European Workshop Industrical Computer Science Systems approach to design for safety

This paper presents guidelines on designing systems for safety, developed by the Technical Committee 7 on Reliability and Safety of the European Workshop on Industrial Computer Systems. The focus is on complementing the traditional development process by adding the following four steps: (1) overall safety analysis; (2) analysis of the functional specifications; (3) designing for safety; (4) validation of design. Quantitative assessment of safety is possible by means of a modular questionnaire covering various aspects of the major stages of system development

Hardware Certification for Real-time Safety-critical Systems: State of the Art

This paper discusses issues related to the RTCA document DO-254 Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware and its consequences for hardware certification. In particular, problems related to circuits’ compliance with DO-254 in avionics and other industries are considered. Extensive literature review of the subject is given, including current views on and experiences of chip manufacturers and EDA industry with qualification of hardware design tools, including formal approaches to hardware verification. Some results of the authors’ own study on tool qualification are presented

Measuring Security: A Challenge for the Generation

This paper presents an approach to measuring computer security understood as a system property, in the category of similar properties, such as safety, reliability, dependability, resilience, etc. First, a historical discussion of measurements is presented, beginning with views of Hermann von Helmholtz in his 19th century work “Zählen und Messen”. Then, contemporary approaches related to the principles of measuring software properties are discussed, with emphasis on statistical, physical and software models. A distinction between metrics and measures is made to clarify the concepts. A brief overview of inadequacies of methods and techniques to evaluate computer security is presented, followed by a proposal and discussion of a practical model to conduct experimental security measurements

Phenomena connected with autobiographical memory during genogram session on the course of family therapy

W artykule przedstawione jest wykorzystanie techniki genogramu podczas sesji rodzinnych dla rekonstruowania pamięci autobiograficznej. Opisane są niektóre procesy pamięci autobiograficznej: zapamiętywanie, odpamiętywanie, zmienność wspomnień i ich reinterpretowanie, a także zjawisko wzajemnego wpływu osób pozostających w bliskiej relacji na treść ich wspomnień. Przedstawione są zjawiska występujące podczas analizy genogramu, m.in. grupowe ustalanie wspomnień, społecznie współdzielone zapominanie wybranych informacji, prozdrowotna reinterpretacja wspomnień.The aim of the presented paper is to describe the mechanisms of autobiographical memory, especially processes such as memorizing, memory retrieval and reinterpreting memories, which may be useful in work of family therapists during genogram sessions. The changeability of the content of memories, especially when an original event is transformed during its memorization and retrieval, are presented. It is also shown how these processes can facilitate healthy reinterpretation of the elements of the memories. Autobiographical memory is an unstable and flexible phenomenon and the records of past events change over time. If family therapists take it into consideration, they create a new space for the therapists-families interactions. Patients may believe that what they reminiscent are the real events and give them an obvious interpretation, although the psychological knowledge indicates that this interpretation is already adapted to the auditorium of listeners. A genogram session presents a unique opportunity to modify the way patients interpret important events from the past. A new, more “friendly” way of how each partner understands his or her past fosters more mature explanation of present and past behaviour. Family therapists may benefit from taking into consideration memories as a fluid matter, which is not a reliable record of past events but rather a result of reflection of the relational and cognitive processes that occurred in the past, and is still in progress during a genogram session. This could be supported by therapists when they create a good alliance with the family, invite everyone to share memories about families of origin, or stimulate the dialogue about these memories

Neuroendocrine tumors of gastrointestinal tract in own material

Guzy neuroendokrynne należą do rzadkich schorzeń przewodu pokarmowego, które często sprawiają kłopoty diagnostyczne i lecznicze. Celem pracy było opisanie 2 przypadków z guzem neuroendokrynnym przewodu pokarmowego operowanych w 2005 roku w II Klinice Chirurgii Ogólnej i Gastroenterologicznej AM w Białymstoku. U 63-letniej pacjentki, u której wstępnie rozpoznano przerzuty do wątroby guza neuroendokrynnego, nie udało się w badaniach przedoperacyjnych zlokalizować dokładnie ogniska pierwotnego. Dopiero podczas operacji stwierdzono obecność guza neuroendokrynnego w końcowym odcinku jelita krętego z przerzutami do wątroby i sieci większej. Wykonano hemikolektomię prawostronną oraz częściową resekcję segmentów VII i VIII wątroby wraz z guzami przerzutowymi. W przebiegu pooperacyjnym obserwowano zaburzenia neurologiczne o niejasnym podłożu bez zmian ogniskowych w tomografii komputerowej. U 57-letniego chorego operowanego z powodu wznowy węzłowej guza żołądka rozpoznano histopatologicznie rakowiaka. Wycięty 6 lat wcześniej guz żołądka był zdiagnozowany jako Adenocarcinoma G2 pT2N0M0. Po zabiegu limfadenektomii obserwowano u pacjenta rozsiew do wątroby i węzłów chłonnych w jamie brzusznej, potwierdzony oktreoskanem. Rozpoczęto terapię analogiem somatostatyny (oktreotydem LAR). Mimo leczenia nastąpił zgon. Autorzy niniejszej pracy prezentują własne doświadczenia, obrazujące trudności w diagnostyce przedoperacyjnej guzów neuroendokrynnych przewodu pokarmowego. Przedstawiono również nieoczekiwane powikłania neurologiczne w przebiegu leczenia.Neuroendocrine tumors are rare gastrointestinal tract disorders, in which diagnosis and treatment are often difficult. The aim of the paper is to present two cases of patients with neuroendocrine tumor of gastrointestinal tract, who underwent surgical procedure in II Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery of Medical University of Białystok in 2005. A 63-year-old female patient with primary diagnosis of neuroendicrine tumor metastases in liver was not successfully investigated for primary tumor in the preoperative period. The laparotomy procedure indicated the malignant neuroendocrine tumor in the terminal ileum and metastases to the liver and to the greater omentum. The right hemicolectomy and liver metastatic segment VII and VIII resection were performed. The neurological disturbances of obscure origin were observed in the postoperative period and the patient suddenly died on the 15th day after surgery. A 57-years-old male patient was operated on for lymph node recurrence of gastric tumor. Pathologic examination of tissue sample revealed the diagnosis of carcinoid. The patient underwent subtotal gastric resection for a pyloric ulcer, diagnosed as Adenocarcinoma G2 pT2N0M0 6 years before. Liver and abdominal node metastases, confirmed by octreoscan, were observed after lymphadenectomy, The treatment of somatostatin analogues (LAR octreotide) was used. In spite of therapy the patient died. The authors present their own experiences and show the preoperative diagnostic difficulties in patients with neuroendocrine gastrointestinal tumors. Unexpected neurological complications in the treatment course were described

