Cybersquatting: The Latest Challenge in Federal Trademark Protection

The explosion in Internet technology in the past decade has drawn the Lanham Act into the realm of electronic commerce. Trademark owners seeking to register domain names have recently found themselves entwined in a number of disputes, such as disputes involving claims to multiple domain names and disputes over whether the domain name registration system is fairly administered. One important legal issue that has recently come to the fore is over the practice of cybersquatting. Today, courts must contend with the cybersquatter, a speculator who reserves trademarks as Internet domain names for the sole purpose of selling or licensing them back to trademark owners willing to pay a considerable price for their use. Complicating matters, the most potent weapons in the Government\u27s anticybersquatting arsenal--the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) and Federal Trademark Dilution Act (FTDA)--each give rise to grave constitutional concerns

Cybersquatting: The Latest Challenge in Federal Trademark Protection

The explosion in Internet technology in the past decade has drawn the Lanham Act into the realm of electronic commerce. Trademark owners seeking to register domain names have recently found themselves entwined in a number of disputes, such as disputes involving claims to multiple domain names and disputes over whether the domain name registration system is fairly administered. One important legal issue that has recently come to the fore is over the practice of cybersquatting. Today, courts must contend with the cybersquatter, a speculator who reserves trademarks as Internet domain names for the sole purpose of selling or licensing them back to trademark owners willing to pay a considerable price for their use. Complicating matters, the most potent weapons in the Government\u27s anticybersquatting arsenal--the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) and Federal Trademark Dilution Act (FTDA)--each give rise to grave constitutional concerns

The metabolic and physiological responses to scootering exercise in a field-setting

Background: This study quantified the metabolic and physiological responses towards a range of scootering speeds in a field-setting. Methods: Ten participants (eight male, two female; mean ± standard deviation [SD] age: 21 ± 1 years; peak oxygen uptake [V̇O 2peak ]: 51.5 ± 6.0 mL/kg/min) completed a cycling V̇O 2peak test and a 30-min scootering protocol. Energy expenditure (EE), metabolic equivalents (METs) and heart rate (HR) were recorded throughout. Results: Mean ± SD EE and METs increased (P < 0.001) linearly when scootering at; 6.0 km/hr (4.3 ± 1.9 kcal/min, 4.1 ± 0.4), 7.5 km/hr (5.2 ± 2.7 kcal/min, 4.7 ± 0.5), 9.0 km/hr (6.4 ± 2.6 kcal/min, 5.2 ± 0.6), 10.5 km/hr (6.9 ± 2.8 kcal/min, 5.8 ± 0.6) and 12.0 km/hr (8.2 ± 1.7 kcal/min, 6.3 ± 0.8), respectively. When scootering at these speeds, mean ± SD percentage of maximal HR were 51 ± 11%, 55 ± 7%, 60 ± 9%, 64 ± 11% and 71 ± 9%. Conclusions: Scootering speeds of 6.0–10.5 km/hr meet the criteria for moderate-intensity exercise (3.0–5.9 METs). Scootering is an alternate form of exercise and mode of active transport, which may be included in the latest Compendium of Physical Activities guidelines and improve cardiorespiratory fitness if undertaken regularly

Developing an integrated national simulation-based educational programme for Scottish junior doctors through structured, multi-step action research cycles

OBJECTIVES: Simulation is widely employed to teach a range of skills, across healthcare professions and is most effective when embedded within a standarised curriculum. Although recommended by many governing bodies, establishing a national programme of simulation presents many challenges. Successful implementation requires a clear understanding of the priorities and needs of those it seeks to serve yet there are limited examples of how best to do this. This study aimed to develop an integrated national simulation-based educational programme for junior doctors in Scotland through a structed, multistep prioritisation process. DESIGN: A series of action research cycles were undertaken to develop and evaluate a national simulation programme. This paper describes cycle 1, which employed a six-step structured approach to understand and prioritise learner needs. SETTING: The study considered the educational needs of Scottish junior doctors in the UK Foundation Programme (UKFP). PARTICIPANTS: Multiple stakeholder groups were involved in each stage of the process including recent Scottish UKFP graduates, clinical educators, UKFP programme directors and postgraduate deans. RESULTS: Key stakeholders reviewed the 370 competencies in the UKFP curriculum and identified 18 initial competency areas. These 18 areas were subsequently prioritised through the analytical hierarchy process, resulting in a carefully ordered list of 12 competencies from which a targeted simulation-based educational programme could be developed. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to outline the methods of competency prioritisation to create a simulation curriculum that is integrated within a national curriculum in the medical education context. As well as demonstrating the practical steps of such a process, key implications for practice are identified. This robust approach to educational design also resulted in unexpected benefits, including educator and clinician acceptance and programme funding sustainability

The impact of the Sho't Left tourism marketing campaign on Orlando West residents.

