Israel’s Perspective on Key Legal and Practical Issues Concerning the Application of International Law to Cyber Operations

The speech given by the Israeli Deputy Attorney General (International Law) at the Naval War College’s event on “Disruptive Technologies and International Law” sets out, for the first time, Israel’s position on the application of international law to cyber operations. Consistent with the position taken by the vast majority of States thus far, Israel considers that international law applies to such operations. The speech stresses that questions pertaining to the identification and application of relevant legal rules remain, given the profound differences between the cyber domain and traditional domains of warfare—land, sea, and air. Therefore, in Israel’s view, a cautious methodological approach is warranted when determining the applicable law. The speech provides Israel’s views on key questions concerning the application in cyberspace of jus ad bellum, and relevant concepts of jus in bello, particularly those of “attack” and “object.” It also addresses key questions concerning the application of other international legal rules and concepts that are pertinent to cyber operations: sovereignty, non-intervention, due-diligence, attribution and countermeasures

Je li Kant kršćanski filozof?

Autor pokušava pokazati da je Kant, unatoč svoga kritičkog idealizma, ipak kršćanski filozof. Naime, on je mnoge stvari vidio drukčije nego li su se one tumačile u tradicionalnoj kršćanskoj filozofiji. Kant je, zapravo, filozof prosvjetiteljstva. Pod jakim je dojmom napretka novovjekovne znanosti i zaostajanja metafizike koja ne uspijeva kročiti istinskim putem znanosti. On je "prosvijetljeni" kršćanin za kojega razum i filozofija imaju prvenstvo tako da i u Isusu Kristu vidi idealnog čovjeka. Teoretskim se umom ne može dokazati ni da Bog postoji ni da ne postoji, što ne znači da nema nešto što se razlikuje od svijeta i što je temelj svijeta i reda u njemu. Kantu je stalo da dokine oholost škola koje su sebi pripisivale preveliku moć i prava, a ne da bi želio poljuljati vjerovanje do kojeg je došlo neuko mnoštvo. S jedne strane, u ćudorednosti vlada autonomija (zapovijedi vlastitog uma), a s druge strane, Kant tvrdi da su zapovijedi našega uma zapovijedi Božje. Svakako autor u Kantovoj filozofiji vidi mnogo poticaja da ga pribroji kršćanskoj filozofiji

Systems engineering for a Mars micro-rover

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1992.Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-122).by Steven Yellin Schondorf.M.S

Impact of cancer and chemotherapy on autonomic nervous system function and cardiovascular reactivity in young adults with cancer: a case-controlled feasibility study

Background Preliminary evidence suggests cancer- and chemotherapy-related autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction may contribute to the increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity- and mortality-risks in cancer survivors. However, the reliability of these findings may have been jeopardized by inconsistent participant screening and assessment methods. Therefore, good laboratory practices must be established before the presence and nature of cancer-related autonomic dysfunction can be characterized. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of conducting concurrent ANS and cardiovascular evaluations in young adult cancer patients, according to the following criteria: i) identifying methodological pitfalls and proposing good laboratory practice criteria for ANS testing in cancer, and ii) providing initial physiologic evidence of autonomic perturbations in cancer patients using the composite autonomic scoring scale (CASS). Methods Thirteen patients (mixed diagnoses) were assessed immediately before and after 4 cycles of chemotherapy. Their results were compared to 12 sex- and age-matched controls. ANS function was assessed using standardized tests of resting CV (tilt-table, respiratory sinus arrhythmia and Valsalva maneuver) and sudomotor (quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test) reactivity. Cardiovascular reactivity during exercise was assessed using a modified Astrand-Ryhming cycle ergometer protocol. Our feasibility criteria addressed: i) recruitment potential, ii) retention rates, iii) pre-chemotherapy assessment potential, iv) test performance/tolerability, and v) identification and minimizing the influence of potentially confounding medication. T-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess between- and within-group differences at baseline and follow-up. Results The overall success rate in achieving our feasibility criteria was 98.4 %. According to the CASS, there was evidence of ANS impairment at baseline in 30.8 % of patients, which persisted in 18.2 % of patients at follow-up, compared to 0 % of controls at baseline or follow-up. Conclusions Results from our feasibility assessment suggest that the investigation of ANS function in young adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is possible. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report CASS-based evidence of ANS impairment and sudomotor dysfunction in any cancer population. Moreover, we provide evidence of cancer- and chemotherapy-related parasympathetic dysfunction – as a possible contributor to the pathogenesis of CV disease in cancer survivors

Hypocapnia is a biological marker for orthostatic intolerance in some patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

CONTEXT: Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and those with orthostatic intolerance share many symptoms, yet questions exist as to whether CFS patients have physiological evidence of orthostatic intolerance. OBJECTIVE: To determine if some CFS patients have increased rates of orthostatic hypotension, hypertension, tachycardia, or hypocapnia relative to age-matched controls. DESIGN: Assess blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, end tidal CO2 and visual analog scales for orthostatic symptoms when supine and when standing for 8 minutes without moving legs. SETTING: Referral practice and research center. PARTICIPANTS: 60 women and 15 men with CFS and 36 women and 4 men serving as age matched controls with analyses confined to 62 patients and 35 controls showing either normal orthostatic testing or a physiological abnormal test. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Orthostatic tachycardia; orthostatic hypotension; orthostatic hypertension; orthostatic hypocapnia or combinations thereof. RESULTS: CFS patients had higher rates of abnormal tests than controls (53% vs 20%, p < .002), but rates of orthostatic tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension, and orthostatic hypertension did not differ significantly between patients and controls (11.3% vs 5.7%, 6.5% vs 2.9%, 19.4% vs 11.4%, respectively). In contrast, rates of orthostatic hypocapnia were significantly higher in CFS than in controls (20.6% vs 2.9%, p < .02). This CFS group reported significantly more feelings of illness and shortness of breath than either controls or CFS patients with normal physiological tests. CONCLUSION: A substantial number of CFS patients have orthostatic intolerance in the form of orthostatic hypocapnia. This allows subgrouping of patients with CFS and thus reduces patient pool heterogeneity engendered by use of a clinical case definition

