CRYPTANALYSIS OF TYPEX

Rotor cipher machines played a large role in World War II: Germany used Enigma; America created Sigaba; Britain developed Typex. The breaking of Enigma by Polish and (later) British cryptanalysts had a huge impact on the war. Despite be- ing based on the commercial version of the Enigma, there is no documented successful attack on Typex during its time in service. This project covers the Typex machine. We consider the development of Typex, we discuss how Typex works, and we present and analyze two distinct cryptanalytic attacks on the cipher. The first attack assumes the rotor wirings are known and uses Turing’s crib attack–originally developed for Enigma–to recover the settings of the stepping rotors. It then performs a hill-climb to recover the static rotor settings. The second attack assumes that the rotor wirings are unknown. This attack uses a nested hill-climb to find the wirings of the stepping rotors

Family Matters: An Analysis of Genetic Relatedness of Tetraclita rubescens (The Pink Volcano Barnacle) Over Several Spatial Scales at Monterey and Bodega Bay, California

Inbreeding involves the mating of closely related individuals at a higher frequency than at random; this can decrease the average fitness of populations and individuals by reducing the presence of heterozygotes and augmenting the expression of deleterious genes. Since marine invertebrates exhibit widespread dispersal, their potential for inbreeding is often disregarded. The adult sessile state of barnacles creates the potential for inbreeding as a result of necessary copulation between neighboring individuals. Depending on the degree of mixing that occurs during dispersal, closely related individuals or siblings may settle in close proximity, generating the possibility of kin aggregation and consequent inbreeding. Despite the high probability of closely related or sibling barnacles to settle contiguously, their genetic relatedness and potential for inbreeding remain relatively understudied. We examined genetic relatedness between individuals of Tetraclita rubescens at Monterey and Bodega Bay to elucidate the potential for nonrandom dispersal and subsequent inbreeding. Genetic relatedness was assessed through microsatellite analysis, and correlated with geographic distance, and size. There was a significant association between geographic distance and genetic relatedness at Bodega Bay, which may be attributed to lower densities of individuals, frequency of settlement events and oceanographic conditions. The results of this study demonstrate high genetic relatedness at small spatial scales, bolstering the potential for nonrandom dispersal and subsequent inbreeding of T. rubescens

More Than Money: Making a Difference With Assistance Beyond the Grant

Examines foundation efforts beyond grantmaking such as training, advocacy, and new investment strategies to increase grantee effectiveness and impact. Assesses the benefits of such help, grantees' views, and implications. Includes case studies

Improving Implicit Beliefs and Expectations in Academic Achievement for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities

In this article, the author introduces the sociocognitive theory of implicit theories of intelligence (developed by Carol S. Dweck and her colleagues) to the field of rehabilitation, and analyzes disability issues in postsecondary academic achievement within this framework. This sociocognitive theory highlights the utility of the social model of disability. People hold two types of implicit beliefs about intelligence. An entity belief can lead to helplessness and negative self-concepts in the face of failure, because it focuses on labels and stable traits. An incremental belief leads to greater resilience in the face of failure by focusing on strategy and effort rather than on stable traits. The value of promoting incremental beliefs about intelligence in youth with disabilities is discussed in light of self-determination training, perception of opportunity, and transition to postsecondary education. Recommendations are presented for facilitating incremental beliefs in students with disabilities and improving the probability of academic success

Resilience in Nicaragua: Preliminary Factor Analysis and Validation of the CYRM-28

Objectives: The current study used factor analytic techniques to examine the performance of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28) in Nicaragua. Methods: Nicaraguan youth from Managua, León, Chinandega, and Granada (n = 2,764) completed the CYRM-28 and the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI-A). The CYRM-28 and PWI-A are self-report measures that were translated into Spanish in previous studies. Results: A confirmatory factor analysis on the CYRM-28 did not support the eight-factor model from previous research. An exploratory factor analysis yielded a six-factor model: Social Belonging, Cultural Context, Caregiver Context, Social Skills, Spiritual Context, and Responsibility. Seven items were removed to improve model fit, reducing the CYRM-28 to only 21 items. We named the reduced measure the CYRM-21-N (Nicaragua). Implications: From our analyses, we constructed the CYRM-21-N, a briefer version of the CYRM-28 with a revised factor structure. The CYRM-21-N may be useful in studying resilience in youth populations or assessing intervention outcomes in Nicaragua

Patellar Tendon Morphology in Trans-tibial Amputees Utilizing a Prosthesis with a Patellar-tendon- Bearing Feature

A patellar-tendon-bearing (PTB) bar is a common design feature used in the socket of trans-tibial prostheses to place load on the pressure-tolerant tissue. As the patellar tendon in the residual limb is subjected to the perpendicular compressive force not commonly experienced in normal tendons, it is possible for tendon degeneration to occur over time. The purpose of this study was to compare patellar tendon morphology and neovascularity between the residual and intact limbs in trans-tibial amputees and healthy controls. Fifteen unilateral trans-tibial amputees who utilized a prosthesis with a PTB feature and 15 age- and sex- matched controls participated. Sonography was performed at the proximal, mid-, and distal portions of each patellar tendon. One-way ANOVAs were conducted to compare thickness and collagen fber organization and a chi-square analysis was used to compare the presence of neovascularity between the three tendon groups. Compared to healthy controls, both tendons in the amputees exhibited increased thickness at the mid- and distal portions and a higher degree of collagen fber disorganization. Furthermore, neovascularity was more common in the tendon of the residual limb. Our results suggest that the use of a prosthesis with a PTB feature contributes to morphological changes in bilateral patellar tendons

Mission operations update for the restructured Earth Observing System (EOS) mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Observing System (EOS) will provide a comprehensive long term set of observations of the Earth to the Earth science research community. The data will aid in determining global changes caused both naturally and through human interaction. Understanding man's impact on the global environment will allow sound policy decisions to be made to protect our future. EOS is a major component of the Mission to Planet Earth program, which is NASA's contribution to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. EOS consists of numerous instruments on multiple spacecraft and a distributed ground system. The EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is the major ground system developed to support EOS. The EOSDIS will provide EOS spacecraft command and control, data processing, product generation, and data archival and distribution services for EOS spacecraft. Data from EOS instruments on other Earth science missions (e.g., Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)) will also be processed, distributed, and archived in EOSDIS. The U.S. and various International Partners (IP) (e.g., the European Space Agency (ESA), the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Japan, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)) participate in and contribute to the international EOS program. The EOSDIS will also archive processed data from other designated NASA Earth science missions (e.g., UARS) that are under the broad umbrella of Mission to Planet Earth