A communications model for an ISAS to NASA span link

The authors propose that an initial computer-to-computer communication link use the public packet switched networks (PPSN) Venus-P in Japan and TELENET in the U.S. When the traffic warrants it, this link would then be upgraded to a dedicated leased line that directly connects into the Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN). The proposed system of hardware and software will easily support migration to such a dedicated link. It therefore provides a cost effective approach to the network problem. Once a dedicated line becomes operation it is suggested that the public networks link and continue to coexist, providing a backup capability

Maintain Order And Lose Your Shirt: Personal Liability Of Educators In The Classroom

Professors, teachers and school administrators are increasingly faced with concerns not even thought of in previous decades.  For example, drugs, weapons, suicides, robberies, and assaults are now everyday occurrences in some educational facilities.  Being able to cope with such situations requires care and some knowledge of the law.  In addition, the danger to school employees can go even further, such as personal financial liability in the form of damage law suits by students against the school and its employees.  Obviously, the thought of an educator losing personal assets and retirement pay because of only trying to protect other students or one’s own self is daunting.&nbsp

Forensic Accountants: Financial Investigators

The public fraud scandals with companies like Enron and WorldCom, the Internet and other technological advances, and even the threat of terrorists have created a large demand for the skills and services provided by forensic accountants.  Forensic accountants are in high demand because they play a critical role in an investigation of suspected financial scandals and misappropriation of assets.  It is their job to bring independence and credibility to these investigations

Aligned crystallite powder of NdFeAsO0.86_{0.86}F0.14_{0.14}: magnetic hysteresis and penetration depth

We report the basal-plane critical current and superfluid density of magnetically aligned NdFeAsO$_{0.86}$F$_{0.14}$ powder. This sample has individual crystallite grains permanently oriented with their c axis along the external field. Magnetic irreversibilities at high field suggest strong flux pinning of basal-plane critical currents, with monotonic field dependence and no evidence of the "fishtail" effect. The small particles provide a sensitive indicator of \textit{dc} flux penetration, and allow analysis of the temperature dependence of $ab-$plane London penetration depth $\lambda_{ab,\mathrm{L}}$, which is quadratic at low $T$. This feature may not necessarily be due to the nodes in the gap, but may be rather a sign of a strong pair-breaking. A quantitative determination of the absolute magnitude of $\lambda_{ab,\mathrm{L}}$ is hindered by the need for accurate knowledge of the particle size distribution.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Identifying and addressing psychosocial determinants of adherence to physical distancing guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic – project protocol

Optimising public health physical distancing measures has been a critical part of the global response to the spread of COVID-19. Evidence collected during the current pandemic shows that the transmission rate of the virus is significantly reduced following implementation of intensive physical distancing measures. Adherence to these recommendations has been poorer than adherence to other key transmission reduction behaviours such as handwashing. There are a complex range of reasons that are likely to predict why people do not or only partially adhere to physical distancing recommendations. In the current project we aim to address the following research questions: (1) What are the psychosocial determinants of physical distancing for the general public and for key socio-demographic sub-groups (e.g., young adults, older adults, etc.)?; (2) Do current Government of Ireland COVID-19 physical distancing communications address the determinants of physical distancing?; and (3) How can communications be optimised and tailored to sub-groups to ensure maximum adherence to guidelines? These will be addressed by conducting three work packages (WPs). In WP1, we will work closely with the iCARE international study, which includes a large online survey of public responses to measures established to reduce and slow the spread of COVID-19, including physical distancing. We will analyse Irish data, comparing it to data from other countries, to identify the key psychosocial determinants of physical distancing behaviour. This will be followed by a qualitative study to explore in depth the barriers and facilitators of physical distancing behaviour among the Irish public (WP2). In WP3, we will conduct a content analysis and evidence mapping of current government messaging around physical distancing, to ensure the findings from this research feed into the development of ongoing communication and future messaging about physical distancing

Investigating and evaluating evidence of the behavioural determinants of adherence to social distancing measures – A protocol for a scoping review of COVID-19 research

