Resilience of the Internet of Things (IoT) from an Information Assurance (IA) Perspective

Internet infrastructure developments and the rise of the IoT Socio-Technical Systems (STS) have frequently generated more unsecure protocols to facilitate the rapid intercommunication between the plethoras of IoT devices. Whereas, current development of the IoT has been mainly focused on enabling and effectively meeting the functionality requirement of digital-enabled enterprises we have seen scant regard to their IA architecture, marginalizing system resilience with blatant afterthoughts to cyber defence. Whilst interconnected IoT devices do facilitate and expand information sharing; they further increase of risk exposure and potential loss of trust to their Socio-Technical Systems. A change in the IoT paradigm is needed to enable a security-first mind-set; if the trusted sharing of information built upon dependable resilient growth of IoT is to be established and maintained. We argue that Information Assurance is paramount to the success of IoT, specifically its resilience and dependability to continue its safe support for our digital economy

An exploratory analysis of the internationalization of innovative activity in Finnish multinational enterprises

This paper examines two aspects of the internationalisation of innovation in Finnish multinational companies, the growing innovativeness of foreign subsidiaries (‘creative subsidiaries’) and the phenomenon of ‘crossfertilisation’, between R&D labs in Finland and those in foreign subsidiaries, in the innovative process of Finnish MNEs. We review existing literature pertaining to innovation in multinational enterprises and the growing capability of foreign subsidiaries to undertake innovation. Consistent with the general thrust of the literature we develop and examine two hypotheses relating to subsidiary innovation and cross-fertilisation between subsidiaries and the parent for 30 Finnish MNEs between the years 1975–1995, employing patent data from the US patent office. Our findings provide support for the hypotheses. We conclude by pointing out the limitations of the current study and deriving implications from our findings for future research

Micro-scale geochemical and crystallographic analysis of Buccinum undatum statoliths supports an annual periodicity of growth ring deposition

The whelk Buccinum undatum is commercially important in the North Atlantic. However, monitoring the ontogenetic age and growth of populations has been problematic for fisheries scientists owing to the lack of a robust age determination method. We confirmed the annual periodicity of growth rings present in calcified statoliths located in the foot of field-collected and laboratory reared whelks using microscale measurements of trace element geochemistry. Using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), annual trace element profiles were quantified at 2 μm resolution in statoliths removed from whelks collected alive from three locations spanning the length of the UK; the Shetland Isles (North), the Menai Strait, North Wales (Mid) and Jersey (South). Clear cycles in the Mg/Ca ratio were apparent with minimum values corresponding with the visible dark statolith rings and comparatively higher ratios displayed in the first year of growth. Statoliths from one and two-year-old laboratory reared whelks of known age and life history contained one and two Mg/Ca cycles respectively and demonstrated that the statolith growth ring is formed during winter (February and March). Cycles of Na/Ca were found to be anti-correlated to Mg/Ca cycles, whilst ratios of Sr/Ca were inconsistent and showed an apparent ontogenetic increase, suggesting strong physiological control. Variability in elemental data will likely limit the usefulness of these structures as environmental recorders. The results obtained using SIMS for trace element analysis of statoliths confirms the robustness of the statolith rings in estimating whelk age. μXRD at 2 μm spatial resolution demonstrated the statoliths were wholly aragonitic and thus trace element variation was not the result of possible differences in CaCO3 polymorph within the statolith. Changing XRD patterns along with SEM imaging also reveal an ‘hourglass’ microstructure within each statolith. The validation of the annual periodicity of statolith growth rings now provides a robust and novel age determination technique that will lead to improved management of B. undatum stocks

Analysis of Antisense Expression by Whole Genome Tiling Microarrays and siRNAs Suggests Mis-Annotation of Arabidopsis Orphan Protein-Coding Genes

