Unmasking the John Does of Cyberspace: Surveillance by Private Copyright Owners

The goals of this paper are to: (1) explore the expectations of cyberspace privacy in a peer-to-peer context; (2) examine the consequences to Internet users arising from the surveillance tactics of private copyright owners; and (3) discuss possible ways in which a balance can be achieved between privacy and intellectual property rights. Part II of this paper sets out the meaning of information privacy, discusses the widespread use of peer-to-peer networks for trading copyrighted content, and examines the expectations of privacy in peer-to-peer networks. Part III discusses the surveillance tactics of private copyright owners, and explains how the surveillance of alleged wrongdoers is potentially harmful for Internet users. Finally, Part IV examines how ISPs and the judiciary can ensure that an appropriate balance is struck between the privacy rights of Internet users and the interests of copyright owners

Predicting specificity in bZIP coiled-coil protein interactions

We present a method for predicting protein-protein interactions mediated by the coiled-coil motif. When tested on interactions between nearly all human and yeast bZIP proteins, our method identifies 70% of strong interactions while maintaining that 92% of predictions are correct. Furthermore, cross-validation testing shows that including the bZIP experimental data significantly improves performance. Our method can be used to predict bZIP interactions in other genomes and is a promising approach for predicting coiled-coil interactions more generally

Using context-sensitive criteria to evaluate local and regional transportation policy : a case study on cordon pricing

As traffic congestion grows but existing roadway capacity remains fixed or limited, downtown congestion pricing offers potential as a tool to manage the transportation system. Though the idea is not new, congestion pricing has received a resurgence of attention in the United States in recent years because it could offer both congestion relief and transportation revenue. However, in order for a modern congestion pricing proposal to be politically feasible and publicly acceptable today it must be designed to offer more, such as equitable or progressive distribution of impacts, greenhouse gas emissions, and encouragement or support for alternate modes, including new mobility services. In Seattle, serious consideration of the implementation of congestion pricing by 2021 is underway, and numerous policy questions remain open. One which many anticipate, particularly the public, is the question of where congestion pricing revenue would be spent. It is likely that at least some of the revenue will be allocated for transit, but where should service improvements be targeted, both geographically and demographically, so that mobility and access are not impaired, particularly for the already transportation-disadvantaged, and so that multimodal travel is not just possible but preferable to driving? Could a regional partnership between transit agencies like Sound Transit and King County Metro and the City of Seattle secure transportation outcomes that align with both transit agencies’ ambitious service expansion goals and Seattle’s core equity, multimodal mobility, and climate goals? This thesis seeks to answer these questions by using a mix of statistical models of transportation system level of service and individual-level mode choice. These models are used to predict how travelers across the region would change their travel behavior in response to cordon pricing in Center City Seattle under two investment scenarios. It is projected that investing in transit broadly across the region by decreasing transit service times produces transportation system outcomes that advance both local and regional strategic goals more than concentrated investment on downtown Seattle roadways and transit could advance Seattle’s goals alone. Regional transit investment would decrease congestion more in Center City Seattle by improving transit access from outside Seattle into Center City, especially among neighborhoods with the lowest housing and transportation affordability, highest automobility, and highest transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the findings strongly motivate that congestion pricing revenue in Seattle be spent on regional transit service improvement and expansion. Furthermore, the findings suggest that even regional transit investments that may not be directly linked to Center City will help to produce a mix of better transportation outcomes in Center City than concentrated investment would.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin

Cost-Benefit Analysis Comparing Trough, Two-Level AUC, and Bayesian AUC Dosing for Vancomycin\u27: Authors\u27 Reply

Our response to your letter will address the two primary concerns in sequential order: the first concern being the Bayesian AUC to trough comparison, and the second being two-level AUC to trough

Just Because I Am A “Student” Does Not Mean I Should Tolerate It: Students’ Perspectives of Forum Theatre to address Bullying In Nursing Education

