College of Law), Suzette M. Melendez (Syracuse University College of Law), Gillian Metzger (Columbia Law School), Chi Adanna Mgbako (Fordham University School of Law), Flora Midwood (Brooklyn Law School), Kathryn Miller (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Meredith R. Miller (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Joshua Mitts (Columbia Law School), Kate Mogulescu (Brooklyn Law School), Laura Mott (City University of New York School of Law), Elora Mukherjee (Columbia Law School), Erin Murphy (New York University School of Law), Jessica R. Murray (Syracuse University College of Law), Justin Murray (New York Law School), Melissa Murray (New York University School of Law), Michael B. Mushlin (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Athena D. Mutua (University at Buffalo School of Law), Smita Narula (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Lindsay Nash (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Robert Nassau (Syracuse University College of Law), Burt Neuborne (New York University School of Law), Elizabeth Nevins (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Leslie Newman (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Jacqueline Nolan-Haley (Fordham University School of Law), Tracy L. Norton (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Anthony O\u27Rourke (University at Buffalo School of Law), Jonathan Oberman (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Ngozi Okidegbe (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Judith Olin (University at Buffalo School of Law), Nancy K. Ota (Albany Law School), Jason Parkin (City University of New York School of Law), G. Michael Parsons (New York University School of Law), Frank A. Pasquale (Brooklyn Law School), Russell G. Pearce (Fordham University School of Law), Deborah Pearlstein (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Talia Peleg (City University of New York School of Law), Katharina Pistor (Columbia Law School), Margot Pollans (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Karen Porter (Brooklyn Law School), David Pozen (Columbia Law School), Edward A. Purcell, Jr. (New York Law School), Paul Radvany (Fordham University School of Law), Aziz Rana (Cornell Law School), Martha Rayner (Fordham University School of Law), LaVonda Reed (Syracuse University College of Law), David J. Reiss (Brooklyn Law School), Alice Ristroph (Brooklyn Law School), Allie Robbins (City University of New York School of Law), Nicholas A. Robinson (Eisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Ruthann Robson (City University of New York School of Law), Sarah Rogerson (Albany Law School), Joseph A. Rosenberg (City University of New York School of Law), Merrick Rossein (City University of New York School of Law), Leif Rubinstein (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), David Rudenstine (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Laura Sager (New York University School of Law), Rosemary Salomone (St. John’s University School of Law), Leslie Salzman (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Faraz Sanei (New York University School of Law), Carol Sanger (Columbia Law School), Margaret L. Satterthwaite (New York University School of Law), John Henry Schlegel (University at Buffalo School of Law), Elizabeth Schneider (Brooklyn Law School), Jeanne Schroeder (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Jason Schultz (New York University School of Law), Beth G. Schwartz (Fordham University School of Law), Elizabeth Scott (Columbia Law School), Helen S. Scott (New York University School of Law), Robert E Scott (Columbia Law School), Anthony Sebok (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Courtney Selby (St. John’s University School of Law), Rena Seplowitz (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), John Sexton (New York University School of Law), Houman Shadab (New York Law School), Colleen Shanahan (Columbia Law School), Jeremy Sheff (St. John’s University School of Law), Theodore Silver (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Jocelyn Simonson (Brooklyn Law School), Janet Sinder (Brooklyn Law School), Charisa Smith (City University of New York School of Law), Rachel H. Smith (St. John’s University School of Law), Jeff Sovern (St. John’s University School of Law), Jane M. Spinak (Columbia Law School), Christopher Sprigman (New York University School of Law), Edward Stein (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), John Paul Steines Jr. (New York University School of Law), Jed Stiglitz (Cornell Law School), Katherine Strandburg (New York University School of Law), Susan Sturm (Columbia Law School), Daniel E Subotnik (Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), Deborah Sundquist O’Malley (Syracuse University College of Law), Olivier Sylvain (Fordham University School of Law), Mary Szto (Syracuse University College of Law), Mateo Taussig-Rubbo (University at Buffalo School of Law), Nelson Tebbe (Cornell Law School), Ruti Teitel (New York Law School), Leslie Y. Garfield Tenzer (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University), Maria Termini (Brooklyn Law School), Steven Thel (Fordham University School of Law), Kendall Thomas (Columbia University), Monica Todd (Syracuse University), Erin Tomlinson (City University of New York School of Law), Cora True-Frost (Syracuse University College of Law), Jacob Victor (Albany Law School), Rachel Vorspan (Fordham University School of Law), Amy Wallace (New York Law School), Matthew Wansley (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Ettie Ward (St. John’s University School of Law), G. Ray Warner (St. John’s University School of Law), Daniel Warshawsky (New York Law School), Ian Weinstein (Fordham University School of Law), Samuel N. Weinstein (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Richard H. Weisberg (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Robert Wertheimer (Cornell Law School), John Whitlow (City University of New York School of Law), Andrew Williams (New York University School of Law), Rev. Dr. Yvette Wilson-Barnes (City University of New York School of Law), Charles M. Yablon (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Ellen Yaroshefsky (Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University), Steven Zeidman (City University of New York School of Law), Benjamin C. Zipursky (Fordham University School of Law

