Behavioral Attestation for Web Services using access policies

Service Oriented Architecture with underlying technologies like web services and web service orchestration opens new vistas for integration among business processes operating in heterogeneous environments. However, such dynamic collaborations require a highly secure environment at each respective business partner site. Existing web services standards address the issue of security only on the service provider platform. The partner platforms to which sensitive information is released have till now been neglected. Remote Attestation is a relatively new field of research which enables an authorized party to verify that a trusted environment actually exists on a partner platform. To incorporate this novel concept in to the web services realm, a new mechanism called WS-Attestation has been proposed. This mechanism provides a structural paradigm upon which more fine-grained solutions can be built. In this paper, we present a novel framework, Behavioral Attestation for Web Services, in which XACML is built on top of WS-Attestation in order to enable more flexible remote attestation at the web services level. We propose a new type of XACML policy called XACML behavior policy, which defines the expected behavior of a partner platform. Existing web service standards are used to incorporate remote attestation at the web services level and a prototype is presented, which implements XACML behavior policy using low-level attestation techniques.     

T cell interactions with extracellular matrix proteins in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy

The roles of auxin and cytokinin in cell cycle reactivation were studied during the first 48 h of culture of mesophyll protoplasts of Nicotiana tabacum. Using hormone delay and withdrawal studies we found that auxin was required by 0-4 h of culture, whereas cytokinin was not required until hour 10-12, which is 6-10 h before S phase. Cycloheximide blocks division, indicating that protein synthesis is required. In an effort to detect a molecular response to either hormone, we examined the expression of the cell cycle marker, cdc2. Cdc2 expression was detected by 12 h of culture, coincident with the timing of the cytokinin requirement and well before the entry into S. However, cdc2 was partially induced by either auxin or cytokinin alone, suggesting that cdc2 expression is not the primary target of either hormone. Our hormone delay experiments suggest that there are separate signal transduction pathways leading from auxin and from cytokinin to reactivation of the cell cycle and that these pathways converge before S. The underlying mechanisms for these distinct pathways remain to be elucidated. Key Words. Auxin-Cytokinin-Tobacco-Protoplast-Development-cdc2     

MICROSCALE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS IN BONE ADAPTATION

Advances in cell biology have been dramatic over the past two decades. One phenomenon now well established is that the mechanical loading of cells has a profound influence on their function. This phenomenon is particularly important for bones, because they alter their density and geometry in response to mechanical loading. In an attempt to understand and ultimately control the underlying biological mechanisms of this bone adaptation, researchers are now mechanically probing whole bones, bone cell cultures, and individual cells using a variety of microscale technologies. There is, however, a substantial need for improved technology. The overall goal of this review is to encourage the participation of the microscale engineering community in this new field of research. Specifically, we describe here possible clinical applications, introduce some basic concepts of bone and cell biology, describe the current microscale technology used in this field, and critically review experiment results. This should provide a basis for the entry of interested microscale engineers into this field.     

Supplementary Microstructural Features Induced During Laser Surface Melting of Thermally Sprayed Inconel 625 Coatings

Laser surface melting of thermally sprayed coatings has the potential to enhance their corrosion properties by incorporating favorable microstructural changes. Besides homogenizing the as-sprayed structure, laser melting may induce certain microstructural modifications (i.e., supplementary features) in addition to those that directly improve the corrosion performance. Such features, being a direct result of the laser treatment process, are described in this paper which is part of a broader study in which high velocity oxy-fuel sprayed Inconel 625 coatings on mild-steel substrates were treated with a diode laser and the modified microstructure characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. The laser treated coating features several different zones, including a region with a microstructure in which there is a continuous columnar dendritic structure through a network of retained oxide stringers.     

Static mixers for laminar flow reactors with low aspect ratios

Conventional static mixers typically require high length to diameter ratios to be effective. This paper considers static mixers design to increase first appearance times in short, fat reactors. Three types are considered: conical baffles and annular baffles for tubular reactors and axial baffles for reactors with a rectangular cross-section. Relatively simple designs allow production increases (or reactor volume decreases) on the order of 20–50%.     