Neurovisceral phenotypes in the expression of psychiatric symptoms

This review explores the proposal that vulnerability to psychological symptoms, particularly anxiety, originates in constitutional differences in the control of bodily state, exemplified by a set of conditions that include Joint Hypermobility, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome and Vasovagal Syncope. Research is revealing how brainbody mechanisms underlie individual differences in psychophysiological reactivity that can be important for predicting, stratifying and treating individuals with anxiety disorders and related conditions. One common constitutional difference is Joint Hypermobility, in which there is an increased range of joint movement as a result of a variant of collagen. Joint hypermobility is over-represented in people with anxiety, mood and neurodevelopmental disorders. It is also linked to stress-sensitive medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Structural differences in 'emotional' brain regions are reported in hypermobile individuals, and many people with joint hypermobility manifest autonomic abnormalities, typically Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. Enhanced heart rate reactivity during postural change and as recently recognised factors causing vasodilatation (as noted post prandially, post exertion and with heat) is characteristic of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, and there is a phenomenological overlap with anxiety disorders, which may be partially accounted for by exaggerated neural reactivity within ventromedial prefrontal cortex. People who experience Vasovagal Syncope, a heritable tendency to fainting induced by emotional challenges (and needle/blood phobia), are also more vulnerable to anxiety disorders. Neuroimaging implicates brainstem differences in vulnerability to faints, yet the structural integrity of the caudate nucleus appears important for the control of fainting frequency in relation to parasympathetic tone and anxiety. Together there is clinical and neuroanatomical evidence to show that common constitutional differences affecting autonomic responsivity are linked to psychiatric symptoms, notably anxiety

Effect of staurosporine on the mobility and invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells: an in vitro study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lung cancer is one of the most malignant tumors, representing a significant threat to human health. Lung cancer patients often exhibit tumor cell invasion and metastasis before diagnosis which often render current treatments ineffective. Here, we investigated the effect of staurosporine, a potent protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor on the mobility and invasiveness of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All experiments were conducted using human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells that were either untreated or treated with 1 nmol/L, 10 nmol/L, or 100 nmol/L staurosporine. Electron microscopy analyses were performed to study ultrastructural differences between untreated A549 cells and A549 cells treated with staurosporine. The effect of staurosporine on the mobility and invasiveness of A549 was tested using Transwell chambers. Western blot analyses were performed to study the effect of staurosporine on the levels of PKC-α, integrin β1, E-cadherin, and LnR. Changes in MMP-9 and uPA levels were identified by fluorescence microscopy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrated that treatment of A549 cells with staurosporine caused alterations in the cell shape and morphology. Untreated cells were primarily short spindle- and triangle-shaped in contrast to staurosporine treated cells which were retracted and round-shaped. The latter showed signs of apoptosis, including vacuole fragmentation, chromatin degeneration, and a decrease in the number of microvilli at the surface of the cells. The A549 cell adhesion, mobility, and invasiveness significantly decreased with higher staurosporine concentrations. E-cadherin, integrin β1, and LnR levels changed by a factor of 1.5, 0.74, and 0.73, respectively compared to untreated cells. In addition, the levels of MMP-9 and uPA decreased in cells treated with staurosporine.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In summary, this study demonstrates that staurosporine inhibits cell adhesion, mobility, and invasion of A549 cells. The staurosporine-mediated inhibition of PKC-α, induction of E-Cad expression, and decreased integrin β1, LnR, MMP-9, and uPA levels could all possibly contribute to this biological process. These results represent a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to understand the development of lung carcinoma and to design novel strategies to inhibit metastasis of the tumor by targeting the cell-adhesion, mobility and invasion of tumor cells.</p

The effect of stimulation technique on sympathetic skin responses in healthy subjects

The aim of this study was to collect normative data for sympathetic skin responses (SSR) elicited by electrical stimulus of the ipsilateral and contralateral peripheral nerves, and by magnetic stimulus of cervical cord. SSRs were measured at the mid-palm of both hands following electrical stimulation of the left median nerve at the wrist and magnetic stimulation at the neck in 40 healthy adult volunteers (mean age 52.2 ± 12.2 years, 19 males). The onset latency, peak latency, amplitude and area were estimated in “P” type responses (i.e., waveforms with a larger positive, compared to negative, component). SSR onset and peak latency were prolonged when the electrical stimulus was applied at the contralateral side (i.e., the SSR recorded in the right palm P < 0.001). The onset latency was similar on both sides during cervical magnetic stimulation. However, peak latency was faster on the left side (P < 0.03). Comparison of electrical and magnetic stimulation revealed that both the onset and peak latency were shorter with magnetic stimulation (P < 0.001). The latency of a SSR varies depending on what type of stimulation is used and where the stimulus is applied. Electrically generated SSRs have a longer delay and the delay is prolonged at the contralateral side. These factors should be taken into account when interpreting SSR data