Glimmers: Resolving the Privacy/Trust Quagmire

Many successful services rely on trustworthy contributions from users. To establish that trust, such services often require access to privacy-sensitive information from users, thus creating a conflict between privacy and trust. Although it is likely impractical to expect both absolute privacy and trustworthiness at the same time, we argue that the current state of things, where individual privacy is usually sacrificed at the altar of trustworthy services, can be improved with a pragmatic $Glimmer$ $of$ $Trust$, which allows services to validate user contributions in a trustworthy way without forfeiting user privacy. We describe how trustworthy hardware such as Intel's SGX can be used client-side -- in contrast to much recent work exploring SGX in cloud services -- to realize the Glimmer architecture, and demonstrate how this realization is able to resolve the tension between privacy and trust in a variety of cases

Three-Dimensional Camera Calibration Technique for Stereo Imaging Velocimetry Experiments

A three-dimensional camera calibration technique is developed by combining two, 2-D camera calibrations for an orthogonal stereo viewing geometry. The left camera view (YZ view) and the right camera view (XZ view) are calibrated separately and then combined to produce an XYZ (3-D) calibration routine, Our technique employs three parallel calibration planes. One is placed along the main diagonal of the cubic experimental chamber, and the other two planes are placed known distances in front of it and behind it within the chamber. Both cameras view the calibration points on the planes simultaneously. Given the coordinates of a number of points, we use a physical model to determine the exact pixel locations of the calibration points. After inverting the model equations, we input the absolute coordinates and measured pixel locations into a least-squares fitting algorithm to obtain the experimental camera parameters for each camera individually, We then combine the two camera views via a ray-tracing method. We calibrated 3-in.(3) (7.62-mm(3)), 4-in.(3) (10.16-mm(3)), 5-in.(3) (12.70-mm(3)), and 6-in.(3) (15.24-mm(3)) chambers with accuracies between 1.66 and 2.01 pixels (0.60 and 0.77% of full field), 1.26 and 1.86 pixels (0.43 and 0.63% of full field), 1.16 and 1.34 pixels (0.33 and 0.39% of full field), and 1.91 and 2.49 pixels (0.59 and 0.77% of full field), respectively, using our 3-D camera calibration routine. (C) 1997 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers

Three-Dimensional Camera Calibration Technique for Stereo Imaging Velocimetry Experiments

A three-dimensional camera calibration technique is developed by combining two, 2-D camera calibrations for an orthogonal stereo viewing geometry. The left camera view (YZ view) and the right camera view (XZ view) are calibrated separately and then combined to produce an XYZ (3-D) calibration routine, Our technique employs three parallel calibration planes. One is placed along the main diagonal of the cubic experimental chamber, and the other two planes are placed known distances in front of it and behind it within the chamber. Both cameras view the calibration points on the planes simultaneously. Given the coordinates of a number of points, we use a physical model to determine the exact pixel locations of the calibration points. After inverting the model equations, we input the absolute coordinates and measured pixel locations into a least-squares fitting algorithm to obtain the experimental camera parameters for each camera individually, We then combine the two camera views via a ray-tracing method. We calibrated 3-in.(3) (7.62-mm(3)), 4-in.(3) (10.16-mm(3)), 5-in.(3) (12.70-mm(3)), and 6-in.(3) (15.24-mm(3)) chambers with accuracies between 1.66 and 2.01 pixels (0.60 and 0.77% of full field), 1.26 and 1.86 pixels (0.43 and 0.63% of full field), 1.16 and 1.34 pixels (0.33 and 0.39% of full field), and 1.91 and 2.49 pixels (0.59 and 0.77% of full field), respectively, using our 3-D camera calibration routine. (C) 1997 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers

Stereo imaging velocimetry for microgravity applications

Stereo imaging velocimetry is the quantitative measurement of three-dimensional flow fields using two sensors recording data from different vantage points. The system described in this paper, under development at NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, uses two CCD cameras placed perpendicular to one another, laser disk recorders, an image processing substation, and a 586-based computer to record data at standard NTSC video rates (30 Hertz) and reduce it offline. The flow itself is marked with seed particles, hence the fluid must be transparent. The velocimeter tracks the motion of the particles, and from these we deduce a multipoint (500 or more), quantitative map of the flow. Conceptually, the software portion of the velocimeter can be divided into distinct modules. These modules are: camera calibration, particle finding (image segmentation) and centroid location, particle overlap decomposition, particle tracking, and stereo matching. We discuss our approach to each module, and give our currently achieved speed and accuracy for each where available

Neuropathic pain-induced depressive-like behavior and hippocampal neurogenesis and plasticity are dependent on TNFR1 signaling

