Information Assurance Technology Forecast 2008

A virtual roundtable (featuring panelists Steven Bellovin, Terry Benzel, Bob Blakely, Dorothy Denning, Whitfield Diffie, Jeremy Epstein, and Paulo Verissimo) discussing the next 15 years in computer security.     

Laboratory simulated slipstream testing of novel sulfur removal processes for gasification application

The Wabash River Integrated Methanol and Power Production from Clean Coal Technologies (IMPPCCT) project is investigating an Early Entrance Coproduction Plant (EECP) concept to evaluate integrated electrical power generation and methanol production from coal and other carbonaceous feedstocks. Research, development and testing (RD&T) that is currently being conducted under the project is evaluating cost effective process systems for removing contaminants, particularly sulfur species, from the generated gas which contains mainly synthesis gas (syngas), CO₂ and steam at concentrations acceptable for the methanol synthesis catalyst. The RD&T includes laboratory testing followed by bench-scale and field testing at the SG Solutions Gasification Plant located in West Terre Haute, Indiana. Actual synthesis gas produced by the plant was utilized at system pressure and temperature for bench-scale field testing.     

Nightmare help: Treatment of trauma survivors with PTSD.

Describes strategies, techniques, and implementation of nightmare therapy for psychotherapy clients with posttraumatic stress disorder. Case examples of combat veteran trauma survivors are included. Approaches discussed include dream group, storyline alteration, story title conversion, sandplay, and face and conquer techniques. Based on a posttreatment survey administered to 25 clients, 65% of Ss reported the elimination of nightmares while the remaining 35% reported diminished distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Manufacturing Bespoke Architecture

At the disposal of today??s architect is an evolving array of interoperable tools and processes that allow the fabrication of design propositions to be increasingly complex, non?Cstandard and adaptive. How are we equipped to deal with such a growing breadth of new potential, and how are the philosophies that underpin this potential being defined? This paper attempts to address what is something of a contemporary dilemma in architecture, as the constraints of industrial standardisation are relaxed. Have the roles of designers and makers changed in a way that we??ve not experienced before, and is a new approach to making architecture emerging?     

Practical Design Model for Calculating Bubble Diffuser Contactor Ozone Transfer Efficiency

Ozone transfer to water or wastewater is necessary before desirable, effective ozone reactions occur. Several factors affect ozone transfer efficiency, including water quality characteristics, contactor configuration, and applied ozone characteristics. The design model presented in this paper addresses all factors affecting ozone transfer. The model was used to compare measured transfer efficiency with predicted transfer efficiency at four full-scale wastewater ozone disinfection facilities. A relatively good prediction was obtained at each plant.

The paper presents an example calculation of ozone transfer efficiency. Also, the effect of changes to some of the factors affecting transfer efficiency is presented, such as changes in diffuser depth, plant elevation, ozone concentration, water quality (i.e., ozone demand), pH, detention time, temperature, and acombination of factors. The design model may be used to evaluate the effect of changes in plant design on transfer efficiency, but cannot provide an absolute value for transfer efficiency until difficult-to-measure parameters, such as bubble diameter, are known.     

Microstructure and creep behavior in AE42 magnesium die-casting alloy

The micro structural analysis of die-cast AE42 reveals a correlation between micro structure and creep strength. A lamellar-phase Al₁₁RE₃, which dominates the interdendritic microstructure of the alloy, partly decomposes above 150‡C into Al₂RE and Al (forming Mg₁₇Al₁₂). The increased solubility of aluminum in magnesium at higher temperatures may also promote the decomposition of Al₁₁RE₃. The creep strength decreases sharply with these phase changes. A mechanism for the decrease in creep strength of AE42 is proposed whereby the reduced presence of lamellar Al1₁₁RE₃ and/or the presence of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ contribute to the observed poor creep strength at higher temperatures.     

Categories of quantum and classical channels

We introduce a construction that turns a category of pure state spaces and operators into a category of observable algebras and superoperators. For example, it turns the category of finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces into the category of finite-dimensional C*-algebras and completely positive maps. In particular, the new category contains both quantum and classical channels, providing elegant abstract notions of preparation and measurement. We also consider nonstandard models that can be used to investigate which notions from algebraic quantum information theory are operationally justifiable.     

Introduction: In-Use,In-Situ: Extending Field Research Methods—Part 2

This study used protocol analyses and user drawings of their models of the system to investigate the “getting lost” problem in hypertext navigation. The “getting lost” problem is viewed as occurring when routine expectations of naive users, concerning appropriate linear sequences, are violated. Several ways in which users persistently attempt to work within a linear model, despite its inapplicability, are examined. The transition to more hierarchical user models is described.     

Power spectrum and Allan variance methods for calibrating single-molecule video-tracking instruments

Single-molecule manipulation instruments, such as optical traps and magnetic tweezers, frequently use video tracking to measure the position of a force-generating probe. The instruments are calibrated by comparing the measured probe motion to a model of Brownian motion in a harmonic potential well; the results of calibration are estimates of the probe drag, α, and spring constant, κ. Here, we present both time- and frequency-domain methods to accurately and precisely extract α and κ from the probe trajectory. In the frequency domain, we discuss methods to estimate the power spectral density (PSD) from data (including windowing and blocking), and we derive an analytical formula for the PSD which accounts both for aliasing and the filtering intrinsic to video tracking. In the time domain, we focus on the Allan variance (AV): we present a theoretical equation for the AV relevant to typical single-molecule setups and discuss the optimal manner for computing the AV from experimental data using octave-sampled overlapping bins. We show that, when using maximum-likelihood methods to fit to the data, both the PSD and AV approaches can extract α and κ in an unbiased and low-error manner, though the AV approach is simpler and more robust.