Cyberstalking: a new challenge for criminal law

Cyberstalking has recently emerged as a new and growing problem and is an area that will probably receive a higher profile within criminal law as more cases reach court (see Griffiths, 1999; Griffiths, Rogers and Sparrow, 1998; Bojic and McFarlane, 2002a; 2002b). For the purposes of this article we define cyberstalking as the use of information and communications technology (in particular the Internet) in order to harass individuals. Such harassment may include actions such as the transmission of offensive e-mail messages, identity theft and damage to data or equipment. Whilst a more comprehensive definition has been presented elsewhere (Bocij and McFarlane, 2002), it is hoped that the definition here is sufficient for those unfamiliar with this field. The stereotypical stalker conjures up images of someone harassing a victim who is the object of their affection. However, not all stalking incidents are motivated by unrequited love. Stalking can also be motivated by hate, a need for revenge, a need for power and/or racism. Similarly, cyberstalking can involve acts that begin with the issuing of threats and end in physical assault. We also make distinctions between conventional stalking and cyberstalking. Whilst some may view cyberstalking as an extension of conventional stalking, we believe cyberstalking should be regarded as an entirely new form of deviant behaviour

I'm streaming of a white Christmas

A presentation outlining the use of Kaltura Streaming Video tool at Canterbury Christ Church University

Assessing the relationship of grit and student achievement in reading and mathematics in second grade students of the Sault Ste. Marie public school district

The single most common predictor of success may be how hard students work. Students who persevere when faced with challenges and adversity have grit. This quantitative study explored the relationship of grit and student achievement in students in early elementary school. The subjects of the study were second grade students enrolled in the Sault Ste. Marie Area Public School District. The cognitive measures for this study were the subjects’ scores from the Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress in the areas of mathematics and reading. The non-cognitive measure for this research was the Grit-S Scale, which provided a grit score for each of the subjects. The results of the study established a highly significant moderate to strong relationship between grit and student achievement in both mathematics and reading as students exited second grade. A significant strong relationship was established between students’ mathematics and reading scores at the end of second grade. The results also demonstrated a moderate to strong relationship between a student’s grit and socioeconomic status and school attendance. The study’s results have the potential to provide evidence as to the importance of non-cognitive skills in relation to academic success of students. The results lend knowledge to the field of education about the importance and value of explicitly teaching and supporting non-cognitive skills such as resilience, conscientiousness, optimism, self-control, goal commitment, perseverance, and grit within the classroom. The results of this study showed support for the link between grit and student achievement in students who are just embarking on their educational journey

Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Synbiotic Supplementation in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Gut dysbiosis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Restoring gut microbiota with prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic supplementation has emerged as a potential therapeutic intervention but has not been systematically evaluated in the CKD population.This is a systematic review. A structured search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the International Clinical Trials Register Search Portal was conducted for articles published since inception until July 2017. Included studies were randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of prebiotic, probiotic, and/or synbiotic supplementation (>1\ua0week) on uremic toxins, microbiota profile, and clinical and patient-centered outcomes in adults and children with CKD.Sixteen studies investigating 645 adults met the inclusion criteria; 5 investigated prebiotics, 6 probiotics, and 5 synbiotics. The quality of the studies (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) ranged from moderate to very low. Prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic supplementation may have led to little or no difference in serum urea (9 studies, 345 participants: mean difference [MD] -0.30\ua0mmol/L, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.20 to 1.61, P\ua0=\ua0.76, I\ua0=\ua053%), indoxyl sulfate (4 studies, 144 participants: MD -0.02\ua0mg/dL, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.05, P\ua0=\ua0.61, I\ua0=\ua00%), and p-cresyl sulfate (4 studies, 144 participants: MD -0.13\ua0mg/dL, 95% CI -0.41 to 0.15, P\ua0=\ua0.35, I\ua0=\ua00%). Prebiotic supplementation may have slightly reduced serum urea concentration (4 studies, 105 participants: MD -2.23\ua0mmol/L, 95% CI -3.83 to -0.64, P\ua0=\ua0.006, I\ua0=\ua011). Of the 2 studies investigating microbiota changes, synbiotic interventions significantly increased Bifidobacterium. Supplement effects on clinical outcomes were uncertain.There is limited evidence to support the use of prebiotics, probiotics, and/or synbiotics in CKD management

