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Three recent reports – Valuing Museums (2004), Capturing Cultural Value (2004) and The McMaster Review (2008) – argue that there is confusion about the role of museums in society, largely due to government instrumentalism. Capturing Cultural Value maintains that museums can overcome the dichotomy between intrinsic and instrumentalist value by focusing on public value and learning from other disciplines to articulate a more rounded view of their role. Valuing Museums protests the range of non-traditional roles imposed on museums by government. The McMaster Review argues that external measurement should be replaced by professional judgement. For all three, history begins in 1979 so that the account of the “traditional” lacks depth. The missing history is summarized, recalling the reformist origins of many museums and their later retreat from social engagement. This reflects the development of what Perkin calls the “professional society”, in which technical experts dominated virtually unchallenged in the cen...

“Welcome to the future of museums” is one of the many rave head-lines that greeted the reopening of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland, after a $60 (£30) million refurbishment. This article charts the course of the project over the 16 years it was in development, tells how it survived a number of major setbacks, and recounts the key strategic decisions that led to the creation of an object-based, visitor-centered, storytelling museum that was more successful than we dared hope. The project team aimed to integrate the demands of research, design, conservation, education, and communication in order to bring visitors and objects—in all their richness and complexity—into meaningful contact. This process has been rewarded with unprecedented visitor numbers-3,000,000 in the first year, in a city of 600,000 people.

Determination of the cardiorespiratory phase of the heart has numerous applications during cardiac imaging. In this article we propose a novel view-angle independent near-real time cardiorespiratory motion gating and coronary sinus (CS) catheter tracking technique for x-ray fluoroscopy images that are used to guide cardiac electrophysiology procedures. The method is based on learning CS catheter motion using principal component analysis and then applying the derived motion model to unseen images taken at arbitrary projections, using the epipolar constraint. This method is also able to track the CS catheter throughout the x-ray images in any arbitrary subsequent view. We also demonstrate the clinical application of our model on rotational angiography sequences. We validated our technique in normal and very low dose phantom and clinical datasets. For the normal dose clinical images we established average systole, end-expiration and end-inspiration gating success rates of 100%, 85.7%, and 92.3%, respectively. For very low dose applications, the technique was able to track the CS catheter with median errors not exceeding 1 mm for all tracked electrodes. Average gating success rates of 80.3%, 71.4%, and 69.2% were established for the application of the technique on clinical datasets, even with a dose reduction of more than 10 times. In rotational sequences at normal dose, CS tracking median errors were within 1.2 mm for all electrodes, and the gating success rate was 100%, for view angles from RAO 90° to LAO 90°. This view-angle independent technique can extract clinically useful cardiorespiratory motion information using x-ray doses significantly lower than those currently used in clinical practice.

Many heart failure patients with dyssynchrony do not reverse remodel (RR) in response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The presence of focal and diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis may explain this high nonresponse rate. T1 mapping is a new cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) technique that overcomes the limitations of conventional contrast CMR and provides reliable quantitative assessment of diffuse myocardial fibrosis. The study tested the hypothesis that focal and diffuse fibrosis quantification would correlate with a lack of left ventricular (LV) RR to CRT.In a prospective study of 48 consecutive patients (27 ischemic cardiomyopathy, 21 dilated cardiomyopathy) LV scar burdens were quantified (scar core and gray zone using late gadolinium enhancement LGE CMR; interstitial fibrosis using T1 mapping) before CRT implant. LV RR was defined by a ≥ 15% reduction in LV end-systolic volume 6 months postimplant. Twenty-seven (56%) patients were responders with RR. Association between scar quantification and LV RR was assessed using the Poisson regression model. Univariate analysis showed that QRS duration/morphology, scar core, and gray zone volumes expressed as % of LV mass and extracellular volume index (ECV) (a measure of interstitial fibrosis from T1 mapping) to be significant predictors of LV RR. Multivariable-adjusted analyses demonstrated scar core quantification (≥ 13.7% LV mass) to be the only independent predictor of LV RR (prevalence ratio 0.40, P = 0.038).Focal scar burden detected by LGE CMR is associated with a poor response to CRT. Diffuse interstitial fibrosis assessment by T1 mapping, however, is not independently predictive of CRT response.

