A Case Report of a Mediastinal Fistula with Liver Abscesses as a Complication of Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery

We report a case of mediastinal fistula with liver abscesses detected by thoracic and abdominal computed tomography as a complication of aortic valve replacement surgery

Looking Beyond the Bang for More Bucks: A Legislative Gift to Fund Wildlife Conservation on Its 75th Anniversary

The concept of hunter-supported wildlife conservation behind the Pittman-Robertson Act has been termed the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Since 1937, the Pittman-Robertson Act and this unique Model have been recognized as “the oldest and most successful wildlife management program in the nation’s history. This Note will argue that the government’s historical preoccupation with hunting overlooks the potential to extend the Model’s reach to the great outdoor industry prevalent in America. Specifically, the Model can be resuscitated if additional categories of outdoorsmen, like campers, hikers, and birdwatchers, are included as financial stakeholders in wildlife conservation. To broaden the conservation tax base, this Note proposes that the government should impose an excise tax on outdoor products that emulates the Pittman-Robertson Act. Endowed with a monetary voice, outdoorsmen will be incorporated into the public trust and their conservation goals can complement the Model’s prevailing hunting agenda. Furthermore, such a tax will not only supplement funding for the conservation of game species, but also provide fiscal support for often overlooked non-game species. Part II of this Note sets forth a history of the public trust doctrine and the early legal standing of wildlife in England and then America. The narration illustrated in Part II culminates with a description of the excise tax collected under the Pittman-Robertson Act. Next, Part III begins with the Act’s evolution towards becoming the Model. By exploring the link between the Act and the Model, Part III ultimately examines the interaction between hunters and the present state of wildlife conservation. Lastly, Part IV will explore the benefits of a new excise tax, one levied on the manufacturers and importers of outdoor products, for both the public trust and wildlife at large. The Model’s expansion is not intended to displace the successful work of hunters in the past, but to advocate for a more holistic approach to wildlife conservation in the present. If the Act and the Model can be modernized and thus improved, there is hope that neither will be anywhere near an end, whether that ending comes complete with a bang or not

Climate Changing the Past in the Present: Historic Preservation Policy Recommendations to Facilitate the Biden Administration's Whole-of-Government Approach to Climate Change

Climate change is one of the greatest crises facing present and future generations. This present and future mindset, however, often neglects the need to ground climate change policy in the past by promoting historic preservation

The future of Cybersecurity in Italy: Strategic focus area

This volume has been created as a continuation of the previous one, with the aim of outlining a set of focus areas and actions that the Italian Nation research community considers essential. The book touches many aspects of cyber security, ranging from the definition of the infrastructure and controls needed to organize cyberdefence to the actions and technologies to be developed to be better protected, from the identification of the main technologies to be defended to the proposal of a set of horizontal actions for training, awareness raising, and risk management

Global Overview of Existing Cyber Capacity Assessment Tools (GOAT)

This Global Overview of Assessment Tools (GOAT) document has been developed by the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), Working Group A – Task Force Strategy and Assessments, as a project under its Work Plan 2020.The Task Force recognized the need to create awareness on the different cyber capacity assessment tools that exist and to provide details on their methodologies, outputs and impact, in order to help the GFCE community (beneficiaries, funders and implementers) and beyond identify suitable tools and approaches geared to the prevailing needs and knowledge gaps. The GOAT therefore aims to assist them in the decision-making process by providing a comprehensive overview of the different tools, their approaches, benefits and outputs, and what to do and whom to contact if a country wishes to be assessed

Systematic review of outcome measures of walking training using electromechanical and robotic devices in patients with stroke

n/

Clinical and physiological effects of transcranial electrical stimulation position on motor evoked potentials in scoliosis surgery

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During intraoperative monitoring for scoliosis surgery, we have previously elicited ipsilateral and contralateral motor evoked potentials (MEP) with cross scalp stimulation. Ipsilateral MEPs, which may have comprised summation of early ipsilaterally conducted components and transcallosally or deep white matter stimulated components, can show larger amplitudes than those derived purely from contralateral motor cortex stimulation. We tested this hypothesis using two stimulating positions. We compared intraoperative MEPs in 14 neurologically normal subjects undergoing scoliosis surgery using total intravenous anesthetic regimens.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Trancranial electrical stimulation was applied with both cross scalp (C3C4 or C4C3) or midline (C3Cz or C4Cz) positions. The latter was assumed to be more focal and result in little transcallosal/deep white matter stimulation. A train of 5 square wave stimuli 0.5 ms in duration at up to 200 mA was delivered with 4 ms (250 Hz) interstimulus intervals. Averaged supramaximal MEPs were obtained from the tibialis anterior bilaterally.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The cross scalp stimulating position resulted in supramaximal MEPs that were of significantly higher amplitude, shorter latency and required lower stimulating intensity to elicit overall (Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, p < 0.05 for all), as compared to the midline stimulating position. However, no significant differences were found for all 3 parameters comparing ipsilaterally and contralaterally recorded MEPs (p > 0.05 for all), seen for both stimulating positions individually.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings suggest that cross scalp stimulation resulted in MEPs obtained ipsilaterally and contralaterally which may be contributed to by summation of ipsilateral and simultaneous transcallosally or deep white matter conducted stimulation of the opposite motor cortex. Use of this stimulating position is advocated to elicit MEPs under operative circumstances where anesthetic agents may cause suppression of cortical and spinal excitability. Although less focal in nature, cross scalp stimulation would be most suitable for infratentorial or spinal surgery, in contrast to supratentorial neurosurgical procedures.</p

Behavioural Significance of Cerebellar Modules

A key organisational feature of the cerebellum is its division into a series of cerebellar modules. Each module is defined by its climbing input originating from a well-defined region of the inferior olive, which targets one or more longitudinal zones of Purkinje cells within the cerebellar cortex. In turn, Purkinje cells within each zone project to specific regions of the cerebellar and vestibular nuclei. While much is known about the neuronal wiring of individual cerebellar modules, their behavioural significance remains poorly understood. Here, we briefly review some recent data on the functional role of three different cerebellar modules: the vermal A module, the paravermal C2 module and the lateral D2 module. The available evidence suggests that these modules have some differences in function: the A module is concerned with balance and the postural base for voluntary movements, the C2 module is concerned more with limb control and the D2 module is involved in predicting target motion in visually guided movements. However, these are not likely to be the only functions of these modules and the A and C2 modules are also both concerned with eye and head movements, suggesting that individual cerebellar modules do not necessarily have distinct functions in motor control