Architecture analysis of peer-to-peer network structure and data exhanges for distribution of contraband material.

Because of the anonymity that P2P networks provide, they are an ideal medium for the exchange of contraband material such as child pornography. Unfortunately, not much research has been conducted on how to best monitor these types of networks for contraband searching and sharing activity. This thesis proposes techniques to advance the state of the art in peer to peer data exchange monitoring and detection of nodes that participate in distributing and sharing contraband material. Because of the legal considerations in working with a live P2P network and the technical di culty in developing and testing a surveillance system for P2P networks, a simulator was developed that attempts to accurately simulate the behavior of users on P2P networks based upon empirical data collected from several researchers. With the help of the simulation platform that has been developed, a complete methodology for monitoring contraband activity and reporting the most proli c contraband users has been created. This methodology, if implemented on an actual P2P network, should allow the detection of members of the network who are the most active sharers and distributors of contraband material

Kinetics of substrate oxidation and hydrogen peroxide production by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides Large Colony (LC) type and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides Large Colony (LC) type is a pathogen of goats causing contagious agalactia and respiratory disease, found on all continents where small ruminants are kept. It shares close genetic characteristics with M. mycoides subsp. capri. Substrate oxidation by 22 strains of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides LC from nine countries was compared with that of eight strains of M. mycoides subsp. capri from five countries. There was considerable similarity in the substrates used, but substrate saturation coefficients (Ks) varied for different substrates. Substrate utilization patterns and Ks values did not (1) significantly differentiate the LC strains from each other, (2) show any correlation with geographical origin, or (3) distinguish the LC strains from the capri strains. These results support previous studies justifying the reclassification of these subspecies as a single species

VARIATION IN POD WETTABILITY AND PERMEABILITY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPROVING SPOILAGE CHARACTERISTICS IN THE DRIED PEA (Pisum sativum L.) CROP

This investigation was designed to determine some of the causes of spoilage in the pea crop. It was found that physiological and morphological characteristics of the pods were related to degrees of spoilage experienced by a range of varieties. This included the amount and configuration of epicuticular waxes affecting pod surface wettabilities which, together with total pod wall and parchment layer thicknesses, all contributed to high rates of water uptake and water contents in pod tissues. Water content was determined to be closely correlated to the degree of pod spoilage observed in the field. Pod phenotypes which were badly affected included waxless and parchmentless varieties which were unable to resist the uptake of water, and thick walled pods which retained water for longer periods. Thin walled varieties and those with neoplasms were more successful, not because they resisted water uptake, but because they were able to dispel it rapidly so reducing the length of wetness periods. The most detrimental environments for pod development were those with fluctuating parameters, particularly temperature. This caused the disruption of epicuticular wax conformation increasing surface wettability. It may also have had the effect of decreasing pod wall integrity. Humidity had much less of an independent effect but combined with certain temperatures it became more significant. High temperature/low humidity environments caused high water potential gradients from pod to atmosphere and possible tissue damage leading to high spoilage potential. High temperature/high humidity lengthened periods of water retention in the pods. Yield and spoilage of leafless and parchmentless phenotypes were most sensitive to environment. Pod characteristics determined to be advantageous in this investigation could be incorporated into a wider breeding strategy which includes the improvement of standing ability and root formation so that peas become a more attractive alternative source of protein.John lnnes Institute, Colney lane, Norwic

ICU Equipment Tower

The ICU ventilator equipment trolleys, referred to as ICU towers, are essentially an ICU unit on wheels. They bring together vital life support and patient monitoring equipment together as a package on a mobile trolley. This includes a ventilator and ancillary equipment, IV lines, pumps and syringe drivers, patient monitoring equipment, oxygen gas cylinders, and power and gas line management. A key feature of the ICU Tower is that it enables life support equipment and patient monitoring to remain connected to the patient during transport - the transition from the ward to other specialist units within the hospital. By enabling life support and patient monitoring equipment to remain connected to the patient, it mitigates the risk of errors with connecting patient lines and infection control and offers a more efficient workflow for clinicians

Genome Mining of Plant NPFs Reveals Varying Conservation of Signature Motifs Associated With the Mechanism of Transport

Nitrogen is essential for all living species and may be taken up from the environment in different forms like nitrate or peptides. In plants, members of a transporter family named NPFs transport nitrate and peptides across biological membranes. NPFs are phylogenetically related to a family of peptide transporters (PTRs) or proton-coupled oligopeptide transporters (POTs) that are evolutionarily conserved in all organisms except in Archaea. POTs are present in low numbers in bacteria, algae and animals. NPFs have expanded in plants and evolved to transport a wide range of substrates including phytohormones and glucosinolates. Functional studies have shown that most NPFs, like POTs, operate as symporters with simultaneous inwardly directed movement of protons. Here we focus on four structural features of NPFs/POTs/PTRs that have been shown by structural and functional studies to be essential to proton-coupled symport transport. The first two features are implicated in proton binding and transport: a conserved motif named ExxER/K, located in the first transmembrane helix (TMH1) and a D/E residue in TMH7 that has been observed in some bacterial and algal transporters. The third and fourth features are two inter-helical salt bridges between residues on TMH1 and TMH7 or TMH4 and TMH10. To understand if the mechanism of transport is conserved in NPFs with the expansion to novel substrates, we collected NPFs sequences from 42 plant genomes. Sequence alignment revealed that the ExxER/K motif is not strictly conserved and its conservation level is different in the NPF subfamilies. The proton binding site on TMH7 is missing in all NPFs with the exception of two NPFs from moss. The two moss NPFs also have a positively charged amino acid on TMH1 that can form the salt bridge with the TMH7 negative residue. None of the other NPFs we examined harbor residues that can form the TMH1–TMH7 salt bridge. In contrast, the amino acids required to form the TMH4–TMH10 salt bridge are highly conserved in NPFs, with some exceptions. These results support the need for further biochemical and structural studies of individual NPFs for a better understanding of the transport mechanism in this family of transporters

Surgical Infection Prophylaxis for Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86804/1/j.1540-8191.2011.01262.x.pd