Drawing the Line

Cybersecurity research and development raises questions of ethics in many areas. The essay lists several areas where ethics considerations may confront researchers and practitioners and considers in more detail the ethics of data collection and human subjects. It proposes three actions: security researchers should inform themselves about the ethics of human subject experimentation, Institutional Review Boards need to expand their expertise so that they can properly review cybersecurity research proposals, and professional societies should begin developing appropriate ethical guidance for their members who must confront these issues.     

Numerical Analysis of Internal Oxidation and Nitridation by the Cellular Automata Approach

In this study, the phenomena of internal oxidation and nitridation are modeled numerically by means of the cellular automata approach. As an example, TiN formation in Ni-base alloys was simulated by treating nitrogen diffusion and precipitation separately and simultaneously. It was shown that the concentration profiles of nitrogen diffusion are consistent with the analytical solution. The progress of internal nitridation follows a parabolic rate law in agreement with Wagner’s theory of internal oxidation and experimental results. Furthermore, the cellular automata approach is capable to predict the transition from internal precipitation to superficial scale formation and to implement the process of nucleation and growth of nitride and oxide precipitates.     

Telemedicine and fetal ultrasonography: assessment of technical performance and clinical feasibility

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to determine the performance and clinical feasibility of telesonography for the interpretation of fetal anatomic scans sent from a remote location compared with those obtained at a tertiary care prenatal ultrasonography center. STUDY DESIGN: Routine ultrasonographic studies from 35 patients were remotely interpreted. Evaluation included a blinded comparison of the sonographer's assessment of 38 fetal structures with that of the physician at the tertiary care center. Technical evaluation included system reliability and the number of digital telephone lines required for adequate real-time visualization. RESULTS: The mean gestational age at the time of the ultrasonography was 25.84 +/- 6.8 weeks (range 14 to 38). There was complete consistency of interpretation for 25 of 38 (66%) fetal structures. Thirteen structures had discrepancies in visualization, reflecting a difference in the adequacy of visualization, not the normalcy or identity of the structures. Three digital (integrated switching digital network, ISDN) telephone lines were required for real-time visualization. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary experience supports telesonography as a clinically useful tool for remote interpretation of fetal ultrasonographic examinations. Further studies are warranted for the continued evaluation of this emerging technology.     

Information assurance technology forecast 2005

This paper gives insights into how the threat's evolving nature, the current information technology environment, and various market forces are combining to yield new security challenges and likely new technology paths for the future.     

Improved degradation stability of blue-green II-VI light-emitting diodes with excluded nitrogen-doped ZnSe-based layers

Degradation characteristics of p-i-n BeZnSe/Zn(Be)CdSe light-emitting diodes were investigated. Undoped short-period superlattices, which provide efficient hole transport from the p ⁺-BeTe:N near-contact region (hole injector) into the active region, were used instead of the p-doped BeZnSe:N emitter. It is demonstrated that this makes it possible to considerably lengthen the operating life of the light-emitting diodes at highest direct current densities (～4.5 kA/cm²) at room temperature.