Thesis (MBA)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.The South African Tourism Board (SATB) is the official tourism authority for South Africa; its mandate includes the domestic and international markets. SATB launched its domestic tourism growth strategy in 2004. The focus of this strategy is to grow the current infant domestic tourism market within South Africa and influence consumers to travel more within the country. Using the principles of marketing, SATB segmented the domestic tourism market into three segments, namely the established, the emerging and the untapped segments (SATB, 2004). The emerging market has been further segmented into three sub segments namely the young and upcoming, striving families and well off homely couples. The young and upcoming market segment has been chosen for this research. This study seeks to research the impact of the Sho't Left marketing campaign on the young and up coming consumers. SATB has identified that the young and upcoming reside in Soweto, and other previously disadvantaged regions. Due to time and financial constraints this research has chosen Orlando West, a suburb of Soweto as the target population. The findings of the research indicated an awareness of the Sho't Left campaign, yet the campaign failed to do more than create awareness. Some respondents were aware of the packages on offer yet only 1.25% of respondents booked the package deals being promoted through the Sho't Left campaign. This research also suggests a lack of the young and up coming segment in Orlando West. The research findings motivate further research into the defined target market segments to ensure that SATB promotions are aimed at the correct targeted segments

Development and evaluation of a novel protective device for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in the COVID-19 pandemic: the EBOX

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, aerosol-generating procedures such as upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) have been considered high risk. We designed a novel acrylic box (endoscopy box (EBOX)) with the intention of limiting aerosol and droplet spread during such procedures. We evaluated clinical utility, impact on the endoscopy team and also assessed the impact of the EBOX on macroscopic droplet spread from a simulated cough during UGIE. Methods Clinical utility was evaluated prospectively via EBOX use on 15 patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (13) or endoscopic ultrasound (2). Feedback was recorded from the endoscopy team regarding ease of positioning, impact of the EBOX on procedural performance and cleaning. A cough was simulated via explosion of a hyperinflated balloon containing 0.75 mL of ultraviolet disclosing lotion within the oral cavity of a mannequin, with and without the EBOX. Macroscopic spread was then evaluated with a ultraviolet torch. Results Three endoscopists and the team members found that the EBOX did not hamper the procedure and felt it was a useful adjunct to full personal protective equipment (PPE). Simulated cough without the EBOX identified macroscopic spread up to 2.3 m away from the patient’s mouth as well as onto key areas such as the exposed neck of the endoscopist, which is not considered in current PPE guidance. Simulated cough using the EBOX significantly reduced macroscopic spread onto key areas of the healthcare workers. Conclusions The EBOX is a valuable adjunct to recommended PPE for UGIE, but still allows these procedures to be performed in the standard manner

Kneeling ability after total knee replacement

Kneeling ability is consistently the poorest patient-rated outcome after total knee replacement (TKR), with 60–80% of patients reporting difficulty kneeling or an inability to kneel. Difficulty kneeling impacts on many activities and areas of life, including activities of daily living, self-care, leisure and social activities, religious activities, employment and getting up after a fall. Given the wide range of activities that involve kneeling, and the expectation that this will be improved with surgery, problems kneeling after TKR are a source of dissatisfaction and disappointment for many patients. Research has found that there is no association between range of motion and self-reported kneeling ability. More research is needed to understand if and how surgical factors contribute to difficulty kneeling after TKR. Discrepancies between patients’ self-reported ability to kneel and observed ability suggests that patients can kneel but elect not to. Reasons for this are multifactorial, including knee pain/discomfort, numbness, fear of harming the prosthesis, co-morbidities and recommendations from health professionals. There is currently no evidence that there is any clinical reason why patients should not kneel on their replaced knee, and reasons for not kneeling could be addressed through education and rehabilitation. There has been little research to evaluate the provision of healthcare services and interventions for patients who find kneeling problematic after TKR. Increased clinical awareness of this poor outcome and research to inform the provision of services is needed to improtzve patient care and allow patients to return to this important activity

Changes in subjective ratings of impulsive steering wheel vibration due to changes in noise level: a cross-modal interaction

Cross-modal effects occur when subjective opinions of stimuli from one sense (e.g., tactile at steering wheel) are influenced by simultaneous stimuli in another sense (auditory). A steering wheel rig was used to provide specified vibration stimuli to participants' hands, and a recording of vehicle sound was played in accordance with the vibrations. Participants were subjected to test conditions with vibration values between 10 m s and 20 m s, and auditory stimuli between 88 dB(A) and 98 dB(A) peak. Participants were neither informed of nor asked about any changes in the noise level: thus the purpose of the experiment was withheld from them. The results show that as noise level increased, subjective ratings of steering wheel vibration increased. Therefore, car cabin noise could be used to enhance the feel of the vibration at the steering wheel

Scaffolds for 3D in vitro culture of neural lineage cells.

Understanding how neurodegenerative disorders develop is not only a key challenge for researchers but also for the wider society, given the rapidly aging populations in developed countries. Advances in this field require new tools with which to recreate neural tissue in vitro and produce realistic disease models. This in turn requires robust and reliable systems for performing 3D in vitro culture of neural lineage cells. This review provides a state of the art update on three-dimensional culture systems for in vitro development of neural tissue, employing a wide range of scaffold types including hydrogels, solid porous polymers, fibrous materials and decellularised tissues as well as microfluidic devices and lab-on-a-chip systems. To provide some context with in vivo development of the central nervous system (CNS), we also provide a brief overview of the neural stem cell niche, neural development and neural differentiation in vitro. We conclude with a discussion of future directions for this exciting and important field of biomaterials research