Bacterial Diversity in the Hyperalkaline Allas Springs (Cyprus), a Natural Analogue for Cementitious Radioactive Waste Repository

The biogeochemical gradients that will develop across the interface between a highly alkaline cementitious geological disposal facility for intermediate level radioactive waste and the geosphere are poorly understood. In addition, there is a paucity of information about the microorganisms that may populate these environments and their role in biomineralization, gas consumption and generation, metal cycling, and on radionuclide speciation and solubility. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic diversity of indigenous microbial communities and their potential for alkaline metal reduction in samples collected from a natural analogue for cementitious radioactive waste repositories, the hyperalkaline Allas Springs (pH up to 11.9), Troodos Mountains, Cyprus. The site is situated within an ophiolitic complex of ultrabasic rocks that are undergoing active low-temperature serpentinization, which results in hyperalkaline conditions. 16S rRNA cloning and sequencing showed that phylogenetically diverse microbial communities exist in this natural high pH environment, including Hydrogenophaga species. This indicates that alkali-tolerant hydrogen-oxidizing microorganisms could potentially colonize an alkaline geological repository, which is predicted to be rich in molecular H2, as a result of processes including steel corrosion and cellulose biodegradation within the wastes. Moreover, microbial metal reduction was confirmed at alkaline pH in this study by enrichment microcosms and by pure cultures of bacterial isolates affiliated to the Paenibacillus and Alkaliphilus genera. Overall, these data show that a diverse range of microbiological processes can occur in high pH environments, consistent with those expected during the geodisposal of intermediate level waste. Many of these, including gas metabolism and metal reduction, have clear implications for the long-term geological disposal of radioactive waste

The effect of early versus late treatment initiation after diagnosis on the outcomes of patients treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Globally it is estimated that 480 000 people developed multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in 2014 and 190 000 people died from the disease. Successful treatment outcomes are achieved in only 50 % of patients with MDR-TB, compared to 86 % for drug susceptible disease. It is widely held that delay in time to initiation of treatment for MDR-TB is an important predictor of treatment outcome. The objective of this review was to assess the existing evidence on the outcomes of multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis patients treated early (≤4 weeks) versus late (>4 weeks) after diagnosis of drug resistance. METHODS: Eight sources providing access to 17 globally representative electronic health care databases, indexes, sources of evidence-based reviews and grey literature were searched using terms incorporating time to treatment and MDR-TB. Two-stage sifting in duplicate was employed to assess studies against pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Only those articles reporting WHO-defined treatment outcomes were considered for inclusion. Articles reporting on fewer than 10 patients, published before 1990, or without a comparison of outcomes in patient groups experiencing different delays to treatment initiation were excluded. RESULTS: The initial search yielded 1978 references, of which 1475 unique references remained after removal of duplicates and 28 articles published pre-1990. After title and abstract sifting, 64 papers underwent full text review. None of these articles fulfilled the criteria for inclusion in the review. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst there is an inherent logic in the theory that treatment delay will lead to poorer treatment outcomes, no published evidence was identified in this systematic review to support this hypothesis. Reports of programmatic changes leading to reductions in treatment delay exist in the literature, but attribution of differences in outcomes specifically to treatment delay is confounded by other contemporaneous changes. Further primary research on this question is not considered a high priority use of limited resources, though where data are available, improved reporting of outcomes by time to treatment should be encouraged