(2006). Enlightenment traditions, sacred objects and sacred cows in museums response to tiffany jenkins. Material Religion: Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 359-370.

Paul Dibb has been an important participant in the Australian defence policy debate. His ideas were influential in the 1987 Defence white paper, ‘The defence of Australia’ (DOD 1987). Whether you are a proponent or opponent, ‘The defence of Australia’ has long set the parameters for the defence policy debate in Australia. It institutionalised the concept of ‘strategic geography’ as the force structure determinant for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). However, it is time for the policy debate to move on and look beyond the primacy previously accorded to strategic geography. Put simply, the reality of today’s security environment no longer fits the theory that underpinned ‘The defence of Australia’. In his recent article, ‘Is strategic geography relevant to Australia’s current defence policy?’ (Dibb 2006), Dibb seeks to re-affirm the importance of strategic geography to the defence policy debate. Three key problems arise from this attempt. First, the article’s strong support for the re-establishment of the link between strategic geography and force structure ignores the reality of defence operational activity over the last two decades. Second, the article does not correctly situate the role of geography and the national interest in strategy formulation. Finally, the analysis of Australia’s involvement in past conflicts, the term ‘expeditionary’ war and the decision to update the Army’s tanks is flawed.

Much of our understanding of the mechanisms of macro re-entrant atrial tachycardia comes from study of cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) dependent atrial flutter. In the majority of cases, the diagnosis can be made from simple analysis of the surface ECG. Endocardial mapping during tachycardia allows confirmation of the macro re-entrant circuit within the right atrium while, at the same time, permitting curative catheter ablation targeting the critical isthmus of tissue located between the tricuspid annulus and the inferior vena cava. The procedure is short, safe and by demonstration of an electrophysiological endpoint - bidirectional conduction block across the CTI - is associated with an excellent outcome following ablation. It is now fair to say that catheter ablation should be considered as a first line therapy for patients with documented CTI-dependent atrial flutter.

In order to explore the extent to which museums can go beyond expressing and influence people's individual and communal identities, this article reviews episodes from the past 20 years in the history of one group of museums. Glasgow Museums comprise the largest civic museum service in the UK, with international quality collections of art, history and natural history. The city also suffers from some of the worst levels of health, poverty and educational attainment in Britain. Within the context of these contrasts and of the interaction of diverse local, class and religious identities, the museum service has tried to achieve its various objectives: making ‘high culture’ widely accessible, providing a recreational and educational facility for local people, expressing civic pride and promoting cultural tourism. This article explores both the impact of these factors on Glasgow Museums and the attempts by Glasgow Museums to influence the identities of their visitors and to contribute to the creation of a more j...

The use of TLS proxies to intercept encrypted traffic is controversial since the same mechanism can be used for both benevolent purposes, such as protecting against malware, and for malicious purposes, such as identity theft or warrantless government surveillance. To understand the prevalence and uses of these proxies, we build a TLS proxy measurement tool and deploy it via a Google AdWords campaign. We generate 2.9 million certificate tests and find that 1 in 250 TLS connections are proxied. The majority of these proxies appear to be benevolent, however we identify over 1,000 cases where three malware products are using this technology nefariously. We also find numerous instances of negligent and duplicitous behavior, some of which degrade security for users without their knowledge.

There are many articles explaining why it is necessary to limit access to sensitive resources that are exposed to traffic originating from untrusted users and networks. Generally, such articles will also describe generic security solutions that address these issues. In this article we go one step further and describe the installation of security technology designed to protect extranet web pages and Web Services of a telecommunications company. We give a brief overview of the PEP-PDP architecture described in RFC 2753 which provides a reference model for the products used in the deployment.

TLS inspection -- inline decryption, inspection, and re-encryption of TLS traffic -- is a controversial practice used for both benevolent and malicious purposes. This article describes measurements of how often TLS inspection occurs and reports on a survey of the general public regarding the practice of TLS inspection. This helps inform security researchers and policymakers regarding current practices and user preferences.