Patients suffering from neuropathic pain have a higher incidence of mood disorders such as depression. Increased expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been reported in neuropathic pain and depressive-like conditions and most of the pro-inflammatory effects of TNF are mediated by the TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1). Here we sought to investigate: (1) the occurrence of depressive-like behavior in chronic neuropathic pain and the associated forms of hippocampal plasticity, and (2) the involvement of TNFR1-mediated TNF signaling as a possible regulator of such events. Neuropathic pain was induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve in wild-type and TNFR1(-/-) mice. Anhedonia, weight loss and physical state were measured as symptoms of depression. Hippocampal neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, myelin remodeling and TNF/TNFRs expression were analyzed by immunohistochemical analysis and western blot assay. We found that neuropathic pain resulted in the development of depressive symptoms in a time dependent manner and was associated with profound hippocampal alterations such as impaired neurogenesis, reduced expression of neuroplasticity markers and myelin proteins. The onset of depressive-like behavior also coincided with increased hippocampal levels of TNF, and decreased expression of TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2), which were all fully restored after mice spontaneously recovered from pain. Notably, TNFR1(-/-) mice did not develop depressive-like symptoms after injury, nor were there changes in hippocampal neurogenesis and plasticity. Our data show that neuropathic pain induces a cluster of depressive-like symptoms and profound hippocampal plasticity that are dependent on TNF signaling through TNFR1

Redirecting the substrate specificity of heparan sulfate 2-O-sulfotransferase by structurally guided mutagenesis

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a polysaccharide involved in essential physiological functions from regulating cell growth to blood coagulation. HS biosynthesis involves multiple specialized sulfotransferases such as 2-O-sulfotransferase (2OST) that transfers the sulfo group to the 2-OH position of iduronic acid (IdoA) or glucuronic acid (GlcA) within HS. Here, we report the homotrimeric crystal structure of 2OST from chicken, in complex with 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphate. Structural based mutational analysis has identified amino acid residues that are responsible for substrate specificity. The mutant R189A only transferred sulfates to GlcA moieties within the polysaccharide whereas mutants Y94A and H106A preferentially transferred sulfates to IdoA units. Our results demonstrate the feasibility for manipulating the substrate specificity of 2OST to synthesize HS with unique sulfation patterns. This work will aid the development of an enzymatic approach to synthesize heparin-based therapeutics

Intake of Lycopene and other Carotenoids and Incidence of Uterine Leiomyomata: A Prospective Ultrasound Study

BACKGROUND: Uterine leiomyomata (UL) are the leading indication for hysterectomy in the United States. Dietary supplementation with lycopene was associated with reduced size and incidence of oviduct leiomyoma in the Japanese quail. Two US prospective cohort studies of women reported little association between intake of lycopene, or other carotenoids, and UL incidence. However, these studies relied on self-reported physician-diagnosed UL, which is prone to misclassification. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the association between dietary intake of carotenoids and UL incidence. DESIGN: Data were derived from the Study of the Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids, a prospective cohort study. Women completed self-administered baseline questionnaires on demographic characteristics, reproductive history, and lifestyle, including a 110-item validated food frequency questionnaire, from which dietary intakes of carotenoids-including alpha carotene, beta carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein-zeaxanthin, and lycopene-and vitamin A were estimated. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: One thousand two hundred thirty Black women aged 23 to 35 years who did not have a previous diagnosis of UL, cancer, or autoimmune disease were eligible for enrollment (2010-2012). Participants were residents of the Detroit, MI, metropolitan area. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Transvaginal ultrasound was used to assess UL at baseline and 20, 40, and 60 months of follow-up. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% CIs, adjusted for energy intake, age at menarche, education, body mass index, parity, age at first birth, years since last birth, current use of oral contraceptives or progestin-only injectables, alcohol intake, and cigarette smoking. RESULTS: Among 1,230 women without prevalent UL at baseline, 301 incident UL cases during follow-up were identified. Intakes of lycopene, other carotenoids, and vitamin A were not appreciably associated with UL incidence. Hazard ratios comparing quartiles 2 (2,376 to 3,397 μg/day), 3 (3,398 to 4,817 μg/day), and 4 (≥4,818 μg/day) with quartile 1 (\u3c2,376 μg/day) of lycopene intake were 1.03 (95% CI 0.72 to 1.47), 1.22 (95% CI 0.86 to 1.72), and 0.95 (95% CI 0.67 to 1.36), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings do not support the hypothesis that greater carotenoid intake is associated with reduced UL incidence

Explaining Earths Energy Budget: CERES-Based NASA Resources for K-12 Education and Public Outreach

Among atmospheric scientists, the importance of the Earth radiation budget concept is well understood. Papers have addressed the topic for over 100 years, and the large Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) science team (among others), with its multiple on-orbit instruments, is working hard to quantify the details of its various parts. In education, Earth's energy budget is a concept that generally appears in middle school and Earth science curricula, but its treatment in textbooks leaves much to be desired. Students and the public hold many misconceptions, and very few people have an appreciation for the importance of this energy balance to the conditions on Earth. More importantly, few have a correct mental model that allows them to make predictions and understand the effect of changes such as increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. As an outreach element of the core CERES team at NASA Langley, a multi-disciplinary group of scientists, educators, graphic artists, writers, and web developers has been developing and refining graphics and resources to explain the Earth's Energy budget over the last few decades. Resources have developed through an iterative process involving ongoing use in front of a variety of audiences, including students and teachers from 3rd to 12th grade as well as public audiences