Middle Stone Age (MSA) site distributions in eastern Africa and their relationship to Quaternary environmental change, refugia and the evolution of Homo sapiens

This paper considers the evolution of Homo sapiens in eastern Africa in relation to refugia and bottlenecks around ~200 ka BP, at a macro scale. Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithics, site distributions and locations are analysed in relation to palaeovegetation maps of the last glacial/interglacial cycle, which are used as a proxy for earlier climate cycles. A ‘‘push and pull’’ model is then postulated for the spread of Homo sapiens out of refugia in eastern Africa, involving both volcanism (push) and habitat availability (pull). A date within OIS 5 is suggested for this expansion to other parts of the continent, and potentially further a?eld, contrary to a frequently proposed expansion within OIS 3. ©2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How does involvement of a hospice nurse specialist impact on the experience on informal caring in palliative care? Perspectives of middle-aged partners bereaved through cancer

The aim of this study was to retrospectively explore partners' understandings and experiences in relation to caring for a loved one with a terminal illness, with a particular focus on the role of the hospice nurse specialist (HNS). Participants were purposively sampled and recruited through HNS gatekeepers. Seven middle-aged, bereaved partners participated in semi-structured, qualitative interviews. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim and data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Five main themes emerged regarding the impact of the HNS on informal caring: ‘the ambivalence of caring’, ‘the HNS as a “confidante” in caring’, ‘the HNS as a “champion” in support’, ‘the work of the HNS – an unseen benefit’ and ‘being prepared for death and bereavement’. Findings from this study offer new insights into how involvement of a HNS impacts on the ability of carers to perform their role as an informal caregiver. Results highlight a crucial need for carers to have a clear understanding of all aspects of the HNS role so that full benefit is derived from their input. Recruitment of experienced and knowledgeable nurses is paramount, but equally important for carers is the supportive aspect of the role for which nurses need to demonstrate excellent communication skills and an intuitive, caring approach.

Selective loss of vascular smooth muscle cells in the retinal microcirculation of diabetic dogs

This study was undertaken to further characterise the fine structural changes occurring in the retinal circulation in early diabetes. The eyes of eight alloxan/streptozotocin and three spontaneously diabetic dogs were examined by trypsin digest and electron microscopy after durations of diabetes of between 1 and 7 years. Basement membrane (BM) thickening in the retinal capillaries was the only obvious fine structural change identified during the first 3 years of diabetes and was established within 1 year of induction. Widespread pericyte loss was noted after 4 years of diabetes and was paralleled by loss of smooth muscle (SM) cells, in the retinal arterioles. SM cell loss was most obvious in the smaller arterioles of the central retina. No microaneurysms were noted in the experimental diabetic dogs with up to 5 years' duration of diabetes but were widespread in a spontaneously diabetic animal at 7 years. This study has shown that SM cell loss, a hitherto unrecognised feature of diabetic microangiopathy, accompanies pericyte loss in the retinal circulation of diabetic dogs.

Man-in-the-Middle Attack Test-bed Investigating Cyber-security Vulnerabilities in Smart Grid SCADA Systems

The increased complexity and interconnectivity of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems in the Smart Grid has exposed them to a wide range of cyber-security issues, and there are a multitude of potential access points for cyber attackers. This paper presents a SCADA-specific cyber-security test-bed which contains SCADA software and communication infrastructure. This test-bed is used to investigate an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) spoofing based man-in-the-middle attack. Finally, the paper proposes a future work plan which focuses on applying intrusion detection and prevention technology to address cyber-security issues in SCADA systems.

Middle to late Holocene chironomid-inferred July temperatures for the central Northwest Territories, Canada

We analyzed subfossil chironomids, sediment organic matter and sediment particle size data from a 1.11-m-long freeze core collected from Carleton Lake (unofficial name), located approximately 120 km north of the modern treeline. This well-dated core spans the last ca. 6,500 years. Two chironomid transfer functions were applied to infer mean July air temperatures. Our results indicated that the chironomid-inferred temperatures from this lake sediment record did not pass a significance test, suggesting that other factors in addition to temperature may have been important in structuring the chironomid community through time. Although not statistically significant, the chironomid-inferred temperatures from this site do follow a familiar pattern, with highest inferred temperatures occurring during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (~6–4 cal kyr BP), followed by a long-term cooling trend, which is reversed during the last 600 years. The largest change in the chironomid assemblage, which occurred between ca. 4,600 and 3,900 cal yr BP is possibly related to the well-documented northward advance and subsequent retreat of treeline in this region.