Background Increasing physical activity is known to have health benefits for people with hypertension and related conditions. Current general practitioner referrals for gym-based exercise increase physical activity but meta-analyses show that while these are effective the absolute health risk reduction is small due to patients failing to maintain activity levels over time. This study assesses the effectiveness of two sports-oriented interventions that are intended to bridge the intention-behaviour gap and thus increase the likelihood of sustained increases in physical activity. Methods/design Four-arm randomised controlled trial. The study tests two types of intervention that are intended to increase physical activity among currently inactive 18- to 74-year-old people with hypertension or high-normal blood pressure. This study will assess the effectiveness of a 12-week sports-oriented exercise programme, the efficacy of a web-delivered self-help tool to promote and support sports participation and healthy behaviour change and the effect of these interventions in combination. The control arm will be a standard care general practitioner referral for gym-based exercise. Participants will be allocated using block randomisation. The first author and primary analyst is blinded to participant allocation. The primary outcome measures will be time spent in physical activity assessed in metabolic equivalent minutes per week using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire 1 year after commencement of the intervention. Secondary outcomes include increased involvement in sporting activity and biomedical health outcomes including change in body mass index, and waist and hip measurement and reductions in blood pressure. Discussion If proven to be superior to general practitioner referrals for gym-based exercise, these sports-oriented interventions would constitute low-cost alternatives. The next stage would be a full economic evaluation of the interventions. Trial Registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN71952900 (7 June 2013).

Image-guided cardiac interventions involve the use of fluoroscopic images to guide the insertion and movement of interventional devices. Cardiorespiratory gating can be useful for 3D reconstruction from multiple x-ray views and for reducing misalignments between 3D anatomical models overlaid onto fluoroscopy.The authors propose a novel and potentially clinically useful retrospective cardiorespiratory gating technique. The principal component analysis (PCA) statistical method is used in combination with other image processing operations to make our proposed masked-PCA technique suitable for cardiorespiratory gating. Unlike many previously proposed techniques, our technique is robust to varying image-content, thus it does not require specific catheters or any other optically opaque structures to be visible. Therefore, it works without any knowledge of catheter geometry. The authors demonstrate the application of our technique for the purposes of retrospective cardiorespiratory gating of normal and very low dose x-ray fluoroscopy images.For normal dose x-ray images, the algorithm was validated using 28 clinical electrophysiology x-ray fluoroscopy sequences (2168 frames), from patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedures for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and cardiac resynchronization therapy procedures for heart failure. The authors established end-systole, end-expiration, and end-inspiration success rates of 97.0%, 97.9%, and 97.0%, respectively. For very low dose applications, the technique was tested on ten x-ray sequences from the RFA procedures with added noise at signal to noise ratio (SNR) values of √50, √10, √8, √6, √5, √2 and √1 to simulate the image quality of increasingly lower dose x-ray images. Even at the low SNR value of √2, representing a dose reduction of more than 25 times, gating success rates of 89.1%, 88.8%, and 86.8% were established.The proposed technique can therefore extract useful information from interventional x-ray images while minimizing exposure to ionizing radiation.

Ajax is the technology which powers many 'web 2.0' sites such as Google Maps and Flickr. But how secure is it? Mark O'Neill of Vordel explores Ajax and explains why developers should use its power with caution

Catheter contact force (CF) is an important determinant of radiofrequency (RF) lesion quality during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows good visualization of ablation lesions.This study describes a new technique to examine the relationship between CF during RF delivery and LGE signal intensity (SI) following PVI.Six patients underwent PVI for paroxysmal AF using a CF-sensing catheter and following preprocedural MRI. During ablation, CF-time integral (FTI) and position was documented for each RF application. All patients underwent repeat LGE MRI 3 months later. The LGE SIs were projected onto a MRI-derived 3-dimensional left atrial (LA) shell and a CF map was generated on the same shell. The entire LA surface was divided into 5 mm(2) segments. Force and LGE maps were fused and compared for each 5 mm(2) zone. An effective lesion was defined when MRI-defined scar occupied90% of a 5 mm(2) analysis zone.Acute PVI was achieved in 100%. Two hundred sixty-eight RF lesions were tagged on the LA shells and given a lesion-specific FTI. Increasing FTI correlated with increased LGE SI, which was greater when the FTI was1,200 gs. Below an FTI of 1,200 gs, an increment in the FTI resulted in only a small increment in scar, whereas above 1,200 gs an increment in the FTI resulted in a large change of scar.There is a correlation between FTI and LGE SI in MRI following AF ablation. Real-time FTI maps are feasible and may prevent inadequate lesion formation.

