The HSS/SNiC : a conceptual framework for collapsing security down to the physical layer

This work details the concept of a novel network security model called the Super NIC (SNIC) and a Hybrid Super Switch (HSS). The design will ultimately incorporate deep packet inspection (DPI), intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS) functions, as well as network access control technologies therefore making all end-point network devices inherently secure. The SNIC and HSS functions are modelled using a transparent GNU/Linux Bridge with the Netfilter framework

Development and validation of an ELISA to detect antibodies to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in ovine sera

Several enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) have been developed for the detection of antibodies to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, the causative agent of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA). However, none are commercially available in the UK. It was therefore necessary to develop a new, economic ELISA for use in a research project studying the epidemiology of CLA in UK sheep. The ELISA with its diagnostic qualities is presented. The ELISA was developed using sonicated C. pseudotuberculosis and optimised to detect total antibody or IgG class antibody in serum. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained and the area under the ROC curve was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the two ELISAs. Both versions of the ELISA were evaluated on a panel of 150 positive reference sera and 103 negative reference sera. Using the test at 100% specificity, the sensitivity of detection of total antibody was 71% (95% confidence interval 63-78%), and the 2 sensitivity of detection of IgG antibody to C. pseudotuberculosis was 83% (76-89%), which compares favourably with other reported ELISA tests for CLA in sheep. The sensitivity of the IgG antibody assay may be higher because of the greater affinity of IgG class antibodies compared with the IgM antibodies also detected by the total antibody ELISA. The results of ROC analysis indicated that the IgG isotype ELISA was more accurate than the total antibody ELISA. The efficiency of the test was greatest when serum samples were run in a dilution series than when any single serum dilution was used. The ELISA is considered to be suitable for application in field studies of CLA in UK sheep

Rural self-reliance strategies in South Africa : community initiatives and external support in the former black homelands

This paper examines the relevance of the concept of self-reliance in the context of rural community economic development in South Africa. Whilst changing global and local circumstances oblige impoverished communities to become more pro-active in the enhancement of the quality of their lives, they nevertheless cannot ignore basic market forces and the need for an appropriate level of external assistance. Four community-based agricultural ventures in South Africa's former Homelands are examined. A comparison between the four schemes permits an assessment to be made of what such community ventures require if they are to succeed and have a meaningful impact on job creation and poverty alleviation. The role of external support agencies and access to markets in each case features prominently in the assessment

Regional development in South Africa’s West Coast: 'dividends on the process side'?

Academics, policy-makers and consultants have been increasingly focusing upon the 'region' as the crucible of economic development. This regionalist approach places institutions at the centre of the process of stimulating growth. Much debate has been ongoing in academic circles, particularly those inhabited by economic geographers, about the veracity of the regionalist approach and the explanatory power of the terminology associated with it. This paper analyses explicit efforts to engender regional economic development in the West Coast of South Africa. Our empirical evaluation indicates that policy actors have sought to upgrade the institutional infrastructure of the region and that some significant achievements are evident within this realm. However, these achievements are yet to be associated with sustained regional economic takeoff. The paper concludes by asking searching questions about the ability of the regionalist approach to deliver meaningful socio-economic transformation

Learning from the people : participatory rural appraisal, geography and rural development in the 'new' South Africa

Top-down rural development strategies in Africa have generally not succeeded in raising living standards among the rural poor. It is argued that inappropriate development strategies have stemmed from methodologies that fail to appreciate the whole picture in rural communities, and in particular ignore local people's perceptions, needs and understanding. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) represents a significant step forward in the design of methodologies and a selection of these techniques is evaluated. Many PRA methods have much in common with the field research methods that have been used by geographers over many years to interpret people-environment relationships. A research investigation in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, suggests that geographers could have an important role to play in this area of applied research and, in particular, in the context of post-apartheid South Africa there is an urgent challenge to be met in promoting rural development in poor, former black Homeland areas

'Alternative foods' and community-based development : Rooibos tea production in South Africa's West Coast mountains

Rooibos tee (red bush tea) (Aspalathus linearis, Fabaceae), which is indigenous only to the Cedarberg and neighbouring mountains of South Africa, has become popular internationally as a result of its apparent health-giving properties. Situated within the broader contexts of alternative food networks, alternate economic spaces and local/community-based development, this paper examines how two marginalised communities have successfully penetrated international markets by supplying organically produced rooibos tea which is certified by the international Fairtrade system. Focusing on the cases of Wupperthal and Heiveld, the paper explores the dynamics of the production and marketing process and the key variables involved. Success has been achieved through active NGO support, which has engaged with local skills and social capital, and has led to significant social and economic upliftment among the participating communities. The experience illustrates how, given the right conditions, poor communities in the South might participate successfully in global alternative food networks