Background: The WHO has declared the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic. With no vaccine currently available, using behavioural measures to reduce the spread of the virus within the population is an important tool in mitigating the effects of this pandemic. As such, social distancing measures are being implemented globally and have proven an effective tool in slowing the large-scale spread of the virus. Aim: This scoping review will focus on answering key questions about the state of the evidence on the behavioural determinants of adherence to social distancing measures in research on COVID-19. Methods: A scoping review will be conducted in accordance with guidelines for best practice. Literature searches will be conducted using online databases and grey literature sources. Databases will include Medline, Web of Science, Embase and PsycInfo, alongside relevant pre-print servers. Grey literature will be searched on Google Scholar. Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal will be conducted by members of the research team, with any discrepancies resolved by consensus discussion. Quality appraisal will be conducted using the Cochrane’s ROBINS-I tool, the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist where appropriate. Results will be analysed by mapping findings onto the Theoretical Domains Framework and visualising characteristics of the included studies using EviAtlas. This scoping review is pre-registered with Open Science Framework. Conclusions: The results of this study may facilitate the systematic development of behavioural interventions to increase adherence to social distancing measures

Effectiveness of a biopsychosocial e-learning intervention on the clinical judgements of medical students and GP trainees regarding future risk of disability in patients with chronic lower back pain: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction Chronic lower back pain (CLBP) is a major healthcare problem with wide ranging effects. It is a priority for appropriate management of CLBP to get individuals back to work as early as possible. Interventions that identify biopsychosocial barriers to recovery have been observed to lead to successfully reduced pain-related work absences and increased return to work for individuals with CLBP. Modern conceptualisations of pain adopt a biopsychosocial approach, such as the flags approach. Biopsychosocial perspectives have been applied to judgements about future adjustment, recovery from pain and risk of long-term disability; and provide a helpful model for understanding the importance of contextual interactions between psychosocial and biological variables in the experience of pain. Medical students and general practitioner (GP) trainees are important groups to target with education about biopsychosocial conceptualisations of pain and related clinical implications. Aim The current study will compare the effects of an e-learning intervention that focuses on a biopsychosocial model of pain, on the clinical judgements of medical students and trainees. Methods and analysis Medical student and GP trainee participants will be randomised to 1 of 2 study conditions: (1) a 20 min e-learning intervention focused on the fundamentals of the flags approach to clinical judgement-making regarding risk of future pain-related disability; compared with a (2) wait-list control group on judgement accuracy and weighting (ie, primary outcomes); flags approach knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards pain, judgement speed and empathy (ie, secondary outcomes). Participants will be assessed at preintervention and postintervention. Ethics and dissemination The study will be performed in agreement with the Declaration of Helsinki and is approved by the National University of Ireland Galway Research Ethics Committee. The results of the trial will be published according to the CONSORT statement and will be presented at conferences and reported in peer-reviewed journals

Genetic Analysis Workshop 14: microsatellite and single-nucleotide polymorphism marker loci for genome-wide scans.

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Cryopreservation Preserves Cell-Type Composition and Gene Expression Profiles in Bone Marrow Aspirates From Multiple Myeloma Patients

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals gene expression differences between individual cells and also identifies different cell populations that are present in the bulk starting material. To obtain an accurate assessment of patient samples, single-cell suspensions need to be generated as soon as possible once the tissue or sample has been collected. However, this requirement poses logistical challenges for experimental designs involving multiple samples from the same subject since these samples would ideally be processed at the same time to minimize technical variation in data analysis. Although cryopreservation has been shown to largely preserve the transcriptome, it is unclear whether the freeze-thaw process might alter gene expression profiles in a cell-type specific manner or whether changes in cell-type proportions might also occur. To address these questions in the context of multiple myeloma clinical studies, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to compare fresh and frozen cells isolated from bone marrow aspirates of six multiple myeloma patients, analyzing both myeloma cells (CD138+) and cells constituting the microenvironment (CD138-). We found that cryopreservation using 90% fetal calf serum and 10% dimethyl sulfoxide resulted in highly consistent gene expression profiles when comparing fresh and frozen samples from the same patient for both CD138+ myeloma cells (R ≥ 0.96) and for CD138- cells (R ≥ 0.9). We also demonstrate that CD138- cell-type proportions showed minimal alterations, which were mainly related to small differences in immune cell subtype sensitivity to the freeze-thaw procedures. Therefore, when processing fresh multiple myeloma samples is not feasible, cryopreservation is a useful option in single-cell profiling studies

Genetic Analysis Workshop 14: microsatellite and single-nucleotide polymorphism marker loci for genome-wide scans

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are