Querying in Packs: Trustworthy Data Management in Ad Hoc Networks

We describe a trust-based data management framework enabling mobile devices to access the distributed computation, storage, and sensory resources available in pervasive computing environments. Available resources include those in the fixed surrounding infrastructure as well as services offered by other nearby mobile devices. We take a holistic approach that considers data trust, security, and privacy and focus on the collaborative mechanisms providing a trustworthy data management platform in an ad hoc network. The framework is based on a pack formation mechanism that enables collaborative peer interactions using context information and landmarks. A pack provides a routing substrate allowing devices to find reliable information sources and coordinated pro-active and reactive mechanisms to detect and respond to malicious activity. Consequently, a pack forms a foundation for distributed trust management and data intensive interactions. We describe our data management framework with an emphasis on pack formation in mobile ad hoc networks and present preliminary results from simulation experiments.     

Developing and applying a GIS-assisted approach to locating wind farms in the UK

An increase in public awareness regarding the negative impact of traditional power-generating methods, especially coal and oil-fired power stations, on the environment has created a demand for developing and using environmentally friendly renewable energy. Wind power is a popular and safe form of renewable energy. It can be economically viable, does not produce any physical pollution and can contribute radically to the reduction in air pollution. In the UK, the demand for wind energy is mounting. However, achieving the goal set by the EU will require a substantial expansion. Planning and environmental restrictions and conflicts would inevitably accompany this growth. A questionnaire targeting relevant public and private sectors in the UK has revealed the lack of coherent national criteria for locating wind farms. Using information from the questionnaire and the available published literature, simple Geographical Information System (GIS)-assisted wind farm location criteria were developed for the UK. A GIS (IDRISI) was employed to apply these criteria using two different methods to combine information layers for a site in Lancashire. The first considered all the layers as being equally important and gave them equal weight. The second grouped the layers and graded them according to perceived importance. The outputs were composed of classes from 0 to 10, where 0 represents ideal locations and 10 represents unsuitable locations. Using the second method has resulted in a slight increase in the geographical extent for the most suitable sites. These maps can be used to assist in the decision-making process when locating wind farm sites.     

Transparent resource sharing framework for internet services on handheld devices

Handheld devices have limited processing power and a short battery lifetime. As a result, computationally intensive applications cannot run appropriately or cause the device to run out of battery too early. Additionally, Internet-based service providers targeting these mobile devices lack information to estimate the remaining battery autonomy and have no view on the availability of idle resources in the neighborhood of the handheld device. These battery-related issues create an opportunity for Internet providers to broaden their role and start managing energy aspects of battery-driven mobile devices inside the home. In this paper, we propose an energy-aware resource-sharing framework that enables Internet access providers to delegate (a part of) a client application from a handheld device to idle resources in the LAN, in a transparent way for the end-user. The key component is the resource sharing service, hosted on the LAN gateway, which can be remotely queried and managed by the Internet access provider. The service includes a battery model to predict the remaining battery lifetime. We describe the concept of resource-sharing-as-a-service that allows users of handheld devices to subscribe to the resource sharing service. In a proof-of-concept, we evaluate the delay to offload a client application to an idle computer and study the impact on battery autonomy as a function of the CPU cycles that can be offloaded.     

Ambiguous Discourse in a Compositional Context. An Operational Perspective

The processing of sequences of (English) sentences is analyzedcompositionally through transitions that merge sentences, rather thandecomposing them. Transitions that are in a precise senseinertial are related to disjunctive and non-deterministic approaches toambiguity. Modal interpretations are investigated, inducing variousequivalences on sequences.     

Is value-free science possible?

Comments on H. H. Kendler's (see record 1999-11644-004) article on the role of value in the world of psychology. The authors criticize some of the positions that seem problematic for the future of psychology and that seem to have overlooked similar inquiries that have appeared in the American Psychologist in the past 30 yrs. They also suggest an alternative approach, which acknowledges the inevitability of values and suggests a way of treating them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Strangers at the gate: The "boat people's" first ten years in Canada.

Reviews the book, Strangers at the gate: The boat people's first ten years in Canada by Morton Beiser (1999). This book chronicles 10 years of research on the boat people since the arrival of 60,000 refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia circa 1980. The data upon which most of the monograph is based are drawn from the Refugee Resettlement Project, which is a longitudinal study of a representative sample of 1,358 refugees. This book and the data it reports serve to challenge a number of popular misconceptions including: (1) Immigrants and refugees cause unemployment; (2) Immigrants and refugees overuse and put tremendous strain on the social welfare net; and (3) Immigrants and refugees bring crime and disease to Canada. The book also fairly examines important facts about Canada's racist immigration and social policies, past and present. This is an important book that warrants consideration in any efforts to explore the psychological aspects of Canadian culture and immigration studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new engine oil optimised for ecologically sensitive operational areas

In recent years, environmental awareness and legislation have focused public attention on vehicle emissions. Consequently, more research has been devoted to emissions and pollution by lubricants. A number of studies has been carried out to understand lubricant-related emissions and leak rates as well as the effects on fuel economy of using low viscosity grades of lubricant. The purpose of the present investigation was to develop for use in gasoline and diesel engines a crankcase lubricant which contained improved performance in engine cleanliness with fuel economy and a low rate of particle emissions. Emphasis was placed on low toxicology and rapid biodegradability because of the risk of unintentional emissions. Such a sophisticated lubricant is desirable not only for normal road vehicles but also and especially for use in ecologically sensitive areas. During the development of this lubricant, numerous laboratory tests were performed. In order to assess the quality and the fuel economy of the new lubricant, tests were carried out on an engine test rig and on a vehicle test bench. Field tests were run with various vehicles and stationary engines, using different fuel types. Unleaded gasoline, diesel fuels with a varying sulphur content, and rape seed oil methyl ester (RME) were used. This paper summarises the results of this investigation.     

Nephrectomy through lumbar endoscopy. Report of 3 cases

The major outer surface protein, OspA, of Borrelia burgdorferi is a lipoprotein which is a particular interest because of its potential as a vaccine candidate. However, serotypic and genetic analysis of OspA from both European and North American strains have demonstrated antigenic and structural heterogeneities. We purified OspA to homogeneity by exploiting its resistance to trypsin digestion. By treating spirochetes with trypsin and then using Triton X-114 extraction and ion-exchange chromatography, we obtained a yield of 2 mg of pure OspA protein per liter of culture. INtrinsic labeling with [14C]palmitic acid confirmed that OspA was lipidated, and partial digestion established lipidation at the amino-terminal end of the molecule. The reactivity of five anti-OspA murine monoclonal antibodies to nine different isolates of B. burgdorferi was ascertained by Western blot (immunoblot) analysis. Purified OspA was fragmented by enzymatic or chemical cleavage, and the monoclonal antibodies were able to define four distinct immunogenic domains. Further resolution of the epitope specificity to determine humoral and cellular immune responses to OspA has implications for vaccine development and for the utility of this protein as a reagent in diagnostic testing for Lyme borreliosis.