1,508 research outputs found
Design of an embedded iris recognition system for use with a multi-factor authentication system.
This paper describes in detail the design, manufacturing and testing of an embedded iris scanner for use with a multifactor authentication system. The design process for this project included hardware design from part selection to board design to populating. Additionally, this process included the entirety of the software development, though the iris recognition process was largely based on other works. The functional requirements for the overall multi-factor authentication system were to have three authentication methods with a thirty second window to complete all three. The system acceptance accuracy was required to be greater than 75%. Those requirements therefore dictate that the iris scanner module must also have an acceptance accuracy higher than 75% and perform iris recognition in a few seconds so that the user can gain admittance in the allotted window of time. While the hardware has been verified and tested, further development and testing is necessary on the software and image processing. This work is funded by the Department of Energy’s Kansas City National Security Campus, operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, LLC under contract number DE-NA0002839
Beyond Business as Usual: Leaders of California's Civic Organizations Seek New Ways to Engage the Public in Local Governance
We asked leaders of California's civic and community-based organizations about their views on the state of public participation in local governance. The following report explores what these civic leaders say is working, what's not, and how public engagement can be improved. Traditional models for including the public in local decision making, these leaders say, fail to meet the needs of both residents and local officials. Most see significant value and potential in more inclusive and deliberative forms of engagement, and many agree local officials are making increasing efforts to include residents more meaningfully. Overall, this research suggests civic and community-based organizations are looking for newer and more effective ways to engage the public and may be ready for stronger collaborations with local government. The report also includes concrete recommendations for local officials and their institutions, civic leaders and their organizations, and foundations and other funders. The recommendations can help improve public engagement in local governance throughout California and, we hope, beyond
Residual Compressive Strength Prediction of Carbon/Epoxy Laminates Subjected to Low Velocity Impact Damage
Low energy impact damage to a composite structure is difficult to detect and can have profound effects on compressive strengths. Low energy impact damage is sometimes termed as barely visible impact damage (BVID). Detecting BVID is only possible by implementing nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques. Depending upon the support conditions, material system, laminate thickness, lay-up orientation, and impactor geometry, velocity, and hardness, the types of damage associated with BVID include delaminations, longitudinal and transverse matrix cracks, and in some cases, fiber breaks. Material properties such as the strengths of the matrix, fibers, fiber/matrix interface, and more important for BVID, ply interface properties in a multi-ply laminate, are all parameters that determine impact resistance. After the composite structure experiences BVID, the depletion of the structural strength is determined as result of compression after impact (CAI) material testing.
The primary emphasis of this research is to predict structural compressive strength after low energy/low velocity impact using neural networks. After the composite structure absorbs BVID, it is common to determine structural strength depletion based on impact energy. Because impact energy is seldom known in real world applications, it is more reasonable to determine ultimate strength based on amount of damage present. The technique used in this research to assess the damage and predict ultimate strength includes ultrasonic testing (UT), to generate an image representing the damage, and neural networks to predict future performance.
Using the pixel data from the ultrasonic C-scan image of the impact damage, in conjunction with CAI testing, and analyzing it with a backpropagation neural network, correlations on ultimate compressive strength can be made. This analysis demonstrates the ability of a neural network to predict the ultimate compressive strengths of impact damaged composite structures using UT data
The Australian Federal Police as an International Actor: Diplomacy by Default
Under traditional International relations theory, diplomacy
relates to relations between sovereign nations. There have been
two broad schools of thought on the dynamics behind these
relations: the ‘realist’ school, which tends to consider
power and conflict as the major lens through which such should be
viewed, and the ‘idealist’ school which tended to focus on
cooperation rather than conflict. Between these two extreme
views, a third school, the English School of International
Relations, also known as the British Institutionalists, provides
somewhat of a compromise view, acknowledging the merit of both
realism and idealism, by accepting that power remains an
important element but also advocating that acceptance of common
norms and institutions plays a significant role in determining
relations, or the International Society between states.
In 1977 Hedley Bull offered the following definition of
International Society when he stated that International Society
… exists when a group of states, conscious of certain common
interests and common values, form a society in the sense that
they conceive themselves to be bound by a common set of rules in
their relations with one another, and share in the working of
common institutions.
This thesis is not specifically related to International
Relations theory, which deals with inter-state relations. Whilst
inter-state conflict and international relations remain important
drivers of foreign and military policy, there is a growing
recognition that it is intra-state conflict avoidance and
post-conflict reconstruction which increasingly mitigate the risk
to the safety, security, peace and prosperity of nations and
regions. Much of this disquiet has its roots in
maladministration, poor governance and a lack of justice. These
are areas in which traditional approaches to foreign intervention
via trade, aid and military force have limited effect, and in
which effective consent-based policing and justice can play a
significant part in building sustainable and peaceful outcomes.