The authors of this paper developed a CRAB (Cognitive Rehearsal to Address Bullying) Workshop, using Forum Theatre as an innovative pedagogical approach to explore the overly prevalent issue of bullying in nursing education. We designed two open-ended descriptive written surveys to obtain feedback from students on the efficacy of the workshop with respect to students’ ability to address bullying, and with respect to their capacity to engage in related embodied learning through Forum Theatre. We collected survey data at two points in time; 1) following a workshop during students’ first year in the program and 2) following a workshop during students’ final term in the program. We identified three overarching themes from the surveys: 1) The Socio-Political Context; 2) Psychological Safety; and 3) Ways of Learning. We developed each of these themes by creating, expanding, and collapsing our collective interpretation of the data. The majority of the student feedback we collected was positive. In this paper we describe the survey-based study, discuss our analysis of findings, and highlight students’ voices through verbatim quotes. In closing, we offer recommendations and questions for nurse educators and academic leaders to consider. Résumé Les auteures de cet article ont développé un atelier CRAB (Cognitive Rehearsal to Address Bullying; la répétition cognitive pour lutter contre l’intimidation), utilisant le théâtre-forum comme approche pédagogique novatrice pour explorer le problème trop répandu de l’intimidation dans la formation en sciences infirmières. Nous avons développé deux sondages écrits descriptifs avec questions ouvertes afin d’obtenir les commentaires des étudiantes sur l’efficacité de l’atelier en ce qui concerne leur capacité à répondre à l’intimidation et à s’engager dans un apprentissage incarné connexe par le biais du théâtre-forum. Les données du sondage furent obtenues à deux moments: 1) à la suite d’un atelier offert au cours de la première année du programme; et, 2) à la suite d’un atelier offert lors du dernier trimestre des étudiantes au programme. L’analyse des données a permis d’identifier trois thèmes principaux : le contexte sociopolitique, la sécurité psychologique et les modes d’apprentissage. Nous avons élaboré chacun de ces thèmes en créant, approfondissant et regroupant notre interprétation collective des données. La majorité des commentaires des étudiantes que nous avons recueillis étaient positifs. Dans cet article, nous décrivons l’étude basée sur un sondage, discutons de notre analyse des résultats et mettons en évidence les voix des étudiantes par des citations textuelles. Pour conclure, nous formulons des recommandations et des questions pour les infirmières formatrices et les leaders universitaires

The CRAB Workshop: Using Forum Theatre and Cognitive Rehearsal to Address Bullying in Nursing Education

Bullying is a pervasive issue in nursing and other health care professional programs. As a student/faculty team at one university in Western Canada, we have created a number of initiatives within an overall project entitled Cognitive Rehearsal to Address Bullying (CRAB) that was designed to support students in managing bullying if they witnessed or experienced it during their program of study. One such initiative is the CRAB Workshop (herein referred to as “the CRAB Workshop” or “the Workshop”). In this paper, we describe the Workshop, which emerged in response to concerns shared by students and faculty regarding the normalized and long-standing prevalence of bullying experienced by nursing students. The Workshop brought faculty members and pre-licensure students from our School of Nursing together to creatively and collaboratively address these concerns. Together with the university’s Department of Theatre and Film, we designed an interactive educational workshop to prepare nursing students to independently identify and act on bullying witnessed or experienced in the clinical setting. In the Workshop, we engaged in forum theatre and cognitive rehearsal to foster cognitive, affective, and embodied learning. In this paper, we explain and discuss what comprised the creation and implementation of the CRAB Workshop. We address implications for future nursing education, and we offer recommendations for educators who are considering forum theatre and cognitive rehearsal as pedagogies for addressing challenging situations, such as bullying in nursing education. Résumé L’intimidation est un problème récurrent en sciences infirmières et au sein d’autres programmes des professionnels de la santé. Notre équipe d’étudiantes et de membres du corps professoral d’une université de l’Ouest canadien a créé plusieurs initiatives dans le cadre d’un projet global intitulé Cognitive Rehearsal to Address Bullying (CRAB) [Répétition cognitive pour contrer l’intimidation] en vue d’aider les étudiantes à gérer les situations d’intimidation dont elles sont témoins ou victimes au cours de leur programme d’études. L’une de ces initiatives est l’atelier CRAB (ci-après désigné sous le nom de « l’Atelier CRAB » ou « l’Atelier »). Dans cet article, nous décrivons l’Atelier, qui a vu le jour en raison des préoccupations que partageaient les étudiantes et les membres du corps professoral concernant l’intimidation très fréquente dont les étudiantes en sciences infirmières sont victimes. L’Atelier a permis de réunir des membres du corps professoral et des étudiantes de notre école de sciences infirmières n’ayant pas encore obtenu leur permis d’exercice afin de régler ce problème de façon créative et collaborative. Avec l’aide du département de théâtre et de cinéma de l’université, nous avons conçu un atelier interactif de formation pour préparer les étudiantes en sciences infirmières à identifier de façon indépendante les situations d’intimidation en milieu clinique et à intervenir. Nous avons opté pour le théâtre-discussion et la répétition cognitive pour favoriser un apprentissage cognitif, affectif et intégré physiquement. Dans cet article, nous expliquons comment nous avons créé et mis en œuvre l’Atelier CRAB. Nous examinons les retombées pour l’avenir de la formation en sciences infirmières et formulons des recommandations à l’intention des membres du corps professoral qui envisagent le théâtre-discussion et la répétition cognitive comme pédagogies pour remédier aux situations problématiques, comme celles relatives à l’intimidation dans le domaine de la formation en sciences infirmières

