Utility Dependence in Correct and Fair Rational Secret?Sharing

The problem of carrying out cryptographic computations when the participating parties are rational in a game-theoretic sense has recently gained much attention. One problem that has been studied considerably is that of rational secret sharing. In this setting, the aim is to construct a mechanism (protocol) so that parties behaving rationally have incentive to cooperate and provide their shares in the reconstruction phase, even if each party prefers to be the only one to learn the secret.     

Simultaneous injection locking of couples of high-power broad-area lasers driven by a common current source

We experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous injection locking of pairs of high-power broad-area laser diodes in a 19-laser array driven by a common current source. Each pair is injection locked by use of a single-mode low-power semiconductor laser. The frequency and phase locking are verified bythe optical spectrum and the interference pattern between the injection-locked lasers. The influence of frequency detuning on the (simultaneous) injection behavior has been experimentally clarified. We validate a necessary condition for the injection locking of a broad-area laser array.     

Mixed group ranks: preference and confidence in classifier combination

Classifier combination holds the potential of improving performance by combining the results of multiple classifiers. For domains with very large numbers of classes, such as biometrics, we present an axiomatic framework of desirable mathematical properties for combination functions of rank-based classifiers. This framework represents a continuum of combination rules, including the Borda Count, Logistic Regression, and Highest Rank combination methods as extreme cases. Intuitively, this framework captures how the two complementary concepts of general preference for specific classifiers and the confidence it has in any specific result (as indicated by ranks) can be balanced while maintaining consistent rank interpretation. Mixed Group Ranks (MGR) is a new combination function that balances preference and confidence by generalizing these other functions. We demonstrate that MGR is an effective combination approach by performing multiple experiments on data sets with large numbers of classes and classifiers from the FERET face recognition study.     

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy at 100 nM concentrations using near-field scanning optical microscopic (NSOM) geometries and highly diffracting force sensing fiber probes

A tapered cantilevered optical fiber probe is introduced for fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The probe has an aperture that is coated with metal and its dimension can be very well defined. Its design is based on cantilevered near-field optical fiber probes that allow for on-line atomic force feedback. This permits unprecedented stability in FCS measurements. Even such probes that have large diameters are below the cutoff wavelength of light propagation in optical fibers. Such large diameter probes produce bright spots of light that are highly diffracting. Therefore, only the fluence of light very close to the surface of the glass probe aperture is sufficient to exhibit a high probability of fluorescence excitation. From the results presented in this paper the z extent of such probes seems comparable to what can be obtained from prism-based evanescent wave methods, but with much more flexibility and including force sensing capability. In agreement with theoretical results on prism evanescent field-based excitation, it is shown that even with large xy dimensions for the fiber probes in this paper, fluorescence correlation spectra from 100 nM fluorophore concentrations can be recorded. This is 10 times larger than the concentrations generally required for conventional confocal FCS. The results suggest that such an approach has considerable potential for applications of FCS in membrane, near-membrane, solution, and even within-cell environments. The latter is achieved through atomic force feedback controlled penetration of tapered cantilevered metal-coated glass fibers into cells, and this is also reported in this paper.     

Synthesis and Degradation of Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine (HMTD)

The synthesis and decomposition of hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) were studied. Mechanisms were proposed based on isotopic labeling and mass spectral interpretation of both condensed phase products and head‐space products. Formation of HMTD from hexamine appeared to proceed from dissociated hexamine as evident from scrambling of the ¹⁵N label when synthesis was carried out with equal molar labeled/unlabeled hexamine. Decomposition of HMTD was considered with additives and in the presence and absence of moisture. In addition to mass spectral interpretation, density functional theory (DFT) was used to calculate energy differences of transition states and the entropies of intermediates along different possible decomposition pathways. HMTD is destabilized by water and citric acid making purification following initial synthesis essential in order to avoid unanticipated violent reaction.     

Examined lives: Outcomes after holistic rehabilitation.

This article poses the question whether the attainment of optimal outcomes following neuropsychological rehabilitation requires that the individual achieve an "examined self." The author answers the question in the affirmative and provides data from a retrospective pilot study to substantiate his claim. Implications from the findings are briefly discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pathogenicity of human anti-platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin in vivo: generation of mouse anti-PF4/heparin and induction of thrombocytopenia by heparin

Acinetobacter baumannii strain A148, a clinical isolate resistant to imipenem (MIC = 32 mg l-1), synthesized two beta-lactamases with pIs 6.3 and > 9.2. The pI 6.3 enzyme hydrolyzed the penicillins, including isoxazoylpenicillins, first-, second- and, to a lesser extent, third-generation cephalosporins. It was inhibited by chloride ions and by the penem beta-lactamase inhibitor BRL 42715. Clavulanate was a weak inhibitor and EDTA did not affect the beta-lactamase activity. This enzyme also hydrolyzed imipenem with a catalytic efficiency (Kcat/Km) of 1500 mM-1 s-1. Moreover, this purified beta-lactamase produced a positive microbiological clover-leaf test with imipenem. Therefore, the pI 6.3 beta-lactamase was considered to be involved in the imipenem resistance of A. baumannii strain A148.     

A relational database for non-manipulative representation of solid objects

As the heart of any solid modelling system, much effort has been spent on formulating the data models which represent the shape of a polyhedral solid object within the computer in an accurate, unique and complete manner. Most of this effort has been devoted to make the models manipulateable in terms of computational efficiency, and preserve their semantic integrity. The price paid for achieving these goals is a proliferation of cross-reference data links which, coupled with multiple redundancy, renders the models inefficient for storage or transmission over communication channels. Moreover, the interrogation of these models by non-manipulative applications is usually unsupported functionally, requiring direct accesses to the data, which involves extensive pointer chasing and therefore high familiarity with the manipulative data structure.This paper presents an example relational model as a complementary logical scheme for viewing the shape database that facilitates compact storage and supports non-manipulative query operations through the projection, selection and join operators defined for the relational model, without requiring expert knowledge of the manipulative structure. The flexibility of the relational model, compared with that of the hierarchical, manipulative one, allows easy extensibility and the association of non-geometric attributes with each data item.