Integration of tools for the Design and Assessment of High-Performance, Highly Reliable Computing Systems (DAHPHRS), phase 1

Systems for Space Defense Initiative (SDI) space applications typically require both high performance and very high reliability. These requirements present the systems engineer evaluating such systems with the extremely difficult problem of conducting performance and reliability trade-offs over large design spaces. A controlled development process supported by appropriate automated tools must be used to assure that the system will meet design objectives. This report describes an investigation of methods, tools, and techniques necessary to support performance and reliability modeling for SDI systems development. Models of the JPL Hypercubes, the Encore Multimax, and the C.S. Draper Lab Fault-Tolerant Parallel Processor (FTPP) parallel-computing architectures using candidate SDI weapons-to-target assignment algorithms as workloads were built and analyzed as a means of identifying the necessary system models, how the models interact, and what experiments and analyses should be performed. As a result of this effort, weaknesses in the existing methods and tools were revealed and capabilities that will be required for both individual tools and an integrated toolset were identified

Trading interactions for topology in scale-free networks

Scale-free networks with topology-dependent interactions are studied. It is shown that the universality classes of critical behavior, which conventionally depend only on topology, can also be explored by tuning the interactions. A mapping, $\gamma' = (\gamma - \mu)/(1-\mu)$, describes how a shift of the standard exponent $\gamma$ of the degree distribution $P(q)$ can absorb the effect of degree-dependent pair interactions $J_{ij} \propto (q_iq_j)^{-\mu}$. Replica technique, cavity method and Monte Carlo simulation support the physical picture suggested by Landau theory for the critical exponents and by the Bethe-Peierls approximation for the critical temperature. The equivalence of topology and interaction holds for equilibrium and non-equilibrium systems, and is illustrated with interdisciplinary applications.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Bisphosphonate-Associated Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: Are We Dealing with a Localized Non-Traditional Calciphylaxis?

The bisphosphonate (BP) family of drugs has been used as a vital component in cancer therapy and many other diseases. One of the main adverse effects related to (BP) is BP-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Although this condition was first recognized in 2003, the pathophysiologic mechanism remains undefined. Our hypothesis is that ONJs clinical course and delayed wound healing is in part correlated to a localized non-traditional calciphylaxis. This effect is identified by the evidence of calcium deposition in the connective tissue and around small blood vessels in the soft tissues immediately adjacent to ONJ lesions. This phenomenon helps to fill gaps in the cascade of events which leads to soft tissue ischemia, necrosis, and non-healing ONJ lesions. Our finding adds to the current knowledge of the potential pathophysiologic mechanisms related to ONJ

Oral Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor: Case Report and Review of Literature

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rarely described tumor of unknown etiology and pathogenesis. It occurs primarily in the lungs, but has occurred in other extra-pulmonary sites. Histologically these lesions appear as an inflammatory infiltrate within a variably myofibrotic background. Current evidence shows that inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors are neoplastic processes resulting from chromosomal translocations that often cause an overexpression of ALK kinase, which is often assessed using immunohistochemical studies. Currently, the biological behavior of oral inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is still uncertain. This article describes the clinical, histological, and operative features of a case of IMT of the oral cavity

Hypericum perforatum L.-Mediated Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Exhibiting Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities

This contribution focuses on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with a size < 100 nm for potential medical applications by using silver nitrate solution and Hypericum Perforatum L. (St John’s wort) aqueous extracts. Various synthesis methods were used and compared with regard to their yield and quality of obtained AgNPs. Monodisperse spherical nanoparticles were generated with a size of approximately 20 to 50 nm as elucidated by different techniques (SEM, TEM). XRD measurements showed that metallic silver was formed and the particles possess a face-centered cubic structure (fcc). SEM images and FTIR spectra revealed that the AgNPs are covered by a protective surface layer composed of organic components originating from the plant extract. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential were also measured for biologically synthesized AgNPs. A potential mechanism of reducing silver ions to silver metal and protecting it in the nanoscale form has been proposed based on the obtained results. Moreover, the AgNPs prepared in the present study have been shown to exhibit a high antioxidant activity for 2, 2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation, and super oxide anion radical and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. Synthesized AgNPs showed high cytotoxicity by inhibiting cell viability for Hela, Hep G2, and A549 cells

Story in health and social care

This paper offers a brief consideration of how narrative, in the form of people‟s own stories, potentially figures in health and social care provision as part of the impulse towards patient-centred care. The rise of the epistemological legitimacy of patients‟ stories is sketched here. The paper draws upon relevant literature and original writing to consider the ways in which stories can mislead as well as illuminate the process of making individual treatment care plans