Remote Forensics May Bring the Next Sea Change in E-discovery: Are All Networked Computers Now Readily Accessible Under the Revised Federal Rules of Civil Procedure?

The recent amendments to Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure created a two-tiered approach to discovery of electronically stored information (“ESI”). Responding parties must produce ESI that is relevant, not subject to privilege, and reasonably accessible. However, because some methods of storing ESI, such as on magnetic backup tapes and within enormous databases, require substantial cost to access and search their contents, the rules permit parties to designate those repositories as “not reasonably accessible” because of undue burden or cost. But even despite the difficulty in searching for ESI, the party’s duty to preserve potentially responsive evidence remains; it simply gains the option to forgo poring over the material. Further, the court might nevertheless compel production if the requesting party demonstrates good cause. Regardless of whether the responding party believes certain documents to be reasonably accessible or not, courts may still require their production. In such cases, the court may then choose to order production, but shift the costs of doing so to the requesting party. Throughout this process, the burden and cost of production are central themes. Their determination is fluid, varying from case to case and even over time in the same situation. Nowhere is this more evident than where a responding party has numerous, geographically dispersed computers under its control that may contain responsive ESI to a request for production of documents. Traditionally, a responding party would be forced to make a decision of whether or not to send out computer forensic experts to all of these locations to make forensically sound copies of all of those computers and then analyze each. This process is time consuming and costly. Recently, several companies have put forth substantial solutions that facially allow a responding party to capture and analyze data on geographically dispersed computers remotely. That process, in general, is often defined as remote forensics. The question is now whether newly available remote forensic solution indicate that all networked computers are readily accessible under the current state of the law. This article attempts to define remote forensics, examines a selection of applicable court decisions, and then analyzes the currently available commercial software packages that allow remote forensics

P-Wave Reflection Imaging of Laboratory Soil Models

An ultrasonic p-wave reflection imaging system is used to non-invasively image submerged soil models with embedded anomalies and complex geometric layer contacts. The ultrasonic transducers emit compressive waves into water that subsequently transmit into the underlying soil, and measurements of the reflections are used to construct the images. Properties of the transducers and data acquisition hardware and software are explained. A soil model consisting of embedded high- and low-impedance anomalies, dipping soil layer contacts, and an undulating concrete base layer was imaged using 500 kHz transducers. The geometric features of the model are clearly visible in the images

Beef Reproductive Technology Adoption- Impact of Production Risk and Capitals

Agriculture, Beef, Artificial insemination, Estrus synchronization, Social capital, Production risk, Technology adoption, Farm Management,

Cow-Calf Producer Interest in Retained Ownership

The beef industry’s share of domestic meat demand continues to decline, as increasing vertical coordination in pork and poultry contribute to these industries’ ability to offer convenient, consistent, and less expensive products. For such vertical coordination to be effective, incentives must be properly aligned so that those responsible for making the most important investments for system profitability are appropriately compensated. This study demonstrates that cow-calf producers who invest in quality registered cattle and those who are interested in incorporating feedlot and carcass data into herd management decisions are also more interested in retained ownership.beef cattle, property rights theory, retained ownership, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing, Q13,

The Maluridae: Inferring Avian Biology and Evolutionary History from DNA Sequences

The Australo-Papuan fairy-wrens, emu-wrens and grasswrens comprise the passerine family Maluridae. They have long been known for their spectacular plumages, remarkable behavioural ecology and intriguing biogeography. The family has provided an ideal model with which to explore how phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses of DNA-sequence data can inform understanding of evolutionary history and present-day biology. We review what has been learned of the phylogeny of the group and the phylogeographic history of individual species. We conclude that there is now a strong framework within which to pursue the remaining species-level taxonomic issues, and to extend ecological and behavioural studies into a new era of more detailed genetic questions such as the role of gene–environment interactions in adaptation. We highlight some remaining examples of such questions and discuss how they might be addressed.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

The international framework for school health promotion: Supporting young people through and after the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: The worldwide COVID-19 government restrictions imposed on young people to limit virus spread have precipitated a growing and long-term educational and health crisis. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE THEORY: This novel study used Sen\u27s Capabilities Approach as a theoretical framework to examine the current health and educational impacts of COVID-19 on youth, referencing emerging literature. The objective was to inform the design of an internationally relevant framework for school health promotion to support young people through and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mapping of existing health resources, internal/external conversion factors and capabilities were used to identify classroom, school and system level strategies that will enable young people to flourish. Four central enablers were identified and used in the design of the International Framework for School Health Promotion (IFSHP). IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE AND EQUITY: The IFSHP can be used by educational institutions, school leaders and teachers to innovate existing health promotion programs, policies and practices to support young people through and after the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: School systems, schools and teachers are encouraged to utilize the IFSHP to review and innovate existing school health programs to ensure they meet the increased physical and mental health needs of young people

Anti-CD20 therapy depletes activated myelin-specific CD8+ T cells in multiple sclerosis.

CD8+ T cells are believed to play an important role in multiple sclerosis (MS), yet their role in MS pathogenesis remains poorly defined. Although myelin proteins are considered potential autoantigenic targets, prior studies of myelin-reactive CD8+ T cells in MS have relied on in vitro stimulation, thereby limiting accurate measurement of their ex vivo precursor frequencies and phenotypes. Peptide:MHC I tetramers were used to identify and validate 5 myelin CD8+ T cell epitopes, including 2 newly described determinants in humans. The validated tetramers were used to measure the ex vivo precursor frequencies and phenotypes of myelin-specific CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood of untreated MS patients and HLA allele-matched healthy controls. In parallel, CD8+ T cell responses against immunodominant influenza epitopes were also measured. There were no differences in ex vivo frequencies of tetramer-positive myelin-specific CD8+ T cells between MS patients and control subjects. An increased proportion of myelin-specific CD8+ T cells in MS patients exhibited a memory phenotype and expressed CD20 compared to control subjects, while there were no phenotypic differences observed among influenza-specific CD8+ T cells. Longitudinal assessments were also measured in a subset of MS patients subsequently treated with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy. The proportion of memory and CD20+ CD8+ T cells specific for certain myelin but not influenza epitopes was significantly reduced following anti-CD20 treatment. This study, representing a characterization of unmanipulated myelin-reactive CD8+ T cells in MS, indicates these cells may be attractive targets in MS therapy