2010 ESMD Faculty Fellowship Project

This slide presentation reviews is composed of 6 individual sections. The first is a introductory section that explains the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) Faculty Fellowship Project, the purpose of which is to prepare selected university faculty to work with senior design students to complete projects that have potential to contribute to NASA objectives. The following university presentations represent the chosen projects: (1) the use of Exploration Toolset for the Optimization of Launch and Space Systems (X-TOOLSS) to optimize the Lunar Wormbot design; (2) development of Hardware Definition Language (HDL) realization of ITU G.729 for FGPA; (3) cryogenic fluid and electrical quick connect system and a lunar regolith design; (4) Lunar Landing Pad development; and (5) Prognostics for complex systems

The correlation of mutations and expressions of genes within the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in breast cancer : a preliminary study

There is an urgent need to seek new molecular biomarkers helpful in diagnosing and treating breast cancer. In this elaboration, we performed a molecular analysis of mutations and expression of genes within the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in patients with ductal breast cancer of various malignancy levels. We recognized significant correlations between the expression levels of the studied genes. We also performed a bioinformatics analysis of the data available on the international database TCGA and compared them with our own research. Studies on mutations and expression of genes were conducted using High-Resolution Melt PCR (HRM-PCR), Allele-Specific-quantitative PCR (ASP-qPCR), Real-Time PCR molecular methods in a group of women with ductal breast cancer. Bioinformatics analysis was carried out using web source Ualcan and bc-GenExMiner. In the studied group of women, it was observed that the prevalence of mutations in the studied PIK3CA and AKT1 genes was 29.63%. It was stated that the average expression level of the PIK3CA, PIK3R1, PTEN genes in the group of breast cancer patients is lower in comparison to the control group, while the average expression level of the AKT1 and mTOR genes in the studied group was higher in comparison to the control group. It was also indicated that in the group of patients with mutations in the area of the PIK3CA and AKT1 genes, the PIK3CA gene expression level is statistically significantly lower than in the group without mutations. According to our knowledge, we demonstrate, for the first time, that there is a very strong positive correlation between the levels of AKT1 and mTOR gene expression in the case of patients with mutations and without mutations

Over 200,000 kilometers of free-flowing river habitat in Europe is altered due to impoundments

European rivers are disconnected by more than one million man-made barriers that physically limit aquatic species migration and contribute to modification of freshwater habitats. Here, a Conceptual Habitat Alteration Model for Ponding is developed to aid in evaluating the effects of impoundments on fish habitats. Fish communities present in rivers with low human impact and their broad environmental settings enable classification of European rivers into 15 macrohabitat types. These classifications, together with the estimated fish sensitivity to alteration of their habitat are used for assessing the impacts of six main barrier types (dams, weirs, sluices, culverts, fords, and ramps). Our results indicate that over 200,000 km or 10% of previously free-flowing river habitat has been altered due to impoundments. Although they appear less frequently, dams, weirs and sluices cause much more habitat alteration than the other types. Their impact is regionally diverse, which is a function of barrier height, type and density, as well as biogeographical location. This work allows us to foresee what potential environmental gain or loss can be expected with planned barrier management actions in rivers, and to prioritize management actions

Automatic Development Tools In Software Engineering Courses

In this paper, the author discusses the role of automatic software development tools in graduate software engineering courses. The basic requirements for such tools, from the industry perspective, are presented, followed by the selection of tools meeting a comprehensive set of criteria in four process-related dimensions: internal, vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. Typical software development projects for student teams used in the Software Engineering Program at the University of Central Florida are presented, involving the following four software tools: SES/workbench, ObjecTime Developer, iLogix Rhapsody, and Gensym G2