X-ray fluoroscopically guided cardiac electrophysiology (EP) procedures are commonly carried out to treat patients with arrhythmias. X-ray images have poor soft tissue contrast and, for this reason, overlay of a three-dimensional (3D) roadmap derived from preprocedural volumetric images can be used to add anatomical information. It is useful to know the position of the catheter electrodes relative to the cardiac anatomy, for example, to record ablation therapy locations during atrial fibrillation therapy. Also, the electrode positions of the coronary sinus (CS) catheter or lasso catheter can be used for road map motion correction.In this paper, the authors present a novel unified computational framework for image-based catheter detection and tracking without any user interaction. The proposed framework includes fast blob detection, shape-constrained searching and model-based detection. In addition, catheter tracking methods were designed based on the customized catheter models input from the detection method. Three real-time detection and tracking methods are derived from the computational framework to detect or track the three most common types of catheters in EP procedures: the ablation catheter, the CS catheter, and the lasso catheter. Since the proposed methods use the same blob detection method to extract key information from x-ray images, the ablation, CS, and lasso catheters can be detected and tracked simultaneously in real-time.The catheter detection methods were tested on 105 different clinical fluoroscopy sequences taken from 31 clinical procedures. Two-dimensional (2D) detection errors of 0.50 ± 0.29, 0.92 ± 0.61, and 0.63 ± 0.45 mm as well as success rates of 99.4%, 97.2%, and 88.9% were achieved for the CS catheter, ablation catheter, and lasso catheter, respectively. With the tracking method, accuracies were increased to 0.45 ± 0.28, 0.64 ± 0.37, and 0.53 ± 0.38 mm and success rates increased to 100%, 99.2%, and 96.5% for the CS, ablation, and lasso catheters, respectively. Subjective clinical evaluation by three experienced electrophysiologists showed that the detection and tracking results were clinically acceptable.The proposed detection and tracking methods are automatic and can detect and track CS, ablation, and lasso catheters simultaneously and in real-time. The accuracy of the proposed methods is sub-mm and the methods are robust toward low-dose x-ray fluoroscopic images, which are mainly used during EP procedures to maintain low radiation dose.

The philosopher Raimond Gaita has written that the ‘struggle for social justice is the struggle to make our institutions reveal rather than obscure, and then enhance rather than diminish, the full humanity of our fellow citizens’ (Gaita 2000: xxi).

Non-Prestonian behavior is defined as a non-linear correlation between the removal rate and the polishing pressure. It is believed to be related to dishing, erosion and self-stopping behavior that is observed on pattern wafers. Nojo et al. has reported that “self-stopping polishing” can be achieved when the non-Prestonian behavior was observed. Significant research effort has been made in this field, following this initial report. For example, the effect of chemical additive concentrations and molecule weight of additives, along with abrasive concentration and size on non-Prestonian behavior have been studied. Primarily, blanket wafer performance data has been presented in the majority of published work. Although some researchers had conducted modelling to calculate the effect of non-Prestonian behavior on pattern performance, a comparison between pattern and blanket wafer performance in not available. This is needed to enable a more clear understanding of non-Prestonian behavior. In this presentation, Prestonian behavior was modulated by adjusting chemical concentrations and / or formulation pH. Pattern performance, including oxide removal rate and step height reduction rate, were collected and evaluated. It was determined that non-Prestonian behavior does not necessarily lead to good pattern performance. From the learnings of this systematic study, a high-performance, oxide-polish slurry for stop-in-film applications was successfully developed.

