Good-bye key escrow,hello key recovery

On 2 October 1996, IBM announced the formation of a new business alliance which will develop a different approach to law enforcement — accessible encryption that will not face government export controls or require the ‘escrowing’ of keys with either escrow ‘quote agents’ or trusted third parties. The day before, the White House announced a new government plan that would permit companies that promise to participate in a ‘key recovery’ system to receive a six-month license to export up to 56-bit DES encryption. When they fulfill their obligations and the government is satisfied that it can get access to the decryption keys, the 56-bit limit will be lifted. If, by the end of the two-year grace period, companies have not fulfilled their obligations to implement a key-recovery scheme, the 56-bit limit will be reduced to the current 40-bit export limit.     

Development of an outcomes management program at an academic medical center

Donor CD4+ and CD8+ T cells mediate graft-vs.-leukemia (GVL) responses in the allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (alloBMT) setting. To evaluate the role of functional T cell subsets in the mediation of GVL, alloreactive donor CD4+ (Th1/Th2) and CD8+ (Tc1/Tc2) T cells of defined cytokine phenotype were generated by in vitro culture. A leukemia/transplantation model (B6 into B6C3F1; 1050 cGy host irradiation) was established using the bcr/abl-transfected myeloid leukemia line, 32Dp210 (P210; H-2k). Leukemia control mice (1X10(4) P210 cells per recipient) died at day 12.0 post-BMT. Recipients of the CD4+, Th1-type or CD8+, Tc1-type populations were conferred a survival advantage (death at 20.7 and 23.5 days post-BMT, respectively). In contrast, the CD4+, Th2-type population did not mediate GVL (death at 12.3 days). Furthermore, cell mixing experiments demonstrated that the Th2 subset abrogated both Th1- and Tc1-mediated GVL. The CD8+, Tc2 population, which secreted type II cytokines and lysed the P210 leukemia target in vitro, mediated GVL in some experiments; interestingly, the magnitude of Tc2-mediated GVL was inversely related to the level of interleukin-10 (IL-10) secreted in vitro by the Tc2 population. These studies therefore indicate that alloreactive T cells of type I phenotype maximally generate GVL, and that type I/type II interactions are an important consideration for allogeneic transplantation in the setting of leukemic hosts.     

Highly active antiretroviral therapy results in a decrease in CD8+ T cell activation and preferential reconstitution of the peripheral CD4+ T cell population with memory rather than naive cells

Criteria for detection of chromosome aberrations by Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) are not standardized and improvement of this part of the analysis is of paramount importance to the applicability of the technique. The aim of this work was to suggest CGH detection criteria that increase the specificity and sensitivity and at the same time include chromosome regions previously excluded from CGH analysis. We analyzed 33 hybridizations with normal DNA and modified our CGH software in order to use a selection of these normal analyses as a model for interpretation of analyses of unknown samples. This approach was successfully tested on 14 samples with known aberrations.     

Self-in-relation theory and the role of the clinical nurse specialist. Part II: Application to advanced nursing roles in a professional practice model

CONCEPTS AND ASSUMPTIONS of self-in-relation theory of women's development, as proposed by feminist scholars at the Stone Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts, are applied in this article. This theory was used as a framework to guide staff development and mentorship roles of advanced practice nurses. How the theory served to direct these roles and assisted in development of a professional practice model is discussed. Exemplars from the authors' practices and professional practice outcomes after 2 years of theory implementation are presented.     

Studies of the neutralizing activity and avidity of anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Env antibody elicited by DNA priming and protein boosting

DNA vaccination is an effective means of eliciting strong antibody responses to a number of viral antigens. However, DNA immunization alone has not generated persistent, high-titer antibody and neutralizing antibody responses to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env). We have previously reported that DNA-primed anti-Env antibody responses can be augmented by boosting with Env-expressing recombinant vaccinia viruses. We report here that recombinant Env protein provides a more effective boost of DNA-initiated antibody responses. In rabbits primed with Env-expressing plasmids, protein boosting increased titer, persistence, neutralizing activity, and avidity of anti-Env responses. While titers increased rapidly after boosting, avidity and neutralizing activity matured more slowly over a 6-month period following protein boosting. DNA priming and protein immunization with HIV-1 HXB-2 Env elicited neutralizing antibody for T cell line-adapted, but not primary isolate, viruses. The most effective neutralizing antibody responses were observed after priming with plasmids which expressed noninfectious virus-like particles. In contrast to immunizations with HIV-1 Env, DNA immunizations with the influenza virus hemagglutinin glycoprotein did not require a protein boost to achieve high-titer antibody with good avidity and persistence.     

Protecting Business Secrets in an EDI/CALS Environment

ABSTRACT

Communicating with confidential data requires special attention in a mobile agents environment, especially when the other hosts must be prevented from eavesdropping on the communication. We propose a communication model for secured communication between the agents belonging to publishers and consumers data. Confidentiality is ensured using our on-the-fly encryption-decryption sequence using ElGamal system to directly convert the message or plaintext into one that is encrypted directly with the public key of consumer. The scheme ensures that the data possessed by the agents is secured at all times when it is executing at any untrusted host. Our minimal implementation of the model with Aglets agent platform gives the first faithful picture of the happenings in the model. Finally, we also explain how the homomorphic property of ElGamal scheme can be integrated with our model for a Web-based application such as voting involving multiple agents.     

A new method of intestinal salvage for severe small bowel ischemia

The morbidity and mortality in short bowel syndrome are directly related to the length of the remaining small bowel and to the duration of total parenteral nutrition. We describe the successful salvage of an infant with extensive small bowel infarction for whom a new technique was used to preserve all viable mucosal surfaces. The infant, with gastroschisis, was found to have a tight volvulus of the extruded bowel and extensive small bowel ischemia at the time of delivery. Forty-eight hours after reduction of the volvulus and abdominal decompression, a second-look laparotomy was performed. Although only the terminal 13 cm of ileum was completely viable, 25% of the circumference of a further 23 cm of proximal jejunum/ileum was considered salvageable. After debridement of the dead tissue, the remaining gutter of jejunum was divided at its midpoint, and the two halves were anastomosed longitudinally to provide a "neojejunum" of 12 cm in length, which was anastomosed between the duodenum and terminal ileum. Full enteral feeding was tolerated from day 47. Although the neojejunum was excised on day 149, after becoming dilated and atonic, by that time the remaining small bowel had elongated to 30 cm. Because of the early institution of full enteral feeding, there were no long-term complications related to total parenteral nutrition.