This thesis discusses the role played by a non-traditional actor
in the international arena, the police, specifically the
Australian Federal Police (AFP), in addressing some of these
intra-state justice and governance issues in a constantly
changing, unstable and unpredictable global and regional
environment. The thesis is intended to outline the diversity and
versatility of AFP activities and to contextualise them in terms
of non-traditional New Diplomacy. The aspects of diplomacy of
most significance relate to diplomatic qualities or traits of the
individual police officer, diplomatic behaviours of these
members, and diplomatic outcomes of their activities. As such
the thesis does not relate directly to International Relations
theory or to International Society, as espoused by Hedley Bull.
There are, however, some interesting intersections which are
worthy of note. There are some critics of the English School who
argue that it is Eurocentric. Today’s International Relations
originated in the 19th century when a number of European nations
formed a club of ‘civilised’ states bound by international
law, which expanded around the globe to involve all nations. This
concept has been used to explain the lack of imperative for a
supra-state or world government to maintain orderly inter-state
relations, as the force which binds them is consent to agree to
common interest and values within a global rules-based order.
In terms of policing on an international scale, global government
is simply too unwieldy. There are a number of global,
consent-based institutions such as the United Nations and
INTERPOL, which fulfil this requirement to a certain extent. The
AFP has had long involvement with both of these global
institutions, as well as several regional policing institutions.
In terms of conflict-oriented ‘realism’ and cooperative
‘idealism’, policing walks both sides of the street. As this
thesis will discuss, the whole posture of liberal-democratic
policing is conflict prevention, and the means by which such
police carry out their daily duties is by cooperation. This is
the context in which replication or expansion of International
Society should be considered in relation to the activities of the
AFP internationally and regionally.
This thesis is by definition Eurocentric, or more specifically
Anglo-centric, due to the historical fact that the AFP draws all
of its principles from Australia’s British antecedents and
adheres to a largely ‘western’ or European notion of human
rights values.
This thesis explores the role of the AFP as an international
actor. The thesis asserts that effective international policing
has never been more important in linking the international with
the domestic. The way the AFP operates in a landscape where
traditional policing paradigms are rapidly changing, due to
ever-changing, political, diplomatic, and transnational issues,
is examined in the context of the ‘globalisation paradox’, of
both needing and fearing, global governance simultaneously, as
raised by Anne-Marie Slaughter in her book, A New World Order.
The way the organisation has evolved from its origins, based on
Western liberal-democratic policing values, approaches and
skills, to an organisation involved in international policing and
diplomacy at the highest levels, while still retaining its
liberal-democratic credentials is explained. It is argued that in
the contemporary international and Australian context, the AFP is
an effective and experienced agency. It is further argued that
this is a distinctive form of new diplomacy, appropriate to an
increasingly globalised world.
The AFP has established an extensive international network in
more than 30 countries, has been a consistent contributor to
national security, has participated in numerous international
deployments over half a century, and continues to play a
meaningful role in Australian foreign policy efforts. The thesis
provides evidence to show how AFP officers exhibit diplomatic
qualities similar to those listed by Daryl Copeland in his book
Guerrilla Diplomacy , as well as those mentioned by Christopher
Meyer in his book Getting Our Way.
In all of its international endeavours, AFP members have
demonstrated, in varying degrees, the three enduring elements of
diplomacy as outlined by Jonsson and Hall in their book The
Essence of Diplomacy. They have communicated and negotiated in
some very challenging circumstances and they are representatives
of the Australian Government and its humanitarian values. The
AFP, as part of broader efforts with institutions such as the UN,
have not so much sought a replication of international society,
as mentioned by Jonsson and Hall, but have provided a supplement
to international society, by effective networking, thereby
addressing in large part, Slaughter’s ‘globalisation
paradox’. It is not so much universal police homogeneity which
is sought by such endeavours, as a balance between it, and the
heterogeneity which is inevitably associated with cultures
transitioning from custom and tradition, to 21st century
expectations of nationhood. The way the AFP’s transnational
operations, activities, and deployments, not only serve perceived
national interests, but result in more effective regional
governance, is identified as ‘diplomacy by default’, because
formal Track I diplomacy is not their primary objective. It will
be demonstrated how international diplomacy, while generally
conducted with perceived national interests as its primary goal,
has a secondary benefit, good international citizenship, and that
the AFP has a credible history of serving both.