As the population receiving cardiac device therapy ages, the number of extraction procedures performed in octogenarians is increasing. This group has more comorbidities and may be at higher risk of such procedures.Document the safety and success of percutaneous lead extraction in octogenarians.All extraction cases performed between January 2001 and April 2011 entered into a computer database were analyzed for patient characteristics and indications, extraction technique, procedural success, and complications. Success and complications were classified according to the Heart Rhythm Society consensus statement. Outcomes in octogenarians were compared to younger patients undergoing extraction during the same period.Four hundred and six cases were performed: 72 procedures in octogenarians (mean age 84, range 80-95) and 334 in younger adults (mean age 62, range 20-79). Octogenarians had a greater number of comorbidities per case. Infection was the commonest indication for extraction in both groups. One hundred forty-one leads were extracted in octogenarians and 657 in younger patients. Laser assistance was required in 51.4% of octogenarians versus 49.7% of younger patients. Procedural success was achieved in 71/72 (98.6%) octogenarians versus 329/334 (98.5%) younger patients. No procedural mortality occurred in either group. Overall, complications were more frequent in octogenarians with major and minor complications occurring in 2.8 and 8.3% of octogenarians versus 0.6 and 3.0% of younger patients (P = 0.014).Procedural success was equally high in octogenarians and younger patients. Percutaneous lead extraction can be performed effectively and safely in octogenarians and is associated with a higher complication rate but no increased mortality.

Delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging is an effective technique for imaging left atrial (LA) scars both pre- and post- radio-frequency ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Existing techniques for LA scar segmentation require expert manual interaction, making them tedious and prone to high observer variability. In this paper, a novel automatic segmentation algorithm for segmenting LA scar was validated using digital phantoms and clinical data from 11 patients. The performance of the approach was compared to the two leading semi-automatic techniques and the ground truth of manual segmentations by 2 expert observers. The novel approach was shown to be accurate in terms of Dice coefficient, robust to typical image intensity variability, and much faster in terms of execution time.

The Entech Solar team has been developing, field testing, and refining line‐focus Fresnel lens silicon‐cell concentrators for three decades. In response to the new economics of one‐sun photovoltaic modules which represent the competition for all concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) modules, we have recently completely redesigned our latest concentrator panel to be extremely material‐efficient to achieve far lower manufacturing cost than for our previous generations of concentrators. Our new 20X concentrator panel draws heavily on our space concentrator technology developed under NASA and DOD programs. This paper describes the new 20X module and its key attributes.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is here and evolving at a rapid pace. Encompassing a combination of products and services with smart capabilities, from connected cars to wearable fitness trackers, the Internet of Things is steadily becoming the single thread that connects every aspect of our lives. Just recently, analyst house Gartner predicted that the digital industrial economy will outpace traditional technology spending in the next few years, creating €1.1tn of economic value-add by 2020. 1 As more processes become digital and the physical and virtual worlds merge, the Internet of Things is bringing a new level of convenience to our lives. However, the downside is that we are increasingly reliant on a new and potentially vulnerable ecosystem.

In past years, very few satellites have flown in orbits that require long durations in the Van Allen radiation belts due to the loss of power, hence lifetime, caused by the radiation. Another recurring obstacle to reliable power in space is electrostatic discharge which is most prevalent in GEO. As power levels continue to increase, arcing failures will become more prevalent. An array that can withstand high voltage, high radiation operation while being lightweight and cost efficient is necessary for the future of the space industry. The Stretched Lens Array (SLA) developed by ENTECH, Inc. is a viable candidate. This paper will discuss recent advances, past and future testing protocols, flight history, and the ability of the SLA to reliably fly in harsh orbits.

