Peeling Back the Onion of Cyber Espionage after Tallinn 2.0

Tallinn 2.0 represents an important advancement in the understanding of international law’s application to cyber operations below the threshold of force. Its provisions on cyber espionage will be instrumental to states in grappling with complex legal problems in the area of digital spying. The law of cyber espionage as outlined by Tallinn 2.0, however, is substantially based on rules that have evolved outside of the digital context, and there exist serious ambiguities and limitations in its framework. This Article will explore gaps in the legal structure and consider future options available to states in light of this underlying mismatch

Historical and contemporary perspectives on the sediments of Lake Rotorua

Lake Rotorua is probably the oldest continuously inundated lake in New Zealand, occupying a caldera formed by or closely associated with the eruption of the Mamaku ignimbrite and the collapse of the Rotorua caldera (Healy, 1975; Lowe and Green, 1991). The lake has undergone drastic changes in size and depth as a result of tectonics, volcanic activity and erosion. Since the Rotoehu eruption, (~60 kyr), the lake level has fluctuated between 120 m above present (280 m asl) and 10 m below present level. The modern lake covers an area of 79 km2 and has a mean depth of 10 m. Despite its long history of sedimentation, Lake Rotorua has an irregular bathymetry with features including faulted blocks, slumps, hydrothermal explosion craters, springs and large methane discharge pock marks

Why Not the Best? Results From the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, 2011

Assesses the U.S. healthcare system's average performance in 2007-09 as measured by forty-two indicators of health outcomes, quality, access, efficiency, and equity compared with the 2006 and 2008 scorecards and with domestic and international benchmarks

Interactive effects of adiposity and insulin resistance on the impaired lung function in asthmatic adults: cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data

Background: Obesity is considered a risk factor for both asthma and insulin resistance in adults. Insulin resistance(IR) also influences the pulmonary function in the non-obese population. Objective: To investigate the modifying effect of insulin resistance on the predictive role of anthropometric measures in the estimation of impaired lung function among asthmatic adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 1276 adults extracted from NHANES 2009-2012 database was performed. Adjusted multivariate linear regression was conducted to analyse the contributory role of obesity and IR in predicting lung function among asthmatic adults. Results: BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist to height ratio (WHtR) showed significantly negative correlations with FVC (r=--0.24, -0.18, -0.39, respectively; p<0.001), FEV1(r=--0.24, -0.21, -0.40, respectively; p<0.001), and FEF 25-75% (r=--0.15, -0.18, -0.27, respectively; p<0.001). Even after adjustment for the covariates (age, gender, smoking history, and standing height), BMI and HOMA-IR had significant relationships with FVC ((β=-10.3; p<0.01) and (β=-16.0; p<0.05)) and FEV1((β=-8.7; p<0.01) and (β=-11.7; p<0.05)). BMI could significantly predict the decreased FVC (β=-13.7; p<0.01) and FEV1(β=-10.7; p<0.01) only in the insulin resistant asthmatics. Conclusion: WHtR and IR predict impaired lung function in overweight/obese asthmatic adults independently. IR also modifies the association between excessive adiposity and respiratory function in asthmatic adult

Ship traffic connects Antarctica's fragile coasts to worldwide ecosystems.

Antarctica, an isolated and long considered pristine wilderness, is becoming increasingly exposed to the negative effects of ship-borne human activity, and especially the introduction of invasive species. Here, we provide a comprehensive quantitative analysis of ship movements into Antarctic waters and a spatially explicit assessment of introduction risk for nonnative marine species in all Antarctic waters. We show that vessels traverse Antarctica's isolating natural barriers, connecting it directly via an extensive network of ship activity to all global regions, especially South Atlantic and European ports. Ship visits are more than seven times higher to the Antarctic Peninsula (especially east of Anvers Island) and the South Shetland Islands than elsewhere around Antarctica, together accounting for 88% of visits to Southern Ocean ecoregions. Contrary to expectations, we show that while the five recognized "Antarctic Gateway cities" are important last ports of call, especially for research and tourism vessels, an additional 53 ports had vessels directly departing to Antarctica from 2014 to 2018. We identify ports outside Antarctica where biosecurity interventions could be most effectively implemented and the most vulnerable Antarctic locations where monitoring programs for high-risk invaders should be established