Synthesis and methane cracking activity of a silicon nitride supported vanadium nitride nanoparticle composite

The co-ammonolysis of V(NMe2)4 and Si(NHMe)4 with ammonia in THF and in the presence of ammonium triflate ([NH4][CF3SO3]) leads to the formation of monolithic gels. Pyrolysing these gels produces mesoporous composite materials containing nanocrystalline VN and amorphous silicon imidonitride. Elemental mapping indicated a thorough distribution of VN with no evidence of large cluster segregation. Whilst not active for ammonia synthesis, the silicon nitride based materials were found to possess activity for the COx-free production of H2 from methane, which makes them candidates for applications in which the presence of low levels of CO in H2 feedstreams is detrimental

Intra-specific variation in wing morphology and its impact on take-off performance in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) during escape flights

Diurnal and seasonal increases in body mass and seasonal reductions in wing area may compromise a bird's ability to escape, as less of the power available from the flight muscles can be used to accelerate and elevate the animal's centre of mass. Here, we investigated the effects of intra-specific variation in wing morphology on escape take-off performance in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Flights were recorded using synchronised high-speed video cameras and take-off performance was quantified as the sum of the rates of change of the kinetic and potential energies of the centre of mass. Individuals with a lower wing loading, WL (WL=body weight/wing area) had higher escape take-off performance, consistent with the increase in lift production expected from relatively larger wings. Unexpectedly, it was found that the total power available from the flight muscles (estimated using an aerodynamic analysis) was inversely related to WL. This could simply be because birds with a higher WL have relatively smaller flight muscles. Alternatively or additionally, variation in the aerodynamic load on the wing resulting from differences in wing morphology will affect the mechanical performance of the flight muscles via effects on the muscle's length trajectory. Consistent with this hypothesis is the observation that wing beat frequency and relative downstroke duration increase with decreasing WL; both are factors that are expected to increase muscle power output. Understanding how wing morphology influences take-off performance gives insight into the potential risks associated with feather loss and seasonal and diurnal fluctuations in body mass

The Prey of Common Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Dry Limestone Scrub Forest of Southern Jamaica

A collection of common barn-owl (Tyto alba Scopoli) pellets from caves on the Portland Ridge of Jamaica reveals that whereas introduced rodents constitute approximately 90% of the total prey, bats and birds are also frequent prey items. Of the bats, frugivorous species predominate with Ariteus flavescens Gray and Artibeus jamaicensis Leach accounting for the largest portion of the bat prey. Insectivorous bats are markedly under-represented with respect to the known diversity of insectivorous species in the habitat

The SUMO Ligase Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT 1 (PIAS1) is a constituent PML-NB protein that contributes to the intrinsic antiviral immune response to herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)

Aspects of intrinsic antiviral immunity are mediated by promyelocytic leukaemia (PML)-nuclear body (PML-NB) constituent proteins. During herpesvirus infection, these antiviral proteins are independently recruited to nuclear domains that contain infecting viral genomes to cooperatively promote viral genome silencing. Central to the execution of this particular antiviral response is the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) signalling pathway. However, the participating SUMOylation enzymes are not fully characterized. We identify the SUMO ligase Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT1 (PIAS1) as a constituent PML-NB protein. We show that PIAS1 localizes at PML-NBs in a SUMO interaction motif (SIM)-dependent manner that requires SUMOylated or SUMOylation competent PML. Following infection with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), PIAS1 is recruited to nuclear sites associated with viral genome entry in a SIM-dependent manner, consistent with the SIM-dependent recruitment mechanisms of other well characterized PML-NB proteins. In contrast to Daxx and Sp100, however, the recruitment of PIAS1 is enhanced by PML. PIAS1 promotes the stable accumulation of SUMO1 at nuclear sites associated with HSV-1 genome entry, whereas the accumulation of other evaluated PML-NB proteins occurs independently of PIAS1. We show that PIAS1 cooperatively contributes to HSV-1 restriction through mechanisms that are additive to those of PML and cooperative with those of PIAS4. The antiviral mechanisms of PIAS1 are counteracted by ICP0, the HSV-1 SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase, which disrupts the recruitment of PIAS1 to nuclear domains that contain infecting HSV-1 genomes through mechanisms that do not directly result in PIAS1 degradation