Mental disorders in new parents before and after birth: A population-based cohort study

© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016 Background: Mental disorders of women during the postnatal period are a major public health problem. Compared with women's mental disorders, much less attention has been paid to men's mental disorders in the perinatal period. To date, there have been no reports in the literature describing secular changes of both maternal and paternal hospital admissions for mental disorders over the period covering the year before pregnancy (non-parents), during pregnancy (expectant parents) and up to the first year after birth (parents) based on linked parental data. The co-occurrences of couples' hospital admissions for mental disorders have not previously been investigated. Aims: To describe maternal and paternal hospital admissions for mental disorders before and after birth. To compare the co-occurrences of parents' hospital admissions for mental disorder in the perinatal period. Method: This is a cohort study using paired parents' population data from the New South Wales (NSW) Perinatal Data Collection (PDC), Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) and Admitted Patients Data Collection (APDC). The study included all parents (n=196 669 couples) who gave birth to their first child in NSW between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2009. Results: The hospital admission rate for women with a principal mental disorder diagnosis in the period between the year before pregnancy and the first year after birth was significantly higher than that for men. Parents' mental disorders influenced each other. If a man was admitted to hospital with a principal mental disorder diagnosis, his wife or partner was more likely to be admitted to hospital with a principal mental disorder diagnosis compared with women whose partner had not had a hospital admission, and vice versa. Conclusions: Mothers' mental disorders after birth increased more significantly than fathers. However, fathers' mental disorders significantly impacted the co-occurrence of mothers' mental disorders

GCR Neon Isotopic Abundances: Comparison with Wolf-Rayet Star Models and Meteoritic Abundances

Measurements of the neon isotopic abundances from the ACE-CRIS experiment are presented. These abundances have been obtained in seven energy intervals over the energy range of ~80≤E≤280 MeV/nucleon. The ^(22)Ne/^(20)Ne source ratio is derived using the measured ^(21)Ne/^(20)Ne abundance as a "tracer" of secondary production of the neon isotopes. We find that the ^(22)Ne/^(20)Ne abundance ratio at the cosmic-ray source is a factor of 5.0±0.2 greater than in the solar wind. The GCR ^(22)Ne/^(20)Ne ratio is also shown to be considerably larger than that found in anomalous cosmic rays, solar energetic particles, most meteoritic samples of matter, and interplanetary dust particles. Recent two-component Wolf-Rayet models provide predictions for the ^(22)Ne/^(20)Ne ratio and other isotope ratios. Comparison of the CRIS neon, iron, and nickel isotopic source abundance ratios with predictions indicate possible enhanced abundances of some neutron-rich nuclides that are expected to accompany the ^(22)Ne excess

The Phosphorus/Sulfur Abundance Ratio as a Test of Galactic Cosmic-Ray Source Models

Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) elemental abundances display a fractionation compared to solar-system values that appears ordered by atomic properties such as the first ionization potential (FIP) or condensation temperature (volatility). Determining which parameter controls the observed fractionation is crucial to distinguish between GCR origin models. The Cosmic-Ray Isotope Spectrometer (CRIS) instrument on board NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft can measure the abundances of several elements that break the general correlation between FIP and volatility (e.g., Na, P, K, Cu, Zn, Ga, and Ge). Phosphorus is a particularly interesting case as it is a refractory (high condensation temperature) element with a FIP value nearly identical to that of its semi-volatile neighbor, sulfur. Using a leaky-box galactic propagation model we find that the P/S and Na/Mg ratios in the GCR source favor volatility as the controlling parameter

Anaemia and depression before and after birth: A cohort study based on linked population data

Background: To investigate the rates of hospitalisation for anaemia and depression in women in the six-year period (3 years before and after birth). To compare hospital admissions for depression in women with and without anaemia. Methods: This is a population-based cohort study. Women's birth records (New South Wales (NSW) Perinatal Data Collection) were linked with NSW Admitted Patients Data Collection records between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2010, so that hospital admissions for mothers could be traced back for 3 years before birth and followed up 3 years after birth. Setting: NSW Australia. Subjects: all women who gave birth to their first child in NSW between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2008. Results: Hospital admissions for both anaemia and depression were increased significantly in the year just before and after birth compared with the years before and after. Women with anaemia were more likely to be admitted to hospital for depression than those without (for principal diagnosis of depression, adjusted OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.25-2.11; for all diagnosis of depression, adjusted OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.70-2.38). Conclusions: Depression was associated with anaemia in women before and after birth. This finding highlight the important role of primary care providers in assessing for both anaemia and depressive symptomatology together, given the relationship between the two. Treating or preventing anaemia may help to prevent postnatal depression