Maximum Likelihood Estimation For The 2-Parameter Weibull Distribution Based On Interval-Data

MLE techniques are presented for estimating time-to-failure distributions from interval-data. Interval-data consist of adjacent inspection times that surround an unknown failure time. Censored interval-data bound the unknown failure time with only a lower time. The 2-parameter Weibull distribution is examined as the failure distribution. Parameter estimates from interval-data and from the midpoints of the intervals are compared for 6 shapes of the Weibull distribution. The results from Monte Carlo simulation runs are used to examine the s-bias and S-variability of the parameter estimates.     

Tailoring Small Molecules for an Allosteric Site on Procaspase‐6

Although they represent attractive therapeutic targets, caspases have so far proven recalcitrant to the development of drugs targeting the active site. Allosteric modulation of caspase activity is an alternate strategy that potentially avoids the need for anionic and electrophilic functionality present in most active‐site inhibitors. Caspase‐6 has been implicated in neurodegenerative disease, including Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Herein we describe a fragment‐based lead discovery effort focused on caspase‐6 in its active and zymogen forms. Fragments were identified for procaspase‐6 using surface plasmon resonance methods and subsequently shown by X‐ray crystallography to bind a putative allosteric site at the dimer interface. A fragment‐merging strategy was employed to produce nanomolar‐affinity ligands that contact residues in the L2 loop at the dimer interface, significantly stabilizing procaspase‐6. Because rearrangement of the L2 loop is required for caspase‐6 activation, our results suggest a strategy for the allosteric control of caspase activation with drug‐like small molecules.     

A comparison of contextual classification methods using Landsat TM

The performance of contextual classification methods is evaluated using Landsat TM data. Classes of pixels adjacent to the pixel to be classified are assumed to be conditionally independent given the class of the pixel to be classified. An assumption of autocorrelated spectral reflectance is made in three of the methods. Methods that utilize information from one image and images from two different occasions are compared.Our results indicate that an autocorrelation method utilizing images from two different occasions performs optimally.     

Self-administration of smoked cocaine.

Examined methodological issues related to the self-administration of cocaine and the effect of the magnitude of alternative reinforcers on cocaine self-administration. 12 hospitalized male cocaine abusers were involved in an inpatient study in which the between-Ss variable was the monetary value of the alternative reinforcer, and the within-S variable was 3 dose sizes of cocaine. Ss could receive a delivery of cocaine every 30 min in exchange for a token worth a specific amount of money for up to 10 deliveries. Results show that dose-related subjective responses existed, that the extent of subjective responses was related to the amount of cocaine self-administered, and that the amount of cocaine self-administered was reproducible across sessions. In addition, the magnitude of the alternative reinforcer affected the amount of cocaine self-administered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hiperlan/2 Public Access Interworking with 3G Cellular Systems

This paper discusses some of the recent work within the Broadband Radio Access Network (BRAN) project of ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), regarding the issue of establishing an interworking solution between Hiperlan/2 and 3G cellular systems and introduces the concept of Hiperlan/2 Public Access. So far the BRAN project has identified several fundamentally different types of possible solutions whose differences lie within the level of integration. The most essential requirements identified were authentication, mobility between Hiperlan/2 and 3G, service continuity, and preservation of the applied security levels. Recent agreements between ETSI, IEEE and MMAC may now take this work forward to produce a generic WLAN to 3G and external networks interworking standard. Indeed such work may also form the precursor for post 3G systems.