Integrated PMR-Broadband-IP Network for Secure Real-time Multimedia Information Sharing

This article appeared in Homeland Security Affairs (May 2012), supplement 5, article 3"In this paper, the authors present a novel solution for the integration of TETRA-based [Terrestrial Trunked Radio] PMR [Professional Mobile Radio] and IP [Internet Protocol] based wireless broadband networks through a novel inter-system interface. This solution enables secure group communications based on PMR standards using heterogeneous devices ranging from a traditional PMR device to smart phones such as the iPhone. Thereby a Smart-phone user will be enabled to leverage on one hand the multimedia data capabilities of 3G and 4G wireless networks (UMTS [Universal Mobile Telecommunications System], LTE [Long Term Evolution]) while at the same time be part of a PMR group communication. In other words, any authorized Smart-phone can become part of a PMR communication group by simply downloading the appropriate, dedicated Application. As a key benefit, homeland security personnel can be included in the disaster response actions instantaneously, without necessarily carrying around a PMR device and without the need for PMR coverage. In contrast to existing solutions, the proposed interface solution prevents the reduction of the voice quality when bridging system boundaries by tandem encoding with a TETRA-over-IP (ToIP) interconnection. The presented solutions include different interconnection setups including Trunked Mode (TMO) and Direct Mode (DMO) capabilities. To enable the group communications services as known in PMR systems, a dedicated protocol, the Push-to-X protocol developed by CNI [Communication Networks Institute], is leveraged. The results of performance evaluations show that the speech quality is still acceptable even under harsh conditions. The proposed system therefore paves the way towards a future, high performance PMR based on LTE, while preserving backwards compatibility with existing PMR systems.

The Evolution of ICT in the Public Safety domain: Challenges and Opportunities

The services provided by public safety organizations bring value to society by creating a stable and secure environment. These services include protection to people environment and properties and they address a large number of threats both natural and man-made, acts of terrorism, technological, radiological or environmental accidents. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have always played an important role in the public safety domain. The capability of exchanging information (e.g., voice or data) is essential to improve the coordination of public safety officers during an emergency crisis. Wireless communications are particularly important in field operations to support the mobility of first responders. Operational and business requirements in the public safety domain are significantly different from the commercial domain. Innovative ICT concepts and technologies may not be directly applicable to the public safety domain or they need to be customized to fit specific requirements (e.g., security). This paper will identify the most significant challenges in the Public Safey domain, the main technical enablers and the opportunities provided by new ICT technologies. In particular, this paper focuses on the lack of interoperability and broadband connectivity for public safety organizations. The potential evolution paths for ICT in the public safety domain will also be described.JRC.G.6-Security technology assessmen

In vitro tissue microarrays for quick and efficient spheroid characterisation

Three-dimensional in vitro microphysiological cultures, such as spheroids and organoids, promise increased patient relevance and therapeutic predictivity compared to reductionist cell monolayers. However, high-throughput characterisation techniques for 3D models are currently limited to simplistic live/dead assays. By sectioning and staining in vitro microtissues researchers can examine their structure, detect DNA, RNA and protein targets and visualise them at the level of single cells. The morphological examination and immunochemistry staining for in vitro cultures has historically been done in a laborious manner involving testing one set of cultures at a time. We have developed a technology to rapidly screen spheroid phenotype and protein expression by arranging 66 spheroids in a gel array for paraffin-embedding, sectioning and immunohistochemsitry. The process is quick, mostly automatable and uses 11 times less reagents compared to conventional techniques. Here we showcase the capabilities of the technique in an array made up of 11 different cell lines stained in conventional H&E staining, as well as immunohistochemistry staining for estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) human epidermal growth factor receptors (Her-2) and TP53. This new methodology can be used in optimising stem cell-based models of disease and development, for tissue engineering, safety screening and for efficacy screens in cancer research

Toward the Design and Implementation of Traceability Engineering Tool Support

Requirements of a system keep on changing based on the need of stakeholders or the system developers, making requirement engineering an important aspect in software development. This develops a need for appropriate requirement change management. The importance of requirements traceability is defining relationships between the requirements and artefacts extracted by the stakeholder during the software development life-cycle and gives vital information to encourage software understanding. In this paper, we have concentrated on developing a tool for requirement traceability that can be used to extend the requirement elicitation and identification of system-wide qualities using the notion of quality attribute scenarios to capture the non-functional requirements. It allows us to link the functional and non-functional requirements of the system based on the quality attribute scenarios template proposed by the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI). Apart from this, the paper focuses on tracing the functional and non-functional requirements of the system using the concept of requirement traceability matrix

