A qualitative analysis of advance fee fraud e-mail schemes.

Abstract Criminals utilize the Internet to perpetrate all manner of fraud, with the largest dollar losses attributed to advance fee fraud e-mail messages. These messages come from individuals who claim to need assistance moving a large sum of money out of their country. Individuals who respond to the messages often become victims of fraud and identity theft. Few criminologists have examined this type of fraud, thus this study explores the mechanisms employed by scammers through a qualitative analysis of 412 fraudulent e-mail messages. The findings demonstrate that multiple writing techniques are used to generate responses and information from victims. Half of all the messages also request that the recipient forward their personal information to the sender, thereby enabling identity theft. The implications of this study for law enforcement and computer security are also discussed

Changes to inhaled corticosteroid dose when initiating combination inhaler therapy in long-acting β agonist-naive patients with asthma : a retrospective database analysis

Retrospective prescribing data were obtained from 46 general practice surgeries in NHS Scotland. Patients with asthma who were naïve to previous long-acting β agonist therapy and initiated combination inhaler therapy in 2008–2009 were classified according to the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose in their combination inhaler compared with the highest dose of ICS they received before initiation. Among the 685 patients (541 (79.0%) who had been prescribed an ICS previously), those originally on low-, medium- or high-dose ICS were changed to high-dose combination therapy in 122/250 (48.8%), 94/151 (62.3%) or 85/113 (75.2%) cases in each ICS dose category, respectively. These results suggest that evaluation of appropriate high-dose ICS prescribing in general practice is needed

Identifying Cultural and Cognitive Proximity between Managers and Customers in Tornio and Haparanda Cross Border Region

Daily intercultural interactions in cross-border regions such as those between customers and managers can be a source of knowledge and ideas. However, such interactions can pose distinctive constraints and opportunities for learning and exchange of ideas. This study adopts a relatively fine–grained quantitative approach to study elements of cognitive and cultural proximity which have a major impact on these interactions. It is based on a survey of 91 managers of small service firms and 312 customers in the twin city of Tornio and Haparanda on the border between Finland and Sweden. Seven elements of proximity were identified and measured. Six elements of perceived cognitive and cultural proximity including values, conservative values towards new ideas, knowledge and use of technology, use of a foreign language, sufficiently focusing or providing specific details and ways of solving problems were found significant in terms of shaping perceptions of Swedish and Finnish managers and customers, which shape these interactions. The results enhance our understanding of how daily cross-border intercultural can be examined in the context of cross-border regional knowledge transfer

The impact of accelerating admixtures on blended cement hydration for early age strength enhancement

With an ever-increasing focus on sustainable concrete, the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) has grown and, although SCMs provide improved later age properties, their use can result in reduced early age strength. Chemical admixtures, particularly those that accelerate hydration processes, have the potential to address these deficiencies. Examples of these opportunities for greater early age strength systems have been identified in the literature, whether through the development of new research and commercial products, or through the creative application of existing admixtures. Conventional inorganic and organic accelerators can be applied in novel high order combinations that exhibit a synergistic effect on early strength. A major focus in the literature at present is the use of C-S-H seeds in superplasticiser suspensions or composites, which can elicit very early strength improvement. Such nucleating agents provide sites for hydrate product growth, potentially leading to denser microstructures and improved early age mechanical properties. In this paper, key studies from the past decade are reviewed, covering the application of a range of accelerating admixtures to the enhancement of early age strength in blended cements

Positive youth development in swimming: clarification and consensus of key psychosocial assets

The purpose of this study was to gain a more cohesive understanding of the assets considered necessary to develop in young swimmers to ensure both individual and sport specific development. This two stage study involved (a) a content analysis of key papers to develop a list of both psychosocial skills for performance enhancement and assets associated with positive youth development, and (b) in-depth interviews involving ten expert swim coaches, practitioners and youth sport scholars. Five higher order categories containing seventeen individual assets emerged. These results are discussed in relation to both existing models of positive youth development and implications for coaches, practitioners and parents when considering the psychosocial development of young British swimmers

Short read sequence typing (SRST): multi-locus sequence types from short reads.

BACKGROUND: Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) has become the gold standard for population analyses of bacterial pathogens. This method focuses on the sequences of a small number of loci (usually seven) to divide the population and is simple, robust and facilitates comparison of results between laboratories and over time. Over the last decade, researchers and population health specialists have invested substantial effort in building up public MLST databases for nearly 100 different bacterial species, and these databases contain a wealth of important information linked to MLST sequence types such as time and place of isolation, host or niche, serotype and even clinical or drug resistance profiles. Recent advances in sequencing technology mean it is increasingly feasible to perform bacterial population analysis at the whole genome level. This offers massive gains in resolving power and genetic profiling compared to MLST, and will eventually replace MLST for bacterial typing and population analysis. However given the wealth of data currently available in MLST databases, it is crucial to maintain backwards compatibility with MLST schemes so that new genome analyses can be understood in their proper historical context. RESULTS: We present a software tool, SRST, for quick and accurate retrieval of sequence types from short read sets, using inputs easily downloaded from public databases. SRST uses read mapping and an allele assignment score incorporating sequence coverage and variability, to determine the most likely allele at each MLST locus. Analysis of over 3,500 loci in more than 500 publicly accessible Illumina read sets showed SRST to be highly accurate at allele assignment. SRST output is compatible with common analysis tools such as eBURST, Clonal Frame or PhyloViz, allowing easy comparison between novel genome data and MLST data. Alignment, fastq and pileup files can also be generated for novel alleles. CONCLUSIONS: SRST is a novel software tool for accurate assignment of sequence types using short read data. Several uses for the tool are demonstrated, including quality control for high-throughput sequencing projects, plasmid MLST and analysis of genomic data during outbreak investigation. SRST is open-source, requires Python, BWA and SamTools, and is available from http://srst.sourceforge.net