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and trans-acting small-interfering RNAs (tasi-RNAs) are small (20-22 nt long) RNAs (smRNAs) generated from hairpin secondary structures or antisense transcripts, respectively, that regulate gene expression by Watson-Crick pairing to a target mRNA and altering expression by mechanisms related to RNA interference. The high sequence homology of plant miRNAs to their targets has been the mainstay of miRNA prediction algorithms, which are limited in their predictive power for other kingdoms because miRNA complementarity is less conserved yet transitive processes (production of antisense smRNAs) are active in eukaryotes. We hypothesize that antisense transcription and associated smRNAs are biomarkers which can be computationally modeled for gene discovery.We explored rice (Oryza sativa) sense and antisense gene expression in publicly available whole genome tiling array transcriptome data and sequenced smRNA libraries (as well as C. elegans) and found evidence of transitivity of MIRNA genes similar to that found in Arabidopsis. Statistical analysis of antisense transcript abundances, presence of antisense ESTs, and association with smRNAs suggests several hundred Arabidopsis 'orphan' hypothetical genes are non-coding RNAs. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found novel Arabidopsis homologues of some MIRNA genes on the antisense strand of previously annotated protein-coding genes. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) was applied using thermodynamic energy of binding plus novel expression features of sense/antisense transcription topology and siRNA abundances to build a prediction model of miRNA targets. The SVM when trained on targets could predict the "ancient" (deeply conserved) class of validated Arabidopsis MIRNA genes with an accuracy of 84%, and 76% for "new" rapidly-evolving MIRNA genes.Antisense and smRNA expression features and computational methods may identify novel MIRNA genes and other non-coding RNAs in plants and potentially other kingdoms, which can provide insight into antisense transcription, miRNA evolution, and post-transcriptional gene regulation

E+A Galaxies and the Formation of Early Type Galaxies at z~0

We present HST/WFPC2 observations of the five bluest E+A galaxies (z~0.1) in the Zabludoff et al. sample to study whether their detailed morphologies are consistent with late-to-early type evolution and to determine what drives that evolution. The morphologies of four galaxies are disturbed, indicating that a galaxy-galaxy merger is at least one mechanism that leads to the E+A phase. Two-dimensional image fitting shows that the E+As are generally bulge-dominated systems, even though at least two E+As may have underlying disks. In the Fundamental Plane, E+As stand apart from the E/S0s mainly due to their high effective surface brightness. Fading of the young stellar population and the corresponding increase in their effective radii will cause these galaxies to migrate toward the locus of E/S0s. E+As have profiles qualitatively like those of normal power-law early-type galaxies, but have higher surface brightnesses. This result provides the first direct evidence supporting the hypothesis that power-law ellipticals form via gas-rich mergers. In total, at least four E+As are morphologically consistent with early-type galaxies. We detect compact sources, possibly young star clusters, associated with the galaxies. These sources are much brighter (M_R ~ -13) than Galactic globular clusters, have luminosities consistent with the brightest clusters in nearby starburst galaxies, and have blue colors consistent with the ages estimated from the E+A galaxy spectra (several 10^8 yr). Further study of such young star cluster candidates might provide the elusive chronometer needed to break the age/burst-strength degeneracy for these post-merger galaxies.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Analysis of ontogenetic growth trends in two marine Antarctic bivalves Yoldia eightsi and Laternula elliptica: Implications for sclerochronology

There is an increasing use of marine species as paleoclimate recorders for the marine realm. These archives provide novel baseline records of past oceanographic variability in regions devoid of instrumental observations. Here we report results of a study of the ontogenetic growth pattern of two Antarctic marine bivalve molluscs: Yoldia eightsi and Laternula elliptica from West Antarctic Peninsula populations using negative exponential detrending technique and multi-taper method spectral analysis. Our data show the growth of both Y. eightsi and L. elliptica follow a general negative exponential trend over their longevity. However, our analyses also identified an innate 9.06 year periodic endogenous growth rhythm in the growth increment pattern of Y. eightsi and two innate periodic growth rhythms, 5 and 6.6 year period, were found in L. elliptica. We hypothesize that the Y. eightsi endogenous growth rhythm may be related to the reallocation of energetic resources between somatic growth and gametogenesis although more biological data are required to test this hypothesis. Further work into L. elliptica biology is required to understand the possible meaning of the innate growth rhythms found for this species. The identification growth rhythms is important not only for their biological significance but also in sclerochronological analysis because of their importance in developing paleoenvironmental reconstructions