1000 Norms Project: Protocol of a cross-sectional study cataloging human variation

Background Clinical decision-making regarding diagnosis and management largely depends on comparison with healthy or ‘normal’ values. Physiotherapists and researchers therefore need access to robust patient-centred outcome measures and appropriate reference values. However there is a lack of high-quality reference data for many clinical measures. The aim of the 1000 Norms Project is to generate a freely accessible database of musculoskeletal and neurological reference values representative of the healthy population across the lifespan. Methods/design In 2012 the 1000 Norms Project Consortium defined the concept of ‘normal’, established a sampling strategy and selected measures based on clinical significance, psychometric properties and the need for reference data. Musculoskeletal and neurological items tapping the constructs of dexterity, balance, ambulation, joint range of motion, strength and power, endurance and motor planning will be collected in this cross-sectional study. Standardised questionnaires will evaluate quality of life, physical activity, and musculoskeletal health. Saliva DNA will be analysed for the ACTN3 genotype (‘gene for speed’). A volunteer cohort of 1000 participants aged 3 to 100 years will be recruited according to a set of self-reported health criteria. Descriptive statistics will be generated, creating tables of mean values and standard deviations stratified for age and gender. Quantile regression equations will be used to generate age charts and age-specific centile values. Discussion This project will be a powerful resource to assist physiotherapists and clinicians across all areas of healthcare to diagnose pathology, track disease progression and evaluate treatment response. This reference dataset will also contribute to the development of robust patient-centred clinical trial outcome measures

Evaluation at scale of microbiome-derived metabolites as biomarker of flavan-3-ol intake in epidemiological studies.

The accurate assessment of dietary intake is crucial to investigate the effect of diet on health. Currently used methods, relying on self-reporting and food composition data, are known to have limitations and might not be suitable to estimate the intake of many bioactive food components. An alternative are nutritional biomarkers, which can allow an unbiased assessment of intake. They require a careful evaluation of their suitability, including: (a) the availability of a precise, accurate and robust analytical method, (b) their specificity (c) a consistent relationship with actual intake. We have evaluated human metabolites of a microbiome-derived flavan-3-ol catabolite, 5-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)-[gamma]-valerolactone (gVL), as biomarker of flavan-3-ol intake in large epidemiological studies. Flavan-3-ols are widely consumed plant bioactives, which have received considerable interest due to their potential ability to reduce CVD risk. The availability of authentic standards allowed the development of a validated high-throughput method suitable for large-scale studies. In dietary intervention studies, we could show that gVL metabolites are specific for flavan-3-ols present in tea, fruits, wine and cocoa-derived products, with a strong correlation between intake and biomarker (Spearman's r = 0.90). This biomarker will allow for the first time to estimate flavan-3-ol intake and further investigation of associations between intake and disease risk

Treatment of fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and related neurological problems

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a progressive neurological disorder that affects older adult carriers, predominantly males, of premutation alleles (55 to 200 CGG repeats) of the fragile X (FMR1) gene. Principal features of FXTAS are intention tremor, ataxia, parkinsonism, cognitive decline, and peripheral neuropathy; ancillary features include, autonomic dysfunction, and psychiatric symptoms of anxiety, depression, and disinhibition. Although controlled trials have not been carried out in individuals with FXTAS, there is a significant amount of anecdotal information regarding various treatment modalities. Moreover, there exists a great deal of evidence regarding the efficacy of various medications for treatment of other disorders (eg, Alzheimer disease) that have substantial phenotypic overlap with FXTAS. The current review summarizes what is currently known regarding the symptomatic treatment, or potential for treatment, of FXTAS