In NASA’s ambitious vision for space exploration, return visits to the moon are the initial focus. While these missions are not well defined other than in contractor system study reports, a common theme is to return to the lunar polar regions to search for primordial ice deposits initially, then expand the landings across the lunar surface including the rear side of the moon. In the early stages the missions will last from four to fourteen days, to avoid the challenge of energy storage over the nighttime. While these early missions anticipate the use of fuel cells to provide electrical energy to the landers and crew, it is likely that solar arrays will also become a major power source as well. These arrays should have the following characteristics: high efficiency, light weight, high packaging density and be able to withstand the broad temperature swings on the moon. In addition, for those robotic missions that will explore the permanently dark polar craters, it is possible that beamed laser power may be an option to radioisotope powered rovers. Of course beamed laser power may also be applicable to providing power over the nighttime. In this study, we will use the Stretched Lens Array on the SquareRigger platform as the basis (SLASR). At the present time this design has the following characteristics: specific power – 300 W/kg, areal power density – 300 W/m, stowed power – 80 kW/m and capable of high voltage (>600 V) operation. Figure 1 shows a 2.5 x 5 m full scale building block module of the SLASR. This module is sized to produce 3.75 kW and weighs only about 10 kg. These current benchmarks will be projected to the 2015 improvements in cell and array technologies for a 25-30 kW increase beyond 500 W/kg and similar improvements wi parameters. One critical aspect of the study is the operating Figure 1: Full scale SLASR module time frame with known array. Specific power will ll be shown in the other temperature on the moon.

The demand that publicly funded art museums contribute to the creation of a more socially inclusive society poses a fundamental challenge to many assumptions about what these institutions are for and to how they function. To go beyond providing mere physical access to the presence of works of art (even if this is free) to providing intellectual and emotional access to the meanings of the works of art for all potential visitors and to taking a developmental approach to visitors’ aesthetic experiences, will require changes in the conventions of art museums. Such changes often evoke real and profound opposition. Is this opposition designed to protect a valued tradition, which is coincidentally and not intentionally exclusive? Or is it that art museums, as currently conceived, are inherently exclusive? What is the relationship between aesthetic standards applied to works of art and traditions of display, and the ethical standards that shape the public services provided by art museums, which receive public subsidy either directly or through the tax system?

As the twenty-first century begins, yet another Russian politician stakes his political future on the success of the nations armed forces in a struggle against a non-Russian foe. As it searches to define its new role nationally and internationally, the Russian military faces an expanding NATO and a resumption of the war in Chechnya with a nearly non-existent budget and gready reduced force levels. Once the most feared and respected Cold War military machine, the Russian Army today is hard-pressed to reclaim a small fragment of its former empire. It also faces the prospect of watching impotently as NATO follows the 1997 absorption of the Soviet Unions former cordon sanitaire in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic with the inclusion of the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The status of the Soviet Army during the Cold War, particularly in East-Central Europe, as a pillar of the USSR’s political regime, economic system, and foreign policy is difficult to perceive in todays walking shadow.

Phrenic Nerve Injury (PNI) has been well studied by cardiac surgeons. More recently it has been recognized as a potential complication of catheter ablation with a prevalence of 0.11 to 0.48 % after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. This review will focus on PNI after AF ablation. Anatomical studies have shown a close relationship between the right phrenic nerve and it's proximity to the superior vena cava (SVC), and the antero-inferior part of the right superior pulmonary vein (RSPV). In addition, the proximity of the left phrenic nerve to the left atrial appendage has been well established. Independent of the type of ablation catheter (4mm, 8 mm, irrigated tip, balloon) or energy source used (radiofrequency (RF), ultrasound, cryothermia, and laser); the risk of PNI exists during ablation at the critical areas listed above. Although up to thirty-one percent of patients with PNI after AF ablation remain asymptomatic, dyspnea remain the cardinal symptom and is present in all symptomatic patients. Despite the theoretical risk for significant adverse effect on functional status and quality of life, short-term outcomes from published studies appear favorable with 81% of patients with PNI having a complete recovery after 7 ± 7 months.Conclusion: Existing studies have described PNI as an uncommon but avoidable complication in patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation for AF. Prior to ablation at the SVC, antero-inferior RSPV ostium or the left atrial appendage, pacing should be performed before energy delivery. If phrenic nerve capture is documented, energy delivery should be avoided at this site. Electrophysiologist's vigilance as well as pacing prior to ablation at high risk sites in close proximity to the phrenic nerve are the currently available tools to avoid the complication of PNI.