Block-by-Block: Leveraging the Power of Blockchain Technology to Build Trust and Promote Cyber Peace

There has been increasing interest in the transformative power of not only crypto-currencies like Bitcoin, but also the technology underlying them-namely blockchain. To the uninitiated, a blockchain is a sophisticated, distributed online ledger that has the potential, according to Goldman Sachs, to change \u27everything. \u27 From making businesses more efficient to recording property deeds to engendering the growth of \u27smart\u27 contracts, blockchain technology is now being investigated by a huge range of organizations and is attracting billions in venture funding. Even the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is investigating blockchain technology to create an unhackable messaging system

Designed for disassembly: the push for a new approach to sports architecture in the 21st century

The architecture of the sports stadium has evolved dramatically throughout its history. From the ancient gladiatorial arenas to the domes and retractable-roof ballparks of the 20th Century, the stadium has become an iconic and integral part of life, in our modern society. Through the globalization of sports and sporting events, such as the Olympics and World Cup, new and more exciting opportunities are being extended to those who, historically, have been without the resources or infrastructural means to support such endeavors. However, for all the excitement and optimism that accompanies the initial design and planning, the actual development of the necessary structures and support systems rarely provides the expected return on what, ultimately, becomes a staggering investment of time, money, and labor. In fact, operators have found it nearly impossible to provide for the continued operation, maintenance, and regular occupation of these facilities, thus resulting in an overwhelming burden on the local community. It is the purpose of this thesis to provide a survey of architectural precedents from selected mega-events of the last 100 years, as well as a number of other contemporary stadium projects, in an effort to fully convey the magnitude and relevancy of this issue, to identify industry trends and practical models, and more definitively present the need for an alternative approach to design. Additionally, a proposal will be put in place for more of a focus on modularity and prefabrication, in order to transform the Olympic or World Cup stadium into a less permanent element within the urban landscape. It is the hope that the systemic issues, currently associated with hosting international sporting events, may be remedied through the architecture, and ultimate disassembly, of the 21st Century stadium. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the negative impact of such undertakings, and to aid in the realization of the inherent potential for positive change therein.M.S

Securing the Internet of Healthcare

Cybersecurity, which includes the security of information technology (IT), is critical to ensuring that society trusts, and therefore can benefit from, modern technology. Problematically, though, rarely a day goes by without a news story related to how critical data has been exposed, exfiltrated, or otherwise inappropriately used or accessed as a result of supply chain vulnerabilities. From the Russian government’s campaign to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election to the September 2017 Equifax breach of more than 140 million Americans’ credit reports, cyber risk has become a topic of conversation in boardrooms and the White House, on Wall Street and main street. But these discussions often miss the problems replete in the expansive supply chains on which many of these products and services we depend on are built; this is particularly true in the medical device context. The problem recently made national news with the voluntary recall of more than 400,000 pacemakers that were found to be vulnerable to hackers, necessitating a firmware update. This Article explores the myriad vulnerabilities in the supply chain for medical devices, investigates existing FDA cybersecurity and privacy regulations to identify any potential governance gaps, and suggests a path forward to boost cybersecurity due diligence for manufacturers by making use of new approaches and technologies, including blockchain

Learning Agility: In Search of Conceptual Clarity and Theoretical Grounding

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92376/1/j.1754-9434.2012.01444.x.pd

Students’ Communication Predispositions: An Examination of Classroom Connectedness in Public Speaking Courses

The connected classroom climate centers on supportive student-to-student communication in the classroom, and may provide students enrolled in public speaking courses with a safe and comfortable haven to present speeches. This study examined student connectedness in public speaking courses and it’s affect on students’ (N = 368) communication abilities. Results revealed positive perceptions of student connectedness related to decreases in public speaking anxiety and public speaking apprehension, as well as increases in perceptions of communication competence. These outcomes suggest public speaking instructors should consider the relationships that exist among students and how they may further encourage connectedness in their classrooms

Impossibility to eliminate observer effect in the assessment of adherence in clinical trials.

PURPOSE: To utilize the Travoprost Dosing Aid (DA) in the assessment of patient medication adherence, while also determining whether or not altering the functionality of the DA in three randomized subject groups can reduce observer effect. METHODS: Forty-five subjects were randomized into three groups: two with monitored DAs and one without monitoring. One group of subjects was given a DA that both monitored drop usage and had visual and audible alarms, while the other monitored group included subjects given a DA that had no alarms but continued to monitor drop usage. The third group was given a DA that had no alarm reminders or dose usage monitoring. Subjects were informed that some monitors would not be functional, in an attempt to reduce observer effect, or the effect of being monitored on subject behavior and adherence. A six-item questionnaire was also utilized to assess how the subjects felt about their adherence and DA use. RESULTS: The overall adherence rates were found to be 78% in the fully functional group (95% confidence interval: 70-88) and 76% in the no alarms group (95% confidence interval: 65-89). No association was seen between questionnaire response and medication adherence. The patients in the DA group without alarms had a significantly higher odds ratio of medication adherence if they reported on the questionnaire that using the DA did affect how much they used their drops. CONCLUSION: Though the use of DA was expected to reveal different rates of adherence depending on the functionality of the DA between groups, patients with a nonfunctioning DA did not have a significant difference in medication adherence compared to those given a fully functional DA. This supports that an observer effect was not reduced despite these interventions, and that the subjects adhered to taking their medications as if they had a functioning DA and were being monitored

The Effect of Affect: Krathwohl and Bloom’s Affective Domains Underutilized in Counselor Education

Bloom\u27s (1956) Taxonomy cognitive domains have proven useful for decades. Counselor educators are experts in affect, and yet most are unfamiliar with Bloom\u27s affective domains that correspond to the cognitive domains. The affective domains focus on attitudes and values that can help counselor educators assist students to more successfully navigate Bloom\u27s cognitive process by harnessing the effect of affect through combining Bloom\u27s affective and cognitive domains. Since Bloom\u27s cognitive domains are already widely and effectively utilized, perhaps it is time for counselor educators, the experts in affect, to use the affective domains in conjunction with the cognitive domains as initially intended. By studying the correlation between the Cognitive and Affective domains, and further researching the impact of both on the development of CITs, counselor educators can embrace a best practice approach to their work within the already established and widely utilized structure of Bloom\u27s Taxonomy. Keywords: Counselor-in-Training Affect; Bloom’s Affect; Supervision; Counselor Preparatio

Can exhaled volatile organic compounds differentiate high and low responders to resistance exercise?

Participation in resistance training improves muscle strength and size, as well as reduced risk of chronic disease and frailty. However, the exercise response to resistance training is highly variable. In part this may be attributed to individual physiological differences. Identification of biomarkers that can distinguish between high and low responders to exercise are therefore of interest. Exhaled volatile organic compounds may provide a non-invasive method of monitoring the physiological response to resistance training. However, the relationship between exhaled organic compounds and the acute response to resistance exercise is not fully understood. Therefore, this research will investigate exhaled volatile organic compounds in acute response to resistance exercise with an aim to discover a common group of compounds that can predict high and low responders to standardised resistance training. © 2022 Elsevier Lt

Learning Agility: Many Questions, a Few Answers, and a Path Forward

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92383/1/j.1754-9434.2012.01465.x.pd