Physical Structure and Nature of Supernova Remnants in M101

Supernova remnant (SNR) candidates in the giant spiral galaxy M101 have been previously identified from ground-based H-alpha and [SII] images. We have used archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) H-alpha and broad-band images as well as stellar photometry of 55 SNR candidates to examine their physical structure, interstellar environment, and underlying stellar population. We have also obtained high-dispersion echelle spectra to search for shocked high-velocity gas in 18 SNR candidates, and identified X-ray counterparts to SNR candidates using data from archival observations made by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Twenty-one of these 55 SNR candidates studied have X-ray counterparts, although one of them is a known ultra-luminous X-ray source. The multi-wavelength information has been used to assess the nature of each SNR candidate. We find that within this limited sample, ~16% are likely remnants of Type Ia SNe and ~45% are remnants of core-collapse SNe. In addition, about ~36% are large candidates which we suggest are either superbubbles or OB/HII complexes. Existing radio observations are not sensitive enough to detect the non-thermal emission from these SNR candidates. Several radio sources are coincident with X-ray sources, but they are associated with either giant HII regions in M101 or background galaxies. The archival HST H-alpha images do not cover the entire galaxy and thus prevents a complete study of M101. Furthermore, the lack of HST [SII] images precludes searches for small SNR candidates which could not be identified by ground-based observations. Such high-resolution images are needed in order to obtain a complete census of SNRs in M101 for a comprehensive investigation of the distribution, population, and rates of SNe in this galaxy.Comment: 37 pages, 4 Tables, 7 Figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Development of an instrument for the analysis of problem gambling counselling practice

This article provides an overview of the development and validation of a Counsellor Task Analysis (Problem Gambling) [CTA (PG)] instrument undertaken in order to document the activities of counsellors in problem gambling services. The CTA (PG) aims to provide a broad overview of the complexity of the counsellor\u27s role; specify the range of tasks they perform; and document the relationship between the frequency of task performance and the counsellor\u27s beliefs about the importance of the tasks performed.The CTA (PG) instrument addresses nine dimensions of practice activity through nine subscales, all of which demonstrate internal consistency. It appears to be a strong instrument in terms of its measurement error characteristics for recommending its use with counsellors engaged in the field of gambling. The CTA (PG) gives counsellors the opportunity to document their practice and theories in use when dealing with a problem gambler, a member of the problem gambler\u27s family and the community at large. The psychometric findings reported in this article should be viewed as the preliminary results of an ongoing research effort and further psychometric testing is anticipated. <br /

Republic of the Marshall Islands Changed Circumstances Petition to Congress

This report summarizes U.S. nuclear testing on the Marshall Islands, U.S. compensation efforts to date, relevant provisions in the Compact of Free Association, and the Changed Circumstances Petition. It analyzes several issues related to the personal injury, health care, and property damages claims in the Petition

Awareness and willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis amongst gay and bisexual men in Scotland: implications for biomedical HIV prevention

Objectives:&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; To investigate the awareness of, and willingness to use, HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and willingness to take part in a PrEP study among gay and bisexual men in Scotland.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Methods:&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Cross-sectional survey of 17 gay commercial venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh in May 2011 (N = 1515, 65.2% response rate); 1393 are included in the analyses.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Results:&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Just under one-third of participants had heard of PrEP (n = 434; 31.2%), with awareness associated with being aged older than 35 years, talking to UAI partners about HIV, and with having had an HIV or STI test in the previous 12 months. Around half were willing to take part in a PrEP study (n = 695; 49.9%) or to take PrEP on a daily basis (n = 756; 54.3%). In multivariate analysis, willingness to take PrEP was associated with lower levels of education, regular gay scene attendance, ‘high-risk’ unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) and testing for HIV or STI in the previous 12 months. Reasons for not wanting to participate in a PrEP study or take PrEP included perceptions of low personal risk of HIV and concerns with using medication as an HIV prevention method.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusions:&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; There is a willingness to engage in new forms of HIV prevention and research amongst a significant number of gay and bisexual men in Scotland. Future biomedical HIV interventions need to consider the links between sexual risk behaviour, testing, and potential PrEP use