It is argued that the AFP is well positioned within government,
law and intelligence and security circles, in the Australian and
international contexts, through an extensive liaison officer
network in South-East Asia, the South-West Pacific as well as
more broadly. It will be demonstrated how the AFP has shown
itself as capable and ready to respond effectively to extant and
emerging challenges, and as such, has earned a place in foreign
policy discussions and considerations at the highest diplomatic
levels, including the UN. The AFP provides a distinctive and
direct link between the global, the regional, and the domestic,
which matches the rapidly globalised community it represents. The
thesis confirms that international policing acts as a distinctive
aspect of Australian ‘firm’ diplomacy, and supplements the
more traditional elements of international engagement, between
the ‘soft’ or traditional diplomacy, and the ‘hard’ form
of military intervention. The evidence provided shows how it is
by this form of whole-of-government activity, inclusive of
policing, that stability and security are enhanced, and peace and
prosperity are encouraged. Overall, the thesis affirms the AFP as
a transnational agency, which is well placed to link the
international with the domestic, the contextual with the
aspirational, and the theoretical with the practical, in a period
of strategic uncertainty in international affairs at the dawn of
the Third Millennium
Combined Chondroitinase and KLF7 Expression Reduce Net Retraction of Sensory and CST Axons from Sites of Spinal Injury
Axon regeneration in the central nervous system is limited both by inhibitory extracellular cues and by an intrinsically low capacity for axon growth in some CNS populations. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are well-studied inhibitors of axon growth in the CNS, and degradation of CSPGs by chondroitinase has been shown to improve the extension of injured axons. Alternatively, axon growth can be improved by targeting the neuron-intrinsic growth capacity through forced expression of regeneration-associated transcription factors. For example, a transcriptionally active chimera of Krüppel-like Factor 7 (KLF7) and a VP16 domain improves axon growth when expressed in corticospinal tract neurons. Here we tested the hypothesis that combined expression of chondroitinase and VP16-KLF7 would lead to further improvements in axon growth after spinal injury. Chondroitinase was expressed by viral transduction of cells in the spinal cord, while VP16-KLF7 was virally expressed in sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia or corticospinal tract (CST) neurons. After transection of the dorsal columns, both chondroitinase and VP16-KLF7 increased the proximity of severed sensory axons to the injury site. Similarly, after complete crush injuries, VP16-KLF7 expression increased the approach of CST axons to the injury site. In neither paradigm however, did single or combined treatment with chondroitinase or VP16-KLF7 enable regenerative growth distal to the injury. These results substantiate a role for CSPG inhibition and low KLF7 activity in determining the net retraction of axons from sites of spinal injury, while suggesting that additional factors act to limit a full regenerative response
Tolerance induction with quantum dots displaying tunable densities of self-antigen
During autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis (MS), the immune system mistakenly recognizes and attacks healthy tissues in the body. In MS, myelin, which surrounds and protects the axons of neurons, is attacked by inflammatory cells leading to neurodegeneration. The current standard of care for MS patients is regular injection of immunosuppressive drugs that non-specifically suppress immune function, leaving patients immunocompromised and open to opportunistic infection. New investigations aim to address this problem with immunotherapy-based strategies that promote myelin-specific tolerance. Recent reports reveal that the development of inflammation or tolerance against certain molecules is influenced by the concentration and form of self-antigen presented to immune cells (i.e. free, particle).Strategies that allow tunable delivery of self-antigen are therefore of great interest to further probe these connections. Quantum dots (QDs) were chosen as the nanomaterial to investigate these questions because they can be conjugated with a large and controllable number of biomolecules.Additionally, their size facilitates rapid drainage through lymphatics to lymph nodes (LNs), where they accumulate and can be visualized by deep-tissue imaging due to their intrinsic fluorescence.
Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract
High Desert Horns & UNLV Community Concert Band
Program listing performers and works performed
Immune Tolerance to Self-Major Histocompatability Complex Class II Antigens after Bone Marrow Transplantation: Role of Regulatory T Cells
AbstractThe immune system undergoes rapid reconstitution after autologous or syngeneic bone marrow transplantation with the re-establishment of tolerance to self-antigens. Administration of drugs such as cyclosporine that inhibit thymic-dependent clonal deletion disrupts the reconstitution of the immune system. In the absence of a peripheral regulatory T cells eliminated by the preparative regimen, systemic autoimmunity with pathology similar to graft-versus-host disease often develops. Moreover, the resolution of autoaggression is dependent on the reconstitution of CD4+ regulatory T cells. This study examined the specificity and function of this regulatory population assessed ex vivo that plays a critical role in down-regulating the autoreactive T lymphocyte response in cyclosporine-induced syngeneic graft-versus-host disease. The results suggest that both the antigen-specific regulatory and pathogenic effector T cells recognize a common peptide antigen framework (CLIP, a peptide derived from the invariant chain) presented by major histocompatibility complex class II molecules. Analysis of the CD4+ T-cell compartment revealed two subsets of CLIP-reactive T cells that differentially require the N- and C-terminal flanking domain of this peptide. Regulatory function is associated with the cells that require the C-terminal flanking domain. This population expresses the Foxp3 nuclear transcription factor and plays a critical role in re-establishing tolerance to self-major histocompatibility complex class II antigens. In addition to suppressing the production of type 1 cytokines, these regulatory Tcells can direct the apoptotic death of the pathogenic autoreactive lymphocytes. This study also suggests that the development of functional regulatory activity is an active response initiated by the presence of autoreactive lymphocytes that can present the target antigen (major histocompatibility complex class II CLIP) to the regulatory T cells. Moreover, this process can be mimicked by peptide antigen in the absence of the pathogenic effector lymphocytes leading to the development of functional regulatory T-cell activity
- …