Review of Inverse Laplace Transform Algorithms for Laplace-Space Numerical Approaches

A boundary element method (BEM) simulation is used to compare the efficiency of numerical inverse Laplace transform strategies, considering general requirements of Laplace-space numerical approaches. The two-dimensional BEM solution is used to solve the Laplace-transformed diffusion equation, producing a time-domain solution after a numerical Laplace transform inversion. Motivated by the needs of numerical methods posed in Laplace-transformed space, we compare five inverse Laplace transform algorithms and discuss implementation techniques to minimize the number of Laplace-space function evaluations. We investigate the ability to calculate a sequence of time domain values using the fewest Laplace-space model evaluations. We find Fourier-series based inversion algorithms work for common time behaviors, are the most robust with respect to free parameters, and allow for straightforward image function evaluation re-use across at least a log cycle of time

DarkSUSY: Computing Supersymmetric Dark Matter Properties Numerically

The question of the nature of the dark matter in the Universe remains one of the most outstanding unsolved problems in basic science. One of the best motivated particle physics candidates is the lightest supersymmetric particle, assumed to be the lightest neutralino - a linear combination of the supersymmetric partners of the photon, the Z boson and neutral scalar Higgs particles. Here we describe DarkSUSY, a publicly-available advanced numerical package for neutralino dark matter calculations. In DarkSUSY one can compute the neutralino density in the Universe today using precision methods which include resonances, pair production thresholds and coannihilations. Masses and mixings of supersymmetric particles can be computed within DarkSUSY or with the help of external programs such as FeynHiggs, ISASUGRA and SUSPECT. Accelerator bounds can be checked to identify viable dark matter candidates. DarkSUSY also computes a large variety of astrophysical signals from neutralino dark matter, such as direct detection in low-background counting experiments and indirect detection through antiprotons, antideuterons, gamma-rays and positrons from the Galactic halo or high-energy neutrinos from the center of the Earth or of the Sun. Here we describe the physics behind the package. A detailed manual will be provided with the computer package.Comment: 35 pages, no figure

Lymphangiogenesis and Lymphatic Remodeling Induced by Filarial Parasites: Implications for Pathogenesis

Even in the absence of an adaptive immune system in murine models, lymphatic dilatation and dysfunction occur in filarial infections, although severe irreversible lymphedema and elephantiasis appears to require an intact adaptive immune response in human infections. To address how filarial parasites and their antigens influence the lymphatics directly, human lymphatic endothelial cells were exposed to filarial antigens, live parasites, or infected patient serum. Live filarial parasites or filarial antigens induced both significant LEC proliferation and differentiation into tube-like structures in vitro. Moreover, serum from patently infected (microfilaria positive) patients and those with longstanding chronic lymphatic obstruction induced significantly increased LEC proliferation compared to sera from uninfected individuals. Differentiation of LEC into tube-like networks was found to be associated with significantly increased levels of matrix metalloproteases and inhibition of their TIMP inhibitors (Tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases). Comparison of global gene expression induced by live parasites in LEC to parasite-unexposed LEC demonstrated that filarial parasites altered the expression of those genes involved in cellular organization and development as well as those associated with junction adherence pathways that in turn decreased trans-endothelial transport as assessed by FITC-Dextran. The data suggest that filarial parasites directly induce lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic differentiation and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the pathology seen in lymphatic filariasis

Better security and privacy for web browsers: A survey of techniques, and a new implementation

The web browser is one of the most security critical software components today. It is used to interact with a variety of important applications and services, including social networking services, e-mail services, and e-commerce and e-health applications. But the same browser is also used to visit less trustworthy sites, and it is unreasonable to make it the end-user's responsibility to "browse safely". So it is an important design goal for a browser to provide adequate privacy and security guarantees, and to make sure that potentially malicious content from one web site can not compromise the browser, violate the user's privacy, or interfere with other web sites that the user interacts with. Hence, browser security has been a very active topic of research over the past decade, and many proposals have been made for new browser security techniques or architectures. In the first part of this paper, we provide a survey of some important problems and some proposed solutions. We start with a very broad view on browser security problems, and then zoom in on the issues related to the security of JavaScript scripts on the Web. We discuss three important classes of techniques: fine-grained script access control, capability-secure scripting and information flow security for scripts, focusing on techniques with a solid formal foundation. In the second part of the paper, we describe a novel implementation of one information flow security technique. We discuss how we have implemented the technique of secure multi-execution in the Mozilla Firefox browser, and we report on some preliminary experiments with this implementation. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.status: publishe

Detection of untreated mycobacteria by using polymerase chain reaction and specific DNA probes.

A method for specific identification of mycobacteria by using the polymerase chain reaction on organisms taken from liquid cultures, frozen suspensions, or colonies grown on Lowenstein-Jensen slants is presented. This direct detection of mycobacterial organisms has important implications for strain typing and diagnosis