Mobile Device Security Using Transient Authentication

Mobile devices are vulnerable to theft and loss due to their small size and the characteristics of their common usage environment. Since they allow users to work while away from their desk, they are most useful in public locations and while traveling. Unfortunately, this is also where they are most at risk. Existing schemes for securing data either do not protect the device after it is stolen or require bothersome reauthentication. Transient Authentication lifts the burden of authentication from the user by use of a wearable token that constantly attests to the user's presence. When the user departs, the token and device lose contact and the device secures itself. We show how to leverage this authentication framework to secure all the memory and storage locations on a device into which secrets may creep. Our evaluation shows this is done without inconveniencing the user, while imposing a minimal performance overhead     

Early patterning of prelimbic cortical axons to the striatal patch compartment in the neonatal mouse

The striatum receives excitatory input from virtually the entire cerebral cortex. In the adult, this input is segregated into two functionally distinct compartments of the striatum, the patch (striosome) and matrix regions. This study determined whether the patterning of corticostriatal afferents from the prelimbic cortex to the striatal patch compartment develops during the early period of collateral formation or instead at the time of peak synaptogenesis. Initial formation of corticostriatal axon collaterals was observed by embryonic day (E) 19. Quantification of corticostriatal collaterals revealed a significant increase in the number and complexity of collateral branches at postnatal day 6 as compared to E19. Concomitant with the increase in collateral branching, a heterogeneous pattern of collateralization consisting of parallel rows of corticostriatal collaterals was observed in the medial striatum. In addition to the rows, clusters of corticostriatal axons occurred more laterally. These clusters colocalized with patches of dense tyrosine hydroxylase-positive fibers, a marker for the striatal patch compartment in the neonatal mouse. Together, these data indicate that corticostriatal patterning occurs during the period of early axon collateralization resulting in a segregation of corticostriatal axon collaterals from the prelimbic cortex to the striatal patch compartment.     

Resistance to Fracture of a Partially Stabilized Zirconia/β-Alumina Composite

Partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) /β-alumina composites exhibit extensive non-elastic deformation during fracture. Repeated loading/stable fracture/unloading experiments were performed on chevron-notched four-point-bend specimens of the composite and pure PSZ. The energy consumption during the propagation of long cracks in the composite (∼500 J/m²) is 1 order of magnitude larger than for PSZ (∼50 J/m²). Breaking strengths of 127 MPa were obtained with a Weibull modulus of 43.     

Simplified method for the measurement of segmental colonic transit time

Segmental colonic transit has been measured in 101 patients. Two MBq of 111Indium absorbed on resin pellets and encapsulated in an enteric coated capsule was given at 7 00 am. Hourly images during the first day, and three images during each subsequent day were acquired for up to three days. Using all scan and patient data the scans were categorised in one of the five patterns of colonic transit: normal, rapid, right delay, left delay, or generalised delay. The geometric centres and per cent activity at each time point was compared between the five groups of colonic transit patients to find the best time for imaging and so to distinguish the five groups. During the first day, early images did not help in diagnosis of patterns of transit, however, in the later images (six hours onwards after the ingestion of the activity) the rapid transit groups could be identified. Images at 27 and 51 hours were both required to distinguish all five groups of patients from each other. Only in the 'normal' transit patients was there some excretion of the activity during the course of the second day, otherwise there was no difference in the images taken in the course of a day (second or third day). A simplified protocol requires a minimum of three images to distinguish all five patterns of colonic transit. The activity should be ingested in the morning (7 00 am) and the first image taken at the end of the working day (8-10 hours after ingestion), the second image on the morning of the second day, and the third image during the course of the third day. This simple protocol would provide all the clinically relevant information necessary for correct classification of the colonic transit.     

Glass-ionomer cements in restorative dentistry

This article reviews the current status and future prospects for glass-ionomer materials. These materials are of two chemical types: the older, self-hardening cements, which set by an acid-base neutralization reaction to give relatively brittle materials; and the newer, resin-modified cements, which set partly by polymerization and partly by neutralization. Compared with the self-hardening cements, the latter materials have improved esthetics, improved resistance to moisture, and greater toughness. Both types of glass-ionomer cement bond well to enamel and dentin and release a clinically useful amount of fluoride. They have been used in a variety of applications: as liners or bases, for luting of stainless steel crowns, for Class V restorations in permanent teeth, and for Class II and Class III restorations in primary teeth. The resin-modified glass-ionomers are particularly promising for these latter uses, although it is too early to be sure whether their long-term durability is sufficient. Self-hardening glass-ionomer materials are likely to retain specific niches of clinical application, including in their metal-reinforced and cermet-containing forms.     

Relationship of a dystrophin-associated glycoprotein to junctional acetylcholine receptor clusters in rat skeletal muscle

The relationship of a member of the transmembrane dystrophin-associated glycoprotein (DAG) complex to acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) was investigated using immunofluorescence techniques at rat neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) viewed en face. These results were compared with those from a similar previous study of dystrophin and an autosomal homologue (utrophin or dystrophin-related protein, DRP) (Bewick et al. Neuro Report 1992; 3: 857-860). The region of highest 43 K DAG (43DAG) labelling projected beyond the AChRs by approximately 0.3 microns, as does that for dystrophin. By contrast DRP labelling precisely co-localizes with the AChRs. These results suggest that at the NMJ, the region of high 43DAG concentration encompasses the area of highest intensity labelling for both DRP and dystrophin.     

Robot-assisted wayfinding for the visually impaired in structured indoor environments

We present a robot-assisted wayfinding system for the visually impaired in structured indoor environments. The system consists of a mobile robotic guide and small passive RFID sensors embedded in the environment. The system is intended for use in indoor environments, such as office buildings, supermarkets and airports. We describe how the system was deployed in two indoor environments and evaluated by visually impaired participants in a series of pilot experiments. We analyze the system’s successes and failures and outline our plans for future research and development.     

NMR spectroscopy of human post mortem cerebrospinal fluid: distinction of Alzheimer''s disease from control using pattern recognition and statistics

Mutations of ras oncogenes in 37 human stomach cancers and 13 adenomas were investigated with regard to the histological phenotypes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization and/or direct sequencing of the PCR products. The ras mutation was found only in one case (2.7%), the histology of which was poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. We found no mutation in stomach adenomas. The mutation consisted of a guanine-to-adenine transition in the first base of codon 13 of c-Ki-ras which replaced wild-type glycine with serine, indicating that a putative glycine-to-aspartic acid change is not necessarily the critical event for c-Ki-ras gene activation in codon 13. These results further confirm the infrequency of ras mutation in stomach tumors and also suggest that ras mutations are not specific to the differentiated type of stomach cancer.