Phytate and mineral content in different milling fractions of some Pakistani spring wheats

Six Pakistani wheat cultivars, namely C-273, Inqulab-91, Pasban-90, Parwaz-94, Shahkar-95 and Rohtas-90, were included in the present study. The kernel weight of the wheat cultivars varied from 31.43 to 36.76 g (per thousand kernels), Parwaz-94 having the highest and Rohtas-90 having the lowest. The test weight of cultivars ranged from 70.23 (Shakar-95) to 76.13 kg hL^–1 (Pasban-90). The bran contained the highest amount of phytic acid (6.12%) in C-273 followed by whole-wheat flour (2.23%) in Inqulab-91, and straight-grade flour (0.24%) in Parwaz-94. The phytate content was reduced during the baking of bread and chapati. The bread scores and other quality characteristics varied significantly among cultivars. The total bread scores ranged from 35.20 to 42.00, out of a possible fifty, with Parwaz-94 being the highest. The concentration of minerals varied widely in different milling fractions of various wheat cultivars. The concentration of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn ranged from 5.00 to 52.50, 26 to 147.50, 0.00 to 97.00, 9.0 to 80.80 ppm, respectively, in different milling fractions of the wheat cultivars. The total chapati scores ranged from 22.40 to 24.20 of a possible score of 30. The minimum chapati scores were found in Rohtas-90 and Parwaz-94, while Inqulab-91 produced the maximum score.     

Managed care and outcomes of hospitalization among elderly patients with congestive heart failure

123I-radiolabeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) cardiac imaging has been used to evaluate the distribution of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in the heart. Different heart diseases have shown impaired cardiac SNS distribution as reflected by MIBG activity. The aim of this study was to assess the cardiac distribution of SNS in normal subjects, using MIBG imaging. Ten normal subjects (1 male and 9 females, mean age 46 +/- 9 years) with no cardiac abnormalities underwent myocardial 123I-MIBG scintigraphy, Tc-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) cardiac perfusion imaging and equilibrium radionuclide angiography (RNA). Regional myocardial MIBG and MIBI activities were quantitatively evaluated using a region of interest analysis. For this purpose, the left ventricle was divided into 6 myocardial regions as anterior, apical, inferior, septum, lateral and posterolateral. In particular, myocardial MIBG and MIBI activities were measured as myocardium to mediastinum ratio. Regional left ventricular function was assessed by RNA. Myocardial MIBG uptake was homogeneous in anterior (2.2 +/- 0.5), inferior (2.5 +/- 0.7), septal (2.4 +/- 0.4), lateral (2.3 +/- 0.4), and posterolateral (2.3 +/- 0.4) regions. Conversely, MIBG uptake was significantly lower in the apical region (1.9 +/- 0.3) compared to all other left ventricular segments (p < 0.05). Regional myocardial perfusion, as measured by MIBI uptake, was homogeneous in all regions. No regional left ventricular wall motion abnormalities were observed by RNA. In conclusion, our data suggest that a decreased MIBG uptake may be observed in the left ventricular apical region of normal subjects reflecting reduced sympathetic innervation of the apex. This finding is not related to myocardial perfusion or wall motion abnormalities. The knowledge of cardiac sympathetic innervation in normal subjects may be helpful to assess SNS abnormalities in heart disease.     

Steady state segregation and heat flow in ESR

A combined theoretical and experimental study of steady-state heat flow and segregation in ESR is presented. The segregation model permits prediction of pressure gradients, hence, interdendritic flow velocities responsible for macrosegregation in the “mushy? zone of axisymmetric ESR ingots. The heat flow model considers the solidus isotherm as a moving boundary. The relationships between power and slag temperature as well as power and heat transfer coefficient are experimentally measured and included in the heat balance equation for the slag. Experiments on both a low-temperature simulated ESR apparatus and on a 200 mm diam ESR ingot mold verify both models.