Screening for overweight using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) among children younger than two years in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Background: The relationship between overweight and under-nutrition, particularly in resource-poor settings, poses practical challenges for targeting nutrition interventions. Current anthropometric indicators including weight for length (WLZ) recommended by the WHO may be challenging in community settings. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess whether MUAC can accurately identify children aged younger than two years with overweight and obesity. Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was used to collect data from a non-probability sample of 397 young South African children from October 2015 to February 2016. MUAC cut-off values were tested using a receiver operating characteristic and area under the curve (AUC). Results: The prevalence of overweight (WLZ > +2) and obesity (WLZ > +3) was 11% (n = 44) and 5% (21) respectively. A MUAC cut-off value for identifying male children 6 to 24 months old with overweight was determined at 16.5 cm (85% sensitivity, 71.4% specificity, AUC = 0.821) and female children at 16.5 cm (100% sensitivity, 76.6% specificity, AUC = 0.938). Conclusions: MUAC may be an appropriate tool for identifying children younger than two years old with overweight and obesity. The predicted MUAC cut-off values were able to identify infants and young children with overweight accurately

Children’s body fatness and prevalence of obesity in relation to height for age

Background: Children who are taller for their age tend to have higher BMI, and as a group, a greater prevalence of overweight/obesity. Aim: To examine the relationship between height for age with three measures of adiposity. Subjects and methods: Height, weight, BMI, % body fat (%BF) (by bioimpedance) and waist circumference (WC) were measured in 2298 Caucasian children (1251 boys) aged 4.5 to 14 years. Standard deviation scores (SDS) were derived and cases divided into quartiles of height SDS. Mean BMI, %BF and WC SDSs were compared across quartiles. Prevalence of overweight/obesity, overfat/obesity and abdominal overweight/obesity within each height for age quartile was determined. Results: Mean BMI, %BF and WC SDSs increased with increasing quartile of height SDS. Overweight/obesity, overfat/obesity and abdominal overweight/obesity prevalence increased from the first quartile (8.8-13%) to the fourth quartile (32.7-45.5%) of height SDS. A significant rising trend in mean SDSs for BMI, %BF and WC was also observed with increasing height SDS in overweight/obese children only. Conclusion: A higher prevalence of excess weight, measured by BMI SDS among children taller for their age is replicated when using %BF and WC. Height for age measurement has potential in screening children for later risk of obesity

Weight loss strategies and the risk of skeletal muscle mass loss

With energy intake restriction and exercise remaining the key diet and lifestyle approaches to weight loss, this is not without potential negative implications for body composition, metabolic health, and quality and quantity of life. Ideally, weight loss should be derived almost exclusively from the fat mass compartment as this is the main driver of metabolic disease, however, several studies have shown that there is an accompanying loss of tissue from the fat-free compartment, especially skeletal muscle. Population groups including post-menopausal women, the elderly, those with metabolic disease and athletes may be particularly at risk of skeletal muscle loss when following a weight management programme. Research studies that have addressed this issue across a range of population groups are reviewed with a focus upon the contribution of resistance and endurance forms of exercise and a higher intake dietary protein above the current guideline of 0.8 g/kg body weight/day. While findings can be contradictory, overall, the consensus appears that fat-free and skeletal muscle masses can be preserved, albeit to varying degrees by including both forms of exercise (but especially resistance forms) in the weight management intervention. Equally, higher intakes of protein can protect loss of these body compartments, acting either separately or synergistically with exercise. Elderly individuals in particular may benefit most from this approach. Thus, the evidence supports the recommendations for intakes of protein above the current guidelines of 0.8 g/kg body weight/d for the healthy elderly population to also be incorporated into the dietary prescription for weight management in this age group

Association between overall rate of change in rising breath alcohol concentration and the magnitude of acute tolerance of subjective intoxication via the Mellanby method

ObjectiveThe magnitude of acute tolerance is a strong predictor of the development of longerâ term chronic tolerance and plays a decisive role in risky decisions (e.g., driving after drinking). Therefore, it is important to identify factors that increase the magnitude of this adaptive process. This study explored whether acute tolerance magnitude varied as a function of the overall rate of increase in breath alcohol concentration (BrAC).MethodsTwentyâ nine young adult social drinkers (M age = 22.55, SD = 3.10; 62.1% women) consumed a moderate dose of alcohol (men: 0.86 g/kg, women: 0.75 g/kg) in a controlled laboratory setting. Subjective intoxication was assessed at matched BrACs (~0.060 g/dl) on each limb of the BrAC curve.ResultsHierarchical regression results indicated that faster overall increases in BrAC on the ascending limb were associated with greater acute tolerance for subjective intoxication ratings (p < .01, R2 = .29).ConclusionsThese results present some of the first evidence that faster increases in BrAC may be associated with greater acute tolerance, as indicated by greater reduction in subjective intoxication across the limbs of the BrAC curve. This greater reduction may, in turn, promote heavier drinking and/or engagement in behaviors for which one is unfit (e.g., driving after drinking).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135992/1/hup2565_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135992/2/hup2565.pd

Rising to the Challenge: Results From a Scorecard on Local Health Performance, 2012

Provides comparative data with respect to healthcare access, prevention and treatment, costs and avoidable hospital use, and outcomes in three hundred-plus localities. Examines disparities in access and quality by geography, income, and poverty rate