The Bionic Bra: Using electromaterials to sense and modify breast support to enhance active living

Background: Although the most supportive sports bras can control breast motion and associated breast pain, they are frequently deemed uncomfortable to wear and, as a result, many women report exercise bra discomfort. Given that exercise bra discomfort is associated with decreased levels of physical activity, there is a pertinent need to develop innovative solutions to address this problem. Objectives: This research aimed to evaluate the use of electromaterial sensors and artificial muscle technology to create a bra that was capable of detecting increases in breast motion and then responding with increased breast support to enhance active living. Methods: The research involved two phases: (i) evaluating sensors suitable for monitoring and providing feedback on changes in the amplitude and frequency of breast motion, and (ii) evaluating an actuator capable of changing breast support provided by a bra during activity. Results: When assessed in isolation, the developed technologies were capable of sensing breast motion and actuating to provide some additional breast support. Conclusions: The challenge now lies in integrating both technologies into a functional sports bra prototype, and assessing this prototype in a controlled biomechanical analysis to provide a breast support solution that will enable women to enjoy active living in comfort

Interpenetration isomers in isoreticular amine-tagged zinc MOFs

The effect of increasing steric size of pendant amine substituents on structural isoreticulation has been studied systematically in a series of Zn-MOFs. Linear biphenyl dicarboxylic acids tagged with pendant primary amine (H2bpdc-NH2), allylamine (H2bpdc-NHallyl), diallylamine (H2bpdc-N(allyl)2) and dimethylamine (H2bpdc-NMe2) groups react with zinc nitrate in DMF to yield a set of interpenetrated MOFs, WUF-11-14, respectively, that are structurally akin to IRMOF-9. The allylated amine ligands undergo C-N cleavage reactions under the synthesis conditions, yielding WUF-12 and WUF-13 as multivariate MOFs. The single crystal X-ray crystallography on this set of MOFs was not straightforward and we give a salutary account of the difficulties encountered. Gas adsorption measurements combined with surface area calculations provide invaluable support for the crystallographic assignments. The crystallographic analyses reveal subtle differences in the relative positions of the interpenetrating frameworks, and we present a classification system for this type of MOF and analyse related examples available in the literature. CO2 adsorption measurements revealed that WUF-14, which features the strongest Brønsted basic dimethylamine tag group, has the highest capacity, isosteric heat of adsorption, and CO2/N2 selectivity.</p

Molecular systematic perspectives on biome origins and dynamics

invited commentary on the following article:De-Nova JA, Medina R, Montero JC, Weeks A, Rosell JA, Olson ME, Eguiarte LE, Magallo ́n S. 2011. Insights into the historical construction of species-rich Mesoamerican seasonally dry tropical forests: the diversification of Bursera (Burseraceae, Sapindales). New Phytologist 193: 276–287.Phylogenetic reconstructions of diverse tropical groups have yielded biological insights that extend well beyond the field of systematics, illuminating such topics as biome assembly and plant–insect coevolution. In this issue of New Phytologist, De-Nova et al. (pp. 276–287) present a rigorous time-calibrated phylogeny of the Neotropical tree genus Bursera in order to estimate lineage ages, and to investigate how geography and ecology have structured its species diversification. Because Bursera is a dominant component of Mesoamerican seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs), the study provides evidence relating to the origin and expansion of this important biome. The study also sets the record straight on the age of a well-known plant– herbivore interaction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88158/1/Dick&Pennington2012.pdf-