Requirement of a Membrane Potential for the Posttranslational Transfer of Proteins into Mitochondsria

Posttranslational transfer of most precursor proteins into mitochondria is dependent on energization of the mitochondria. Experiments were carried out to determine whether the membrane potential or the intramitochondrial ATP is the immediate energy source. Transfer in vitro of precursors to the ADP/ATP carrier and to ATPase subunit 9 into isolated Neurospora mitochondria was investigated. Under conditions where the level of intramitochondrial ATP was high and the membrane potential was dissipated, import and processing of these precursor proteins did not take place. On the other hand, precursors were taken up and processed when the intramitochondrial ATP level was low, but the membrane potential was not dissipated. We conclude that a membrane potential is involved in the import of those mitochondrial precursor proteins which require energy for intracellular translocatio

An apoferritin-based drug delivery system for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib

Anticancer drug Gefitinib encapsulated within human heavy chain apoferritin by diffusion allows pH-controlled sustained release of cargo. The combination of increased cellular uptake, and potent and enhanced antitumor activity against the HER2 overexpressing SKBR3 cell line compared to Gefitinib alone, makes it a promising carrier for delivery of drugs to tumor sites. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

A plaza design to promote sociability for Kansas State University’s North Quadrangle based on observational analysis of user behaviors

Master of ScienceDepartment of ArchitectureDavid SeamonThis thesis draws on observations of user behaviors in Kansas State University’s North Quadrangle to propose a plaza design for a site within the quadrangle adjacent to Cardwell Hall. As a practical method for conducting environment-behavior research, the thesis gathered observations of moving and resting behaviors to understand the North Quadrangle’s current usages. The observations of moving behaviors provided evidence for identifying potential spaces within the North Quadrangle where a plaza might be designed and built. In turn, observations of resting behaviors provided an understanding of sitting and standing behaviors in the North Quadrangle plaza. In terms of research related to plaza behavior and design, the most significant work drawn upon was William Whyte’s The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (Whyte, 1980). According to Whyte, a plaza is sociable if large numbers of people are drawn to it informally in the course of their everyday activities and movements. In this regard, the design aim of the proposed plaza is to promote sociability within the North Quadrangle by attracting pedestrians traversing the North Quadrangle’s busiest pathways and thus drawing them into the plaza. More specifically, to promote plaza sociability, the design makes use of the three most important plaza-design factors identified by Whyte: (1) location; (2) street-plaza relationship; and (3) seating. In other words, first, the plaza should be located near large pools of potential users; second, the plaza should be designed as an extension of the most heavily trafficked pathways; and third, the plaza should incorporate sitting opportunities for users via seating that is physically and socially comfortable. The behavioral observations and guidance provided by the literature review have been used to generate twelve design guidelines on which the proposed plaza design is based. The presentation of final plaza design incorporates explanations of these twelve guidelines followed by illustrated design schemes

Combination treatment with doxorubicin and gamitrinib synergistically augments anticancer activity through enhanced activation of Bim

Background: A common approach to cancer therapy in clinical practice is the combination of several drugs to boost the anticancer activity of available drugs while suppressing their unwanted side effects. In this regard, we examined the efficacy of combination treatment with the widely-used genotoxic drug doxorubicin and the mitochondriotoxic Hsp90 inhibitor gamitrinib to exploit disparate stress signaling pathways for cancer therapy.Methods: The cytotoxicity of the drugs as single agents or in combination against several cancer cell types was analyzed by MTT assay and the synergism of the drug combination was evaluated by calculating the combination index. To understand the molecular mechanism of the drug synergism, stress signaling pathways were analyzed after drug combination. Two xenograft models with breast and prostate cancer cells were used to evaluate anticancer activity of the drug combination in vivo. Cardiotoxicity was assessed by tissue histology and serum creatine phosphokinase concentration.Results: Gamitrinib sensitized various human cancer cells to doxorubicin treatment, and combination treatment with the two drugs synergistically increased apoptosis. The cytotoxicity of the drug combination involved activation and mitochondrial accumulation of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bim. Activation of Bim was associated with increased expression of the proapoptotic transcription factor C/EBP-homologous protein and enhanced activation of the stress kinase c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Combined drug treatment with doxorubicin and gamitrinib dramatically reduced in vivo tumor growth in prostate and breast xenograft models without increasing cardiotoxicity.Conclusions: The drug combination showed synergistic anticancer activities toward various cancer cells without aggravating the cardiotoxic side effects of doxorubicin, suggesting that the full therapeutic potential of doxorubicin can be unleashed through combination with gamitrinib.open