Intellectual Property Issues in E-Commerce

Today\u27s companies face an incredible array of intellectual property issues, particularly when conducting business online. Forrester Research expects U.S. e-commerce retail sales to grow by over 10% per year and reach $278.9 billion in 2015. As e-commerce business increases and utilizes new technologies, e-commerce companies are likely to see a surge in IP issues and litigation. This Article discusses several of the more significant IP issues that an e-commerce company is likely to encounter and provides several strategies for dealing with such issues

Assessing Peer Leader Skill Acquisition and Group Dynamics in a First-Year Calculus Course

Peer-led team learning (PLTL), specifically the model known as ‘Workshops’, has been shown to contribute positively and significantly to student success in STEM courses across subjects (Gosser et al., 2001). Our research adds to the SOTL literature describing the effectiveness of Workshops by reporting on the changes in student leaders. We examine the level to which leaders acquired new skills in effective teaching and describe the pedagogical interactions in the groups they led as a result of the combination of training and experience facilitating first-year Calculus Workshop sections. This was a semester-long study on twenty-two Workshop leaders for two multi-section, introductory calculus courses at a small research university. Our method is a novel overlay of two metrics that allows, with some forethought, a robust analysis of Workshop leader outcomes that would complement any assessment of PLTL implementation faculty might choose to undertake

Microarterial anastomoses: A parameterised computational study examining the effect of suture position on intravascular blood flow

This study investigates the extent to which individual aspects of suture placement influence local haemodynamics within microarterial anastomoses. An attempt to physically quantify flow characteristics of blood past microvascular sutures is made using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Particular focus has been placed on increased shear strain rate (SSR), a known precipitant of intravascular platelet activation and thrombosis. Measurements were taken from micrographs of sutured anastomoses in chicken femoral vessels, with each assessed for bite width, suture angle and suture spacing. Computational geometries were then created to represent the anastomosis. Each suture characteristic was parameterised to allow independent or simultaneous adjustment. Flow rates were obtained from anonymised Doppler ultrasound scans of analogous vessels during preoperative assessment for autologous breast reconstruction. Vessel simulations were performed in 2.5 mm ducts with blood as the working fluid. Vessel walls were non-compliant and a continuous Newtonian flow was applied, in accordance with current literature. Suture bite angle and spacing had significant effects on local haemodynamics, causing notably higher local SSRs, when simulated at extremes of surgical practice. A combined simulation, encompassing subtle changes of each suture parameter simultaneously i.e. representing optimum technique, created a more favourable SSR profile. As such, haemodynamic changes associated with optimum suture placement are unlikely to influence thrombus formation significantly. These findings support adherence to the basic principles of good microsurgical practice